Religion as source of moral energy for Turkish enterpreneurs

This article was presented at the 33rd Annual ISBE Conference in Lindon, 2010Turkey has a distinctive status within the Muslim world. It is a Muslim country with a greater than 95% Muslim population, and yet it is the only Muslim country that has inscribed the principle of secularism (laiklik) into its constitution. From the very beginning of the Republic, Turkish society has experienced polarization between the ‘Islamists’ and the ‘secularists’. As in every major religion, the Islamic faith prescribes ethical/moral values which shape the way of life at both the level of the individual and society. Unsurprisingly, it is possible to see Islamic moral principles also filtering through to regulate business life

Communication Research

Contains reports on seven research projects.Rockefeller FoundationCarnegie Foundatio

Pilot study to define criteria for Pituitary Tumors Centers of Excellence (PTCOE):results of an audit of leading international centers

Purpose: The Pituitary Society established the concept and mostly qualitative parameters for defining uniform criteria for Pituitary Tumor Centers of Excellence (PTCOEs) based on expert consensus. Aim of the study was to validate those previously proposed criteria through collection and evaluation of self-reported activity of several internationally-recognized tertiary pituitary centers, thereby transforming the qualitative 2017 definition into a validated quantitative one, which could serve as the basis for future objective PTCOE accreditation. Methods: An ad hoc prepared database was distributed to nine Pituitary Centers chosen by the Project Scientific Committee and comprising Centers of worldwide repute, which agreed to provide activity information derived from registries related to the years 2018–2020 and completing the database within 60 days. The database, provided by each center and composed of Excel® spreadsheets with requested specific information on leading and supporting teams, was reviewed by two blinded referees and all 9 candidate centers satisfied the overall PTCOE definition, according to referees’ evaluations. To obtain objective numerical criteria, median values for each activity/parameter were considered as the preferred PTCOE definition target, whereas the low limit of the range was selected as the acceptable target for each respective parameter. Results: Three dedicated pituitary neurosurgeons are preferred, whereas one dedicated surgeon is acceptable. Moreover, 100 surgical procedures per center per year are preferred, while the results indicated that 50 surgeries per year are acceptable. Acute post-surgery complications, including mortality and readmission rates, should preferably be negligible or nonexistent, but acceptable criterion is a rate lower than 10% of patients with complications requiring readmission within 30 days after surgery. Four endocrinologists devoted to pituitary diseases are requested in a PTCOE and the total population of patients followed in a PTCOE should not be less than 850. It appears acceptable that at least one dedicated/expert in pituitary diseases is present in neuroradiology, pathology, and ophthalmology groups, whereas at least two expert radiation oncologists are needed. Conclusion: This is, to our knowledge, the first study to survey and evaluate the activity of a relevant number of high-volume centers in the pituitary field. This effort, internally validated by ad hoc reviewers, allowed for transformation of previously formulated theoretical criteria for the definition of a PTCOE to precise numerical definitions based on real-life evidence. The application of a derived synopsis of criteria could be used by independent bodies for accreditation of pituitary centers as PTCOEs.</p

Communication Research

Contains reports on nine research projects.Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporate

Novel roles for class II Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase C2 beta in signalling pathways involved in prostate cancer cell invasion

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) regulate several cellular functions such as proliferation, growth, survival and migration. The eight PI3K isoforms are grouped into three classes and the three enzymes belonging to the class II subfamily (PI3K-C2a, ß and ?) are the least investigated amongst all PI3Ks. Interest on these isoforms has been recently fuelled by the identification of specific physiological roles for class II PI3Ks and by accumulating evidence indicating their involvement in human diseases. While it is now established that these isoforms can regulate distinct cellular functions compared to other PI3Ks, there is still a limited understanding of the signalling pathways that can be specifically regulated by class II PI3Ks. Here we show that PI3K-C2ß regulates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1/2) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activation in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. We further demonstrate that MEK/ERK and PI3K-C2ß are required for PCa cell invasion but not proliferation. In addition we show that PI3K-C2ß but not MEK/ERK regulates PCa cell migration as well as expression of the transcription factor Slug. These data identify novel signalling pathways specifically regulated by PI3K-C2ß and they further identify this enzyme as a key regulator of PCa cell migration and invasion

Pentalogy of Cantrell: two patients and a review to determine prognostic factors for optimal approach

Two patients with incomplete pentalogy of Cantrell are described. The first was a girl with a large omphalocele with evisceration of the heart, liver and intestines with an intact sternum. Echocardiography showed profound intracardiac defects. The girl died 33 h after birth. The second patient was a female fetus with ectopia cordis (EC) without intracardiac anomalies; a large omphalocele with evisceration of the heart, stomach, spleen and liver; a hypoplastic sternum and rib cage; and a scoliosis. The pregnancy was terminated. A review of patients described in the literature is presented with the intention of finding prognostic factors for an optimal approach to patients with the pentalogy of Cantrell. In conclusion the prognosis seems to be poorer in patients with the complete form of pentalogy of Cantrell, EC, and patients with associated anomalies. Intracardial defects do not seem to be a prognostic factor

Recommendations for the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is still the world's second most frequent cause of death due to infectious diseases after HIV infection, and this has aroused greater interest in identifying and managing exposed subjects, whether they are simply infected or have developed one of the clinical variants of the disease. Unfortunately, not even the latest laboratory techniques are always successful in identifying affected children because they are more likely to have negative cultures and tuberculin skin test results, equivocal chest X-ray findings, and atypical clinical manifestations than adults. Furthermore, they are at greater risk of progressing from infection to active disease, particularly if they are very young. Consequently, pediatricians have to use different diagnostic strategies that specifically address the needs of children. This document describes the recommendations of a group of scientific societies concerning the signs and symptoms suggesting pediatric TB, and the diagnostic approach towards children with suspected disease