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Buildings are an integral part of our physical environment and have aesthetic significance with respect to the organizational integrity of architectural elements. While Gestalt principles are essential in design education, their relationship with architectural features remains understudied. The present study explored how Gestalt principles and complexity levels influence evaluations of building façades through the use of questionnaires and eye tracking. Twenty-four two-dimensional black and white façade drawings, manipulated using selected Gestalt principles (similarity and proximity) to achieve different levels of complexity (low, medium & high), were presented to 79 participants. The results suggested a negative linear relationship between aesthetic ratings and complexity levels across selected Gestalt principles. In addition, as expected, participants had the highest number of fixations, shortest fixation durations, and lowest aesthetic ratings for higher levels of complexity. Results involving Gestalt principles revealed that proximity-based designs received higher aesthetic ratings, demanded less time, elicited lower number of fixations, and resulted in shorter fixation durations. Conversely, similarity-based designs received lower aesthetic ratings, demanded more time, elicited higher number of fixations, and resulted in longer fixation durations. These findings offer insights into architectural aesthetic experiences and inform future research directions., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare(s) that the contents of the article are in agreement with the ethics described in http://biblio.unibe.ch/portale/elibrary/BOP/jemr/ethics.html and that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright (©) 2024 Dilara Beder, Matthew Pelowski, Çağrı Imamoğlu.)

The basic variables associated with the dormitory satisfaction of 140 undergraduate university students were examined using a questionnaire. Secondly, the roles of (a) gender differences and (b) distance of the rooms to communal areas, (c) room density (i.e., identical rooms housing three vs. four students), and (d) dormitory layout (i.e., clustered vs. long corridor design) on crowding and privacy were explored. The aims of the present studies were twofold: The first aim was to explore variables associated with students' satisfaction with their university dormitories. The second aim was to examine differences in dormitory satisfaction as a function of density, room location with respect to hallway design, and distance to communal areas. The results indicated that the level of dormitory satisfaction seems to increase with decreasing room density, having a clustered hallway design as opposed to a long corridor design, and being further away from as opposed to closer to communal areas. In other words, higher density and proximity of rooms to communal areas seem to increase crowding and reduce privacy. Although female students reported being less satisfied with their dormitories, they seemed to be more satisfied with their social relationships compared to men. The study examines the role of multiple factors involving the relationship of room density, dormitory design, distance of rooms to communal areas with reported privacy, crowding, and dormitory satisfaction using both correlational data and field experiments. The results may contribute to improving dormitory designs and enhance our understanding of issues related to privacy and dormitory satisfaction., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Objective: Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) is an obligate intracellular parasite. It is regarded as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in congenital contamination and immunosuppressive patients. This study aimed to determine the seropositivity of T. gondii in various ages and patient groups, as well as to reveal the current immune status, especially in risk groups., Methods: Results of T. gondii serology conducted between 2015 and 2019 in the medical microbiology laboratory in a university hospital were retrospectively analyzed. In the study, anti- T. gondii IgM, anti- T. gondii IgG antibodies, and anti- T. gondii IgG avidity test results were investigated by the enzyme-linked fluorescent assay method. Additionally, seropositivity rates among immunosuppressed patients and pregnant women, which are risk groups for toxoplasmosis, were revealed. In the identification of the immunosuppressed patients, groups with significant immunosuppression were retrospectively determined by examining their files., Results: The serology of T. gondii was investigated in serum samples of a total of 20.875 individuals, among which 6.220 (29.8%) are males and 14.655 (70.2%) are females. Anti- T. gondii IgM and IgG positivity rates were significantly higher in women than in men. When all years are evaluated, IgM positivity in 16.448 patients and IgG positivity in 4.427 patients were investigated. In the 5-year period, T. gondii IgM seropositivity and T. gondii IgG seropositivity was among all the patients was 2.4% and 24.1%, respectively. While the rate of T. gondii IgG seropositivity in women of childbearing age was 36.1%, it was 42.4% in pregnant women and 14.6% in immunosuppressed patients., Conclusion: T. gondii serology follow-up of pregnant women and immunosuppressed patients in terms of reactivity of latent infection should be advised and toxoplasmosis should be considered in suspicious clinical cases.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: We have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests and have no relevant interests to declare.

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection worldwide caused by Toxoplasma gondii , an intracellular parasite. The prevalence of Toxoplasmosis ranges from 17.5% to 69.5% in Turkey. Toxoplasmosis is mostly asymptomatic. It may cause fetal mortality in case of vertical passage. The most common clinical findings in congenital toxoplasmosis are chorioretinitis, hydrocephalus and cerebral calcification. Another group of susceptible patients for Toxoplasma gondii are immunesuppressive patients. Reactivation of a latent infection in the case of immunodeficiency can lead to fatal toxoplasmic encephalitis. Serological diagnostic methods based on the detection of specific antibodies for Toxoplasma gondii are the most commonly used diagnostic methods. However, it may be difficult to interpret the results in pregnant women, neonates, and the patients receiving treatment. It is stated that using more than one method together to improve the reliability of the diagnosis is a more accurate approach. In the prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis, in patients with immunodeficiency, in ocular toxoplasmosis, the polymerase chain reaction is seen as having a higher sensitivity. The aim of this review is to present the general features, diagnostic methods and current approaches in toxoplasma infection, an important public health problem.

Introduction: Following vasectomy, azoospermia may not be achieved and rare non-motile sperm (RNMS) may persist in the semen. International guidelines vary in management of this finding. Giving 'special clearance' enables vasectomy to be considered a success despite the presence of RNMS. The latest 2016 British guidelines require two centrifuged semen samples with RNMS in order to give special clearance. We investigate the impact of these latest recommendations., Material and Methods: Retrospectively, patients who underwent vasectomy between 2014 and 2018 were assessed. The patient sample was divided into two groups, pre- and post-implementation of the new guidelines. The primary outcome measures were (i) total number of post-operative semen samples submitted, (ii) post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA) outcomes, and (iii) the numbers issued special clearance., Results: Implementation of the updated guidelines increased detection of RNMS from 18% to 27% (p <0.01) and increased use of repeat testing. In the two year period prior to implementation, no patients required special clearance, however, once implemented, it was offered to 10 patients. Furthermore, there was a 5-fold increase in PVSA processing costs. The first post-vasectomy semen sample demonstrated azoospermia or RNMS in 97.5% of patients., Conclusions: British guidelines are more resource intensive, result in prolonged follow-up with increasing rates of special clearance. The European Association of Urology permits clearance, not special clearance, after a single non-centrifuged sample demonstrating azoospermia or RNMS. Bringing British recommendations in-line with European guidance would enable clearance in up to 97.5% of patients following a single sample at 12 weeks., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright by Polish Urological Association.)

Introduction: The treatment of postoperative deep spinal wound infection involves debridement and intravenous antibiotics. Authors have previously reported success in a small series of patients treated with vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy, but its use over exposed dura is controversial and the outcome has not been reported in large series., Purpose: To review the outcomes following the treatment of postoperative spinal infections with VAC therapy, particularly those with exposed dura., Methods: This is a review of prospectively collected data in 42 patients, all of whom had deep postoperative spinal infections. 30 of these patients had exposed dura. All patients had an initial debridement followed by application of VAC Whitefoam (with exposed dura) or grey Granufoam (where no dura was exposed). Pressure was set at 50 mmHg with exposed dura or 125 mmHg where no dura was exposed. All patients underwent a minimum 6 week course of antibiotics. We report on the number of visits to theatre required for dressing changes and debridement and the eventual outcomes., Results: Five patients required a flap reconstruction. Two patients died before definitive final closure due to other complications (pneumonia and stroke). In all the other patients, their wounds healed fully. A mean of 2.3 infection surgeries were required to eradicate infection and achieve wound closure., Conclusions: This is one of the largest studies which confirms the safety and efficacy of VAC dressings in patients with spinal wound infections, even when the dura is exposed. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Introduction: The standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer is total mesorectal excision. However, organ preservation has been proposed for tumors with good response to neoadjuvant treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oncologic results of this strategy., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study (2005-2014) including a consecutive series of patients with rectal adenocarcinoma with complete or almost complete clinical response after preoperative chemo-radiotherapy, that were treated according to a strategy of preservation of the rectum., Results: A total of 204 patients with rectal cancer received neoadjuvant therapy. Thirty (14.7%) had a good response and were treated with rectal preservation (23 «Watch and Wait» and 7 local resections). Median follow-up was 46 months (interquartile range: 30-68). In the group of «Watch & Wait», 4 patients had local recurrence before 12 months (actuarial local recurrence rate=18.5%). All of them underwent salvage surgery (2 with radical surgery and 2 local resections) without any further recurrence. Disease-free survival actuarial rate at 3 years follow-up was 94.1% (95% CI 82.9-100). None of the 7 patients that were treated by local excision had local recurrence. The organ preservation rate for the whole group was 93%., Conclusion: The strategy of organ preservation in locally advanced rectal cancer is feasible in cases with good response to neoadjuvant therapy. When implemented in a highly selected group of patients this strategy is associated with satisfactory oncologic results., (Copyright © 2016 AEC. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)