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Association of VNTR polymorphisms in DRD4, 5-HTT and DAT1 genes with obesity

Abstract Objective: To investigate the association between VNTR polymorphisms of DRD4, DAT1 and 5-HTT genes and obesity. Material and methods: Peripheral blood samples of 234 obese (BMI ≥ 30) and 148 healthy individuals (BMI ≤ 25) were objected to PCR to detect the VNTR of the 2nd intron of 5-HTT, 3rd exon of DRD4 and 3’UTR of DAT1 genes. Results: The association between obesity and genotype distributions of 5-HTT, DAT1 and DRD4 genes and between obesity and distributions of allele frequencies were tested by Chi Square (χ2) test and were not found statistically significant. BMI values for genotype of obese and morbidly obese (BMI > 40) individuals were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and not found statistically significant differences between BMI values for the most frequent genotypes of 5-HTT, DAT1 and DRD4 genes. Conclusions: As a conclusion, there was no association between 5-HTT, DAT1 and DRD4 genes VNTR polymorphisms and obesity.

Can we use serum copeptin levels as a biomarker in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare serum copeptin levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) and simple snorers without sleep apnea; and to investigate relationships between copeptin levels and polysomnographic parameters. METHODS Serum copeptin levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 47 patients with OSA and 12 patients without OSA (control group). Full-night polysomnography was performed in each patient. Patients with OSA were divided into three groups according to their Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) scores: mild OSA (5 < AHI < 15), moderate OSA (15 < AHI < 30), and severe OSA (AHI > 30). RESULTS A total of 59 patients were included in the study. There were 23 female (39.0%) and 36 male (61.0%) subjects. The range of ages of study subjects was between 27 and 63 (mean 44.75 ± 9.64) years. According to the AHI values, patients were classified into four groups: simple snoring (n = 13), mild OSA (n = 10), moderate OSA (n = 15), and severe OSA (n = 21). Statistically significant differences between AHI groups in terms of age, Epworth score, and neck circumference. According to multiple comparison results for age, the difference between simple snoring and moderate OSA was statistically significant. According to multiple comparison results for Epworth score, the difference between simple snoring and severe OSA was statistically significant. According to multiple comparison results for neck circumference, a similar result was found like Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. The difference between AHI groups by gender was tested by a Pearson χ(2) test and was found to be statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference among AHI groups in terms of copeptin. There was a statistically significant correlation of copeptin with AHI during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep; however, the correlation coefficient was not sufficiently large. CONCLUSIONS Increased serum copeptin concentration may reflect a response to stress in some diseases. This is well documented especially in cardiovascular diseases; however, we could not find any difference in OSA groups in terms of copeptin levels.

An Evaluation of Injuries in Children Aged 7-14 Years in Turkey

Objective: This study aimed to reveal the distribution of some socio-demographic characteristics of children aged 7-14 years in Turkey and their record of having an accident/getting injured as well as receiving treatment. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional epidemiological study evaluated the data of children in the age group of 7-14 years in the Turkey Health Survey, as collected by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) in 2014. results: Among a total of 3.921 children in the age group of 7-14 years in the study, 50.8% were male; the treatment costs of 74.1% were covered by the social security institution; the average monthly income of the household 1080 Turkish Liras or less for 38.2% while 49.2% had not completed education yet. The study found that 14.3% of the children had an accident/got injured at least once and 57.6% of these children received treatment. According to the results of the logistic regression, being male (p<0.001), a decrease in the number of people in the household (p<0.05), the presence of a person considering their health as poor in the household (p<0.05) and the presence of a person with a chronic disease in the household (p<0.001) increased the possibility of having an accident/getting injured among the children in the age group of 7-14 years. conclusion: The most common injuries were injuries due to falls among children aged 7-14 years in Turkey. Further, the study concluded that the likelihood of having an accident/getting injured increases with a decrease in the number of people and the presence of an individual considering their health as poor or with a chronic disease in the household.

Assessing the validity and reliability of family factors on physical activity: A case study in Turkey.

Background Childhood obesity rates have been rising rapidly in developing countries. A better understanding of the risk factors and social context is necessary to inform public health interventions and policies. This paper describes the validation of several measurement scales for use in Turkey, which relate to child and parent perceptions of physical activity (PA) and enablers and barriers of physical activity in the home environment. Method The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of several measurement scales in Turkey using a population sample across three socio-economic strata in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Surveys were conducted in Grade 4 children (mean age = 9.7 years for boys; 9.9 years for girls), and their parents, across 6 randomly selected schools, stratified by SES (n = 641 students, 483 parents). Construct validity of the scales was evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency of scales and test-retest reliability were assessed by Cronbach’s alpha and intra-class correlation. Results The scales as a whole were found to have acceptable-to-good model fit statistics (PA Barriers: RMSEA = 0.076, SRMR = 0.0577, AGFI = 0.901; PA Outcome Expectancies: RMSEA = 0.054, SRMR = 0.0545, AGFI = 0.916, and PA Home Environment: RMSEA = 0.038, SRMR = 0.0233, AGFI = 0.976). The PA Barriers subscales showed good internal consistency and poor to fair test-retest reliability (personal α = 0.79, ICC = 0.29, environmental α = 0.73, ICC = 0.59). The PA Outcome Expectancies subscales showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability (negative α = 0.77, ICC = 0.56; positive α = 0.74, ICC = 0.49). Only the PA Home Environment subscale on support for PA was validated in the final confirmatory model; it showed moderate internal consistency and test-retest reliability (α = 0.61, ICC = 0.48). Discussion This study is the first to validate measures of perceptions of physical activity and the physical activity home environment in Turkey. Our results support the originally hypothesized two-factor structures for Physical Activity Barriers and Physical Activity Outcome Expectancies. However, we found the one-factor rather than two-factor structure for Physical Activity Home Environment had the best model fit. This study provides general support for the use of these scales in Turkey in terms of validity, but test-retest reliability warrants further research.

The Family Point of View for Corporal Punishment in Turkey: A Comparative Study

Objective: The child-parent relationship is associated with parenting behavior. The international variation in corporal punishment (CP) may be attributable to cultural differences in the acceptance of moral justifications. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of corporal punishment and to determine the relationship between the parents’ point of view regarding CP and their punishment practices. Material and Methods: A referee state hospital and a referee university hospital in Ankara district were chosen to conduct face-to-face interviews with 502 parents. CP practices, perspectives, norms and attitudes were asked. A sample was not chosen for the study and parents accepting to be involved were administered the questionnaire. The power of the study was calculated as 0.76. Chi-square tests and means were calculated using SPSS 21.0 and a p value of 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: The rates of CP practice were 52.2% at the university and 55.1% at the government hospital. Lack of information, the education level and the cultural status of the family were related to CP practices (p<0.001). The psychological condition, traditions and customs, together with cigarette, alcohol and substance use at the family level were other factors related to CP practices. conclusion: Parental use of CP was at high levels in those attending either hospital. The CP practice differences between the sample groups were related to family characteristics.