Relationship between acute phase reactants and prognosis in patients with or without COVID-19 pneumonia

In December 2019, several cases of pneumonia of unknown origin were reported in the city of Wuhan, province of Hubei, China. The pathogen was named as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Acute phase reactans (APRs) are critical in the early diagnosis, treatment, and for monitoring the progression of COVID-19. Seventy two patients were included in the study and infections confirmed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Clinical parameters, the level of APFs and D-dimer were assessed and results were retrived from the patients’ medical records. Chest computed tomography (CT) findings were described for each patient and they were divided into two groups, with or without COVID-19 pneumonia. The correlation between APRs and CT findings and the patients’ prognosis were evaluated. Twenty eight (38.8%) of the 72 patients were female and 44 (61.2%) were male. The most common symptom was cough (43%) and the most common associated chronic disease was hypertension (12.5%). Thirty (41.6%) patients had completely normal chest CT, while 42 (58.4%) patients had typical findings in terms of COVID-19 pneumonia. C reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), ferritin, procalcitonin and D-Dimer levels were statistically significantly higher in patients with pneumonia than in those without pneumonia and these parameters were also statistically significantly higher in patients with severe illness. In conclusion, CRP, LDH, ESR, ferritin, and D-Dimer were associated with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. These biomarkers can be used to evaluate the prognosis to predict the clinical course of disease, allowing a proper management and treatment of the patients

COVID-19 sürecinde toplu taşımayı yönetmek: İstanbul'daki etkisinin ve önleyici müdahalenin analizi

The number of passengers in public transport has decreased significantly in major cities around the world due to COVID-19. As residents of many countries work from home, they have avoided public transport to minimize their exposure to the outbreak and have changed their way of traveling within their cities due to major changes in local public transport services. Istanbul is one of the cities most affected by the pandemic in terms of the daily number of passengers using public transportation. For the first time since the pandemic started in Istanbul, the use of urban public transportation has decreased by more than 90 percent. The aim of this study is to examine the measures taken in Istanbul public transport in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the trends in public transport and inter-modes demands during COVID-19 are analyzed. The results showed that COVID-19 measures to protect the health of passengers in Istanbul public transport are in line with global practices during the initial stage of the pandemic.Toplu taşıma araçlarındaki yolcu sayısı, COVID-19 nedeniyle dünyanın büyük şehirlerinde önemli ölçüde azalmıştır. Birçok ülkenin vatandaşları evden çalıştıkları için, salgının etkisini en aza indirmek için toplu taşımadan kaçınmış ve toplu taşıma hizmetlerindeki aksamalar ve riskler nedeniyle seyahat tercihlerini değiştirmişlerdir. İstanbul, günlük toplu taşıma kullanan yolcu sayısı açısından pandemiden en çok etkilenen şehirlerden biridir. İstanbul'da pandeminin başlamasından bu yana ilk kez şehir içi toplu taşıma kullanımı yüzde 90'ın üzerinde azalmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Koronavirüs ile ilişkili salgının yayılmasını önlemek için İstanbul toplu taşıma araçlarında alınan önlemleri incelemektir. Makale ayrıca COVID-19 sırasında toplu taşıma ulaşım modları arasındaki talebin nasıl değiştiğini ve mevcut eğilimleri analiz etmektedir. Sonuçlar, yolcuların sağlığını korumak için İstanbulda toplu taşıma araçlarında alınan COVID19 önlemlerinin salgının ilk aşamasında global uygulamalarla uyumlu olduğunu göstermiştir

The impacts of COVID-19 on travel behavior and initial perception of public transport measures in Istanbul

The epidemic disease emerged in Wuhan/China in December 2019, which primarily causes acute respiratory syndrome and spread worldwide in a very short time. Although the countries took numerous precautions, the spread of the virus could not be controlled. Furthermore, due to the inability to maintain physical distance and the excess of shared surfaces, public transport services also increase the risk of spreading. This study analyzes the changes in perceptions and behavior of passengers who use public transportation via a survey. The survey is developed to assess the behavioral change of passengers pre and post-pandemic of COVID-19. Outcomes showed a notable shift among transportation modes due to closure of venues, utilization of distance education, partial curfews in Istanbul. A further focal point of the study is the passengers’ attitudes towards preventive measures and their perceptions on how well responsible bodies have implemented the measures. Thus, it provides valuable insights into the changes in the traveling habits of city residents, which help the policymakers of public transportation

Şizofreni ile kavum septum pellusidum arasındaki ilişki: Bir olgu sunumu

Kuzu, Duygu (Arel Author)Şizofreni ile kavum septum pellusidum arasındaki ilişki: Bir olgu sunumu Lateral ventriküllerin medial duvarını oluşturan septum pellucidum iki laminadan oluşan ince bir tabakadır. Kavum septum pellucidum (KSP), septum pellucidumun iki yaprağı arasındaki bir boşluktur. KSP'un şizofreni ile ilişkili nörogelişimsel bir anomali olduğu düşünülmektedir. Normal fetal gelişimde septum pellucidumun oluşumu hipokampus, amigdala, korpus kallosum, septal nükleus gibi komşu limbik yapılarla eş zamanlı olmaktadır. Bu yüzden septum pellucidumda saptanan anatomik farklılıklar, komşu anatomik yapıların embriyonal gelişim bozukluklarını yansıtabilir. Birkaç manyetik rezonans görüntüleme çalışmasında, şizofreni hastalarında normal kişilere göre daha yüksek prevalansta geniş KSP saptanmıştır. Psikiyatrik bozukluklarla ilgili literatüre baktığımızda KSP'nin en çok şizofreni ile bağlantılı olduğunu görebiliriz. Geniş KSP şizofreninin etyolojik nedenlerinden biri olarak gösterilen nörogelişimsel modeli desteklemektedir. Biz bu olgu sunumunda, manyetik rezonans görüntüleme yöntemi ve nörobilişsel yeti yitimini tartıştıkThe relationship between schizophrenia and cavum septum pellucidum: a case studySeptum pellucidum that forming the medial wall of the lateral ventricles, a thin layer is formed by two laminae. Cavum septum pellucidum (CSP), a space between the two leaflets of the septi pellucidi, is thought to be a neurodevelopmental anomaly associated with schizophrenia. In normal fetal development, the formation of septum pellucidum occurs at the same time with the development of the neighboring limbic system structures such as hippocampus, amygdala, corpus callosum, septal nucleus. Therefore, the anatomical differences that are detected in the septum pellucidum may reflect the embryonal development disorders of the adjacent anatomical structures. Several magnetic resonance imaging studies have reported a higher prevalence of enlarged CSP in patients with schizophrenia than in normal subjects. In the literature of psychiatric disorders, CSP is most associated with schizophrenia. Wide CSP may support the neurodevelopmental etiology of schizophrenia. In this report we present a schizophrenia case. And we tried to discuss the patient’s clinical appearance and neurocognitive disabilit

Buckling optimization of composite laminates using a hybrid algorithm under Puck failure criterion constraint

In this study, an optimization procedure is proposed to find the optimum stacking sequence designs of laminated composite plates in different fiber angle domains for maximum buckling resistance. A hybrid algorithm combining genetic algorithm and trust region reflective algorithm is used in the optimization to obtain higher performance and improve the quality of solutions. As a novelty, Puck fiber and inter-fiber failure criteria are directly implemented to the optimization problems as nonlinear function constraints, which have allowed more consistent and feasible results. The performance of the hybrid algorithm is demonstrated by comparing with the individual performances of genetic and trust region reflective algorithms via test problems from the literature. Also, a study is performed to exhibit the effectiveness of the selected failure criterion as constraint among the other common criteria. The proposed procedure is used to solve many problems including various design considerations. The results indicate that reliable stacking sequence designs can be achieved in specific configurations even for the composite plates subjected to superior buckling loads when Puck physically based (3D) failure theory is considered as a first ply failure constraint in the buckling optimization

The Role of Mast cells in the Pathogenesis of Primary and Recurrent Pterygium

Pur po se: In this study, we aimed to investigate the roles of mast cells in pterygium pathogenesis and to compare the number of mast cells in primary and recurrent pterygium. Ma te ri al and Met hod: In this study, we evaluated 49 eyes of 49 outpatients with pterygium and the 2 eyes of 1 outpatient with pterygium. Twenty-eight of pterygium tissues were primary type and twenty-three of them were recurrent type. Normal conjunctival tissues in the upper temporal quadrant of same eyes were included in the control group. The numbers of mast cells in the tissues of primary pterygium group, recurrent pterygium group and control group were compared. Re sults: The mean mast cell number in the pterygium tissues (8.9±6.5) was statistically significantly higher than the mean mast cell number in the control tissues (6.0±4.7) (p=0.000). Even though the mean mast cell number in the recurrent pterygium tissues (9.3±7.4) was higher than that in the primary pterygium tissues (8.5±5.3), the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.68). Dis cus si on: These results suggest that mast cells play an important role in pterygium pathogenesis; however, more studies are necessary to demonstrate the difference between primary pterygium and recurrent pterygium. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2012; 42: 183-5

Concurrent use of drugs and potential drug interactions in HIV-infected patients in a tertiary healthcare facility in Turkey

Purpose: To investigate the frequency of concurrent drug use and drug interactions in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Methods: The medical records of HIV-infected patients followed up at Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital in the last six months were retrospectively reviewed to assess the antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens used, the prescribed concurrent drugs, and their interactions Results: The records of 268 patients were evaluated; of these, 43 (16 %) were women, and 225 (84 %) were men. The mean age of the patients was 43.8 ± 12.1 years. Concurrent drugs were prescribed to 210 (78.3 %) patients. Drug interactions were detected in 115 (42.9 %) patients. Of the 210 drug interactions detected, 168 (80 %) were potential interactions, 39 (18.6 %) were weak interactions, and 3 (1.4 %) were contraindicated. A statistically significant relationship was not observed in gender, age, and rate of concurrent drug prescription. Increased nephrotoxicity was the most common potential drug interaction. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the most commonly prescribed class of drugs along with ART. Conclusion: Physicians treating HIV-infected patients should be conscious of, and careful about the concurrent use of drugs and their potential drug interactions

Examining self-efficacy perception and attitudes of introduction to programming course students with respect to gender and course language

Bu araştırmanın amacı F.M.V. Işık Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesinde öğrenim gören öğrencilerin genel öz-yeterlilik algılarının ve Programlamaya Giriş(CSE101) dersine yönelik tutumlarının; cinsiyet ve eğitim aldıkları programın diline (Türkçe-İngilizce) göre incelenmesidir. Araştırmaya 40 kadın ve 74 erkek olmak üzere toplam 114 üniversite öğrencisi katılmıştır. Öğrencilerin öz yeterlilik algılarını ölçmek için Genel Öz Yeterlilik ölçeği kullanılmış, ders sonucunu (başarı ve başarısızlık) değerlendirmeleri için açık uçlu sorular sorulmuş ve yaş, cinsiyet gibi temel demografik bilgileri alınmıştır. Açık uçlu sorular niteliksel (kalitatif) analiz yöntemi ile incelenmiştir. Yapılan niceliksel analiz sonucunda öğrencilerin genel öz-yeterlilik puanları ile genel not ortalaması arasında anlamlı, CSE101 dersi dönem sonu not ortalaması arasında ise anlamsız bir ili ki olduğu bulgulanmıştır. Ayrıca öğrencilerin öz-yeterlilik puanlarının cinsiyete ve eğitim aldıkları dile göre (Türkçe-İngilizce) değişmediği görülmüştür. Öğrencilerin motivasyon puanları da eğitim aldıkları dile göre farklılaşmamaktadır. Niteliksel analiz bulgularına göre ise öğrencilerin verdiği cevapların yüzde sıklık değerlerinin cinsiyetleri açısından değiştiği görülmüştür. Bu çalışmanın sonuçları özellikle öğrencilerin derse yönelik tutumlarında cinsiyet açısından bir farklılık olduğunu göstermesi ile mühendislik programlama eğitiminde öğrenci başarısını yordayan değişkenlerin tespit edilmesi sürecine katkı sağlaması beklenmektedir.The purpose of this study is to examine generalized self-efficacy and attitudes of the F.M.V. Isik University Engineering Faculty students of Introduction to Programming Course (CSE101) with respect to student gender and course language (Turkish-English). A total of 114 university students, 40 female and 74 male, participated in the research. In order to measure students' self-efficacy perceptions, General Self-Efficacy scale was used and open-ended questions were asked for evaluation of course outcomes (success and failure) and basic demographic information such as age and gender were collected. The open-ended questions were examined by qualitative analysis method. The quantitative analysis revealed a significant relation between the self-efficacy scores of the students with the General Grade Point Average (GPA); and a non-significant relation with the CSE101 end of term grade average. In addition, it was seen that students' self-efficacy scores did not significantly differ with respect to the gender and language (Turkish-English). The motivation scores of the students do not differ according to the course language. In qualitative analysis, we observed that the frequency percentages of the answers given by the students changed according to their genders. By revealing the gender difference in attitudes towards programming course, it is expected that this study will contribute to the process of determining the variables that predict student success in engineering programming education.Publisher's Versio