The usage of information technologies in food traceability: An application on olive and fig enterprizes in the province of Aydın

Bilgi teknolojileri, tedarik zincirinin tüm süreçleri ve tüm elemanları için gerek duyulan bilgilerin kaydedilip saklanmasını ve ihtiyaç anında kullanılmasını sağlayan sistemlerden oluşur. Bilgi teknolojileri kullanımı, işletmeye, gelecekte işletme içinde ve dışında ortaya çıkabilecek olan risklerin azaltılması hatta engellenmesinde yardımcı olmaktadır. Gıda sektöründe kullanılan bilgi teknolojilerinden en önemlisi ürün izlenebilirlik sistemleridir. İşletmeler bu sistemi kullanarak, hem tüketici sağlığına tehdit oluşturabilecek olan unsurları ortadan kaldırırlar hem de tedarik zinciri üyeleri ile olan ilişkilerini güçlendirip, tedarik zinciri aşamalarında oluşabilecek olan riskleri en aza indirirler. Bu çalışmada, gıda izlenebilirlik sistemleri kullanımının sağlayacağı faydaları belirlemek amacıyla, Aydın ilinde faaliyet gösteren zeytin ve incir işletmeleri ziyaret edilerek izlenebilirlik sistemleri hakkında bilgi edinilmiş ve gelecek çalışmalara katkı sağlaması açısından önerilerde bulunulmuştur. Bu doğrultuda, işletmelere izlenebilirlik sistemleri ile ilgili sorular sorularak anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Görüşülen işletmelerin ürün izlenebilirlik sistemi olarak manuel sistemleri ve barkod sistemlerini kullandıkları belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca ürün izlenebilirlik sistemlerinin uygulanmasının masraflı olduğu ve gereksiz görüldüğü fakat bu sistemlerin gıda güvenliği ve kalitesini desteklemesi, mevcut müşteriyi kaybetmemeyi sağlarken yeni müşterilerde kazandırması gibi işletmeye birçok fayda sağlayabileceği sonuçlarına ulaşılmıştır.Information technologies consist of systems which help to record and protect information required for the whole supply chain processes and members and to provide this information when its needed. Information technologies help enterprizes to minimise and also avoid risks appeared within enterprizes and their environment. Product traceability system is the most important information technology used in food sector. By using this system, enterprizes remove factors caused threats to consumer’ s health and also minimise risks, which have probability to occur in supply chain processes, by strengthen their relationships with the supply chain members. In this study, information was obtained about the traceability systems of the olive and fig enterprizes in the province of Aydin through the visits made in order to determine the benefits of food traceability systems for enterprizes and some proposals were given so as to contribute to future studies. Therefore, a questionnaire was applied by asking some questions to enterprizes about their traceability systems. Its determined that manual systems and barkod systems are used by the enterprizes in the form of food traceability systems. Furthermore for the enterpizes, besides the application of food traceability systems are expensive and unnecessary, they have lots of benefits such as supporting the food safety and quality, gaining new customers without losing the existing ones

THE EFFECT OF FRIENDSHIP SKILLS TRAINING ON FRIENDSHIP QUALITY AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING OF ADOLESCENTS

This study aims to examine the effects of friendship skills training on the quality of friendship and subjective well-being of adolescents. In order to determine the experimental and control groups, the Friendship Quality Scale and the Adolescent Subjective Well-Being Scale were administered to 311 students in 9th, 10th and 11th grade classes from a state school in İskenderun in Hatay during the 2015-2016 education year. As a result, 21 students who had lower than average scores were included in the study. Students who participated in the study were assigned to the experimental and control groups randomly. An 8-session psycho-education program (“Beginning Friendships, Maintaining and Protecting Training”) which were developed by Morganett (2013) have been conducted with the students in the experimental group while the control group received no treatment. After the sessions, the same measurement tools were applied on both the experimental and control groups. The data gathered was analyzed by using the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test to examine the effectiveness of the training program. The analysis of the data has indicated an increase in the friendship quality and subjective well-being of the students who attended the friendship skills training group while there was no change in the friendship quality and subjective well-being of the students in control group.  Article visualizations

Post-discharge evaluation of patients with Covid-19 infection

Introduction: This study was conducted retrospectively, cross-sectional and descriptively to evaluate the telemonitoring results of discharged patients who had been hospitalized due to Covid-19 during the pandemic.Methods: This study was composed of data which were obtained through the folders of 862 patients who had gotten their Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests positive, were treated in hospital and discharged between 28.08.2020 and 16.09.2020. This study was completed with folders of 760 patients whose data were overall. Descriptive statistics were given as mean, standard deviation, median, minimum and maximum. Percentages were used for categorical data. Also, the Chi-Square test was used to determine differences between the groups in categorical variables. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used so as to analyze normal distribution of data.Results: In the study, the age median of patients who stated their clinical condition as good and average, was lower compared to patients whose clinical status was bad (p=0.001). 45% of patients with poor condition were rehospitalized and 35% of them were directed to emergency service (p lt;0.001).Conclusions: Results have demonstrated that even if those patients were discharged, their problems still continued in their homes, and they need support. Moreover, it is considered that home-monitoring and home attendant care services for elderly patients have to be improved qualitatively.Keywords: Covid-19, Home Care, Discharge Perio

Stereotactic body radioablation therapy as an immediate and early term antiarrhythmic palliative therapeutic choice in patients with refractory ventricular tachycardia

Background: Stereotactic body radioablation therapy (SBRT) has recently been introduced with the ability to provide ablative energy noninvasively to arrhythmogenic substrate while reducing damage to normal cardiac tissue nearby and minimizing patients’ procedural risk. There is still debate regarding whether SBRT has a predominant effect in the early or late period after the procedure. We sought to assess the time course of SBRT’s efficacy as well as the value of using a blanking period following a SBRT session. Methods: Eight patients (mean age 58 ± 14 years) underwent eight SBRT sessions for refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT). SBRT was given using a linear accelerator device with a total dose of 25 Gy to the targeted area. Results: During a median follow-up of 8 months, all patients demonstrated VT recurrences; however, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and anti-tachycardia pacing therapies were significantly reduced with SBRT (8.46 to 0.83/per month, p = 0.047; 18.50 to 3.29/per month, p = 0.036, respectively). While analyzing the temporal SBRT outcomes, the 2 weeks to 3 months period demonstrated the most favorable outcomes. After 6 months, one patient was ICD therapy-free and the remaining patients demonstrated VT episodes. Conclusions: Our findings showed that the SBRT was associated with a marked reduction in the burden of VT and ICD interventions especially during first 3 months. Although SBRT does not seem to succeed complete termination of VT in long-term period, our findings support the strategy that SBRT can be utilized for immediate antiarrhythmic palliation in critically ill patients with otherwise untreatable refractory VT and electrical storm

Outcomes of high-risk breast lesions diagnosed using image-guided core needle biopsy: results from a multicenter retrospective study

PURPOSEThe clinical management of high-risk lesions using image-guided biopsy is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the rates at which such lesions were upgraded to malignancy and identify possible predictive factors for upgrading high-risk lesions.METHODSThis retrospective multicenter analysis included 1.343 patients diagnosed with high-risk lesions using an image-guided core needle or vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB). Only patients managed using an excisional biopsy or with at least one year of documented radiological follow-up were included. For each, the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category, number of samples, needle thickness, and lesion size were correlated with malignancy upgrade rates in different histologic subtypes. Pearson’s chi-squared test, the Fisher–Freeman–Halton test, and Fisher’s exact test were used for the statistical analyses.RESULTSThe overall upgrade rate was 20.6%, with the highest rates in the subtypes of intraductal papilloma (IP) with atypia (44.7%; 55/123), followed by atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) (38.4%; 144/375), lobular neoplasia (LN) (12.7%; 7/55), papilloma without atypia (9.4%; 58/611), flat epithelial atypia (FEA) (8.7%; 10/114), and radial scars (RSs) (4.6%; 3/65). There was a significant relationship between the upgrade rate and BI-RADS category, number of samples, and lesion size Lesion size was the most predictive factor for an upgrade in all subtypes.CONCLUSIONADH and atypical IP showed considerable upgrade rates to malignancy, requiring surgical excision. The LN, IP without atypia, pure FEA, and RS subtypes showed lower malignancy rates when the BI-RADS category was lower and in smaller lesions that had been adequately sampled using VAB. After being discussed in a multidisciplinary meeting, these cases could be managed with follow-up instead of excision

AT1 receptor blocker candesartan-induced attenuation of brain injury of rats subjected to chronic cerebral hypoperfusion

One of common pathophysiological states associated with central nervous system is chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CH) that frequently occurs in conditions such as vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Long term blockage of angiotensin II type 1 (AT 1 ) receptor provides protection from ischemia induced injury of brain as well as reduction of cerebrovascular inflammation. Examining effect of the blockage on reduced glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (AA), and lipid peroxidation were of purpose in the present study. Modeling CH, rats were subjected to permanent occlusion of common carotid arteries bilaterally. AT 1 receptor antagonist, candesartan, was given daily for 14 days after surgery. CH caused a significant increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in GSH content of cerebral hippocampal tissue with no change in AA level. Candesartan (0.5 mg/kg, oral) not only reduced lipid peroxidation but also restored GSH significantly besides elevating AA and improving histopathological alterations. In conclusion, long term AT 1 receptor blockage may be considered as novel therapeutic approach for protection from damage associated with CH. Underlying mechanism(s) may in part be related to suppressing oxidative stress and preserving brain antioxidant capacity. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC