Gebelikte bebeğin cinsiyetini belirleme ve tahmin etmeye ilişkin geleneksel inanç, uygulamalar ve bazı sosyo-demografik özelliklerle ilişkisi

Objective: This study was done to determine effects on health and traditional beliefs and practices of women about forecast and determination of  baby gender during pregnancy.Material and Methods: The population of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was consisted of the women consulting to gynecology and obstetric policlinic of Gynecology-Maternity and Children Diseases Hospital in Ordu The 213 pregnant  who  accepted to take part in the study constituted the sample of the study. The research was conducted between 1 October and 31 December 2005. The research data were collected via a questionnaire. The analysis of the data was done with frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, Pearson correlation analysis test.Findings: It was determined that 16.1% of women had traditional beliefs and practices about forecast and determination of baby gender during pregnancy, 34.0% of them used traditional methods during pregnancy. It was determined that 27.8% of them believed "partially" and 0.5% "most certainly" to traditional practices. These practices were seen "correct" and "effective" by women. It was established that 23.0% of women practiced "scissors-knife" method, 14.1% of them "ring" method for forecast of baby gender. It was determined that 4.2% of women had been read "praying by hodja" and 3.8% of them ate "bitter and sour"  for determination of  preferred fetal gender during pregnancy. It was found that four of women had health problems because they used traditional practices.Conclusion: In current, women continue traditional beliefs and practices about forecast and determination of baby gender during pregnancy. Some of traditional beliefs and practices adversely may affect both themselves and their baby  in pregnancy. The health persons who in antenatal and postnatal care services should be evaluated about traditional beliefs and practices of women.Amaç: Bu çalışma, kadınların gebelikte, bebeğin cinsiyetini belirleme ve tahmin etme hakkında geleneksel inanç, uygulamaları ve  ilişkili faktörleri incelemek için yapıldı.Materyal ve Metod: Bu tanımlayıcı ve kesitsel çalışmanın evrenini Ordu ili Kadın-Doğum ve Çocuk Hastalıkları Hastanesi, Kadın Hastalıkları ve Doğum Polikliniğine başvuran kadınlar oluşturdu. Çalışmanın örneklemine, araştırmada yer almayı kabul eden 213 kadın alındı. Araştırma 1 Ekim- 31 Aralık 2005 tarihleri arasında yapıldı. Araştırmanın verileri anket formu ile toplandı. Verilerin analizi sıklık, yüzde, aritmetik ortalama, standart sapma, ki-kare testi ve pearson korelasyon analizi ile yapıldı.Bulgular: Kadınların % 16.1’inin gebelikte bebeğin cinsiyet tahmin etme ve belirleme hakkında geleneksel inançları olduğu, %34.0'ının gebelikte cinsiyet belirleme için geleneksel uygulama kullandığı belirlendi. Geleneksel uygulamaların “kısmen” doğru ve etkili olduğuna inanan kadınların oranının %27.8, “kesinlikle” doğru ve etkili olduğunu düşünen kadınların oranının %0.5 olduğu belirlendi. Gebelikte fetusun cinsiyet tahmini için geleneksel yöntem olarak kadınların %23.0’ının “makas-bıçak yöntemi”, %14.1’inin “yüzük yöntemi” inanç ve uygulamalarını uyguladığı belirlendi. Tercih edilen cinsiyette bebeğe sahip olmak için kadınların %4.2’sinin “hocaya okunduğu”, %3.8’inin “acı ve ekşi” yediği saptandı. Dört kadının, geleneksel yöntem kullandığı için sağlık problemleri yaşadığı saptandı.Sonuç: Günümüzde kadınlar gebelikte bebeğin cinsiyetini belirleme ve tahmin etme ile ilgili geleneksel inanç ve uygulamaları yapmaya devam etmektedir. Gebelikte yapılan geleneksel uygulamaların bazıları, hem kendilerine hem de bebeğe zarar verebilir. Antenatal ve postnatal bakım hizmeti veren sağlık çalışanları, kadınları geleneksel inanç ve uygulamalar hakkında da değerlendirmesi gerekir

Cardiovascular risk factors in young male adults: impact of physical activity and parental education

Background: This study was conducted to assess whether choices of physical activity, smoking status, and parental education and income were correlated with the health status of young adult males which are important for preventive health policy. Methods: 491 18-29-year old males from lower socioeconomical districts in Turkey participated in this study. Information about demographic characteristics, parental education, household income, smoking status, and physical activity was obtained by means of a standardized questionnaire. BMI and metabolic parameters (serum lipid profile) were assessed.Results: Mean total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels were in the normal range.  The physically active group displayed a better lipid profile. No relationship was found between parental education and serum lipids. Smoking was slightly correlated with household income (r=103, p=0.022).Conclusion: Young adult males who participate in relatively high levels of physical activity are at lower CHD risk than less active ones. The present study also showed that lower socioecnomic status does not always correlate with higher levels of cardiovascular risk factors. In conclusion, data supports that while family history cannot be changed, HDL levels can be modulated by lifestyle factors as in other populations and that with the determined benefits of increasing physical activity and thus, HDL levels, policy reform in schools to promote physical activity are warranted

Cardiovascular risk factors in young male adults: impact of physical activity and parental education

Background: This study was conducted to assess whether choices of physical activity, smoking status, and parental education and income were correlated with the health status of young adult males which are important for preventive health policy.  Methods: 491 18-29-year old males from lower socioeconomical districts in Turkey participated in this study. Information about demographic characteristics, parental education, household income, smoking status, and physical activity was obtained by means of a standardized questionnaire. BMI and metabolic parameters (serum lipid profile) were assessed. Results: Mean total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels were in the normal range.  The physically active group displayed a better lipid profile. No relationship was found between parental education and serum lipids. Smoking was slightly correlated with household income (r=103, p=0.022). Conclusion: Young adult males who participate in relatively high levels of physical activity are at lower CHD risk than less active ones. The present study also showed that lower socioecnomic status does not always correlate with higher levels of cardiovascular risk factors. In conclusion, data supports that while family history cannot be changed, HDL levels can be modulated by lifestyle factors as in other populations and that with the determined benefits of increasing physical activity and thus, HDL levels, policy reform in schools to promote physical activity are warranted

Synthesis of an injectable heparin conjugated poloxamer hydrogel with high elastic recoverability for temporomandibular joint disorders

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is commonly affected during fundamental oral activities, reducing the quality of life. Herein, we synthesized a heparin-conjugated poloxamer hydrogel (HEP) as a thermo-responsive injectable hydrogel for the treatment of TMJ disorders. While the gelation temperature of synthesized HEP (25% [w/v]) was 29.8-30.0 degrees C, there was a slight difference between loss and storage modulus. HEP decreased the friction of the TMJ, thus requires less energy during load-bearing jaw movement in comparison to POL. Moreover, the oscillation test dependent on strain ranges from 0.01% to 1000% validated that POL and HEP3 hydrogels showed a similar critical strain of about 5.6%. The total elastic recovery percentage of HEP3 (53.50%) was higher than POL (45.55%), indicating a better recovery of the deformed hydrogel structure. Along with the suitable viscoelastic properties for temporomandibular cavity, both hydrogels increased the proliferation of fibroblasts (L929) and chondrocytes (ATDC5) (cell viabilities were above 100%). However, newly synthesized HEP induced differentiated cell proliferation of chondrogenic cells at increasing concentrations up to 0.0156 mg/mL (p < 0.0001) compared to POL and the control group. The promising rheological properties and effects on chondrogenic cell proliferation of injectable heparin-conjugated hydrogel make them candidates for intra-articular injections used for the treatment of TMJ

Assessment of Diagnostic Value of ‘Human Epididymis Factor 4 (HE4)’ in women with adnexal masses

Purpose: Human epididymis factor 4 (HE4) is a novel biomarker for ovarian cancer. The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness and efficacy of HE4, in comparison with CA-125 in the differential diagnosis of malignant and benign gynecological diseases in women with adnexal masses. Materials and methods: 85 patients diagnosed with adnexal mass who were operated at a tertiary referral center between the years of October 2012 and February 2013 were included in the study. Demographic data, physical examination, results of the laboratory tests, imaging, and pathology were recorded from all subjects. Blood samples were collected before surgery for the evaluation of HE4 and CA-125 levels. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to their histopathologic diagnosis: benign (n:58), malignant (n:17), borderline (n:5) and metastatic (n:5) and serum CA-125 and HE4 levels were compared considering menopausal status. Results: Using 35 U/mL as the cut-off value, CA-125 had a sensitivity of 82.4%, spesificity of 67.2%, a negative predictive value of 92.9%, and a positive predictive value of 42.4%. For the same sensitivity level, specificity was 87.9%, negative predictive value was 94.4%, and the positive predictive value was 66.7% for HE4. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) area under the curve was higher in both the premenopausal and postmenopausal group for the HE4 curve. Accordingly, sensitivity at set specificity of 90% was 82.4%, and 70.6% for 95% of specificity and 41.1% for 98% for HE4. Same sensitivity values for CA-125 were 47.1%, 35.3% and 23.5%, respectively. Conclusion: According to our study, especially in the premenopausal period, HE4 shows higher sensitivity and specificity values than CA-125