Investigation of the possible effects of night shift on telomere length and mtDNA copy number in nurses.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the impacts of altered circadian rhythm on telomere length and mtDNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) in nurses working night shifts. In our study, 52 healthy nurses working in shifts at Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital and 45 healthy control subjects working during the day were included. qRT-PCR technique was used for the determination of telomere length and mtDNA-CN. It was observed that the shift-work group had poor sleep quality (p = 0.004), feeling tired (p < 0.01) and stressed (p = 0.02) more than control group working during the day. Nurses working in shifts were found to have 1.18 times longer telomeres with respect to the control group working during the day (p = 0.005). When compared among shift workers, poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep duration shortened telomeres (r = 0.32; p = 0.02). There was no statistically significantdisparity regarding mtDNA-CN among the nurses working in shifts and the control group working during the day (p = 0.07). Insufficient sleep was associated with decreased mtDNA-CN when shift-working nurses were compared according to sleep quality (p = 0.006). Furthermore, mtDNA-CN of nurses with poor sleep quality was correlated with lower mtDNA-CN in comparison to nurses with good sleep quality (r = 0.284; p = 0.04). The mtDNA-CN of the nurses was positively associated with the sleep duration the night sleep before the night shift (r = 0.32; p = 0.02). Inadequate sleep duration and quality were observed to cause a reduction in mtDNA-CN of nurses. In conclusion, it has been observed that poor sleep quality and duration are related to shortened telomere length and decreased mtDNA-CN in night shift nurses.

Smoking status and levels of knowledge regarding cigarettes among primary school teachers.

OBJECTIVES: Teachers are believed to be important role models for their students. This study's objective was to determine primary school teachers' smoking status, their level of knowledge regarding cigarettes and their attitude towards prohibition; and to obtain preliminary data that may contribute to the development of antismoking campaigns in schools. METHODS: In total, 468 teachers were recruited and given a questionnaire. RESULTS: The answers revealed that among respondents, 58.1% were current smokers, 36.1% were ex-smokers, and 5.8% had never smoked. The percentage of current smokers among females (71.7%) was significantly higher than among males (50.7%). The percentage of those who had begun smoking at age 15 or earlier was 32.0% in smoking males and 19.3% in females; this difference was also statistically significant. No significant difference regarding ideas about smoking and prohibitions on cigarettes was found among current smokers, ex-smokers, and nonsmokers. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high number of smoking teachers and their role model status, students may also be at risk of starting smoking. It was concluded that it would be beneficial to deliver educational programs and seminars encouraging smoking cessation to this professional group.

Violence towards workers in hospital emergency services and in emergency medical care units in Samsun: an epidemiological study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of exposure to some form of violence during the previous 12 months and the State-Trait Anxiety levels of emergency medical care (EMC) and emergency service (ES) workers in Samsun. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in all EMC (5) units and ES (4) in Samsun, between April 1 and April 30, 2004. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all of the workers (n=320). RESULTS: Of the workers, 280 (87.5%) completed the survey. A total of 202 (72.1%) participants reported that they had witnessed some form of violence. ES workers (75.9%) were more often exposed to violence than EMC workers (62.3%) (c2=5.08, p<0.05). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that age, gender and anxiety regarding repetition of exposure to violence were related with higher state anxiety point, while anxiety regarding repetition of exposure to violence was related with higher trait anxiety point. CONCLUSION: This evidence clearly indicates that violence in ES and EMC units is a common concern. The necessary framework for the reduction and elimination of violence in the workplace should be provided.

Experience of workplace violence during medical speciality training in Turkey.

AIMS: To determine the type, extent and effects of workplace violence among residents during postgraduate speciality training in various departments of medical schools in Turkey. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven medical schools representing all geographical regions of Turkey. All physicians in speciality training in the selected medical schools were asked to complete a semi-structured 'violence questionnaire' addressing the type (emotional, physical and sexual) and extent of violence experienced, the perpetrators of the violence and the victim's reactions to the experience. RESULTS: A total of 1712 residents out of 2442 completed the questionnaire. In all, 68% indicated they had experienced some form of workplace violence, 67% had experienced verbal violence, 16% had experienced physical violence and 3% had experienced sexual violence. The victims' most prevalent reactions to violence included being deeply disturbed but feeling they had to cope with it for the sake of their career (39%), being distressed (26%) but considering that such events are common in all occupations and discounting it and being confused and bewildered and unsure how to respond (19%). The most frequently named perpetrators of verbal violence were relatives/friends of patients (36%) and academic staff (36%), followed by other residents/senior residents (21%), patients (20%), heads of department (13%) and non-medical hospital staff (6%). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians in speciality training in medical schools in Turkey are subject to significant verbal, physical or sexual violence. Precautions to prevent such exposure are urgently needed.

Prevalence and risk factors of allergies in Turkey: Results of a multicentric cross-sectional study in children.

The Prevalence And Risk Factors of Allergies in Turkey (PARFAIT) study was planned to evaluate prevalence and risk factors of asthma and allergic diseases and also to find out which geographical variables and/or climatic conditions play a role determining the prevalence of allergic diseases in Turkish school children. Study was planned as cross-sectional questionnaire-based. About 25,843 questionnaires from 14 centers were appropriate for analysis. Parental history of allergy, having an atopic sibling and other atopic disease in index case was significant risk factors for all allergic diseases. Breast feeding decreased the risk of current asthma (OR: 0.92, CI: 0.86-0.99) and wheezing (OR: 0.93, CI: 0.87-0.99) but not allergic rhinitis and eczema. Respiratory infection in the past was an important risk factor for the occurrence of allergic diseases especially for asthma which was increased 4.53-fold. Children exposed to household smoke were significantly at higher risk of asthma, wheezing, and allergic rhinitis (OR: 1.20, CI: 1.08-1.33; OR: 1.21, CI: 1.09-1.34; and OR: 1.32, CI: 1.21-1.43, respectively). All allergic diseases were increased in those children living in areas which have altitude of below 1000 m and mean yearly atmospheric pressure above 1000 mb. The study has suggested that household and country-specific environmental factors are associated with asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis, and eczema risk during childhood in Turkey.