Is balance training exercise program effective in fibromiyalgia syndrome?

15th Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) -- JUN 11-14, 2014 -- Paris, FRANC

Arthritis at advanced age: rheumatoid arthritis and differential diagnosis

Son 50 yılda romatoid artrit (RA) prevalansı giderek azalırken, hastalığın başlangıç yaşı gün geçtikçe yükselmektedir. Bu nedenle de RA’nın ileri yaşın hastalığı haline geldiği düşünülmektedir. İleri yaşta enflamatuvar artritler içerisinde RA’nın çok önemli bir yeri bulunmaktadır. Ancak yaşlı başlangıçlı romatoid artritte (YBRA), genç yaşa göre laboratuvar bulgularının yetersizliği, klinik tablonun farklı özelliklerinin bulunması, RA tanısı konulmasını güçleştirmektedir. İleri yaşta malign hastalıkların ve buna bağlı gelişebilecek paraneoplastik artritlerin görülme sıklığı artar. İleri yaş başlangıçlı artritlerde paraneoplastik artritler için yaygın kabul görmüş bir ayırıcı tanı algoritmasının olmaması da önemli bir sorun olmaya devam etmektedir. Bu derlemede YBRA’nın epidemiyolojik, klinik ve radyolojik özellikleri, laboratuvar bulguları ve diğer ileri yaşta görülebilecek artrit tablolarından ayırıcı tanısı tartışılırken, ileri yaşta RA’nın tedavisindeki zorluklar ve son yıllarda bildirilmiş öncelikli tedavi seçenekleri sunulmuştur

Lumbosacral plexus neuropathy-idiopathic sciatic neuropathy: a case report

Although diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy (LSRPN) is a well-known disease, clinical knowledge about non-diabetic idiopathic LSRPN is quite inadequate. LSRPN is rarely seen and does not require surgical treatment. If the accurate diagnosis is not considered, surgical treatment of radiculopathy or discopathy is inevitable, with sudden onset of low back and leg pain and loss of lower extremity muscle strength. Despite the common diagnosis of isolated femoral nerve neuropathy cases in LSRPN, rare cases of idiopathic sciatic nerve mononeuropathy were also observed. Especially, involvement of the isolated sciatic nerve or the lower trunk of the lumbosacral plexus may mostly interfere with the diagnosis of radiculopathy. In this article, a case of isolated idiopathic sciatic neuropathy is presented, and the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment modalities of LSRPN are discussed

Evaluation of the physical and emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with fibromyalgia and chronic low back pain: A multicenter cross-sectional controlled study

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the physical and emotional effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients.Patients and methods: The cross-sectional controlled study was performed with 1,360 participants (332 males, 1,028 females; mean age: 42.3 +/- 12.5 years; range, 18 to 65 years) between September 2020 and February 2021. The participants were evaluated in three groups: the FMS group (n=465), the CLBP group (n=455), and the healthy control group (n=440). Physical activity, pain levels, and general health status before and during the pandemic were evaluated in all participants. Stress levels were analyzed with the perceived stress scale (PSS) in all groups, and disease activity was analyzed with the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) in patients with FMS.Results: Patients with FMS had worsened general health status and pain levels during the pandemic compared to the other groups (p<0.01). The FMS group showed significantly higher PSS scores than those in other groups (p<0.01). There was a weak-positive correlation between FIQ and PSS parameters in patients with FMS (p<0.05, r=0.385).Conclusion: The general health status, pain, and stress levels of the patients with FMS and CLBP tended to worsen during the pandemic. This high-stress level appeared to affect disease activity in patients with FMS

Bilinç ve yaşam arasındaki diyalektik ilişki Hegel'de ve Marx'ta nasıl farklılaşıyor

The purpose of this study is to present the different approaches, which Hegel and Marx have developed regarding the relation between consciousness and life, consistent with their aims. Hegel̕s aim is to combine all the opposed ideas and beliefs proposed throughout the history of philosophy into a unified whole. Hegel̕s dialectics which is immanent to life can also explain the opposition between consciousness and life. Self-consciousness, which appears as subjectivity in Hegel̕s philosophy, at first, treats the life as an object of desire. Later, however, self-consciousness which cannot thus realize itself desires another self-consciousness who will recognize itself, so it relates with an other self-consciousness. This relation is defined as a أlife and death struggleؤ. At the end of the struggle, there arise new forms of self-consciousnesses, Master and Slave. While the Slave produces for its Master, it relates itself to Life and this relation between Slave and Life brings about Slave as self-consciousness. On the other hand, the aim of Marx is not only to combine the oppositions but also to create a worldly philosophy. To this end, Marx puts economic relations of human beings at the centre of his theory. According to Marx, relations of production condition classes. While one class produces, the other exploits the productions of the former class. In Hegel, the Slave obtains its certainty as self-consciousness while it produces, whereas in Marx, the worker, who produces, is alienated form him/herself in the capitalist mode of production. To sum up, both Hegel and Marx emphasize the mutual relation between consciousness and life, but their divergent aims lead to them constructing this relation with different concepts on different foundations.M.A. - Master of Art

Adaletin temelleri, taşıyıcıları ve ilkeleri üzerine bir araştırma

One of the prevalent notions in the late twentieth century‘s political philosophy, justice lies at the heart of ethics, politics and jurisprudence. In this study, while I insist on the dominion of politics and the economic mode of production over morality and law, I consider the ethical realm to be also very important in justifying political movements and transformations. Defining the concept of justice plays a role more or less in the realization of justice on the Earth. I try to reveal the bases of justice in the second chapter. My attitude can be defined as foundationalism and realism molded with historical materialism. Subsequently, I attempt to deal with the bearers of justice; i.e., individuals, institutions, or structures. The contemporary political theories on justice pay attention to the notion of the individual and the faculty of rationality. Although I admit the role ofindividuals in ensuring justice, social structures are the main bearers of justice. In the fourth chapter, I cover the main principles or pillars of justice, namely, equality, freedom, and rights. Equality can be classified as legal, political, social, economic and moral. I claim that economic equality is the principal one among others since economic inequality usually generates other inequalities. Economic equality can be satisfied through just production in which alienation and exploitation do not take place. Absence of exploitation is also required for realization of freedoms and human rights. Thus, I propose the principle of absence of exploitation as a primary justice principle, which is necessary but not sufficient to eradicate injustices in the world.Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra

A critique of principal assumptions of four ındividualistic theories concerning the social justice problem

Bu çalışmada, bireycilik düşüncesinin liberal adalet kuramları üzerindeki etkisi incelenmiştir. Öncelikle, bireycilik düşüncesi tartışılmış ve bireyin insanlık tarihinde her zaman aynı bu şekilde kurgulanmamış olduğu ortaya konmuştur. Sonra, liberal adalet kuramlarının ilk temsilcileri olarak sayılabilecek, klasik liberalizmin babası kabul edilen Locke’un ve faydacılığın etkili bir ahlaki ve siyasi bir kuram olarak kabul görmesini sağlayan Mill’in bireyci yaklaşımlarına yer verilmektedir. Ardından, uygulamalı etik, ahlak ve hayvan hakları denince ilk aklına gelen ismi ve faydacılığın günümüzdeki en önemli temsilcisi Singer’ın ve kendisini Locke’un mülkiyet görüşünün çağımızdaki sürdürücü olarak tanımlayan ve liberal yelpazenin en ucunda yer alan Nozick’ın adalet kuramları değerlendirilmiştir. Bu dört önemli liberal düşünürün toplumsal adaletle ilgili sorunlara bireyi merkeze alan çözümlerinin temelinde genel geçer ve mutlak anlamda rasyonel birey varsayımlarının hatalı olduğu bu nedenle de adalet sorunlarına bu kuramların gerçekçi bir çözüm oluşturamayacağı ortaya konmuştur. Adalet toplumsal bir sorundur ve adaletsizliklerin ortadan kaldırılması, birey ve toplumu karşıt bir ilişki içerisinde kurgulamakla mümkün görünmemektedir çünkü aynı gemide yaşayan insanların kaderleri birdir ya birlikte batar ya da birlikte yüzerler.In this study, implications of individualism on the liberal theories of justice are examined. First, the notion of the individualism is discussed and it is posited that the individual has not always been constructed in this same way. Then, admittedly the father of classical liberalism Locke and his individualistic approach are explored. Subsequently, Mill who achieved the recognition of utilitarianism as a well-grounded moral and political theory and his understanding of utilitarian notion of individual are handled. Next, a contemporary utilitarian thinker Singer, who might be recognized as the first name in the field of morality, applied ethics and animal rights, and his individualist morality are criticized. Last of all is the successor of Locke, Nozick and his individualistic theory of justice which takes place at the one pole of the liberal political theory. It is claimed that these four eminent liberal thinkers comprehend social justice as if it is an individualistic matter and their solutions for the problem of social justice presume individuals as atomic, eternal and absolutely rational beings which is a fallacious assumption. Since their basic assumptions are inaccurate, their solutions do not seem realistic. Justice by its nature is a social matter and the elimination of injustices seems impossible if those theories position individuals as against society. The fate of people sailing in the same boat is common, either they shrink altogether or they survive

Awareness of informal logical fallacies of students and critical thinking skills

Bu çalışmada, eleştirel düşünmenin olmazsa olmazlarından olan mantık hatalarına, safsatalara dikkat çekilmekte ve öğrencilerinin gündelik dildeki mantık hatalarının farkındalığı ortaya konulmaya çalışılmaktadır. Mantık hataları, formel mantık dilinde kolaylıkla fark edilebilirken gündelik dilin, kültürün ve önyargıların devreye girmesiyle kimi safsataların fark edilmesi daha zor hale gelmektedir. Ancak eleştirel bir düşünür, mantık hatalarını yakalayabilmeli ve ne türden bir safsata olduğunu tanımlayabilmelidir. Bu çalışmada, öğrencilerin mantık hatalarına ilişkin farkındalık düzeylerini belirlemeye yönelik bir ölçek geliştirmek amaçlanmıştır. Alanyazında farklı türden eleştirel düşünme ölçekleri bulunmaktadır. Bu ölçeklerin bazıları mantık hatalarını fark edebilme becerisini de ölçecek sorular içermektedir. Ancak mantık hatalarını merkeze alan bir ölçeğe ulusal ve uluslararası alanyazında rastlanmamıştır. Mantık hatalarına ilişkin alanyazın taraması yapılmış, gazete, dergi ve sosyal medyada sıklıkla rastlanan mantık hatalarından hareketle ölçek maddeleri oluşturulmuştur. Ölçeğin maddeleri gündelik hayatta sıklıkla karşılaşılan konulardan örnekler içermektedir. Ölçeğin pilot uygulaması, ağırlıklı olarak Kastamonu Üniversitesi öğrencilerine uygulanmıştır. Ölçeğin kapsam geçerliği için uzman görüşüne başvurulmuş, yapı geçerliği için açımlayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizi yapılmıştır. Ölçeğin güvenirlik düzeyi cronbach alfa katsayısı ile belirlenmiştir. Ölçeğin uygulandığı öğrencilerin bir kısmı, aldıkları felsefe dersinin bir haftasında mantık hataları konusunu işlemişlerdir. Bu dersin öğrencilerin mantık hatalarını fark etme becerilerine katkısı olduğu görülmüştür. Dersi alanlar ve almayanlar arasında anlamlı bir farklılık bulunmuştur. Bu ölçeğin pilot uygulaması üniversite öğrencilerine uygulanmış olsa da ölçek lise ve ortaöğretim öğrencilerine de uygulanabilir. Bu sayede, ortaöğretim ve lise düzeyindeki öğrencilerin hem okul hem de okul dışı felsefe derslerine mantık hataları farkındalığı konusunun eklenmesinin önemi anlaşılabilir.This study draws attention to logical fallacies and critical thinking skills, and tries to find out the students’ awareness of the fallacies in their daily life. While fallacies can be easily noticed in the formal logic, some fallacies are difficult to notice within everyday language under the influence of culture and prejudices. But a critical thinker must be able to catch logical fallacies and identify the sort of the fallacy. In this study, it is aimed to develop a scale to determine students’ awareness of logical fallacies. There are different types of critical thinking scales in the literature. Although some of the critical thinking scales in the literature include some questions measuring the ability to recognize logical fallacies, none of which focus merely on logical fallacies. In this study, after the literature on fallacies and critical thinking scales are searched, a scale focusing on the awareness of logical fallacies is formed. The scale items are created based on some fallacies frequently encountered in newspapers, magazines and social media. The items contain some examples which are frequently encountered in daily life. The pilot application of the scale is mainly carried out with the students of Kastamonu University. Expert opinion is sought for the content validity of the scale, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis is performed for the construct validity. The reliability level of the scale is determined by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Some of the subjects in this study took the lecture on logical fallacies as a part of their philosophy course. It is thought that this course contributes to students’ ability to recognize logical fallacies. A significant difference is found between those who took the course and those who did not. Although the pilot application of this scale was applied to university students, the scale can also be applied to high school and secondary school students. Thus, the importance of the awareness of fallacies can be understood and the program of secondary and high school students' philosophy courses may be enhanced in this direction

Lumbosacral Plexus Neuropathy-Idiopathic Sciatic Neuropathy: A Case Report

Although diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy (LSRPN) is a well-known disease, clinical knowledge about non-diabetic idiopathic LSRPN is quite inadequate. LSRPN is rarely seen and does not require surgical treatment. If the accurate diagnosis is not considered, surgical treatment of radiculopathy or discopathy is inevitable, with sudden onset of low back and leg pain and loss of lower extremity muscle strength. Despite the common diagnosis of isolated femoral nerve neuropathy cases in LSRPN, rare cases of idiopathic sciatic nerve mononeuropathy were also observed. Especially, involvement of the isolated sciatic nerve or the lower trunk of the lumbosacral plexus may mostly interfere with the diagnosis of radiculopathy. In this article, a case of isolated idiopathic sciatic neuropathy is presented, and the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment modalities of LSRPN are discussed

The coexistance of osteoarthritis and neuropathic pain

15th Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) -- JUN 11-14, 2014 -- Paris, FRANC