Effects of the project-based learning approaches on social skills, academic achievements and problem behaviors of students with mild intellectual disabilityProje tabanlı öğrenme yaklaşımının hafif düzeyde zihinsel yetersizliği olan öğrencilerin sosyal becerilerine, akademik başarılarına ve problem davranışlarına olan etkisi

The aim of this study is to determine effects of the project-based learning approaches on Social Skills, Academic achievements and Problem Behaviors of students studying at 3rd grade primary school with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID) in sciences course. The participants of the research consisted of 10 students in Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University from the Faculty of Education Integration Unit Pupa in 3rd grade. In the study, pretest-posttest design, one group of pre-trial model, was used. To the students at the study, The Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) developed by Gresham and Elliot (1990) pretest - posttest was applied. SSRS, social skills and behavior problems that are considered to be associated with these skills of preschool and elementary school students was developed in order to determine their academic qualifications. In SSRS, there are three separate scales: Social Skill Scale, problem behavior subscale and academic achievement scale. To the students in the study, “I and my environment” topic was tauhgt with Project Based Learning Approach (PBLA) for 3 weeks, and the significance of the scores obtained by applying the scale before and after the course was examined. The data were analyzed by using rank test signed non-parametric Wilcoxon on SPSS 16.0 software.  At the end of the study, while there was a significant relationship between the scores of the participants’ social skills based on the project-based learning approach, there was no significant correlation between problematic behavior scores. Furthermore there was also a significant difference between the scores of participants’ academic competence. As a result, it can be said that the course tauhgt with PBLA improves social skills and academic achievement of students with MID. Despite the decrease in the problematic behavior scores of the students, no significance was observed. ÖzetBu çalışmanın amacı, fen bilimleri dersinde proje tabanlı öğrenme yaklaşımının ilkokul üçüncü sınıfta öğrenim görmekte olan hafif düzeyde zihinsel engele sahip öğrencilerin sosyal becerilerine, akademik başarılarına ve problem davranışlarına olan etkisini tespit etmektir. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını, Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Pupa Öğrenci Entegrasyon Birimi’ne gelen hafif düzeyde zihinsel engele sahip 10 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada deneme öncesi modellerden tek grup ön test son test deseni kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada öğrencilere Gresham ve Elliot (1990) tarafından geliştirilen, Özok ve Sucuoğlu’nun Türkçe’ye uyarladığı Sosyal Beceri Derecelendirme Sistemi (SBDS) öntest–sontest olarak uygulanmıştır. SBDS, okul öncesi ve ilköğretim öğrencilerinin sosyal becerileri ve bu becerilerle ilişkili olduğu kabul edilen davranış problemleri ile akademik yeterliliklerini belirlemek amacıyla geliştirilmiştir. Sosyal beceri dereceleme sisteminde üç ayrı ölçek bulunmaktadır: Sosyal beceri ölçeği, problem davranış alt ölçeği ve akademik yeterlilik ölçeği. Çalışmada öğrencilere üçüncü sınıf fen bilimleri dersinin “Ben ve Çevrem” konusu proje tabanlı öğrenme yaklaşımı ile 3 hafta boyunca işlenmiş ders öncesinde ve sonrasında ölçek uygulanarak elde edilen puanlar arasındaki anlamlılığa bakılmıştır. Puanlar SPSS 16.0 programında non-parametrik Wilcoxon işaretli sıralar testi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Çalışma sonunda proje tabanlı öğrenme yaklaşımı ile işlenen ders neticesinde katılımcıların sosyal becerilerinin puanlarının arasında anlamlılık bulunurken, problem davranış puanları arasında anlamlılık bulunamamıştır. Ayrıca katılımcıların akademik yeterliliklerine ilişkin puanlarının arasında da anlamlılık görülmüştür. Sonuç olarak proje tabanlı öğrenme yaklaşımın hafif düzeyde zihinsel engele sahip öğrencilerin sosyal becerilerine ve akademik yeterliklerine olumlu katkısının olduğu söylenebilir. Öğrencilerin problem davranış puanlarında ise azalma olmasına rağmen anlamlılık bulunmamıştır

Design, Synthesis, In Silico ADMET Studies and Anticancer Activity of Some New Pyrazoline and Benzodioxole Derivatives

A new series of 2-pyrazoline derivatives starting from substituted benzodioxole chalcones were designed and synthesized. IR and 1H NMR spectral data and elemental analysis were used to characterize the structures of the synthesized compounds. The cytotoxic activities on HeLa, MCF-7 cancer cell lines and NIH-3T3 for these compounds were tested by using MTT assay. Among the synthesized compounds 2d, 2j, 3j and 3n against MCF-7 cells, and 3c against HeLa exhibited significant cytotoxic activity with IC50 between 10.08 and 27.63 μM. Compound 3f showed the most potent anticancer activity against both cancer cells with good selectivity (IC50 = 11.53 μM on HeLa with SI = 81.75 and IC50 = 11.37 μM on MCF-7 with SI = 82.90). Furthermore, in silico ADMET analyses were performed and the drug-likeness properties of the compounds were investigated

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Some Hydrazide-Hydrazone Derivatives as Anticancer Agents

In this study, a series of hydrazide-hydrazone derivatives (3a-3u) were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activities against prostate cancer cell line (PC-3), breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), colon cancer cell line (HT-29) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) using MTT assay. In particular, compound 3h having a pyrrole ring was found to be the most potent derivative with IC50 = 1.32, 2.99, 1.71 µM against PC-3, MCF-7, HT-29 cancer cell lines respectively using paclitaxel as a standard compound. Furthermore, compound 3h was subjected to further biological studies such as caspase-3 activity and Annexin-V assay to evaluate their inhibitory potentials. The activity results displayed that compound 3h increased caspase-3 activation and the number of cells to early apoptosis. The additional studies like pharmacokinetics, bioavailability scores and drug-likeness properties were also evaluated. The in silico pharmacokinetics predictions displayed that the bioavailability of these compounds may be high

Pre-emptive Use of Riboflavin in a Rat Model of Bilateral Cavernous Nerve Injury

Objective: Erectile dysfunction is commonly encountered after radical prostatectomy due to cavernous nerve injury (CNI). We investigated the effects of riboflavin (Rb) on bilateral CNI in a rat model. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male rats were divided into four groups: control (C), patients with bilateral CNI, those with CNI receiving postoperative Rb treatment (CNI+Rb), and those with CNI receiving pre- and post-operative Rb treatment (Rb+CNI+Rb). Bilateral CNI was performed in all groups except for C. The CNI+Rb group was treated with 30 mg/kg Rb daily after CNI for two weeks; the Rb+CNI+Rb group was treated with 30 mg/kg Rb daily one week before CNI and then for two weeks after injury. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and intracavernosal pressure (ICP) were measured 14 days after CNI in all groups. Tissue malondialdehyde, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, nerve growth factor, superoxide dismutase and total nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activities, neuronal NOS (nNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS) were analyzed. Results: ICP/MAP ratio was significantly lower in the CNI (p<0.01) and CNI+Rb groups (p<0.05) compared to the control group, however, the Rb+CNI+Rb group had results comparable to the C group in terms of nNOS and iNOS expression in the Western Blot analysis. Conclusion Rb exerted anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects on CNI in a CNI rat model. Rb can be a potential beneficial agent to improve erectile function in nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy patients as a preemptive penile rehabilitation strategy, although further clinical studies are needed

Myokines as mediators of exercise-induced cognitive changes in older adults: protocol for a comprehensive living systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe world’s population is aging, but life expectancy has risen more than healthy life expectancy (HALE). With respect to brain and cognition, the prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders increases with age, affecting health and quality of life, and imposing significant healthcare costs. Although the effects of physical exercise on cognition in advanced age have been widely explored, in-depth fundamental knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of the exercise-induced cognitive improvements is lacking. Recent research suggests that myokines, factors released into the blood circulation by contracting skeletal muscle, may play a role in mediating the beneficial effect of exercise on cognition. Our goal in this ongoing (living) review is to continuously map the rapidly accumulating knowledge on pathways between acute or chronic exercise-induced myokines and cognitive domains enhanced by exercise.MethodRandomized controlled studies will be systematically collected at baseline and every 6 months for at least 5 years. Literature search will be performed online in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SportDiscus, LILACS, IBECS, CINAHL, SCOPUS, ICTRP, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (ROB 2). A random effects meta-analysis with mediation analysis using meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) will be performed. The primary research question is to what extent exercise-induced myokines serve as mediators of cognitive function. Secondarily, the pooled effect size of specific exercise characteristics (e.g., mode of exercise) or specific older adults’ populations (e.g., cognitively impaired) on the relationship between exercise, myokines, and cognition will be assessed. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023416996).DiscussionUnderstanding the triad relationship between exercise, myokines and cognition will expand the knowledge on multiple integrated network systems communicating between skeletal muscles and other organs such as the brain, thus mediating the beneficial effects of exercise on health and performance. It may also have practical implications, e.g., if a certain myokine is found to be a mediator between exercise and cognition, the optimal exercise characteristics for inducing this myokine can be prescribed. The living review is expected to improve our state of knowledge and refine exercise regimes for enhancing cognitive functioning in diverse older adults’ populations.RegistrationSystematic review and meta-analysis protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on the 24th of April 2023 (registration number CRD42023416996)

A mixed method study identifying the application levels of andragogical instruction principles of adult education trainers

Toplumların ihtiyaç duyduğu aktif vatandaş olgusuna yapılan vurgu, bireylerin beşikten mezara öğrenenler olarak yetişmesini gerekli kılmaktadır. Bu bağlamda örgün eğitim kurumlarından mezun olan bireyler, toplumsal koşullara ayak uydurmak adına eğitim faaliyetlerini çeşitlendirmeli ve sürdürülebilir hale getirmelidirler. Buna ilişkin olarak araştırmada yetişkin eğitimi faaliyetlerini yürütmekte olan eğiticilerin andragojik öğretim ilkelerini uygulama düzeylerinin ortaya konması amaçlanmıştır. Karma desenli çalışmanın nicel veri toplama aracı, araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen "Eğiticilere Yönelik Andragojik Öğretim İlkeleri Ölçeği"dir. Geliştirilen bu ölçekle yetişkin eğitimi faaliyetlerini yürütmekte olan eğiticilerin andragojik öğretim ilkelerini uygulama düzeyleri tespit edilmiş ve bu ilkelerin farklı değişkenlerle ilişkisi değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmada eğiticilere yönelik geliştirilen ölçek Niğde, Karaman ve Ankara ilinde görev yapan yetişkin eğitim faaliyetlerini yürüten 341 eğiticiye uygulanmıştır. Eğiticilerin andragojik öğretim ilkelerinin cinsiyet, mesleki kıdem ve unvan değişkenleri ile ilişkisini ortaya koymak adına toplanan veriler, ANOVA testi ve t-testi ile analiz edilmiştir. Araştırmanın nitel boyutunda ise katılımcılar ile andragojik öğretim ilkelerine ilişkin yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Yapılan bu görüşmelerin sonuçları içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Araştırmanın sonuçları, yetişkin eğitimi faaliyetlerini yürüten eğiticilerin andragojik öğretim ilkeleri uygulama düzeylerinin yüksek olduğunu, bu ilkeleri uygulama düzeylerinin cinsiyet değişkenine göre anlamlı bir farklılık gösterdiğini, mesleki kıdem ve unvan değişkenlerine göre ise herhangi bir anlamlı farklılığa rastlanmadığını işaret etmektedir.The emphaisis on the concept of active citizenship needed in societies make it necessary to train individuals learning from cradle to grave. In this context, individuals are supposed to take part in various and sustainable educational settings in order to keep up with ever-changing social conditions after they graduate from formal education institutions. The study aimed to identify the application levels of andragogical instruction principles of adult education trainers. In this mixed study, a scale titled "Andragogical Instruction Principles Scale for Trainers" was developed to collect the quantitative data of the study. The scale was used to identify the application levels of andragogical instruction principles of adult education trainers, and the relationship between the data and some variables were analysed. The scale was applied to 341 adult education trainers working in Niğde, Karaman and Ankara. The gathered data was analysed via ANOVA test and t-test in order to reveal the relationship between andragogical instruction principles of adult education trainers with gender, professional seniority and title variables. In the qualitative dimension of the study, semi-structured interviews on adragogical instruction principles were done. The data gathered from the semi-structured interviews was subjected to content analysis. The results of the study indicated that the application levels of andragogical instruction principles of adult education trainers were high. Furthermore, the application levels of these principles showed a significant difference depending on gender variable while there was no significant difference related to the variables of professional seniority and title