Pulmonary Rehabilitation Using Modified Threshold Inspiratory Muscle Trainer (IMT) in Patients with Tetraplegia

It is aimed to present the usefulness of inspiratory muscle trainer (IMT) in treatment of a 20-year-old male patient with diaphragmatic paralysis and tetraplegia due to spinal cord injury (SCI), and supporting effect of IMT in recovering from respiratory failure by rendering his diaphragm functions. The treatment was applied through the tracheostomy cannula by a modified IMT device. After applying IMT for three weeks, it was observed that the diaphragm recovered its functions in electromyography (EMG) test. As a result, in this study, we present a case where a patient could live without any respiratory device for the rest of his life with the help of modified IMT

Protective Effects of Berberis Vulgaris Plant Extract on Paracetamol-induced Liver Toxicity in Rats

INTRODUCTION: Berberis vulgaris extract is known to be protective against many damages due to its anti-inflamatory and antioxidant properties. Paracetamol toxicity is one of the most common toxicities. In our study, we aimed to reduce the damage caused by paracetamol toxicity with the beneficial effects of Berberis vullgaris extract. METHODS: In our study, 42 Sprague Dawley 8-week-old rats were used. 7 groups were formed with 6 female animals in each group. At the 24th hour of the study, all groups underwent laparotomy under anesthesia and liver dissection was performed. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining was used to evaluate liver histopathology, and PAS staining was used to show glycogen and basement membrane staining in liver tissue. In addition, scoring was done by showing apoptotic cells with TUNEL stain RESULTS: Hepatic degeneration and peritubular inflammation were quite evident in the groups to which we applied paracetamol. In this study, we observed that the number of positive cells increased in the group given paracetamol in TUNEL staining. As a result of the PAS staining we performed, glycogen accumulation in the hepatocytes of the group we induced with paracetamol was remarkable. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Berberis vulgaris plant extract appears to reduce Paracetamol-induced hepatic toxicity. As a result of the PAS staining, glycogen accumulation in the hepatocytes was remarkable in the group which was induced with paracetamol. Further studies are required for the use of determined molecules of Berberis vulgaris plant extract against the hepatotoxic effect of paracetamol in paracetamol toxicity

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Minimal Symptom Expression' in Patients With Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab

The efficacy and tolerability of eculizumab were assessed in REGAIN, a 26-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and its open-label extension

An Entrepreneurial Journey: Resource Acquisition and Team Formation Processes in the face of Mass Customization

Organizational resource acquisition including finance and people in a dynamic environment affects the venture’s business activities and even its establishment. This paper aims to examine the concept mass customization and the process of obtaining resource commitments for the creation of a new venture called D.B.M. in the face of liabilities of newness. To this end, a case study based on the first-hand experiences of the researcher as the entrepreneur of D.B.M is designed in the form of analytical autoethnography and analysed in a qualitative manner by using a simple game-theoric model. The questions raised in this paper are “How do the team formation and resource acquisition process during new venture creation look like in the face of liabilities of newness? To what extent does mass customization as a business model influence this process?” This paper argues that organizational resource acquisition including finance and people becomes harder for new ventures in the face of liabilities of newness, which also constitute a challenge for mass customization and unless there is a competent team and access to required resources, the business execution cannot be easily realized. The efficient combination of resources becomes even less likely to be reached when the owners delay commitment of their resources to venture creation for a long time. To this end, this paper suggests that individual wealth of the entrepreneur is valuable during seedstage to establish the business concept fully while at the same time generating better credibility, which eventually attract partners (including team members or investors) to the venture

JAPAN and The TLM MODEL : Adapting The Transitional Labour Market Theory to Japan

Japanese employment structure has been transforming in the face of economic recession, difficulty in work/life balance and ageing society. The diversification in the forms of employment such as increasing non-regular employment has enhanced labor market flexibility in Japan while causing security challenges for most people. This paper intends to bring a new perspective to Japanese context by applying the Transitional Labour Market (TLM) framework in the form of five critical transitions over the life-course to clearly outline the deficiencies of current institutional arrangements and to lay some groundwork for analyzing good transitions in line with four principles (autonomy-solidarity-effectiveness-efficiency) of the TLM. Providing insights for the cross-regional transfers (between Europe and Asia) by extending the scope of the TLM is also aimed. The main question raised in this respect is about how to create a labour market which builds bridges rather than dead ends between various statuses inside and outside the labour market. This paper argues that it is important to develop tailor-made labour market arrangements in Japan targeting the vulnerable groups such as women and non-regular employees in line with the principles of the TLM model. Such a tailor-made approach will assist individuals manage the risks they face under the current labor market situation and help to achieve sustainability of the entire social system by decreasing the associated heavy costs. The findings state that together with the recent labor market reforms there has been a shift towards more activating policies in Japan which are favorable from the TLM perspective but close attention to the propositions of the solidarity principle is required

Logistics Sector Turnover: Forecasting for Turkey, EU27 and EA19 under Effects of COVID-19

Background: The logistics sector is the backbone of today’s global trade, and is vital for the continuity of goods and services. The sector is gaining increased importance as logistics operate under the extreme conditions the world is passing through (COVID-19, earthquakes, wars). Methods: A comparative study is offered for Turkey and the EU27 and EA19 countries utilizing Eurostat database time series data for logistics turnover, based on regression analysis with and without COVID-19-affected data. General trends are identified regarding the logistics turnover and average turnover by different transportation modes in Turkey. Linear, exponential, logarithmic and polynomial regressions are fitted to the dataset to find the best fit. Afterwards, forecasting is performed based on the polynomial equation, which is identified as the best fit. A similar approach is repeated for the EU27 and EA19 countries to put forward the trends and forecasts as well as a detailed comparative discussion among countries. Results: Our study reveals the dramatic effect of COVID-19 on the turnover of different logistics modes and the radical shift that Turkey experienced from land transportation towards air transportation. Conclusions: Our study provides forecasting and a comparative picture for the logistics sector, shows the growth trends with respect to different transportation modes and reveals the effects of the pandemic on the logistics sector for Turkey and the EU27 and EA19 countries

Technological maturity of the OECD countries: A multi-criteria decision-making approach using PROMETHEE

AbstractMeasuring and assessing the degree of technological readiness at macro level is crucial in guiding the overall technological development for the countries. The problem is multi-criteria in nature, involving assessment and consolidation over multiple dimensions. This study develops a composite index to measure basic technological maturity from supply chain integration perspective and utilizes multi-criteria decision-making method PROMETHEE to obtain a ranking among 28 OECD countries. Based on OECD data and metrics set availability, a composite index is developed using 10 relevant metrics. Then a comparative study is performed for 28 countries for the year 2019 under six different scenarios using Visual PROMETHEE. The study is original in developing a composite index with corresponding metrics, providing a comparative evaluation across OECD countries, and offering a comprehensive analysis utilizing almost all major visual analysis tools of the Visual PROMETHEE. The results indicate that the metric set selected and the methodology applied with the visual tools of PROMETHEE provide a systematic which enables country-based benchmarking under different dimensions and enable policymakers to identify the improvement opportunities for each dimension

Labour productivity analysis of manufacturing sector in Turkey against EU

This study offers an in-depth analysis of labour productivity of manufacturing sector in Turkey and provides a comparison with EU27 and EA19 countries utilizing Eurostat time series data of 63 quarters covering 2005/first quarter-2020/third quarter time interval. Productivity trends are identified and interpreted by relating them with the key macroeconomic events and factors. Multiple linear and non-linear regression equations, and ARIMA model with different parameters are applied to the time series data considering the periods with and without covid effect. Future projections are made for the periods 2020–2023 for Turkey manufacturing sector based on the best fitting regression and ARIMA solutions and they are compared. Findings revealed that extreme covid conditions of even two quarters of data have significant impact on the forecasted values for Turkey, EU27 and EA19 countries. ARIMA analysis with 12 different parameter settings provided accurate results, supported by Thiel’s inequality coefficients and standard error measures. Analysis has shown consistent patterns between EA19 and EU27 countries. ARIMA results represent better compatibility with the regression results for Turkey. Study is valuable by providing comprehensive and comparative analysis, revealing future forecasts and covid effect and degree of recovery from the pandemic