Sample Size for Non-Inferiority Tests for One Proportion: A Simulation Study

The objective of non-inferiority trials is to demonstrate the efficiency of a novel treatment whether it is acceptably less or more efficient than a control or active (existing) treatment. They are employed in situations where, when compared to the active treatment, the novel treatment is to be advantageous with higher rates of reliability, compatibility, cost-efficiency, etc. Odds ratio is the most significant measure used in investigating the size of efficiency of treatments relative to one another. The purpose of the study is to calculate and evaluate the sample size under different scenarios based on three different test statistics in non-inferiority trials for one proportion via Monte Carlo simulations

Practice of Fiducial Marker in Prostate Cancer: A Single-Center Experience with up to 6 Years’ Follow-up Results

We aimed to evaluate the long-term follow-up results of patients with prostate cancer implanted with ultrasound-guided fiducial marker(FM). Forty patients, between 2012-2017 were evaluated. Firstly, the gastrointestinal-genitourinary system side effects were questioned twice immediately after FM implant and in the median 6.5th year and the grading was performed via the NCI CTCAE-V5.0 test and compared. Secondly, in the late period, questions assessing genitourinary-gastrointestinal symptoms were asked using the EORTC QLQ-PR25 Module,and the complication status and patient comfort were assessed The mean symptom value for all patients in the EORTC QLQ-PR25 module was 17,33%. In the first assessment made according to the results obtained by questioning the genitourinarygastrointestinal symptoms related to the FM procedure both after the procedure and in the median 6.5th year,rectal bleeding was present in 2(4%),dysuria 3(6%),hematuria 5(11%) and frequency of urination in 5(11%) patients and in the second assessment,no new symptoms were added and the overall symptom rate decreased. In the first assessment,it was determined via NCI CTCAE-V 5.0 scale that the adverse effects of 9 patients (20%),who were identified with adverse effects,were grade 1 corresponding to mild side effects,and none of the patients experienced grade 2 or higher adverse events. In the second assessment,side effects were defined in 3 patients (7,5%) and grade 1 was mild. The ultrasound-guided FM implant procedure,which is used in prostate cancer radiotherapy is an easy,tolerable and safe technique that does not lead to adverse effects and loss of comfort in patients with long-term follow-u

Evaluation of factors affecting elective course preferences: Example of Faculty of Veterinary medicine validity and reliability study

This study aims to determine the factors affecting the elective course preferences of veterinary faculty students. Developing a scale (Elective Course Preference Attitude Scale) that provides an evaluation of the elective course preferences of students of veterinary medicine students is also aimed. 354 students studying at Selçuk University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in the 2019-2020 academic year participated in the study. With regard to constructing validity, Cronbach’s alpha (α) coefficient was used for the reliability analysis. For validity analysis, factor analysis was applied. In light of the data obtained from the study, it can be suggested that the “Elective Course Preference Attitude Scale” is a valid and reliable tool in the evaluation of the elective course preferences of veterinary medicine students, and this scale can also be used in the evaluation of the elective course preferences of students of other departments.Bu çalışma ile veteriner fakültesi öğrencilerinin seçmeli ders tercihlerine etki eden faktörlerin belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Ayrıca veteriner fakültesi öğrencilerinin seçmeli ders tercihlerinin değerlendirilmesini sağlayan bir ölçeğin (Seçmeli Ders Tercihi Tutum Ölçeği) geliştirilmesi hedeflendi. Çalışmaya, Selçuk Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi’nde 2019-2020 Eğitim-Öğretim döneminde öğrenim görmekte olan 354 öğrenci katıldı. Yapı geçerliliği için; güvenirlik analizlerinde Cronbach alfa (α) katsayısı kullanıldı. Geçerlik analizi için faktör analizi uygulandı. Çalışmada elde edilen veriler neticesinde “Seçmeli Ders Tercihi Tutum Ölçeği” nin veteriner fakültelerinde öğrenim görmekte olan öğrenciler için güvenilir ve geçerli olduğu; veteriner fakültesi öğrencileri seçmeli ders tercihlerinin değerlendirilmesinde kullanılabileceği gibi diğer bölümlerde öğrenim görmekte olan öğrencilerin seçmeli ders tercihlerinin değerlendirilmesinde kullanılabilecek bir ölçek olduğu da ileri sürülebilir

Identification of Infectious Diseases that Have the Potential to Cause Epidemics After an Earthquake

Amaç: Çalışmada deprem sonrası salgın oluşturma potansiyeline sahip enfeksiyon hastalıklarının belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Sistematik bir değerlendirme olan bu araştırmada veri kaynağı olarak, 28 Şubat 2023 ve öncesinde, deprem sonrasında enfeksiyon hastalıklarının insidansını belirleyen 20 adet araştırma kullanıldı. Tanımlayıcı istatistikler birim sayısı, yüzde, ortalama ± standart sapma değerleri olarak verildi. Bağımlı iki gruplu değişkenlerin karşılaştırmaları Wilcoxon testi ile yapıldı. p<0,05 değeri istatistiksel olarak önemli kabul edildi. Bulgular: Araştırmaların %60’ı kohort retrospektif, %30’u kohort prospektif; %40’ı deprem öncesi ve deprem sonrasına ilişkin veri sunmakta idi. Araştırmalar 1980 ile 2016 yılları arasında gerçekleşen 7,90±1,41 Richter büyüklüğündeki depremlerle ilgili idi. Enfeksiyon hastalıkları insidans ortalamaları deprem öncesinde 15,47±22,94, deprem sonrasında ise 1465,29±3379,69. Deprem sonrasındaki insidans ortalamalarındaki artış anlamlı düzeyde idi (p<0,05). Genel olarak, solunum sistemi (akut solunum yolu enfeksiyonu, pnömoni, tüberküloz difteri ve vadi ateşi), gastrointestinal sistem (akut gastroenterit, viral hepatitler), vektör kaynaklı (sıtma, leishmaniyazis, zika virüsü ve japon-ensefaliti) enfeksiyon hastalıklarına ek olarak, tetanoz deprem sonrasında salgın yapma potansiyeli bulunan enfeksiyon hastalıkları arasında idi. 2001 ve 2020 yılları arasında gerçekleşen depremler temel alındığında, Asya kıtasında, vektör kaynaklı enfeksiyon hastalıkları alt grup kategorilerinde deprem sonrası insidans ortalamaları deprem öncesine kıyasla belirgin düzeyde fazla idi (p<0,05). Sonuç: Bu çalışma, depremlerden sonra enfeksiyon hastalıkları insidansında artış olduğunu gösterdi. Kurumların deprem sonrasında dönemde acil sağlık hizmetleri, yeterli barınak, gıda kaynağı, temiz içme ve kullanma suyu ve güvenilir sağlık sistemleri sağlamayı içeren uygulanabilir, etkili stratejiler geliştirmesi faydalı olacaktır

Use of the consort-ai protocol in reporting artificial intelligence applications in clinical trials

Aim: Artificial intelligence has begun to be used in many branches of science, including medicine, with the development of technology in the 21st century. However, these studies are reported outside of a certain standard and this situation causes the studies to have a complex structure. Reporting the research results in accordance with international standards will make meaningful contributions to the process of understanding, interpreting and critically evaluating the research in question. CONSORT-AI (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials- Artificial Intelligence) is a reporting protocol that has become widespread in medicine and health due to the rapidly increasing number of artificial intelligence applications. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate whether the CONSORT-AI protocol, which was adapted into Turkish, was correctly understood by the researchers. Materials and Methods: 22 articles selected from TR Index journals were evaluated by the authors who were in the evaluator position with the CONSORT-AI protocol, and the evaluation results were tested with interauthor agreement analysis. Results: The obtained findings showed that the agreement between raters was statistically significant. However, in the studies examined, no article was found that fully observes the principles in the CONSORT-AI protocol. Conclusion: It is expected that the study will contribute to information professionals working in the field of medicine and health, researchers related to the subject, and editors and referees who are in the position of evaluating research by drawing attention to the principles to be followed in artificial intelligence-oriented research outputs

“Being COVID-19” A Qualitative Study: Experiences, Needs, Recommendations

Amaç: Bu araştırma COVID-19 enfeksiyonu sebebiyle hastanede yatışı olan bireylerin, COVID-19 sürecine ilişkin deneyimlerinin kronolojik olarak keşfedilmesi amacı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırma nitel araştırma yöntemi kapsamında anlatı araştırması olarak tasarlanmıştır. Araştırma katılımcılarının belirlenmesinde, dahil olma kriterleri içinde yer alan X hastanesinde COVID-19 tanısı almış, yoğun bakımda tedavi görmüş, taburculuk süresi en fazla 1 ay olan, 18 yaş ve üzerinde gönüllü kişilerden oluşması esas alındı. Katılımcılar, nitel araştırmalarda kullanılan amaçlı örnekleme kapsamında belirlenmiş olup 15 gönüllü katılımcı ile derinlemesine görüşme tekniği kullanılarak araştırma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Görüşmelerden elde edilen veriler MAXQDA20 programıyla analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular: COVID-19 enfeksiyonu sonucu hastanede yatışı olan bireylerin deneyimleri incelendiğinde üç ana tema karşımıza çıkmıştır. Bu temalar özellikle katılımcıların hastalık süreçlerine ilişkin, tanı öncesi, tanı-tedavi sırası ve tanı sonrası deneyimleridir. Bunlarla birlikte katılımcıların önerileri de analiz edilmiştir. Katılımcıların çoğunluğu, COVID-19’a yakalanmadan önce bu hastalığa ilişkin çoğunlukla korku ve endişe duygularını yaşadığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Yaşanılan korku veya endişe durumlarının da daha çok hastalığa yakalanma, hastalığı başkalarına bulaştırma ve ölüm korkusu şeklinde olduğunu görülmektedir. Tanı ve tedavi süreçlerine ilişkin elde edilen sonuçlar, katılımcıların çoğunlukla yoğun bakım sürecinde zorlandıklarını göstermektedir. Bu süreçte katılımcılar güçlü yönlerini “sağlık çalışanlarının ilgisi” olarak belirtmiştir. Katılımcıların taburculuk sonrasında, nefes darlığı, mide bulantısı, halsizlik gibi fiziksel etkiler yaşadıkları ortaya çıkmıştır. Sonuç: Her aşamada katılımcılara korku hakim olduğu, yoğun bakım sürecinin zor olduğu, hastalıktan korunmaya daha da dikkat ettikleri ortaya çıkmıştır

Determining the factors affecting cattle and small ruminant enterprises to get animal life insurance

Aim: This research is aimed to determine the reasons why producers have/do not have animal life insurance (ALI), as well as to determine the factors that affect this situation and to suggest solutions that will contribute to increasing the rate of insurance. Materials and Methods: The material of the research was determined by the Agricultural Insurance Pool (TARSİM) as the enterprises engaged in small ruminant and cattle breeding in the provinces of Afyonkarahisar, Aksaray, Ankara, Burdur, Karaman and Konya. The minimum number of enterprises targeted to be visited and their distribution according to the provinces was calculated according to the Neyman stratified sampling method. Within the scope of the research, data collected from 252 enterprises were evaluated. In the analysis of the data, the relationship between the two variables was evaluated using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient and the Spearman Correlation Coefficient when it did not meet the prerequisites for parametric testing. Categorical data were analyzed by Fisher's Exact Test and Chi-Square test. In order to determine the reasons for not taking out insurance, the obtained data were evaluated by explanatory factor analysis method. Results: In terms of professional experience; Having less than 5 years of professional experience, having a certificate of disease freeness in enterprises, and have additional income sources other than animal husbandry the insurances rate of the enterprises are increasing. It can be said that the data of the relevant scale are suitable for factor analysis (p <0,05) and that the construct validity of the measuring tool is generally provided according to the factor analysis results. In the ALI Attitude Scale, which was developed as a result of factor analysis, the questions were distributed to 4 factors. The factors are respectively; Expectations from Insurance, Insurance Awareness, Procedure and Belief, Financial Factors, and Cost. Conclusion: The first condition for increasing the rate of having ALI is that producers should be constantly informed about ALI. It should be taken into consideration that some positive additional support and incentives, additional scoring, incentive payment priority, etc., may contribute positively to the system in producing policies and premiums

Determination of relationship of body weight and some body measurements by nonlinear models in hair goats in karaman region

Aim: In this study, the data obtained to describe the body characteristics of the Hair Goat ,were utilized in the businesses that were registered with Karaman Province Breeding Sheep and Goat Breeders Association. Body measurement of 130 goats, 2-7 years old and 50 billy goats, 2-4 years old, selected by simple random sampling method for total 900. The main motivation of the study was to determine the relationship between body weight and some body measurements with nonlinear models in hair goats in Karaman region. Materials and Methods: In the study, we estimated the live weight with nonlinear models. Nonlinear univariate regression models were used. Results: When the results of the study were evaluated, statistically significant results were obtained by using Quadratic or Cubic methods from nonlinear univariate models. Conclusion: Researchers may choose the multivariate regression method occurs when the appropriate terms and conditions, but with time constraints and chest girth quadratic or cubic univariate methods impractical for situations be offered an estimate using the variable

Robustness of analysis of covariance (ancova) under the distributions assumptions and variance homogeneity

Aim: As in all parametric methods, the ANCOVA method assumes that normal distributions of errors, homogeneity of variances, and error terms are independent of each other. However, unusual distributions in practice are more common than normal distribution. In this study, it is aimed to examine ANCOVA method or type 1 error rates under different distribution conditions and homogeneity of variances. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, a simulation studies under different scenarios was conducted. Random numbers were generated from Gamma, Beta and Normal distributions considering different groups and different sample sizes. In the simulation studies, 10000 replications were run under the null hypothesis of no group differences and type-I error rates were calculated for each scenario. Results: According to the results, in the case of the normal distribution with homogeneous variance, the proportion of Type I error is high in the groups with the sample size of n=20 and n=40. In the case of normal distribution with the heterogeneous variance, the deviation has been observed in the groups with the sample size of n = 10 and n = 30, and n = 40. These results are the same as the results of Gamma distribution. In the Beta distribution, , there is a deviation in the groups with n=10 and n=20 where the sample sizes are small. Conclusion: The results showed that type-I error rate is affected by skewness of the distribution, sample size and homogeneity of variance. Further work can be extended by simulation studies under different distributions and parameter values

Choroidal Vascularity Index and Choroidal Thickness Changes Following Renal Transplantation

Objectives:This study aimed to evaluate changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and intraocular pressure (IOP) after renal transplantation.Materials and Methods:A total of 49 renal transplantation patients were included in this prospective study. CVI and SFCT on enhanced-depth imaging optic coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), MAP at the cubital fossa, GFR, and IOP were measured preoperatively and at postoperative 1 week and 1 month. In the analysis of EDI-OCT images, luminal area (LA) and stromal area of the choroid were determined using the image binarization method. CVI was defined as the ratio of LA to total choroid area. The effects of GFR, IOP, and MAP on CVI and SFCT were investigated.Results:The study included 23 women (47%) and 26 men (53%) with a mean age of 26.28±8.25 years (range: 18-52). Changes between preoperative, postoperative 1-week, and postoperative 1-month GFR values, CVI, and SFCT measurements were evaluated. There were significant differences between preoperative and postoperative GFR and SFCT measurements (p<0.001), but no significant differences between preoperative and postoperative CVI (p=0.09), MAP (p=0.14), or IOP (p=0.84) measurements.Conclusion:The present study demonstrated that SFCT increased significantly with GFR, while there was no change in CVI values