DETERMINATION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS' VIEWS ABOUT STEM ACTIVITIES

In this research, it is aimed to determine the opinions of middle school students about STEM activities. The research, which used case study from qualitative research designs, was conducted in 2018-2019 academic year. The research working group is composed of 27 middle school students studying in a private school in Turkey. In the data collection, semi-structured interview forms prepared by the researchers were used. The data were analyzed in accordance with the content analysis steps. According to the findings of the research, it was determined that STEM activities were related to daily life problems, and that students' lessons, occupational preferences and communication skills were affected. In addition, lack of time and material and lack of information have been found to have problems in the realization of STEM activities

An experimental study of the FlexRay dynamic segment

It is expected that the time-triggered FlexRay bus will replace the event-triggered Controller Area Network (CAN) for the high-speed in-vehicle communication in future automobiles. To this end, FlexRay provides a static segment for the transmission of periodic messages and a dynamic segment that is suitable for exchanging event-based (sporadic) messages. In this paper, we experimentally evaluate the operation of the FlexRay dynamic segment. In particular, we study how the maximum and average message delays are affected if the length of the dynamic segment, the message payload, the utilization of the dynamic segment and the priority assignment changes. Our experiments are carried out on a FlexRay network with 6 nodes

Povezanost OGG1 Ser326Cys polimorfizma i razina 8-OHdG u mokraći sa sklonosti obolijevanju od karcinoma pluća: rezultati ispitivanja na bolesnicima i kontrolnoj populaciji u Turskoj

High incidence and poor prognosis of lung cancer make it a major health problem worldwide. Although smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, only some smokers develop lung cancer, which suggests that there is a genetic predisposition in some individuals. 8-OHG is an important oxidative base lesion and may elevate due to cancer and smoking. It is repaired by 8-hydroxyguanine DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1), which has several polymorphisms. Although the Ser326Cys polymorphism is consistently associated with a range of cancers, findings about this polymorphism and lung cancer risk are contradictory. To date, no study has examined this association in the Turkish population. We conducted a case-control study to investigate the association between OGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism and the risk of lung cancer using PCR-RFLP. We also evaluated gene-smoking interaction and excretion of urinary 8-OHdG. Our results suggest that the OGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism is not a genetic risk factor for lung cancer, and that the heterozygous genotype is associated with a significantly reduced risk for lung cancer. The levels of 8-OHdG did not correlate with the polymorphism and smoking. Larger association studies are needed to validate our findings, and mechanistic studies are needed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of this association.Karcinom pluća velik je javnozdravstveni problem u čitavom svijetu zbog svoje visoke učestalosti i loše prognoze. Premda je navika pušenja jedan od glavnih uzročnika karcinoma pluća, od ove bolesti oboli samo dio populacije pušača, što govori u prilog postojanju genetske predispozicije za njezin nastanak. 8-OHG je oksidativno oštećenje baze u molekuli DNA čija se učestalost može povećati zbog zloćudnih tumora i pušenja. U popravku tog oštećenja sudjeluje enzim 8-hidroksigvanin DNA-glikozilaza (OGG1) za koji je dokazano postojanje polimorfizma. Iako se polimorfizam Ser326Cys često dovodi u vezu s različitim vrstama zloćudnih bolesti, dosadašnji su rezultati o vezi izme|u polimorfizma tog enzima i rizika od pojave karcinoma pluća kontradiktorni. Do danas na turskoj populaciji nisu provedena istraživanja koja bi dala jasne odgovore o toj povezanosti. Ovo je istraživanje usporedo provedeno u bolesnika i u zdravoj populaciji primjenom metode PCR-RFLP s ciljem utvrđivanja moguće povezanosti polimorfizma OGG1 Ser326Cys i rizika od karcinoma pluća. Nadalje, istražena je interakcija gena i navike pušenja te ekskrecija 8-OHdG u mokraći. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da polimorfizam OGG1 Ser326Cys nije genetski čimbenik rizika od pojave karcinoma pluća, a pokazalo se da je heterozigotni genotip povezan sa značajno nižim rizikom od karcinoma pluća. Razine 8-OHdG izmjerene u mokraći nisu bile u korelaciji ni s polimorfizmom ni s navikom pušenja. Zaključujemo da su za vrednovanje dobivenih rezultata potrebna istra`ivanja na još većem broju ispitanika te mehanistička istraživanja koja bi mogla razjasniti molekularne mehanizme koji su u pozadini ove povezanosti

The course of acute appendicitis disease i̇n the COVID-19 period

The COVID 19 outbreak has changed the course of diseases requiring emergency surgery. Our aim in this study is to reveal whether the COVID 19 pandemic complicates acute appendicitis (AA) disease or not. We retrospectively investigated the patients who were diagnosed with AA in our city (Rize, Turkey). Our study includes two patient groups over 16 years of age who were operated on for AA. Group 2 includes patients operated between 11 March 2020 and 31 December 2020, while Group 1 includes patients who were operated on during the same period in 2019. There were 298 patients (57%) in Group 1 and 226 patients (43%) in Group 2. In Group 2, midline or paramedian incisions were used significantly more than the classical Mc Burney incision: (%10 vs %20, p<0.003). Postoperative complications were significantly higher in Group 2: (%5 vs %12, p<0.004). White blood cells and CRP were significantly different in Group 2 in the admission blood tests (p<0.005, p<0.001, respectively). Operation time and hospitalization time were significantly different in Group 2 (p<0.001, p<0.014, respectively). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a serious decrease in the number of patients admitted to the emergency services. Because people were afraid of being infected, they preferred to stay home and with the increase in complaints, they applied to the hospital. AA disease has also become more complicated, as people delayed their admission to the hospital. Serious changes happened in the course of the disease

Povezanost genskoga polimorfizma OPRM1 A118G s ovisnosti u turskoj populaciji

Susceptibility to addiction has a complex genetic basis that includes genes associated with the action and metabolism of drugs of abuse. One important gene in that respect is OPRM1, which codes for the μ-opioid receptor and has an important role in mediating the rewarding effects of addiction substances. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism (rs1799971) in Turkish population and to investigate its association with opioid and other substance addiction. In addition, we examined the association of rs1799971 in addicted patients who were also diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. The study included 103 patients addicted to opioids, cocaine, ecstasy, alcohol, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), cannabis, and sedative/hypnotic substances and 83 healthy volunteers with similar demographic features as controls. rs1799971 polymorphisms were identified with the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR-RFLP). The genotype frequencies were significantly higher in the addicted patients than controls (32.0 % vs 16.9 %, respectively; p=0.027). The prevalence of the G allele was 16.1 % in the addicted group and 8.4 % in the control group (p=0.031). Our study confirmed the association between the rs1799971(G) allele frequency and opioid and other substance addiction, but not with psychiatric disorders.Sklonost ovisnosti ima svoju složenu gensku pozadinu, koja obuhvaća gene povezane s djelovanjem i metabolizmom opojnih tvari i droga. U tom je smislu jedan od istaknutih gena OPRM1, koji kodira μ-opioidni receptor te ima važnu ulogu u nagradnom djelovanju tvari koje stvaraju ovisnost. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio utvrditi prevalenciju OPRM1 A118G polimorfizma (rs1799971) u turskoj populaciji te njegovu povezanost s ovisnosti o opijatima i drugim drogama. Usto smo istražili povezanost rs1799971 u ovisnika s dijagnozom psihijatrijskih poremećaja. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo 103 ovisnika o opioidima, kokainu, ekstaziju, alkoholu, lizergidu (LSD-u), kanabisu i o sedativima/hipnoticima, odnosno 83 zdrava dobrovoljca sličnih demografskih karakteristika koji su poslužili kao kontrolna skupina. Polimorfizmi rs1799971 utvrđeni su pomoću metode lančane reakcije polimerazom s obzirom na dužinu restrikcijskoga fragmenta (PCR-RFLP). Učestalost ciljanoga genotipa bila je značajno viša u ovisnika nego u kontrolnih ispitanika (32,0 % odnosno 16,9 %; p=0,027), a učestalost G alela iznosila je 16,1 % u ovisnika, odnosno 8,4 % u kontrolnoj skupini (p=0,031). Time je naše istraživanje potvrdilo povezanost između učestalosti rs1799971(G) alela i ovisnosti o opioidima i drugim opojnim tvarima, ali ne i povezanost s psihijatrijskim poremećajima

The role of triple therapy, age, gender and smoking on the genotoxic effects of helicobacter pylori infection

The role of age, gender and smoking on both the genotoxic effects of Helicobacter pylori and the efficacy of eradication therapy in a group of patients with gastritis was investigated. Gastritis was confirmed by endoscopy and biopsy, and the presence of H. pylori by urease testing. Pre- and post-treatment peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures were prepared from 17 patients and 25 metaphases per patients were analysed for sister chromatid exchange (SCE), a well-established technique for the evaluation of human exposure to toxic agents. Treatment with omeprazole clarithromycin and amoxycillin triple therapy eradicated H. pylori in 94% of patients and significantly reduced the SCE frequency. Pre-treatment SCE frequency was found to be positively correlated with age. Female smokers tended to have higher post-treatment SCE frequencies than male smokers, and pre- and post-treatment SCE frequencies were higher in older males than in older females. Eradication therapy decreased the genotoxicity of H. pylori, but age in males and smoking in females may decrease treatment efficacy

Is the Pupil Involved in Duane Syndrome?: Static and Dynamic Pupillometry Characteristics

Objectives:Duane syndrome (DS) is typically characterized by abduction and/or adduction deficiency accompanied by eyelid and ocular motility disturbances. Maldevelopment or absence of the sixth nerve has been shown to be the causative factor. The aim of the present study was to investigate static and dynamic pupillary characteristics in patients with DS and compare the results with those of healthy eyes.Materials and Methods:Patients with unilateral isolated DS and no history of ocular surgery were enrolled in the study. Healthy subjects with a best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 1.0 or higher were assigned to the control group. All subjects underwent complete ophthalmological examination and pupillometry measurements (MonPack One, Vision Monitor System, Metrovision, Perenchies, France) including static and dynamic pupil evaluation.Results:A total of 74 patients (22 with DS and 52 healthy subjects) were included in the study. The mean age of the DS patients and healthy subjects was 11.05±5.19 and 12.54±4.05 years, respectively (p=0.188). There was no difference in sex distribution (p=0.502). Mean BCVA differed significantly between eyes with DS and healthy eyes, and between healthy eyes and the fellow eyes of DS patients (p0.05 for all).Conclusion:In the light of the results of the present study, the pupil seems to be not involved in DS. Larger studies including more patients with different types of DS in different age groups or comprising patients with non-isolated DS may reveal different findings

Çoklu-uygulamalı ortamlar için kullanıcı modelleme sistemi

TÜBİTAK EEEAG01.11.2014Bu projede, kişinin kısmi profillerini birleştirmeyi kolaylaştıran ve bütün, çoklu-alanlı bir kullanıcı profili sağlayan bir kullanıcı modelleme sistemi geliştirilmiştir. Birleştirme işlemi, zenginleştirilmiş kullanıcı profillerine yol açan bir anlamsal zenginleştirme işlemini içermektedir. Oluşturulan kullanıcı modeli genel ve alan-tabanlı anlamsal kullanıcı profilleri çıkartabilme ve önerme gibi çeşitli bağlantılı veri sorgularına makul zamanda cevap verebilme yeteneklerine sahiptir. Bu projede, Facebook, Twitter ve LinkedIn'i de içeren sosyal hesaplardan kısmi profilleri içeri aktarabilen ve bu kısmi profilleri birleştirerek kullanıcının bütünsel ve anlamsal bir profilini oluşturabilen bir kullanıcı modelleme sistemi geliştirilmiştir. Ayrıca sistem; kitap, film, spor ve müzik alanları için çeşitli öneri modülleri içermektedir. Alandan-bağımsız genel bir öneri modülü ve belirtilen bir öğe ile ilgilenmesi muhtemel kullanıcıların keşfine ve sistemdeki kullanıcı ile benzer ilgi alanlarına sahip kullanıcıların keşfine izin veren bir hesaplama modülü de mevcuttur. Bu modüllerle, sunulan kullanıcı modelini kullanarak bağlantılı veri problemlerine nasıl çözüm sunulabileceği gösterilmektedir. Modelin uygulanabilirliği sosyal ağlar ve akıllı TV kullanım alanlarında farklı öneri sistemleri geliştirilerek örneklenmiştir.In this project, a user modeling system which faciliates aggregating partial profiles of the individual and obtain a complete, multi-domain user model is developed. The aggregation involves a semantic enhancement procedure which results in enriched user profiles. The constructed user model is capable of extracting general and domain-based semantic user profiles and answering several connected data queries such as recommendation, in reasonable time. In this project, we implemented the user profiling system which enables importing partial profiles from social accounts including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and aggregates these partial profiles and constructs a holistic semantic profile of the individual. Moreover, the system includes several recommendation modules for book, movie, sports and music domains. There is also a domain-independent general recommendation module and a computation module which enables discovery of users who might be interested in a specified item and users who have similar interests with the current user. With these modules, we illustrate how to present solutions to connected data problems by using the proposed user model. The use of the model has been illustrated by different recommendation systems in social network and smart TV usage data

Cytokine Profiles of Chronic Urticaria Patients and the Effects of Omalizumab Treatment

Introduction: Cytokines are key mediators in immunological and inflammatory conditions, including chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Objectives: To investigate Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokine profiles in CSU and to evaluate the possible effect of omalizumab treatment. Methods: Patients who were followed up for CSU, as well as healthy volunteers, were included in the study. To assess urticaria activity, the 7-day-Urticaria Activity Score (UAS-7), the Urticaria Control Test (UCT), and the Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire (CU-QoL) were filled. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-17, IL-31, eotaxin, RANTES, TNF-α, and TSLP were analyzed by ELISA and compared in CSU and control groups. The patients were analyzed in two groups as the omalizumab group and the non-omalizumab group based on their treatment status.   Results: Total IgE, ESR, CRP, RANTES, and TNF-a were significantly different in the overall comparison of the three groups: CSU-receiving omalizumab, CSU-not receiving omalizumab, and control groups (P <0.01, 0.015, <0.01, <0.01 and <0.01 respectively). Total IgE, CRP, RANTES, and TNF-α values were similar in those who received and did not receive omalizumab, yet these biomarkers were significantly higher in both groups than in the control group (P < 0.05). Statistical significance in ESR was observed only between the CSU-receiving omalizumab group and the control group (P = 0.01). Within the CSU patients, there was a slight but significant correlation between UCT and TNF-α (P = 0.008, r = 0.32) and IL-17 (P = 0.06, r = 0.33) levels. Conclusions: The investigated cytokine profile in CSU patients may differ from healthy controls, particularly with the higher levels of RANTES and TNF-α, and omalizumab treatment does not seem to affect that profile in CSU patients

Crizotinib efficacy and safety in patients with advanced NSCLC harboring MET alterations: A real-life data of Turkish Oncology Group

Crizotinib is a multikinase inhibitor, effective in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring mesenchymal-epidermal transition (MET) alterations. Although small prospective studies showed efficacy and safety of crizotinib in NSCLC with MET alterations, there is limited real-life data. Aim of this study is to investigate real-life efficacy and safety of crizotinib in patients with advanced NSCLC harboring MET alterations. This was a retrospective, multicenter (17 centers) study of Turkish Oncology Group. Patients' demographic, histological data, treatment, response rates, survival outcomes, and toxicity data were collected. Outcomes were presented for the study population and compared between MET alteration types. Total of 62 patients were included with a median age of 58.5 (range, 26-78). Major histological type was adenocarcinoma, and 3 patients (4.8%) had sarcomatoid component. The most common MET analyzing method was next generation sequencing (90.3%). MET amplification and mutation frequencies were 53.2% (n = 33) and 46.8% (n = 29), respectively. Overall response rate and disease control rate were 56.5% and 74.2% in whole study population, respectively. Median progression free survival (PFS) was 7.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.8-10.5), and median overall survival (OS) was 18.7 months (95% CI: 13.7-23.7), regardless of treatment line. Median PFS was 6.1 months (95% CI: 5.6-6.4) for patients with MET amplification, whereas 14.3 months (95% CI: 6.7-21.7) for patients with MET mutation (P = .217). Median PFS was significantly longer in patients who have never smoked (P = .040), have good performance score (P < .001), and responded to the treatment (P < .001). OS was significantly longer in patients with MET mutation (25.6 months, 95% CI: 15.9-35.3) compared to the patients with MET amplification (11.0 months; 95% CI: 5.2-16.8) (P = .049). In never-smokers, median OS was longer than smoker patients (25.6 months [95% CI: 11.8-39.3] vs 16.5 months [95% CI: 9.3-23.6]; P = .049). The most common adverse effects were fatigue (50%), peripheral edema (21%), nausea (29%) and diarrhea (19.4%). Grade 3 or 4 adverse effects were observed in 6.5% of the patients. This real-life data confirms efficacy and safety of crizotinib in the treatment of advanced NSCLC harboring MET alteration