Turkish-speaking Population Research Articles

The accuracy and reliability of the Turkish version of the Fonseca anamnestic index in temporomandibular disorders

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the Turkish version of the Fonseca anamnestic index (FAI-T). Methods The cultural equivalence of the FAI was established according to the International Network for Orofacial Pain and Related Disorders Methodology. The test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and diagnostic accuracy of the FAI-T was carried out in a sample of 66 controls and 139 patients with TMD. Diagnostic accuracy of the FAI-T was evaluated against the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. Results Internal consistency analysis resulted in a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.805. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values of each index question ranged from 0.739 to 0.897. FAI had a high level of accuracy (area under the ROC curve of 0.928). Conclusion The results provide considerable evidence that the FAI-T can be used as a screening tool for the identification of TMD in Turkish-speaking populations.

Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI): A Standardization Study for Turkish Speaking Populations

Rumination, which is a form of repetitive negative thinking, has been suggested as a variable associated with elevated risks for depression. Current research conceptualizes rumination as a dispositional entity but has neglected its more state-based forms, which may also be equally related to emotional disorders. Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI) is a psychometrically sound measure of state rumination, demonstrated to be sensitive to situational changes in rumination. The current study aims to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Turkish form of BSRI. Results of the first study replicated the single factor structure of the original version of BSRI in a group of 192 Turkish speaking adults between ages 18 and 65. Moreover, the Turkish version of BSRI yielded satisfactory levels of internal consistency and construct validity indicated by significant associations with measures of repetitive negative thinking, avoidant coping, and psychological distress. Study 2 examined the sensitivity of BSRI to momentary changes in rumination to assess the criterion validity of the Turkish form of BSRI, by examining its sensitivity to a rumination induction procedure in 66 university students (39 women). Together, these results suggest that the Turkish version of BSRI is a psychometrically reliable tool which is appropriate for the assessment of state rumination in Turkish speaking populations.

Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3

Objective: Motor imagery (MI) is the mental representation of a movement without any body movement, and it has been recently used as a therapeutic intervention in rehabilitation. The Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3 (MIQ-3) is the most recent, modified version of the MIQ-revised, second edition, which is commonly used to measure the imagery ability of patients with movement dysfunction. The purpose of the study was to translate the MIQ-3 into Turkish and evaluate its test and retest reliability and validity for the Turkish-speaking population. Methods: Among 185 healthy participants, 181 completed the procedures. The questionnaire was applied to 86 participants with 1-week interval to evaluate internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The construct validity of the MIQ-3 was tested by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: The internal consistency of the Turkish MIQ-3 was satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 for test and 0.86 for retest reliability). The internal consistency of subscales for test–retest reliability (internal visual items, external visual items, and kinesthetic items) was 0.73–0.68, 0.74–0.72, and 0.79–0.73, respectively. Test–retest reliabilities of each item ranged from 0.84 to 0.95. In terms of criterion validity, there was an excellent correlation between subscales and total scale correlations, which ranged from 0.50 to 0.90 (P < 0.001). The validity of the MIQ-3 was examined with CFA, and the results supported a three-factor model of movement imagery ability. Conclusion: The Turkish MIQ-3 has an excellent reliability and good-to-excellent validity in evaluating MI ability.

Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of Foot and Ankle Ability Measure for Patients With Chronic Ankle Disability

The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure is a valid, reliable, and widely used self-reported questionnaire for the foot. It has been adapted and validated for a Turkish-speaking population. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence for validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Foot and Ankle Measure (FAAM-T) in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). A total of 316 patients with CAI were enrolled. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Validity was examined using correlations with the Short Form Health Survey version 2.0 (SF-36v2) questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha scores were 0.94 and 0.96 for the the FAAM-T ADL (Activities of Daily Living) and FAAM-T Sports subscales, respectively, indicating high internal consistency. For the second administration, Cronbach's alpha was found to be 0.96 for both subscales of the FAAM-T. The test-retest reliability of the FAAM-T was very high for both subscales with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.97 and 0.94, respectively (p < .001). The standard error of the mean and minimal detectable change were determined to be 2.5 and 6.7 for the FAAM-T ADL and 6.9 and 18.5 for the FAAM-T Sport. The FAAM-T ADL and Sport subscales were strongly correlated with the SF-36v2 PF (physical functioning; r = 0.51, r = 0.40, respectively; p = .001) and SF-36v2 PCS (physical component scale; r = 0.64, r = 0.55, respectively; p = .001). The weakest associations between the FAAM-T ADL and Sport and the SF-36v2 were noted for the mental health subscale (r = 0.08 and r = 0.03) and the SF-36v2 MCS (mental component scale; r = .05 and r = .006, respectively). This study provides evidence for validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability for the FAAM-T to evaluate patients with CAI.

An Analysis of ISIS Propaganda and Recruitment Activities Targeting the Turkish-Speaking Population

AbstractThe “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (ISIS) is the main source of instability, not only in Iraq and Syria, but also throughout the Middle East. The instability poses a danger for the other parts of the world because of the influx of foreign fighters to the region. Extremists have taken advantage of the continuing conflicts in Iraq and Syria, with Syria in particular serving as a magnet for thousands of foreign fighters from more than 90 countries. While most of these ISIS combatants are men, many women have left their countries behind to join the “caliphate” and support its cause. Social media have played a key role in luring women to join ISIS. This study therefore analyzed the ISIS organization’s social media propaganda and grass-roots recruitment activities aimed at women in Turkey. The results of the analysis provide important information about the strategies that ISIS uses to spread its ideology.

Counting citizens: the transfer and translation of census categories from the international statistical congresses to the principality of Bulgaria (1872–1888)

This paper examines the nineteenth-century census as an early information technology and a medium for the transnational exchange of ideas in the nineteenth century. In particular, it considers how the ideas discussed by the International Statistical Congresses were directly applied in the newly established kingdom of Bulgaria in the first censuses from 1881 to 1888. It then examines how the legacy of Ottoman rule and the categories of the nineteenth-century Ottoman censuses unconsciously influenced the first census of Bulgaria, despite the desire of the new rulers to mark a significant break with the past. It also demonstrates how the nationalist feeling in the multiethnic former territory of the Ottoman Empire influenced the seemingly neutral categories of the first census. These categories then began to produce an implicit representation of the ideal Bulgarian citizen and so started the process of exclusion of the Turkish-speaking or Muslim population from full membership of the new body politic.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Women

ObjectiveThe association of vitamin D deficiency and pelvic floor dysfunction has been examined by numerous studies. Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with bladder filling and voiding functions are common in both sexes. A recent study reports a higher incidence of LTUS in men over 50 years old with vitamin D deficiency. The aim of the study is to investigate whether there is a difference in the Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms frequency between women with vitamin D deficiency and the control group or not. Study designIn this case control study, a total of 150 women who had a measured vitamin D level within a month were divided into two groups, one with a serum vitamin D deficiency and the other with a normal vitamin D level. Both groups were evaluated in terms of menopausal status, numbers of pregnancy and delivery, pelvic examination findings, pelvic floor muscle strength, level of pelvic organ prolapse, LUTS scores, and the findings were recorded. Both groups were compared for the presence of lower urinary system symptoms. The BFLUTS validated for Turkish-speaking populations was used to assess lower urinary system symptoms. Statistical analyses were performed via IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0. The results were considered significant at p < 0.05 and a confidence interval of 95%. ResultsVitamin D deficiency was detected in 67.3% of the participants. No significant differences were found between the groups regarding variables that could affect lower urinary system symptoms such as menopausal status, presence of pelvic organ prolapse and neonatal weight (fetal macrosomia) The Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength was significantly lower in the group with vitamin D deficiency than the control group. BFLUTS scores of premenopausal women with vitamin D deficiency were found to be similar to the control group, likewise no significant differences in the BFLUTS scores were detected in postmenopausal women. ConclusionAlthough vitamin D deficiency causes a significant reduction in pelvic floor muscle strength, no significant correlation was found between lower urinary tract symptoms and vitamin D deficiency. There is a necessity of prospective randomized controlled trials to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and pelvic floor functions.

Turkish Standardization of Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale.

Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) were developed as standard tools to rate Parkinson's disease (PD) and drug-induced dyskinesias of PD. As these scales have become widely used, there is a need for translation to non-English languages. Here we present the standardization for the Turkish translations. The scales were translated into Turkish and then back-translated to English. These back-translations were reviewed by the MDS team. After cognitive pretesting, movement disorder specialists from nine centers tested 352 patients for MDS-UPDRS, and 250 patients for UDysRS. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to determine if the factor structures for the reference standards could be confirmed in the Turkish data. The comparative fit indexes (CFIs) for the scales were required to be 0.90 or higher. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted to explore the underlying factor structure without the constraint of a pre-specified factor structure. For both scales, the CFIs were 0.94 or greater as compared to the reference standard factor structures. The factor structures were consistent with that of reference standards, although there were some differences in some areas as compared to the EFA of the reference standard dataset. This may be due to the inclusion of patients with different stages of PD and different cultural properties of raters and patients. These results demonstrate that the Turkish translations of MDS-UPDRS and UDysRS have adequate clinimetric properties. They are established as the official translations and can be reliably used in Turkish speaking populations.

Validation of the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index in a Turkish Population.

The aim of this study was to validate the Turkish-translated version of the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index (FISI) for Turkish-speaking patients. This prospective cohort study included 58 patients: 22 (37.9%) scored 0 (no incontinence), and the remaining 36 (62.1%) scored at least 1 (any level of gas, mucus, liquid, solid incontinence, pad wear, or lifestyle alteration). Test-retest reliability analysis, internal consistency analysis, content-face validity, and criterion validity were used to evaluate the Turkish version of the FISI. Validity of the criteria was assessed through correlation analyses between patient and surgeon scores of FISI and manometric measurement between patients with or without anal incontinence symptoms. The 2-week test-retest revealed significant correlation (P < 0.001). The Cronbach α values of the translated version for total scores of the scale were 0.735 and 0.734 for patient-rated scores and surgeon-rated scores, respectively, and indicate a high degree of internal consistency in each item of the questionnaire. Total and all subgroup scores of the FISI scale showed significant correlation with the maximal squeeze pressure and resting pressure values. Comparison of maximal squeeze pressure and resting pressure values of both groups showed significant differences between women with no incontinence and women with any form of incontinence. The Turkish-translated version of the FISI is a reliable, consistent, and valid instrument for assessing the patient-rated symptom severity among women with anal incontinence in a Turkish-speaking population.

Adaptation and validation of the Michigan Incontinence Severity Index in a Turkish population.

ObjectiveTo translate and validate the Michigan Incontinence Severity Index (M-ISI) for its use in Turkish-speaking women with urinary incontinence.MethodsThe translation and cross-cultural adaptation were based on international guidelines. Content validity by content validity ratio/content validity index, internal consistency by Cronbach’s alpha, test–retest reliability by Pearson’s correlation, and construct validity by using Spearman rank correlations to show the relationship between individual items and the relevant domains and subdomains were analyzed in 100 female participants with a chief complaint of urinary incontinence. Correlations between the relevant scores of M-ISI and The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form scores were analyzed to indicate convergent validity. The Varimax rotation method was used to conduct exploratory factor analysis in order to investigate the factor structures/distribution of M-ISI items.ResultsContent validity index and content validity ratio values increased to 0.97 and 1.00, respectively, showing sufficient content validity of the Turkish version of the M-ISI. The analysis formed three factors which was slightly different from original developers. In our proposed three-factor construct, all of the ten items demonstrated high correlations with their subdomains and lower correlations with the other domains, indicating good construct validity. Correlations between stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence (UUI) scores and The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form scores were found high, which indicated convergent validity (r: 0.953, P<0.001). Good internal consistency of the scores for each subdomain was observed (stress urinary incontinence, 0.787; UUI, 0.862; pad usage and bother, 0.832). Test–retest reliability was shown for each subdomain (stress urinary incontinence, 0.973; UUI, 0.973; pad usage and bother, 0.979).ConclusionThe translated and cross-culturally adapted M-ISI showed good validity, reproducibility, and reliability that allow its use in Turkish-speaking populations with urinary incontinence. Its comprehensive structure means that it has become a practical instrument that is available for utilization in the primary health care setting, clinical research, and epidemiological trials in Turkey.

Validity and reliability study of the pediatric Rome III questionnaire for Turkish children and adolescents.

Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms: Rome III version (QPGS-RIII), originally developed in English, was adapted to different languages in order to widen its use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a questionnaire on the Pediatric QPGS-RIII parent-report form for children and self-report form for children and adolescents, which has been adapted into Turkish. The study group comprised 7-18-year-old children/adolescents (n=690) who presented to Ege University School of Medicine, Department of Child Health and Diseases outpatient clinic. In the study, the validity and reliability of the QPGS-RIII Turkish version of the questionnaire was established. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) resulted in a 10-factor model satisfactory construct for the validity and in acceptable indices of goodness of fit. Standardized coefficients determined with CFA in the Turkish version of the instrument ranged between 0.15 and 0.87 in the 7-9-year-old children and between 0.13 and 0.98 in the 10-18-year-old children/adolescents. t-values of all the factor loadings were significant. In addition, the test-retest analyses were above 0.70, except for the abdominal migraine factor. Findings relating to the validity and reliability of the study indicated that the Turkish version of the instrument could be adequately used to assess functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in Turkish children and adolescents. The Turkish version of the instrument is therefore recommended to be used in epidemiologic studies and in clinical trials to be conducted in a Turkish-speaking population.

Turkish version of the modified Constant-Murley score and standardized test protocol: reliability and validity.

The Constant-Murley score (CMS) is widely used to evaluate disabilities associated with shoulder injuries, but it has been criticized for relying on imprecise terminology and a lack of standardized methodology. A modified guideline, therefore, was published in 2008 with several recommendations. This new version has not yet been translated or culturally adapted for Turkish-speaking populations. The purpose of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the modified CMS and its test protocol, as well as define and measure its reliability and validity. The modified CMS was translated into Turkish, consistent with published methodological guidelines. The measurement properties of the Turkish version of the modified CMS were tested in 30 patients (12 males, 18 females; mean age: 59.5±13.5 years) with a variety of shoulder pathologies. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to estimate test-retest reliability. Construct validity was analyzed with the Turkish version of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form and Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). No difficulties were found in the translation process. The Turkish version of the modified CMS showed excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=0.86). The correlation coefficients between the Turkish version of the modified CMS and the ASES, SF-12-physical component score, and SF-12 mental component scores were found to be 0.48, 0.35, and 0.05, respectively. No floor or ceiling effects were found. The translation and cultural adaptation of the modified CMS and its standardized test protocol into Turkish were successful. The Turkish version of the modified CMS has sufficient reliability and validity to measure a variety of shoulder disorders for Turkish-speaking individuals.

Adaptation of the Critical Care Family Need Inventory to the Turkish population and its psychometric properties.

In the complex environment of intensive care units, needs of patients’ relatives might be seen as the lowest priority. On the other hand, because of their patients’ critical and often uncertain conditions, stress levels of relatives are quite high. This study aims to adapt the Critical Care Family Need Inventory, which assesses the needs of patients’ relatives, for use with the Turkish-speaking population and to assess psychometric properties of the resulting inventory. The study was conducted in a state hospital with the participation of 191 critical care patient relatives. Content validity was assessed by expert opinions, and construct validity was examined by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to determine internal consistency. The translated inventory has a content validity ratio higher than the minimum acceptable level. Its construct validity was established by the EFA. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the entire scale was 0.93 and higher than 0.80 for subscales, thus demonstrating the translated version’s reliability. The Turkish adaptation appropriately reflects all dimensions of needs in the original CCFNI, and its psychometric properties were acceptable. The revised tool could be useful for helping critical care healthcare workers provide services in a holistic approach and for policymakers to improve quality of service.

Psychometric evaluation of the COPD assessment test: Data from the BREATHE study in the Middle East and North Africa region

The objective of this study was to assess the validity and performance of the Arabic and Turkish versions of the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) for evaluating the severity and impact of COPD symptoms. The data were obtained from the BREATHE study in the Middle East and North Africa region, a large general population survey of COPD conducted in ten countries of the region (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates), using a standardised methodology. A total of 62,086 subjects were screened, of whom a random sample of 5,681 subjects were administered the CAT by telephone. 5,639 evaluable questionnaires were recovered, representing a completion rate of 99%. In addition, the CAT was administered to an additional 833 subjects fulfilling the epidemiological diagnostic criteria for COPD. Mean scores in the general population were 6.99 ± 6.91 for the Arabic version and 9.88 ± 9.04 for the Turkish version. In patients with COPD, mean scores were 16.2 ± 9.1 and 20.9 ± 10.2 respectively. Scores were consistently higher in smokers than in non-smokers. In the general population, the proportion of respondents fulfilling criteria for COPD rose with higher CAT scores, and particularly above the 80th percentile, where 63% of COPD cases were to be found. This suggests that the CAT may be useful as a case-finding tool in the general population. In the COPD population, healthcare resource consumption rose linearly with CAT score above a threshold score of twenty, arguing in favour of the good criterion validity of the CAT. The internal consistency of the CAT was high (Cronbach's α 0.85 for the Arabic and 0.86 for the Turkish versions) and the factorial structure was unidimensional. In conclusion, this study performed in Arabic and Turkish speaking populations confirms the utility and validity of the CAT as a simple tool to collect data on the severity and impact of COPD symptoms, and suggests that it may potentially be useful as a case-finding tool to identify people at risk for COPD in the general population.

Iranian People and the Origin of the Turkish-speaking Population of the Northwestern of Iran

The world is a place containing various racial and lingual groups. So that as far as this issue is concerned there is no difference between developed and developing countries. Iran is not an exception, because it can be called a multi-national or multi-racial community. The name of Azarbaijan has been one of the most renowned geographical names of Iran since 2000 years ago. Azar is the same as “Ashur” which means fire. In Pahlavi inscriptions, Azarbaijan has been mentioned as ‘Oturpatekan’, while it has been mentioned Azarbayegan and Azarpadegan in Persian writings. In this paper, attempt is made to study the race and people living there from the perspective of anthropology and ethnology. In fact, it is based on this question that whether or not, the people resided in Atropatgan have an Aryan race as other Iranians? According to anthropological and ethnical criteria of people in Atropatgan, we came to this conclusion that they have the same race (i.e. Aryan) similar as other Iranians who are the reminders and grandchildren of Aryan and Parse Medes. Therefore, the opposite is completely rejected on the view of the racial characteristics and all documents accounts for their Aryan race. Key words : Iranian people; Atropatgan; Azaris; Anthropology; Genetic origin Resume Le monde est un endroit contenant divers groupes raciaux et linguales. Alors que dans la mesure ou cette question est concerne il n’ya aucune difference entre les pays developpes et en developpement. L’Iran n’est pas une exception, car il peut etre appele une communaute multinational ou multi-raciale. Le nom de Azerbaidjan a ete l’un des plus grands noms geographiques de l’Iran depuis 2000 ans. Azar est le meme que “Ashur”, qui signifi e feu. En Pahlavi inscriptions, Azerbaidjan a ete mentionnee comme «Oturpatekan’, alors qu’il a ete mentionne Azarbayegan et Azarpadegan dans les ecrits persans. Dans cet article, la tentative est faite pour etudier la course et les gens qui y vivent dans la perspective de l’anthropologie et l’ethnologie. En fait, il est base sur cette question que si oui ou non, les gens ont reside dans Atropatgan une race aryenne comme les autres Iraniens? Selon les criteres anthropologiques et ethniques de personnes dans Atropatgan, nous sommes arrives a cette conclusion qu’ils ont la meme race (c.-a-aryenne) similaire a celle d’autres Iraniens qui sont les rappels et les petitsenfants de aryenne et Parse Medes. Par consequent, le contraire est completement rejete sur le point de vue des caracteristiques raciales et tous les comptes des documents pour leur race aryenne. Mots cles : Peuple iranien; Atropatgan; Les Azeris; Anthropologie; Origine genetique

Random Sampling for a Mental Health Survey in a Deprived Multi-Ethnic Area of Berlin

The aim of the study was to assess the response to random sampling for a mental health survey in a deprived multi-ethnic area of Berlin, Germany, with a large Turkish-speaking population. A random list from the registration office with 1,000 persons stratified by age and gender was retrieved from the population registry and these persons were contacted using a three-stage design including written information, telephone calls and personal contact at home. A female bilingual interviewer contacted persons with Turkish names. Of the persons on the list, 202 were not living in the area, one was deceased, 502 did not respond. Of the 295 responders, 152 explicitly refused(51.5%) to participate. We retained a sample of 143 participants(48.5%) representing the rate of multi-ethnicity in the area (52.1% migrants in the sample vs. 53.5% in the population). Turkish migrants were over-represented(28.9% in the sample vs. 18.6% in the population). Polish migrants (2.1 vs. 5.3% in the population) and persons from the former Yugoslavia (1.4 vs. 4.8% in the population)were under-represented. Bilingual contact procedures can improve the response rates of the most common migrant populations to random sampling if migrants of the same origin gate the contact. High non-contact and non-response rates for migrant and non-migrant populations in deprived urban areas remain a challenge for obtaining representative random samples.

The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire

The Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) attempts to address the limitations of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). As there is no Turkish version of the FIQR available, we aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of a Turkish translation of the FIQR in Turkish female fibromyalgia (FM) patients. After translating the FIQR into Turkish, it was administered to 87 female patients with FM. All of the patients filled out the questionnaire together with a Turkish version of the FIQ, hospital anxiety and depression scales (HADS), short form-36 (SF-36). The tender-point count (TPC) was also calculated from tender points identified by thumb palpation. One week later, FM patients filled out the Turkish FIQR at their second visit. The test-retest reliability of the Turkish FIQR questions ranged from 0.714 to 0.898. The test and retest reliability of total FIQR score was 0.835. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 for FIQR visit 1 (the first assessment) and 0.91 for FIQR visit 2 (the second assessment), indicating acceptable levels of internal consistency for both assessments. The total scores of the FIQR and FIQ were significantly correlated (r = 0.87, P < 0.01). Significant correlations for construct validity were also obtained between the FIQR total and domain scores and the FIQ, the HADS and the subscales of the SF-36 (FIQR total versus SF-36 physical component score and mental component score were r = -0.63, P < 0.01 and r = -0.51, P < 0.01, respectively). The Turkish FIQR is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health status in FM, showing sufficient reliability and construct validity. It may be utilized for both clinical practice and research use in the Turkish-speaking population in place of FIQ, since its Turkish version has problems in the wording, omissions, concepts, and scoring from the original FIQ.

The Cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity of Neck Disability Index in Patients With Neck Pain

The cultural adaptation of Neck Disability Index (NDI), the validity and reliability of Turkish version. The aim of this study was to conduct a study concerning the cultural adaptation of NDI and investigate the validity and reliability of its Turkish version in patients with neck pain. The NDI is a reliable evaluation instrument for disability but there is no published Turkish version. Eighty-eight patients with neck pain for at least 3 months were included in the study. NDI, The Neck Pain and Disability Scale, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were completed by all subjects. Test-retest reliability was determined by using intraclass correlation coefficient and Pearson correlation analysis. For the determination of concurrent validity, the relation between NDI and VAS was examined by Pearson correlation analysis and for the determination of construct validity, the relation between NDI and Neck Pain and Disability Scale was investigated. Intraclass correlation coefficient score for test-retest reliability was 0.979 (95% confidence interval = 0.968-0.986). For concurrent validity, the relation between NDI and VAS was investigated, the r value for test and retest was 0.508 and 0.620, respectively (P < 0.0001). For construct validity, the relation between NDI and the Turkish version of Neck Pain and Disability Scale was investigated, the r value for test and retest was 0.659 (P < 0.0001) and 0.728 (P < 0.0001), respectively. The results suggest that the Turkish version of the NDI validated in this study is an easy to understand, reliable, and valid instrument for the measurement of the limitation of activities of daily living and pain caused by neck disorders in the Turkish-speaking population.

Validation of the short forms of the incontinence impact questionnaire (IIQ‐7) and the urogenital distress inventory (UDI‐6) in a Turkish population

To validate the Turkish versions of the IIQ-7 and UDI-6 for use in Turkish-speaking populations. After establishing the test-retest reliability and internal consistency in a pilot study, 302 patients were enrolled in the study and general and subscale scores of the questionnaires were calculated. All participants underwent an urodynamic assessment. Both instruments showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha for the IIQ-7 and UDI-6 was 0.87 and 0.74, respectively) and test-retest reliability (Spearman's rho was 0.99 for both of the scales (P < 0.001). 55.6% of the participants showed urodynamic abnormality and/or leakage. 39.7% had urodynamic stress incontinence (USI) and 15.9% had detrussor overactivity (DOA) +/- USI. The mean scores of each IIQ-7 and UDI-6 were significantly higher in the USI, and DOA +/- USI groups compared with normal women. Women with DOA +/- USI scored highest in the IIQ-7 and UDI-6. The irritative subscale scores of the 1st and 2nd items of the UDI-6 were significantly higher in the DOA +/- USI group. The stress subscale scores of 3rd and 4th items of UDI-6 were significantly higher in the USI group. Women with postvoid residual (PVR) urine values greater than 50 ml had significantly higher obstructive subscale scores compared to the ones who had less residual volumes. The Turkish translated versions of the IIQ-7 and UDI-6 are reliable, consistent and valid instruments for assessing symptom severity and the impact on QOL in Turkish speaking women with urinary incontinence.

HLA molecular markers in Tuvinians: a population with both Oriental and Caucasoid characteristics.

HLA class I and class II alleles have been studied for the first time in the Turkish-speaking Tuvinian population, which lives in Russia, North of Mongolia and close to the Altai mountains. Comparisons have been done with about 11000 chromosomes from other worldwide populations, and extended haplotypes, genetic distances, neighbor joining dendrograms and correspondence analyses have been calculated. Tuvinians show an admixture of Mongoloid and Caucasoid characters, the latter probably coming from the ancient Kyrgyz background or, less feasibly, more recent Russian Caucasoid admixture. However, Siberian population traits are not found and thus Tuvinians are closer to Central Asian populations. Siberians are more related to Na-Dene and Eskimo American Indians; Amerindians (from nowadays Iberian--America) are not related to any other group, including Pacific Islanders, Siberians or other American Indians. The 'more than one wave' model for the peopling of the Americas is supported.