Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences

Consequently, in this study, the number, variety and structure of ethics committees in 108 government and 71 foundation universities across Turkey were examined through their web sites. The result of such examination found that there was no set universal standard in ethics committees and that there were a huge variety of ethics committees. Starting from this point of view, university ethics committees need to be improved through both quantitative and qualitative research and a standard in regards to the scientific field they provide services to ought to be set. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Co-trimoxazole and quinolone resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from urinary tract infections over the last 10 years

Over the last 10 years the treatment of choice for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Turkey has changed from co-trimoxazole to quinolones owing to the rate of resistance to co-trimoxazole and its high level of therapeutic failure. The resistance ratio of 1939 UTI Escherichia coli from outpatients (1994-2003) was evaluated by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method for the aforementioned antibiotics to determine the change in resistance. The co-trimoxazole resistance ratio decreased during this period, with the highest ratio in 1996 (69.3%) and the lowest ratio in 2003 (38.5%) (P < 0.001). The lowest resistance ratios occurred in 1995 (4.1%) for ofloxacin and in 1996 (5.2%) for ciprofloxacin, and the highest resistance ratios occurred in 2002 (25.3% and 27.6%) for ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, respectively (P < 0.00 1, P < 0.001). These findings emphasise that antibiotic usage policies, especially empirical therapies, should be based on antimicrobial resistance surveillance studies. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved

Reliability of interpretation of gram-stained vaginal smears by Nugent's scoring system for diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis

This study was designed to assess reliability of interpretation of Gram-stained vaginal smears by using Nugent's scoring system for diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV) across three different centers in Turkey: two in Ankara and one in Trabzon. The vaginal smears were collected from clients attending a family planning clinic in Trabzon, Turkey during October-December 1997. One slide taken from each client was prepared according to the standard methods and enumerated. One evaluator from each center examined the slides independently for the presence of BV and none of them had access to the evaluation of the others. Out of 372 slides, 301 (81%) were found to be satisfactory for scoring by all three evaluators and included in the analysis. Nugent's scores from 1-10 reported from each evaluator were compared by Spearman correlation coefficients and Kappa statistics. The difference in the proportions of BV diagnosis in three centers was evaluated by chi(2) test. There was good agreement for the interpretation of Gram-stained vaginal smears by Nugent's scoring system for diagnosis of BV. These results indicate that it is a reliable method in diagnosis of BV at different settings. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Community-based seroepidemiology of tetanus in three selected provinces in Turkey

The aim of this study was to assess immunity levels against tetanus in the areas of 26 health centers in Samsun, Antalya, and Diyarbakir in Turkey in 2000-2001. The study group consisted of 2,465 healthy subjects aged 6 months old or above, randomly selected from each age group in the area. Of these, a total of 2,094 (85.0%) serum samples were assayed for tetanus antibody; 716 were from Antalya, 706 were from Diyarbakir, and 672 were from Samsun. The surveys were implemented in three steps: physical examination, interview, and blood collection. ELISA-in-house was used as a screening procedure and a particle agglutination test was used to reassess antibody titers of 1.0 IU/ml or below. It was revealed that 73.5% subjects had the full protection level (greater than or equal to0.1 IU/ml) of antibody in Antalya, 59.9% in Diyarbakir, and 75.0% in Samsun, indicating that protection against tetanus was significantly lower in Diyarbakir than in Antalya and Samsun. The results also showed that the percentage of protective levels decreased with increasing age in three provinces and was higher in rural areas than urban areas in Diyarbakir. The study indicates that the immunity levels against tetanus can be considered as satisfactory among children and adolescents but that it is necessary to increase immunity against tetanus among adults through effective vaccination of pregnant women and those in military service and also among people older than 40 years of age

Measles Seroepidemiology In 3 Cities In Turkey

Objective: To evaluate immunity against measles and its relation with some variables among healthy subjects in 3 cities in Turkey. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study on measles antibody titers in the serum samples of 712 people from Antalya, 696 from Diyarbakir and 667 from Samsun, Turkey using particle agglutination test between February 2000 and October 2001. The study groups, informed and asked for their consent by midwives, consisted of randomly selected subjects of all ages older than 6 months. We implemented the study in 3 steps: physical examination, interview and blood collection. Results: We considered titers of >= 1:16 as positive and we observed lower seropositivity in Diyarbakir (90.8%) than Antalya (95.9%), and Samsun (94.9%) (p=0.040). We also observed that seropositivity was lower among preschool group than older groups (p=0.006). The number of doses of measles vaccine (p=0.001) and measles infection history (p=0.003) were found as a factor increasing the seropositivity ratio. There was no statistically significant between age groups (p=0.219), gender (p=0.148), residence (p=0.537), and number per household (p=0.983) among the provinces. Conclusion: Based on the findings, measles infection still has a high incidence in Turkey and the second dose of measles vaccine is extremely important in the prevention of measles transmission among school children and the community. Furthermore, we must improve our regional differences in routine vaccination services.Wo

Measles seroepidemiology in 3 cities in Turkey

Objective: To evaluate immunity against measles and its relation with some variables among healthy subjects in 3 cities in Turkey

Polymorphisms of eNOS, catalase, and myeloperoxidase genes in prostate cancer in Turkish men: preliminary results

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common type of neoplasm in European males. Genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to PCa development and progression. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between PCa and polymorphisms in the genes encoding endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), catalase (CAT), and myeloperoxidase (MPO). In total, 193 patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups: PCa (78), benign prostate hyperplasia (40), and control males (75). The parameters assessed included body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, presence of prostatism, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, Gleason scores of prostate specimens, as well as polymorphisms in eNOS-G894T, CAT-262T, and MPO G-463T genes. BMI and smoking status of controls and patient groups showed no significant difference. CAT-262T gene polymorphism was found to be homozygous in 35.4% of PCa patients, which was 4.02-fold that in the controls (P = 0.006). There was no statistically significant difference in eNOS-G894T and MPO G-463T gene polymorphisms between any of the groups. In conclusion, we found catalase levels to be associated with PCa diagnosis and PSA value. We did not find any significant differences between groups for other polymorphisms, but we believe that further studies with a large sample size may be needed before drawing definite conclusions

Emergence of West Nile virus infections in humans in Turkey, 2010 to 2011

In 2010, 47 human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, including 12 laboratory-confirmed and 35 probable cases, were identified in Turkey. These were the first cases detected during routine surveillance. The patients were from 15 provinces, mainly located in the western part of the country. Incidence was 0.19/100,000 with a maximum of 1.39 in Sakarya province. Forty of the total 47 cases showed neuroinvasive manifestation. Median age was 58 years with a range of four to 86. Ten of the patients died. Enhanced surveillance in humans and animals and mosquito control measures were implemented. The WNV infections were included in the national notifiable diseases list as of April 2011. In 2011, three probable and two confirmed cases of WNV infection were diagnosed in provinces where infections had been detected in the previous year, supporting a lower activity than 2010. However, detection of WNV infections in humans in 2010 and 2011 consecutively, may indicate that WNV has become endemic in the western part of Turkey. Field epidemiological studies were undertaken to understand more about the nature of infection in Turkey. </jats:p

Emergence of West Nile virus infections in humans in Turkey, 2010 to 2011

In 2010, 47 human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, including 12 laboratory-confirmed and 35 probable cases, were identified in Turkey. These were the first cases detected during routine surveillance. The patients were from 15 provinces, mainly located in the western part of the country. Incidence was 0.19/100,000 with a maximum of 1.39 in Sakarya province. Forty of the total 47 cases showed neuroinvasive manifestation. Median age was 58 years with a range of four to 86. Ten of the patients died. Enhanced surveillance in humans and animals and mosquito control measures were implemented. The WNV infections were included in the national notifiable diseases list as of April 2011. In 2011, three probable and two confirmed cases of WNV infection were diagnosed in provinces where infections had been detected in the previous year, supporting a lower activity than 2010. However, detection of WNV infections in humans in 2010 and 2011 consecutively, may indicate that WNV has become endemic in the western part of Turkey. Field epidemiological studies were undertaken to understand more about the nature of infection in Turkey