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Public health is facing a worldwide challenge due to the emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance in ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli) infections. The natural antimicrobial nature of bee venoms makes them promising antimicrobial candidates against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In this study, melittin and apamin bee venoms were investigated to generate novel antimicrobial agents effective against ESKAPE microorganisms. The antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of melittin and apamin synthesized from endemic Apis mellifera L. bee venom were tested against ESKAPE microorganisms using minimal inhibition, minimal bactericidal inhibition and time-kill curve methods. The in-vitro cytotoxicity effect of melittin and apamin for L929 fibroblast cells was also examined. Synthesized melittin and apamin (0.78-600 μg/mL) were antimicrobial against ESKAPE pathogens. Time-kill curve studies confirmed the growth retardation effect and bactericidal activity of melittin and apamin. Antibiofilm studies also showed that melittin and apamin significantly (melittin 8%-82%, apamin 1.8%-78%) inhibited the biofilm formed by ESKAPE pathogens. Melittin and apamin were not cytotoxic to L929 fibroblast cells. We found that melittin and apamin have high antibacterial properties. These naturally synthesized bee venoms offer a promising powerful solution to fight various pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pappalysins pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and -A2 (PAPP-A2) act as proteinases of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) binding proteins, while stanniocalcin-2 (STC2) was identified as a pappalysin inhibitor. While there is some evidence from studies in children and adolescents, it is unclear whether these molecules are related to concentrations of IGF-1 and its binding proteins in adults. We investigated cross-sectionally the association of circulating PAPP-A, PAPP-A2 and STC2 with IGF-1 and its binding proteins (IGFBPs) in 394 adult pretest participants (20–69 years) of the German National Cohort Berlin North study center. Plasma PAPP-A, PAPP-A2, total and free IGF-1, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5 and STC2 were measured by ELISAs. The associations of PAPP-A, PAPP-A2 and STC2 with IGF-1 or IGFBPs were investigated using multivariable linear regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, body mass index and pretest phase. We observed significant inverse associations of PAPP-A2 (difference in concentrations per 0.5 ng/mL higher PAPP-A2 levels) with total IGF-1 (− 4.3 ng/mL; 95% CI − 7.0; − 1.6), the IGF-1:IGFBP-3 molar ratio (− 0.34%; 95%-CI − 0.59; − 0.09), but not free IGF-1 and a positive association with IGFBP-2 (11.9 ng/mL; 95% CI 5.0; 18.8). PAPP-A was not related to total or free IGF-1, but positively associated with IGFBP-5. STC2 was inversely related to total IGF-1, IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 and positively to IGFBP-1. This first investigation of these associations in a general adult population supports the hypothesis that PAPP-A2 as well as STC2 play a role for IGF-1 and its binding proteins, especially for total IGF-1. The role of PAPP-A2 and STC2 for health and disease in adults warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of canakinumab on growth parameters in children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 946 pediatric FMF patients followed in our center, of whom 37 were treated with canakinumab for at least three doses. Patients were assessed for demographic, clinical, and genetic characteristics. Data of height and weight percentiles and Z scores were recorded before and after canakinumab treatment and compared. Results: The study group comprised 37 FMF patients with treated canakinumab. The median age (IQR) at diagnosis and canakinumab initiation was 3.0 (2.0–4.3) years and 7.0 (3.6–10.1) years, respectively. The median weight scores and mean body mass index (BMI) values significantly increased after canakinumab treatment. There was no change in height scores following canakinumab treatment. Conclusion: Canakinumab treatment has improved off body weight and BMI parameters of FMF patients by controlling disease activity and inflammation. Key Points • To our knowledge, few studies in the literature evaluate the growth parameters of canakinumab treatment in FMF children. • Canakinumab treatment has been shown to affect body weight and BMI positively. • Long-term studies are needed for its effects on height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer ranks as the eighth most prevalent form of cancer in women across the globe and stands as the third most frequent gynecological cancer, following cervical and endometrial cancers. Given its resistance to standard chemotherapy and high recurrence rates, there is an urgent imperative to discover novel compounds with potential as chemotherapeutic agents for treating ovarian cancer. Chalcones exhibit a wide array of biological properties, with a particular focus on their anti-cancer activities. In this research, we documented the synthesis and in vitro study of a small library of chalcone derivatives designed for use against high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) cell lines, specifically OVCAR-3, OVSAHO, and KURAMOCHI. Our findings revealed that three of these compounds exhibited cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects against all the tested HGSOC cell lines, achieving IC50 concentrations lower than 25 µM. Further investigations disclosed that these chalcones prompted an increase in the subG1 phase cell cycle and induced apoptosis in OVCAR-3 cells. In summary, our study underscores the potential of chalcones as promising agents for the treatment of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and typing of viral and bacterial pathogens in patients with a preliminary diagnosis of respiratory tract infection during the epidemic period in Türkiye. Material and Method: The study included the respiratory pathogen analysis results of 215 patients aged 0-17 years admitted to the Pediatrics Department of Kütahya Health Sciences University Evliya Çelebi Training and Research Hospital between October 2022 and March 2023 with symptoms of respiratory tract infections. Twenty-three viruses and six bacteria in the respiratory panel were studied using multiplex real-time PCR. Samples were obtained from a nasopharyngeal swab in non-intubated patients and tracheal aspiration material in intubated patients. Results: While 92.1% of the patients were positive for one or more agents, no agent was detected in 7.9%. Among the positive results, the rate of the single pathogen was 27.3% (n=54), while the rate of multiple pathogens was 72.7% (n=144). Respiratory syncytial virus was the most common viral agent with a rate of 23.3% and Adenovirus with a rate of 19.1%, while Haemophilus influenzae (48.8%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (29.3%) were the most common bacterial agents. Conclusion: In this study, viral and bacterial pathogens have been studied intensively in children. Simultaneous, rapid, and sensitive detection of these agents is essential in preventing unnecessary antibiotic use and infection control. This is also important in terms of reducing mortality and morbidity rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an auto-inflammatory disease that causes recurrent episodes of fever, abdominal pain, chest pain, and arthritis. Although FMF is well known, protracted febrile myalgia syndrome (PFMS) is a clinical condition that is rare and difficult to diagnose than other symptoms of FMF. PFMS causes fever, myalgia, and acute phase reactant elevation that lasts 2-4 weeks if corticosteroid treatment is not given. In some cases, fever may not be seen. The purpose of this report is to share our experience with PFMS patients in our clinic. Methods: This is an observational, retrospective, single-centre study. We evaluated patients who had been diagnosed with PFMS at our paediatric rheumatology clinic. Results: Protracted febrile myalgia syndrome was observed in 14 patients. Nine of the patients were female. The median age at the time of diagnosis of PFMS was 10 years. Only three patients had previously been diagnosed with FMF. Most of our patients were patients who had no previous complaint of FMF. PFMS attack was seen as the first clinical manifestation of FMF in 11 patients. Two patients who did not respond to steroid treatment improved with anakinra treatment. Conclusions: PFMS is a rare condition of FMF disease. It may be the first clinical manifestation of FMF disease. Fever may not be seen in all patients. Clinicians should be aware of this situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The increase in the need for antiseptic products with the pandemic has led scientists to work on the development of more effective new formulations. It is important to evaluate the newly produced antiseptic solutions according to the standards in terms of content and effectiveness. In our study, it is aimed to compare an antiseptic product with superoxidized water content according to the 60% isopropyl alcohol formulation referenced by the TSE EN 1500 standard. Methods: In our study, the antimicrobial activity of an antiseptic product with superoxidized water content was investigated by comparing it with 60% isopropyl alcohol. For this purpose, a total of 20 volunteers were included in the study and were seperated into two separate groups. Standard Escherichia coli ATCC strain was used as test bacteria. In the first group, the sample was taken after applying 30 ml of antiseptic solution to the contaminated hands for 30 seconds, in the second group, both antiseptic solution and 60% isopropyl alcohol were applied twice. After incubation of Triptone Soya Agar (TSA) media at 37°C for 18±4 hours, all colonies were counted using the colony counting method. Results: The logarithmic reduction rates obtained with both antiseptics according to the initial contamination are shown in the table. Conclusion: A comparable logarithmic reduction was detected with the antiseptic containing superoxidized water compared to standard isopropyl alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Legionnaires' disease is a fatal form of pneumonia brought on by an infection mostly caused by the 60 different species of Legionella pneumophila. Legionnaires' illness is caused by Legionella spp.-contaminated water systems. In this work, we sought to analyze Legionella species, serogroups (SG), and contamination in the water sources of hospitals in five regions in eastern Turkey. Methods: Between January 2017 and December 2018, a total of 1008 samples were examined, including 2 cooling towers, 62 hot water tanks, 104 cold water tanks, and 840 faucet shower heads. Samples were collected by the standard culture method L. pneumophila SG 1, it was analyzed for L. pneumophila SG 2-16 and Legionella spp. The samples were inoculated into BCYE and GVPC medium, and the colonies were assessed using a latex agglutination test, followed by species- and serotype-level identifications. Results: In our study, a total of 1008 water samples were examined, of which 35.31% (356) belonged to 2017, while 64.68% (652) belonged to 2018. 83.33% of the water samples were taken from faucets and shower heads, 10.32% from the cold water tank, 6.15% from the hot water tank, and 0.2% from the cooling tower, and the highest positivity rate was observed in the hot water tank with 12.60%. 7.04% (71) of the samples were positive, and 16.9% (12) of the positive samples were L. pneumophila SG 1, 77.46% (55) L. pneumophila SG 2-14 was detected, while 5.63% (4) were nonpneumophila (Legionella spp) it has been determined as. Conclusions: Legionella disease remains a significant public health threat. The water tanks of hospitals and hotels should be investigated more thoroughly, the necessary disinfection procedures should be carried out frequently. All hospitals should have water management policies, and towns and large buildings should establish comprehensive water system management programs that decrease Legionella growth and transmission. To enhance prevention measures and clinical diagnosis, we also need quicker ways of detecting Legionella in water systems and clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic disease of childhood. Diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) such as methotrexate (MTX), leflunomide (LFN) are first-line treatment in JIA. MTX is the most commonly prescribed drug. Studies predominantly demonstrate the efficacy and safety of it, but the data on LFN are limited. This study aimed to present our experience with LFN treatment in JIA patients. Material and Methods: This retrospective study included JIA patients who were followed-up regularly and had received LFN. Data on patient demographics, clinical and laboratory characteristics were obtained from medical charts. Results: The study included 18 patients (15 female and 3 male) with a median (interquartile range) age at onset of disease 7.3 (3.1-12.0) years. Among them, 8 had oligoarticular JIA, seven had polyarticular JIA, two had systemic JIA and one had enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA). All patients received MTX as initial therapy (except one patient diagnosed with ERA was treated with sulfasalazine). MTX was discontinued and LFN treatment was started in all patients who initially received MTX due to gastrointestinal system (GIS) intolerance. Six of 7 patients with low disease activity, who had GIS intolerance while taking MTX before, were given LFN treatment because the disease activity was low. These patients achieved a complete remission with LFN. Four patients followed in remission with MTX had disease activation. These patients, who had previously experienced MTX intolerance, were given LFN treatment. Remission was achieved with LFN in 3 of 4 patients. Biological therapy was started in 6 patients with moderate or high disease activity who could not achieve remission with only MTX. These patients who did not have an adequate response were swicthed to LFN. Inactive disease was obtained in only 1 patient with the combination of LFN and biological agent. The patient with ERA was switched to LFN treatment due to inadequate response to sulfasalazine treatment. This patient achieved a complete remission with LFN. Conclusion: LFN therapy may be beneficial in patients with low disease activity and/ or remission with other DMARDs and relapse after drug discontinuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric primary systemic vasculitides are a complex group of diseases. Vasculitis subgroups are mainly determined according to the size of the predominantly affected vessels. In patients with primary systemic vasculitis, the location of vascular involvement, the size of the vessels, the extent of vascular damage, and the underlying pathology determine the disease phenotype and severity. Cardiac involvement is rare in some pediatric vasculitis, such as IgA vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa, while it is more common in some others like Kawasaki disease and Takayasu arteritis. On the other hand, chronic inflammation in the setting of systemic vasculitis forms a major cardiovascular risk factor. Accelerated atherosclerosis and the tendency to thrombosis are the main issues determining the cardiovascular risks in pediatric systemic vasculitis. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential in these patients to minimize morbidity and mortality. In this review, we aimed to raise physicians' awareness of cardiac involvement and cardiovascular risks in pediatric patients with primary systemic vasculitis. Key Points • In children, cardiac involvement is less common in some vasculitides, such as IgAV/HSP vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa, while it is more common in Kawasaki disease and Takayasu arteritis. • The cardiovascular risk factors are primarily caused by chronic inflammation in pediatric primary systemic vasculitides. • Appropriate management of cardiac involvement and cardiovascular risk factors will improve cardiovascular outcomes in pediatric primary systemic vasculitides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Āfiyah means being away from diseases and troubles, It is a state of being free from both physical and mental illnesses. Mu'āfāt is the; Creator giving āfiyah to His servant. Āfiyah and Mu'āfāt is mentioned in many hadiths. The Messenger of Allah advised his companions to seek āfiyah from Allah. In a narration from Abu Bakr: Ask Allah to give you āfiyah or mu'āfāt. For no one has ever received anything superior/valuable than āfiyah or muʻāfāt after yakîn / full faith." is one of the hadiths about āfiyah. In the hadith, which is included in basic hadith sources with different versions, the meaning of āfiye is explained by comparison with yakînî faith. But in some of the hadiths it is sad that āfiyet or muʻāfāt is the highest blessing after faith, while in some narratives it is sad that āfāiye is superior to faith. There is also a narration that mentions yakînî faith and muʻāfāt as equivalent. This discrepancy in the hadiths comparing āfiye with yakînî faith is remarkable. The narrations took place in Nesai's Sunen al kubra and Tahāvî's Serh Muskili'l Asar. However, no explanation has been made in these works or in other sources regarding the classification of āfiye and yakînî faith. No attention was drawn to the conflict between the hadiths on this point, and no solution was offered. For these reasons, the hadiths that compare āfiye with yakînî faith have been studied and examined. The research was limited with the Kutub-i Tis'a and earlier works, and the basic sources were centered in this study. Hadiths with issues other than āfiye and yakînî faith that have contributed to resolving the conflict have been pointed out. In this article, in order to resolve the conflict in the narration, different versions of the hadith were brought together and examined in terms of the sanad and the matn, and it was aimed to eliminate the conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The target was to determine the place of mythology in children's literature in this study which aimed at presenting how mythologic animals took place in works and which mythologic meanings and interpretations were laid on animals in children's literature books. For this purpose, 61 books were read in order to determine the mythologic animals and the animals which were attributed a mythological meaning. The books belonged to Turkish Literature within the list of "100 Basic Works" that were recommended by The Ministry of Education through 2005-2018 to be read at primary schools. The elements regarding mythologic animals were determined with document analysis and interpreted through descriptive analysis. It was seen that the works of children's literature being analysed were rich in terms of animal myth variety. Thus, it was identified that there were 24 different types of mythologic animals which were mythologically approached including dragons in the works. In the study, the bird was identified as the animal which was mentioned mythologically the most in the works with 7 different types including one of the mythological birds, Phoenix. It was found that the reason for using bird myth was the idea of flying away from troubles like a bird in our society's subconscious. The horse and the snake were the most discussed animals within 100 Basic Works anthology after bird. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Vaccination is one of the most effective public health practices in preventing and controlling infectious diseases. Vaccine instability is a rapidly increasing risk for our country as well as for the whole world. There is a strong relationship between physicians' attitudes towards vaccines and their recommendations for vaccines to their patients. Determining the acceptance of the vaccine, which is at the forefront during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by physicians who are role models for the society with their attitudes and behaviors, will guide the vaccination studies to be carried out. In this study, it was aimed to examine the knowledge and thoughts of medical faculty students in our country about vaccination, immunization, vaccine instability and COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: In this descriptive study, between December 2020-January 2021, it is aimed to reach the medical students members of "33 Student Societies" (FMO, Faculty Member Organization) affiliated to the European Medical Students' Association (EMSA) in Turkey and students studying at medical faculties in our country through members. The data were collected through an online questionnaire. 1015 students participated in the study. Results: In the study 64.7% of the participants are women. The average age is 21.2 ± 2.5 years. 86.4% of the participants state that vaccine instability in our country has increased. It is thought that the negative statements about vaccines in the media are the most important reason for this situation. It is stated that it is important to educate parents in order to prevent / reduce vaccine instability. When 53.4% of the participants are informed that the COVID-19 vaccine is suitable for use by the Ministry of Health, they indicated "I will not do it immediately, I wait." as the answer. Conclusion: It is thought that the number of vaccine instabilities in our country is increasing and this will cause an increase in epidemics. It is important to increase the knowledge and awareness of medical faculty students, who are role models for the society, about vaccines, immunization and vaccine hesitation from the beginning of the faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to review the characteristics of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) from Turkey and to assess the performance of the Kobayashi score (KS), Harada score (HS), Formosa score (FS), Egami score (ES) and other parameters in predicting intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance and coronary artery involvement (CAI) in the Turkish population. Patients who were diagnosed as being in the acute phase of KD at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine (Ankara, Turkey) between June 2007 and January 2016 reviewed retrospectively, and those between January 2016 and February 2018 reviewed prospectively, were included in this cohort study. A total of 100 patients with KD were included in this study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows 22.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for statistical analysis. Eighty-five patients (85%) responded to IVIG treatment, whereas 15 (5 female, 10 male) were IVIG resistant. CAI was detected in echocardiography at diagnosis in 31 (31%) (9 female; 22 male) patients. For predicting IVIG resistance, KS, ES, FS, and HS had sensitivity of 82.1%, 26.7%, 30.8%, 69.2% and specificity of 35.7%, 94%, 51.2%, 45.8%, respectively. For the association with CAI occurrence, the sensitivities were 17.2%, 3.3%, 35.7%, 70.4% and the specificities were 78.5%, 88.4%, 49.3%, 49.3% for the aforementioned scores, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed white blood cell (WBC) count [Odd's ratio (OR) 4.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26–13.23; p = 0.019] and hematocrit (OR 3.8; 95% CI 1.15–12.4; p = 0.028), as independent predictors of CAI while gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) level (OR 5.7; 95% CI 1.73–27.51; p = 0.018) was detected as the only independent predictor of IVIG resistance. This is the first study from Turkey in KD to evaluate the association of the scoring systems for IVIG resistance and CAI. The risk scoring systems in KD did not predict the risk for IVIG resistance and were not associated with CAI in Turkish population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Colchicine forms the mainstay of treatment in FMF. Approximately 5–10% of FMF patients are colchicine resistant and require anti-IL-1 drugs. We aimed to compare the characteristics of colchicine-resistant and colchicine-responsive patients and to develop a score for predicting colchicine resistance at the time of FMF diagnosis. Methods FMF patients (0–18 years) enrolled in the Turkish Paediatric Autoinflammatory Diseases (TURPAID) registry were included. The predictive score for colchicine resistance was developed by using univariate/multivariate regression and receiver operating characteristics analyses. Results A total of 3445 FMF patients [256 (7.4%) colchicine-resistant and 3189 colchicine-responsive) were included (female:male ratio 1.02; median age at diagnosis 67.4 months). Colchicine-resistant patients had longer, more frequent attacks and were younger at symptom onset and diagnosis (P  < 0.05). Fever, erysipelas-like erythema, arthralgia, arthritis, myalgia, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, chest pain, comorbidities, parental consanguinity and homozygosity/compound heterozygosity for exon 10 MEFV mutations were significantly more prevalent among colchicine-resistant than colchicine-responsive patients (P  < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis in the training cohort (n  = 2684) showed that age at symptom onset, attack frequency, arthritis, chest pain and having two exon 10 mutations were the strongest predictors of colchicine resistance. The score including these items had a sensitivity of 81.3% and a specificity of 49.1%. In the validation cohort (n  = 671), its sensitivity was 93.5% and specificity was 53.8%. Conclusion We developed a clinician-friendly and practical predictive score that could help us identify FMF patients with a greater risk of colchicine resistance and tailor disease management individually at the time of diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article titled “Amīr al-San‘ānī and his Wiews on Usūl al-Hadīth” is prepared to introduce Yamanī savant Muhammad ibn Ismāīl Amīr al-San‘ānī, and to identify and to analyze his views on hadīth. Muhammad ibn Ismāīl Amīr al-San‘ānī, who lived between 1099/1688-1182/1796, wrote about 200 books and mainly known as the author of Subul alSalām. al-San‘ānī’s views on ‘Usūl al-Hadīth’ received attention. This study contains alSan‘ānī views on the traits of hadīth narrators, his definition of the sahābah, his critique on the hadīth narrators, and his views on other books on the narration, and his criticisms to earlier scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we introduce modular A-metric spaces. Also, we give topology induced by this metric and some results obtained from this. As an application, we prove the uniqueness and existence of fixed point of Banach contraction mapping in modular A-metric spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It becomes more difficult to provide motivation for students by traditional methods in a period that our life refrained by technology. Taking advantage of information technologies also became an essential condition for teaching Turkish language that primarily aims to improve students' efficiency in their mother language which will be used in their life. It became unavoidable to take advantage of applied techniques in teaching Turkish language that improves basic language skills related to learning areas that consist of reading, listening/watching, speaking, writing and grammar. This study aims to analyse how "preparing trailer", which is a new technique that is not exist on teaching Turkish language curriculum, takes its part and applies in Australian Mother Language Teaching Material. An another aim of this study is to contribute to Teaching Turkish Language Curriculum by explaining how to practice fragment technique for language teaching. Australian Mother Language Teaching Material has been studied because of its content that includes different and current teaching techniques. In this study, the data were determined by document analysis and evaluated by descriptive analyzing method. Sample events have been analysed in accordance with class level in order to improve language skills in the program. In the end, it is required to convey the novel that had been read by students of nineth and tenth grade, in a sort of way that allows opportunity to use the latest technological innovations and reveals their high level written expression skills, in concideration of Australian Mother Language Teaching Material. Although preparing trailer technique, which exist in Australian Mother Language Teaching Material, is a technique to improve and evaluate all of the language skills, it is clearly understood that preparing trailer techniqueis a colloboration and process-based technique taht has been used to improve students' reading and writing skills by analysing its sample application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shopping malls have been a piece of economic and social life of people in the last decades. With the constructing countrywide, the interest of customers has been increased dramatically toward shopping malls. This study intended to investigate of consumers’ shopping mall perceptions comparatively among three neighbor cities where Antalya has 13 shopping malls, Isparta has one and Burdur doesn’t have any. Totally 459 people have participated to this research from three provinces, Antalya (168), Burdur (512) and Isparta (139). The data have been collected by face-to-face survey method and tested using one way ANOVA. According to the findings it is understood that Burdur consumers long for a shopping mall and generally express positive opinions on malls. Antalya consumers leave with some negative approaches toward shopping malls such as ‘shopping malls damage small businesses’ or ‘they direct and increase consumption and Isparta consumers stand middle of them. With some opinions, they agree with Antalya consumers and sometimes seem close to Burdur consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ankylosing spondylitis is one of the most common inflammatory rheumatic diseases and is associated with alterations in posture. The aim of this study was to investigate the pedobarographic changes among ankylosing spondylitis patients, in an attempt to understand whether the alterations in the posture affect the plantar pressure distribution. Methods The study population consisted of 38 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 33 healthy volunteers. The static and dynamic pedobarographic measurements were performed to determine the plantar pressure distribution. Moreover, the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life Questionnaire and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index were used to assess the clinical state of the patients. Results The static pedobarographic measurements did not reveal any intergroup difference. There were differences between the groups in the results of dynamic peak pressure measurements under the metatarsal areas and under the midfoot region. The percentage of the midfoot in the dynamic plantar contact area was higher in ankylosing spondylitis patients in comparison to the controls. No clinically significant correlation was found between the clinical scores and static pedobarographic measurements. The plantar pressures under the metatarsal heads, medial and lateral heel regions declined with increasing disease activity according to the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index scores. The lower peak pressures on the forefoot and rearfoot, were associated with the higher Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index scores of the patients. Interpretation The alterations in the posture may have effects on the plantar pressures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, especially during dynamic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel S- and S,S-substituted nitrobutadienes were synthesized by reaction of halo-2-nitrodienes with thiols. New N,S-substituted nitrobutadiene derivatives were obtained by reaction of mono(thio)substituted 1,3-butadienes with amines in dichloromethane. The structures of the new compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the calculation of upper and lower operating frequencies with the expressions of effective side length, effective permittivity, and correction factor to develop accurate lower and upper operating frequencies of a single feed, a shorting pin-loaded equilateral triangular patch, that is, analyzed through a cavity model. To insert permittivity and shorting pin position effects correction factor expressions are determined empirically for both upper and lower frequencies. The various positions of the shorting pin, substrate thickness and side length properties are considered by calculating both upper and lower frequencies. The results from this study are compared with research in the literature comprising results from both experimental and transmission line models. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:1432-1435, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26838 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of a study of the requirements for developing a remote radio frequency (RF) laboratory for electrical engineering students. It investigates students' preferred usage of the technical content of a state-of-the-art RF laboratory. The results of this study are compared to previous findings, which dealt with other user groups (technicians in technical colleges and engineers in the RF domain). Based on the results of these analyses, seven essential principles for designing and developing such a laboratory were identified. As a case study, these principles were then implemented into a remote laboratory system. In this paper, the implementation examples are also provided and discussed. The primary aim of this study is to guide remote laboratory platform developers toward the most effective instructional design. This study also determined, from the remote laboratory system case study, what the requirements are of such a laboratory from the students' perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tackles the RFID based tracking problem in an obscured indoor environment. The proposed solution is an integral part of a navigation aid for guiding visually impaired people in a store. It uses RF signal strengths and is based on the Bayes Decision Theory. An observation vector is formed by received radio signal strength indication values, transmitted from three transmitters at distinct frequencies in the UHF band. The indoor area is divided into square grids, where each grid is considered as a class. The problem of tracking is expressed as classifying the observed radio signal strengths to the most likely class. A classification rule is formulated by incorporating a priori assumptions appropriate for the studied model. The proposed approach is tested in a laboratory environment. The results prove that the proposed approach is promising in tracking especially when the tracked person is guided by a system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of a study of the requirements for developing a remote RF laboratory. This study draws on the perspectives of educators in university electrical engineering departments and in technical colleges, on the teaching of the radio frequency (RF) domain. The study investigates how these educators would like the technical content of a state of the art RF laboratory to be designed. As far as the authors know, no publication exists in the literature that investigates the requirements and needs of remote laboratories in that particular field. The outcomes of this work are expected to guide remote laboratory platform developers towards the most effective design of their platforms. The analysis of the results showed that educators would like the technical content of the laboratory to cover basic communication techniques, microwave circuits and devices, antennas and propagation, RF technology, and radio system design aspects of modern telecommunication systems. They would therefore like the laboratory instrumentation to be designed to that end. The educators also reported the need for advanced experimental setups which require expensive RF measurement devices. The discrepancy between university and technical college views was also considered in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the forebrain shows sexual dimorphism in its neuroanatomical connectivity and neurochemical characteristics. The structure is involved in many behavioral and motivational phenomena particularly related to coping with stress. Female rats differ from males in responding to stressful situations such as forced swimming and navigational learning in the water maze. It was previously shown that bilateral damage to the BNST in male Wistar rats aggravated depression as measured by forced swim tests, but did not impair navigational learning in the water maze. The present study extended the findings to female rats demonstrating that bilateral electrolytic lesions of the BNST increased immobility and decreased climbing compared to sham-operated controls, but failed to affect performance in the water maze. Additionally, lesions did not alter behavior in the open field and the elevated plus-maze tests suggesting not only that the modulation of depression by BNST lesions is specific, but also providing support for the view that the BNST may not necessarily be critically involved in anxiety. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The effects of different harvesting techniques, local adrenaline infiltration, and centrifuge on fat graft survival and stability were studied. Twenty-four adult female Guinea pigs weighing 580–700 g were divided into three groups (groups A, B, and C), each with eight subjects. Fat grafts were harvested from the back of the animals. The left side was used for simple excision and the right for liposuction in harvesting the grafts; they were named subgroups 1 and 2, respectively. Group A was the control group. In group B, the grafts were incubated in 1/100,000 adrenaline solution for 15 min. In group C, they were centrifuged at 2,000 rpm for 3 min before placing them in the abdominal area of the same subjects. Again, the left side was used for placement of excised material and the right one for lipoaspirate. At the third postoperative month, all subjects were reoperated on to remove the grafts, and the extracted material was studied macroscopically and histopathologically. In the groups where liposuction was utilized for graft harvest, the graft resorption ratios and volume loss have been significantly increased. Adrenaline infiltration had no effect, either macroscopically or histopathologically. Although the centrifuge did not seem to have a significant effect macroscopically, the histopathologic study revealed its significant negative effects on grafts harvested by simple excision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this correspondence, micro-genetic algorithm (MGA) application results for optimizing the performance of electronic feedback of a laser diode are presented. The goal of optimization is to find the maximum bandwidth of the laser diode with electronic feedback used in fiber optic digital communication. A numerical analysis of the system theory of the single-mode laser diode to obtain numerical results of the gain, the pulse response, and the harmonic distortion for electronic feedback is also presented. The dependence of the system gain on the feedback gain and delay is examined. The pulse response is studied and it is shown that a transmission rate over 1 Gbyte/s can be achieved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Kawasaki disease is an acute, febrile vasculitis of childhood that affects medium-sized arteries, predominantly the coronary arteries. It is a multisystem disease; therefore, it may present with non-cardiac findings of disease.Case Presentation: Here, we report the case of 7-year-old Turkish girl who presented with symptoms of fever, chest pain, and vomiting, who was diagnosed as having Kawasaki disease. We also present a literature review on pulmonary involvement due to Kawasaki disease.Conclusion: Pediatricians should consider the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease in the presence of pneumonia and pleural effusion that is nonresponsive to antibiotic therapy. This will prevent delay in diagnosis and the adverse consequences of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Scleroderma (SSc) is a rare autoimmune tissue disease. There is currently no effective treatment for SSc. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of upadacitinib and PD29 on total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH) peroxidase levels, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-13 ( IL-13) in kidney tissues of an experimental SSc model. Materials and Methods: The experimental design was established with five groups of eight mice: Control, bleomycin (BLM) (5 μg/kg), BLM + upadacitinib (3mg/kg), BLM + PD29 (5 mg/kg) and BLM + PD29 + upadacitinib group. BLM was administered subcutaneously once a day for 21 days. PD29 was administered subcutaneously and upadacitinib (gavage) were injected for 21 days. Renal tissues were collected at the end of the experiment. Renal TOS, TAS, MDA, CAT, GSH levels, and IL-6 and IL-13 gene expressions were evaluated. Results: Upadacitinib and PD29 affected oxidant status and TOS. MDA levels decreased, and GSH, CAT, and TAS levels increased. Also, upadacitinib and PD29 decreased inflammation via IL-6 and IL-13 cytokines. Conclusion: Upadacitinib and PD29 may have therapeutic roles for SSc renal crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the role of intermittent pneumatic compression in the treatment of breast cancer–related lymphoedema. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic at a university hospital. Subjects: Seventy-six patients with lymphoedema. Interventions: Patients were allocated into Group 1 (complex decongestive treatment, n = 38) and Group 2 (complex decongestive treatment + intermittent pneumatic compression, n = 38). The complex decongestive treatment involved skin care, manual lymphatic drainage, compression bandaging, and exercise for 20 sessions. Group 2 additionally received intermittent pneumatic compression. Main measures: Quantitative outcomes consisted of volumetric measures prior to and after the treatment. Clinical assessments included severity of pain, heaviness and tightness, disability, grip strength, and depression. Results: Lymphoedema was similar at baseline, but treatments significantly reduced the excess volume (from 373 mL to 203 mL in Group 1 and 379.5 mL to 189.5 mL in Group 2). Percentage excess volumes (PEVs) decreased in both groups. The percentage reduction of excess volume was better in Group 2 than Group 1, but the intergroup difference was not significant. The clinical scores reflected improvements, but the heaviness and tightness read significantly lower in Group 2 than Group 1. Conclusion: Intermittent pneumatic compression seems to add no benefit when combined with complex decongestive treatment of lymphoedema, but, may be functional in reducing the sensations of heaviness and tightness for the patients with pitting oedema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the design and the fabrication of a miniaturised sub-GHz antenna for remote control applications. Miniaturisation techniques were examined to identify the most appropriate topology for sub-GHz band requirements. First, the design parameters of the antenna were determined, and then, a commercial electromagnetic simulation tool was used for the design and optimisation phases. Then, measurements of the fabricated antenna were undertaken. Parametric studies with several iterations were performed to achieve the best possible results. Second, the effects of the box in which the antenna could be placed were examined as most of such antennas are enclosed by plastic boxes. For this purpose, material properties of a typical industrial box available in the market were studied initially, and the most appropriate material of the box was used in simulations. Finally, a polyamide box with appropriate size was fabricated, and the designed antenna was placed inside the box and the measurements were conducted. The measurement results show that the designed antenna provides resonance at the targeted license-free band with adequate size for industrial remote controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: COVID‐19–associated pediatric vasculitis, other than Kawasaki disease (KD)–like vasculitis in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS‐C), is very rare. This study sought to analyze the characteristics, treatment, and outcomes in patients with COVID‐19–associated pediatric vasculitis (excluding KD‐like vasculitis in MIS‐C). Methods: The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) age <18 years at vasculitis onset; 2) evidence of vasculitis; 3) evidence of SARS–CoV‐2 exposure; and 4) ≤3 months between SARS–CoV‐2 exposure and vasculitis onset. Patients with MIS‐C were excluded. The features of the subset of patients in our cohort who had COVID‐19–associated pediatric IgA vasculitis/Henoch Schönlein purpura (IgAV/HSP) were compared against a pre‐pandemic cohort of pediatric IgAV/HSP patients. Results: Forty‐one patients (median age 8.3 years; male to female ratio 1.3) were included from 14 centers and 6 countries. The most frequent vasculitis subtype was IgAV/HSP (n = 30). The median duration between SARS–CoV‐2 exposure and vasculitis onset was 13 days. Involvement of the skin (92.7%) and of the gastrointestinal system (61%) were the most common manifestations of vasculitis. Most patients (68.3%) received glucocorticoids, and 14.6% also received additional immunosuppressive drugs. Remission was achieved in all patients. All of the patients with IgAV/HSP in our cohort had skin manifestations, while 18 (60%) had gastrointestinal involvement and 13 (43.3%) had renal involvement. When we compared the features of this subset of 30 patients to those of a pre‐pandemic pediatric IgAV/HSP cohort (n = 159), the clinical characteristics of fever and renal involvement were more common in our COVID‐19–associated pediatric IgAV/HSP cohort (fever, 30% versus 5%, respectively [P < 0.001]; renal involvement, 43.3% versus 17.6%, respectively [P = 0.002]). Recovery without treatment and complete recovery were each less frequent among our COVID‐19‐associated pediatric IgAV/HSP patients compared to the pre‐pandemic pediatric IgAV/HSP cohort (recovery without treatment, 10% versus 39%, respectively [P = 0.002]; complete recovery, 86.7% versus 99.4%, respectively [P = 0.002]). Conclusion: This is the largest cohort of children with COVID‐19–associated vasculitis (excluding MIS‐C) studied to date. Our findings suggest that children with COVID‐19–associated IgAV/HSP experience a more severe disease course compared to pediatric IgAV/HSP patients before the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Camptodactyly-arthropathy-coxa vara-pericarditis (CACP) syndrome, caused by biallelic pathogenic mutations in the proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) gene, is characterized by early-onset camptodactyly, noninflammatory arthropathy, coxa vara deformity, and rarely, pericardial effusion. This syndrome can mimic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. CACP syndrome is caused by mutations in the proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) gene. To date, only 36 pathogenic mutations have been reported in this gene, but none have been reported from Azerbaijan. Case presentation: Herein, we report two siblings presented with chronic polyarthritis, had a prior diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, but was subsequently diagnosed as CACP syndrome with novel mutation in the PRG4 gene. Conclusion: Our report expands the knowledge of PRG4 mutations, which will aid in CACP patient counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a sub-GHz ISM band microstrip patch antenna based on the use of multilayer compact structure, which overcomes the shortcomings of typical microstrip antennas such as low gain and high resonant frequency. The antenna was simulated using an electromagnetic simulator, ANSYS HFSS, and fabricated on two different substrates: RT Duroid 5880 and FR4 epoxy with a compact size of 100 x 100 x 8 mm³ (0.29λ × 0.29λ × 0.02λ). The simulated results of the antenna were then compared with the measured ones, and the two were observed to have a reasonable agreement. The proposed antenna operates in the sub-GHz license-free ISM band (862-875 MHz), with a gain value of 2.92 dB. Two prototypes of the proposed antenna were fabricated and used in a Linear Wireless Sensor Networks (LWSNs) monitoring system. Results show that the proposed antenna is a good candidate for those types of LWSNs systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes an artificial neural network (ANN) model to accurately estimate the lower and upper operating frequencies of a shorting pin-loaded dual-band equilateral triangular microstrip antenna. A multilayer feed forward network is used for training in this ANN-based model. The results obtained from this study are compared with other theoretical and measured results from the available literature. The average percentage error for both upper and lower frequencies is 1%, which corresponds to a considerable improvement achieved over the recent study, having the most accurate results. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:660-663, 2014 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study presents an artificial neural network (ANN) estimation of the operating frequencies of shorting pin-loaded rectangular microstrip patch antennas. A feed forward back propagation multilayer perceptron neural network structure is applied in the study. The results are compared with the ones in the literature and the FEM based simulation results. The results of the operating frequencies obtained by using this method are in very good agreement with the experimental results presented in the literature. Several antennas are also simulated by a finite element method based solver and these results are also compared with the results of the proposed neural network model. The average error of the lower frequency obtained by this study has a decrement of 2.025% when compared to the FEM based simulation software and for the upper frequency this difference is 6.835%. The effects of permittivity of the antenna, size of the dimensions of the rectangular patch, and the shorting pin position are also evaluated. In the light of the ANN model and the relations obtained two antennas in the same shape are produced and the results of these antennas are presented as well. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:3025-3028, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel extrapolation technique, which utilizes the genetic algorithm (GA) to “fit” the scattering characteristics of an object, is presented in this paper. We demonstrate, via several numerical examples, that it is possible to project forward the frequency characteristics of a scatterer in the asymptotic region where the direct computation of these characteristics is typically very time consuming and expensive. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 28: 410–414, 2001. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a better understanding of the use of finite integration techniques (FIT) and finite element method (FEM) in different types of microstrip antennas in order to determine which numerical method gives relatively more accurate results. Although the theoretical formulation based on Maxwell's equations of both FEM and FIT are approached from different aspects in the literature, there is still a lack of comparison of the same antenna type using different numerical methods employing FEM and FIT. Therefore, in this study, FEM and FIT were applied to two different types of microstrip antennas, and their simulation and experimental results was compared. For the first antenna demonstration, a multilayer structure was chosen to achieve one of the significant parameters. Then, a microstrip antenna with a compact structure was used in the second demonstration. Using these two antennas, the accuracy of FEM and FIT in different structures were compared and all simulated return loss and gain results were verified by the measured results. The experimental demonstrations show that FEM performs better for both types of microstrip antennas while FIT provides an adequate result for two‐layer microstrip antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This double-blind, randomized controlled study was conducted with the aim to investigate the effect of magnetic field therapy applied to the hip region on clinical and functional status in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Patients with AS ( n = 66) who were diagnosed according to modified New York criteria were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly divided in two groups. Participants were randomly assigned to receive magnetic field therapy (2 Hz) ( n = 35), or placebo magnetic field therapy ( n = 31) each hip region for 20 min. Patients in each group were given heat pack and short-wave treatments applied to bilateral hip regions. Both groups had articular range of motion and stretching exercises and strengthening exercises for surrounding muscles for the hip region as well as breathing and postural exercises by the same physical therapist. These treatment protocols were continued for a total of 15 sessions (1 session per day), and patients were examined by the same physician at months 1, 3 and 6. Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain, VAS fatigue, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrologic Index (BASMI), DFI, Harris hip assessment index and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life scale (ASQOL) were obtained at the beginning of therapy and at month 1, month 3 and month 6 for each patient. There were no significant differences between groups in the VAS pain, VAS fatigue, morning stiffness, BASDAI, BASFI, BASMI, DFI, Harris hip assessment index and ASQoL at baseline, month 1, month 3 or month 6 ( p > 0.05). Further randomized, double-blind controlled studies are needed in order to establish the evidence level for the efficacy of modalities with known analgesic and anti-inflammatory action such as magnetotherapy, particularly in rheumatic disorders associated with chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]