Self in Relation to the Concept of God in Risale-i Nur

This thesis presents a critical analysis on the self in relation to the concept of God in writings and discourse of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. He has lived between 1876-1960 as not only a religious scholar but also as an activist in Turkey. Another particular importance of this study is that Nursi’s ideas about the self in relation to the concept of God have been discussed together with mainstream western and Islamic thoughts. For Bediuzzaman Said Nursi a true understanding of the concept of self is essential to fulfil the true potential as an individual. Dynamic and ever changing structure of the self can be understood by anā which is a subjective tool acting as a unit of measure. In other words it is just an image (anā) on the mirror (nafs), which reflects and shows the Divine Names and Attributes. However if anā and nafs are not guided by Divine Revelation and Sunnah, they can easily claim to be the source and owner of what is reflected on the mirror. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi has a completely different understanding of the universe and the concept of self, compared to many of the western philosophers and thinkers. For him it is important to grasp the reality of things which may ultimately lead to a better understanding of the Divine (m‘arifah). And grasping the reality of things is only possible if one can obtain a stand point to reach out to the meaning of things in a domain not limited to his benefit only. According to him this is possible through a proper understanding of the concepts like nafs and anā

Agreement of Turkish Physiatrists with the Assessment in Spondyloarthritis International Society and the European League Against Rheumatism Recommendations for the Management of Ankylosing Spondylitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: New developments in the field of targeted therapies or biologic agents led more effective management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recommendations for the management of rheumatic diseases propose to reduce inappropriate use of medications, minimize variations among countries, and enable cost-effective use of health care resources. Objective: The aim this study was to evaluate conceptual agreement of ASsessment in SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) and the EUropean League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of AS and EULAR recommendations for RA and to assess the rate of application among Turkish physiatrists in daily clinical practice. Methods: An online survey link has been sent to 1756 Turkish physiatrists with e-mails asking to rate agreement on 11-item ASAS/EULAR AS recommendations and 15-item EULAR RA recommendations with synthetic and biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Also barriers and difficulties for using biologic agents were assessed. Results: Three hundred nine physiatrists (17.5%) completed the survey. The conceptual agreement with both recommendations was very high (Level of agreement; mean 8.35±0.82 and 8.90± 0.67 for RA and AS recommendations, respectively), and the self-declared application of overall recommendations in the clinical practice was also high for both RA and AS (72.42% and 75.71%, respectively). Conclusion: Turkish physiatrists are in good conceptual agreement with the evidence-based recommendations for the management of AS and RA. These efforts may serve to disseminate the knowledge and increase the current awareness among physicians who serve to these patients and also implementation of these recommendations is expected to increase as well.PubMedScopu

Prevalence of juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome in an urban population of Turkish adolescents: impact on depressive symptoms, quality of life and school performance

Background Juvenile Fibromyalgia Syndrome (JFMS) is a chronic health condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and multiple tender points (TP). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of JFMS in the urban population of Samsun and to determine the impact of JFMS on depression symptoms, school performance and quality of life (QOL)

Does Intrauterine Insemination Timing Matter for Achieving Pregnancy During Ovulation Induction Using Gonadotropins? A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a commonly used procedure to increase the infertile couples' chance of pregnancy. Single or double insemination and different timing choices are modifications of this intervention. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of the IUI procedure on clinical pregnancy rates when performed at 24 hours or 36 hours after ovulation triggered by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) following ovulation induction with gonadotropins. Methods: One hundred and thirteen women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) (as per Rotterdam's criteria) or unexplained infertility, who were treated using gonadotropins for ovulation induction and MI for increasing fertilization potential, were recruited from the medical records of the infertility clinic. Demographic features, cycle outcomes, and clinical pregnancy rates of the patients were compared based on two different timing strategies of MI (24 hours and 36 hours) following ovulation trigger using hCG. Results: Clinical pregnancy rates per cycle were 22.9% in the PCOS group and 26.9% in the unexplained group. The clinical pregnancy rates according to the timing of MI were found to be similar for PCOS patients, unlike patients with unexplained infertility whose clinical pregnancy rates were significantly better when the MI procedure was performed 24 hours following the hCG trigger. The cycle day of hCG trigger was also found to be significantly related to clinical pregnancy rate as utilizing a later hCG trigger day appeared to positively affect the odds of clinical pregnancy establishment. Conclusion: IUI performed at either 24 hours or 36 hours after ovulation triggered by hCG injection does not change clinical pregnancy rates for PCOS patients. Patients with unexplained infertility seem to benefit from earlier IUI procedures, which increases their fertility potential during ovulation induction with gonadotropins. Avoiding earlier than physiologically needed artificial-hCG triggering before IUI procedures results with better pregnancy rates. Copyright (C) 2016, the Chinese Medical Association. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.Wo

The efficacy of Kinesio taping on lymphedema following head and neck cancer therapy: a randomized, double blind, sham-controlled trial

Objective The aim was to investigate the effectiveness of Kinesio taping for lymphedema following head and neck cancer therapy and its effect on patient compliance and quality of life. Methods A total of 66 patients with lymphedema following head and neck cancer therapy were randomly allocated to the therapeutic Kinesio taping group (n = 33) and the sham Kinesio taping group (n = 33). All participants received manual lymphatic drainage, Kinesio taping, and home exercises for the first four weeks, and only home exercises for the second four weeks. The tape measurements, a scale of external lymphedema, a scale of the internal lymphedema, and quality of life were evaluated in both groups. The perceived discomfort consisting of limitation of daily living activities, pain, tightness, stiffness, and heaviness were also recorded. Results When the group x time effect was evaluated, it was observed that external lymphedema was significantly reduced in both groups according to neck and face composite measurements (p < .001). However, in these measurements, a significant difference was found between the groups in favor of the KT group (p = .001, p = .032, respectively). At the end of the study, there was no significant difference in terms of internal lymphedema in both groups (p = .860). The quality of life parameters such as global health status and swallowing were significantly better in the Kinesio taping group (p < .001). There was no significant difference in the parameters of perceived discomfort between the two groups (p = .282, p = .225, p = .090, p = .155, p = .183, respectively). Conclusion Kinesio taping is effective in tape measurements and positively affects the quality of life in lymphedema following head and neck cancer therapy

Clomiphene Citrate Treatment Cycle Outcomes of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Patients Based on Basal High Sensitive C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is highly associated with an ovulatory infertility, features of the metabolic syndrome, including obesity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Serum concentrations of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were significantly higher in obese than in non-obese PCOS patients at baseline, suggesting a relationship between elevated hs-CRP levels and obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether cycle day 3 hs-CRP levels before clomiphene citrate (CC) treatment would predict cycle outcomes in women with PCOS