Informing women preconceptionally on the importance of modifiable risk factors, such as body weight and maternal age before pregnancy, can be useful, considering that stretch marks are carried for a lifetime and there is no conclusive treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between striae gravidarum (SG) score and abdominal scar characteristics together with intraperitoneal adhesion (IPA) grades of patients who were hospitalized for second cesarean delivery.Methods:A total of 145 consecutive women undergoing scheduled cesarean section (CS) in a tertiary level maternity hospital between November 2013 and January 2014 were included in the study. All women had transverse suprapubic skin incision due to the previous CS and none of them had a history of vaginal delivery. Patients were classified according to the SG status, as women with no SG: Group-1(n=53), mild SG: Group-2(n=27) and severe SG: Group 3(n=65). Groups were compared between themselves with regard to various sociodemographic properties, cesarean scar characteristics and IPA scores.Results:No significant difference in the length, width and color of the scar was detected among groups. While flat scar was the most prominent form of scar, the elevated scar was significantly more frequent in Group-1 compared to other groups (p=0.009). IPA grades were 0 or 1 in 77.3% of Group-1, 81.3% of Group-2 and 76% of Group-3. There was no significant difference in IPA scores between groups (p=0.884). After combining CS scar characteristics (flat, depressed and elevated) and SG status [SG (+) or SG (-)], we found no significant difference between the groups in terms of IPA severity.Conclusion:Striae gravidarum (SG) was found to be associated with scar characteristics, but not associated with the severity of intraperitoneal adhesion (IPA).

Background and objectives: In this study, the aim was to investigate Urotensin 2 (U-II) levels and oxidant/antioxidant system parameters in pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Materials and Methods: A total of 36 healthy, pregnant women who had not been diagnosed with IUGR and 36 pregnant women who had been diagnosed with IUGR at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Clinic at Gaziantep University Hospital were enrolled in this study. The serum total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), thiol-disulfide levels, U-II measurements, and oxidative stress index (OSI) calculations were carried out at the biochemistry laboratory at Gaziantep University. Results: According to this study, there was no statistically significant difference between the group with IUGR and the control group of healthy, pregnant women in terms of total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), native thiol, total thiol, disulfide, disulfide/native thiol, disulfide/total thiol, native thiol/total thiol, and U-II values. There was, however, a positive linear correlation between TOS and total thiol levels in the group with IUGR (p = 0.021, r = 0.384), and a positive linear correlation between OSI and total thiol values in the control group (p = 0.049, r = 0.330). In addition, there was a negative correlation between disulfide levels and gestational weeks at birth in the group with IUGR (p = 0.027, r = 0.369). Conclusions: Consequently, there was no significant difference between the control group and the group with pregnancies complicated by idiopathic IUGR in terms of serum oxidant/antioxidant system parameters and U-II levels. It is necessary to conduct more extensive studies evaluating placental, maternal, and fetal oxidative stress in conjunction in order to investigate the role of oxidative stress in IUGR.

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Objective: To explore preconceptional family planning attitudes in patients who delivered at term and causes of unplanned pregnancies. To explore contraception preferences in these patients. Methods:This study was conducted in Zekai Tahir Burak Teaching and Research Hospital between September 2013 and February 2014. A questionnaire was administered face to face (n=475). Demographic findings, level of education, family type, level of income, preconceptional planning, preconceptional and postpartum contraception preferences were questioned. These data were recorded with neonatal outcomes.Results: Three hundred sixty five (76.8%) patients stated that they preconceptionally planned their pregnancies. There were 110 (23.2%) women who defined their gestation as unplanned. The frequency of preconceptionally planned pregnancies were higher in nulliparous women (88.4%) than multiparous women (67.9%) (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between planned and unplanned pregnancies with respect to financial income, infant's birth weight, and hemoglobin levels at delivery. However, educational level of the patients were significantly lower in patients with unplanned pregnancy (p<0.001). The time interval since last pregnancy was longer in patients with unplanned pregnancy and they were more motivated to use any kind of postpartum contraception (p<0.001). In planned pregnancies, the frequency of preconceptional gynecologic examination and using folic acid supplements were 32.9% and 16%, respectively. Conclusion:In our study, it was noticed that educational level of the women was a prominent factor on whether the pregnancy was planned or not. Family planning trainings must be structured according to the educational level of the couples and awareness about family planning must be increased. J Clin Exp Invest 2015; 6 (3): 250-255 ÖZET Amaç: Miadında doğum yapan gebelerde gebeliğin planlı olup olmadığını araştırmak; gebeliği plansız gerçekleşenlerde, bunun nedenlerini ve hastaların kontrasepsiyona dair düşüncelerini belirlemek.Yöntemler: Çalışmamız, Eylül 2013 -Şubat 2014 tarihleri arasında Zekai Tahir Burak Kadın Hastalıkları Eğitim Araştırma Hastanesi'nin doğum ünitesine başvuran miadında gebelerle (n=475) yüz yüze anket görüşmesi yoluyla yapıldı. Olguların demografik özellikleri, eğitim düzeyleri, aile yapıları, gelir düzeyleri, gebeliğin planlı ya da plansız oluşu, gebelik öncesi ve sonrası kontrasepsiyon tercihleri soruldu, ardından neonatal sonuçlar ile birlikte kaydedildi.Bulgular: Çalışmamıza katılan gebelerin %76,8'inin (n=365) gebeliği planlı; %23,2'sinin (n=110) gebeliği plansız idi. Nullipar gebelerde planlı gebelik oranı (%88,4), multipar gebelerdeki planlı gebelik oranına (%67,9) göre anlamlı derecede yüksek idi (p<0,001). Planlı ve plansız gebe kalan hastalar arasında gelir düzeyi, yenidoğan ağırlığı, doğumdaki hemoglobin seviyesi gibi faktörler açısından fark izlenmezken; eğitim düzeyinin plansız gebe kalan hastalarda daha düşük olduğu görüldü (p<0,001). Plansız gebe kalan hastalarda, önceki gebelikten sonr...

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Objective: This study aimed to assess the effect of passive tobacco smoking (PTS) through the comparison of the periodontal status and the C-reactive protein (CRP) and cotinine levels in the biologic fluids in children who are exposed and unexposed to PTS. Methods: A total of 148 participants, whom had smokers (PTS-exposed, n=82) and non-smokers (PTS-unexposed, n=66) in their families, respectively, were included in the study. Gingival index, plaque index, probing depth, and bleeding on probing were recorded. Moreover, saliva, urine, and gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected. CRP and cotinine levels in the biological fluids were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: Both groups exhibited similar values for periodontal parameters and salivary CRP levels were higher in PTS-exposed group but not significant. The mean urinary cotinine level was significantly higher in children exposed to PTS than in unexposed children. Conclusions: There was no evidence for causative role of PTS in periodontal disease in this study. Longitudinal studies including large populations should be conducted to provide stronger evidence for the causative role of PTS in periodontal disease. Also, further epidemiological studies on the social context of smoking should be performed to improve the quality of life and lifespan of the society