Investigation of the effects of kinesiophobia level on physical activity and quality of life in university students

Background: Kinesiophobia, which is called activity avoidance, is a condition that may cause university students to stay away from physical activity more. This study aimed to understand how physical activity and quality of life levels of university students with different levels of kinesiophobia are affected.  Methods: Our study included 395 students who were studying at Ankara Medipol University in the 2022-2023 academic year and were accepted to participate in our study. The kinesiophobia, physical activity, and quality of life levels of the students were evaluated with questionnaires. The Demographic Characteristics of Students were analyzed using Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Spearman correlation analysis was used for the correlation between the scores of the scales, and Mann-Whitney U was used for comparing physical activity levels and quality of life according to kinesiophobia levels. Statistical significance was set as p<0.05. Results: Among the students who participated in our study, 226 (57.22%) students had high kinesiophobia levels and 169 (42.78%) had low kinesiophobia levels. While 74.3% of people with high kinesiophobia levels were women, 67.5% of participants with low kinesiophobia levels were women. The age and BMI levels of the participants in both groups were similar (p>0.05). In our study, while all parameters of WHOQOL and TKS were correlated with each other, only physical and psychosocial sub-parameters of WHOQOL and IPAQ were correlated (p<0.05). According to the results obtained from the study, the physical activity amount and quality of life scores of the students with lower kinesiophobia levels were found to be higher (p<0.05). Conclusion: As a result, different levels of kinesiophobia in university students can affect the amount of physical activity and quality of life of students. It is essential to keep students away from the vicious circle of kinesiophobia and lack of physical activity and to direct them to physical activities

De la complexification des rôles d’Izmir dans les mouvements migratoires : bien plus qu’un espace de transit

Située à l’ouest de la Turquie, aux confins de l’Orient et de l’Occident, la ville d’Izmir diversifie ses rôles à l’égard des flux migratoires récents qui la traversent. Lieu de transit privilégié vers l’Europe toute proche, la ville est devenue un espace d’installation pour les migrants réfugiés syriens ayant fui leur pays après la guerre civile de 2011 ou les migrants en provenance de pays africains. Devant les difficultés du passage en Europe, la perspective d’un long séjour dans la ville d’Izmir constitue un pis-aller pour ces migrants, malgré les discours hostiles dont ils sont l’objet

POLYESTER ESASLI KOMPOZİT MALZEME ÜRETİLMESİNDE KUMAŞ ATIKLARININ DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Termoset esaslı kompozit malzemeler, termoset esaslı bir matris ile bir takviye elemanının birleştirilmesiyle üretilen malzemeler için kullanılan bir terimdir. Termoset polimerler olarak alkidler, amino, epoksi reçine, fenolikler, polyester, poliüretan’lar sayılabilir. Bu çalışmada takviye elemanı olarak atık kumaşlar (pamuklu dokuma ve pamuklu örme)ve dokuma cam elyafı kullanılarak polyester esaslı termoset kompozitler üretilmiştir. Kompozit üretim el yatırma yöntemi kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Üretilen kompozitlerin mekanik özellikleri (çekme, eğilme ve darbe direnci) ASTM standartlarına uygun olarak Üniversal test makinesi yardımıyla belirlenmiştir

Clinicopathological analysis of patients diagnosed with DRESS

Background and Design: Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is an uncommon, but potentially fatal, adverse drug reaction. Despite the alarming statistics regarding morbidity, mortality, and hospitalizations, epidemiological data on DRESS are insufficient. In this investigation, we sought to determine the etiology, clinicopathological characteristics, and prognosis of DRESS cases at our institution. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective, single-center study, 23 patients with DRESS examined between January 2014 and September 2020 were included according to the European Registry of Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (RegiSCAR) scoring system. Patients were examined between January 2014 and September 2020. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were performed. Results: The most frequently detected culprit drug category was anticonvulsants. Maculopapular eruption (100%) and elevated liver function tests (82%) were the most prevalent cutaneous and laboratory findings, respectively. Patients with elevated liver enzymes were more likely to exhibit facial erythema/edema and lymph node enlargement than those without (p=0.021 and p=0.103, respectively). The predominant pathological features were sparse vacuolization of the dermal-epidermal junction and superficial perivascular lymphohistiocytic inflammation with eosinophils. Two patients died during the period of follow-up, three patients were lost to follow-up, and eighteen patients recovered completely. Conclusion: Our research demonstrated that facial erythema/edema and lymph node enlargement are more prevalent in patients with elevated liver enzymes. Cyclosporine may be a treatment option in the fragile age group to prevent systemic corticosteroid complications. Early diagnosis and treatment that balances benefits and risks remain the most important determinants of prognosi

AVİYONİK ÜRÜN DOĞRULAMASINDA TİTREŞİM FİKSTÜRÜ TASARIMI

Bu çalışma kapsamında, havacılık sektöründe kullanılan aviyonik bir ürün için, titreşim fikstürü tasarlanarak doğrulanmıştır. Sonlu elemanlar yöntemi kullanılarak modal analizler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Modal analizlerle tasarımı doğrulanan model, üretildikten sonra titreşim testlerine tabi tutulmuştur. Titreşim testleri esnasında ivmeölçerler yardımıyla veri toplanarak analiz sonuçları ile karşılaştırmalı olarak sunulmuştur. Korelasyonu sağlanan analiz ve test sonuçları ile titreşim fikstür tasarımının uygunluğu değerlendirilmiştir

Examination of Cognitive Functions and Hippocampal Synaptophysin Levels in an Experimental Schizophrenia Model

Şizofreni pozitif, negatif ve bilişsel belirtiler ile seyreden kronik bir beyin hastalığıdır. Bilişsel belirtiler hastalığın prodromal döneminden itibaren gözlenebilmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı irkilme refleksininin ön uyaran aracılı inhibisyonu (ÖUAİ) ile oluşturulan deneysel şizofreni modelinde sıçanların bilişsel fonksiyonlarını ve hipokampal presinaptik proteinlerden sinaptofizin düzeylerini araştırmaktır. Çalışmada 30 adet erkek Wistar türü sıçanlar bazal ÖUAİ ölçümüne tabi tutulmuş ve bu değerlere göre düşükten yükseğe sıralanmıştır. İlk 10 sıçan “düşük” ve son 10 sıçan “yüksek” inhibisyonlu grup olarak ayrıldıktan sonra 5 gün boyunca Morris Su Tankı (MST) testine tabi tutulmuştur. Testin bitiminde sıçanlar sakrifiye edilerek hipokampus bölgeleri eksize edilmiş ve hipokampal presinaptik proteinlerden sinaptofizin Western Blot yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlara göre her iki grubun öğrenme düzeyleri arasında fark bulunmaz iken ve hafıza fonksiyonlarının platform alanından geçme sıklığı (p<0,05) ve platform alanında geçirilen süre parametreleri (p<0,05) düşük ÖUAİ gruptaki sıçanlarda anlamlı olarak daha düşük bulunmuştur. Sinaptofizin düzeyleri de benzer şekilde düşük ÖUAİ grubundaki sıçanlarda anlamlı olarak (p<0,01) düşük tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmamızın sonuçları yüksek ÖUAİ değerine sahip sıçanlarla kıyaslandığında ÖUAİ değerleri düşük olan sıçanların bazı bilişsel fonksiyonlarının ve hipokampal presinaptik proteinlerden sinaptofizin düzeylerinin anlamlı olarak daha düşük olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu sonuçlar aynı zamanda uzun zamandır şizofreni çalışmalarında güvenilir bir yöntem olarak kullanılan ÖUAİ testinin insan ve hayvan çalışmalarındaki benzer sonuçlarına vurgu yaparak şizofreni araştırmalarındaki önemini desteklemiştir.Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disease and is clinically characterized by positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. Cognitive symptoms can be observed starting from the prodromal period of the disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the cognitive functions of rats and hippocampal levels of the presynaptic protein synaptophysin in an experimental schizophrenia model created by prepulse-mediated inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex. In the study, 30 male Wistar type rats were subjected to basal PPI measurements and were ranked from low to high according to these values. After the first 10 rats were divided into the "low" and the last 10 rats into the "high" inhibition group, they were subjected to the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test for 5 days. At the end of the test, the rats were sacrificed, hippocampus regions were excised, and the presynaptic synaptophysin protein was analyzed by Western Blot method. According to the results, while there was no difference between the learning levels of both groups, the frequency of memory functions frequency to cross the platform area (p <0.05) and time spent in the platform area (p <0.05) parameters were found to be significantly lower in rats in the low PPI group. Synaptophysin levels were similarly found to be significantly (p<0.01) lower in rats in the low PPI group. The results of our study show that some cognitive functions and presynaptic protein synaptophysin levels are significantly lower in rats with low PPI values compared to those with high PPI values. These results also supported the importance of the PPI test, which has been used as a reliable method in schizophrenia research for a long time, by emphasizing its comparable outcomes in human and animal studies of schizophrenia

Exposure to Perchlorate in Lactating Women and Its Associations With Newborn Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

Background: Perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate can block iodide transport at the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) and this can subsequently lead to decreased thyroid hormone production and hypothyroidism. NIS inhibitor exposure has been shown to reduce iodide uptake and thyroid hormone levels; therefore we hypothesized that maternal NIS inhibitor exposure will influence both maternal and newborn thyroid function.Methods: Spot urine samples were collected from 185 lactating mothers and evaluated for perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate concentrations. Blood and colostrum samples were collected from the same participants in the first 48 h after delivery. Thyroid hormones and thyroid-related antibodies (TSH, fT3, fT4, anti-TPO, anti-Tg) were analyzed in maternal blood and perchlorate was analyzed in colostrum. Also, spot blood samples were collected from newborns (n = 185) between 48 and 72 postpartum hours for TSH measurement. Correlation analysis was performed to assess the effect of NIS inhibitors on thyroid hormone levels of lactating mothers and their newborns in their first 48 postpartum hours.Results: The medians of maternal urinary perchlorate (4.00 μg/g creatinine), maternal urinary thiocyanate (403 μg/g creatinine), and maternal urinary nitrate (49,117 μg/g creatinine) were determined. Higher concentrations of all three urinary NIS inhibitors (μg/g creatinine) at their 75th percentile levels were significantly correlated with newborn TSH (r = 0.21, p &lt; 0.001). Median colostrum perchlorate level concentration of all 185 participants was 2.30 μg/L. Colostrum perchlorate was not significantly correlated with newborn TSH (p &gt; 0.05); however, there was a significant correlation between colostrum perchlorate level and maternal TSH (r = 0.21, p &lt; 0.01). Similarly, there was a significant positive association between colostrum perchlorate and maternal urinary creatinine adjusted perchlorate (r = 0.32, p &lt; 0.001).Conclusion: NIS inhibitors are ubiquitous in lactating women in Turkey and are associated with increased TSH levels in newborns, thus signifying for the first time that co-exposure to maternal NIS inhibitors can have a negative effect on the newborn thyroid function

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

The frequency of Duchenne muscular dystrophy/Becker muscular dystrophy and Pompe disease in children with isolated transaminase elevation: results from the observational VICTORIA study

IntroductionElevated transaminases and/or creatine phosphokinase can indicate underlying muscle disease. Therefore, this study aims to determine the frequency of Duchenne muscular dystrophy/Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) in male children and Pompe disease (PD) in male and female children with isolated hypertransaminasemia.MethodsThis multi-center, prospective study enrolled patients aged 3–216 months with serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and/or aspartate transaminase (AST) levels &gt;2× the upper limit of normal (ULN) for ≥3 months. Patients with a known history of liver or muscle disease or physical examination findings suggestive of liver disease were excluded. Patients were screened for creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels, and molecular genetic tests for DMD/BMD in male patients and enzyme analysis for PD in male and female patients with elevated CPK levels were performed. Genetic analyses confirmed PD. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of the patients were analyzed.ResultsOverall, 589 patients [66.8% male, mean age of 63.4 months (standard deviation: 60.5)] were included. In total, 251 patients (188 male and 63 female) had CPK levels above the ULN. Of the patients assessed, 47% (85/182) of male patients were diagnosed with DMD/BMD and 1% (3/228) of male and female patients were diagnosed with PD. The median ALT, AST, and CPK levels were statistically significantly higher, and the questioned neurological symptoms and previously unnoticed examination findings were more common in DMD/BMD patients than those without DMD/BMD or PD (p &lt; 0.001).DiscussionQuestioning neurological symptoms, conducting a complete physical examination, and testing for CPK levels in patients with isolated hypertransaminasemia will prevent costly and time-consuming investigations for liver diseases and will lead to the diagnosis of occult neuromuscular diseases. Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT04120168

Expert Examination in Tax Law and Innovations Introduced by Draft Expertise Law

Expert examination is a proof evaluation method which is used in almost all tax cases. It is known that expert examination which sheds light on the process and assists the judges in right decision has systematical problems. Accordingly, Draft Expertise Law has been prepared in order to solve these problems. The aim of the present study is to determine the status of expert examination in tax law and existing problems thereof and to analyze, discuss and evaluate the innovations introduced by the draft law and to offer opinions on the subject