Age- and gender-specific normative data of pinch strengths in a healthy Turkish population.

It has been demonstrated that normative data of pinch strengths (PSs) vary among healthy populations. Data from 838 participants (420 women and 418 men) aged 15-96 years were analyzed to develop normative data of PSs for a healthy Turkish population and to analyze changes in the means according to the physical demands of participants' jobs. Lateral, palmar, and tip-to-tip pinch strengths were measured in standard manners. Occupations were classified based on the descriptions in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Mean PSs peaked between the ages of 30-50 years in general and increased a small amount in parallel with the increasing strength ratings of the occupations. PS changes followed a curvilinear relationship to age. The differences between our findings and those of similar studies in this field emphasize the importance of using normative data specific to a particular population.

Development of a "Neuro-orthosis" for the control of wrist movements in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: preliminary results.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common, painful condition. Treatment is indicated when the symptoms of the disease interferes with the usual daily activities. The use of orthoses is advocated in the treatment of mild and moderate CTS. The rationale for using neutral wrist orthoses lies on the relation of the disease with the increased intracarpal pressure. It was demonstrated that the intracarpal pressure is minimum when the wrist is in neutral position. In spite of their proven therapeutic effects, long-term or improper use of static orthoses may lead to unwanted side effects such as muscle atrophy and discomfort during forceful activities. To overcome the problems caused by a static neutral wrist orthosis, a prototype control system was developed to control the wrist movements via electrical stimulation. At this control system, wrist movements in two planes are controlled by means of electrical stimulation of the antagonistic muscles. The effect of the new control system on hand function and dexterity was compared with those obtained with rigid orthosis and no orthosis.

Comparison of rational pharmacotherapy decision-making competence of general practitioners with intern doctors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare rational pharmacotherapy decision-making competency of interns (final-year medical students) who had received rational pharmacotherapy education (RPE), with their classmates at another medical school and general practitioners (GPs) who had not been exposed to RPE. DESIGN: A written, objective, structured clinical examination (OSCE), consisting of open and structured questions, was given to all participants. The participants were expected to make a treatment plan and prescribe for simple, uncomplicated beta-hemolytic streptococcal tonsillitis and mild-to-moderate essential hypertension patients, explain their proposed treatment plans and reasons affecting their drug choice. After the OSCE, a questionnaire to assess knowledge of the rational use of drugs was given to the participants. RESULTS: Fifty RPE(+) interns, 54 RPE(-) interns and 53 GPs participated in the study. Mean scores of RPE(+) interns were higher than those of GPs, which were in turn found to be higher than those of RPE(-) interns for all cases. The RPE(+) interns scored the highest regarding all components of rational pharmacotherapy process for all cases of both indications. However, participants in all groups had higher scores for the structured questions compared with the corresponding open ones for both diseases. Prescription analysis also revealed better results for RPE(+) interns regarding the number of drugs/prescription and treatment costs. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the final-year medical students (interns) markedly benefited from undergraduate RPE at the medical school in developing rational prescribing skills compared with their classmates from a medical school with traditional pharmacology education. Interestingly, they got higher scores than not only RPE(-) interns, but also than the GPs participating in this study, indicating the urgent need for continuous medical education programs in this field throughout the country for practicing GPs.

The Turkish version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ).

We report herein the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation into the Turkish language of the parent's version of two health related quality of life instruments. The Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) is a disease specific health instrument that measures functional ability in daily living activities in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) is a generic health instrument designed to capture the physical and psychosocial well-being of children independently from the underlying disease. The Turkish CHAQ CHQ were fully validated with 3 forward and 3 backward translations. A total of 145 subjects were enrolled: 85 patients with JIA (35% systemic onset, 41% polyarticular onset, and 24% persistent oligoarticular subtype) and 60 healthy children. The CHAQ clinically discriminated between healthy subjects and JIA patients, with the systemic, and polyarticular subtypes having a higher degree of disability, pain, and a lower overall well-being when compared to their healthy peers. Also the CHQ clinically discriminated between healthy subjects and JIA patients, with the systemic onset, and polyarticular onset having a lower physical and psychosocial well-being when compared to their healthy peers. In conclusion the Turkish version of the CHAQ-CHQ is a reliable, and valid tool for the functional, physical and psychosocial assessment of children with JIA.