Association between non-penetrative sexual activities and depression in women with vaginismus: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between non-penetrative sexual activities (NPSA) and depression levels in women diagnosed with vaginismus.

METHODS

A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted between March 2016 and June 2019, after approval by the Fırat University Faculty of Medicine ethics committee. Participants comprised married women referred to our female sexual dysfunction outpatient clinic with vaginismus. Diagnosis of vaginismus was established following comprehensive evaluations, including gynecological examination and psychiatric assessment. Sociodemographic data and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were collected. We compared depression levels between women who engaged in NPSA and those who did not.

RESULTS

Of the 75 women with primary vaginismus included in the study, 18 did not engage in any NPSA and 57 engaged in at least one NPSA. The average BDI score of those who engaged in NPSA was significantly lower than those who did not. A negative correlation was found between the number of NPSA engaged in and BDI scores (r = -0.494).

CONCLUSIONS

Women with vaginismus had high depression scores, but engaging in NPSA was associated with lower depression levels. The findings suggest that incorporating NPSA into clinical interventions may be beneficial for managing depression in women with vaginismus.

Use of asprosin and subfatin for differential diagnosis of serous ovarian tumors

Asprosin (ASP) and subfatin are hormones that regulate glucose metabolism. The role of ASP and subfatin in serous ovarian tumors has not been investigated. We investigated the expression of subfatin and asprosin in 30 serous benign, 30 serous borderline, 30 malignant and 30 control ovarian tissues. We investigated ASP and subfatin immunoreactivity and quantification was achieved using an ELISA method. ASP and subfatin were localized in the epithelial parts of normal ovarian tissues; however, in cancer tissues, immunoreactivity was detected in the parenchymal areas. Biochemical analysis of ovarian tissues revealed significantly decreased ASP and subfatin compared to the control. We propose that ASP and subfatin are promising candidates for biomarkers to distinguish serous benign, serous borderline and malignant ovarian cancers.

Effectiveness and safety of topical emollients in the treatment of PUVA-induced pruritus

BACKGROUND

In this study we tried to assess the efficacy of topical emollients in the treatment of patients with PUVA-induced pruritus.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

41 patients over 18 years of age, who received PUVA treatment in the phototherapy unit, were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups; Group I was administered with a 4% urea lotion and Group II was administered with liquid petrolatum. The follow-up period was minimum 4 weeks. During the first 2 weeks, patients were administered topical emollients and received PUVA treatment together. The next 2 weeks, they continued PUVA treatment without any medication.

RESULTS

When time-dependent changes in the visual analogue scale scores for pruritus of both groups were considered, both treatment methods were found to be remarkably successful (p < 0.0001). In addition, an insignificant group-time interaction was identified (p = 0.753).

CONCLUSIONS

Topical emollients were found to be effective in the treatment of PUVA-induced pruritus. Both forms of medication can be successfully administered and increase the patient's compliance with medication.

Early-onset basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a common skin cancer that is responsible for approximately 75% of non-melanoma skin cancers. BCC occurs on sunexposed areas in fair-skinned individuals; frequency increases with age and peaks in the seventh decade of life. Although it usually occurs in the elderly population, it has been reported in children as well. Here, we present a case of BCC in an eight-year-old child without any predisposing characteristics.

Leser-Trélat sign: does it really exist?

Leser-Trélat sign is a rare cutaneous disorder that manifests with sudden emergence of seborrheic keratoses and increase in their numbers and size within weeks or months. Its concurrence with many types of malignancies, especially adenocarcinoma and lymphoma, has been reported in the literature. In this case report, a patient having Leser-Trélat sign, without any detected malignancy in spite of detailed examination and 18 months of follow up, is presented. Current literature is reviewed in relation to the debate whether Leser-Trélat is a paraneoplastic syndrome or not.

Lupus vulgaris diagnosed after 37 years: a case of delayed diagnosis

Lupus vulgaris is the most common chronic, progressive form of cutaneous tuberculosis. Lesions are generally solitary and found on the head and neck region. Cutaneous tuberculosis can present with different clinical appearances. Therefore, it does not necessarily have characteristic findings and can be difficult to diagnose. Although there were typical clinical findings, the diagnosis of our case was delayed because of its asymptomatic course.

Weight gain after adjuvant treatment in breast cancer patients in Istanbul, Turkey

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Background: Weight gain is a common and unwanted result of chemotherapy. We wanted to find out how much weight Turkish beast cancer patients gains after chemotherapy and whether it lasts afterwards. Methods: 183 breast cancer patients who underwent a curative resection and received adjuvant chemotherapy afterwards in a private clinic between 1998 and 2007 are studied. Their weight before and after chemotherapy as well as their weight more than a year after chemotherapy is recorded together with their educational level, menopausal status, the type of chemotherapy or hormonal treatment, stage of disease, marital status, occupation and the underlying diseases. Results: Median age of patients is 53 and 72% is in menopause. Educational level is equally distributed for primary education (26%), High school (30%) and University and above (32%). Majority is (76%) married with two children (43%) and house wife (50%). Family history of any cancer is high (33%). Most of the patients had stage II cancer (57%), received anthracycline± taxane based chemotherapy (97%) and has no underlying disease (67%). The majority also does not smoke (72%) or drink alcohol (93%). Mean weight before the chemotherapy was 69.1 and increased to 70.8 upon completion of chemotherapy (p= 0.000) and 72 kg. more than a year after completion of chemotherapy (p=0.000). The other parameters including hormonal treatment, menopause, educational level and smoking do not have any effect on this weight increase. The all groups had similar weight gain with chemotherapy. Conclusions: Although upon starting the study we expected more, we confirmed some amount of weight gain with chemotherapy in Turkish patients and that gain is seen all across various social groups. The doctors should inform their patients of this change and precaution them toward this unwanted consequence.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Multiple substrate growth kinetics of Leptothrix discophora SP-6

The growth parameters of Leptothrix discophora SP-6 were quantified on the basis of the steady-state concentrations and utilization rates of pyruvate, dissolved oxygen, and concentration of microorganisms in a chemostat operated at 25 degrees C, pH 7.2, and an agitation rate of 350 rpm. The results showed that the microbial growth was limited by both pyruvate and dissolved oxygen. A combined growth kinetics model using Monod growth kinetics for pyruvate and Tessier growth kinetics for oxygen showed the best correlation with the experimental data when analyzed using an interactive multiple substrate model. The growth kinetics parameters and the respective confidence limits, estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation, were mu(max) = 0.576 +/- 0.021 h(-1), K(sMp) = 38.81 +/- 4.24 mg L(-1), K(sTo) = 0.39 +/- 0.04 mg L(-1), Y(X/p) = 0.150 (mg microorganism mg(-1) pyruvate), Y(X/o) = 1.24 (mg microorganism mg(-1) oxygen), the maintenance factors for pyruvate and oxygen were m(p) = 0.129 (mg pyruvate consumed mg(-1) microorganism h(-1)) and m(o) = 0.076 (mg oxygen consumed mg(-1) microorganism h(-1)), respectively.