Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography/computed tomography in pulmonary nodules : a prospective study

Purpose: Computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are the mainstay imaging methods in the evaluation and follow-up of pulmonary nodules. But they both have high radiation risk for patients. Diffusionweighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), on the other hand, is a radiation free imaging method that gives information about the biological structure of tissues at the molecular level by measuring random movement of water in biological tissues. In this prospective study we aimed to compare the computed tomography characteristics of the nodules in terms of malignancy and to compare the accuracy of DW-MRI and PET/CT results in those patients. Material and methods: Seventy-six patients suspicious for lung cancer on thorax CT imaging were prospectively further evaluated by thorax diffusion-weighted imaging and PET/CT. Pulmonary lesion characteristics, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and maximum standardised uptake values (SUVmax) were compared with histopathological results. Results: There was statistically significant moderate negative correlation between PET-SUVmax and ADC values of lung lesions. ADC values below the cut-off was 97.1%, specificity was 97.6%, positive predictive value was 97.1%, and the negative predictive value was 97.6%. Conclusions: DAG-MRI and PET/CT have similar success in the differentiation of benign and malignant lung lesions

A Model for Doctoral Students\u27 Perceptions and Attitudes toward Written Feedback for Academic Writing

The purpose of this study was to investigate social science doctoral students\u27 perceptions and attitudes toward different characteristics of written feedback and written feedback providers for their academic writing. Moreover, it aimed to provide an explanatory model to describe the relationships between these perceptions and attitudes, students\u27 revision decisions, and other potentially relevant factors in their written feedback practices. The investigation was informed by two theoretical frameworks: principles of instructional design and conditions of learning, and situated learning and communities of practice. The study used a mixed methods approach in which qualitative data collection and analysis was followed by quantitative data collection and analysis. The main purpose of the qualitative phase was to develop a background to build a questionnaire to be used in the quantitative phase. The qualitative data were collected through interviews with 15 participants. Grounded theory data analysis methods were adapted in the qualitative analysis of the data. The quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire with 276 participants in two large mountain west public universities. Descriptive and multivariate correlational data analyses were employed for the analysis of the quantitative data. The results of this study provided descriptive information on doctoral students\u27 preferences for different types of written feedback and their perceptions and attitudes toward different characteristics of written feedback providers. Moreover, the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis results showed that that there are several factors in the feedback practices of the doctoral students that have significant influences on some other factors in these feedback practices. An eight-factor model was developed constituting the following factors: (a) attitudes toward critical/negative written feedback, (b) motivations for academic writing, (c) perceptions of opportunities to write academic papers with faculty members in the department, (d) attitudes toward asking and searching for written feedback for academic papers, (e) attitudes toward feedback providers\u27 willingness and time to give feedback when asking for written feedback, (f) attitudes toward feedback providers\u27 personality when asking for written feedback, (g) revision decisions considering the external issues while examining the written feedback, and (h) revision decisions considering the written feedback characteristics and the need for the revisions while examining the written feedback

Blogging in Higher Education: Theoretical and Practical Approach

ABSTRACT In this paper the blogging method, which includes new forms of writing, is supported as an alternative approach to address the frequently asserted problems in higher education such as product-oriented assessment and lack of value given to students' writing as contribution to the discourse of the academic disciplines. Both theoretical and research background information is provided to clarify the rationale of using this method in higher education. Furthermore, recommended way of using this method in courses is outlined specifically in relation to these problems

Blogging in Higher Education: Theoretical and Practical Approach

In this paper the blogging method, which includes new forms of writing, is supported as an alternative approach to address the frequently asserted problems in higher education such as product-oriented assessment and lack of value given to students' writing as contribution to the discourse of the academic disciplines. Both theoretical and research background information is provided to clarify the rationale of using this method in higher education. Furthermore, recommended way of using this method in courses is outlined specifically in relation to these problems

Turkish Prospective Teachers ' Perceptions Regarding the Use of Computer Games with Educational Features

Teachers ’ perceptions are critical to the success or failure of integrating computer games with educational features into classrooms. Consequently, it is essential to gather information about concerns they might have in regard to using these games in the classroom. This study was conducted to investigate the perceptions and future plans of a group of prospective computer teachers in Turkey. One-hundred sixteen students, from four different universities ’ Computer Education and Instructional Technology (CEIT) departments, participated in this study. The results of the study reveal that the prospective computer teachers who participated have positive perceptions regarding the use of computer games with educational features in education. Moreover, most of the participants plan to use such games in their future professions, according to their responses. However, some of the participants have doubts, especially concerning the issues of classroom management and the educational effectiveness of computer games currently on the market

An investigation of faculty perspectives on barriers, incentives, and benefits of the OER movement in Turkey

The purpose of this survey study is to investigate faculty’s perceptions of the main incentives, barriers, and benefits to publishing their course materials for free within the open educational resources (OER) movement. Data were collected from an online survey of 1,637 faculty from 56 universities in Turkey. Results showed that even though the majority of the participants’ perceptions of OER benefits and their attitudes toward publishing their course materials were positive, legal issues were perceived as an obstacle to effective application. Intellectual property protection mechanisms were perceived as the most important incentive to facilitate their contribution

An Investigation of Faculty Perspectives on Barriers, Incentives, and Benefits of the OER Movement in Turkey

The purpose of this survey study is to investigate faculty’s perceptions of the main incentives, barriers, and benefits to publishing their course materials for free within the open educational resources (OER) movement. Data were collected from an online survey of 1,637 faculty from 56 universities in Turkey. Results showed that even though the majority of the participants’ perceptions of OER benefits and their attitudes toward publishing their course materials were positive, legal issues were perceived as an obstacle to effective application. Intellectual property protection mechanisms were perceived as the most important incentive to facilitate their contribution

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABNORMALITIES ON HIGH-RESOLUTION COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY, PULMONARY FUNCTION, AND BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE IN PROGRESSIVE SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

Introduction and aim: Progressive systemic sclerosis (pSS) is a multisystemic connective tissue disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs including lung. The mechanisms that leads to progressive lung fibrosis in scleroderma remain obscure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between HRCT findings and patients' clinical and functional status and the degree of alveolitis based on the BAL results. Materials and methods: 65 patients with pSS were evaluated. Thoracic HRCT, pulmonary function tests, and dyspnea measurements were applied, and BAL was performed. The parenchymal abnormalities identified on HRCT were coded, and scored according to Warrick et al. Results: Among parameters investigated, a correlation was found between the number of segments with subpleural cysts and the duration of disease. Also there was a correlation between the HRCT score and patient age whereas no correlation was detected between the duration of the disease, manifestation of the symptoms, and the x-ray findings. A correlation was found between the percentage of neutrophils detected in BAL and the extent of the honeycombing on HRCT. Conclusion: This study showed a strong correlation between the extent of x-ray abnormalities and FVC, RV, and DLCO, as well as an increase in the percentage of BAL fluid neutrophils in patients with SSc-PI

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEDIATRIC PULMONARY AND EXTRA-PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS: A WARNING SIGN FOR THE FUTURE

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem affecting millions of people annually. Tuberculosis in children has unique features different from adults which makes the diagnosis to be more difficult. The spectrum of the symptoms of TB in children could vary from non-specific symptoms to severe clinical presentations.  In this study, we reviewed our experience at pediatric patients with active TB admitted in a tertiary hospital  and aimed to compare the epide­miological, clinical and microbiological features of  children with  the extra-pulmonary tuberculosis(EPTB) and pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB). Material and methods: Patients under 14 years of age diagnosed with active TB in our unit between December 2008 and September 2013 were included in the study. Data including demographic characteristics, clinical history, microbiology, imaging studies, medications and outcomes of the patients were collected from medical records. Results: A total of 129 cases of active TB were identified.  Ninety-two (78.6%) of the cases had Pulmonary Tuberculosis and 25 (21.4%) of the cases had Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. The most common signs and symptoms on admission were fever in 40 cases (34.2%) and cough in 81 cases (69.2%). The number of patients without symptoms including fever, cough, malaise and weight loss were significantly higher in EXPTB (72.0%) group when compared with patients in PTB group (13.0%) (p 0.05). The detection rate of source in PTB group (42.4%) was significantly higher than the rate in  EPTB group (20.0%)( p=0.04). In the drug-resistant group, no source of infection could be established in 5 of 9 patients (55.5%). Conclusions: Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis is more difficult than Pulmonary tuberculosis in children due to the various problems such as absence of associated pulmonary involvement,  lack of constitutional symptoms and negative tuberculosis exposure history compared to Pulmonary Tuberculosis. New strategies are required for improving the diagnosis of  Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in childre

Differences between pediatric extra-pulmonary and pulmonary tuberculosis: A warning sign for the future

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem. The childhood tuberculosis has some unique features different which makes the diagnosis more complicated. Here we described the epidemiologic, clinical and microbiologic features of children with extra pulmonary and pulmonary TB. Methods: The data of the patients 10 years. PTB was present in 75,0% of the cases, and EXPTB was present in 25% of cases. There was no significant difference between the EXPTB and PTB by means of distribution of age groups (p=0,201). The rate of patients free of constitutional symptoms were significantly higher in EXPTB compared to PTB(p=0,000). There was no significant difference between EXPTB and PTB by means of sources detection(p=0,069). Conclusion: TB is still a major public health problem. EXPTB has an insidious and silent onset without any constitutional symptoms, and both microbiological confirmation and the source by an adult are not frequently found. Moreover, detection of the adult source is mandatory for controlling the TB disease in children