Purpose: The association between socio-demographic factors and hemophilia status and the prevalence of comorbidities were evaluated. Material and Methods: Patients with hemophilia A (n=111) and B (n=24) who were filled a questionnaire form about their sociodemographic factors were included in our study. Factor and inhibitor levels, comorbidities, factor replacement therapies, hemophilic arthropathy, viral status and annual bleeding episodes were recorded. Results: Median age was 39 years in 135 hemophilia patients and 63.1 % of all the patients had severe hemophilia which was significantly higher among hemophilia A patients (p=0.002). Most of the patients (74.8%) were treated with prophylactic factor replacement therapy. Inhibitor status was positive in 8.9% of all patients. Unemployment rate was found 33.3%. Annual bleeding episodes were higher in patients who had a job. Most of the patients (60 %) were graduated from at least high school. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and obesity were 6.7%; 17.8%, 13.3%, 11.9% respectively. Although there is no association between the obesity and annual bleeding episodes, right ankle was the most affected joint in overweight/obese patients. Conclusion: Age-related comorbidities and the relation of hemophilia status and social life are needed to be more investigated.

Introduction: Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are widely used in medical education. Difficulty Index (DIF I), Discrimination Index (DI), and Distractor Efficiency (DE) are the most commonly used item analyses. MCQ authors should anticipate the possible difficulty level in writing their questions and carefully arrange distractors. This study aims to evaluate the quality of MCQ and the predictions of MCQ authors about the difficulty levels of their questions. Methods: In this study, the DIF I, DI and DE values of 688 MCQs in the exams held in the first year of the 2021-2022 academic year of Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine were investigated. The effect of the number of Non-Functional Distractors (NFD) on DIF I and DI, and the compliance between the DIF I predictions of the question authors and the actual values was evaluated. Results: DIF I mean was 0.57±0.21, and 47.5% was at the ideal difficulty level. There was a significant difference between the estimated and the actual DIF I (p=0.002). The DI average was 0.31 ± 0.17, and the discrimination level of 43.6% was excellent. 36.8% of distractors were NFD. MCQ's difficulty and discriminatory ability were significantly different according to the number of NFDs (p=0.000 for all). Discussion: It was determined that the number of NFDs significantly affected difficulty and discriminatory ability. There was a difference between the estimates of the difficulty and the actual values. Reducing the number of options in MCQs and being more careful when crafting questions can improve the quality of the questions.

Purpose: Vitamin D level is emphasized as an important biomarker in determining risk factors for different diseases. Vitamin D is an important vitamin for human health and its deficiency is associated with serious health problems. Therefore, it is of great importance to detect vitamin D deficiency, which can be easily prevented and treated. The possible relationship between vitamin D deficiency and musculoskeletal pain, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension is frequently discussed in researches. In this research, it is aimed to analyze the factors in determining the vitamin D level and the decision rules related to it. Methods: A descriptive framework based on one of the machine learning techniques, that is decision tree is followed. The data used to create the decision rules were obtained from volunteers between the ages of 18-85 who applied to Izmir Katip Çelebi University Atatürk Training and Research Hospital Infectious Diseases and Family Medicine Polyclinics and agreed to participate in the study between 01.03.2017 and 01.09.2017. Results: It was observed that age, gender and laboratory test values are strong predictors for vitamin D level. As a result of two CART (Classification and Regression Trees) models, %90.47 and %95 predictive accuracies were observed respectively. In the first model, uric acid, age and creatine; in the second model TSH, ALP and smoking(yes) were the most important three biomarkers affecting vitamin D level. Discussion: The collected features give a comprehensive list of variables that have an effect on vitamin D in the dataset under consideration. Important findings of the study include not only the identification of these variables, but also the effective categorization determination procedures. In contrast to previous research, the Age variable is the most influential factor within the scope of this dataset, which includes demographic information on patients and their existing disorders.

Purpose: The research was conducted to determine the relationship between perceived gender roles and menopausal symptoms in women. Methods: The research was designed in descriptive type and was carried out in family centers in Turkey. The sample of the study consisted of 465 women. Data were collected using Personal Information Form, Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and BEM Gender Roles Inventory (BSRI). Research data were evaluated with SPSS 27 and descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Kruskal Wallis, Mann Whitney U test were used. Results: Women's MRS total mean score was 17.45±8.37, somatic complaints mean score was 6.39±3.50, psychological complaints mean score was 7.31±3.75, urogenital complaints mean score was 3,74±2,77. It was determined that 48.2% of the women participating adopted the androgynous role. A statistically significant difference was found between the MRS urogenital complaints sub-dimension mean scores according to the gender roles adopted by the women participating(p=0.024

Purpose: The aims of this study were to compare the lumbar lordosis measured with flexible ruler between healthy peers and children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and to investigate the relationship between lumbar lordosis and functional performance in children with DMD. Material and Methods: This study included 20 children with DMD (median age: 8.29 years) and 10 healthy peers (median age: 7.96 years). Lumbar lordosis and postural alignment were assessed with flexible ruler and New York Posture Rating (NYPR), succesively. Functional performance was evaluated with Motor Function Measure and timed performance tests. Results: Demographic characteristics of children with DMD and healthy peers were similar (p>0.05). Children with DMD (median angle: 46.58 degrees) had a higher degree of lumbar lordosis than their healthy peers (median angle: 36.10 degrees) (p

Background and Purpose: Early diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is crucial. This study assesses the awareness and attitudes toward SMA screening among individuals preparing for marriage. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in three family health centers in the central district of XXX from June to September 2023. A researcher-designed 15-item instrument was utilized to collect demographic data and assess knowledge and attitudes regarding SMA among participants aged 18-65, excluding those with a diagnosis of mental retardation. Results: The study was participated in by 197 individuals, with an average age determined to be 29.45±7.48. The proportion of those supporting the implementation of SMA screening was 84.8% (n=167), while the intention to undergo the test was identified at 72.6% (n=143). A significant relationship was found between the willingness to be tested and variables such as the level of education, absence of disabled close relatives, not considering SMA to be genetically inherited, finding screenings appropriate, the perceived impact of test results on marriage, and the belief that screening could not be conducted after marriage. Conclusion: While most recognized SMA's severity, there's a notable deficit in understanding its preventability, suggesting the need for targeted educational interventions to enhance genetic screening uptake.

Purpose: The risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) reaches 30-50%, and there are numerous diagnostic tests to detect CMV replication. The most common tests used in this group of patients include 65kDa phosphoprotein (pp65) antigenemia immunofluorescence assay and nucleic-acid-based quantitative CMV-DNA polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Material and Methods: In this study, patients who underwent ASCT and developed CMV positivity from 2009 to 2016 in our hospital were evaluated retrospectively. The study included samples of the same patient with antigenemia and CMV-DNA qPCR test for up to 48 hours. The study aimed to determine the factors affecting CMV DNA antigenemia and compare CMV DNA PCR and pp65 antigenemia immunofluorescence assay. Results: The results of 138 specimens of 39 patients who underwent ASCT were evaluated. The mean value of CMV PCR, which was positive for both tests, was 57.887 copies/ml (70- 1.213.633 copies/ml) and a significant correlation was found between the two tests and the positive samples (p = 0.018). The ROC analysis showed that 322 copies/ml CMV viral load in plasma corresponds to ≥1 antigen-positive cells/200 thousand leukocytes (Sensitivity: 68.5%; Specificity: 31.5%). CMV infection was observed in 32 samples; CMV DNA cut-off values of the reference according to CMV DNA PCR and antigenemia results, compared to the development of CMV infection, presented a significant correlation (p=0.004). Conclusion: Although there is a common agreement between antigenemia and CMV DNA PCR tests, one should keep in mind that the sensitivity of antigenemia test is low especially in the neutropenic period.

Background and Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge level of nurses working in surgical clinics about perioperative period (ERAS) protocols. Methods: This descriptive research design completed between March and June 2021. The population of the study consisted of 126 nurses working in the surgical clinics of a State hospital in Northern Cyprus. The data were evaluated by accepting the significance level of p

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to evaluate and measure phantom limb pain. Material and Methods: This study, which was designed in a methodological type, was conducted with a total of 258 patients. A demographics form and a draft scale developed by the research authors were used to collect the study data. Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 was used to provide descriptive statistics and reliability analyses for the study data. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used in the development of the phantom limb pain rating scale, and Reliability and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were used for the study’s validity and reliability evaluations. Results: The Kuder-Richardson 20 value, which shows the internal consistency of the questions of the 16-item the rating scale, was found to be 0.921. The total score of the rating scale ranged from 1 to 16, with an average of 11.19±4.94. It was determined that the fit criterias and corrected chi-square values showed acceptable fit, and that the scale was both statistically significant and valid (p=0.001; p

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish-language version of the Storm Fear Questionnaire (SFQ). Material and Methods: The research was completed with 299 individuals. After obtaining sociodemographic information of the participants, Storm Fear Questionnaire, Eco-Anxiety Scale and Severity Measure for Specific Phobia were administered. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to evaluate the scale’s construct validity, while Cronbach's alpha (α) reliability coefficient was used to determine its consistency, and test-retest reliability was employed to determine its stability. Results: Scores from the SFQ scale ranged from 0 to 56, with a mean score of 13.30±11.40. A structure consisting of a single factor with an eigenvalue greater than 1, explaining 59.0% of the total variance emerged from the factor analysis. Factor loadings for the SFQ, the original of which consists of 15 items, ranged between 0.594 and 0.879. One item with a factor loading less than 0.30 was removed from the scale. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of the first test was 0.943. Conclusion: We think that the 14-item scale obtained in this research can be employed as a valid and reliable tool for evaluating storm fear in adults in Türkiye.