Sterol Composition of Sponges, Cnidarians, Arthropods, Mollusks, and Echinoderms from the Deep Northwest Atlantic: A Comparison with Shallow Coastal Gulf of Mexico.

Triterpenoid biosynthesis is generally anaerobic in bacteria and aerobic in Eukarya. The major class of triterpenoids in bacteria, the hopanoids, is different to that in Eukarya, the lanostanoids, and their 4,4,14-demethylated derivatives, sterols. In the deep sea, the prokaryotic contribution to primary productivity has been suggested to be higher because local environmental conditions prevent classic photosynthetic processes from occurring. Sterols have been used as trophic biomarkers because primary producers have different compositions, and they are incorporated in primary consumer tissues. In the present study, we inferred food supply to deep sea, sponges, cnidarians, mollusks, crustaceans, and echinoderms from euphotic zone production which is driven by phytoplankton eukaryotic autotrophy. Sterol composition was obtained by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Moreover, we compared the sterol composition of three phyla (i.e., Porifera, Cnidaria, and Echinodermata) collected between a deep and cold-water region and a shallow tropical area. We hypothesized that the sterol composition of shallow tropical benthic organisms would better reflect their photoautotrophic sources independently of the taxonomy. Shallow tropical sponges and cnidarians from environments showed plant and zooxanthellae sterols in their tissues, while their deep-sea counterparts showed phytoplankton and zooplankton sterols. In contrast, echinoids, a class of echinoderms, the most complex phylum along with hemichordates and chordates (deuterostomes), did not show significant differences in their sterol profile, suggesting that cholesterol synthesis is present in deuterostomes other than chordates.

Childhood traumas in euthymic bipolar disorder patients in Eastern Turkey and its relations with suicide risk and aggression.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between childhood trauma and aggression-suicidal behavior in patients with bipolar disorder. Material and Methods: A total of 112 outpatients diagnosed with bipolar disorder in remission in the province of Siirt on the east coast of Turkey were included in this study carried out between January and June 2018. Personal Information Form, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Buss-Perry Aggression Scale (BPAS) and Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) were used for data acquisition. Results: It was determined that patients with bipolar disorder have 89.3% of physical neglect, 74.1% of emotional neglect, 75.9% of physical abuse, 79.5% of emotional abuse and 40.2% of sexual abuse. The mean score of CTQ was 66.8 ± 19.2, the total score of BPAS was 94.6 ± 28.8 and the total score of SPS was 85.3 ± 17.9. A statistically significant and positive correlation was determined between CTQ, BPAS and SPS (p < 0.05). There was a weak and positive relationship between BPAS, CTQ (r = 0.325**; p < 0.05) and subscales of CTQ which are emotional abuse (r = 0.350**; p < 0.05), physical abuse (r = 0.354**; p < 0.01), physical neglect (r = 0.313**; p < 0.01) and emotional neglect (r = 0.316**; p < 0.01). A statistically significant difference was observed between the regular use of drugs, violence against others and total score of CTQ, BPAS and SPS (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It is suggested that patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder should be evaluated with regards to childhood trauma history by taking into consideration sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric support in order to prevent their aggression and suicide attempts.

Perceived social support levels among university students following the 2011 earthquake in Van, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perceived social support levels of students after an earthquake. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted between June and July 2012 in Van, Turkey, following an earthquake in the region. Sample comprised students at the midwifery and nursing department of Yuzuncu Yil University, Turkey. Data was collected using a questionnaire including student information and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support inventory. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS 17. RESULTS: Of the 650 subjects, 461(70.9%) migrated away from the city following the earthquake, while 189(29%) stayed back, and, of them, 98(52%) students stayed in tents and 52(27.5%) in containers. The mean perceived social support level of students was 58.9±17.9 and the level of perceived social support increased as respondents' age, class and economic status increased (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived social support was found to be affected by variables such as university year, age and relation with friends, economic status and migration status after the earthquake.

Examination of midlife women's attitudes toward menopause in Turkey.

This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design to examine the attitudes of 154 Turkish women aged ≥ 40 years towards menopause. A questionnaire and the Menopause Attitudes scale were used. The mean score of the attitudes was determined as 34.70 ± 8.56. Most women in the study had negative attitudes towards menopause. The majority of women with positive attitudes were older, well educated and had used hormone replacement therapy (P < 0.05). Using multiple linear regression analysis, age and education level were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was found between the women in the premenopausal and menopausal years in terms of sexuality after menopause (P < 0.05). This study suggests that Turkish women 40 years and older have negative attitudes towards menopause and their primary concern in the premenopausal period is sexuality after menopause. Counseling of women on menopause-related issues in gynecology clinics is recommended.