Opinions on early-age marriage and marriage customs among Kurdish-speaking women in southeast Turkey

OBJECTIVES: For women, marriage before the age of 18 years has adverse consequences for physical, mental and emotional well-being and constitutes a barrier for continued education. According to a national survey, about 50% of all women in Eastern Turkey were aged under 18 years at first marriage. METHODS: This study explored women's opinions and experiences of early marriage and culture-specific marriage customs in the province of Diyarbakir, a region of Turkey populated mostly by people of Kurdish ethnicity. A random sample of 966 women aged 15 years or older living in urban and rural areas of the province completed a questionnaire on age at marriage and social status. Qualitative data on women's opinions and experiences were also collected through focus group interviews with 90 women. RESULTS: The frequency of early marriage ranged from 19% in the youngest age group to 63% in women aged 60 years or older. Analysis of focus group interviews through a qualitative modified content method showed that girls were considered marriageable some years after the menarche and considerations regarding the protection of family honour were key factors leading parents to arrange the early marriage of their daughters, sometimes without their consent. Some culture-specific marriage customs included cradle betrothal, cousin marriage and berdel (exchange of brides between two families). CONCLUSION: There is a need for public health and family planning workers to create greater awareness of the adverse consequences of early marriage through parental arrangements.     

Evaluation of thiol-disulphide homeostasis in radiation workers

Purpose: To evaluate thiol-disulphide homeostasis – a novel, easily calculated, readily available, and relatively cheap oxidative stress marker – in radiation workers and compare the results with healthy controls.

Materials and methods: A total of 108 participants were enrolled in the study including 63 hospital workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation in the units of interventional radiology, interventional cardiology and nuclear medicine. A control group consisted of 45 individuals staff in the same hospital. Serum thiol-disulphide homeostasis measurement was investigated via the spectrophotometric method newly described by Erel and Ne?elio?lu.

Results: The mean serum native thiol levels of radiation workers (528.96?±?86.42?μmol/l) was significantly lower than control subjects (561.05?±?104.83?μmol/l) (p?=?.045). The mean serum total thiol levels of radiation workers (547.70?±?91.50?μmol/l) was lower than control subjects (580.36?±?112.24?μmol/l). Nevertheless, there was no significant difference between total thiol of exposed workers and controls.

Conclusions: The results show that long-term low dose ionizing radiation may lead to oxidative stress and have side-effects in antioxidant thiol groups. We may suggest supporting radiation workers by safe antioxidant nutritional formulations and following up via both physical dosimetry and biodosimetric methods.     

Clinical evaluation of brushing time and plaque removal potential of two manual toothbrushes

Abstract: Aim: To compare plaque removal efficacy of Oral‐B CrossAction (CA) used for 1 min with an American Dental Association (ADA) manual toothbrush used for 2 or 5 min in an examiner‐blind, three‐treatment, six‐period crossover study. Materials and methods: After refraining from all oral hygiene procedures for 23–25 h, subjects were randomly assigned to one of nine possible six‐period (visit) treatment sequences. Plaque was assessed at baseline (Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index). Post‐brushing scores were recorded after brushing with a marketed dentifrice and the assigned toothbrush for the specified duration. The same procedure was followed at each of six subsequent visits. Clinical measurements were carried out by the same examiner. Results: Forty subjects completed the study. All three treatments effectively removed plaque from the whole mouth, along the gingival margin and from approximal surfaces. Whole mouth and gingival margin plaque removal scores with CA for 1 min did not differ significantly from scores with the ADA toothbrush used for 2 min. The ADA brush used for 5 min showed significantly greater whole mouth (P < 0.001) and gingival margin (P < 0.001) plaque reduction than the two other treatments. Approximal plaque removal scores did not differ between the three treatments. Conclusions: Efficient plaque removal can be achieved after 1 min of brushing with CA. The amount of plaque removed did not differ significantly from that achieved with the ADA brush after 2 min of brushing. Greater whole mouth and gingival margin plaque removal scores were seen with the ADA brush after 5 min.     

Clinico-epidemiologic study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Diyarbakir Turkey

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a zoonotic disease, endemic and notifiable in southeastern Turkey. We investigated clinical features, individual characteristics, and environmental factors of affected patients, and identified additional patients with CL in Diyarbakir. In 2002 we studied the epidemiology of CL in Dedek?y and Durabeyli towns in Diyarbakir Province. We evaluated patients with any skin lesions. A questionnaire including demographic details was completed by each patient. Clinical details of lesions and other dermatological findings were recorded. We walked around the town and surveyed it for environmental factors. CL was diagnosed in 78 individuals aged 1-85 years (mean age of 20). Although all age groups were affected, the majority of patients were under age 20. The lesions ranged from approximately 0.5 to 20 cm. They were located on the face (46.7 %), upper extremity (23.2 %), lower extremity (5.1 %), and other sites. Different types of lesions were observed such as nodule with crust, nodule with osseous crust, violaceous infiltrative plaque with vegetative nodule, erysipelas-like plaque verrucous annular plaque, and eczema-like plaques. The incidence of CL is increasing in Dicle and Durabeyli towns and the clinical appearance may vary greatly.     

Orbital wall infarction mimicking periorbital cellulitis in a patient with sickle cell disease

Orbital wall infarction and subperiosteal haematomas are unusual manifestations of sickling disorders. Here we report an 11-year-old girl with sickle cell anaemia having multiple skull infarctions including the orbital bony structures associated with subperiosteal haematomas. The diagnosis was made by MRI, which showed bone marrow changes and associated haemorrhagic collections. The patient was successfully managed without surgical intervention.     

The impact of donor age and sex on the nucleated cell count and CD34 count in healthy bone marrow donors

BM remains an important source of stem cells. The BM characteristics change with age but the estimation of CD34 calculation of one CD34+ cell per 100 nucleated cells is used for all donors including pediatric donors in the operating room before getting the actual CD34 count. In order to see whether this formula is applicable for pediatric donors, we designed a retrospective study to see the affect of the age and sex on the BM NCC, CD34 count, and CD34/NCC ratios. Ninety‐eight BM collections from 91 related donors were evaluated retrospectively (median age: nine yr [1.5–54 yr]; M/F: 41/50). A significant negative correlation was found between the donor age and NCC (r = −0.229, p < 0.05), CD34 count (r = −0.563, p < 0.01), and CD34/NCC (r = −0.664, p < 0.01). The negative correlation for CD34 count and CD34/NCC persisted in female and male donor groups. When donors younger than 16 yr of age were compared with the older donor group, the median NCC, median CD34 count, and CD34/NCC were significantly lower in the older group (p < 0.01). Age and sex have to be taken into consideration to avoid unnecessary high‐volume collections and increased operating room time in the younger donors.