Economic Growth and Development Effect of Education: Cointegration Analysis for Turkey

Economic theory proposes that there is a connection between education level and efficiency, and a person contribute to the society related with his education level. Also it is accepted that characteristics of education activities effects economic, social and cultural development of the society. Human capital is of great importance for social and economic progress. Qualified work force is resulted from the education level. Investment for the human capital implied education investments which provide the increase literacy rate and information-ability levels. This is really important for both underdeveloped and developed countries. So education investments should be analyzed for understanding the effects on growth and development. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between education investments and economic growth for Turkey. We used cointegration technique for the period from 1980 to 2011. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p36

Holdinge Bağlı Şirketler ile Bağlı Olmayan Şirketlerin Finansal Oran Analizi ile Karşılaştırılması

İşletmeler, ekonominin büyümesiyle eş zamanlı olarak sürekli büyüme zorunluluğu içerisindedir. Holding çatısı altında olmanın buna katkısı olabilmektedir. Çalışmada holdinge bağlı işletmeler ile holdinge bağlı olmayan işletmelerin performansları arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olup olmadığı finansal oranlar kullanılarak panel veri seti ve t-testi yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular özellikle verimlilik açısından holding şirketlerinin pozitif olarak, kısa vadeli borç yönetiminde negatif olarak ayrıştığını ortaya koymaktadır. Holdinge bağlı olmayan şirketler etkinlik döngüsündeki verimsizliği kısa vadeli borç ödemelerini öteleyerek azaltma yoluna gitmektedir. Ancak holdinge bağlı firmalar nakit döngüsünü daha kısa sürede tamamlamaktadır. Sonuçlar, holdinglerin ana kurulum amaçları olan kaynakların verimli dağılımı ve yönetimi hedeflerine ulaştıklarını göstermektedir

Holdinge Bağlı Şirketler ile Bağlı Olmayan Şirketlerin Finansal Oran Analizi ile Karşılaştırılması

İşletmeler, ekonominin büyümesiyle eş zamanlı olarak sürekli büyüme zorunluluğu içerisindedir. Holding çatısı altında olmanın buna katkısı olabilmektedir. Çalışmada holdinge bağlı işletmeler ile holdinge bağlı olmayan işletmelerin performansları arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olup olmadığı finansal oranlar kullanılarak panel veri seti ve t-testi yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular özellikle verimlilik açısından holding şirketlerinin pozitif olarak, kısa vadeli borç yönetiminde negatif olarak ayrıştığını ortaya koymaktadır. Holdinge bağlı olmayan şirketler etkinlik döngüsündeki verimsizliği kısa vadeli borç ödemelerini öteleyerek azaltma yoluna gitmektedir. Ancak holdinge bağlı firmalar nakit döngüsünü daha kısa sürede tamamlamaktadır. Sonuçlar, holdinglerin ana kurulum amaçları olan kaynakların verimli dağılımı ve yönetimi hedeflerine ulaştıklarını göstermektedir

Türkiye Basketbol Liglerinin Rekabet Yapisi Ve Spor Endüstrisi İle İlişkisi

Bu çalışmada, Türkiye Basketbol liglerinde faaliyet gösteren kulüplerin 2014-2017 sezonları için rekabet düzeyleri araştırılmıştır. Basketbol Süper Liginin yanı sıra iki alt lig olan Türkiye Basketbol 1. Ligi ve Türkiye Basketbol 2. Ligi (iki grup) incelemeye dahil edilmiştir. Alt ve üst liglerde rekabet düzeyleri hesaplanarak alt liglerden üst liglere çıkıldıkça rekabet düzeyinin değişip değişmediği (bozulup/bozulmadığı) yıllar itibariyle kıyaslanmıştır.  Basketbol liglerinin piyasa yapısı ve rakebet düzeyleri yoğunlaşma endeksleri metedolojisinden hareketle belirlenmiştir. Literatürde en sık kullanılan “n” firmalı yoğunlaşma endeksi CR-4 ve Herfindahl Hirschman Endeksi (HHI) hesaplama yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Analiz sonuçlarına göre, Süper Lig takımları arasında CR-4 yoğunlaşma endeksi skorları 2014, 2015, 2016 ve 2017 sezonları için sırasıyla 0.29, 0.27, 0.29 ve 0,30 olarak hesaplanmıştır. HHI sonuçlarına göre ise ilgili yıllarda sırasıyla 221, 193, 212 ve 229 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Yoğunlaşma endeksleri sonuçları bir bütün olarak değerlendirildiğinde Basketbol Ligleri tüm katagorilerde zayıf oligopolcü bir piyasa yapısına sahiptir.  Türkiye Basketbol 2. Liginden Türkiye Basketbol 1. Ligine geçildikçe rekabet kısmen artmakta ise de en üst lig olan Türkiye Basketbol Süper liginde yeniden rekabet düzeyi (endeks skorları) bozulmaktadır. Genel olarak alt liglerde de üst liglerde de benzer bir rekabet düzeyi hakim olup bu rekabet düzeyi yıllar itibariyle değişmediği görülmektedir

Adherence to systemic therapy in patients with psoriasis during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter study

Background: Adherence to treatment is important in chronic dermatological diseases. There are limited data regarding the adherence to treatment in patients with psoriasis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: We aimed to determine the rates of adherence to systemic treatments in patients with psoriasis and to identify the causes of non-adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional multicenter study from May 2021 to August 2021. A questionnaire including items regarding sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, disease-related characteristics, and treatment-related characteristics were filled out by the physicians. The Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), Hospital Anxiety, and Depression Scale, and the Dermatology Life Quality Index were calculated. The rate of adherence and non-adherence to treatment and reasons for non-adherence to treatment were examined. Results: A total of 342 patients with psoriasis were included (182 male/160 female) in the study. The mean age of the patients was 45.9 ± 14.2 years. The average duration of psoriasis was 192 ± 134.7 months. While the rate of adherence to treatment was 57.6%, the rate of non-adherence to treatment was 42.4%. There were no significant differences with respect to adherence to treatment in comparison with oral and injection-therapy groups. The most frequent reasons for non-adherence to treatment were inability to go to the hospital (19.2%), concern about the COVID-19 infection (16.3%), discontinuation of the treatment by the doctor (13.7%), inability to reach the doctor (7.3%), and inability to have access to the medication (7.3%). Conclusion: Adherence to oral and injection therapies was fairly high among our patients with psoriasis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psoriasis severity and duration of medication use had a negative impact on adherence to treatment

Diagnostic Value of the Video Head Impulse Test in Patients with Vertigo: Can It Be Used as a Screening Tool?

Background and Aim: Several laboratory tools are used to evaluate balance disorders but, there is still no screening test to determine the site and the severity of the lesion. The aim was to investigate whether video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) can be used as a screening test in patients with chronic or recurrent vertigo and dizziness. Methods: The files of 965 patients who were followed up in our vertigo outpatient clinic were reviewed retrospectively. Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) gains and saccadic movements of the right and left lateral canals in the vHIT test, and Canal Paresis (CP) in the Caloric Testing (CT) were noted. Results: A total of 325 patients were included in our study. In CT results, the group that CP was most frequently detected was Menière’s Disease (MD) group (71 patients (74.7%). While vHIT results were found to be pathological in the vast majority of patients in the Vestibular Neuritis (VN) group (72.7%), the results were found to be normal at the highest rate in the vestibular migraine group (77.9%). Correlation analysis showed a significant but weak correlation between the degree of CP in the CT and the VOR gains of the lateral canals in vHIT in all groups. Conclusion: Although it has high sensitivity in cases with VN and vestibulopathy, we think that vHIT cannot be used as a screening tool in patients with vertigo, especially for chronic cases, since its sensitivity rate differs in the long term according to the cause of the disease

Clinical course of psoriasis patients that discontinued biologics during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundSince psoriasis is a chronic disease, it is not recommended to discontinue the treatment agents used. However, in real life, the treatment of psoriasis patients may be interrupted for various reasons. During the pandemic period, the treatment of many patients was also interrupted. ObjectivesTo evaluate relapse and clinical worsening in psoriasis patients whose biological therapy was interrupted during the pandemic and reveal associated factors. MethodsThe study included patients aged >= 18 years, who were followed up with moderate and severe chronic psoriasis controlled by the last biological agent [Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) 75 response achieved] but had to discontinue their treatment during the pandemic. The patients' demographic and clinical characteristics, clinical course after the discontinuation of these agents, presence of clinical worsening, and relapse were evaluated. Risk factors were analyzed with the logistic regression analysis. ResultsThe study included 169 patients, with a mean age of 47.3 +/- 14.5 (18-87) years. The mean biologics-free time was 18.2 +/- 12.3 (2-56) weeks. Clinical worsening was detected in 41.4% and relapse in 48.5% of the patients. The significant risk factors for clinical worsening and relapse in both univariate and multivariate analyses were alcohol use during the biologics-free period, total time off biologics, and the presence of an additional triggering factor. The use of secukinumab and ustekinumab was found to be a protective factor against clinical worsening in multivariate analyses. ConclusionAs the biologics-free period is prolonged, the likelihood of clinical worsening and relapse increases, therefore, we do not recommend discontinuing biological agents

Habits of using social media and the internet in psoriasis patients

Introduction: Psoriasis significantly affects the patients quality of life, which often leads patients to seek online information about this disease. Objectives: To explore the habits of patients with psoriasis related to their use of social media (SM) and the internet to obtain information about their disease. Methods: 1,520 patients completed the survey and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire. The Psoriasis Area Severity Index scores (PASI) and clinical data of the patients were recorded by their physicians. Results: Of the 1,114 patients that reported using SM and internet, 48.38% regularly and 31.14% sometimes resorted to obtain information about psoriasis. The use of SM and internet for psoriasis was statistically significantly higher among young people (P = 0.000), those with university or higher education (P = 0.009), higher DLQI (P = 0.000) and PASI (P = 0.011) scores, facial (P = 0.050), scalp (P = 0.032), hand (P = 0.048), genital (P = 0.001) and inverse (P = 0.000) involvement, and arthralgia/arthritis (P = 0.006). The participants mostly used the Google (86%) and Facebook (41%). More than half of the participants (62.8%) expected dermatologists to inform society that psoriasis is not contagious. Conclusions: Internet and SM being widely available and offering substantial information to be easily accessed make it very attractive for patients to use these platforms to investigate diseases, including psoriasis. If what is presented on SM conflicts with what the physician says, patients mostly trust the latter, but at the same time, they tend not to share the results of their online inquiries with their physicians

Evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and side effects of secukinumab in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis: Real-world data from a retrospective multicenter study

Background: Clinical studies have demonstrated that IL-17A inhibition with secukinumab is effective for clearing the skin of patients with psoriasis and has a favorable safety profile. Objective: The authors aim to determine whether secukinumab is effective and safe for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic psoriasis based on clinical experience with this drug. Method: The authors conducted a multicenter retrospective study in nine referral centers and included patients with psoriasis who had received secukinumab between March 2018 to November 2020. Data on demographic characteristics, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores, and previous treatments were collected from medical records. Patients were evaluated at 12, 24, and 52 weeks with respect to response to treatment and side effects. Results: In total, 229 patients were recruited for the study. A PASI score improvement of ≥90 points over the baseline was achieved by 79%, 69.8%, and 49.3% of patients at weeks 12, 24, and 52, respectively. The most common adverse events wereCandida infections and fatigue. In total, 74 (32%) patients discontinued treatment by week 52, including due to adverse events, or secondary ineffectiveness. Study limitations: Retrospective design. Conclusions: These findings suggest that secukinumab therapy is reasonably effective in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Comorbidities and time length of the disease can affect the response to treatment. The rates of adverse events were high in this patient population

Patient use of complementary and alternative medicine for psoriasis vulgaris and factors believed to trigger the disease: A multicenter cross-sectional study with 1621 patients

Introduction: Due to the chronic recurrent nature of psoriasis vulgaris (PV) and lack of definitive treatment for the disease, patients often resort to alternative treatments. Physicians seem to have low awareness of this issue. Objectives: To elicit the perceptions of 1,621 PV patients on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and examine factors reported to worsen PV. Methods: The patients sociodemographic characteristics, Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), disease duration, and severity were recorded, and the patients CAM use was questioned in detail. The patients were also asked about factors that worsened PV and their experiences with a gluten-free diet. Results: Of the patients, 56.51% had used CAM. The mean age, illness duration, PASI scores and DLQI of those using CAM were significantly higher. CAM use was significantly higher in those with facial, genital involvement, and arthralgia/arthritis. The patients mostly referred to CAM when PV became severe (46.4%). Of the CAM users, 45.52% used herbal topicals. The physicians of 67.03% did not inquire whether they used CAM. Of the participants, 37.73% considered that stress worsened their disease. Gluten-free diet did not affect PV symptoms in 52.22%. Conclusions: Patients CAM use is often overlooked by dermatologists. Our results showed that more than half the patients used CAM and did not share this information with their physicians. Therefore, the awareness of physicians should be increased and patients should be asked about the use of CAM and directed to the appropriate medical treatment options by physicians