Nuran Bayram

The prevalence and socio-demographic correlations of depression, anxiety and stress among a group of university students

BackgroundThe mental health of university students is an area of increasing concern worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among a group of Turkish university students.MethodsDepression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) completed anonymously in the students’ respective classrooms by 1,617 students.ResultsDepression, anxiety and stress levels of moderate severity or above were found in 27.1, 47.1 and 27% of our respondents, respectively. Anxiety and stress scores were higher among female students. First- and second-year students had higher depression, anxiety and stress scores than the others. Students who were satisfied with their education had lower depression, anxiety and stress scores than those who were not satisfied.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among university students is alarming. This shows the need for primary and secondary prevention measures, with the development of adequate and appropriate support services for this group.

Factors influencing information security management in small- and medium-sized enterprises: A case study from Turkey

The aims of the study were to examine enterprise information security in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bursa, Turkey and to compare the results with similar data gathered from different countries. This study was conducted through questionnaires consisting of 49 questions grouped into 9 sections. The questionnaires were delivered to 97 SMEs in Bursa, Turkey. The companies have been operating for 15.93+/-11.67 (2-54) years. The number of PCs in the companies and their years of use were in the ranges of 53.51+/-64.88 (2-240) and 12.47+/-6.32 (1-30) years, respectively. According to the findings of this study, it can be speculated that when Communications and Operations Management and security policy improve, other security parameters in the companies, such as Organizational, Personnel and Physical and Environmental Securities improve as well. In addition, the results have shown that Turkish companies do not attach as much importance to information technology security as their counterpart companies from different countries do.

Quality of life among Turkish immigrants in Sweden

ObjectivesTo assess quality of life among Turkish immigrants in Sweden by using the WHOQOL-100 scale and to evaluate the domains’ contribution to explain the variance in the quality of life of the immigrants. Our hypothesis was QOL among Turkish immigrants in Sweden are better than Turkish people who are living in their home country.Material and methodsThis study was performed in the districts of Stockholm where Turkish immigrants have mostly settled. With the help and guidance of the Turkish Association, a sample of 520 participants was selected. We collected the demographic data by printed questionnaires, and to measure the quality of life, we used the WHOQOL-100 scale Turkish version. For analysis, we used the SPSS V.13.0 and R package programs, variance analyses, and Bayesian regression.ResultsThe quality of life among the sample of Turkish immigrants was found to be moderate, but higher than the sample of the Turkish population. The quality of life of male immigrants was found to be higher than for females. Swedish-born Turks had better quality of life perceptions.ConclusionTurkish immigrants’ quality of life perceptions were better than those of the Turkish sample. The best scores were received from the third generation. The first generation and female immigrants need attention in order to receive higher quality of life perceptions.

The Promoter Hypermethylation Status of GATA6, MGMT, and FHIT in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive and lethal cancer, accounting for the majority of primary brain tumors in adults. GBMs are characterized by large and small alterations in genes that control cell growth, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and invasion. Epigenetic alterations also affect the expression of cancer genes, either alone or in combination with genetic mechanisms. The current evidence suggests that hypermethylation of promoter CpG islands is a common epigenetic event in a variety of human cancers. A subset of GBMs is also characterized by a locus-specific and genome-wide decrease in DNA methylation. Epigenetic alterations are important in the molecular pathology of GBM. However, there are very limited data about these epigenetic alterations in GBM. Alterations in promoter methylations are important to understand because histone deacetylases are targets for drugs that are in clinical trial for GBMs. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether the promoter hypermethylation of putative tumor suppressor genes was involved in GBM. We examined the methylation status at the promoter regions of GATA6, MGMT, and FHIT using the methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in 61 primary GBMs. Our results reveal that there is no promoter hypermethylation of FHIT in the examined GBM tissue specimens. In contrast, the promoter hypermethylation of GATA6 and MGMT was detected in 42.8 and 11.11% of GBMs, respectively. The frequency of MGMT promoter hypermethylation was low in the group of patients we evaluated. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that promoter hypermethylation of MGMT is a common event in GBMs, whereas GATA6 is epigenetically affected in GBMs. Furthermore, inactivation of FHIT by epigenetic mechanisms in GBM may not be associated with brain tumorigenesis.

Workplace Violence: A Study of Turkish Workers

This research was conducted to address the experience of workplace violence of Turkish workers from different sectors and to investigate the impact of the exposed violence on their psychological well-being. Data were collected anonymously with printed questionnaires from the volunteer participants and depended on self-reporting. The response rate was 79.0% (1708/2161). The prevalence of workplace violence was found to be 44.8%. The most common type was verbal violence together with mobbing (bullying). Victims of physical violence were mostly males, whereas females were found to be victims of verbal, psychological and sexual violence. Most cases did not result in legal action and the victims remained silent. Psychological well-being of exposed workers in terms of depression, anxiety and stress seemed to deteriorate. Workplace violence remains a silent epidemic in Turkey. Preventive measures against workplace violence and social support for violated workers do not exist.

Attitudes of Turkish Men Toward Wife Beating: A Study from Bursa, Turkey

The objectives of this cross-sectional, descriptive, questionnaire study were to explore men’s attitudes toward wife beating and examine the possible predictors. A total of 1,150 married men aged 18 and up, who had received primary health care in a defined period were the participants. The lifetime prevalence of wife beating was 29.0%. Of the men studied, 42.7% were themselves victims of physical violence during childhood. About 17.9% of the participants thought that they had the right to beat their wives. Significant predictors in logistic regression analysis included women’s low education (OR = 2.8; 95%CI = 1.26–6.46), number of children (OR = 2.4; 95%CI = 1.34–4.51), childhood beatings (OR = 1.6; 95%CI = 1.25–2.16) and alcohol intake (OR = 1.9; 95%CI = 1.49–2.63).Wife beating is a problem in Turkey. To change male attitudes, alcohol abuse control interventions and child abuse prevention should be implemented.

Turkish Immigrants in Sweden: Are They Integrated?

Many in Europe believe that large numbers of Turkish immigrants have failed to integrate into their host communities. How is this situation in Sweden? We found that most of the Turkish immigrants felt themselves to be Turkish and Sweden was accepted as a foreign country. Turkish-originated media was followed frequently and strong ties with relatives in Turkey were maintained. Marriage and friendship with native Swedes were not well accepted. We concluded that despite the multicultural aspects of Swedish integration policies, Turkish immigrants in Sweden were not well integrated and they prefer to live within the boundaries of their segregated, closed, small communities.

Domestic violence: a tragedy behind the doors.

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore the prevalence, type, frequency and causes of domestic marital violence among Turkish women in a socio-economically developed metropolitan setting. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2003. All married women, aged 18 years and over, who were visiting any of the 50 primary health care units for different purposes were asked to participate in the study. Of 1427 asked, 1010 gave consent and completed face-to-face interviews. Multiple correspondence analysis, and logistic regression were used for statistical analyses. Results: Domestic violence was statistically significantly associated with educational level. Illiterate women reported marital abuse 2.6 times more than university or more educated women. No statistically significant relationship was observed between domestic marital violence and womens age or occupation, marital duration or family income. The most frequently reported type of violence was physical, followed by psychological. Among women reporting domestic violence, those with the lowest educational level and income were experiencing all types of domestic violence frequently. Conclusion: Placing more importance on educating girls could be a key component of preventing domestic violence.

BRCA1/2 germline mutations and their clinical importance in Turkish breast cancer patients.

BRCA1/BRCA2 genes were screened in 117 patients with breast cancer by sequencing. Fourteen percent of patients tested positive for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. Four frame shift mutations, four pathogenic missense mutations, and 25 different sequence variations were detected. BRCA mutation positivity was significantly associated with Ki67 (p = .001). BRCA protein expressions were decreased in the patients harboring important mutations and polymorphisms (BRCA1;P508stop, V1740G, Q1182R, Q1756P and BRCA2;V2466A) related with disease. Our findings contribute significantly to the types of germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations and their biological effects in Turkish women. These data could help guide the management of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation-carrying patients when considering breast-conserving therapy.

CK19, CK20, EGFR and HER2 status of circulating tumor cells in patients with breast cancer.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND The major cause of death in breast cancer patients is metastasis. Various biomarkers have been used for the early detection of circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients. The aims of the current study were to analyze circulating tumor cells in the blood of breast cancer patients by investigating EGFR, CK19, CK20 and HER2 expression profiles and to evaluate their prognostic importance. METHODS CK19, CK20 and EGFR gene expression profiles were evaluated in the blood samples of 84 female patients with primary invasive ductal breast cancer and 20 healthy female volunteers using SYBR green-based real-time qPCR assays. HER2 expression analyses were conducted in 46 patients who had an HER2-positive primary tumor and in 30 healthy women to determine the cutoff level of positivity. RESULTS The positive rates of CK20, EGFR, CK19 and HER2 mRNA expression in the peripheral blood were 28.57% (24/84), 20.23% (17/84), 5.95% (5/84) and 2.17% (1/46), respectively. The high positive ratio of CK20 mRNA expression in the peripheral blood of breast cancer was identified for the first time in the current study. Significant differences were identified in CK20 expression status and several clinical parameters related with aggressiveness of tumors using a binary logistic regression analysis. Higher CK20-positive levels were observed in patients who had lymph node metastasis and advanced-grade primary tumors, which were estrogen receptor-negative. We have demonstrated that CK20 may be a novel biomarker that is useful to identify circulating tumor cells and predict breast cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the investigation of CK20 mRNA with other biomarkers in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients may be useful to monitor the presence of disseminated tumor cells in the blood circulation and to predict the prognosis of breast cancer.