Analysis of nomofobic behaviors of adolescents regarding various factors

Although the developments in technology have made our lives and daily activities easier, it is believed that problematic and excessive use of technology could have some negative effects on people. One of these negative effects is the prevalence of nomophobia, which is considered as a new phobia in recent years. Nomophobia is defined as the fear and anxiety when an individual cannot access his or her mobile/smart phone or cannot have the chance to communicate online and offline via mobile devices. Nomophobic tendencies can change individuals’ daily habits. Negative emotions due to nomophobic tendencies like fear and anxiety especially in young people is thought to affect their school lives and academic achievements. The purpose of this research is to analyze the prevalence of nomophobia among high school students regarding various factors. The Nomophobia Scale (NMP-Q), which was used in this study, was developed by Yildirim and Correia (2015), and adapted into Turkish by Yildirim, Sumuer, Adnan and Yildirim (2015). The study group consists of 475 high school students attending six different schools situated in diverse socio-economic areas in Izmir and Edirne in 2015-2016 education year. The study was conducted in survey model and descriptive statistics. T-test for independent samples and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques were used at the analysis stage. According to the findings, mean scores obtained from the scale demonstrated that the levels of nomophobic behaviors of high school students were above the average. Besides, female students have higher nomophobia levels compared to male students in terms of gender variable and a significant difference was found in terms of the duration of mobile internet usage. A significant difference could not be found in terms of the variables such as grade, parents’ education levels, and the duration of smartphone usage. Furthermore, the study has revealed that high school students use their smartphones and mobile internet largely for social networks, music, communication, photographs, education, research, games and videos.

The Research Proposal of Developing and Testing an Adaptive Learning System in Order to Increase the Primary School Students’ Awareness Regarding Teeth Health and to Reduce their Dental Anxiety

AbstractThis research proposal has been planned and suggested in order to contribute to the supply of this need. In this research, a learning system will be designed, improved and tested to increase the primary school children’ awareness of dental health and to reduce their dental anxiety. When the proposal has been completed, with the education of about 10.000.000 primary school children, a functional product will be developed to increase the awareness of dental health and to reduce dental anxiety, which are the most significant issues for the student of this age. The generalization of this product usage are not covered with this proposal, therefore this proposal has a potential to cause a new proposal. The learning system which will be developed by this proposal can be adaptive to the students’ learning styles and their socio-economic level which are reported to be efficient factors in terms of dental health in the field literature. Moreover, this research proposal also has the originality in terms of being a case study, which will provide the opportunity of an adaptive learning system that is a current approach in the field of educational sciences

Lise Öğrencilerin Tablet Bilgisayar Kabulü ve Hazırbulunuşluğu: Yapısal Eşitlik Modellemesi

Many educational institutions have been using lots of technologies in classrooms to increase the effectiveness of learning activities. In recent years, tablet PC (TPC)'s have been the primary of these technologies. Technology especially comes to exist in busy environments and gets even more important in the environments where students defined as "digital native" can use technology effectively. However, there have been no sufficient studies about the acceptance, readiness and use of tablet PC's in secondary schools. In this research, secondary school students' acceptance of tablet PC was examined with technology acceptance model, and readiness variable was also added. As a result of the research, it was found that secondary school students' acceptance level of tablet PC is explained at a good level. It was also found that readiness is an important variable for intention to use tablet PC. Also it was found that self-efficacy and anxiety in acceptance of tablet PC are important external variables.Bugün birçok eğitim kurumu öğrenme faaliyetlerinin etkililiğini artırmak amacıyla sınıflarda pek çok teknolojiyi kullanmaktadır. Son günlerde bu teknolojilerin başında tablet bilgisayarlar gelmektedir. Özellikle dijital yerli olarak ifade edilen teknoloji yoğun ortamlarda doğup teknolojiyi etkin kullanabilen öğrencilerin bulunduğu ortamlarda bu daha da önem kazanmaktadır. Ancak tablet bilgisayarların ortaöğretimde kabulü, hazırbulunuşluk ve kullanımı ile ilgili yeterli çalışma ve kanıtla karşılaşılamamaktadır. Bu araştırmada ortaöğretim öğrencilerinin tablet bilgisayarı kabulü teknoloji kabul modeli ile incelenerek modele hazırbulunuşluk değişkeni de eklenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda ortaöğretim öğrencilerinin tablet bilgisayar kabul düzeylerinin iyi düzeyde açıklandığı bulunmuştur. Tablet bilgisayarı kullanmaya yönelik niyette hazırbulunuşluğun önemli bir değişken olduğu da bulunmuştur. Tablet bilgisayar kabulünde öz-yeterlik ve kaygı önemli dışsal değişkenler olarak ortaya çıkmıştır

Establishment of age- and -gender specific reference intervals for amino acids and acylcarnitines by tandem mass spectrometry in Turkish paediatric population

IntroductionWe determined age- and gender-specific reference intervals (RIs) for acylcarnitines and amino acids by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in the Turkish paediatric population by using laboratory information system (LIS) data. Materials and methodsA total of 9156 MS/MS results of children between 0-18 years of age, were downloaded from the LIS. Premature infants and newborns followed in the intensive care unit were excluded and only the first result of each patient attending outpatient clinics was included. Children with a known or suspected diagnosis of metabolic disease, malignancy, epilepsy, mental retardation, or genetic disorder were excluded. Laboratory results were evaluated and children with any pathological laboratory finding were excluded, resulting in a final sample size of 3357 (2029 boys and 1328 girls). Blood was collected by capillary puncture and spotted on Whatman 903 filter paper cards and analysed by MS/MS (Shimadzu LCMS-8050, Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto, Japan). Data were evaluated for age and gender differences and age partitioning was performed according to the literature and visual evaluation of the data. Age subgroups were: ≤ 1 month, 2 months-1 year, 2-5 years, 6-10 years, and 11-18 years. ResultsThere were significant age-related differences for the majority of amino acids and acylcarnitines thus age dependent RIs were established. Gender-specific RIs were established for tyrosine, leucine-isoleucine, isovalerylcarnitine (C5) and hexadecanoylcarnitine (C16). ConclusionsEstablishing age-related RIs can enhance the quality of medical care by facilitating early diagnosis and therapy, especially in certain metabolic disorders presenting with mild biochemical abnormalities and subtle clinical manifestations

A Rare Manifestation of Leptospirosis: Long-Term Elevation in Liver Enzymes

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis that is endemic in many tropical and subtropical regions. The disease is transmitted to humans by contact with the urine or an environment contaminated with the urine of infected animals. The clinical manifestations of leptospirosis vary from subclinical infection to severe illness with multiorgan dysfunction. This case report aimed to present a leptospirosis case diagnosed with detailed anamnesis and progressed with long-term elevation in liver function tests, in a non-endemic region. A 28-year-old male patient was admitted with complaints of weakness, fever, and vomiting. As a result of the detailed anamnesis, it was learned that the patient with hyperbilirubinemia, elevated liver enzymes, and kidney failure had contact with polluted water in a rural area, and the patient was followed up with a preliminary diagnosis of leptospirosis. Leptospirosis may present with different clinical presentations and be confused with many diseases, risk factors should be carefully questioned

Hearing loss and stigma

Amaç: Bu çalışmada işitme kaybı ve işitme cihazı ile ilişkili stigma değerlendirildi. Hastalar ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada Eylül 2015 - Mart 2016 tarihleri arasında işitme kaybı ile Kulak Burun Boğaz polikliniğine başvuran ve muayene sonucunda işitme cihazı önerilen ancak cihazı kullanmayı reddeden 35 hasta yapılandırılmış formlarla değerlendirildi. Bulgular: İşitme kaybı olan hastaların %57.1’i işitme kaybından daha ciddi öncelikleri olduğunu düşünmekteydi. Hastaların cihaz edinmesinde stigma ile ilişkili en önemli engeller “işitme cihazının dışarıdan fark edilmesi” (%45.7) ve işitme cihazının kullanıcıyı “yaşlı” (%37.1) ve “engelli” (%45.7) gösterdiği düşüncesi idi. Sonuç: Stigma işitme cihazı edinimindeki önemli engellerden biridir. İşitme kaybı için yardım isteyen hastalara psikososyal destek gereklidir. İşitme kaybı ile ilgili stigma hakkında toplumsal farkındalık artırılmalı ve medya stigma engelinin kırılması için yardım etmelidir.Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the stigma associated with hearing loss and hearing aid. Patients and Methods: A total of 35 patients were examined with structured forms, who were admitted to the Ear Nose and Throat outpatient clinic between September 2015 and March 2016 with hearing loss and were recommended to use hearing aid but refused to do so. Results: Patients with hearing loss believed that they had more serious priorities than their hearing impairment (57.1%). The most important barriers associated to stigma in the adoption of hearing aid were the thoughts of “hearing aid is noticeable from outside” (45.7%) and the hearing aid makes the user look “old” (37.1%) and “disabled” (45.7%). Conclusion: Stigma is one of the important barriers of hearing aid adoption. Psychosocial support is necessary for the patients who seek help for their hearing loss. Social awareness should be increased about stigma associated to hearing loss and the media should help to disrupt the stigma barrier

Czy galektyna-3 ma związek z nerkowym wydalaniem albumin w cukrzycy typu 2?

  Introduction: The relationship between galectin-3 and diabetes mellitus or renal function has recently been investigated. In this study, we tried to evaluate the association of galectin-3 in urinary albumin excretion levels in type 2 diabetic patients. Material and methods: In a group of 137 type 2 diabetes patients, the mean of the last three urinary microalbumin/creatinine ratios and galectin-3 levels were evaluated. The patient group was divided into three subgroups according to their level of albuminuria calculated with urine microalbumin/creatinine ratio. Results: There was no significant difference between the galectin values of the three subgroups. Significant differences were observed between GFR results of group 1 vs. 3 (p < 0.0001) and group 2 vs. 3 (p = 0.0006), and serum creatinine results of group 1 vs. 3 (p = 0.0003) and group 2 vs. 3 (p < 0.0001). The three subgroups did not reveal any significant difference concerning the age, BMI, duration of DM, FPG, and HbA1c levels. Conclusions: We concluded that serum galectin-3 values are not affected by the levels of urinary albumin excretion in DM patients. We could not find any relation between galectin-3 and the parameters of DM such as FPG, HbA1c, and duration of the disease. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (6): 580–584)    Wstęp: W ostatnim czasie badano związek między galektyną-3 a cukrzycą i czynnością nerek. Autorzy niniejszego badania podjęli próbę oceny związku galektyny-3 z wydalaniem albumin przez nerki u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2. Materiał i metody: W grupie 137 chorych na cukrzycę typu 2 obliczono średnią ostatnich trzech współczynników mikroalbuminy/kreatynina w moczu oraz pomiarów stężeń galektyny-3. Chorych podzielono na trzy podgrupy w zależności od nasilenia albuminuria określonego na podstawie współczynnika mikroalbuminy/kreatynina w moczu. Wyniki: Nie stwierdzono istotnych różnic pod względem stężeń galektyny między trzema podgrupami. Odnotowano natomiast istotne różnice wartości GFR między grupą 1 i 3 (p < 0,0001) oraz grupą 2 i 3 (p = 0,0006) oraz stężeń kreatyniny między grupą 1 i 3 (p = 0,0003) oraz grupą 2 i 3 (p < 0,0001). Podgrupy nie różniły się istotnie pod względem wieku, BMI, czasu trwania cukrzycy, FPG ani odsetka HbA1c. Wnioski: Autorzy wykazali, że stężenia galektyny-3 w surowicy nie zależą od nasilenia wydalania albumin z moczem u chorych na cukrzycę. Nie stwierdzono zależności między stężeniem galektyny-3 a parametrami charakteryzującymi cukrzycę, takimi jak FPG, HbA1c, czas trwania choroby. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (6): 580–584)

Resolution of Autoimmune Oophoritis after Thymectomy in a Myasthenia Gravis Patient

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by autoantibodies against acetylcholine receptors. MG is generally an isolated disorder but may occur concomitantly with other autoimmune diseases. We describe an eighteen-year-old girl with MG who was admitted to our clinic with secondary amenorrhea and diagnosed as autoimmune oophoritis. Since her myasthenic symptoms did not resolve with anticholinesterase therapy, thymectomy was performed. After thymectomy, her menses have been regular without any hormonal replacement therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a patient with autoimmune ovarian insufficiency and MG in whom premature ovarian insufficiency resolved after thymectomy, without hormonal therapy

Factors Affecting Optimal Titration Pressure of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Device in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Objective: To assess the effects of anatomical, clinical parameters, and pulmonary respiratory function on the therapeutic titration pressure of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).Methods: The study comprised 41 OSAS patients whose optimum CPAP titration pressures were measured. Each patient underwent an otorhinolaryngologic and thoracic examination, and data was recorded for height, weight, body mass index, neck-waist circumferences, Mallampati classification, tonsillar hypertrophy, hypopharyngeal collapse, soft palate-tongue base obstruction scores, peak nasal inspiratory flow and acoustic rhinometry measures, and CPAP device therapeutic pressures. Forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume, FEV1/FVC ratio and peak expiratory flow values were noted.Results: Median CPAP optimal pressure cut-off value was determined as 9 mmH2O. Statistical analysis was made in two groups as CPAP titration optimal pressure ≤9 and >9 mmH2O. In the optimal pressure >9 group, neck and waist circumferences, hypopharyngeal collapse score, retropalatal and retrolingual lateral wall collapse scores were significantly higher (p<0.05). In multivariate and univariate model analysis, neck and waist circumferences, hypopharyngeal collapse score, retropalatal and retrolingual lateral wall collapse scores were observed to be significant in predicting high and low pressures in univariate model.Conclusion: For the prediction of optimal CPAP titration pressure in OSAS treatment, wide neck and waist circumferences, high hypopharyngeal collapse score and retropalatal and retrolingual lateral wall collapse grades may be determinative