The relationship between Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgG titer and coronary atherosclerosis

Background: The role of Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP) in the progression of atherosclerosis is controversial. Also no sufficient angiographic study is available about the impact of CP infection on severity and intensity of coronary atherosclerosis. We investigated the relation between CP IgG antibody titers and severity and intensity of coronary atherosclerosis Methods: The study population consisted of 516 consecutive patients who underwent a coronary angiography. The group included 353 patients who had coronary artery disease; a control group included 163 subjects with angiographically proven normal coronary arteries. Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgG antibody titers were measured by an enzyme immunoassay method in all patients. Gensini scores and extent scores were used to evaluate the angiographic extent and severity of atherosclerosis. Results: The mean value of IgG antibody titer was 44.3 &#177; 28.8 IU/mL in the patients and 39.8 &#177; 27.4 IU/mL in the control group (p = 0.14). There was no statistically significant correlation between the Gensini scores, extent scores and CP IgG titers (Gensini score: r = +0.103, p = 0.07, extent score: r = +0.110, p = 0.31). When we grouped the patients as high (> 50 IU/mL) and low (< 50 IU/mL) IgG antibody titers, the number of diseased coronary arteries was higher in patients with high IgG antibody titers (respectively: 2.6 &#177; 1.1 vs. 2.2 &#177; 0.8, p = 0.01). While the Gensini score was significantly higher in patients with high IgG antibody titers (7.5 &#177; 4.0 vs. 6.17 &#177; 4.0, p = 0.01), the extent score did not change with IgG titers (29.8 &#177; 15.9 vs. 25.8 &#177; 15.4, p = 0.08). Conclusions: In our study, we investigated the relation between CP infection and coronary atherosclerosis and found that CP IgG antibody titers are associated with the severity of coronary stenosis at higher antibody levels. However, there is no association between CP antibody titers and clinical presentation of coronary artery disease. We suggest that CP has limited effect on coronary atherosclerosis. (Cardiol J 2008; 15: 245-251

Student Centered Education Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

The purpose of the study is to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure the teachers&rsquo; levels of student-centered education practices. The Exploratory Factor Analysis sample included a total of 426 teachers and the Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the scale was conducted on a total of 160 teachers working in the province of Duzce during the spring term of 2014-2015 education year. Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed to test the construct validity of the scale and the model was tested through the Confirmatory Factor Analysis. For the reliability, Cronbach&rsquo;s Alpha internal coefficient was calculated and item analysis was performed based on the corrected item total correlation. The final form of the scale included 32 items and one dimension. These 32 items explained 40.04% of the total variance. The results of the item total correlation analysis indicated that none of the item was below 0.30 and the lowest item correlation coefficient was 0.51. Cronbach&rsquo;s Alpha was found to be 0.95 for the internal consistency of the scale. The reliability and validity results for the Student-Centered Education Scale suggest that this scale is a reliable and valid tool to measure the levels of student-centered educational practices among teachers

Mortality risk factors in primary Sjögren syndrome:a real-world, retrospective, cohort study

BACKGROUND: What baseline predictors would be involved in mortality in people with primary Sjögren syndrome (SjS) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the baseline characteristics collected at the time of diagnosis of SjS associated with mortality and to identify mortality risk factors for all-cause death and deaths related to systemic SjS activity measured by the ESSDAI score.METHODS: In this international, real-world, retrospective, cohort study, we retrospectively collected data from 27 countries on mortality and causes of death from the Big Data Sjögren Registry. Inclusion criteria consisted of fulfilling 2002/2016 SjS classification criteria, and exclusion criteria included chronic HCV/HIV infections and associated systemic autoimmune diseases. A statistical approach based on a directed acyclic graph was used, with all-cause and Sjögren-related mortality as primary endpoints. The key determinants that defined the disease phenotype at diagnosis (glandular, systemic, and immunological) were analysed as independent variables.FINDINGS: Between January 1st, 2014 and December 31, 2023, data from 11,372 patients with primary SjS (93.5% women, 78.4% classified as White, mean age at diagnosis of 51.1 years) included in the Registry were analysed. 876 (7.7%) deaths were recorded after a mean follow-up of 8.6 years (SD 7.12). Univariate analysis of prognostic factors for all-cause death identified eight Sjögren-related variables (ocular and oral tests, salivary biopsy, ESSDAI, ANA, anti-Ro, anti-La, and cryoglobulins). The multivariate CPH model adjusted for these variables and the epidemiological features showed that DAS-ESSDAI (high vs no high: HR = 1.68; 95% CI, 1.27-2.22) and cryoglobulins (positive vs negative: HR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.22-2.42) were independent predictors of all-cause death. Of the 640 deaths with available information detailing the specific cause of death, 14% were due to systemic SjS. Univariate analysis of prognostic factors for Sjögren-cause death identified five Sjögren-related variables (oral tests, clinESSDAI, DAS-ESSDAI, ANA, and cryoglobulins). The multivariate competing risks CPH model adjusted for these variables and the epidemiological features showed that oral tests (abnormal vs normal results: HR = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.01-1.87), DAS-ESSDAI (high vs no high: HR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.22-1.96) and cryoglobulins (positive vs negative: HR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.16-2) were independent predictors of SjS-related death.INTERPRETATION: The key mortality risk factors at the time of SjS diagnosis were positive cryoglobulins and a high systemic activity scored using the ESSDAI, conferring a 2-times increased risk of all-cause and SjS-related death. ESSDAI measurement and cryoglobulin testing should be considered mandatory when an individual is diagnosed with SjS.FUNDING: Novartis.</p

Developing the instructional process in the layered flipped learning model for secondary school English courses

The aim of this research is to provide an example of how English language teaching practices can be arranged according to the layered flipped learning model. One of the qualitative research methods, the action research method, was used in this study. The research was conducted with fifth grade students in a secondary school in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey in the 2017/2018 academic year. In order to increase the validity of the data and enrich the meaningfulness of the results, data diversification was made. In this research, content analysis method was used to analyze and interpret the data. As a result of the research, it was observed that layered flipped learning model meets the interests and needs of the students and leaves the responsibility of learning to the students. Also it was observed that students preferred tasks for group work and this contributed to the fun of the lesson, to more effective learning, and to increased levels of active participation, motivation. Based on the results reached at the end of the research, it was thought that activities in the teaching process should be layered and each level should be preparatory to the other.WOS:0006548164000012-s2.0-8510650441

A Research about the Level of Using Language Teaching Methods and Its Effect on Some Variables: in Turkey

Abstract The aim of this research is to define language teaching methods used by English teachers in Turkey and their usage level and to define if the level of usage changes according to gender, seniority and graduated school types. The research group consisted of 95 English teachers who study in secondary school in Duzce in 2013-2014. Survey method was used and quantitative data were used. Language teaching methods scale developed by researcher was practiced to define which methods English teachers use. As a result, it was seen that teachers used Grammar Based Method at a high level and used Speaking Based Method at a low level. As a result of statistics, it was seen that methods changed according to gender, seniority and graduated school types

Examination of Teaching and Learning Processes of an Elective Applied Mathematics Course

This study aimed to examine the teaching and learning processes of an Elective Applied Mathematics course according to the opinions of mathematics teachers and students. Data was collected through interviews and focus group interviews, and the content analysis method was performed to interpret data. Results revealed that the requirements of the curriculum and student-centered education approach were generally not fulfilled. Therefore, meeting student expectations was not at the desired level. However, some teachers expressed that enriching the course with mathematical modeling and engaging problems would affect students' attitudes towards mathematics, in line with the general idea of the course. In general, the lack of school resources and limited teaching staff was a problem that restrict the instruction. As a recommendation, Elective Applied Mathematics teachers and students should be informed about the aim of the course. Moreover, teachers should be experienced in mathematical modeling.WOS:00064735840001

The Language Teaching Methods Scale: Reliability and Validity Studies

The aim of this research is to develop a scale to determine the language teaching methods used by English teachers. The research sample consisted of 300 English teachers who taught at Duzce University and in primary schools, secondary schools and high schools in the Provincial Management of National Education in the city of Duzce in 2013-2014 academic Year. Data collected were subjected to Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis and the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was computed. The Exploratory Factor Analysis results showed that the scale consisted of 5 factors. These factors were named as Active Teaching Method, Listening Based Teaching Method, Four Basic Skills Based Method, Speaking Based Method and Grammar Based Method. The total variance explained by the 5 factors was determined to be 54.69%. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis results confirmed the 5-factors structure. The Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was computed as .89. It is thought that this scale can be used to identify language teaching methods that English teachers use as a reliable and valid scale

Evaluation of the teaching practice course carried out with the Lesson Study Model

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the teaching practice process carried out with the lesson study model. In this research action research approach was adopted. The study group of the research consisted of four Turkish Language and Literature pre-service teachers. Lesson study was carried out in nine weeks of the teaching practice course. Qualitative data collection techniques such as observation, unstructured focus group interview, and document review were used as data collection techniques. Pre-service teacher course observation forms obtained before the lesson study process, course plans, reflective diary forms, peer observation forms and student opinion forms obtained during the lesson study application process were analyzed with descriptive analysis method. At the end of the lesson study process, focus group interview data and letters written by pre-service teachers were analyzed by content analysis method. At the end of the research, it was seen that preservice teachers' perception of teaching profession changed in line with studentcentered understanding. It has been determined that pre-service teachers personally develop in terms of multi-faceted thinking, problem solving, self-confidence and patience and also improve professionally on issues such as coping with students, preparing plans, and producing activities.WOS:0006075434000062-s2.0-8509760961

THE META-ANALYSIS OF THE STUDIES ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF FLIPPED LEARNING ON STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT

The aim of this research is to analyze the effect of the flipped learning model on the academic success of students. In this research featuring a descriptive survey model, a quantitative research method has been used. While criterion sampling method has been used for selecting the sample of this research, meta-analysis has been used to analyze the data. The inclusion and exclusion criteria of this study were as follows: Sources must be an article or a thesis; be studies performed in Turkey; have been published between 2014 and 2018; be open-access; the sampling must consist of students; they must examine the effect of the flipped learning model on success; have an experimental design; have pretest/posttest experimenting and a control group design; include data such as pretest and posttest standard deviation, arithmetic average, and sample size. 14 articles and 11 theses, 25 studies formed the study group.Document review technique has been used as data collection technique. As data collection tool, meta-analysis form developed by the researchers has been used. effect size values and unified effect sizes were calculated using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) Software.After analysis was conducted based on the random effects model, it was determined that the effect of the flipped learning model on students' success is medium (Hedge's g=0.713). It has been seen that the variables of study type, educational level, and year do not have a significant effect on success (p>0.05). When the effect sizes were examined by year, newer studies had larger effect sizes, while the studies conducted with students at primary-secondary levels and with high school degrees had larger effect size averages.WOS:00060519820000

The effect of adjuvant radiotherapy on oncological outcomes in patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma with only intermediate-risk factors: a propensity score matching analysis

We aimed to evaluate whether adjuvant radiotherapy had a survival benefit for patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma with intermediate-risk factors. This study included patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy according to Wertheim–Okabayashi for stage IB1-IIA2 cervical carcinoma. Each patient had at least one intermediate-risk factor including tumour diameter ≥4 cm, deep stromal invasion, and positive lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI). Patients with lymph node metastasis, parametrial invasion, and positive surgical margins according to the final paraffin section were excluded. In total, 183 patients were included. Seventy-three (39.9%) patients had one, 85 (46.4%) had two, and 25 (13.7%) had three intermediate risk factors. Sixty-seven (36.6%) patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. There was a statistically significant difference in terms of stage, LVSI, and endometrial/uterine invasion between the groups that did and did not receive adjuvant radiotherapy (p = .024, p = .018, and p = .001, respectively). These two groups were homogenised by performing propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. In the new matched cohort (n = 134), 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 89.5% in the group that received adjuvant radiotherapy and 82% in the group that did not (HR: 0.484, 95% CI: [0.171–1.369]; p = .171). Also, receiving adjuvant radiotherapy was not associated with an improvement in oncologic outcomes in patients with one, two, or more intermediate risk factors. In univariate analysis, none of the risk factors was associated with DFS. In conclusion, adjuvant radiotherapy had no favourable effect on survival outcomes in patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma with only intermediate risk factors.IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Radiotherapy after radical hysterectomy in cervical carcinoma is accepted as the standard of care when high-risk factors – positive surgical margins, lymph node metastasis, and parametrial involvement – are found in the surgical specimen. However, the necessity of adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with intermediate-risk factors – deep stromal invasion, positive LVSI, tumour diameter ≥4 cm – is controversial. What do the results of this study add? We compared patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy and those who did not. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of oncologic outcomes. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of pelvic and extrapelvic recurrence rates. The number of positive intermediate-risk factors did not affect survival. Moreover, age, tumour type, stage, number of removed lymph nodes, grade, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and endometrial/uterine invasion were not associated with DFS among patients with stage IB–IIA cervical carcinoma with only intermediate-risk factors. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Debate remains over the prognostic factors and the adjuvant treatment options in patients with early-stage cervical carcinoma who possess intermediate-risk factors. Adjuvant radiotherapy can be ignored if initial adequate surgery has been performed in this patient group