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Biomedical subjects

Türker Ozkan

Publications and source records attributed to Türker Ozkan.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Cross-cultural differences in driving skills: a comparison of six countries.

The first aim of the present study was to investigate the applicability of the two-factor structure (perceptual-motor skills by 11 items, e.g., "fluent driving"; safety skills by 9 items, e.g., "conforming to the speed limits") of the Driver Skill Inventory (DSI) among British, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Iranian, and Turkish drivers. It was also hypothesized that the combination of self reported high ratings of perceptual-motor skills and low ratings of safety skills creates a serious risk for dangerous driving and road accident involvement. The second aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate this asymmetric relationship between perceptual-motor and safety skills in traffic penalties and accident involvement. Two hundred and forty two drivers were chosen from each of the six countries, matched for age and sex. The results of exploratory factor analyses together with target rotation showed that the two-factor structure of DSI found in "safe" Northern and Western European countries were highly congruent. However, the safety skills factor of DSI in Greece, Iran, and Turkey was relatively incongruent in spite of high factor similarity found in perceptual-motor skills. The asymmetric relationship between perceptual-motor and safety skills on traffic penalties was found in Finland and Turkey. A negative relationship between safety skills and the number of accidents was found both in Greece and Iran while a positive relationship between perceptual-motor skills and the number of accidents was found only in Iran.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Asymmetric relationship between driving and safety skills.

We hypothesized that the combination of self reported high ratings of driving skills and low ratings of safety skills creates a serious risk for road accident involvement. This study was aimed at investigating the asymmetric interplay between driving and safety skills among Turkish drivers (N=785) using the Driving Skills Inventory [Lajunen, T., Summala, H., 1995. Driver experience, personality, and skill and safety motive dimensions in drivers' self-assessments. Pers. Indiv. Differ. 19, 307-318]. The assumed asymmetric interactions were tested on a number of outcome variables representing risky driving using moderated regression analyses. The results revealed that driving skills moderated the effects of safety skills on six out of the eight outcome variables including the number of accidents, tickets, overtaking tendencies, speed on motorways, and aggressive driving style. Results suggested that high levels of safety skills buffer the negative effect of overconfidence resulting from exaggerated ratings of self-reported driving skills.

Accidents, Traffic↗

[Pedicled flap procedures for sensory restoration of the hand: long-term results].

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the long-term results of patients who underwent reconstruction with pedicled flaps for soft tissue and sensory restoration. METHODS: The study included 30 patients (26 males, 4 females; mean age 33 years; range 16 to 62 years) who underwent sensory restorations of the thumb (n=24), the index finger (n=3), and the little finger (n=3). Twenty-seven patients received neurovascular island flaps and three patients received radial innervated cross-finger flaps. Disconnection-reconnection of the nerve was performed in 11 patients receiving a neurovascular island flap. Sensory evaluations were made with two-point discrimination and the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test. The mean follow-up was 29.2 months (range 5 to 144 months). RESULTS: There were no cases of flap loss. Contractures of donor digits were seen in four patients (14.8%) treated with neurovascular island flaps. Neuroma formation was noted in two patients (18.2%) in whom the disconnection-reconnection technique was used. Static and moving two-point discrimination test results were 9.1 mm and 7.4 mm with the disconnection-reconnection technique, 8.3 mm and 7 mm with the original technique, and 10.3 mm and 8.6 mm with radial innervated cross finger flaps, respectively. Sensation was at the recipient site in all the patients who underwent disconnection-reconnection. Of those in whom the original technique was employed, nine patients (56.3%) localized sensation at the recipient site, three patients (18.8%) at the donor site, while four patients (25%) showed double sensibility. CONCLUSION: Pedicled flaps are reliable and satisfactory alternatives for soft tissue and sensory restoration of hand injuries and disconnection-reconnection of the nerve is effective in preventing double sensibility.

Adolescent↗

Driver Behaviour Questionnaire: a follow-up study.

The aim of the present study was to investigate time-across stability of different factor solutions (two to six factors) of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) and to examine the changes on self-reported driving pattern in a follow-up sample (n=622) after three years of the first responses. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated that there was a significant change between Time 1 and Time 2 scores in six items of the DBQ. Drivers reported less competitiveness while driving at Time 2 but more speeding, drinking and driving, driving to wrong destinations and having no recollection of the road just travelled. Significant Time x Sex x Age interactions were found in change scores of four items. Young males and middle-aged female drivers emerged as a group of drivers who changed their self-reported driving pattern over three years. Additionally, sex, age or both had main effects on scores of 21 items. Males and young drivers reported more violations than females and older drivers, whereas female drivers reported more errors and lapses. After running possible factor solutions with Tucker's Phi agreement coefficients, the results indicated that the four- and two-factor solutions were the most stable and interpretable ones. The two-factor solution showed better time-across stability than the four-factor structure did, although the factor solutions found at Time 1 and Time 2 were not as identical as expected. Separate analysis revealed that drivers who had high annual mileage at Time 1 and Time 2 showed the strongest two-factor time-across stability. The test-retest reliability was 0.50 for errors, 0.76 for violations and 0.61 for the whole scale.

Adolescent↗

[Single-stage flexor tendoplasty in the treatment of flexor tendon injuries].

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated tendon reconstruction with one-stage tendon grafting in flexor tendon injuries in which primary repair was not considered because of delay in treatment or of inappropriate circumstances on the part of the wound and the patient. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients (29 males, 8 females; mean age 20.5 years; range 4 to 52 years) underwent single-stage flexor tendoplasty involving 41 fingers. Twenty-eight patients had zone II injuries. The mean duration from trauma to surgery was one month (range 3 to 6 weeks). Tendon grafts were obtained from the palmaris longus in 26 repairs, flexor digitorum superficialis in 14 repairs, and flexor carpi radialis in one repair. Early passive rehabilitation was administered after surgery. Improvement in the flexion motion was calculated using the Strickland formula. The results were compared with respect to the tendon graft used, associated nerve injuries, and the age of the patients (equal to or below 10 years/above 10 years). The mean follow-up was 35 months (range 4 to 83 months). RESULTS: Functional results were excellent in 12 fingers (29.3%), good in 13 fingers (31.7%), moderate in 14 fingers (34.2%), and poor in two fingers (4.9%). Overall, the mean total active movement was 57% (range 22 to 88%). No significant differences were found between the functional results with respect to the tendon graft used, associated nerve injuries, and the age of the patients (ANOVA, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Single-stage flexor tendoplasty seems to be an appropriate choice of treatment for flexor tendon injuries where local wound conditions and decreased tendon length prevent primary repair, provided that the pulley system remains intact.

Adolescent↗

[Reconstruction of shoulder abduction and external rotation in obstetric brachial plexus palsy].

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the results of the subscapularis and pectoralis major muscle releases and the transfer of the latissimus dorsi/teres major muscles to the rotator cuff in patients with internal rotation contractures due to obstetric brachial plexus palsy. METHODS: Seventy patients (44 boys, 26 girls; mean age 7.6 years; range 2 to 16 years) underwent transfer of the latissimus dorsi/teres major muscles to the rotator cuff. Spinal root involvement was at C5-C6 in 19 patients, at C5-C7 in 16 patients, and at C5-T1 in 35 patients. In 46 patients, the subscapularis muscle was released from the anterior surface of the scapula, and in 55 patients, the pectoralis major muscle was released by fractional tenotomy. The glenohumeral joint was evaluated by anteroposterior direct graphies and axial magnetic resonance scans. According to the Waters-Peljovich grading system, all the patients had type I or type II deformities. Pre- and postoperative range of motion values and Mallet scores were compared. The mean follow-up period was 37.9 months (range 24 to 64 months). RESULTS: The mean shoulder abduction increased to 132.6 degrees (range 90 degrees to 170 degrees; mean gain 60.3 degrees) and external rotation increased to 81.1 degrees (range 30 degrees to 100 degrees; mean gain 58.7 degrees). The mean postoperative Mallet scores for global abduction and external rotation were 3.9; hand-to-head, to-mouth, and to-back scores were 3.7, 3.4, and 2.5, respectively. No serious complications were seen during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: The results of reconstruction techniques employed in our study show satisfactory increases in shoulder abduction and external rotation in patients with a minimal glenohumeral deformity.

Adolescent↗

[Early results of nerve surgery in obstetrical brachial plexus palsy].

OBJECTIVES: To present surgical techniques and early postoperative results of patients who underwent nerve surgery for obstetrical brachial plexus palsy. METHODS: Twenty-four infants (12 girls, 12 boys; mean age 7.9 months; range 4 to 14 months) with obstetrical brachial plexus palsy underwent nerve repair following a surgical algorithm that showed inadequate spontaneous nerve regeneration and muscle function. Neurolysis was performed in five cases, intraplexial neurotisation in 17 cases, and extraplexial transfer of the spinal accessory nerve to the suprascapular nerve in seven cases. Seventeen patients (70%) had total palsy (C5, C6 and/or C7 rupture and C8, T1 avulsion), four patients (17%) had C5, C6 involvement, and three patients (13%) had C5-7 involvement. Pre- and postoperative evaluations were made according to the grading system of the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC). The mean follow-up period was 15.8 months (range 8 to 31 months). RESULTS: The mean HSC grades of the patients followed at least for 12 months were as follows: shoulder abduction 4, elbow flexion 4.5, wrist extension 2.3, and finger flexion 3.3. Compared to patients who underwent neurolysis alone, improved nerve regeneration was noted in patients who underwent neuroma excision and nerve grafting. No severe complications occurred postoperatively, including respiratory problems, metabolic acidosis, and hypothermia. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and nerve surgery in patients having insufficient muscle activity and requiring surgical intervention may prevent atrophy of the muscles and provide a more functional upper extremity.

Birth Injuries↗

Three tendon transfer methods in reconstruction of ulnar nerve palsy.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of 3 different tendon transfer techniques in restoring grip strength, correcting claw hand deformity, and improving hand function after irreparable ulnar nerve palsy. METHOD: A total of 44 patients were assessed 14 to 96 months after surgery. Twenty-four patients were reconstructed with the flexor digitorum 4-tail (FDS 4-tail) procedure, 11 with the extensor carpi radialis 4-tail (ECRL 4-tail) procedure and 9 with Zancolli's Lasso procedure (ZLP) with mean paralysis times of 47, 51, and 32 months, respectively. Grip strength measurements, improvement in active range of motion at the PIP and wrist joints, patients' ability to fully open and close their hands, as well as the sequence of phalangeal flexion were analyzed. RESULTS: Age, sex, mean follow-up duration, and surgical technique did not relate statistically to the functional outcome. Preoperative extensor lag of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and mean paralysis time, however, significantly affected the functional outcome. The ZLP and the ECRL 4-tail were found to be the most effective technique in restoring grip strength. The FDS 4-tail procedure, however, was the most successful in correcting the claw hand deformity, especially in long-standing paralysis in which there was elongation of the extensor apparatus. CONCLUSIONS: In short-term paralysis in which patients predominantly need grip strength and claw finger deformity correction, the ZLP or ECRL 4-tail procedures are recommended. In long-standing cases with extensor lag, asynchronous finger motion should be corrected with the FDS 4-tail procedure.

Adolescent↗

[Surgical treatment of volar wrist ganglia].

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated surgery-related issues concerning the excision of volar wrist ganglia in the light of data obtained from our patients. METHODS: The study included 40 patients (10 males, 30 females; mean age 32.5 years; range 18 to 65 years) who underwent surgery for volar ganglia. All the patients had unilateral involvement. All operations were performed under axillary brachial plexus regional anesthesia in the microsurgery operating room. The mean follow-up period was 2.5 years (range 1 to 5 years). RESULTS: The ganglia originated from the radioscaphoid joint capsule in 18 patients (45%), scaphotrapezial joint capsule in 16 patients (40%), and from the flexor carpi radialis tendon in two patients (5%). The ganglia were attached to the radial artery in 26 patients (65%), in two patients (5%) the radial artery completely merged into the lesion. The pedicles could not be dissected in four patients (10%), all of whom developed recurrences. Complications included recurrences in nine patients (22%), injury to the median palmar cutaneous nerve in four patients (10%), injury to the radial artery in two patients (5%) and wrist stiffness in five patients (12.5%). No significant correlation was found between complications and experience of the operating surgeons. CONCLUSION: Considering possible dissections and interventions for complication-associated repairs, and potential recurrences, surgical removal of volar ganglia should be performed under appropriate circumstances, especially in a formal operating room.

Adolescent↗

[Flexor tendoplasty with a tendon prosthesis for zone II flexor tendon injuries].

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated two-staged flexor tendoplasty with tendon prosthesis in patients with flexor tendon injuries in which conventional tendon grafting would fail to yield an acceptable result. METHODS: We performed flexor tendoplasty with tendon prosthesis in 37 hands of 31 patients (24 males, 7 females; mean age 23 years; range 4-46 years). Twenty-six patients had penetrating injuries, four had occupational injuries, and one patient had an electric burn. Preoperatively, all patients were evaluated according to the Boyes' classification. At the first stage, a silicone prosthesis, 4-6 mm in diameter was placed according to the patient's age and the recipient bed; after 3 to 5 months, silicone prosthesis was removed and flexor tendoplasty with a tendon graft was performed. The results were calculated according to the Strickland's formula. The mean follow-up period after the second operation was 37 months (range 12-80 months). RESULTS: The results were excellent in 11 hands (Strickland 75-100%), good in 15 hands (50-74%), moderate in nine hands (25-49%), and poor in two hands (0-24%), with a mean of 58%. Tenolysis was performed in seven patients at least four months after the second stage. Removal of the tendon prosthesis was required in one patient because of infection. CONCLUSION: Satisfactory results can be obtained with two-staged flexor tendoplasty with a tendon prosthesis in patients with joint injuries restricting finger movements, digital nerve injuries causing trophic changes in the finger, and multiple tissue injuries.

Adolescent↗