Bilal Bakir

Effects of electromagnetic radiation from a cellular telephone on epidermal Merkel cells

The number of reports on the effects induced by electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from cellular telephones in various cellular systems is still increasing. Until now, no satisfactory mechanism has been proposed to explain the biological effects of this radiation except a role suggested for mast cells. Merkel cells may also play a role in the mechanisms of biological effects of EMR. This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of EMR from a cellular telephone (900 MHz) on Merkel cells in rats. A group of rats was exposed to a cellular telephone in speech position for 30 min. Another group of rats was sham‐exposed under the same environmental conditions for 30 min. Exposure led to significantly higher exocytotic activity in Merkel cells compared with the sham exposure group. This finding may indicate the possible role of Merkel cells in the pathophysiology of the effects of EMR.

Association between cigarette smoking and depressive symptoms among military medical students in Turkey

An association has been documented between two important health concerns, smoking and depression. A cross-sectional study was carried out to explore whether this relationship exists in a sample of Turkish military medical undergraduates. Of a total of 779 military medical undergraduates, 690 agreed to participate in the study. The students completed a self-administered questionnaire including the Turkish adaptation of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and gave a smoking history. It was determined that the smokers among medical students were 2.2 times more likely to have depressive symptoms than nonsmokers. This result extends the significant association between smoking and depressive symptoms in the literature to a sample of Turkish military medical undergraduates.

Relating Depressive Symptoms to Machiavellianism in a Turkish Sample

The Turkish forms of Beck Depression Inventory and The Mach IV Scale were administered to all 690 students of a Military Medical School. There was a significant correlation of .21 between scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and those on the Mach IV scale for the 658 men. This was not surprising, given the characteristics of Machiavellian people previously described.

Marital Violence: Is it a Factor Affecting the Reproductive Health Status of Women?

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of violence on the reproductive health of women and utilization of reproductive health services. The study population consisted of 250 married women aged 15 to 49, selected from patients at two different hospitals’ obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Ankara, Turkey. A data collection form and the “Scale of Marital Violence Against Women” were used to obtain data. According to the study, women who have lower education levels and who first experience marriage and sexual intercourse at a younger age suffer from violence more frequently. Women experiencing violence have higher gravida and para numbers. The majority of these women has not undergone appropriate prenatal care and delivered their babies under the supervision of a health care professional. These women have been using traditional and ineffective contraceptive methods. Marital violence has led to unfavorable effects on these women’s reproductive health and utilization of reproductive health services.

Health Promotion and Risk Behaviors among Adolescents in Turkey.

Adolescents experience the onset and development of several health-related behaviors. The purpose of this study is to determine health risk and promotion behaviors of adolescents between the ages of 11 and 19 who were attending and to test the reliability and validity analysis of the Turkish version of Adolescent Health Promotion Scale (AHPS). The study was a cross-sectional survey and the sample consisted of 1,351 participants. A questionnaire that included demographic information, health risk behaviors, and AHPS was used to collect data. In the current study, the Cronbach’s α coefficient for the AHPS was calculated as .92. Female students had significantly higher mean total scale scores than males (p < .05). The 11–14 age group had a statistically significant higher scale total mean score than the 15–19 age group (p = .001). International directives highlight the important function nurses fulfill in health promotion. Nurses may play a key role in school health services.

The Association Between Burnout, and Depressive Symptoms in a Turkish Military Nurse Sample

ABSTRACTObjective: This study aims to investigate the association between the burnout syndrome and depressive symptoms among Turkish military nurses.Methods: The study was conducted among Turkish m...

The frequency and effecting factors of consanguineous marriage in a group of soldiers in Ankara.

This cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the frequency of consanguineous marriage in a group of army conscripts in Ankara and the factors affecting this. Of 4153 soldiers, 387 were married. The rate of marriage between first cousins was found to be 19.1%, and the overall rate of consanguineous marriage was 24.1%. Consanguineous marriage was found to be significantly prevalent among soldiers who were born in and still living in the Eastern region; among those who lived in villages; among those whose parents as well as themselves had low educational levels; and among those whose marriages were arranged by their families. Neither the payment of bride-price nor the presence of consanguinity between parents was a significant factor for consanguineous marriage. In addition, the age of the soldier and the age at marriage were significantly lower among soldiers married to first cousins than among soldiers whose marriages were not consanguineous.

Workplace Violence in the Health Sector in Turkey A National Study

Violence in the workplace is an increasing occupational health concern worldwide. Health care workers are at high risk of assault. To develop, monitor, and manage prevention policies, baseline data should be available. This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the current extent of workplace violence nationwide in Turkey. The study population of 12.944 health care workers was a stratified sample of all health care workers (612,639) in the country. A probabilistic sampling was made on the basis of the “multistage stratified random cluster sampling method.” This study was conducted by a structured questionnaire in a face-to-face interview. The questionnaire items were adapted and translated into Turkish based on questionnaires of International Labor Organization, International Council of Nurses, World Health Organization, and Public Services International. The percentage of health care workers who experienced workplace violence in Turkey in the previous 12 months was 44.7%. The types of violence included physical 6.8%, verbal 43.2%, mobbing (bullying) 2.4%, and sexual harassment 1%. Multivariate analysis showed that level of health care system, type of institution, gender, occupation, age, working hours, and shift work were independent risk factors for experiencing workplace violence (p < .05). Our study indicates that the workplace violence among health care workers is a significant problem. The results of the study can serve as the basis for future analytical studies and for development of appropriate prevention efforts.

Indoor air quality in primary schools in Keçiören, Ankara

AIM To increase the awareness of environmental risk factors by determining the indoor air quality status of primary schools. MATERIALS AND METHODS Indoor air quality parameters in 172 classrooms of 31 primary schools in Kecioren, Ankara, were examined for the purpose of assessing the levels of air pollutants (CO, CO2, SO2, NO2, and formaldehyde) within primary schools. RESULTS Schools near heavy traffic had a statistically significant mean average of CO and SO2 (P < 0.05). The classrooms that had more than 35 students had higher and statistically significant averages of CO2, SO2, NO2, and formaldehyde compared to classrooms that had fewer than 35 students (P < 0.05). Of all classrooms, 29% had 100 CFU/100 mL and higher concentrations of microorganisms, which were not pathogens. CONCLUSION Indoor air quality management should continually be maintained in primary schools for the prevention and control of acute and chronic diseases, particularly considering biological and chemical pollution.

Relation between Machiavellianism and Job Satisfaction in a Sample of Turkish Physicians

Job satisfaction is affected by many factors. A consistent negative correlation between Machiavellianism and Job satisfaction was shown by many previous studies. To estimate this association in a sample of Turkish people, 361 physicians were selected among the total number of 5,959 working in Ankara City Center. A self-administered questionnaire including the Mach IV scale and Job Satisfaction scale developed by Kasapoğlu was applied to the subjects. Student t test and Pearson correlation were used for analysis. The correlation of –.25 between Job Satisfaction and Machiavellianism scores was significant and consistent with the mean scores on Job Satisfaction between the Machiavellian and Nonmachiavellian groups. Although the present association is small, the inverse value is consistent for Mach IV scale scores with job satisfaction in the literature.