Prevalence of daytime urinary incontinence and related risk factors in primary school children in Turkey

Purpose: Urinary incontinence is one of the major urinary symptoms in children and adolescents and can lead to major distress for the affected children and their parents. In accordance with the definitions of the Standardization Committee of the International Children's Continence Society, daytime urinary incontinence (DUI) is uncontrollable leakage of urine during the day. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of DUI in Turkish primary school children. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire, which covered sociodemographic variables and the voiding habits of the children, was completed by the parents of 2,353 children who were attending primary school in Denizli, a developing city of Turkey. The children's voiding habits were evaluated by use of the Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Symptoms Score, which is a validated questionnaire. Children with a history of neurological or urological diseases were excluded. Results: The participation rate was 91.9% (2,164 people). The overall prevalence of DUI was 8.0%. The incidence of DUI tended to decrease with increasing age and was not significantly different between genders (boys, 8.8%; girls, 7.3%; p=0.062). Age, maternal education level, family history of daytime wetting, settlement (urban/rural), history of constipation, urinary tract infection, and urgency were independent risk factors of DUI. Conclusions: Our findings showed that DUI is a common health problem in primary school children. In an effort to increase awareness of children's voiding problems and the risk factors for urinary dysfunction in the population, educational programs and larger school-based screening should be carried out, especially in regions with low socioeconomic status. © The Korean Urological Association, 2014

SPPS: A Sequence-Based Method for Predicting Probability of Protein-Protein Interaction Partners

Background: The molecular network sustained by different types of interactions among proteins is widely manifested as the fundamental driving force of cellular operations. Many biological functions are determined by the crosstalk between proteins rather than by the characteristics of their individual components. Thus, the searches for protein partners in global networks are imperative when attempting to address the principles of biology. Results: We have developed a web-based tool ‘‘Sequence-based Protein Partners Search’ ’ (SPPS) to explore interacting partners of proteins, by searching over a large repertoire of proteins across many species. SPPS provides a database containing more than 60,000 protein sequences with annotations and a protein-partner search engine in two modes (Single Query and Multiple Query). Two interacting proteins of human FBXO6 protein have been found using the service in the study. In addition, users can refine potential protein partner hits by using annotations and possible interactive network in the SPPS web server. Conclusions: SPPS provides a new type of tool to facilitate the identification of direct or indirect protein partners which may guide scientists on the investigation of new signaling pathways. The SPPS server is available to the public a

Overview of diagnosis and management of paediatric headache. Part I: diagnosis

Headache is the most common somatic complaint in children and adolescents. The evaluation should include detailed history of children and adolescents completed by detailed general and neurological examinations. Moreover, the possible role of psychological factors, life events and excessively stressful lifestyle in influencing recurrent headache need to be checked. The choice of laboratory tests rests on the differential diagnosis suggested by the history, the character and temporal pattern of the headache, and the physical and neurological examinations. Subjects who have any signs or symptoms of focal/progressive neurological disturbances should be investigated by neuroimaging techniques. The electroencephalogram and other neurophysiological examinations are of limited value in the routine evaluation of headaches. In a primary headache disorder, headache itself is the illness and headache is not attributed to any other disorder (e.g. migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalgias). In secondary headache disorders, headache is the symptom of identifiable structural, metabolic or other abnormality. Red flags include the first or worst headache ever in the life, recent headache onset, increasing severity or frequency, occipital location, awakening from sleep because of headache, headache occurring exclusively in the morning associated with severe vomiting and headache associated with straining. Thus, the differential diagnosis between primary and secondary headaches rests mainly on clinical criteria. A thorough evaluation of headache in children and adolescents is necessary to make the correct diagnosis and initiate treatment, bearing in mind that children with headache are more likely to experience psychosocial adversity and to grow up with an excess of both headache and other physical and psychiatric symptoms and this creates an important healthcare problem for their future life

Respiratory effects of chronic animal feed dust exposure.

AIM: The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of chronic work related respiratory symptoms and to determine lung function abnormalities in animal feed industry workers. METHOD: 108 workers with a mean age of +/- SD: 32 +/- 7.11 yr employed in the animal feed industry and 108 unexposed subjects as a control group were enrolled in the study. All subjects filled out a questionnaire on their respiratory symptoms. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were conducted. Airborne dust (respirable fraction) was sampled during an 8-h work shift. Dust sampling was performed with a Casella AFC 123 machine. RESULTS: A significantly higher prevalence of work related upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms such as cough (12%), dyspnea (5.6%) and sinusitis (8.3%) were found among the workers than in the control group (p=0.001, p=0.04 and p=0.008 respectively). Irritation symptoms such as pruritus of the eyes (11.1%), skin lesions (7.4%) and nose symptoms (8.3%) were also significantly higher among workers that in the control group (p=0.001, p=0.014 and p=0.005 respectively). The mean PFTs (predicted %) of the workers; forced vital capacity (FVC)% +/- SD (85.23 +/- 12.06), 1-s forced expiratory volume (FEV1)% +/- SD (88.73 +/- 13.09), peak expiratory flow (PEF)% +/- SD (70.64 +/- 18.76) and forced expiratory flow rate at 25-75% of the FVC (FEF25-75)% +/- SD (88.42 +/- 25.94) were found significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.0001, p<0.0001, p<0.0001, p<0.0001 respectively). Our data indicate that exposure to animal feed dust is an important factor in the occurrence of respiratory symptoms and decline in lung functions

Respiratory effects of chronic animal feed dust exposure

Turkey-Aim-The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of chronic work related respiratory symptoms and to determine lung function abnormalities in animal feed industry workers. Method-108 workers with a mean age of +/- SD: 32 +/- 7.11 yr employed in the animal feed industry and 108 unexposed subjects as a control group were enrolled in the study. All subjects filled out a questionnaire on their respiratory symptoms. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were conducted. Airborne dust (respirable fraction) was sampled during an 8-h work shift. Dust sampling was performed with a Casella AFC 123 machine. Results-A significantly higher prevalence of work related upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms such as cough (12%), dyspnea (5.6%) and sinusitis (8.3%) were found among the workers than in the control group (p=0.001, p=0.04 and p=0.008 respectively). Irritation symptoms such as pruritis of the eyes (11.1%), skin lesions (7.4%) and nose symptoms (8.3%) were also significantly higher among workers that in the control group (p=0.001, p=0.014 and p=0.005 respectively). The mean PFTs (predicted %) of the workers; forced vital capacity (FVC)% +/- SD (85.23 +/- 12.06), 1-s forced expiratory volume (FEV1)% SD (88.73 +/- 13.09), peak expiratory flow (PEF)% +/- SD (70.64 +/- 18.76) and forced expiratory flow rate at 25-75% of the FVC (FEF25-71)% +/- SD (88.42 +/- 25.94) were found significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.0001, P<0.0001, P<0.0001, P<0.0001 respectively). Our data indicate that exposure to animal feed dust is an important factor in the occurrence of respiratory symptoms and decline in lung functions

Women's quality of life in the premenopausal and postmenopausal periods.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between menopausal symptoms and quality of life in women in the pre and postmenopausal periods. METHODS AND INSTRUMENTS: All 171 women in the climacteric period who registered at the Pamukkale University Education and Research Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic between January and July 2001 were included in the study. A questionnaire asking for sociodemographic information, complaints related to the climacteric period, and HRT use, as well as the WHOQOL brief, were used in order to obtain data. FINDINGS: One hundred of the women who participated in the study were premenopausal and 71 were postmenopausal and the mean age was 47.39 (SD=6.65). No significant difference was found in pre and postmenopausal women in the comparison of their quality of physical life, psychological, social relationships and environment scores (p>0.05). The physical quality of life scores for those without vasomotor complaints in the pre and postmenopausal periods were significantly higher in those with a high educational level and women who had been menopausal between 1-5 years and more than 10 years (p0.05). RESULT: We did not find any significant difference in the quality of life of pre and postmenopausal women

One-year follow-up of penis and testis sizes of healthy Turkish male newborns

Penile length, penile diameter and testicular volume at birth reflect the activity and normality of the hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular axis. In this prospective longitudinal study, we aimed to measure penis and testicular size in healthy newborns at birth and 6 and 12 months of age. Seven hundred forty-six term healthy male newborns were enrolled in the study. According to measurements taken within 48 hours after birth, mean penile length (MPL) was 2.81±0.32 cm, mean penile diameter (MPD) 1.04±0.09 cm, right testicular volume (TV) 1.73±0.45 ml, and left TV 1.64±0.48 ml. At 6 months of age, MPL was 3.67±0.35 cm, MPD 1.23±0.08 cm, right TV 2.07±0.31 ml, and left TV 2.00±0.27 ml. At 12 months of age, MPL was 4.47±0.43 cm, MPD 1.25±0.09 cm, right TV 2.01±0.12 ml, and left TV 2.01±0.13 ml. There was a weak albeit statistically significant correlation between weight, length and PL at birth. In conclusion, the MPL of newborns was shorter than that reported in the published data from other populations. This situation may be related to ethnicity in addition to the lower birth weight and length of our subjects when compared to the newborns in other populations. We observed a significant increase, more marked during the first six months, in MPL, MPD and TV, which can be explained by the hormonal mechanism during minipuberty

Correlation of abdominal fat accumulation and liver steatosis: importance of ultrasonographic and anthropometric measurements.

PURPOSE: This study has two objectives: (1) using ultrasound (US) as a tool for measuring subcutaneous (S) and intra-abdominal; preperitoneal (P) and visceral (V) fat thickness. (2) Assessing the relationship between selected anthropometrical variables and US-measured S, P and V fat also evaluating the contribution of abdominal fat accumulation in development of liver steatosis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Sixty-eight obese patients (aged 43.9+/-9.3 years) and 40 non-obese subjects (aged 34.03+/-9.0 years) were recruited to this study. Height, weight (W), waist (WC) and hip circumferences were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. A linear-array probe (7.5 MHz) was used to measure S and P. A convex-array probe (3.5 MHz) was used for measuring V and assessing liver fatty infiltration. RESULTS: In 45 (66%) patients, there were diffuse liver fatty changes. Liver steatosis showed significant correlation with V (r=0.57), P (r=0.38) and S (r=0.37). It also correlated with W (r=0.52), BMI (r=0.6), WC (r=0.45) (P<0.0001). V positively correlated with BMI (r=0.62), W (r=0.55), WC (r=0.52) and WHR (r=0.33). P correlated with WC (r=0.29), WHR (r=0.36) and W (r=0.34), but not with BMI, height and age. A significant correlation was found between S and BMI (r=0.73), W (r=0.65), and WC (r=0.57) (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Obese patients showed thicker S, P, and V. Liver steatosis correlates significantly with both anthropometrical data; BMI, WHR, WC, and W, and with abdominal V, P, and S fat. V fat can be used as a good predictor for the possibility of different metabolic disorders and liver disturbances as steastosis

A population-based questionnaire study on the prevalence and epidemiology of burn patients in Denizli, Turkey.

Epidemiological investigations of burn patients help health services to identify the need for burn care and to plan burn care facilities. Various epidemiological studies on burn injury have been conducted, but they have usually covered major burn victims who required hospitalization or minor burn victims who were treated at health care centers. Few studies have included burn victims who were not admitted to any health care center. Through a population-based questionnaire, we studied the epidemiology of the entire population of burn victims, including those who did not seek medical attention. Thus, we identified the actual frequency of hospital admission and the frequency of sequelae. In total, 1068 persons from the city of Denizli, Turkey were questioned about burns in the last 10 years and the burn prevalence was found to be 12.6%. Only 33.3% of the burn victims were treated at a health care center; thus, 66.7% of the victims were treated at home with traditional burn wound care methods. Etiologic factors such as the age and sex of each victim, the cause and anatomic location of the burn, and location of the victim when burned were all investigated. The overall percentage of sequelae was 31.3%; of these, 89.5% were cosmetic problems, 7.9% were functional impairments, and 2.9% were physiological problems. The low percentage of health care center admissions and high incidence of sequelae suggest the need for professional burn care centers that can be easily reached by burn victims