Efficacy of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac in patients diagnosed with COVID-19

This retrospective observational study is aimed to determine the efficacy of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and CoronaVac (Sinovac) vaccines against symptomatic or severe disease in COVID-19-diagnosed patients. The secondary aim was to define the differences between vaccinated and un-vaccinated patients in terms of age, comorbidities and course of the disease, and to determine the survival rates. Of the 1463 PCR-positive patients, 55.3 % were vaccinated, and 44.7 % were unvaccinated. While 959 patients had mild-moderate symptoms, 504 patients had severe-critical symptoms and were treated in the intensive care unit. There was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of the type and doses of vaccines between the patient groups (p = 0.021). The rate of receiving 2 doses of Biontech was 18.9 % in the mild-moderate patient group but lower in the severe patient group (12.6 %). The rate of two doses of Sinovac and two doses of Biontech vaccine (four doses of vaccine) was 5 % in the mild-moderate patient group and 1.9 % in the severe patient group. The mortality rates were statistically significantly different (p < 0.001) between the patient groups: 65.3 % in the severe patient group and 1 % in the mild-moderate patient group. The multivariate model showed that the mortality risk of the unvaccinated patients was 1.5 times higher than the vaccinated ones (p = 0.042). In addition to being unvaccinated, advanced age, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and obesity were found to be associated with higher mortality risk. Besides, the reduction in mortality rate was more evident in individuals vaccinated with at least 2 doses of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine than in CoronaVac group

Efficient Removal Approach of Micropollutants in Wastewater Using Membrane Bioreactor

In the recent past years, micropollutants that are pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have been used extensively and have been discovered in raw sewage, wastewater treatment plants, effluents, surface, and groundwater with concentrations from ng/L to several μg/L. Even though many of these compounds are still not determined online, monitoring technology improvements progressed. Today’s wastewater treatment plants are not constructed to remove these micropollutants yet. Conventional activated sludge processes are used in the treatment of municipal wastewater but are not specifically designed for the removal of micropollutants. The remaining pharmaceuticals mix into surface waters. At that stage, they can adversely affect the aquatic environment and may cause issues for drinking water production. As the conventional methods are insufficient for removing the micropollutants, other alternative treatment methods can be applied such as coagulation-flocculation, activated carbon adsorption (powdered activated carbon and granular activated carbon), advanced oxidation processes, membrane processes, and membrane bioreactor. It has been observed that membrane bioreactor (MBR) can achieve higher and more consistent micropollutants removal. The removal of micropollutants is based on physicochemical properties of micropollutants and the conditions of treatment. Due to recent technical innovations and cost reductions of the actual membranes, the membrane bioreactor takes attention. In this study, membrane bioreactor experiments for micropollutants in drinking use, wastewater, and surface waters were investigated in detail based on literature investigations, and the feasibility of this method was evaluated

Korrupció és pénzügyi fejlettség : Kelet-európai és közép-ázsiai országokról szóló értékelés

A korrupció és a pénzügyi piacok közötti kapcsolat tanulmányozása és annak pénzügyi rendszerre gyakorolt hatásainak vizsgálata sok kutatót vonzott az elmúlt években. A pénzügyi piacokra gyakorolt hatás megértése különösen a feltörekvő országok számára fontos. Ez a cikk 19 kelet-európai és közép-ázsiai országban vizsgálta meg - az általánosított momentumok módszerének (GMM) megközelítésével - a 2012-től 2017-ig terjedő időszakra a korrupcióészlelési index (CPI), a kormány mérete, a nyitottság és a GDP pénzügyi fejlettségre gyakorolt hatását. Az eredmények arra utalnak, hogy nincs kapcsolat a korrupció szintje és a pénzügyi fejlettség között

Evaluation of teaching forensic nursing course on undergraduate nursing student's forensic nursing knowledge

Background: The aim of the forensic nursing (FN) education is to provide nursing students with the basic knowledge of FN that they can use in the clinical area. Objective: The study evaluated the effect of integrating forensic nursing into the undergraduate nursing curriculum on 2nd- and 4th-year students’ knowledge level of FN. Participants: The target population of this study was composed of 2nd- and 4th-year students in the nursing department at a foundation university in Istanbul. The study was conducted with 95 nursing students who agreed to participate in the study. Methods: The research was planned as cross-sectional and descriptive. The questionnaire form was developed with the help of literature by experts in the field. Each correct answer was scored as 4 points, and the total score could range from 0 to 100. Results: The average age was 21.64 ± 1.16, and 66.3% (n = 63) was female. Out of the 95 students, 50.5% (n = 48) were in 2nd year, and 49.5% (n = 47) were in 4th year. A total of 47.4% (n = 45) of the students took a FN course, and 52.6% (n = 50) did not take FN course. The average level of knowledge for those who took FN course was 52.09 ± 12.31 and for those who did not take FN course was 46.16 ± 12.18. According to the status of taking FN course, a significant difference was found between the average level of knowledge (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These results emphasize the importance of integration of FN into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. © 2022, The Author(s)

Macular Findings Obtained by Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Retinopathy of Prematurity

Purpose. To examine the macular findings obtained with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) in infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Materials and Methods. The macular SD OCT images of 190 premature infants were analyzed. Data regarding central foveal thickness (CFT), cystoid macular edema (CME), and cyst grading were compared. The relationships of CFT with gestational age and birth weight were investigated. Results. The results were obtained from 358 eyes of 179 infants (81 females and 98 males) of a mean gestational age of 30.9±2.7 weeks and a mean birth weight of 1609±477 g. ROP was diagnosed in 126 eyes and CME in 139 eyes. A significantly greater percentage of eyes with ROP were found to have CME (54%) compared to eyes without ROP (31%; P=0.001). The incidence of CME was 46.3% for stage 1 ROP, 57.1% for stage 2, and 87.5% for stage 3. There was a weakly inverse correlation between CFT, gestational age, and birth weight (P=0.025, r=-0.227; P=0.002, r=-0.182, resp., Spearman correlation test). Conclusions. High-quality SD OCT images can be obtained from premature infants using the iVue system. Severity and frequency of CME in premature infants increase as stage of ROP increases

Water recovery with combined membrane system in textile industry, treatment and management of concentrates by hybrid advanced oxidation/membrane filtration

In this study, in addition to textile wastewater treatment by UF/NFtight/TO membrane combination of which efficiency is known, management has been performed for membrane concentrates generated with advanced oxidation combined process (Fenton and photo-Fenton (UVA-365-UVC-254))/submerged UF system of membrane concentrates generated within 75-80% water recovery ratio by oxidizing them in optimum operating conditions which were determined before. Ultimately in the studies, the conclusion has been reached that concentrate flows, generated as a result of the treatment with UF/NFtight/TO membrane configuration, were the highest performance innovative process by decreasing the sequential operated photo-Fenton (UVC-254)/UH050 hybrid process in ratios of 9.88 H2O2/TOK and 7.27 H2O2/Fe2+, in the filtration flux of 44 L/m(2). h, COD value to 167 mg/L with 86% COD removal, and TOK value to 104 mg/L with 74.2% TOC removal, after the oxidation with Fenton, photo-Fenton (UVA-365) and (UVC-254)/submerged UF system processes. When hazardous characteristics, removal/recovery methods and reuse alternatives of the concentrate remained after the oxidation of membrane concentrates generated were evaluated, it has been seen that all other concentrates of textile industry wastewater, except the concentrate generated by the treatment with photo-Fenton (UVA-365), had characteristics of hazardousness When removal/recovery methods were evaluated in detail, the conclusion has been reached that these concentrates could be removed with alternative options such as regular storage, burning and canalizing to central wastewater treatment system as long as necessary arrangements (moisture content, dehydration, suitable flow and/or mixture ratios) are made

The Turkish Version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR)

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Turkish language. The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in 10 JIA parents and patients. Each participating centre was asked to collect demographic, clinical data and the JAMAR in 100 consecutive JIA patients or all consecutive patients seen in a 6-month period and to administer the JAMAR to 100 healthy children and their parents. The statistical validation phase explored descriptive statistics and the psychometric issues of the JAMAR: the 3 Likert assumptions, floor/ceiling effects, internal consistency, Cronbach\u27s alpha, interscale correlations, test-retest reliability, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). A total of 466 JIA patients (13.7% systemic, 40.6% oligoarticular, 22.5% RF negative poly-arthritis, and 23.2% other categories) and 93 healthy children were enrolled in four centres. The JAMAR components discriminated well-healthy subjects from JIA patients. All JAMAR components revealed good psychometric performances. In conclusion, the Turkish version of the JAMAR is a valid tool for the assessment of children with JIA and is suitable for use both in routine clinical practice and clinical research

Essays on Food Security, Gender and Agriculture

Food insecurity remains a major challenge worldwide with an uneven distribution towards developing countries. Persistent food insecurity is a cause of concern as lack of adequate consumption of food has long-term implications for both individuals and societies. As population growth, rising incomes, and rapid urbanization increase the pressure on agriculture via pressure on land and demand for food, food insecurity will remain a challenge requiring effective policy interventions in near future. This dissertation investigated the potential means through which food insecurity can be alleviated. In addition to a background chapter examining long term patterns of undernourishment and future threats to global food security, three empirical chapters examined the implications of foreign direct investment in agriculture for food security in the host country, how integration to markets affects the food security status of smallholder producers in Tanzania using data from Tanzania National Panel Survey 2014-15, and effect of women\u27s empowerment on child nutrition based on data from Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) 2015. The findings of this dissertation show that mainstream policy approaches (i.e, increased FDI or more market oriented agriculture) do not always benefit the most vulnerable. Alleviating food insecurity requires a better understanding of complex social, economic and cultural factors and more inclusive policies. Transformation of food production systems and empowering the most vulnerable populations are inevitable to ensure global food security

Efficacy of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac in patients diagnosed with COVID-19

This retrospective observational study is aimed to determine the efficacy of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and CoronaVac (Sinovac) vaccines against symptomatic or severe disease in COVID-19-diagnosed patients. The secondary aim was to define the differences between vaccinated and un-vaccinated patients in terms of age, comorbidities and course of the disease, and to determine the survival rates. Of the 1463 PCR-positive patients, 55.3 % were vaccinated, and 44.7 % were unvaccinated. While 959 patients had mild-moderate symptoms, 504 patients had severe-critical symptoms and were treated in the intensive care unit. There was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of the type and doses of vaccines between the patient groups (p = 0.021). The rate of receiving 2 doses of Biontech was 18.9 % in the mild-moderate patient group but lower in the severe patient group (12.6 %). The rate of two doses of Sinovac and two doses of Biontech vaccine (four doses of vaccine) was 5 % in the mild-moderate patient group and 1.9 % in the severe patient group. The mortality rates were statistically significantly different (p < 0.001) between the patient groups: 65.3 % in the severe patient group and 1 % in the mild-moderate patient group. The multivariate model showed that the mortality risk of the unvaccinated patients was 1.5 times higher than the vaccinated ones (p = 0.042). In addition to being unvaccinated, advanced age, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and obesity were found to be associated with higher mortality risk. Besides, the reduction in mortality rate was more evident in individuals vaccinated with at least 2 doses of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine than in CoronaVac group