Inappropriate antimicrobial use in Turkish pediatric hospitals: A multicenter point prevalence survey

Objectives: Although well-defined principles of rational antimicrobial use are available, inappropriate prescribing patterns are reported worldwide. Accurate information on the usage of antimicrobials, including factors associated with and influencing their use, is valuable for improving the quality of prescription practices. Methods: In this cross-sectional point prevalence survey, data on patients hospitalized in 12 different children's hospitals were collected on a single day. Appropriateness of prescription was compared between the types of antimicrobials prescribed, indications, wards, and presence of/consultation with an infectious disease physician (IDP). Results: A total 711 of 1302 (54.6%) patients evaluated were receiving one or more antimicrobial drugs. The antimicrobial prescription rate was highest in pediatric intensive care (75.7%) and lowest in the surgery wards (37.0%). Of the 711 patients receiving antimicrobials, 332 patients (46.7%) were found to be receiving at least one inappropriately prescribed drug. Inappropriate use was most frequent in surgery wards (80.2%), while it was less common in oncology wards (31.8%; p < 0.001). Respiratory tract infection was the most common indication for antimicrobial use (29.4%). Inappropriate use was more common in deep-seated infections (54.7%) and respiratory infections (56.5%). Fluoroquinolones were used inappropriately more than any other drugs (81.8%, p = 0.021). Consultation with an IDP appears to increase appropriate antimicrobial use (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Inappropriate antimicrobial use remains a common problem in Turkish pediatric hospitals. Consultation with an IDP and prescribing antimicrobial drugs according to microbiological test results could decrease the inappropriate use of antimicrobials

Metaphoric perceptions of secondary school 8th grade students towards the concept of the science laboratory

Bu çalışmanın amacı, ortaokul 8. sınıf öğrencilerinin fen laboratuvarı kavramıyla ilgili algılarını metaforlarla ortaya çıkarmaktır. Bu araştırma nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden birisi olan olgu bilim (fenomonolojik) desenine göre yürütülmüştür. Bu çalışmanın araştırma grubunu Trabzon’un Çarşıbaşı ilçesinde bir ortaokulda ve Rize’nin Çayeli ilçesindeki bir ortaokulda öğrenim gören toplam 39 8. sınıf öğrencisi oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada veriler metafor formu ile elde edilmiştir. Metafor formunda öğrencilere ‘Fen laboratuvarı …… gibidir/benzer. Çünkü ……’ şeklindeki metafor ifadesi sunulmuştur. Öğrencilerin metafor ifadesinin ilk bölümünde fen laboratuvarı kavramını bildikleri bir kavrama benzetmeleri, ikinci bölümde ise öğrencilerin birinci bölümde yaptıkları benzetmenin gerekçesini çünkü ile başlayan bölümde ifade etmeleri istenmiştir. Metafor formundan elde edilen veriler içerik analizi ile çözümlenmiştir. Verilerin analizi sonucunda öğrencilerin toplam 39 metafor ürettikleri belirlenmiştir. Bu metaforlar kodlanmış ve bu kodlardan 6 farklı kategoriye ulaşılmıştır. Öğrencilerin fen laboratuvarı kavramına yönelik metaforlarından en fazla karadelik (3) ve lunapark (3) metaforlarını ifade ettikleri görülmüştür. Bulgular kategorilere göre incelendiğinde öğrencilerin en fazla çeşitlilik sunma (10) kategorisinde metafor oluşturdukları görülmüştür. Öğrencilerin genel olarak fen laboratuvarı kavramını olumlu olarak algıladıkları görülmüştür. Araştırmanın sonucunda ortaokul öğrencilerinin fen laboratuvarı algılarının öğretim kademelerine ve cinsiyete göre nasıl olduğuna yönelik araştırmaların yapılması önerilmiştir.The aim of this research was to reveal the perceptions of secondary school 8th grade students about the science laboratory concept through metaphors. This research was carried out according to the phenomenology (phenomenological) design, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The study group of the research consisted of a total of 39 8th grade students studying in two secondary school in Trabzon's Çarşıbaşı and Rize's Çayeli districts. The metaphor form was used as a data collection tool. Data were obtained by students' answering the metaphor statement which is “Science laboratory …… like / similar. Because …… ” in the metaphor form. In the first part of the metaphor statement, the students were asked to compare the science laboratory concept to a concept they know, and in the second part, the students were asked to express the reason of the analogy they made in the first part in the part starting with because. The data obtained from the metaphor form were analyzed by content analysis. As a result of the analysis of the data, it was determined that the students produced 39 metaphors in total. These metaphors were coded and 6 different categories were reached from these codes. It was seen that students mostly expressed the black hole (3) and amusement park (3) metaphors among the metaphors for the science laboratory concept. When the findings were examined according to categories, it was seen that the students formed the metaphor the most in the “offer variety” category (10). It was observed that the students generally perceived the science laboratory concept positively. As a result of the research, it was suggested to conduct studies on how the science laboratory perceptions of secondary school students are according to their education levels and gender

Investigating current welfare status of the buffalo farms by ANI evaluation method

The Animal Needs Index (ANI) method is used in the study to determine the welfare levels of 58 buffalo farms in the Marmara region of Turkey. The enterprises were divided into 3 subgroups according to their size; (i) small-scale enterprises (n: 19), which have 5 to 19 buffalo cows, (ii) medium-scale enterprises (n: 20), which have 20 to 39 buffalo cows, and (iii) large-scale enterprises (n: 19), which have more than 40 buffalo cows. The farms were visited and evaluated in two seasons according to ANI system. Thirty criteria for locomotion, social interaction, flooring, light and air, and stockmanship categories were evaluated. Most of the farms were determined to be highly suitable for animal welfare according to the ANI method. Although many differences were observed among the enterprises during the visits, it was thought that the buffalo enterprises could not be evaluated with sufficient sensitivity with the help of the ANI method, since these differences cannot be revealed when the total ANI scores were compared. The enterprise scale had no direct effect on the investigated parameters in the study. Considering the deficiencies of the criteria in the study to evaluate the physical characteristics and needs of the buffaloes, it has been concluded that the evaluation methods to be developed to determine the welfare level of buffaloes should consider the species-specific characteristics of the buffaloes

Prediction of carcass composition of lambs by joint dissection and carcass traits

The aim of the study was to test the possibility of using carcass measurements and joint tissue composition to predict the half-carcass tissue composition of lambs more accurately. With this purpose in mind, 6 different carcass joints (neck, flank, shoulder, ribs, hind limb, and tail) from 42 Kivircik male lambs were dissected. In addition, various carcass characteristics were recorded. When carcass characteristics and measurements were used alone in the prediction equations, accuracy (between 37%-68%) was similar to the equations that included only joint dissections (36%-75%). However, when joint dissection and various carcass traits were combined, half-carcass tissue composition was predicted more accurately (65%-90%) than in measures using either joint dissection or various carcass traits alone. Flank was the most successful predictive joint for prediction of muscle weight, when combined with some carcass traits, while the equation built with hind limb and various carcass traits was most successful for predicting total fat weight. Carcass traits yielded accuracy that was similar to joint dissection results, especially for muscle and total fat weights. Therefore, for these parameters, carcass traits are preferred as this measure is cost-effective, noninvasive, and practical. However, for greater accuracy, joint dissection and various carcass characteristics and measurements should be combined