The perceptions of pre-service teachers about effective teaching and effective teachers

This study aims at investigating the perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding effective teaching and effective teachers. The following research questions were addressed for this purpose: What are the dimensions of effective teaching? What are the characteristics of an effective teacher? The study is composed of two parts: a literature review, and empirical research. A questionnaire consisting of four open-ended questions was administered to 153 pre-service teachers. Some findings are briefly discussed, including the key fact that pre-service teachers believe that the pedagogical skills of professional teachers should take precedence over the improvement of their theoretical knowledge of their subject matter.peer-reviewe

A New Technique in Primary Repair of Congenital Esophageal Atresia Preventing Anastomotic Stricture Formation and Describing the Opening Condition of Blind Pouch: Plus (“+”) Incision

Anastomotic strictures are common and important problems following repair procedures of esophageal atresia. We hereby defined an anastomosis technique that could efficiently prevent this complication in 11 patients with esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF). The proximal end of the atretic esophagus was opened with a plus (“+”)-shaped incision providing sufficient anastomosis width. Longitudinal incisions of 2 mm length were made on the anterior and posterior parts of the distal end according to the patients. The two ends were anastomosed with a primary suture at a single plain. We performed this technique on 11 patients, and in the 4-year follow-up period no dilatation proved necessary in any of our patients due to anastomotic strictures or symptomatic dysphagia. This technique that we have described provides a large zigzag anastomosis line and in this way minimizes the incidence of stricture formation. Furthermore, this technique, which we believe to have provided a new opinion on the topic of how to open the proximal end of an atretic esophagus, is quite easy and effective

Evaluation of plasma eosinophil count and mean platelet volume in patients with coronary slow flow

OBJECTIVE: The pathophysiology of coronary slow flow has not been clearly defined, although multiple abnormalities including arteritis, endothelial dysfunction, and atherothrombosis, have been reported. It is known that eosinophils play an important role in inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and thrombosis. We aimed to compare the eosinophil counts of coronary slow flow patients versus healthy controls. METHODS: This study included 50 coronary slow flow patients (19 males, mean age 65.6±13.7 years) and 30 healthy controls (10 males, mean age 57.86±11.6 years). These participants were evaluated using concurrent routine biochemical tests as well as neutrophil, lymphocyte, and eosinophil counts and mean platelet volume (MPV), which were obtained from the whole blood count. These parameters were compared between groups. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the study groups were comparable. The coronary slow flow patients had a higher mean platelet volume and eosinophil count than the control group (8.38±0.86 vs 6.28±1.6 fL and 0.31±0.42 vs 0.09±0.05;

Enhancements of electron-positron pair production at very low transverse momentum in peripheral hadronic A + A collisions

The STAR collaboration has observed an excess production of electron-positron pairs which have transverse momenta pperp < 150 MeV/c in peripheral gold-gold and uranium-uranium collisions. ALICE has also reported on an excess of mu mu pairs at low pperp in very peripheral lead-lead collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV/nucleon pair. In literature, there are number of studies about the electromagnetic lepton pair productions in peripheral heavy-ion collisions. Almost all of them have a prediction that unitary is violated in these high energies so that probability of producing electron-positron pairs is greater than one. It is clear that at RHIC and LHC energies, probabilities of producing electron-positron pairs for impact parameters smaller than Compton-wavelength of electron is greater than one. This means that for small impact parameters where the electric field is strongest multiple electron-positron pair productions is inescapable and it must be included in calculations. In literature, there are number of explanations about the pperp broadening however none of them has included the multi-pair production processes in their calculations. The aim of this paper is to show that electron-positron multi-pair production cross section is large and it can not be ignored in calculations

Megacystis-Microcolon-Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome: A Case Report

Megacystis Microcolon Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrom (MMIHS) is a quite rare congenital and fatal disease which was firstly defined by Berdon and his colleagues. It appears through a widely enlarged bladder and microcolon and its cause is unknown (Berdon et al., 1976; Carmelo et al., 2005; Makhija et al., 1999; Loening-Baucke and Kimura 1999; Redman et al., 1984; Hsu et al., 2003; Yigit et al., 1996; Srikanth et al., 1993). The disease is found in females three or four times more than in males (Srikanth et al., 1993; Sen et al., 1993; Hirato et al., 2003). Most of the cases die within the early months of their lives (Yigit et al., 1996; Srikanth et al., 1993; Sen et al., 1993; Hirato et al., 2003). We present the case of a female newborn with antenatal ultrasound revealing intestinal mass and bilateral hydroureteronephrosis. The case was admitted for intestinal obstruction after birth

Comparison of the methods of fibrinolysis by tube thoracostomy and thoracoscopic decortication in children with stage II and III empyema: a prospective randomized study

Today, in spite of the developments in imaging methods and antibiotherapy, childhood pleural empyema is a prominent cause of morbidity and mortality. In recent years, it has been shown that there has been an increase in the frequency of pleural empyema in children, and antibiotic resistance in microorganisms causing pleural empyema has made treatment difficult. Despite the many studies investigating thoracoscopic debridement and fibrinolytic treatment separately in the management of this disease, there is are not enough studies comparing these two treatments. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the efficacy of two different treatment methods in stage II and III empyema cases and to present a perspective for treatment options

Regional intravenous anesthesia in knee arthroscopy

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to investigate the regional intravenous anesthesia procedure in knee arthroscopy and to evaluate the effects of adding ketamine over the anesthesia block charactery and tourniquet pain. MATERIAL/METHOD: Forty American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) II patients who received knee arthroscopy were enrolled. After monitoring, a peripheral IV line was inserted.The venous blood in the lower extremity was evacuated with a bandage, and the proximal cuff of the double-cuff tourniquet was inflated. The patients were randomly split into two groups. While Group P received 80 ml 0.5% prilocaine, Group PK received 0.15 mg/kg ketamine (80 ml in total) via the dorsum of the foot. We recorded onset time of the sensory block, end time of the sensory block, presence of the motor block, the time when the patient verbally reported tourniquet pain and surgical pain, duration of tourniquet tolerance, fentanyl consumption during the operation, time to first analgesic requirement, methemoglobin values at 60 minutes, operative conditions, 24-hour analgesic consumption, discharge time, and hemodynamic parameters. RESULTS: The body mass index (BMI) of the patients who required general anesthesia was significantly higher than the BMI of other patients. The onset time of the sensory block was shorter for those in Group PK, but the time to first analgesic requirement was longer. CONCLUSION: Regional intravenous anesthesia using the doses and volumes commonly used in knee arthroscopy may be an inadequate block among patients with high BMI values. Moreover, the addition of ketamine to the local anesthetic solution may produce a partial solution by shortening the onset of sensory block and prolonging the time until the first analgesic is required

Effects of a single, 24-hour, low-dose intravenous dobutamine infusion on left ventricular myocardial performance index in congestive heart failure: A prospective, nonrandomized study

AbstractBackground:Dobutamine, a predominantly beta-adrenergic sympathomimeticagent, is used for improving left ventricular (LV) systolic performance with different dosing regimens in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Myocardial performance index (MPI) is an indicator of LV global function that is correlated with LV end-diastolic pressure, and it is increased in CHF.Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a single, 24-hour, low-dose, IV dobutamine infusion on LV systolic and diastolic function and on MPI in CHF as an indicator of LV global function, as well as the adverse effects (AEs) of the infusion.Methods:This prospective, nonrandomized study was conducted at theDepartment of Cardiology, Baskent University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Adult patients with LV ejection fraction (EF) <35%, sinus rhythm, and symptomatic CHF were treated using a standard protocol for at least 4 weeks. At the end of this period, patients with symptomatic CHF and EF <35% underwent echocardiography that included measuring isovolumic relaxation and contraction times (IRT and ICT, respectively) and LV ejection time (ET), and calculating LV MPI using the formula MPI = (IRT + ICT)/ET Dobutamine 2.5 μg/kg · min was then infused intravenously for 24 hours. Echocardiography was repeated 24 hours later and values were compared with preinfusion data. Patients were observed and monitored for CHF symptoms and AEs for 24 hours.Results:Forty-three patients were enrolled in the study, and 31 (22 men,9 women; mean [SD] age, 67.55 [11.78] years) continued after the 4-week standard-treatment period. Mean (SD) heart rate (74.93 [20.15] vs 80.23 [13.74] bpm, respectively), systolic blood pressure (129.00 [19.23] vs 126.67 [23.79] mm Hg), and diastolic blood pressure (75.80 [11.26] vs 74.96 [8.30] mm Hg) were statistically similar before and after the infusion. The mean (SD) end-diastolic volume was statistically similar to the preinfusion value (215.87 [76.74] vs 211.08 [65.51] mL); however, the mean (SD) end-systolic volume was significantly reduced (163.80 [63.86] vs 146.74 [53.12] mL; P = 0.01). Mean (SD) EF (25.33% [7.77%] vs 30.45% [7.63%]; P = 0.001) and stroke volume (SV) (54.92 [22.30] vs 63.59 [23.91] mL; P = 0.04) increased significantly. The mean (SD) early:late diastolic flow velocity (E/A ratio) (1.58 [1.36] vs 1.65 [1.27]), IRT (107.03 [35.37] vs 100.42 [34.32] ms), ICT (96.61 [34.27] vs 86.35 [44.80] ms), ET (240.65 [33.28] vs 243.48 [33.54] ms), and MPI (0.81% [0.28%] vs 0.78% [0.31%]) did not change significantly after dobutamine infusion. No AEs were observed.Conclusions:In this study of adult patients with symptomatic CHF, a single, 24-hour, low-dose, IV dobutamine infusion (2.5 μg/kg · min) was associated with decreased LV end-systolic volume and increased SV and EF However, LV diastolic function parameters, isovolumic time intervals, ET, and MPI were statistically similar to preinfusion values. The infusion was well tolerated

Predictive value of atrial electromechanical delay for atrial fibrillation recurrence

Background: We investigated the predictive value of atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD) for recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) at 1-month after cardioversion.Methods: Seventy-seven patients with persistent AF were evaluated and finally 50 patients (12 men, 38 women) were included. All patients underwent transthoracic electrical DC cardioversion under amiodarone treatment. AEMD was measured as the time interval from the onset of the P wave on electrogram (ECG) to the beginning of late diastolic wave (Am) from the ventricular annulus and atrial walls on tissue Doppler imaging, in the apical 4-chamber view 24 h after cardiversion. P wave maximum-duration (Pmax), P wave minimum-duration (Pmin) and P wave dispersion-duration (Pdis) were calculated on the 12-lead ECG at 24-h postcardioversion. We followed the heart rate and rhythm by 12-lead ECG at 24-h, 1-week and 1-month.Results: At 1-month follow-up after cardioversion, 28 (56%) patients were in sinus rhythm (SR), whereas 22 (44%) patients reverted to AF. The AEMD durations were longer in AF group than SR group (p &lt; 0.001) and were signifi cantly correlated with Pmax and Pdis (p &lt; 0.001 for both). For AF recurrence; duration of AF, left atrial (LA) diameter, maximum LA volume index, mitral A velocity and LA lateral AEMD were significant parameters in univariate-analysis, however LA lateral AEMD was the only significant parameter in multivariate-analysis (OR: 1.46; 95% CI 1.02–2.11; p = 0.03).Conclusions: Our results suggest that AEMD is associated with an increased risk of recurrence of AF within 1-month. These data may have implications for the identification of patients who are most likely to experience substantial benefit from cardiversion therapy for AF

The effect of varenicline on Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio in healthy smokers and nonsmokers

Background: Varenicline could affect the T wave and QT interval. The interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic (ECG) T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the transmural dispersion of repolarization, and increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. In this study, we assessed the effects of varenicline on Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio. Methods: Thirty healthy volunteers (15 healthy non-smokers [NS] and 15 healthy smokers [S]) were included in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Varenicline (2 mg single dose) or placebo was administered in two different testing sessions (5 days after the first period, performed the second period). Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio were assessed in the supine position and during handgrip exercise before and after the participants were given placebo or varenicline. Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio were calculated from continuous ECG recordings and averages were used in the final analysis. Result: There were no statistically significant differences among any of the Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio before and after placebo administration in both groups (S and NS). In the S group, Tp-e and QTc interval, and Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratio were significantly increased after varenicline administration (Tp-e: 64.28 ± 8.78 vs. 70.42 ± ± 13.12; p = 0.02, QTc: 409.57 ± 28.17 vs. 425.28 ± 32.79; p = 0.02, Tp-e/QT: 0.18 ± 0.02 vs. 0.19 ± 0.03; p = 0.04, Tp-e/QTc: 0.17 ± 0.02 vs. 0.19 ± 0.02; p = 001) but these parameters were not changed in the NS group. Conclusions: Tp-e and QTc interval, and Tpe/QT and Tpe/QTc ratio were increased after varenicline administration in smoker