Psychological Distress and Perceived Social Support Levels of Patients with Chronic Hemodialysis

Objective: Patients with chronic kidney failure receive hemodialysis treatment for survival. However, they experience a change in their quality of life and suffer from mental symptoms and disorders. This study had the objective of determining the psychological distress and perceived social support levels in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Method(s): This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the hemodialysis unit of a public hospital. The sample consisted of 29 patients who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale. The data were analyzed using percentage distributions, means, standard deviation, median values, Spearman correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis H Test. Results: The mean age of the participants was 60.66±10.66 years. Participants had high psychological distress levels (42.65±7.39) and perceived social support levels (57.06±22.24). There was a negative correlation between the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale total and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale total and subscale scores (

Is coracoacromial arch angle a predisposing factor for rotator cuff tears?

PURPOSEThe aim of the present study was to investigate whether coracoacromial arch angle is a predisposing factor for rotator cuff tears.METHODSShoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of 40 patients having shoulder arthroscopy due to rotator cuff tears and 28 patients with normal MRI findings were evaluated retrospectively. Acromio-humeral distance, coraco-humeral distance, the angle between the longitudinal axis of the coracoacromial ligament and longitudinal axis of the acromion (coracoacromial arch angle), and thickness of the coracoacromial ligament were measured.RESULTSIn patients with rotator cuff pathology the mean coraco-humeral distance was 7.88±2.37 mm, the mean acromio-humeral distance was 7.89±2.09 mm, and the mean coracoacromial arch angle was 132.38°±6.52° compared to 11.67±1.86 mm, 11.15±1.84 mm, and 116.95°±7.66° in the control group, respectively (P 0.05).CONCLUSIONAcromio-humeral and coraco-humeral distances are narrower than normal limits in patients with rotator cuff tears. In addition, coracoacromial arch angle may be a predisposing factor for rotator cuff tears

Ecological evaluation of frequently used materials in building

Text in Turkish; Abstract: Turkish and EnglishIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 80-86)xi, 87 leavesİnşaat sektörü yaşanan nüfus artışı, endüstrinin gelişimi ve kentleşmenin artmasından dolayı tüm dünyada gelişmektedir. Bununla birlikte, yapı malzemelerinin üretimleri sırasında harcanan enerji miktarı, açığa çıkan karbon salınımı ve atık miktarlarının fazla olması yapı malzemelerinin ve yapı üretiminin çevreye zararlarını artırmaktadır. Küresel anlamda CO2 emisyonlarının 1/3'ünden fazlasının inşaat sektöründen kaynaklandığı ve bu nedenle küresel iklim değişikliğinin başlıca nedenleri olduğu tahmin edilmektedir. Yapıların çevresel etkilerinin azaltılabilmesi ve inşaat sektöründe sürdürülebilirliğin sağlanabilmesi için alınacak önlemlerden en önemlisi ekolojik yapı malzemelerinin kullanımlarının artırılmasıdır. Ekolojik yapı malzemeleri üretimleri ve kullanımları sırasında fazla enerji tüketmeyen, gömülü enerjisi düşük, atık miktarı az ve, toksik özelliği düşük malzemelerdir. Bu amaçla son yıllarda önemli çalışmalar yapılmakta, sık kullanılan yapı malzemeleri ekolojik özelliklere sahip hale getirilmeye çalışılmaktadır. Hatta doğada kolayca çözünen organik kökenli alternatif yapı malzemelerinin bu amaçla kullanılmak üzere geliştirildiği de bilinmektedir. Bu çalışma kapsamında, yapıda sık kullanılan malzemelerin ekolojik özellikleri, bu malzemelerin ekolojik özelliklerinin iyileştirilmesi için yapılan çalışmalar, çevresel etkisi düşük alternatif yapı malzemelerine değinilmiştir.The construction sector is developing all over the world due to the increase in the population living, the development of the industry and the increase of urbanization. However, the amount of energy consumed during the production of building materials, the amount of carbon emissions released, and the amount of waste generated increase the environmental damage of building materials and building production. It has been estimated that more than 1/3 of the global CO2 emissions originate from the building sector and thus are among the main causes of global climate change. The most important of the measures to be taken in order to reduce the environmental impacts of constructions and to ensure sustainability in the construction sector is to increase the use of ecological building materials. Ecological building materials are low energy, low amount of waste, low toxic properties, low energy consumed during production and usage. For this purpose, important works have been done in recent years and trying to make frequently used building materials have ecological characteristics. It is also known that alternative organic building materials which are easily dissolved in nature are developed for this purpose. In this study, ecological characteristics of commonly used materials, studies for improving the ecological properties of these materials, and alternative environmental materials with low environmental impact have been mentioned

Dosimetric comparison of volumetric -modulated arc therapy and coplanar/non coplanar intensitymodulated therapy techniques in patients with brain metastates of lung cancer

Bu çalışmanın amacı, akciğer kanseri beyin metastazlı hastalarda üç farklı tedavi yönteminin (Volümetrik ark tedavisi-VMAT, eş düzlemli ve eş düzlemli olmayan yoğunluk ayarlı radyoterapi-IMRT) doz / volüm parametrelerini karşılaştırmaktır. Daha önce VMAT ile tedavi edilen beyin metastazı olan 15 hastada çalışma yapıldı. Her hasta için iki yeni plan oluşturuldu: 1) Coplanar IMRT (cIMRT), 2) Non-coplanar IMRT (ncIMRT). Her üç teknik için planlanan hedef volümün benzer şekilde doz alması ve normal dokuların (lensler, optik sinir, optik kiazma ve beyin sapı) minimum doz da kalması için planlar optimize edilmiştir. Her plan için doz / volüm parametreleri, doz hacmi histogramlarından yararlanılarak elde edildi ve karşılaştırıldı. Karşılaştırılacak doz / volüm parametreleri, hedef volümler için V100 / 95, Dmin / Dort, konformalite ve homojenlik indeksi değerleri, kritik organlar için Dort 'dır. Tek beyin metastazı olan hastalarda, ncIMRT ve cIMRT'nin V100, Dmin ve Dortdeğerleri anlamlı ölçüde daha yüksek idi. İki veya daha fazla beyin metastazı olan hastalarda,V100 ve V95 için gruplar arasında anlamlı farklılık yoktu. Dmin ve Dort için, ncIMRT'nin dozdeğerleri önemli ölçüde daha iyi idi. Kritik organlar için VMAT, optik sinir ve optik kiazma dozlarını önemli ölçüde azaltmıştır. Gruplar arasında beyin sapı ve lens dozları için herhangi bir fark gözlenmedi. Tedavi zamanı VMAT'ta anlamlı derecede daha kısaydı (VMAT, cIMRT ve ncIMRT için sırasıyla 130,550, 613 saniye). Gruplar arasında monitör üniteler için anlamlı fark bulunmadı. Sonuç olarak, beyin metastazı hastalarında VMAT tekniği, diğer iki IMRT tekniğine kıyasla hedef hacim ışınlamasında hiçbir avantaj sunmamakla birlikte, normal doku koruma açısından daha avantajlı görünmektedir. VMAT'ın daha kısa tedavi süresinin klinik faydası ileride incelenmelidir.The aim of this study is to compare dose/volume parameters of three different treatment techniques (Volumetric modulated arc therapy-VMAT, coplanar and non-coplanar intensity modulated radiation therapy-IMRT) in patients with brain metastases of lung cancer. Fifteen patients with brain metastases previously treated with VMAT were studied. Two new plans were created for each patient: 1) Coplanar IMRT (cIMRT), 2) Noncoplanar IMRT (ncIMRT). All plans were optimized to achieve equivalent planning target volume coverage while minimizing the dose to the lenses, optic nerve and optic chiasm, and brain stem. Dose/volume parameters of each plans were obtained by using dose-volume histograms and compared. The dose/volume parameters to be compared are V100/95, Dmin/mean, conformity and homogeneity index values for target volumes, Dmean for critical organs. In the patients with single brain metastasis, ncIMRT and cIMRT had significantly better V100, Dmin and Dmean values. In patients with two or more brain metastases, there was no significant differencies between groups for V100 and V95. For Dmin and Dmean, ncIMRT had significantly better dose values. For critical organs, VMAT resulted in significantly lower optic nerve and optic chiasm doses. No differencies for doses of brain stem and lenses were observed between the groups. Treatment delivery time was significantly shorter in VMAT (130 vs 550 vs 613 seconds for VMAT, cIMRT, and ncIMRT, respectively). No significant difference for monitor units was observed between the groups. In conclusion, the VMAT technique in brain metastasis appears to be more advantageous in terms of normal tissue protection, while offering no advantage in target volume irradiation compared to other two IMRT techniques. The clinical benefit of shorter treatment delivery time of VMAT needs to be studied in the future

The impacts of financial and macroeconomic factors on financial stability in emerging countries: evidence from Turkey’s nonperforming loans

© Infopro Digital Limited 2023.This study examines the impacts of financial and macroeconomic factors on financial stability in emerging countries by focusing on Turkey’s banking sector. In this con-text, financial stability is represented by nonperforming loans (NPLs). Four financial and three macroeconomic indicators as well as the Covid-19 pandemic are included as explanatory variables. Quarterly data from 2005 Q1 to 2020 Q3 are analyzed by using the residual augmented least squares unit root test and generalized method-of-moments. The empirical results show the following: credit volume, which is a financial indicator, has the greatest effect on NPLs; risk-weighted assets, unemployment rate, foreign exchange rate and economic growth all have a statistically significant impact on NPLs; the Covid-19 pandemic has had an increasing impact on NPLs; inflation and interest rates have a positive coefficient, as expected, although they are not statistically significant. These results highlight the importance of financial factors (ie, credit volume and risk-weighted assets) over macroeconomic factors in terms of NPLs. Based on the empirical results of the study, we suggest Turkish policy makers focus primarily on financial variables (ie, credit growth and risk-weighted assets) as well as considering the effects of other factors

Iron regulates hexose transporters in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

This study focuses on the effect of iron on hexose transporters which perform glucose uptake. For this aim, we investigated the role of iron in glucose utilization and expression of hexose transporters in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We applied different iron concentrations (1, 2, 5, 10mM) to the cells grown up to mid-logarithmic phase. According to analysis of cell viability and morphology, we determined 2mM and 5mM as non-toxic and toxic doses, respectively. Besides, glucose consumption efficiency increased (1.5-fold) in the cells which were exposed to these iron concentrations. qRT-PCR analysis of hexose transporter genes showed that the expression of ght2 and ght8 genes were downregulated under both non-toxic and toxic iron conditions, but that of ght5 gene was significantly decreased only by toxic iron dose. In conclusion, it was suggested for the first time in this study that the Ght5 protein, as being high affinity hexose transporter, might play a role in sensing and signaling of iron stress

Involvement of Sec71 and Ubp2 in tunicamycin-induced ER stress response in the fission yeast.

Background Accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the cellular environment result in ER stress and activates the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR alleviates ER stress and restores homeostasis, but it triggers cell death under prolonged stress. Here, we aimed to investigate the involvement of Sec71, an Arf-GEF involved in vesicular transport, in the tunicamycin-induced ER stress response. Since deubiquitinases and ER stress are known to be closely linked, we investigated this response by evaluating the potential role of Ubp2, a deubiquitinase, in the ER stress response in fission yeast. Methods and results Tunicamycin-induced ER stress responses were assessed by analyzing cell viability, apoptosis, intracellular oxidation levels, and proteasomal activities in sec71 and ubp2-deficient cells. The cell viability of Delta sec71 and Delta ubp2 decreased after exposure to 0.5 mu g/mL tunicamycin. Deleting either ubp2 or sec71 genes significantly decreased proteasomal activity and sensitized cells to ER stress, resulting in increased apoptosis compared with wild-type cells after tunicamycin treatment. DCFDA (2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate) reduction increased in correlation with apoptosis observed in the mutant cells, indicating higher levels of reactive oxygen species. Conclusions The results highlight the involvement of S. pombe Ubp2 in the known role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in the ER stress response. We hypothesise that Sec71 is associated with ER homeostasis, and our findings on Sec71 provide new insight into the regulation of cell death mechanisms arising from the ER stress

Increased level of red blood cell distribution width is associated with deep venous thrombosis

Previous studies have demonstrated a significant association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and acute pulmonary embolism. To the authors' knowledge no study has been reported in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A total of 431 lower extremity venous duplex examinations were included in the study. Of these, 216 examinations with the diagnosis of DVT were compared to 215 examinations with normal duplex findings with respect to RDW. The two groups were well matched. DVT group had a higher median value and the interquartile range (25th and 75th) of RDW (%) level [14.9 (14.2-16.7)] compared to control group [14.4 (13.6-15.2); P<0.001], respectively. Patients were divided into tertiles based on RDW. DVT was detected in 42 patients (31.6%) in the lowest tertile, in 81 (53.3%) in the middle tertile, and in 93 (63.7%) in the highest tertile (P<0.001). In multivariate analysis after adjustment for confounding variables, RDW was the only parameter to predict the presence of DVT [odds ratio (OR) 1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-1.55; P<0.001]. After removing patients with chronic DVT, the interquartile range (25th and 75th) of the RDW (%) level was also higher in the DVT group [15.0 (14.2-16.7)] compared with the control group [14.4 (13.6-15.2); P<0.001], respectively. In addition, in proximal DVT, the significant difference continued to be present, although this significance was lost in distal DVT [14.4% (13.6-15.2) vs. 16.1% (15.1-17.4), P<0.001 and 14.4% (13.6-15.2) vs. 14.3% (14.2-14.7), P=0.959]. In multivariate analysis, RDW was an independent predictor of risk of proximal DVT (OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.39-1.84; P<0.001). RDW (%) level was significantly higher in patients with bilateral DVT than in patients with unilateral DVT [16.0 (14.8-17.1) vs. 14.4 (14.2-14.8), P<0.001, respectively]. In receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, RDW more than 14.9% had 85% sensitivity and 73% specificity in predicting proximal DVT. RDW, an inexpensive and easily measurable laboratory variable, was independently and significantly associated with the presence and severity of DVT, especially nonchronic proximal DVT. The mechanism of association requires, however, further study. (C) 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins