Acta Medica Ruha

Increased Number Of Encrusted D-J Stents In Our Clinic During The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Reliability Of Ureteroenoscopy (Rigid/Flexible) In Removing Encrusted D-J Stents

İbrahim Erol, Kaan Karamık — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Introduction: Stent encrustations that develop due to the D-J stent being forgotten or left in the body for a long time are one of the major causes of these side effects and complications.

Objective: To examine the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the frequency of encrusted (petrified) D-J (double j) stent cases treated during the pandemic and the effects of the encrusted D-J stent on our patients.

Methods: The data of 27 patients who underwent D-J stent removal due to encrusted stent between March 2019 and March 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The age of the patients, duration of ureteral stenting, size and location of the encrustation were examined.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 46.56 ± 14.78 years. The mean length of stent stay in the body was 217.15 ± 472.08 days. The mean incrustation size was 386.96 ± 541.26 mm2. Eight of the patients had severe D-J stent incrustation, 3 had moderate D-J encrustation, and 16 had mild D-J encrustation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 200% increase in the number of cases. The encrusted D-J stents of all our patients were successfully removed via ureteroenoscopy by breaking the encrusted parts of the stents using a holmium laser, achieving complete stone removal.

Conclusion: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of encrusted D-J stents. Ureterorenoscopy/flexible ureterorenoscopy is an effective treatment method for removing the encrusted D-J stent using holmium laser and achieving complete stone removal.

Social Pressures Against Breastfeeding Women During Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding Bullying

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Introduction: Studies on mothers' breastfeeding experiences report that they perceive pressure to breastfeed. Mothers who feel pressured to breastfeed may see themselves as bad parents and feel guilty, ashamed, and embarrassed when they do not breastfeed.

Objektive: In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency and nature of social pressure towards breastfeeding from the immediate environment of breastfeeding women.

Method: The study is cross-sectional. The population of the study consisted of mothers with infants aged 0-24 months who were registered to Family Health Centers (FHC) in Haliliye district of Şanlıurfa province. Five FHCs were selected using simple random sampling method. After the pilot study, the sample size was calculated as 311. 'Questionnaire on social pressure towards breastfeeding' was used as a data collection tool.

Results: 66.9% of mothers were exposed to social pressure during breastfeeding. Women with higher education level, who were employed, and who had 2 or less children were exposed to more social pressure (p=0.01, p=0.01 and p=0.01, respectively). In the logistic regression model, high school education and above increases the social pressure experienced during breastfeeding by 5.8 times and the number of children with 2 or less children by 1.7 times. 47.27% of the participants stated that they were subjected to social pressure by their mother-in-law, 29.90% by their husbands, 17.04% by their neighbors and 17.04% by their friends.

Conclusion: It is common for women to experience social pressure to breastfeed during breastfeeding. The actors of this pressure experienced by women are mostly mothers-in-law and husbands. Identifying and raising awareness of the social pressures women experience towards breastfeeding can improve breastfeeding success and duration.

The Silent Danger Encountered in the Early Period After the 2023 Kahramanmaraş -Türkiye Earthquake: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Mustafa Polat, Ali Karakuş, Deniz Menken, Pınar Baydar Yucel, Bircan Kara — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Introduction: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a clinical condition that is difficult to diagnose. It is encountered more frequently and is more challenging to diagnose during disasters, where clinicians are primarily focused on health problems directly caused by the disaster, and living conditions are harsh and deviate from standard living conditions.

Objective: This study aims to examine carbon monoxide poisoning, one of the dangers that may arise from deteriorated living conditions following disasters, and to draw attention to this insidious threat.

Method: The study included patients who were admitted to the emergency department with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning after the major earthquake on February 6 in Hatay province, and whose preliminary diagnoses were confirmed by blood gas tests. General characteristics of the patients, such as age and gender, their prognosis, and treatments received were obtained by retrospectively reviewing hospital records. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 23 program.

Results: After the February 6 earthquake, 61.1% of the patients who applied to the emergency clinic with CO poisoning were women, and 63% of them built shelters with their own means and created their own heating facilities. It was determined that the fire lit inside the shelter was lit for heating purposes.

Conclusion: As a result of the adverse development of seasonal conditions immediately after the earthquake, it was seen that people affected by the earthquake tried to meet their heating needs with their own means and that shelters such as tents or huts were especially dangerous. It is recommended that people affected by the earthquake be warned about this issue through mass communication means.

Comparison of Stress Levels of High-Risk and Low-Risk Pregnant Women

Gülsen Ataman, Cemile Alaca, Zehra Özdemir, Özlem Öztürk, Engin Öztürk, Acar Koç — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Introduction: Pregnancies can be classified as “low-risk” and “high-risk” in terms of risk situations during pregnancy.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the stress levels of high-risk and low-risk pregnant women.

Method: This experimental study included 300 pregnant women who applied to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine between September and November 2022.

Results: When we evaluated the participants, who were divided into 2 groups according to their stress scores, the most stressed group was in group 1 according to the scale result. According to the scale result, continuous variables are generally similar between the groups. When the variables between these groups are taken into account, it is seen that only the weeks of pregnancy are different. The reason why this difference is significant is that group 1 is in an earlier week of pregnancy than group 2. According to this result, we can say that there is more stress in the earlier weeks of pregnancy.

Conclusion: As a result of our study, especially in the early weeks of pregnancy, high-risk pregnant women experience more stress due to uncertainty about their pregnancy. Health professionals providing perinatal care to women should plan family support and psychological therapy programs, especially in the early weeks, for pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies.

Relationship Between Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Bleeding And Seasonal Meteorological Parameters

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Introduction: Determining the relationship between seasons, circadian rhythm and weather has been addressed in many studies since triggering factors may contribute to the incidence of diseases.

Objective: We sought to investigate the association between meteorological factors and the occurrence of peptic ulcer bleeding.

Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively, endoscopic reports, gender, day, month, year and season of admission were recorded in patients with peptic ulcer-related gastrointestinal bleeding. Throughout the study period, data on daily average temperature (°C), daily average atmospheric pressure (mb), daily average relative humidity (%), and maximum wind speed (m/s) were analyzed and compared.

Results: Endoscopy was performed in 176 patients with upper intestinal bleeding. 67% (n=118) of the patients were male. The average age of the patients was 59.87±19.19 years. The highest number of patients was found in winter (n=54, 30.7%) and highest number was found in March (n=20, 11.40%). However, there was no significant variation in proportion of patients admitted across different seasons (p=0.109). In addition, regression analysis revealed that daily meteorological parameters alone had no effect on upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to peptic ulcer.

Conclusion: The highest number of patients was found to be in winter and the lowest in spring. However, while a negative correlation was observed between the number of patient admissions and mean air temperature, this correlation was not statistically significant. There was a positive correlation between daily mean relative humidity and daily mean atmospheric air pressure, but meteorological parameters alone were not effective in the number of patients admitted with gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB).

Impact of Comorbidities on Physical Activity in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Veysel Akduman — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is commonly associated with various comorbidities that may affect children's engagement in physical activity. This study aimed to investigate the individual and cumulative effects of common comorbid conditions on physical activity participation in children with CP.

Objective: To examine how different comorbidities influence physical activity levels in children with CP.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 67 children diagnosed with CP (aged 5–18 years). Data on comorbidities, including visual and hearing impairments, learning disabilities, scoliosis, hip dislocation, epilepsy, and hydrocephalus, were collected via parent-reported questionnaires. Physical activity participation was assessed using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C).

Results: Children with learning disabilities, scoliosis, and hip dislocation had significantly lower PAQ-C scores compared to those without these conditions (p < 0.001 for each). No statistically significant differences were observed between children with and without visual or hearing impairments. A significant negative correlation was found between the total number of comorbidities and physical activity levels (r = -0.438, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Not all comorbidities equally affect physical activity in children with CP. Learning difficulties, orthopedic problems, and multiple coexisting conditions are particularly associated with decreased activity. These findings underscore the importance of individualized and multidisciplinary strategies to address these barriers and enhance physical activity participation among children with CP.