Changes in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and anterior thalamic radiation in the left brain are associated with developmental dyscalculia

Developmental dyscalculia is a neurodevelopmental disorder specific to arithmetic learning even with normal intelligence and age-appropriate education. Difficulties often persist from childhood through adulthood lowering the individual’s quality of life. However, the neural correlates of developmental dyscalculia are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify brain structural connectivity alterations in developmental dyscalculia. All participants were recruited from a large scale, non-referred population sample in a longitudinal design. We studied 10 children with developmental dyscalculia (11.3 ± 0.7 years) and 16 typically developing peers (11.2 ± 0.6 years) using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. We assessed white matter microstructure with tract-based spatial statistics in regions-of-interest tracts that had previously been related to math ability in children. Then we used global probabilistic tractography for the first time to measure and compare tract length between developmental dyscalculia and typically developing groups. The high angular resolution diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and crossing-fiber probabilistic tractography allowed us to evaluate the length of the pathways compared to previous studies. The major findings of our study were reduced white matter coherence and shorter tract length of the left superior longitudinal/arcuate fasciculus and left anterior thalamic radiation in the developmental dyscalculia group. Furthermore, the lower white matter coherence and shorter pathways tended to be associated with the lower math performance. These results from the regional analyses indicate that learning, memory and language-related pathways in the left hemisphere might be related to developmental dyscalculia in children

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Stress in organisations and solution recommendations

ÖZET KALE, Emre, Örgütlerde Stres ve Çözüm Önerileri, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Ufuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Ankara, 2016. Teknolojik gelişim ve çalışma hayatının getirmiş olduğu rekabet, örgütleri daha fazla "başarılı olma" düşüncesine itmektedir. Çalışma hayatında işverenler, örgütlerinin istikrarının ve veriminin yüksek seviyede olması için işgörenlerinden yüksek performans beklemektedirler. İşgörenlerden beklenen bu çalışma temposunu etkileyen çeşitli unsurlar bulunmaktadır. Bu unsurlardan en önemlisi strestir. Stres, yaşanılan olumsuz durumlara karşı bireylerin gösterdiği negatif bir reaksiyondur. Bireysel boyutta gelişen aşırı stres sonucu iş verimi ve çalışma temposu düşmekte olup, buna paralel olarak örgütlerin başarı düzeyi de aşağılarda olmaktadır. Bu bağlamda; örgütsel stres kavramının iyi algılanıp, bunun işlevsel kılınması üzerine çalışmalar oldukça önemlidir.SUMMARY KALE, Emre, Stress in Organisations and Solution Recommendations, Master Thesis, Ufuk University Social Sciences Institute, Ankara, 2016. Organizations obliged think about the issue which is "more succeed", due to technological development and competition which have brought the working life. Employers expect their employees to have a high level of efficiency and stability of the organization in working life. There are several factors effect this high employee performance. Stress is one of the most important these factors. Stress is defined as one's reaction to unfavorable conditions. Due to excessive stress on the individiual dimension, work efficiency and employee performance falling down and so the level of success of organizations. Therefore; concept of organizational stress must understood well, it is very important to work on it and to make it functional

İnsan yüz kaslarının kesit kümesi ve bayesçi yöntemlerle manyetik rezonans ve bilgisayarlı tomografi verisi kullanılarak bölütlenmesi.

Medical image segmentation is a challenging problem, and is studied widely. In this thesis, the main goal is to develop automatic segmentation techniques of human mimic muscles and to compare them with ground truth data in order to determine the method that provides best segmentation results. The segmentation methods are based on Bayesian with Markov Random Field (MRF) and Level Set (Active Contour) models. Proposed segmentation methods are multi step processes including preprocess, main muscle segmentation step and post process, and are applied on three types of data: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data, Computerized Tomography (CT) data and unified data, in which case, information coming from both modalities are utilized. The methods are applied both in three dimensions (3D) and two dimensions (2D) data cases. A simulation data and two patient data are utilized for tests. The patient data results are compared statistically with ground truth data which was labeled by an expert radiologist.M.S. - Master of Scienc

Гострий вплив повторюваних ізоінерційних випадів на параметри стрибка та спринту

Background and Study Aim. Understanding the relationship between repeated isoinertial lunges and jump and sprint parameters is an important factor in achieving success in sports requiring explosive strength and speed. The aim of this study was to examine the acute effects of repeated isoinertial lunges on jump and sprint parameters. Material and Methods. Volunteered 42 students from Sports Sciences Faculty were participated to the study. They were randomly divided into experimental group (EG) (n=22, age=22.8±1.1year, height=180.6±7.1cm, body weight=77.5±8.8kg) and control group (CG) (n=20, age=23.0±2.1year, height=173.1±5.6 cm, body weight=71.3±8.4 kg). As pre- and post-tests, each participant performed squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 30m sprint on a non-motorized treadmill. Isoinertial lunges were included in 8 reps with dominant leg (DL), 1 min rest, and 8 reps with non-dominant leg (NDL). As a statistical analysis, pre- and post-test differences were analyzed with independent t test between groups and paired t test within groups. The level of significance was taken as p≤0.05. Results. There were pre-test and also post-test differences between groups in SJ (p<0.05) but there were no differences within groups. Both groups had significant pre- and post-test time, velocity, and power differences [for EG: p<0.01, p<0.001, p<0.01; for CG: p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.01, respectively]. EG had significant pre- and post-test differences in stride frequency (SF) (p<0.01). There was a post-test SF difference between two groups (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant pre-test differences between the groups in 30m sprint parameters of NDL and DL. There were only significant post-test differences between the groups in SFDL (p<0.005) and NDL horizontal force (HFNDL) (p<0.01). EG had only significant pre- and post-test differences in SFDL and PNDL (p<0.005 and p<0.05). Conclusions. Detailed studies in SF and SFDL increases result by repeated isoinertial lunges should be beneficial focus on DL neuromuscular activation. Furthermore, incorporating repeated isoinertial lunges into training regimens could be a valuable strategy for enhancing specific aspects of athletic performance in sports that demand high levels of speed and explosive power.Передумови та мета дослідження. Розуміння зв’язку між повторюваними ізоінерціальними випадами та параметрами стрибка та спринту є важливим фактором у досягненні успіху у видах спорту, що вимагають вибухової сили та швидкості. Метою цього дослідження було вивчити гострий вплив повторних ізоінерційних випадів на параметри стрибка та спринту.Матеріал і методи. У дослідженні взяли участь 42 студенти факультету спортивних наук. Їх випадковим чином розподілили на експериментальну групу (ЕГ) (n=22, вік=22,8±1,1 рік, зріст=180,6±7,1 см, маса тіла=77,5±8,8 кг) та контрольну групу (КГ) (n=20, вік= 23,0±2,1 року, ріст=173,1±5,6 см, маса тіла=71,3±8,4 кг). У якості попередніх і післятестів кожен учасник виконував стрибки з присідання (SJ), стрибки проти руху (CMJ) і спринт на 30 м на немоторизованій біговій доріжці. Ізоінерційні випади включали 8 повторень з домінуючою ногою (DL), 1 хв відпочинку та 8 повторень з недомінуючою ногою (NDL). Для статистичного аналізу відмінності до та після тесту аналізували за допомогою незалежного t-тесту між групами та парного t-тесту всередині груп. Рівень значущості приймався р≤0,05.Результати. Існували відмінності між групами в SJ до тесту, а також після тесту (p<0,05), але не було відмінностей у групах. Обидві групи мали значні відмінності у часі, швидкості та потужності до та після тестування [для ЕГ: p<0,01, p<0,001, p<0,01; для КГ: p<0,001, p<0,001, p<0,01 відповідно]. ЕГ мала значні відмінності в частоті кроків (SF) до і після тесту (p<0,01). Між двома групами була різниця в SF після тесту (p<0,05). Не було статистично значущих відмінностей перед тестом між групами в параметрах спринту на 30 метрів NDL і DL. Були лише значні відмінності після тесту між групами в SFDL (p<0,005) і горизонтальній силі NDL (HFNDL) (p<0,01). ЕГ мала лише значні відмінності до та після тесту у SFDL та PNDL (p<0,005 та p<0,05).Висновки. Детальні дослідження результатів збільшення SF і SFDL за допомогою повторних ізоінерційних випадів мають бути корисними для зосередження на нейром’язовій активації DL. Крім того, включення повторюваних ізоінерційних випадів у режими тренувань може бути цінною стратегією для покращення конкретних аспектів спортивних результатів у видах спорту, які вимагають високих рівнів швидкості та вибухової сили

Automatic segmentation of human facial tissue by MRI-CT fusion: A feasibility study

The aim of this study was to develop automatic image segmentation methods to segment human facial tissue which contains very thin anatomic structures. The segmentation output can be used to construct a more realistic human face model for a variety of purposes like surgery planning, patient specific prosthesis design and facial expression simulation. Segmentation methods developed were based on Bayesian and Level Set frameworks, which were applied on three image types: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT) and fusion, in which case information from both modalities were utilized maximally for every tissue type. The results on human data indicated that fusion, thickness adaptive and postprocessing options provided the best muscle/fat segmentation scores in both Level Set and Bayesian methods. When the best Level Set and Bayesian methods were compared, scores of the latter were better. Number of algorithm parameters (to be trained) and computer run time measured were also in favour of the Bayesian method

Kentsel dönüşüm sürecinde asbest maruziyeti ve korunma yöntemleri

Asbest maddesi ve insan sağlığına verdiği zararlar iş sağlığı ve güvenliği dünyasında uzun süredir araştırmacıları meşgul etmektedir. Getirilen yasal düzenlemeler ile asbest kullanımı dünya genelinde birçok ülkede yasaklansa da geçmiş yıllardaki yaygın kullanımından dolayı mevcut bina stoklarında hala asbest ihtiva eden bileşenlerin var olduğu bilinmektedir. Son yıllarda Türkiye’de uygulaması devam eden kentsel dönüşüm süreci kapsamında bu binaların yıkımı söz konusu olduğu için asbeste maruz kalma gerçeği bir kez daha gün yüzüne çıkmıştır. Bu çalışmada, ülkemizde ve dünyada iş sağlığı ve güvenliği kapsamında asbest maruziyetine yönelik yapılan yasal düzenlemeler detaylı olarak incelenmiş ve yapılan karşılaştırmalar sonucunda elde edilen bulgulara göre mevzuatta daha etkili önlemlerin alınması gerektiği ve kontrol mekanizmasının geliştirilmeye ihtiyaç duyduğu kanısına varılmıştır. Bu kapsamda kentsel dönüşüm sürecinde asbest maruziyetine uğramamak için uygulamacılarca kullanılabilecek bir akış şeması oluşturulmuş ve çözüm önerileri sunulmuştur

Asbestos exposure and prevention methods in urban renewal process

WOS: 000443171200008Asbestos and its health hazards have been keeping occupational safety and health community busy for a long time. Although it is forbidden to use asbestos in majority of the world as mandated by legislative bodies, it is known that many existing buildings still contain asbestos containing materials due to its widespread usage in the past Asbestos exposure reality resurfaced when these buildings are being demolished as part of the urban renewal process in Turkey. This study thoroughly investigates legal regulations and standards that concern asbestos exposure in Turkey and rest of the world. It was found that more effective precautions and improvements are needed in Turkish legislation on working with asbestos. Based on the findings of comparisons, it is recommended that existing regulations need more effective measures and a newly developed control mechanism In addition, a flow chart was developed for practitioners to prevent asbestos exposure during urban renewal process and remedial recommendations were made