Development of Social Parent Education Platform for the Prevention of Child Neglect and Abuse

Child neglect and abuse is one of the most important problems of modern societies. Studies show that this problem continues to increase day by day in many developed and developing societies. In this context, a parent training program development project was carried out in order to prevent child neglect and abuse, supported by the Turkish National Agency within the scope of the Erasmus%2B KA2 project. In this study, the development processes and theoretical bases of the Social Parent Education Platform, which was developed to bring together the educational content created within the scope of the project with the users and to provide parent education with social media-based content, are included

Premarital screening of 466 Mediterranean women for serum ferritin, vitamin B12, and folate concentrations

Background/aim: Iron, folate, and vitamin B12 serum levels are closely related with dietary habits and have an essential role in the healthy development of a fetus. We aimed to investigate hemoglobin, ferritin, folate, and vitamin B12 levels in preconceptional women in an area where a plant-based diet referred to as Mediterranean cuisine is commonly used. Materials and methods: The study population included 466 women between the ages of 18 and 45 years admitted for thalassemia screening. Sociodemographic variables and history of menometrorrhagia, pica, and dietary habits were collected. Serum vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, and hemoglobin levels were measured. Ferritin of <12 μg/L, vitamin B12 of <200 pg/mL, and folate of <4 ng/mL were accepted as deficiencies. Hemoglobin level of <12 g/dL was classified as anemia. Results: Polymenorrhea was present in 11.7% and hypermenorrhea in 24.8% of women. Anemia was detected in 24.9% and thalassemia trait in 3.0% of women. Low ferritin levels were observed in 46.1%, vitamin B12 in 21.6%, and folate in 3.4% of women. In the group with low vitamin B12, decreased meat consumption was more prevalent (27.5% vs. 16.9%; P = 0.019). Conclusion: Vitamin B12 and iron are the main micronutrients depleted in our community. This necessitates implementing a public health program for women consuming a Mediterranean diet. © TÜBİTA

Agricultural terraces in the Mediterranean:Medieval intensification revealed by OSL profiling and dating

The history of agricultural terraces remains poorly understood due to problems in dating their construction and use. This has hampered broader research on their significance, limiting knowledge of past agricultural practices and the long-term investment choices of rural communities. The authors apply OSL profiling and dating to the sediments associated with agricultural terraces across the Mediterranean region to date their construction and use. Results from five widely dispersed case studies reveal that although many terraces were used in the first millennium AD, the most intensive episodes of terrace-building occurred during the later Middle Ages (c. AD 1100–1600). This innovative approach provides the first large-scale evidence for both the longevity and medieval intensification of Mediterranean terraces

Antik dönemde Bozburun yarımadası tarım terasları ve çiftlik evleri.

In this thesis, the agricultural terraces and farmsteads lying in a region which encompasses the study area limited with the Turgut Village in the north and beginning of the Loryma territorium in the south, in the modern Bozburun Peninsula (also acknowledged as the Incorporated Peraea in the ancient period) are examined and questioned. It is put forward that, despite the disadvantages caused by the topographical structure of the region for the agricultural production, terrace farming was successfully applied, particularly during the Hellenistic period, and production increased dramatically, through the operation of a well-organized agricultural system under the Rhodian control. With the application of an extensive survey method, photogrammetry and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), it has been understood that the agricultural terraces were built as a result of a conscious action and in an organized manner, in consideration of the topographical structure (elevation, slope, aspect) and pedological characteristics of the region. Moreover, through the interpretation of the relationship between 18 farmsteads that were recorded in the course of field surveys carried out in 2009-2012 and the agricultural terraces, it has been concluded that these farmsteads were the significant parts of the economy system that was shaped within the framework of the intensive agrarian practices.Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra

Can we predict hepatic encephalopathy? What do the hemogram parameters tell us?

INTRODUCTION:&nbsp;Crosstalk between hepatocytes and immune cells is the key point that ultimately leads to inflammation and fibrosis. This is well-known entity underlying the decompansation of liver failure. Recently, it has been shown that the ratio of lymphocyte to monocytes that can be measured easily in peripheral blood reflects many inflammatory processes. In this study, we aimed to find the novel inflammatory parameters predicting subclinical hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver failure who were routinely followed up in outpatient clinics.&nbsp;METHODS:&nbsp;Seventy-six cirrhotic patients who were followed up in Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital Gastroenterology-Hepatology out-patient clinic were included in the study. Thirteen similar healthy volunteers in terms of age and gender were also recruited. We applied psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and Critical flicker frequency test (CFF) for both patient groups (with and without covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE)). We analyzed neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), mean platelet volume as well as INR, CRP, albumin, total bilirubines and platelet counts from routine clinic testing samples, retrospectively.&nbsp;RESULTS:&nbsp;According to West-Haven criteria, CHE was detected in 41 patients and not detected in 35 patients. When CFF test was applied, patients with CHE completed by reacting late compared to non-CHE patients (p&lt;0.001). While NLR was inversely related to LMR, albumin and serum sodium, it was also found to be significantly proportional to serum bilirubin, INR, and CRP levels. In addition to all tests used in PHES, LMR results were significantly correlated with serum albumin and sodium levels (p&lt;0.05) while total bilirubin, INR, and CRP levels were found to be inversely proportional (p&lt;0.05). We found that LMR and NLR levels correlated significantly with MELD score and Child Pugh score (-,477 and -,722 vs,487 and,664 resp. p&lt;0.001). Lower LMR levels also correlated significantly with psychometric tests (p is 0.005 for Serial Dotting Test (SDT), 0.003 for Number Collecting Test (NCT), 0.011 for Line Tracing Test (LTT), 0.042 for Digit Symbol Test (DST)) which are considered as gold standard by some authorities.&nbsp;CONCLUSION:&nbsp;LMR and NLR, which are cheap and easily available hemogram parameters, can provide early warning to clinicians for cirrhotic patients in outpatient follow-up.</p

Covert hepatik ensefalopati tanısında klinik bulgular, critical flicker frequency testi ve enflamasyon göstergelerinin karşılaştırmalı değerlendirmesi

Hepatik ensefalopati karaciğer hastalığının ağır ve sık görülen komplikasyonlarından biridir. Ciddi şekilde hastanın ve hastaya bakan kişilerin yaşamlarını etkilemektedir. Bunun yanı sıra, siroz ile ilişkili bilişsel bozukluklar, karaciğer hastalıklarının diğer belirtilerinden daha fazla sağlık merkezlerine başvuru sebebidir. Altta yatan karaciğer hastalığı tedavi edilse de HE düşük yaşam beklentisi ve yüksek rekürrens riskine sahiptir. En hafif seyirli teşhirinde HE sadece dikkat, kısa süreli hafıza, psikomotor hız ve görsel-uzamsal odaklı psikometrik testlerin yanı sıra diğer beyin ve elektrofizyolojik ölçütleri bozmaktadır. Klinik belirtilere göre yapılan sınıflamada, minimal ve grade 1 Ensefalopati tablosuna "Covert" (Gizli); grade 2, 3 ve 4 Ensefalopati tablosuna "Overt" (Aşikar) Ensefalopati denmektedir. Özellikle grade 1 HE için, hafif hipokinezi, psikomotor yavaşlama ve dikkat eksikliği klinik değerlendirmede gözden kaçabilir. Bilişsel disfonksiyon tanısını koymak da klinik gözlem ve nörofizyolojik veya nöropsikolojik testler ile mümkün olabilmektedir. Zorluk bunların HE için özgün bulgular olmamasından kaynaklanmaktadır. Minimal HE'nin (MHE) isabetli teşhis oranını arttırmak için psikometrik ölçümler kullanılmıştır. Ancak bu testler kişilerin yaş ve eğitim durumundan etkilenmektedir. Yine Minimal HE'nin beyin fonksiyonları ile ilişkisini ortaya koymak için yapılan fMRI ve Arteriyal Spin Etiketleme teknikleri ile MR Görüntülemeleri erişim ve maliyet gibi engeller çıkarmaktadır. Hepatik ensefalopatiyi ortaya çıkarmak için kullanılan Nöropsikolojik testler arasında EEG ve critical flicker frequency (CFF) bulunmaktadır. Hastalığın patogenezinde halen en önemli faktör olarak amonyak gösterilmektedir. Ancak kandaki amonyak düzeyi ile HE derecesi paralellik göstermemektedir. MHE' li hastalarda bile beyin tarafından alınıp metabolize edilen amonyak miktarında ciddi artış olmaktadır. HE patogenezinde son dönemde gündemde olan konulardan biri de sistemik enflamasyon göstergeleri ve endotoksinlerdir. Klinik değerlendirmede kullanılan objektif testlerin ve prospektif çalışmaların sayısında azlık olması göze çarpmaktadır. Tüm bunlar HE'nin değerlendirilmesindeki zorluğu göstermektedir. Biz de bu veriler ışığında West-Haven sınıflaması kullanarak, hepatik ensefalopatisi olmayan siroz hastalarının ve Covert HE'li siroz hastalarının, psikometrik testler, CFF testi, venöz amonyak örneklemesi, serum endotoksin, IL-6, IL-18, TNFα düzeyleri açısından farklılıkları olup olmadığını araştırmayı amaçladık. Ayrca günlük pratikte sık kullanılan hemogram parametreleriden ortalama trombosit hacmi, nötrofil lenfosit oranı, lenfosit monosit oranı gibi enflamatuar göstergelerin yanı sıra albümin, INR, CRP, total bilirubin, trombosit sayısı gibi yaygın olarak kullanılan parametrelerin değerlendirilebileceğini düşünerek inceledik. Bunların dışında hastaların hekimleri tarafından HE tedavi veya proflaksi amacıyla reçete edilen ilaçlarla tedavi sonrasında ilacın biyokimyasal değerlere ve bu enflamasyon parametrelerine etkisini de araştırdık

Klasik Yunan'da tarımsal uygulamalar ve kırsal alan.

The subject of this study is the rural settlements in Classical Greece. There is no doubt that there were various factors determined the ancient settlement patterns in Greek countryside. Geographical conditions, socio-economic and political structures can be regarded as major significant factors behind the settlement practices of ancient societies. In this study the relationships between agricultural system and rural settlements of Classical Greece will be examined.M.S. - Master of Scienc