Investigation of the risk factors associated with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

Objective: Osteoporosis is a substantial global public health issue. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk variables associated with osteoporosis among patients seeking care at an outpatient menopausal clinic in a tertiary university hospital. Material and Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study postmenopausal women who attended the outpatient menopause clinic of Baskent University Hospital between June 01, 2014, and August 31, 2015, were enrolled. Patients' datasheets were reviewed and data including age, body mass index, parity, duration and age of menopause, history of smoking and oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) use, natural or surgical menopause, and calcium-containing food consumption were collected through a standardized questionnaire. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the femur neck and lumbar spine by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: A total of 1,148 women with a mean age of 53.5±6.7 years, mean duration of menopause 7.1±6.2 years and mean age of menopause 46.3±5.1 years were identified. Of these, 235 (20.5%) were diagnosed as having osteoporosis. The average femur and lumbar T-values showed a decrease in normal weight patients compared to overweight, obese, and morbidly obese patients (F=22,337, p<0.001 and F=50,195, p<0.001, respectively). The mean femur T-values were higher in participants who used OCPs, regularly consumed a calcium-rich diet, and performed regular physical activity (p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.05). Positive correlations were noted between giving birth and femur T-values (r=0.065, p=0.027), between natural menopause and lumbar T-values (r=0.060, p=0.043), and between consuming a calcium-rich diet and femur T-values (r=0.087, p=0.003 and r=0.064, p=0.031, respectively). Conclusion: Using OCPs, lifelong physical activity, and a healthy diet rich in calcium are important factors for the prevention of low lumbar spine and femoral BMD and by implication, osteoporosis.

[Antibody Screening and Risk Assessment of Healthcare Professionals in the COVID-19 Pandemic]. / COVID-19 Pandemisinde Saglik Çalisanlarinin Antikor Taramasi ve Risk Degerlendirmesi.

Globally 364102 healthcare professionals have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and 1253 of them died until 15 January 2021. Healthcare professionals serving at the forefront of combating the pandemic are in the high risk group. In our country, the data about coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare professionals are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence in healthcare professionals, to evaluate the risks they encountered during work, and to examine their relationships with antibody positivity. A total of 572 healthcare professionals serving in various units of our hospital participated in our study and the presence of anti-nucleocapsid IgG was investigated by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (SARS-CoV-2 IgG test, Abbott Laboratories Diagnostics, USA) method in serum samples collected between May 18, 2020 and June 30, 2020. The demographic characteristics, medical history, work conditions, medical procedures performed and possible risk factors were questioned with a questionnaire form. The average age of the participants was 33.5 ± 9.2 (19-61) years, and 62.9% (360/572) of them were women. In our study, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence was 3.7% (21/572). The association of the antibody positivity with age, gender and occupational status was not statistically significant (p> 0.05). Comorbid diseases which were significantly higher in seropositive healthcare professionals were hypertension (19%) and diabetes mellitus (14.3%) (p<0.05). It was observed that antibody positivity was significantly higher in healthcare professionals working in high (52.4%) and medium risk (33.3%) areas, those who treat and/or examine patients with suspicious or positive COVID-19 (66.7%) and those who spend more than 30 minutes in COVID-19 patient rooms (76%) (p<0.05). The symptoms associated with seropositivity in healthcare workers with a history of symptoms (46%) were loss of smell (23.5%), loss of taste (20.0%) and respiratory distress (16.7%) (p<0.05). It was observed that the probability of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 increased 12 times if there was a colleague with COVID-19 in the hospital, four times if there was a patient in the house/lodging and six times if there was an infected person in the social environment (p<0.05). The rate of those who had the flu vaccine among the participants was 10.8% (62/572) and 9.7% of them were found to be anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG positive (p<0.05, 95% CI= 1.31-9.48). The seropositivity was significantly higher in non-smokers (4.8 %) compared to smokers (0.0%) (p<0.05). In our study, it was determined that the rate of seropositivity was 12 times higher in healthcare professionals who stated that they received hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis due to risky contact compared to those who did not receive prophylaxis (p<0.05, 95% CI= 4.11-40.64). The ratio of the personnel who answered "always" to the frequency of wearing gloves, masks, goggles/face shields and overalls was 85.7%, 96.9%, 62.1% and 65.4%, respectively. In conclusion, regular and large-scale seroepidemiological screening of healthcare professionals in the COVID-19 pandemic can contribute to the control of the pandemic by providing a better understanding of transmission dynamics and risk factors.

The incidence of and risk factors for postpartum depression at an urban maternity clinic in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: Postpartum depression (PPD) is an important health issue that affects not only mothers, but also entire families. Postpartum follow-up should address emotional and psychological issues, as well as physical issues, especially in those at risk. This study aimed to determine the incidence of PPD and the associated risk factors in a group of new mothers undergoing routine follow-up at an urban maternity clinic. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study investigating the relationship between PPD and various factors. A total of 187 women that presented to a university hospital for routine postpartum follow-up 4-6 weeks post delivery were recruited consecutively. The mothers were administered a sociodemographic form that included questions about the known risk factors (sociodemographic and sociocultural factors, and mother-related, pregnancy-related, and child-related factors) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). RESULTS: The incidence of PPD based on EPDS scores was 28.9% (scores > 12 were defined as PPD). Unplanned/unintended pregnancy, bottle-feeding only, mother's lack of satisfaction with the baby's sleep pattern, lack of family support for baby care, lack of satisfaction with the marital relationship, and family violence were significantly correlated with PPD (P < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed that bottle-feeding, lack of family support, lack of satisfaction with the marital relationship, and family violence were the primary factors that significantly increased the risk of PPD. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that the PPD occurs in almost one-third of women and that, among the risk factors, sociocultural factors were the most strongly associated with PPD.