Towards 21st century citizenship through sustainable development goals in foreign language education

Since learning, literacy, and life skills have become essential for individuals in the information age, the focus on education has shifted to preparation of students for the knowledge society. This is valid for all levels and spheres of education including but not limited to foreign language teaching in higher education. With this in mind, a new English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Course aiming to equip freshman level university students with necessary learning skills has been launched. A particular emphasis has been given to developing the students’ English language skills so as to facilitate their communicative competence both in their academic and professional lives. The course adopts a challenge-based learning approach, which provides students with a meaningful framework for learning as it is based on solving real-world problems. In the course, the students work on real world challenges based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) while using the learning skills (the four C’s) of the 21st Century, namely critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. During the course, the students work together on the issues highlighted as challenges in United Nation’s report on Turkey’s state regarding the 17 SDGs, and offer solutions in groups in the form of poster presentations, academic papers and oral presentations. The course has been implemented since fall 2021. In this concept paper, the researchers will share their experiences and research plans about the evaluation of the course based on Stufflebeam’s Context (C), Input (I), Process (P), Product (P) (CIPP) Evaluation Model

Cardiac Auscultatory Skills of Academic Family Physicians: Strength of Association with an Academic Pediatric Cardiologist

Aim. Heart murmur is common in children, and it is one of the main reasons for referral among children in primary care. The aim of this study is to evaluate agreement and consistency of normal, innocent, and pathologic murmur decision between academic family physicians and academic pediatric cardiologist. Methods. Seven hundred fifteen primary school children were examined by family physicians and paediatric cardiologist. Auscultatory examination was performed. Intensity, frequency, duration, quality, location, and radiation of the murmur were described if present. Agreement of normal, innocent, and pathologic murmur classification decision between family physician and paediatric cardiologist was analyzed by using kappa statistic. Results. Normal, innocent and pathologic murmurs were reported for 419, 228, and 54 children in family physicians' reports, respectively. Paediatric cardiologist agreed on 383 (91.4%) children as normal, 191 (83.7%) children having innocent murmur, and 19 (35.2%) children having pathologic murmur among family physician's reports. There was good consistency between family physicians and paediatric cardiologist (κ value = 0.679, 95% CI 0.630–0.727, P < .001). They agreed on the majority of normal and innocent murmur decisions. However family physicians reported pathologic murmur more frequently. Conclusion. Cardiac auscultatory skills of academic family physicians may be concordant with paediatric cardiologist

Nutritional knowledge, source of nutritional knowledge and physical activity status of a group of primary school teachers

Çocukluk çagı obezitesi giderek yaygınlasması ve eriskin dönem obezitesinin bir öncülü olması dolayısı ile önemli bir sorundur. Okul-temelli çalısmalar bu çagdaki obezitenin azaltılması için kullanılan yöntemlerdir. Ilkögretim döneminin zorunlu olması ve toplumun her kesiminden çocuga bu ortam vasıtası ile ulasılabilmesi okul-temelli yöntemlerin önemini arttırmaktadır. Bu arastırma ögrencilere egitim veren ve rol-model olan ilkögretim ögretmenlerinin beslenme ve fizik aktivite ile ilgili bilgileri ve durumlarını belirlemek üzere düzenlenmistir. Onbes farklı ilde çalısan 143 ögretmenin beslenme bilgileri, bilgi kaynakları ve fizik aktivite durumları anket yöntemi kullanılarak belirlenmistir. Beslenme bilgi düzeyi olarak ögretmenlerin %80.9'u yetersiz ve %19.1'i ise yeterli olarak bulunmustur. Beslenme bilgileri daha çok medya kaynaklıdır. Fizik aktivite durumu olarak fizik aktivite düzeyleri yetersiz olanların oranı %77.9 olarak bulunmustur. Sonuç olarak ögretmenlerin saglıklı beslenme konusunda egitime ihtiyaçları oldugunu ve fizik aktivite düzeylerinin yetersiz oldugunu düsünmekteyiz.Childhood obesity is an important problem due to its increasing prevalance and being a precursor of adult obesity. School-based interventions are methods used to reduce childhood obesity. Because primary education is obligatory and giving the chance to reach all children from each socioeconomic status school-based interventions has an increasing importance.This study is designed to determine the physical activity status and nutritional knowledege of primary school teachers who are also role-model for students. Nutrition knowledge and its source, physical activity status of 143 teachers who are from 15 different cities of Turkey are determined by a self-report questionaire. The nutritional knowledge of 80.9% of the teachers was found to be inadequate whereas only 19.1% of them had adequate knowledge. According to physical activity of the total %77.9 was physically inactive. Eventually we conclude that primary school teachers need to be educated about healthy nutrition and they are physically inactive

Postoperative mechanical alignment analysis of total knee replacement patients operated with 3d printed patient specific instruments: A prospective cohort study

Objective: Total knee replacement (TKR) is a surgical treatment for final stage gonarthrosis. The lifespan of the prosthetic implants used in TKR surgery is a major interest for the orthopaedic research community.Previously, proper implant alignment of the implants has been advocated for longevity of the TKR surgery. Recently, patient-specific (PSI) instruments have been proposed to improve the mechanical alignment of the TKR by permitting better implant positioning over conventional TKR surgery. The aim of this study is to compare the mechanical alignment results of patients operated with PSIs and conventional instruments. Methods: Two groups of 20 patients chosen in a quasi-random manner have been compared in this study. In the first group femoral distal and tibial osteotomies were made by a PSI which was produced by the patients’ computed tomography scans. All osteotomies in the control group were made with the TKR set's routine instruments by conventional means. Patients’ preoperative and postoperative mechanical femorotibal angles (mFTA), femoral coronal angles (FCA), tibial coronal angles (TCA) were measured and the number of outliers which showed more than 3° of malalignment were counted in both groups for comparison. Results: The average postoperative mFTA was found to be 2.09° for the PSI group and in was found to be 284° for the control which was not statistically significant. The comparison of postoperative FCA and TCA also did not show significant difference between the groups. The number of outliers showing more than 3° of malalignment per group were found to be 1 out of 20 (5%) for the PSI group and 7 out of 20 (35%) for the control which was statistically significant. Conclusion: In this study patient-specific instrumentation provided significantly better mechanical alignment compared to conventional TKR for the frequency of outlier cases with malalignment beyond 3°. PSI proved no significant difference when the groups were compared for mFTA, FCA and TCA. Our findings support that PSI may improve TKR alignment by improving the ratio of the outlier patients with marked malalignment. Level of Evidence: Level III, Therapeutic Study

Efficacy of prophylaxis with norfloxacin in transrectal prostate biopsy

Amaç: Transrektal iğne biyopsisi (TRıB) günümüzde prostat kanseri tanısı için standart tanı yöntemidir. Bu işleme bağlı enfektif komplikasyonların olasılığını azaltmak için çeşitli antibiyotik rejimleri kullanılmaktadır. Ancak TRıB profilaksisinde standart bir profilaksi rejimi henüz mevcut değildir. Yöntem: Kliniğimizde TRıB uygulanan 34 olguya işlemden 24 saat önce başlanarak ve 2x400 mg/gün dozunda 1 hafta süreyle norfloksasin profilaksisi uygulandı. TRıB sonrasındaki 48. saat ve 7. günde olmak üzere hastaların tümünden iki kez idrar kültürü alındı. Bakteriüri >1x105 koloni / ml olarak, febril atak >38.5 C ye ulaşan ateş olarak kabul edildi. Bulgular: Febril enfeksiyon oranı %3 ve üriner enfeksiyon oranı %3 olarak kaydedilirken, sepsis olgusuna rastlanmadı. Sonuç: TRıB sonrası görülebilecek enfeksiyon komplikasyon oranı küçümsenmeyecek derecededir. Bu gibi enfektif komplikasyonları engellemek amacıyla değişik maliyette ve genellikle parenteral antibiyotik içeren profilaksi rejimleri kullanılmaktadır. Norfloksasin ile işlemden 24 saat önce başlanan ve 1 hafta uygulanan profilaksi bu tip komplikasyonları minimale indirmesi ve düşük maliyeti ile TRıB profilaksisi için iyi bir aday olmaktadır.Objective: Transrectal needle biopsy is the standard method in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Various antibiotic regimens have been used to reduce the complication of infection associated with this procedure. However, there is no well-established antibiotic regimen for patients undergoing transrectal biopsy of the prostate. Methods: Thirty-four patients undergoing transrectal biopsies of the prostate received 400 mg of norfloxacin twice a day starting 24 h before biopsy and continued for 1 week. In 48 hours and 7th day after transrectal needle biopsy were provided urine culture. Significant bacteriuria was defined as more than 1x105 colony / mL and febrile attack was accepted as high fever reaching 38.5°C. Results: Each rates of bacteraemia and urinary tract infection were 3%, and no patient developed sepsis. Discussion: The development of infection after transrectal biopsy of prostate is not rare. With the purpose of preventing such complications, intravenous antibiotics in high cost are commonly used. Norfloxacin prophylaxis for 1 week effectively minimizes such complications and it also has a low cost

The effect of low-molecular-weight heparin on rat tendon healing

Objectives: We investigated the effect of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) on the healing of tendons. Methods: Forty-five adult Wistar rats weighing 300 g were randomized into three groups equal in number. All the rats underwent full-thickness surgical incision of the Achilles tendon followed by primary repair. After the operation, two groups received daily subcutaneous LMWH injections (nadroparin calcium) for four weeks at high or low doses (group 1, 6 mg/kg, 170 IU AXa; group II, 3 mg/kg, 85 IU AXa). Group III remained untreated as the control group. Histologically, the specimens were examined under light and electron microscopy with regard to the amount of fibrillar collagen synthesis, mitochondrial degeneration, and the composition of the extracellular matrix collagen. Biomechanically, maximum load to failure and correspondent elongation of the tendons were measured. Results: Compared to the control group, histologically, both LMWH-treated Groups exhibited increased number of fibroblasts, increased fibrillar collagen formation in the extracellular matrix, and higher counts of granular endoplasmic reticula in cytoplasmic contents of fibroblasts as well as decreased mitochondrial vacuolization and degeneration. Biomechanical assessments showed that tendons in group I had significantly higher maximum load to failure and elongation values than group II and III (31 N vs. 24.6 N and 23.1 N; 25 mm vs. 19.6 mm and 17.3 mm, respectively; p0.05). Conclusion: Daily administration of single dose LMWH improves tendon healing through increasing the number of fibroblasts and fibrillar collagen synthesis and decreasing mitochondrial degeneration.Publisher's Versio

Comparison of the marginal adaptation of direct and indirect composite inlay restorations with optical coherence tomography

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to use the photonic imaging modality of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to compare the marginal adaptation of composite inlays fabricated by direct and indirect techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Class II cavities were prepared on 34 extracted human molar teeth. The cavities were randomly divided into two groups according to the inlay fabrication technique. The first group was directly restored on cavities with a composite (Esthet X HD, Dentsply, Germany) after isolating. The second group was indirectly restored with the same composite material. Marginal adaptations were scanned before cementation with an invisible infrared light beam of OCT (Thorlabs), allowing measurement in 200 µm intervals. Restorations were cemented with a self-adhesive cement resin (SmartCem2, Dentsply), and then marginal adaptations were again measured with OCT. Mean values were statistically compared by using independent-samples t-test and paired samples t-test (p<0.05), before and after cementation. RESULTS: Direct inlays presented statistically smaller marginal discrepancy values than indirect inlays, before (p=0.00001442) and after (p=0.00001466) cementation. Marginal discrepancy values were increased for all restorations after cementation (p=0.00008839, p=0.000000952 for direct and indirect inlays, respectively). The mean marginal discrepancy value of the direct group increased from 56.88±20.04 µm to 91.88±31.7 µm, whereas the indirect group increased from 107.54±35.63 µm to 170.29±54.83 µm. Different techniques are available to detect marginal adaptation of restorations, but the OCT system can give quantitative information about resin cement thickness and its interaction between tooth and restoration in a nondestructive manner. CONCLUSIONS: Direct inlays presented smaller marginal discrepancy than indirect inlays. The marginal discrepancy values were increased for all restorations that refer to cement thickness after cementation

ACTA ORTHOPAEDICA ET TRAUMATOLOGICA TURCICA

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mucopolysaccharide, vitamin C, and collagen supplementation on the healing of Achilles tendon in rats. Methods: Sixteen rats were separated into 2 groups. Both Achilles tendons of all rats were transected 5 mm above the insertion and repaired using a Kessler suture. After the surgical repair, the study group received the daily recommended amount of the supplement by gastric gavage, while the control group received a placebo. At the end of the third week, the animals were sacrificed. The biomechanical properties of the groups were compared with ultimate tensile strength and stiffness tests. The biological properties of the 2 groups were assessed with a histomorphometric comparison to determine the amount of collagen type I (COL1), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) expression in 3 different tissue subgroups (collagen matrix, tenocytes, and endotenon fibroblasts). Results: Analysis of histomorphometric results revealed that the rats receiving dietary supplements demonstrated a significant increase in PCNA (mean value of 86 in the control group and 168.85 in the trial group; p < 0.05) and TGF-beta 1 (mean value of 87.57 in the control group and 161.85 in the trial group; p < 0.05) in the endotenon fibroblasts of the repair site. However, there was no difference between the groups in PCNA or TGF-beta 1 when the collagen matrix and the tenocytes of the repair site were examined. Furthermore, no significant difference could be found between groups in COL1 in any of the 3 tissue subgroups (collagen matrix, tenocytes, and endotenon fibroblasts). The statistical analysis also indicated that the rats receiving supplements did not demonstrate a significant increase in the ultimate tendon tensile strength or stiffness. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed no advantage to the oral administration of the trial supplement in collagen synthesis or biomechanical properties in rats after 3 weeks using the presented study design. However, the increased expression of PCNA and TGE-beta 1 seen in the endotenon fibroblasts of the repair site might play a role in the continuum of tendon healing. (C) 2018 Turkish Association of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V