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Hakika Erdogan, Ziya Akingol, Ozlem Cam, Sadik Sencan Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Maltepe University, Maltepe, Istanbul, Turkey Purpose: The aim of the study was to statistically compare intraocular pressure (IOP) values measured using noncontact tonometer (NCT), Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) with fluorescein (fGAT), and GAT without fluorescein (nGAT). The study was also performed to test whether the values obtained using each technique change in accordance with the central corneal thickness (CCT) and refractive and keratometric values.Study design: This study was a prospective study of 188 eyes of 94 healthy volunteers.Methods: IOP was measured using fGAT, nGAT and NCT. CCT, refractive values, and keratometric values were measured, and the correlations and differences in the IOP for each tonometer were investigated.Results: The mean IOP values obtained with the NCT, nGAT, and fGAT were 17.5±3.7, 12.3±2.7, and 12.5±2 mmHg. The mean CCT was 538.2±34.4 µm, the mean refractive value was 0.9±1.2 D, and the mean keratometric value was 43.5±1.5 D. NCT was positively correlated with fGAT and GAT values and was significantly higher than both the values. There were no differences between fGAT and GAT values. No correlation was observed between the CCT and keratometric and refractive values and the difference between NCT and nGAT or fGAT.Conclusion: Differences in the measurements obtained using nGAT and fGAT were insignificant (P>0.05). Both values were positively correlated with NCT measurements (r=0.354, P

The influence of very high intensity exercise on antioxidant capacity and oxidative burst activity of neutrophils in sportsmen with various levels of training status were examined. Blood samples from sportsmen with high (n=12, 5 hours training program for a week), moderate (n=9, 2-5 hours training program for a week), and low physical activity (n=11, less than 2 hours training program for a week) were collected to determine superoxide anion production, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity and TBARS in neutrophils before and after an “anaerobic loading coordination test”. The pre-exercise values of SOD activity were significantly higher in high and moderate physical activity groups in comparison with the low physical activity group (p [Med-Science 2012; 1(2.000): 77-89]

This is the first study in the literature investigating the effects of different spatial configurations (open, semi-open and enclosed) of the shopping centres on user perceptions. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of shopping centres' different spatial configurations (open, semi-open and enclosed) on the perceptions of users, investigate current trends and predict likely designs for consumer-wise shopping centres in the future. Accordingly, the open-air Konya Bedesten Bazaar, the semi-open Forum Bornova Shopping Centre, and the enclosed Kule Site Shopping Centre were selected as sample areas. The study questionnaire was administered to 300 participants to determine the participants' demographic characteristics, reasons for choosing and visiting the shopping centre, and shopping centres' physical, landscape and sensory effects on the participants. According to the results of the data analysis obtained by the SPSS program, it has been determined that contemporary consumer is less interested in enclosed shopping places, longing for the traditional bazaar. In addition to the spatial configuration, traditional market images and local values were seen to be perceptually prioritized for consumers. In this context, it is very important that open-air shopping centres, which are a new trend for users, emulate the traditional features, establish a relationship with the open air and the environment, and use real equipment such as green-water element, urban furniture strengthens the perception of the city in shopping centres. In addition, the concept of "freshness" was specified as the most important sensory concept by the users. It is essential due to forming a basis for determining the likely design criteria for future shopping centres, creating spatial configurations and fictions according to user requirements, and future theoretical studies related to this. The study contributes to the literature by providing valuable insights for planners, architects, and investors in terms of user perceptions for future shopping centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the study is to determine what kind of complaints students have, how universities react to these complaints, and how relevant reactions affect justice perceptions, complainant satisfaction, exit and negative word of mouth intensions of the students. In order to find out students' perceptions on university responses to their complaints, the justice dimensions; procedural, interactional, distributive, from relevant services marketing literature, are utilized. Moreover, the effects of these perceived justice dimensions on students' complaint satisfaction, exit and negative word of mouth intentions are measured. Path analysis results show that all justice dimensions exert significant effects on complainant satisfaction, exit and negative word of mouth intensions. Discussions of the results, implications for university administrations for better marketing activities, limitations and avenues for future research are also presented in the study. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

Objective: Leptin and endothelin (ET) as important endogenous factors interacting with each other which may contribute to a better understanding of their role in diabetic pathogenesis. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between leptin and ET by investigating the influence of BQ-123, an ET-A receptor (ETAR) antagonist, on leptin levels in rats with diabetes induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Methods: In this study, 24 male Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: control, STZ and STZ+BQ-123 groups. Experimental diabetes was induced by delivering a single dose of 60 mg/kg intravenous STZ. The rats in the STZ+BQ-123 group received 4 mg/kg i.v. in total BQ-123 (2 mg/kg +2 mg/kg on the 39th and 40th days). The plasma specimens collected 6 hours after the last BQ-123 delivery were studied for biochemical parameters. Results: At the end of the experiment, the weights of rats in the STZ and STZ+BQ-123 groups were significantly lower compared with the values in the control group. The levels of blood glucose were significantly higher in the STZ and STZ+BQ-123 groups than in the control group. While rats with STZ-induced diabetes demonstrated no changes in leptin, protein carbonyl and K+ levels, they exhibited reduced NO, Na+ and Cl-concentrations. The levels of plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance were significantly higher in the STZ group than in the control and STZ+BQ-123 groups. Conclusion: Although the levels of plasma leptin were not statistically significant different between the groups, BQ-123 groups lead to a further decrease in reduced levels of leptin than in only diabetic group. Our findings have been considered that ETAR antagonists have positive impacts depending on the dosage in the diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Isotretinoin is an effective treatment for acne vulgaris; however, many patients experience anxiety while deciding to get it. Isotretinoin, indeed, has significant adverse effects. On the other hand, effective treatment of acne vulgaris may reduce dermatological and psychiatric complications. Objectives: The present study aims to develop and validate the Isotretionin Hesitancy Scale to measure the patients' drawbacks to the treatment. Methods: The specialists, including dermatologists and mental health professionals, determined an item pool of 30 items. Before the data collection, all items were checked by the researchers in terms of clarity and acceptability. Thus, the eight items were removed from the questionnaire due to having similar meanings, measuring the facts about treatments that are not the study's objective, and containing unclear statements. The final version of the questionnaire, which consists of 22 items, was applied to the participants. Results: One hundred patients with acne vulgaris were recruited. Among the participants, 72% were women, and the mean age was 22.72. Most patients' acne severity was group 2 (40%) and group 3 (36%). Three items were removed because of having low item-total score correlations. Five items were removed in factor analysis because of low factor loading or cross-loading. Exploratory factor analysis results of the scale are presented in Table 1. Table 1. Exploratory Factor Analysis Results of the Scale Factor 1 (min-max) Factor 2 (min-max) Factor 3 (min-max) Isotretinoin treatment can lead to dryness of lips, nose, and eyes. Isotretinoin treatment may have many side effects. Isotretinoin treatment may cause damage to the liver. Side effects of isotretinoin treatment may affect my daily life. Isotretinoin treatment may cause depression. Isotretinoin treatment may cause elevation of cholesterol level. 0.516-0.842 Isotretinoin treatment may cause infertility in men. Isotretinoin treatment may cause infertility in women. Isotretinoin treatment may prevent height gain. In case of pregnancy, isotretinoin treatment may cause congenital defects in the baby. 0.425-0.945 I'm afraid of using isotretinoin for a long period. I stop the isotretinoin treatment as soon as possible. I will wait as long as I can before using isotretinoin treatment. I need more reassurance about isotretinoin treatment. 0.569-0.890 The Cronbach alpha score of the final form of the scale was found to be.81, the internal consistency of the first factor (hesitancy related to reversible adverse effects) was calculated as .79, the second factor (hesitancy related to irreversible adverse effects) was calculated as.78, and the final factor (isotretinoin-related anxiety) was found to be.72. Conclusions: The Isotretionin Hesitancy Scale is valid and reliable among patients with acne vulgaris. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintenance of an aggregated population structure implies within-species communication. In mixed-species environments, species-specific aggregations may reduce interspecific competition and promote coexistence. We studied whether movement and aggregation behavior of three entomopathogenic nematode species changed when isolated, as compared to mixed-species arenas. Movement and aggregation of Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae and S. glaseri were assessed in sand. Each species demonstrated significant aggregation when alone. Mixed-species trials involved adding two species of nematodes, either combined in the center of the arena or at separate corners. While individual species became less aggregated than in single-species conditions when co-applied in the same location, they became more aggregated when applied in separate corners. This increased aggregation in separate-corner trials occurred even though the nematodes moved just as far when mixed together as they did when alone. These findings suggest that maintenance of multiple species within the same habitat is driven, at least in part, by species-specific signals that promote conspecific aggregation, and when the species are mixed (as occurs in some commercial formulations involving multiple EPN species), these signaling mechanisms are muddled.

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The purpose of this study is to compare financial performance of the Islamic banks in the COVID-19 Era. The performance evaluation was conducted on seven Islamic countries between 2017 and 2021. Entropy Method was utilized to choose the best performance evaluation criteria affecting the Islamic banks’ performance and Waspas Method was used to determine the best performing Islamic country. The results indicate that ‘liquid assets to short-term liabilities’ is the best performance criteria for Islamic banks during the ‘whole period’, ‘no pandemic period’ and ‘pandemic period’. Additionally, while the Islamic country with the best performance was Bangladesh during ‘no pandemic period’, Turkey was the leading Islamic country for both ‘whole period’ and ‘pandemic period’.

Objective: To explore the protective effects of curcumin against renal injury induced by formaldehyde in rats. Methods: A total of 21 male Sprague-Dawley rats were included. The animals were divided into three groups. The control group received 10 ml/kg of physiological saline intragastrically and intraperitoneally on a daily basis. The formaldehyde group were given 10 ml/kg of physiological saline intragastrically plus 10 mg/kg of formaldehyde intraperitoneally. The formaldehyde + curcumin group received 10 mg/kg of intraperitoneal formaldehyde daily as well as 100 mg/kg of curcumin intragastrically. After the completion of 14 days, the kidneys were removed. Tissue microscopic examination was performed with haematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff staining. Also, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured in tissue samples. Results: Formaldehyde induced renal injury. The degenerative tissue changes in the formaldehyde + curcumin group seemed to regress, exhibiting similar characteristics to those of the controls. MDA, XO and NO were significantly higher in formaldehyde group than in controls, while a significant reduction occurred in SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities in the formaldehyde group. Also, renal tissue MDA, XO and NO were significantly lower in the formaldehyde + curcumin group than in the formaldehyde group, while tissue SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities were significantly higher. Conclusion: Curcumin improved the formaldehyde-induced renal degeneration. Also, curcumin was found to prevent the reduction in SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities, while preventing MDA, XO and NO levels, exhibiting a protective effect against the formaldehyde-induced oxidative renal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly understood within the tourism industry that the longer term success of a destination depends on visitor loyalty. While there have been extensive scholarly investigations of destination loyalty, there has been minimal empirical examination of the most critical determinants of loyalty within a single integrated model, particularly in the context of cultural destinations. To bridge this gap, this study investigates the direct influence of five factors on destination loyalty; destination image, destination awareness, perceived risks, perceived quality, and perceived value. The authors also provide new evidence about these relationships, with a focus on Petra, one of the world's most popular cultural-oriented destinations. Using a purposive sampling method, a total of 708 surveys were collected from international tourists who visited Petra between April and June 2019. It was found that all antecedents, apart from perceived risks, had a positive impact on destination loyalty. Apart from extending knowledge about destination loyalty, this study provides key implications for practitioners and proposes a future research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]