Adopting citizen science approach for water quality monitoring in Uzungöl, Turkey.

In the present study, adopting of citizen science approach for monitoring water quality of a lake (Uzungöl, Turkey) was investigated. The study consisted of selection of sampling points and water quality parameters, training of volunteers, sampling and analysis by volunteers, and development of a mobile application for data collection and storage. In the scope of the study, four measurement points around the lake were selected and elementary school students were trained both theoretically and practically to collect water quality data.

The role of meibomian gland dysfunction on the development of dry eye disease in patients with facial nerve palsy.

Purpose: To investigate whether meibomian gland dysfunction is the cause of dry eye in facial nerve palsy and to identify the possible relationship between the grades and durations of facial nerve palsy and meibomian gland dysfunction.

Methods: This prospective observational study included 63 patients with unilateral facial nerve palsy. Facial nerve function and severity were assessed using the House-Brackmann grading system.

Rituximab as a glucocorticoid-sparing agent in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a retrospective single-center cohort study.

Background: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are essentially treated aiming to improve muscle function and extra muscular disease manifestations. Rituximab is potentially a glucocorticoid-sparing agent which was reviewed in multiple studies with small sample sizes due to the rarity of the disease. Higher statistical power can enhance the trustworthiness of alternative treatment modalities yielding the main objective of this study.

Comparison of a manual walking platform and the CatWalk gait analysis system in a rat osteoarthritis model.

Background: Effects of osteoarthritis (OA) are observed in experimental animal models using different gait analysis systems.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether the Noldus CatWalk XT v. 10.

Clinical and functional results of radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation in patients with benign thyroid nodules.

Objectives: To determine how well ultrasound-guidance percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) performed for benign symptomatic thyroid nodules in terms of clinical and functional outcomes.

Methods: Patients who had a thyroid nodule-linked symptoms acting as dysphagia, cosmetic issues, pain, a foreign body sense, hyperthyroidism secondary to autonomous nodules, or concern of malignancy were involved in the study. The primary was the comparison in symptom scores obtained at 1, 3, and 6 months after RFA and MWA.

Modelling of possible tanker accident oil spills in the Istanbul Strait in order to demonstrate the dispersion and toxic effects of oil pollution.

Countries located on the Black Sea coast perform most of their sea trade through the Istanbul Strait (IS). Approximately 50,000 ships pass through the IS each year, with crude oil tankers making up the majority. Thus, the aim of the study is to determine the acute toxic effect of oil pollution that may occur as a result of crude oil tanker accidents in the IS.

Retinal Microvascular Vessel Density Differences between Adult Athletes and Nonathletes.

Significance: Regular physical activity may affect the neurovascular structures. Many studies have shown the positive effects of physical activity on ocular disorders such as glaucoma, retinopathy, and macular degeneration. Athletes were expected to have a better retinal vascular structure compared with the nonathletes.

Leveraging On-Chip Transistor Switching for Communication and Sensing in Neural Implants and Gastrointestinal Devices.

Objective: This paper presents a Proof-of-Concept (POC) design and implementation of a biosensing and communication system that can be used for biotelemetry in neural and Gastrointestinal (GI) applications.

Methods: Our proposed system is based on backscattering from a semi-passive Radio-Frequency-Identification-Device (RFID) implemented using an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) in which electronic switching between transistor gates in high and low states create an impedance difference, thereby effectively changing the ASIC's Radar Cross Section (RCS) and thus modulating its backscattered field. The ASIC is used in conjunction with a biosensor to measure and transmit vital signs from within the body.

Screening for latent tuberculosis before starting TNF-alpha inhibitors in a population with high BCG vaccination rates.

It is assumed that in candidates for TNF-alpha inhibitor (TNFi) treatment, tuberculin skin test (TST) may be unreliable, since BCG vaccination causes false positive and drugs cause false negative results, favoring the use of Quantiferon or T-spot assays. However, these tests may not be readily available in all parts of the world. We aimed to determine the reliability of TST with respect to BCG vaccination and drugs in candidates for TNFi treatment, and how isoniazid is tolerated, assuming that the use of TST would result in increased isoniazid use.

Importance of Team Experience and Coordination in Disaster Response: Building Collapse.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether coordination of prehospital emergency health services and Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (DEMP) and being prepared for disasters, such as building collapses, allow quick evaluation and fast intervention.

Methods: The information flow, hierarchy, treatment, and rehabilitation processes, and rescue organization and planning during the rescue attempt for 35 people who needed help due to this building collapse were reviewed.

Results: Of the 43 people who lived in this 8-story building, 35 were inside the building during the collapse; 40% of them were assessed as injured and 60% as exitus.

Can PET/CT be used more effectively in pleural effusion evaluation?

Purpose: Sometimes, characterization of pleural effusion (PE) can be challenging especially in patients whom invasive procedures/recurrent invasive procedures cannot be performed. The main purpose of the study is to answer this question, Can F-FDG-PET/CT contribute to reduction in the number of invasive procedures or patients undergoing to invasive procedures? Results may increase the effectiveness of patient management by facilitating clinical decision-making, especially in patients who cannot undergo invasive/recurrent invasive procedures.

Methods: Sixty-seven patients' F-FDG-PET/CT, pleural fluid cytologies (PFCs) and, if any, pleural biopsies were re-assessed.

Performance of Residents During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Is Self-assessment Reliable?

Background: To compare the self-assessment of surgical residents and observers (faculty members and nurses) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).

Materials And Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted between February 2020 and July 2020 at a medical school hospital. Seventy-four LC surgeries were performed by surgical residents in the presence of faculty members.

Protection against experimental cisplatin-induced optic nerve toxicity using resveratrol: A rat model study.

Aim: To investigate the effects of resveratrol on oxidative stress and inflammation parameters and histological alterations in cisplatin-induced optic nerve damage in a mouse model.

Material And Method: Thirty-six albino Wistar male rats were divided into three groups as control, 5 mg/kg cisplatin-administered (Cis) and 5 mg/kg cisplatin + 25 mg/kg resveratrol-administered (Cis + Res) animals. At the end of the experimental period, the rats were sacrificed with high-dose (50 mg/kg) thiopental sodium, and their optic nerves were dissected.

Logistic Regression Model Using Scheimpflug-Placido Cornea Topographer Parameters to Diagnose Keratoconus.

Purpose: Diagnose keratoconus by establishing an effective logistic regression model from the data obtained with a Scheimpflug-Placido cornea topographer.

Methods: Topographical parameters of 125 eyes of 70 patients diagnosed with keratoconus by clinical or topographical findings were compared with 120 eyes of 63 patients who were defined as keratorefractive surgery candidates. The receiver operating character (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic ability of the topographic parameters.

Primary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in Thyroid.

Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare group of neoplastic diseases resulting from Langerhans dendritic cells. The most common site (80%) is bones. Thyroid gland involvement is exceedingly rare and usually expected to be seen as a part of multisystemic disease.

A Generic, Scalable, and Rapid Time-Resolved Förster Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Assay for Antigen Detection-SARS-CoV-2 as a Proof of Concept.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has seen an unprecedented increase in the demand for rapid and reliable diagnostic tools, leaving many laboratories scrambling for resources. We present a fast and simple assay principle for antigen detection and demonstrate its functionality by detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens in nasopharyngeal swabs. The method is based on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein (NP) and S protein (SP) via time-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) with donor- and acceptor-labeled polyclonal anti-NP and -SP antibodies.

COVID-19 Among Patients With Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases.

Background: The course of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been of special concern in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) due to the immune dysregulation that may be associated with these diseases and the medications used for IRDs, that may affect innate immune responses.

Objective: In this cohort study, we aimed to report the disease characteristics and variables associated with COVID-19 outcome among Turkish patients with IRDs.

Methods: Between April and June, 2020, 167 adult IRD patients with COVID-19 were registered from 31 centers in 14 cities in Turkey.

Management of endocrine surgical disorders during COVID-19 pandemic: expert opinion for non-surgical options.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented conditions for overall health care systems by restricting resources for non-COVID-19 patients. As the burden of the disease escalates, routine elective surgeries are being cancelled. The aim of this paper was to provide a guideline for management of endocrine surgical disorders during a pandemic.

Willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine among patients with rheumatic diseases, healthcare workers and general population in Turkey: a web-based survey.

Objectives: Vaccination against COVID-19 emerges as an effective strategy for combating the pandemic. While many of our patients with rheumatic diseases (RD) wonder whether it is safe to get the vaccine, vaccine hesitancy is rising among the general population. We assessed the willingness to get vaccination and its probable predictors among patients with RD compared to healthcare workers and a sample from the general population.

Four ectopia cordis cases surgically managed with different strategies.

Ectopia cordis is a rare congenital disorder in which the heart is partially or completely located outside the chest cavity. In this article, we present four cases of ectopia cordis accompanied by cardiac abnormalities with either thoracic and/or abdominal placed heart, managed with strategies ranging from follow-up without any intervention to complete surgical closure.

The Prevalence of Familial Mediterranean Fever and Behçet's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the coexistence of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and Behçet's disease (BD).

Patients And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2009 and August 2009. The study included 14,881 randomized children (7,741 males, 7,140 females; mean age 13.