Incidence, treatment method and recurrence rate in giant cell granulomas: Retrospective study.

Central and peripheral giant cell granulomas are benign entities mostly seen in mandibular anterior region at female individuals, usually with observed recurrence. Their etiology is still unclear, as is the optimal method for treating them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, treatment methods, recurrence rates, and initial and definitive correlation of central and peripheral giant cell granulomas. Patients who were referred to our clinic between 2013 and 2023 and who had the lesions' definitive diagnosis as "central giant cell granuloma" (CGCG) or "peripheral giant cell granuloma" (PGCG) were included in the study. Demographic data, recurrence rates, treatment methods, lesion location, clinical behaviors, and sizes were noted on the reports. A total of 30 lesions in 23 patients (14 PGCG and 9 CGCG) were evaluated in this study. The mean follow-up time was 62.6 months; 8 of 23 patients had systemic disease. While only 1 patient was observed to have cortical bone destruction in PCGC, all patients were found to have cortical bone destruction in CGCG (p < 0.05). In both lesions, the correlation of preliminary and definitive diagnosis was evaluated, and it was found to be 50% in PGCG while it was 77.7% in CGCG. The recurrence rates were 21.4% in PGCG and 33.3% in CGCG. Curettage was applied in all patients. Additional treatments (intralesional steroid injections, denasumab applications, resection, and graft application) were performed in 5 patients who were found to have CGCG (p = 0.004). However, there was no significant relation between treatment method and recurrence in CGCG (p > 0.05). Various peripheral lesions could mimic PGCG; thus, curettage therapy could be appropriate in the treatment of PGCG. Nevertheless, in some cases of CGCG, additional treatment methods could be more effective for preventing recurrence and any other complications.

The effect of pregnant women's status of receiving preconception care on pregnancy stress.

In the study, we aimed to determine the effect of pregnant women's status of receiving preconception care on their pregnancy stress. This is a descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional design study, we were conducted with the participation of 409 pregnant women between June-December 2019. The Pregnancy Stress Rating Scale total score mean was found to be 30.72 ± 20.26. Individuals who received medication and vitamins as part of preconceptional care had significantly higher scores (p < 0.05; p < 0.001) compared to those who did not receive them for total pregnancy stress, postpartum social support, infant health, and infant identity-care stress. Similarly, individuals who received medical treatment and regular checkups had significantly higher scores (p < 0.05) compared to those who did not for total pregnancy stress, postpartum social support, infant identity-care, body image and psychological state during pregnancy stress scores. In addition, individuals who maintained a healthy lifestyle had significantly higher scores (p < 0.05; p < 0.001) compared to others for infant health, infant identity-care, and psychological distress during pregnancy. It was determined that women who made preparations for their pregnancy experienced more stress related to their babies (baby's health, baby's identity and care), psychological status in pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal social support, and body image.

Effects of COVID-19 anxiety and obsession on fear of childbirth in high-risk pregnancy during the pandemic in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic may have significant effects on fear of childbirth among women undergoing a high-risk pregnancy. This study sought to determine the relationship between the COVID-19 obsession and anxiety levels of women with high-risk pregnancies and their fear of childbirth. METHODS: A total of 326 hospitalized women with high-risk pregnancies were evaluated between March 2021 and March 2022. The COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS), COVID-19 Obsession Scale (OCS), and Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS, composed of two subscales, FOBS1-anxiety and FOBS2-fear) were administered. RESULTS: Positive correlations were found between the FOBS1 and FOBS2 scores and CAS and OCS total scores (p < .001). The participants with secondary school degrees, those who had not given birth before, those who had an unfavorable previous childbirth experience, and those who were planning to have vaginal delivery had significantly higher average FOBS1 and FOBS2 scores (p < .05). Those living in an extended family were 3.22 times more likely to experience FOBS1 and 2.23 times more likely to experience FOBS2 than those living in a nuclear family. Women following COVID-19 information were 3.69 times more likely than others to experience these symptoms. In addition, those scheduled for vaginal delivery were 1.80 times more likely to experience FOBS2 than those scheduled for caesarean section. CONCLUSION: Women with high-risk pregnancies may experience COVID-19 anxiety, which may worsen their fear of childbirth. Psychosocial interventions focused on addressing COVID-19 anxiety are warranted for women with high-risk pregnancies in Turkey and for those living in other areas of the world as well.

Acupressure application to relieve postpartum uterus pain during breastfeeding: A randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Postpartum uterus pain while breastfeeding is a situation that can affect mother-infant bonding negatively and is a matter of concern for women. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of acupressure application in reducing postpartum uterus pain during breastfeeding. METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled trial was carried out at a maternity hospital in northwestern Turkey between March and August 2022. The sample of the study included 125 multiparous women who were in the 6th to 24th hours after vaginal delivery. The participants were randomly divided into acupressure and control groups. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate postpartum uterine pain. RESULTS: While the VAS scores of the acupressure and control groups were similar before breastfeeding, the scores of the acupressure group at the 10th and 20th minutes of breastfeeding were lower (respectively, p = 0.038 and p = 0.011). In the intragroup comparisons, compared to their values before breastfeeding, the pain score of the acupressure group decreased at a statistically highly significant degree at the 20th minute of breastfeeding (p<0.001), whereas the score of the control group increased at a statistically highly significant degree at the 10th and 20th minutes (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that acupressure can be an effective nonpharmacological method in reducing uterus pain while breastfeeding in the postpartum period.

Psychomotor agitation and irritability in adolescents with manic episode: Clinical data from three inpatient units.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of adolescents with Bipolar disorder-I with irritability and agitation (Mania+IA) compared to those without irritability and agitation (Mania-IA) in a multi-center representative sample. METHODS: Data of 145 patients from three tertiary-care inpatient units between 2016 and 2021 were obtained. Psychomotor agitation was defined as a score of ≥3 on the YMRS "Increased Motor Activity--Energy" item, irritability as a score of ≥4 on the YMRS 'irritability' item, and severity anchors of speech and thought disturbance on the YMRS '6 and 7' items. RESULTS: Previous manic episodes (p = 0.013), involuntary hospitalization (p = 0.006), psychotic features (p = 0.001), formal thought disorder (p = 0.010) and aggressive/disruptive behavior (p = 0.021) were more frequent in the Mania+IA group. Conversely, depressive episodes (p = 0.006) and family history of depression (p = 0.024) were more frequent in the Mania-IA group. The Mania+IA had poorer functioning at the time of discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Irritability and agitation were closely related to complications, psychotic symptoms and thought disorder. Assessment and monitoring of psychomotor agitation and irritability may help child and adolescent psychiatrists to predict clinical difficulties and appropriate interventions.

The Effects of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Professional Quality of Life Among Midwives Working in Delivery Rooms.

Background: This study was conducted to determine the effects of musculoskeletal disorders on professional quality of life among midwives working in delivery rooms. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of musculoskeletal disorders of midwives working in delivery rooms on the quality of professional life. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 88 midwives who worked in delivery rooms and delivered babies. The data were collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL R-IV). Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analysed with IBM SPSS V23 using MANOVA and path analysis. Results: Of the midwives, 80.7% reported that they had pain in the waist in the last year. According to the result of path analysis for NMQ and ProQOL R-IV, only the path coefficient between the 12-month disability and burnout was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.012). The multivariate analysis showed that single midwives had higher job satisfaction than married ones (p = 0.030) and those who chose their profession willingly had higher job satisfaction than others (p = 0.043). Conclusion: It was observed that most of the midwives suffered from low back pain. Additionally, there may be a relationship between musculoskeletal problems experienced by midwives and their professional burnout levels. Relevant strategies to reduce occupational risks, especially musculoskeletal disorders, and to increase the professional quality of life of midwives should be implemented urgently.

Turkish Women's Beliefs Concerning Human Milk Banking.

BACKGROUND: A donor milk bank provides an alternative source of human milk for mothers who cannot breastfeed or provide their own milk. Although wet-nursing is a common practice, there is currently no donor milk bank in Turkey. RESEARCH AIMS: The aims of our study were (1) to determine the knowledge and opinions of Turkish women in regard to donor milk banking; and (2) to raise awareness of donor milk banking. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional descriptive study, in which the data were collected with an online survey consisting of 22 questions. The link to the online survey was distributed through the social media accounts of the researchers, with a statement inviting women aged 18-64, who were literate and actively using social media, to participate in the survey. There were 648 female participants. RESULTS: Of those who responded to the questionnaire, 54.1% had not previously given birth, and 54.2% had heard about donor milk banks before. The implementation of donor milk banks in Turkey was desired by 56.4% of the participants, and 50.8% of the participants considered donating their milk. It was determined that the reasons why the women did not want to benefit from donor milk banks were the risk of disease transmission to the baby and the possibility of their child marrying his or her milk sibling in the future. CONCLUSION: It appears that Turkish women lack information about donor milk banking. We recommend public awareness activities to be organized concerning donor milk banking.

Index depressive episode and antidepressant exposure were associated with illness characteristics of pediatric bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is a serious, recurrent disorder leading to severe functional impairment. As a first mood episode, index episode could affect the long-term course of the illness. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of youth with PBD from our multicenter, nationwide, naturalistic follow-up samples and to identify (i) the effects of index mood episode and (ii) the effect of previous antidepressant treatments on the age at mania onset of PBD. METHOD: The study sample consisted of 271 youth with BD-I followed by the child and adolescent psychiatry clinics of seven different university hospitals and three research state hospitals, representing six geographic regions across Turkey. All diagnoses were made according to structured interviews, and all data were retrospectively obtained from clinical records by the clinicians. RESULTS: When patients with index depressive/mixed episodes (IDE, n=129) and patients with index (hypo)manic episodes (IME, n=142) were compared, the total number of mood episodes and rapid cycling feature were significantly higher in the IDE group than in the IME group. The Cox regression analysis adjusted for sociodemographic and illness characteristics revealed female adolescents in the IDE group treated with antidepressants were more likely to have an earlier onset of mania (hazard ratio=2.03, 95% confidence interval=1.31-3.12, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: This is the first large-scale nationwide follow-up study in Turkey that indicated prior antidepressant treatments were associated with an earlier onset of mania in youth, particularly in adolescent females. Larger prospective studies are needed to identify neurodevelopmental processes underlying PBD and initiate prevention approaches.

Gonadal development and sex determination in mouse.

The development of primordial germ cells and gonads are determinants of reproductive health and fertility. Although the gonadal development process is similar for both genders, the gender-determining process and the mechanism of development of female and male gonads have different molecular mechanisms. Spermatogenesis and oogenesis are also included in this process for a healthy gonadal development. Many specific molecular signaling pathways play role in oogenesis and spermatogenesis and it is important to know at which stage these factors are effective, to understand the mechanism of a healthy gonadal development. With this review, we defined the importance of stage specific genes expressing during the events such as oogenesis and spermatogenesis with the prenatal and postnatal gonadal development. It will be important to know about the cellular signals involved in the control of the gonadal development.

The compassion levels of midwives working in the delivery room.

BACKGROUND: Compassion-based practices in midwifery are the most important expression of the depth of care quality. This concept is insufficiently represented in literature, therefore, studies on this subject are of utmost importance. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the levels of compassion of midwives working in the delivery room and the factors affecting these levels. The study was carried out in Kocaeli, Turkey. METHODS: This descriptive study was carried out from 1 February to 15 April 2019 in delivery rooms of six different hospitals located in the provincial centre of Kocaeli, Turkey, with 78 actively working midwives. Data were collected using a 'Compassion Scale' and analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis H test and the Spearman correlation test. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study was conducted according to ethical scientific guidelines. RESULTS: The compassion score of the midwives were found to be 4.19 ± 0.39. The total compassion score was affected by professional factors such as number of patients, alternating shift work, number of traumatic births and work satisfaction. While the kindness subscores decreased depending on shift work and number of traumatic births, it was determined that the midwives who were satisfied with their work had higher kindness scores than those who were not. Also, as the age and professional experience of the midwives and the number of traumatic births increased, their indifference score also increased. Midwives who reported that they were not satisfied with their job had higher scores regarding separation and disengagement scores than those who were satisfied with their job. CONCLUSION: It was determined that the compassion levels of midwives were found to be negatively affected by factors such as age, professional experience, job satisfaction and number of monthly traumatic births in a month. They should be reminded that compassionate midwifery care for women is a basic human right.

The relationship between body mass index before pregnancy and the amount of weight that should be gained during pregnancy: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the adaptation of pregnant women to the recommended weight gain range according to body mass index (BMI) and to determine the factors affecting them. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in a university hospital's obstetrics and gynecology unit (tertiary center) in Turkey. This study was conducted between March 2018 and August 2018 (6 months) in pregnant women. Pregnant women with chronic disease and receiving treatment during antenatal follow-up, with twin pregnancy, with a fetus with a congenital abnormality, and nutritional disturbance were excluded from the study. Eight hundred twelve pregnant women with normal antenatal follow-up and who volunteered to participate were included in the study. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 27.66 ± 5.05 years. The mean weight and BMI before pregnancy were near standard in all participants. The group with the highest rate of recommended weight gain according to BMI before pregnancy was the group with low weight pregnant women. The ideal weight gain rate in all groups was 32%. CONCLUSIONS: The groups with overweight and obese pregnant women according to BMI before pregnancy had the highest rates of weight gain, above the recommended limits. BMI before pregnancy directly affects weight gain during pregnancy and the importance of pre-pregnancy counseling and weight loss is emphasized once again.

Working with women in Turkey exposed to childhood sexual abuse.

OBJECTIVE: Sexual abuse of children is an important public health issue. The aim of this study was to provide a multidimensional examination of women over the age of 18 who were exposed to sexual abuse in childhood and the effect of this abuse on their lives. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: This qualitative study was conducted over the period June 2015-February 2017. Twenty-three women were gathered by the snowball sampling method. MEASURES: We collected the data using a semi-structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Content analysis was used in the evaluation of the data. RESULTS: We found five themes that participants considered to result from their sexual abuse: emotional effects, sexuality, marriage, academic, and social aspects. CONCLUSION: Sexual abuse adversely affected the physical, psychological, and social lives of individuals. Public health nurses play a role in working with women who were exposed to sexual abuse in childhood.