Cok Kriterli Karar Verme Ile Avrupa Birligi ve Aday Ulkelerin Yasam Kalitesinin Analizi

European Foundation that gives advices in order to help to provide the best living and working conditions for European Countries, applied European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) for 31 countries, including Turkey, in 2003, 2005 and 2007 years. The European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) takes some kind of basic indicators like health, employment, income deprivation, education, family, social participation, housing, environment, transportation, safety, leisure time and life satisfaction into consideration. Studies that are made by using the life quality indicators enable identifying the demographic, social and economical profiles of individuals, groups or societies, determining targets to improve the existing level of life quality and comparing the current positions of their life qualities with other national or international levels. In the studies conducted, it is seen that mostly statistical analysis were used and the life qualities of the countries were handled within the light of various indicators. In this study, multi-criteria decision making is used for evaluating the indicators with a holistic point of view, concurrently. The life quality of European Union Countries and European Union Candidate Countries is analysed with VIKOR, which is one of the multi criteria decision making methods. By three different analysis with VIKOR for the years 2003,2005 and 2007, European Union Countries, Norway and European Union Candidate Countries which are Crotia, Macedonia and Turkey are evaluated according to their life quality indicators. Benefitting from the study results, life qualities of the countries for the years 2003, 2005 and 2007 are evaluated.Multi-Criteria Decision Making, VIKOR Method, European Union, Quality of Life

Combination of myasthenia gravis and HELLP Syndrome in pregnancy: case report and literature review

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction. Preeclampsia/HELLP Syndrome is a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication. The combination of HELLP Syndrome and MG is challenging because the preferred treatment regimens for both conditions generally contradict each other. Our aim is to describe the management options when these two diseases occur simultaneously. We present a case in which a woman with an established diagnosis of MG developed HELLP Syndrome at 31 weeks gestation. Magnesium sulfate prophylaxis was not utilized because of the patient’s MG diagnosis. A cesarean delivery was performed. Reported cases with combined diagnoses of MG and preeclampsia/HELLP Syndrome are reviewed and adjustments to treatment plans are discussed. Management of such patients should be done with a multidisciplinary approach in advanced medical centers with careful consideration of the medications used

Bilateral Intravitreal Ranibizumab Injection and Panretinal Photocoagulation in a 16-Year-Old Girl with Severe Vaso-Occlusive Lupus Retinopathy

A 16-year-old girl with fever of unknown origin and bilateral vaso-occlusive retinopathy with retinal neovascularization, preretinal hemorrhage, and serous macular detachment was treated with single bilateral 0.5 mg intravitreal ranibizumab injection prior to aggressive PRP with success. No systemic steroids or immunosuppressive therapy was employed at that time. She received the diagnosis of “systemic lupus erythematosus” five years after this episode with further systemic symptoms. In certain cases with vaso-occlusive type of lupus retinopathy, anti-VEGF agents may be administered in addition to panretinal photocoagulation to achieve better visual and anatomic outcome

Potential therapeutic effect of pomegranate seed oil on ovarian ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Objective(s): The aim of this study is to determine the therapeutic effects of pomegranate seed oil, which is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, on ovarian-ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats.Materials and Methods: Fifty-six  female albino Wistar rats were divided into 7 equal groups. Group 1; Sham Operation, Group 2; Ischemia, Group 3; Ischemia + Reperfusion, Group 4; Ischemia + Pomegranate 0,32 ml / kg (IP), Group 5; Ischemia + Pomegranate 0.64 ml / kg, Group 6; Ischemia + Pomegranate 0,32 ml / kg + reperfusion, Group 7; Ischemia + Pomegranate 0,64 ml / kg + reperfusion. Three hours after ischemia and 3 hours after reperfusion, the study was terminated. Results: While NADPH oxidase activity, MDA and TNF-α levels were significantly increased, SOD activity and GSH levels were reduced in ischemia and I/R groups. Low dose pomegranate seed oil  application reduced significantly oxidative stress and NADPH oxidase activity in both ischemic and ischemic/reperfusion groups. At the same time, low-dose pomegranate seed oil extract reduced TNF-α levels and significantly increased antioxidant activity.Conclusion: PSO demonstrated an important therapeutic effect in the treatment of ovarian ischemia and reperfusion injury

Neuobičajeni klinički slučajevi koji oponašaju akutni diseminirani encefalomijelitis

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an immune-mediated monophasic inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system which poses a diagnostic challenge. We report on six cases of different etiologies that mimicked the clinical and radiologic findings of ADEM. The cases were collected from four different reference hospitals in Turkey. The same radiologist from the Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine examined the magnetic resonance images of all patients. Three (50%) patients had antecedent infections. Initial symptoms of the patients were as follows: fever in 50%, altered consciousness in 33.3% and convulsions in 16.7% of patients. Neurologic examination showed long tract signs in 83.3%, ataxia in 50% and altered consciousness in 50% of patients. Cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis only in case 6. Four patients received steroid pulse therapy and one of these initially underwent intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. The patients’ definitive diagnoses were as follows: paraspinal neuroblastoma-associated paraneoplastic syndrome; histiocytic sarcoma; mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes; and cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy in one patient each, while two patients had hemophagocytic syndrome. The present case series demonstrated difficulties in diagnosing ADEM while revealing extremely rare disorders that mimic ADEM radiologically and clinically.Akutni diseminirani encefalomijelitis (ADEM) je immuno posredovana monofazna upalna demijelinizacijska bolest središnjega živčanog sustava koja je dijagnostički vrlo zahtjevna. Prikazuje se šest slučajeva različite etiologije gdje su klinički i radiološki nalazi oponašali ADEM. Slučajevi su prikupljeni iz četiri različite referentne bolnice u Turskoj. Slikovne prikaze dobivene magnetskom rezonancom u svih bolesnika pregledao je isti radiolog s Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Akdenizu. Troje (50%) bolesnika imalo je prethodnu infekciju. Početni simptomi bili su groznica u 50%, poremećaj svijesti u 33,3% te konvulzije u 16,7% bolesnika. Neurološki pregled pokazao je znakove oštećenja srednjeg ili gornjeg dijela leđne moždine (long tract signs) u 83,3%, ataksiju u 50% te poremećaj svijesti u 50% bolesnika. Pregled likvora otkrio je limfocitnu pleocitozu samo u slučaju br. 6. Četiri bolesnika primilo je pulsnu steroidnu terapiju, a jedan od njih je prvotno bio na terapiji intravenskim globulinom. U bolesnika su postavljene sljedeće konačne dijagnoze: paraneoplastični sindrom udružen s paraspinalnim neuroblastomom; histiocitni sarkom; mitohondrijska miopatija, encefalopatija, laktična acidoza i epizode slične moždanom udaru (MELAS); i cerebralna autosomna dominantna arteriopatija sa subkortikalnim infarktima i leukoencefalopatijom (CADASIL) u po jednog bolesnika, te hemofagocitni sindrom u dvoje bolesnika. Ovaj niz slučajeva ukazuje na teškoće u dijagnosticiranju ADEM-a i istodobno pokazuje iznimno rijetke bolesti koje radiološki i klinički oponašaju ADEM

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ABSTRACT. Objective. To estimate the prevalence of inflammatory back pain (IBP) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) using the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) classification criteria among employees in a university. Methods. In the first stage of the study, a face-to-face interview was done using a standard questionnaire to investigate IBP in 381 subjects randomly selected from 2894 employees at Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey. In the second stage, subjects with back pain for ≥ 3 months and age at onset < 45 years were evaluated for axSpA using the ASAS criteria. Both the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria and Amor criteria were used for the classification of the whole group of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Results. There were 131 male and 250 female subjects (mean age: 38.0 yrs). Twenty-five subjects (6.6%) were classified as having IBP according to the ASAS criteria. The prevalence of IBP according to the Berlin and Calin criteria was 7.1% and 21.5%, respectively. The prevalence of axSpA was estimated at 1.3% according to the ASAS classification criteria (0.5% for radiographic axSpA and 0.8% for nonradiographic axSpA). A total of 7 patients (1.8%) fulfilled both the Amor and ESSG criteria for the whole group of SpA. Conclusion. This is the first prevalence study of IBP and axSpA using ASAS classification criteria in the Turkish population. Spondyloarthritides are among the most prevalent inflammatory rheumatic diseases 1 . There is a considerable diagnostic delay (8.9 yrs) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the prototype of this group, mainly because of the requirement of radiographic sacroiliitis for its diagnosis 2 . Low awareness of inflammatory back pain (IBP), the first and most common symptom of spondyloarthritis (SpA), in daily practice is also a major reason for the diagnostic delay 3 . New classification criteria developed by the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) provide that patients with SpA can be classified as either patients with axial SpA (axSpA) or those with peripheral SpA. The ASAS axSpA criteria cover the entire spectrum of axial disease including AS and nonradiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA) MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted our study at the Health Sciences Campus at Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, which has 2894 medical and nonmedical staff aged between 18 and 67 years. A sample of 395 subjects was selected randomly by a computer from the list of all employees, based on the IBP prevalence of 5% in the general population 5 , using OpenEpi (version 2.3) and CI ± 2%. A total of 381 of these 395 subjects agreed to participate, an acceptance rate of 96.5%. In the first stage of the study, 6 trained medical students, using a standard questionnaire, interviewed participants face to face. Questionnaire responses were used to determine whether participants met the ASAS criteria for IBP 10 . Subjects were also evaluated for IBP based on the Berlin 11 and Calin criteria 12 In the second stage, the subjects with back pain for more than 3 month

Developing Students' Scientific Writing and Presentation Skills through Argument Driven Inquiry: An Exploratory Study

WOS: 000406254000004In this study, we employed a new instructional model that helps students develop scientific writing and presentation skills. Argument-driven inquiry (ADI) is one of the most novel instructional models that emphasizes the role of argumentation and inquiry in science education equally. This is an exploratory study where five ADI lab activities take place with a group of students guided by their classroom teacher. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of laboratory instruction that was designed based on ADI on students' ability to write and present scientifically. For this purpose, three sets of instruments were used: argumentative writing assessment, poster evaluation checklist, and student assessment of their learning gains (SALG) survey. The results showed that students developed their writing skills in all three aspects: argument structure, argument content, and writing mechanism. However, the highest score in terms of these improvements was obtained in the quality of students' argument. content. Also, the current study findings explicitly showed that ADI activities could help students improve their scientific presentation skills. At the end of the ADI activities, each group got higher than SO points out of 65 points, while their scores were nearly 30 points at the beginning of activities

Analysis of the Alternative Conceptions of Preservice Teachers and High School Students Concerning Atomic Size

The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the alternative conceptions of high school students and preservice teachers on the concept of atomic size. The Atomic Size Diagnostic Instrument was developed; it is composed of eight, two-tier multiple-choice items. The results of the study showed that as a whole 56.2% of preservice teachers and 59.4% of high school students correctly answered six or more questions out of eight. New alternative conceptions about atomic size, which could be grouped under three main considerations, were found. These alternative conceptions were related to the number of protons, ionic charge, and period and group number

Facilitating Conceptual Change in Gases Concepts

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of conceptual change oriented instruction (CCOI) over traditionally designed chemistry instruction (TDCI) on overcoming 10th grade students' misconceptions on gases concepts. In addition, the effect of gender difference on students' understanding of gases concepts was investigated. The subjects of this study consisted of 74 10th grade students from two chemistry classes. One of the classes was assigned as experimental group and the other group was assigned as control group. The experimental group was instructed with CCOI and the control group was instructed by TDCI. Gases Concept Test (GCT) was administered to both groups as pre- and post-tests to measure the students' conceptual understanding. The results showed that students in the experimental group got higher average scores from Gases Concept Test. Also, a significant difference was found between the performance of females and that of males in terms of understanding gases concepts in favor of males