Investigation of the effect of sports on media, marketing, consumption and popular culture

Reasearch problem/aim: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate them under the titles of the sports sector (media,   consumption, marketing) by mentioning primarily popular culture and sports issues.  Method: In this study, a descriptive research model, which is used to investigate the events as they are, trying to determine the situation that happened, investigating the events and situations discussed in detail and examining their relationship. Findings: The notion that sports is one of the building blocks of popular culture, and as a result of its action, the media sheds considerable light on consumption and marketing. The popular culture field, which started to develop as a field of study on its own, has become important by societies in the world and scientific studies on this subject have increased rapidly. Especially the innovations brought by popular culture in the world and the rapidly increasing interest in sports, media, marketing and consumer products have made this issue more up-to-date. Today, most of the sources explain that popular culture is under the influence of the media and that sports, marketing and consumption provide access to more people. Especially, social media, which enters our homes and becomes the most important part of our daily life, is extremely important in creating and conveying these topics (sports, marketing, consumption). In this context, the relationship between popular culture, media, consumption and marketing in sports and their roles among each other was discussed as a result of the extensive literature review. Conclusion: it is seen that sports have an effect on popular culture products on media, marketing and consumption

Are treatment guides and rational drug use policies adequately exploited in combating respiratory system diseases?

SummaryThe aim of the present study was to increase awareness regarding the rational use of medicines. The data were obtained via the Material Resources Management System Module of the Ministry of Health. For the appropriateness of treatments, the Global Initiative for Asthma, the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, and the guidelines for the rational use of medicines were used. We also investigated whether any de-escalation method or physical exercise was performed. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics to determine the mean, standard deviation, and frequency. The results showed that healthcare providers ignored potential drug reactions or adverse interactions, and reflecting the lack of adherence to the current treatment guides, 35.8% irrational use of medicines was recorded. Thus, de-escalation methods should be used to decrease costs or narrow the antibiotic spectrum, antibiotic selection should consider the resistance patterns, culturing methods should be analyzed, and monotherapy should be preferred over combination treatments

Astronomical Site Selection for Turkey Using GIS Techniques

A site selection of potential observatory locations in Turkey have been carried out by using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) coupled with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and satellite imagery which in turn reduced cost and time and increased the accuracy of the final outcome. The layers of cloud cover, digital elevation model, artificial lights, precipitable water vapor, aerosol optical thickness and wind speed were studied in the GIS system. In conclusion of MCDA, the most suitable regions were found to be located in a strip crossing from southwest to northeast including also a diverted region in southeast of Turkey. These regions are thus our prime candidate locations for future on-site testing. In addition to this major outcome, this study has also been applied to locations of major observatories sites. Since no goal is set for \textit{the best}, the results of this study is limited with a list of positions. Therefore, the list has to be further confirmed with on-site tests. A national funding has been awarded to produce a prototype of an on-site test unit (to measure both astronomical and meteorological parameters) which might be used in this list of locations.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted by Experimental Astronom

Unpleasant Souvenir: Imported Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Türkiye

Objective: Each year, approximately 125 million people visit malaria-endemic countries. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections in Türkiye. Methods: The study included patients diagnosed with P. falciparum malaria between 1996 and 2022. A retrospective evaluation was conducted on whole blood samples and/or blood smears, as well as detailed medical histories, clinical manifestations, and laboratory findings. A total of 131 imported cases of P. falciparum were included in the study. Results: Among the patients, 121 were male. Of these, 101 had traveled to Africa, while 30 had visited Asia. Among the patients, 109 were returned travelers, and 22 were refugees/migrants. Early trophozoites were observed in all patients, while gametocytes were detected in 30 patients. Cerebral malaria developed in 15 patients, resulting in the death of two individuals. Additionally, 10 patients received preventive chemoprophylaxis. Conclusion: Turkey is situated on migration routes that connect two continents to Europe, where more than 95% of the global malaria burden exists. The importation of malaria through returned travelers poses a risk of malaria reintroduction in our country, given the presence of suitable vectors, climate conditions, and environmental factors. Importantly, 30 patients (22.9%) exhibited gametocyte forms of P. falciparum, which have the potential to infect Anopheles species, thus establishing a basis for local malaria transmission

Evaluation of Antibiotic Alternatives Used in Orthopedic Departments of 2 Hospitals According to Rational Use of Antibiotics

Amaç: Birbirine yakın ve aynı bölgede yer alan iki farklı hastanenin ortopedi ve travmatoloji servislerinde yatan hastalarda, etkeni saptanan enfeksiyon olgularında antibiyotik kullanımının, akılcı ilaç tedavi rehberleri ve kültür antibiyogram sonuçlarına göre uygunluğunun araştırılması amaçlandı.Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu araştırma projesi T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Genel Sekreterlik İzni doğrultusunda 01 Ocak 2014 ile 31 Aralık 2014 tarihleri arasında, iki hastanenin ortopedi ve travmatoloji servislerinde enfeksiyon tanısına sahip olguların verileri üzerinden gerçekleştirildi. Malignitesi olan veya başka bir servise taburcu edilen olgular çalışmadan dışlandı. Standart bir form oluşturuldu. Bu form içerisine, olguların demografik verilerine ek olarak, kültür antibiyogram sonuçları, enfeksiyon patojen etkeni, kültür materyalinin nereden alındığı, kullanılan antibiyotiklerin pozolojisi, süresi ve uygunluğu ile olguların yatış süreleri raporlandı. Maliyetlerin hesaplanmasında, Sağlık Bakanlığı ve Maliye Bakanlığı 2014 yılı fiyat listeleri temel alındı. Birim fiyat üzerinden hasta başına kullanılan antibiyotik maliyetleri hesaplandı.Bulgular: Saptanan enfeksiyon etkeni için her zaman uygun antibiyotiğin seçilmediği belirlendi. Antibiyogram sonuçlarına göre etkili, daha düşük maliyetli antibiyotikler kullanılabilinmesine rağmen sıklıkla daha pahalı ve toplam maliyeti yükselten antibiyotikler seçilmiştir.Sonuç: Kanıta dayalı tıp ve akılcı antibiyotik kullanımı kapsamında enfeksiyon tedavisinde kültür antibiyogram sonuçlarına göre uygun antibiyotik seçilmesi gerekliliği tartışılmaz bir bilimsel gerçektir. Ortopedi ve travmatoloji servislerinde enfeksiyon tedavisinde enfeksiyon hastalıkları ve farmakoloji uzmanlarını da sürece katarak multi-disipliner yaklaşılarak kanıta dayalı rehberlerin kullanımının artışı sağlanmalıdırBackground: The present study is an analysis of appropriateness of antibiotics use for patients in whom infectious agent was detected. Data from patients in orthopedics and traumatology department of 2 hospitals in the same district were evaluated according to rational antibiotic drug use guidelines and culture antibiogram results.Methods: Data of patients diagnosed with infection between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015 in orthopedics and traumatology department of 2 different hospitals were analyzed. Patients diagnosed with malignancy or who were discharged from other departments were excluded. A standard form was used to collect demographic data, culture antibiogram results, details of infectious agent, source of culture material, posology of antibiotic used, duration and appropriateness of use, and length of hospital stay. Costs were estimated based on number of units used and price per unit according to 2014 Ministry of Health price list. Mean price of antibiotics used per patient was calculated and descriptive analyses were also completed.Results: It was determined that appropriate antibiotics for detected infectious agent were not always selected. Though there were effective, less expensive antibiotics that could have been used according to antibiogram results, more expensive antibiotics were often chosen, resulting in greater total cost.Conclusion: Multidisciplinary approach in patient care and use of evidence-based guidelines should be increased. Teams should be formed and led by infectious disease and pharmacology specialists. New strategies should be developed immediately in health economics and new pharmacoeconomic models should be initiated in orthopedics and traumatology department

Toplumun radyasyon farkındalığı ve radyasyonla ilgili bilgi düzeyi

Giriş: Son dönemlerde sıkça gündeme gelen radyasyon konusunda toplumun bilgi seviyesini ölçmek, radyasyon ile ilgili bilgi, tutum, davranış ve genel kültür seviyesini tespit etmek ve bu konuda eğitim taleplerinin olup olmadığını öğrenmek amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Toplumda radyasyon farkındalığı ve bilgi düzeylerini saptamaya yönelik 22 soruluk bir anketi hazırladık. Anket formu; yaş, cinsiyet, eğitim durumu, mesleği ve radyasyon sebepleri, radyasyondan korunma yöntemleri, radyasyon farkındalığı ile ilgili sorular içermekteydi. İstatistiki analizlerde Ki kare testi kullanılmıştır.

Crowdsourced estimation of cognitive decline and resilience in Alzheimer's disease

Identifying accurate biomarkers of cognitive decline is essential for advancing early diagnosis and prevention therapies in Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's disease DREAM Challenge was designed as a computational crowdsourced project to benchmark the current state-of-the-art in predicting cognitive outcomes in Alzheimer's disease based on high dimensional, publicly available genetic and structural imaging data. This meta-analysis failed to identify a meaningful predictor developed from either data modality, suggesting that alternate approaches should be considered for prediction of cognitive performance

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

The frequency of Duchenne muscular dystrophy/Becker muscular dystrophy and Pompe disease in children with isolated transaminase elevation: results from the observational VICTORIA study

IntroductionElevated transaminases and/or creatine phosphokinase can indicate underlying muscle disease. Therefore, this study aims to determine the frequency of Duchenne muscular dystrophy/Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) in male children and Pompe disease (PD) in male and female children with isolated hypertransaminasemia.MethodsThis multi-center, prospective study enrolled patients aged 3–216 months with serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and/or aspartate transaminase (AST) levels >2× the upper limit of normal (ULN) for ≥3 months. Patients with a known history of liver or muscle disease or physical examination findings suggestive of liver disease were excluded. Patients were screened for creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels, and molecular genetic tests for DMD/BMD in male patients and enzyme analysis for PD in male and female patients with elevated CPK levels were performed. Genetic analyses confirmed PD. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of the patients were analyzed.ResultsOverall, 589 patients [66.8% male, mean age of 63.4 months (standard deviation: 60.5)] were included. In total, 251 patients (188 male and 63 female) had CPK levels above the ULN. Of the patients assessed, 47% (85/182) of male patients were diagnosed with DMD/BMD and 1% (3/228) of male and female patients were diagnosed with PD. The median ALT, AST, and CPK levels were statistically significantly higher, and the questioned neurological symptoms and previously unnoticed examination findings were more common in DMD/BMD patients than those without DMD/BMD or PD (p < 0.001).DiscussionQuestioning neurological symptoms, conducting a complete physical examination, and testing for CPK levels in patients with isolated hypertransaminasemia will prevent costly and time-consuming investigations for liver diseases and will lead to the diagnosis of occult neuromuscular diseases. Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT04120168