Helicobacter pylori is an important global pathogen infecting approximately 50% of the world’s population. This study was undertaken in order to estimate the prevalence rate of Helicobacter pylori infections among adults living in Turkey and to investigate the associated risk factors.

Phenomenon: Physician immigration from other countries is increasing as developed countries continue to be desirable destinations for physicians; however, the determinants of Turkish physicians' migration decisions are still unclear. Despite its wide coverage in the media and among physicians in Türkiye, and being the subject of much debate, there is insufficient data to justify this attention. With this study, we aimed to investigate the tendency of senior medical students in Türkiye to pursue their professional careers abroad and its related factors. Approach: This cross-sectional study involved 9881 senior medical students from 39 different medical schools in Türkiye in 2022. Besides participants' migration decision, we evaluated the push and pull factors related to working, social environment and lifestyle in Türkiye and abroad, medical school education inadequacy, and personal insufficiencies, as well as the socioeconomic variables that may affect the decision to migrate abroad. The analyses were carried out with a participation rate of at least 50%. Findings: Of the medical students, 70.7% had emigration intentions. Approximately 60% of those want to stay abroad permanently, and 61.5% of them took initiatives such as learning a foreign language abroad (54.5%) and taking relevant exams (18.9%). Those who wanted to work in the field of Research & Development were 1.37 (95% CI: 1.22-1.54) times more likely to emigrate. The push factor that was related to emigration intention was the "working conditions in the country" (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.56-2.28) whereas the "social environment/lifestyle abroad" was the mere pull factor for the tendency of emigration (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.45-2.06). In addition, the quality problem in medical schools also had a significant impact on students' decisions (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.83-2.65). Insights: Although the percentage of those who want to emigrate "definitely" was at the same level as in the other developing countries, the tendency to migrate "permanently" was higher in Türkiye. Improving working conditions in the country and increasing the quality of medical faculties seem vital in preventing the migration of physicians.

Objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affects the life of the family caregiver as well as the patient. This study aimed to determine the care burden and related factors among family caregivers of Turkish ALS patients. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 108 ALS patients and their informal caregivers through face-to-face interviews at home. The data were collected using the ALS Functional Rating Scale, Zarit Burden Interview, European Quality of Life-Five Dimensions Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: The mean age of the caregivers was 48.1 ± 13.4 years; the vast majority were female, and they were either spouses or children of the patients. While 49.1% reported moderate or severe burden, the quality of life was moderate (mean 70.4 ± 22.8). The caregiver burden was related to sex and the functional state of the patient, as well as caregiver factors such as the relation to the patient, sex, health status, time spent for care, and living in the same house with a limited environment. Walking ability, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, tracheostomy, and communication problems were not associated with the burden. Furthermore, burden was associated with the caregiver’s quality of life, social support, anxiety, and depression. Conclusions: The present study draws attention to the fact that the care burden in family caregivers of ALS patients is high and their quality of life is impaired. Our findings reveal that not only ALS patients but also caregivers need to be supported with an organized and planned system.

Sexual partner,sexuality,fertility,education

We aimed to show the effects of long-term screening on clinical, pathologic, and survival outcomes in patients with screen-detected breast cancer and compare these findings with breast cancer patients registered in the National Breast Cancer Registry Data (NBCRD). Women aged 40-69 years, living in Bahcesehir county, Istanbul, Turkey, were screened every 2 years using bilateral mammography. The Bahcesehir National Breast Cancer Registry Data (BMSP) data were collected during a 10-year screening period (five rounds of screening). BMSP data were compared with the NBCRD regarding age, cancer stage, types of surgery, tumor size, lymph node status, molecular subtypes, and survival rates. During the 10-year screening period, 8758 women were screened with 22621 mammograms. Breast cancer was detected in 130 patients; 51 (39.2%) were aged 40-49 years. The comparison of breast cancer patients in the two programs revealed that BMSP patients had earlier stages, higher breast-conserving surgery rates, smaller tumor size, more frequent negative axillary nodal status, lower histologic grade, and higher ductal carcinoma in situ rates than NBCRD patients (p = 0.001, for all). These results indicate the feasibility of successful population-based screening in middle-income countries.