Objective: This study aims to examine knowledge and attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine among medical students in Turkey, and find out whether they want to be trained in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between October and December 2010 among medical students. Data were collected from a total of seven medical schools. Findings: The study included 943 medical students. The most well known methods among the students were herbal treatment (81.2%), acupuncture (80.8%), hypnosis (78.8%), body-based practices including massage (77%) and meditation (65.2%), respectively. Acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal treatment and meditation were better known among female participants compared to males (p < 0.05). Females and first year students, generally had more positive attitudes. A larger proportion of female students compared to male students reported that a doctor should be knowledgeable about CAM (p = 0.001), and this knowledge would be helpful in their future professional lives (p = 0.015). Positive attitudes towards and willingness to receive training declined as the number of years spent in the faculty of medicine increased.Conclusions: Majority of the medical students were familiar with the CAM methods widely used in Turkey, while most of them had positive attitudes towards CAM as well as willingness to receive training on the subject, and they were likely to recommend CAM methods to their patients in their future professional lives. With its gradual scientific development and increasing popularity, there appears a need for a coordinated policy in integrating CAM into the medical curriculum, by taking expectations of and feedback from medical students into consideration in setting educational standards.

Primary infections caused by Toxoplasma gondii, rubella and cytomegalovirus (CMV) can lead to serious complications in pregnant women. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma, rubella and CMV infections through antenatal screening. In this study, the consecutive records of 1652 pregnant women examined between the period March 2004 to January 2006 were included. The results of the antenatal screening for Toxoplasma, rubella and CMV during the first trimester of pregnancy were evaluated. Anti-Toxoplasma, anti-rubella and anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies were assayed using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method. Of the 1652 pregnant women tested, anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody was found in 860 (52.1%) of the cases, while 9 (0.54%) of the subjects tested positive for anti-Toxoplasma IgM. Anti-rubella IgG and IgM antibodies were reactive in 1570 (95.0%), and in 9 (0.54%) of the tested women, respectively. Moreover, 1568 (94.9%) of them were found to be positive for anti-CMV IgG, while 7 (0.4%) tested positive for anti-CMV IgM. Consequently, because of the high seropositivity of T. gondii, rubella and CMV in the pregnant women, the country's health authorities should be alerted, and preventive measures should be taken.

We aimed to establish the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and disease activity and health status in rheumatoid arthritis. Sixty-five patients with RA fulfilling ACR criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis and forty healthy controls were included in this study. Disease activity was assessed according to the Disease Activity Score including 28 joint counts. C-reactive protein (CRP, mg/dl) was determined by the nephelometric method. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, mm/h) was determined by the Westergren method. Rheumatoid factor (RF, IU/ml) was also determined by the nephelometric method, and RF > 20 IU/ml was defined as positive. 25-OH Vitamin D EIA Kit was used to measure serum 25-OH Vitamin D levels. We found that the mean of the 25-OH D vitamin levels of the patients with RA was not different than that of controls (P = 0.936). We divided patients with RA into three groups according to DAS28 as low activity group (group 1, n = 25), moderate activity group (group 2, n = 25), and high activity group (group 3, n = 15). 25-OH vitamin D levels of the patients in the high activity group (group 3) were found to be the lowest (P < 0.001), and the patients with moderate disease activity had lower levels than those in the mild group (P = 0.033). Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were significantly negatively correlated with DAS28, CRP, and HAQ (respectively, r = -0.431, P = 0.000, r = -0.276, P = 0.026, and r = -0.267, P = 0.031). Serum vitamin D levels in patients with RA were similar those in the healthy controls, while it significantly decreases in accordance with the disease activity and decreasing functional capacity.

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Amaç: Madde bağımlılığı günümüzde önemli bir halk sağlığı sorunudur. Bu çalışma, üniversite öğrencilerinde sigara, alkol ve uyuşturucu madde kullanımının yaygınlığını ve bunu etkileyen faktörleri araştırmak amacı ile yapıldı. Yöntem: Kesitsel tipteki bu araştırmada veriler, Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi, Ziraat Fakültesi ve Reyhanlı Sağlık Meslek Yüksek Okulu öğrencilerinden elde edildi. Her fakülte ya da yüksek okuldan bir, iki, üç ve dördüncü sınıflardan birer şube seçildi ve sınıflarda ½ sistematik örneklem ile de öğrenciler seçildi. Çalışmaya toplam 396 öğrenci katıldı. Araştırmaya katılmayı kabul edenlere gözlem altında soru kağıdı uygulandı. Bulgular: Katılan öğrencilerin yaş ortalaması 20.9±2.3 ve %55.1'i erkektir. Yaşam boyu sigara, alkol ve uyuşturucu madde kullanımı sırasıyla %73.2, %56.6 ve %9.6 idi. Erkeklerde sigara, alkol ve uyuşturucu madde kullanımı daha yüksek bulundu. Babasında ve kardeşinde sigara ve alkol kullanımı öyküsü olanlarda sigara ve alkol kullanımı daha yüksek saptandı. Yakın akrabalarında uyuşturucu madde kullanımı bildirenlerde, uyuşturucu madde kullanımı daha fazla bulundu. Sigara kullananlarda şiddete uğrama ve şiddet uygulama, sigara içmeyenlere göre daha yüksek idi (p<0.001). Hayat boyu şiddete uğrayanların özgüven ve sosyal destek skorları düşük, sürekli kaygı puanları yüksek bulundu (p<0.01). Uçucu madde kullananlarda sürekli kaygı puanı yüksek (p<0.05), sosyal destek puanı düşük idi (p<0.05). Sonuç: Sigara içme, alkol ve uyuşturucu madde kullanımı Hatay'da üniversite öğrencilerinde yaygındır. Bulgularımız uçucu madde kullanımı ile yüksek sürekli kaygı ve düşük sosyal destek arasında ilişki olduğunu desteklemektedir.

There is a significant correlation between indicators of pain and disability (visual analog scale and WOMAC scores). Also, the presence of foot deformities increased disability levels in women with knee osteoarthritis.

To evaluate the Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) levels in children diagnosed with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), during attack and attack-free periods. The records of a total of 117 children with FMF, diagnosed using the Tel-Hashomer criteria, have been scanned. The study consisted of 53 patients during an attack (group 1), 64 patients in attack-free period (group 2), and 57 healthy controls (group 3). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, platelet count, and MPV levels were retrospectively recorded. The MPV and platelet values in FMF patients during attack (group 1) and FMF patients during attack-free periods (group 2) have been found to be significantly higher than those of the health control group (group 3). Positive correlation has been found between the MPV and platelet values in Group 1 and the disease's severity score (r = 0.224, and r = 0.268, respectively). Positive correlation (r = 0.528, and r = 0.485, respectively) has been also identified between MPV and blood platelet count in patients in Group 1 and 2. No correlation was found between the Colchicine treatment period and MPV (r = -0.005). The MPV values in the complete group of FMF diagnosed children have been found to be much higher compared to those in healthy children. As a consequence, we consider the MPV value as a useful marker that demonstrates the risk of early stage atherosclerosis in children with FMF.

We found that RA patients with higher levels of anti-CCP antibody had lower lumbar and femoral BMD. Anti-CCP levels were also associated with radiographic damage. Therefore, we suggest that anti-CCP may be a determinant of bone loss in patients with RA.