Assessment of plasma and tissue fibronectin EIIIB splice variant expressions measured serially using RT-PCR in a wound model of rabbits

Background: Fibronectin (FN) is an indispensable part of the extracellular matrix. During regeneration or wound healing, the plasma form of FN is incorporated into the fibrin clots to form a temporary fibrin-FN matrix, and also locally synthesized cellular FN migrates to the clot to regenerate the injured tissue. We aimed to examine wound tissue FN EIIIB and plasma FN EIIIB expression levels in an experimental wound healing model in rabbits. Methods: Plasma and tissue EIIIB splice variant expressions were measured serially with RT-qPCR in a cutaneous wound model of rabbits. Results: Tissue FN expression increased as beginning on day 3 and continued to increase on days 6 and 9, reaching maximum expression at day 12 before starting to decrease. On the contrary to the tissue levels, plasma FN levels gradually decreased until day 15 when expression returned to the initial values. Conclusion: The findings of the current study support that tissue EIIIB expression level increases during wound healing; and plasma EIIIB expression level decreases minimal changed. This is in contrast to reports where plasma FN provisionally helps ECM formation. Therefore, our data show an essential role of EIIIB at the tissue level in accelerating the wound healing process. The RT-qPCR method in our experimental setup can provide more accurate and precise results compared to the antibody-based methods

Combined segmentation and classificationbased approach to automated analysis of biomedical signals obtained from calcium imaging

Automated screening systems in conjunction with machine learning-based methods are becoming an essential part of the healthcare systems for assisting in disease diagnosis. Moreover, manually annotating data and hand-crafting features for training purposes are impractical and time-consuming. We propose a segmentation and classification-based approach for assembling an automated screening system for the analysis of calcium imaging. The method was developed and verified using the effects of disease IgGs (from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients) on calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis. From 33 imaging videos we analyzed, 21 belonged to the disease and 12 to the control experimental groups. The method consists of three main steps: projection, segmentation, and classification. The entire Ca2+ time-lapse image recordings (videos) were projected into a single image using different projection methods. Segmentation was performed by using a multi-level thresholding (MLT) step and the Regions of Interest (ROIs) that encompassed cell somas were detected. A mean value of the pixels within these boundaries was collected at each time point to obtain the Ca2+ traces (time-series). Finally, a new matrix called feature image was generated from those traces and used for assessing the classification accuracy of various classifiers (control vs. disease). The mean value of the segmentation F-score for all the data was above 0.80 throughout the tested threshold levels for all projection methods, namely maximum intensity, standard deviation, and standard deviation with linear scaling projection. Although the classification accuracy reached up to 90.14%, interestingly, we observed that achieving better scores in segmentation results did not necessarily correspond to an increase in classification performance. Our method takes the advantage of the multi-level thresholding and of a classification procedure based on the feature images, thus it does not have to rely on hand- crafted training parameters of each event. It thus provides a semi-autonomous tool for assessing segmentation parameters which allows for the best classification accuracy

Inappropriate antimicrobial use in Turkish pediatric hospitals: A multicenter point prevalence survey

Objectives: Although well-defined principles of rational antimicrobial use are available, inappropriate prescribing patterns are reported worldwide. Accurate information on the usage of antimicrobials, including factors associated with and influencing their use, is valuable for improving the quality of prescription practices. Methods: In this cross-sectional point prevalence survey, data on patients hospitalized in 12 different children's hospitals were collected on a single day. Appropriateness of prescription was compared between the types of antimicrobials prescribed, indications, wards, and presence of/consultation with an infectious disease physician (IDP). Results: A total 711 of 1302 (54.6%) patients evaluated were receiving one or more antimicrobial drugs. The antimicrobial prescription rate was highest in pediatric intensive care (75.7%) and lowest in the surgery wards (37.0%). Of the 711 patients receiving antimicrobials, 332 patients (46.7%) were found to be receiving at least one inappropriately prescribed drug. Inappropriate use was most frequent in surgery wards (80.2%), while it was less common in oncology wards (31.8%; p < 0.001). Respiratory tract infection was the most common indication for antimicrobial use (29.4%). Inappropriate use was more common in deep-seated infections (54.7%) and respiratory infections (56.5%). Fluoroquinolones were used inappropriately more than any other drugs (81.8%, p = 0.021). Consultation with an IDP appears to increase appropriate antimicrobial use (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Inappropriate antimicrobial use remains a common problem in Turkish pediatric hospitals. Consultation with an IDP and prescribing antimicrobial drugs according to microbiological test results could decrease the inappropriate use of antimicrobials

Diagnosis of comorbid migraine without aura in patients with idiopathic/genetic epilepsy based on the gray zone approach to the International Classification of Headache Disorders 3 criteria

BackgroundMigraine without aura (MwoA) is a very frequent and remarkable comorbidity in patients with idiopathic/genetic epilepsy (I/GE). Frequently in clinical practice, diagnosis of MwoA may be challenging despite the guidance of current diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders 3 (ICHD-3). In this study, we aimed to disclose the diagnostic gaps in the diagnosis of comorbid MwoA, using a zone concept, in patients with I/GEs with headaches who were diagnosed by an experienced headache expert.MethodsIn this multicenter study including 809 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of I/GE with or without headache, 163 patients who were diagnosed by an experienced headache expert as having a comorbid MwoA were reevaluated. Eligible patients were divided into three subgroups, namely, full diagnosis, zone I, and zone II according to their status of fulfilling the ICHD-3 criteria. A Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was performed to bring out the meaningful predictors when evaluating patients with I/GEs for MwoA comorbidity, using the variables that were significant in the univariate analysis.ResultsLonger headache duration (&lt;4 h) followed by throbbing pain, higher visual analog scale (VAS) scores, increase of pain by physical activity, nausea/vomiting, and photophobia and/or phonophobia are the main distinguishing clinical characteristics of comorbid MwoA in patients with I/GE, for being classified in the full diagnosis group. Despite being not a part of the main ICHD-3 criteria, the presence of associated symptoms mainly osmophobia and also vertigo/dizziness had the distinguishing capability of being classified into zone subgroups. The most common epilepsy syndromes fulfilling full diagnosis criteria (n = 62) in the CART analysis were 48.39% Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy followed by 25.81% epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures alone.ConclusionLonger headache duration, throbbing pain, increase of pain by physical activity, photophobia and/or phonophobia, presence of vertigo/dizziness, osmophobia, and higher VAS scores are the main supportive associated factors when applying the ICHD-3 criteria for the comorbid MwoA diagnosis in patients with I/GEs. Evaluating these characteristics could be helpful to close the diagnostic gaps in everyday clinical practice and fasten the diagnostic process of comorbid MwoA in patients with I/GEs

Coping with stress and psychological hardiness on job satisfaction levels among personnels in Riot Squad Department

Bu çalışmada Çevik Kuvvet personelinin stresle başa çıkma tutumları, bir kişilik özelliği olarak psikolojik dayanıklılıkları ve iş doyum düzeyleri incelenmiştir. Araştırmaya Ankara Emniyet Müdürlüğü Çevik Kuvvet'te görevli 272'si polis memuru, 60'ı rütbeli personel (amir) olmak üzere toplam 332 personel katılmıştır. Veri toplama araçları olarak İş Doyum Ölçeği, Stresle Başa Çıkma Tutumları Envanteri, Psikolojik Dayanıklılık Ölçeği ve Kişisel Bilgi Formu kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen verilerin analizinde Pearson Momentler Çarpım Korelasyon Katsayısı, Çoklu Regresyon Analizi, İlişkisiz Örneklemler için t-Testi ve Tek Yönlü Varyans Analizi (ANOVA) kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda polislerin iş doyumu düzeylerinin cinsiyet, eğitim durumu, Çevik Kuvvet hizmet süresi değişkenleri açısından anlamlı farklılık göstermediği görülmüştür. Bununla birlikte, rütbeli polislerin iş doyum düzeyleri polis memurlarının iş doyum düzeylerinden; 24 ay ve üzeri mesleki kıdeme sahip polislerin iş doyum düzeyleri 1223 ay mesleki kıdeme sahip polislerin iş doyum düzeylerinden daha yüksek bulunmuştur. Araştırmada ayrıca iş doyumu düzeyi ile psikolojik dayanıklılık arasında pozitif ve düşük düzeyde bir ilişkinin olduğu; iş doyum düzeyi ile stresle başa çıkma tutumlarından aktif planlama arasında orta düzeyde ve sırasıyla dış yardım arama, kabul-bilişsel yeniden yapılanma, dine sığınma, kaçma-soyutlanma (biyo-kimyasal), kaçma-soyutlama (duygusal-eylemsel) arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu bulunmuştur. Araştırmada elde edilen diğer sonuçlar ise psikolojik dayanıklılık, stresle başa çıkma tutumlarından aktif planlama, kaçma-soyutlanma (biyo-kimyasal) değişkenlerini iş doyumunun yordadığıdır. Buna karşın dış yardım arama, dine sığınma, kaçma-soyutlama (duygusal-eylemsel), kabul-bilişsel yeniden yapılanmanın iş doyum düzeyini yordamadığı görülmüştür. Psikolojik dayanıklılık ve stresle başa çıkma tutumları birlikte iş doyumu varyansının % 22'sini açıklamaktadır. Araştırmada elde edilen bulgular ilgili literatür ışığında tartışılmıştır.In this study, attitude toward coping with stres, psychological hardiness and job satisfaction among police officers who are employed in Riot Squad Department of Ankara was examined. 332 personnel consisting of 272 police officers and 60 high-ranking personnels who are employed in In Rıot Squad Department of Ankara participated in the study. The assessment instrument used were: Job Satisfaction Inventory, Attitude toward Coping with Stress Inventory, Psychological Hardiness Scale, and Demographic Information Form. In the analysis of data used in the study, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, Multiple Regression Analysis, Independent Samples t-test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were performed. Results of the study indicated that there was no significant difference among the job satisfaction levels of police officers in terms of gender, education level, tenure in In Rıot Squad Department. It was also found that high-ranking personnel have higher job satisfaction level than police officers'; Police officers who have 24 months and more seniority have higher job satisfaction level than those having 12 to 13 months seniority. Moreover, results revealed that there was a positive low level relationship between job satisfaction level and psychological hardiness. In addition, a moderate relationship between job satisfaction level and active planning dimension of coping with stres attitude was found. Besides, a low relationship between job satisfaction and respectively looking for outside help, acceptance-cognitive restructuring, taking refuge in religion, escape-isolation (emotional-operational) was found. Furthermore, the other findings of the study showed that job satisfaction predicts psychological hardiness, active planning dimension of coping with stress attitude, and escape-isolation (bio-chemical) variables. On the other hand, it was demonstrated that looking for outside help, taking refuge in religion, escape-isolation (emotional-operational) were not predicted by job satisfaction. Psychological hardiness and coping with the attitudes of job satisfaction explains 22% of the variance. The findings of the present study were discussed in the light of the related literature

Investıgatıon of the relatıon between oxıdatıve stress and carnıtıne levels ın epıleptıc chıldren treated wıth valproıc acıd or carbamazepıne

Valproik asit ve karbamazepin değişik epilepsi tiplerinin tedavisinde yaygın olarak kullanılan antiepileptik ilaçlardır. Valproik asit veya karbamazepin kullanan bazı çocuk hastalarda oksidatif stres geliştiği ve antioksidan düzeylerinin azaldığı gösterilmiştir. Oksidatif stres; reaktif oksijen ürünlerinin aşırı birikmesi ya da antioksidanların yetersizliğine bağlı gelişir. Serbest oksijen radikalleri hücresel yapı ve fonksiyonlarının harabiyetine ve sonuçta hücre ölümüne yol açar. Artmış oksidatif stres ilaç yan etkilerinin oluşumuna katkıda bulunabilir. Valproik asit veya karbamazepin kullanımı sonucu oksidatif stresdeki artışın mekanizması henüz net anlaşılamamıştır. Özellikle Valproik asit de daha sık olmak üzere her iki ilacı kullanan hastalarda kan karnitin düzeyinde azalma saptanmıştır. L-karnitinin henüz mekanizması bilinmeyen antioksidan ve antiperoksidatif etkileri tanımlanmıştır. Bu çalışmada, valproik asit veya karbamazepin kullanan epilepsili çocuk hastalarda oksidatif stres gelişiminde kan karnitin düzeyindeki azalmanın rolünü ayrıca obezite ile oksidatif stres artışı arasında ilişkinin araştırılmasını amaçladık. Çalışmaya VPA kullanan 45 hasta, karbamazepin kullanan 25 hasta ve 30 sağlıklı çocuk olmak üzere 100 çocuk alındı. Serbest karnitin, TAS, tiyol, TOS ve OSI düzeyleri değerlendirildi. VPA kullanan hastaların tiyol düzeyi karbamazepin kullananlara ve kontrol grubuna göre daha düşük bulundu. Serbest karnitin düzeyi ile tiyol arasında ve ağırlık artışı ile tiyol arasında herhangi bir korelasyon saptanmadı.Valproic acid and carbamazepine are antiepileptic drugs that are widely used to treat different types of epilepsy. Development of oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant levels have been reported in some patients receiving valproic acid or carbamazepine. Excess of reactive oxygen species production and/or deficiency of antioxidants result in oxidative stress. Free oxygen radicals disrupt cellular structure and functions, ultimately leading to cell death. Increased oxidative stress may contribute to the pathogenesis of side effects of these drugs. The exact mechanism of increased oxidative stress due to valproic acid or carbamazepine has not been resolved yet. Both drugs, in particular valproic acid are associated with decreased blood carnitine levels. The antioxidant and antiperoxidative effects of L-carnitine have been described, but the specific mechanism is still unclear In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of decreased carnitine levels in the pathogenesis of oxidative stress in epileptic children treated with valproic acid or carbamazepine. We also aimed to test whether weight gain could be related to increased oxidative stress in these patients. Forty- five patients treated with valproic acid, 25 patients treated with carbamazepine and 30 healthy children were included in this study. Free carnitine, TAS, thiol, TOS and OSI levels were measured and analyzed. We found significiantly decreased thiol level in VPA group compared to CBZ and control groups. There was no correlation between free carnitine and thiol levels or weight gain and thiol level either

Ortaokul Öğrencileri İçin Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Servisine Yönelik Tutum Ölçeğinin Geliştirilmesi

Bu çalışmanın amacı, ortaokul öğrencilerinin psikolojik danışma ve rehberlik (PDR) servisine yönelik tutumlarını belirleyebilmek amacıyla bir ölçek geliştirmektir. Bu amaca yönelik öncelikle ilgili literatür incelenmiş ve ortaokul öğrencilerinde rehberlik servisine yönelik tutumun göstergesi olabilecek bilişsel, davranışsal ve duyuşsal özellikler belirlenmiştir. Bu göstergeler dâhilinde 30 madde yazılmıştır. Uzman görüşü ve ön uygulama sonrasında 4 madde çıkarılmış ve 26 maddelik uygulama formu oluşturulmuştur. Hazırlanan bu form ile ortaokula devam eden 599 öğrenciden veri toplanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler SPSS 21 ve AMOS 21 programları ile çözümlenmiştir. Ölçeğin yapı geçerliğine ilişkin açımlayıcı faktör analizi (AFA) ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizi (DFA) yapılmıştır. Ölçeğin güvenirliğine ilişkin kanıt bulmak amacıyla Cronbach Alfa iç tutarlık katsayısı hesaplanmış ve test-tekrar güvenirliği yapılmıştır. Yapılan açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda ölçeğin 18 madde ve iki alt boyuttan oluştuğu görülmüştür. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda model uyum indekslerinin oldukça iyi olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ölçeğin tümüne ilişkin Cronbach Alfa iç tutarlık katsayısı .92 olarak hesaplanmıştır