The Impact of Political Factors on Economy and Business in Turkey

The goal of this research is analyzing the impact of politics on business and economy in Turkey. How influencial are political factors for managers with respect to accretion of the companies? What is the dimension of political consciousness of managers and employees and what kind of regulations can be made? The study is going to enlighten answers to these questions. Total 37 SME managers attended in the study. After collecting the qualitative data within surveys, it was interpreted as quantitative extent through SPSS program. In addition to the normal dispersion and reliability of the data; t-Test, ANCOVA, ANOVA and linear correlation analyses were practiced. Findings demonstrated that the managers of SMEs consider the political factors and they are impacting positively. In regard to categorical variables, mostly bachelor degree graduates, young and middle-aged, both male and female participants indicated that politics is effective on economy and business, but when the detailed statistical analysis is examined between the variables, any significant data cannot be observed

The relationship between nutrition screenings and nutritional status determined by malnutrition in hemodialysis patients

Objective: It is aimed to evaluate the relationship of food consumptions, biochemical blood parameters, and some anthropometrics with the screening tests using in the nutritional status of hemodialysis patients with end stage renal failure. Materials and Methods: The survey were conducted with 110 hemodialysis patients who hospitalized at the Nephrology Clinic in Akdeniz University Hospital. The routine biochemical blood parameters of the patients were analyzed and their anthropometric measurements were performed. The food consumptions were recorded by the dietician and Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA)has screening tests using were performed. Results: The average age of the patients participating in the study was 55 ± 19 years. In MUST, 42.7% of the patients were at high risk, 18.2% of them at moderate risk by malnutrition. Statistically significant relationship was also negatively determined between body weight, dry weight, BMI, the waist circumference, and MUST and SGA (p<0.05). A negatively significant relationship was statistically found among albumin, creatinine, hemoglobin and calcium readouts by NRS2002, among albumin, BUN, calcium and phosphorus readouts by MUST, among albumin, hemoglobin and calcium readouts by SGA (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was observed that the dialysis patients could not get the advised nutritional quantities, thence malnutrition progressed. It is concluded that anthropometric measurements are more concordant with MUST and the biochemical symptoms with NRS2002, and therefore both must be taken into consideration in the assessment of nutritional status correctly of the end-stage renal patients undergoing hemodialysis

The end of a fairytale, the start of a new era? : the EU and China in the Western Balkans

Published online: 28 June 2024The Western Balkans have been transformed into authoritarian regimes in the last decade, despite the EU’s engagement with the region through its enlargement policy. However, prioritizing stability over democracy, the EU lost its chance to transform the Western Balkan countries into democratic entities. In the end, the EU opened a way in for the external actors to the Western Balkan countries and China has entered the scene by increasing engagement with the region. The leaders of the authoritarian regimes in the Western Balkans adopted a pragmatic approach in their relations with China. They used the Chinese card to proceed with their relations with the EU and to gather financial means to legitimize and consolidate their regimes

Prosthetic complications with mandibular bar-retained implant overdentures having distal attachments and metal frameworks: A 2- to 12-year retrospective analysis.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Long-term reports on 2-implant-retained overdentures having metal frameworks and bars containing distal attachments are scarce. PURPOSE The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate prosthetic complications with 2-implant-retained mandibular overdentures with metal frameworks having either screw- or cement-retained cantilevered bars with distal attachments. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy-three edentulous study participants who had been treated with mandibular overdentures with 2 implants were included. The parameters assessed were acrylic resin fractures (base fracture, fracture at midline), debonding of teeth, opposing prosthesis fracture, need for relining or rebasing, abutment and bar screw loosening and fracture, ball or bar attachment or clip wear, fracture or detachment, bar fracture, and implant loss. Statistical analysis was performed by using the Mann-Whitney U test as the data were not normally distributed. The categorical variables between the groups were analyzed by using the Fisher exact test (α=.05). RESULTS Twenty-seven prostheses had a cement-retained bar, and 46 bars were screw-retained. Of 73 overdentures, 68 were metal-reinforced. The mean observation time was 5.9 years with a range between 2 and 12 years. The most common complication was wear of the Rhein 83 polymer attachment followed by bar screw loosening. The cumulative survival rate for overdentures was 91.9% at 6.8 years. The service life of cement-retained prostheses was significantly longer (P.05). CONCLUSIONS Based on the participant population observed, the survival rates of 2-implant-retained mandibular overdentures and their implants in the medium term were high. Wear of the polymer attachment was commonly seen. Overdentures with cement-retained bars had bar or acrylic resin fractures. Mandibular 2-implant-retained overdentures with a screw-retained bar containing bilateral distal attachments had fewer prosthetic complications and high implant survival in the medium term

Low Serum Triglyceride Levels as Predictors of Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Patients

Understanding the influence of sex differences on predictors of cardiac mortality rates in chronic heart failure might enable us to lengthen lifetimes and to improve lives. This study describes the influence of sex on cardiovascular mortality rates among chronic heart failure patients. From January 2003 through December 2009, we evaluated 637 consecutive patients (409 men and 228 women) with chronic heart failure, who ranged in age from 18 through 94 years (mean age, 64 ± 13 yr) and ranged in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class from II through IV. The mean follow-up period was 38 ± 15 months, the mean age was 64 ± 13 years, and the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.27 ±0.11. By the end of the study, both sexes had similar cardiovascular mortality rates (36% men vs 37% women, P=0.559). In Cox regression analysis, NYHA functional class, triglyceride level, and history of coronary artery disease were independent predictors of cardiovascular death for women with chronic heart failure. For men with chronic heart failure, the patient\u27s age, ejection fraction, and sodium level were independent predictors of cardiovascular death. In a modern tertiary referral heart failure clinic, decreased triglyceride levels were, upon univariate analysis, predictors of poor outcomes for both men and women. However, upon Cox regression analysis, reduced triglyceride levels were independent predictors of cardiac death only in women

BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination elicited protective robust immune responses in pediatric patients with inborn errors of metabolism

IntroductionSARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to a life-threatening acute metabolic decompensation in children with inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), so vaccination is mandatory. However, IEMs can also impair innate or adaptive immunity, and the impact of these immune system alterations on immunogenicity and vaccine efficacy is still unknown. Here, we investigated humoral immune responses to the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and clinical outcomes in pediatric IEM patients.MethodsFifteen patients between 12-18 years of age with a confirmed diagnosis of IEM, and received BNT162b2 were enrolled to the study. Patients with an anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG concentration >50 AU/mL before vaccination were defined as “COVID-19 recovered” whereas patients with undetectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG concentration were defined as “COVID-19 naïve”. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers were measured to assess humoral immune response.ResultsAnti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers and nAb IH% increased significantly after the first dose. The increase in antibody titers after first and second vaccination remained significant in COVID-19 naïve patients. Complete anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity and nAb IH% positivity was observed in all patients after the second dose. Vaccination appears to be clinically effective in IEM patients, as none of the patients had COVID-19 infection within six months of the last vaccination.DiscussionHumoral immune response after two doses of BNT162b2 in pediatric IEM patients was adequate and the immune response was not different from that of healthy individuals

It Is Pull-and-Push that Matters for External Europeanization! Explaining Minority Policy Change in Turkey

Starting with an empirical puzzle, i.e. the variation in minority-related change in Turkey across time, this article aims to uncover the conditions that promote or constrain domestic change and puts forward a comprehensive theoretical framework for external Europeanization. The article draws on current external Europeanization theories and suggests adopting the pull-and-push model of member state Europeanization in external Europeanization. It argues that domestic change - Turkey's minority policy change in the empirical case - depends on the combination and interaction of EU push and domestic pull factors

The role of women in migration and urbanization-culinary culture interaction

The kitchen is one of the most important components reflecting the culture of a society. Individuals and communities have first fronted to getting know culinary cultures in order to adapt to new places of life due to migration. Women have been seen as an important factor in ensuring the interaction and continuity of culinary cultures. In this study, how can women have a role on culinary culture in the interaction of migration and urbanization- culinary culture based on the question of migration and culture in this context, it is aimed to evaluate the research conducted on culinary culture and women in the field of migration and culture. In many studies, it has been seen that women\u27s relationship with cuisine is considered in terms of health, religion, ethnic identity and gender identity. According to the results of the study, it is detected that women consciously maintain and protect their culinary culture after migration. It has been concluded that the kitchen is seen by immigrant women as a tool in the construction of society. It has been determined that there are not enough studies on the subject in the national article and it is thought that the study will make an important contribution to the literature in this context. Keywords: migration, urbanization, women, culture, culinary culture Göç ve kentleşme-mutfak kültürü etkileşiminde kadının rolü Özet Mutfak, bir toplumun kültürünü yansıtan en önemli bileşenlerden biridir. Birey ve topluluklar göç nedeni ile yeni yaşam yerlerine uyum sağlamak amacı ile ilk olarak mutfak kültürlerini tanımaya yönelmişlerdir. Mutfak kültürlerinin etkileşimi ve devamlılığının sağlanmasında kadınlar önemli bir etken olarak görülmüştür. Bu çalışmada göç ve kentleşme- mutfak kültürü etkileşiminde kadınların mutfak kültürü üzerinde nasıl bir rolü olabileceği sorusundan yola çıkılarak, bu kapsamda göç ve kültür alan yazınında mutfak kültürü ve kadınlara yönelik yapılan araştırmaların değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Pek çok araştırmada kadının mutfak ile ilişkisinin; sağlık, din, etnik kimlik ve cinsiyet kimliği açısından ele alındığı görülmüştür. Yapılan çalışma sonuçlarına göre göç sonrası kadınların mutfak kültürlerini bilinçli bir şekilde korudukları ve devam ettirdikleri tespit edilmiştir. Mutfağın göçmen kadınlar tarafından, toplumun inşasında bir araç olarak görüldüğü sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ulusal yazında konuya ilişkin yeterli çalışmanın olmadığı tespit edilmiştir ve bu bağlamda çalışmanın literatüre önemli bir katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: göç, kentleşme, kadın, kültür, mutfak kültür