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The aim of this study was to evaluate germline variant frequencies of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma targeted susceptibility genes with next-generation sequencing method. Germline DNA from 75 cases were evaluated with targeted next-generation sequencing on an Illumina NextSeq550 instrument. KIF1B, RET, SDHB, SDHD, TMEM127, and VHL genes were included in the study, and Sanger sequencing was used for verifying the variants. The pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants were in the VHL, RET, SDHB, and SDHD genes, and the diagnosis rate was 24% in this study. Three different novel pathogenic variants were determined in five cases. This is the first study from Turkey, evaluating germline susceptibility genes of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma with a detection rate of 24% and three novel variants. All patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma need clinical genetic testing with expanded targeted gene panels for higher diagnosis rates.

In the present study, the effects of the body language of physical education, Turkish, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Music and Art teachers, which is one of the most determining dimensions among communication skills on students' attitudes towards the lesson were examined. The study was applied to 371 students, 244 of whom were female and 127 male, in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, studying at four different high schools in the Palandöken County of Erzurum City center in the 2018-2019 academic year. The group that was selected as the sampling of the study consisted of these students. It is considered that this study will contribute to the accurate interaction between the teacher and the student with the dimension of communication skills and to the studies to be conducted in this field. As it was understood from this study that high school students responded "I like it a lot" to item 9, "She/he mostly smiles while teaching"; and "I like it" to items 2, 3, 27, 28 and 31. The response "I do not like it at all" did not affect the average score. Among the remaining 29 items, 15 responded as "I am indecisive", and 14 as "I do not like it". When the results of the present study are evaluated, it is seen that the teacher, who manages the teaching and learning experiences and guides the learning of students actively and participative, manages the process much more effectively, not only via communication with the language but also via the communication and interaction of the beyond-the-language communication arguments and body language. At the same time intonation of voice, and translingual communication arguments are also important.

Advanced diagnostic methods give an advantage for the identification of the abnormalities in myeloid malignancies. Various researchers have shown the potential importance of genetic tests both before the onset of the disease and during the remission. Large testing panels prevents false negative results in myeloid malignancies. But the important question is how the results of conventional cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic techniques can be merged together with NGS technologies. In this paper, we drew an algorithm for evaluation of the myeloid malignancies. In order to evaluate genetic abnormalities, we performed cytogenetics, molecular cytogenetics and NGS testing in hematologic malignancies. In this study, we analyzed 100 patients who admitted to Medical Genetics Laboratory within different type of myeloid malignancies. We highlighted the possible diagnostic algorithm for cytogenetically normal cases. We applied NGS 141 gene panel for cytogenetically normal patients and we detected two or more pathogenic variations in 61 out of 100 patients (61%). The pathogenic variation detection rate of NGS varies in disease groups: AML were 85% and MDS were 23%. Here, we identified 24 novel variation out of total pathogenic variations in myeloid malignancies. A total 18 novel variation were identified in AML and 6 novel variation were identified in MDS. Despite of long turnaround time, conventional techniques are still golden standard for myeloid malignancies but sometimes cryptic gene fusions or complex abnormalities cannot be identified easily by conventional techniques. In these conditions, advanced technologies like NGS are highly recommended.

Implementation of the Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) conjugate vaccine brought about a reduction in the number of cases and morbidity from type B but an increase in nontypeable strain infections. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) commonly colonizes children’s upper respiratory tract and causes otitis media, sinusitis, and bronchitis. Invasive NTHi diseases, such as meningitis and septicemia, have rarely been reported. Herein, we discuss a previously healthy, fully immunized 3-year-old girl presented with otitis media and mastoiditis leading to meningitis caused by NTHi complicated with central venous thrombosis. She was treated with antibiotics, mastoidectomy and ventilation tube insertion, and anticoagulation therapy and recovered uneventfully. Through this case, we wish to share our unique clinical experience that NTHi should be born in mind as a potential pathogen that can cause meningitis in previously healthy children, which may be helpful in future cases.

The most important parameters characterizing thermal comfort of special garments are thermal resistance and water vapor permeability. Contrary to common textiles, protective garments are often used in wet state, which affects their comfort properties. However, current measuring instruments mostly do not enable reliable measurement of wet fabrics. In the article, Alambeta instrument was used, which provides reliable measurement of thermal comfort of dry and wet fabrics. Research program included evaluation and discussion of the thermal properties: conductivity, resistance, and absorbtivity of wool and wool/partial use of hydrophobic fibers woven fabrics in dry, standard, and wet states. The effect of composition on the above-mentioned properties of these fabrics has also been investigated.

The objective of this study is to detect abnormal behaviours of moving objects captured in highway traffic flow footages, classify them by using artificial learning methods, and lastly to predict the future thereof (regression). To this end, the system being the object of the design and application consists of three stages. In the first stage, to detect the moving object in the video, background/foreground segmentation method of Mixture of Gaussian (MOG), and to track the moving object, Kalman Filter-Hungarian algorithm method have been used. In the second stage, by using the coordinates of the object, such details as location, distance in terms of time, and speed of the object are obtained, and by using total pixel count data relating to the shape of the object are obtained. The software based on the specifically elaborated algorithm compares these data with the data in the table of rules set down for the road under surveillance, and generates an attribute table comprising anomalies of the objects in the video. In the last stage, however, the data included in the attribute table have been classified and predictions by the artificial learning method, Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) made.

Türkiye kıyı turizmi yanı sıra, alternatif turizm gibi turizm türleri açısından da çeşitli imkanlara sahiptir. Turizm türlerinin çeşitliliği göz önüne alındığında turizm yatırım planlamalarında tek bir turizm türü yerine birden fazla turizm çeşidini içeren turizm koridorları oluşturulmasının gerekliliği ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu çalışma kapsamında Türkiye’nin turist portföyü ile yatçı portföyü incelenmiş ve bu iki sektörün paralellik gösterip göstermediği analiz edilmiştir. Böyle bir analiz ile yatçılık ve marinacılık alanlarında yapılacak yatırımlarda ülkelerin genel turizm önceliklerinin ne oranda dikkate alınması gerektiği hususunda fikir oluşturması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada Türkiye’nin turizm ve yatçılık sektörleri sırası ile incelenmiştir. Bu kapsamda T.C. Turizm ve Kültür Bakanlığı’ndan elde edilen 1990 ile 2015 yılları arasında Türkiye’yi ziyaret eden turist ve yat miktarlarına istinaden çizilen serpilme diyagramı ile bahse konu iki değişken arasında pozitif doğrusal ilişki olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Müteakiben her iki veri setine korelasyon analizi uygulanmış ve anılan sektörler arasında orta ve yüksek seviyede doğrusal bir ilişkinin olduğu ortaya konulmuştur.

This study was carried out to detect the content of amino acid in female and male specimens of blue swimming crab (Portunus segnis) obtained from (including 12 male crab and also 12 female crab) North Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Turkey. The protein was identified as 17.63% and 18.13% for female and male crab respevtively. Totally 9 essential amino acids were recorded in the present study. Lysine and leucine constituted the highest essential amino acid (EAA) concentrations in P. segnis. This species was found to be in good score in terms of the level of EAA and the EAA/Non-EAA ratios when compared with other economical crab species.

Pseudoaneurysms usually occur due to blunt trauma to the atherosclerotic vessels. The main pathophysiology is the disruption of the vessel wall and subsequent collection of the blood under adventitia and surrounding tissues. The localization of the lesion is determinant for the severity of the clinical presentation. Herein, we present a 64-year-old male case in whom Doppler ultrasound revealed a carotid artery pseudoaneurysm treated with endovascular method using a covered stent graft. [Turk J Vasc Surg 2019; 28(2.000): 117-9]

The purpose of this study is to investigate how gamification using Web 2.0 tools affects secondary school students' listening comprehension skills on a German second language course. The sub-purposes are to investigate the study's outputs, such as course interest and academic motivation. The design of the study was action research, which is one of the recognized methods of qualitative research. The participants of the study were 34 ninth-grade high school students (15 males, 19 females) aged 14 or 15 years old enrolled to a state-project school. Focus group interviews, both student and teachers' reflective journals, and an academic achievement test were utilized to assess the participant students' listening comprehension skills, and formed the data collection tools used to obtain detailed information about the research process. According to the findings of the study, the use of Web 2.0 tools enabled by way of the gamification method helped capture the students' attention and strengthen the steps taken to improve their language learning skills. Although the students' learning styles varied, one point of commonality was their use of gamification.

Objective: This study evaluates the impact of CLLU1 expression and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of a group of Turkish chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 156 CLL patients were analyzed by FISH method; 47 of them were also evaluated for CLLU1 expression. Results were correlated with clinical parameters. Results: FISH aberrations were found in 62% of patients. These aberrations were del13q14 (67%), trisomy 12 (27%), del11q22 (19%), del17p (8%), and 14q32 rearrangements (20%). Overall del11q22 and del17p were associated with the highest mortality rates, shortest overall survival (OS), and highest need for medication. Homozygous del13q14, 14q32 rearrangements, and higher CLLU1 expression correlated with shorter OS. Conclusion: Cytogenetics/FISH analysis is still indicated for routine evaluation of CLL. Special consideration is needed for the poor prognostic implications of del11q22, del17p, 14q32 rearrangements, and homozygous del13q14. The impact of CLLU1 expression is not yet clear and it requires more data before becoming routine in genetic testing in CLL patients.

As the disease-free 5-year-survival of late stage laryngeal carcinoma patients is extremely low, indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO)-induced tryptophan degradation may represent an immune escape mechanism which plays an important role in cancer spreading in advanced stage laryngeal cancers. We examined whether the late stage laryngeal cancer enhances tumor immune evasion by the expression of systemic IDO activities and chronic cellular immune activation. Twenty-two of 42 male laryngeal cancer patients were classified as late stage cancer according to American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) criteria. Their serum neopterin, tryptophan and kynurenine concentrations were compared with 30 cancer-free individuals. IDO activity was approved by correlation between serum neopterin and kynurenine/tryptophan. Late stage cancer patients preoperatively showed a significantly higher IDO activity compared to controls and early stage cancer cases. Six months after tumor removal, late stage cancer patients although having higher serum neopterin concentration compared to early stage patients or controls, they showed a significant decrease in IDO activity and tryptophan consumption. Increased systemic IDO activity may provoke the escape of tumor cells from the immune surveillance of the host. High IDO activity is due to the presence of tumor mass. Persistence of high serum neopterin levels despite tumor removal may indicate poor prognosis.

Although cortisol is a powerful modulator of the immune system and inhibits production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels do not correspond to the chronically elevated concentrations of cortisol in cancer patients. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) has been shown to have an effect on immunological functions. Actually it is not known whether cortisol, TSH and IL-6 have an effect on tumor progression via modulation of cell mediated immunity in patients with gastrointestinal carcinoma. Sixty-seven gastrointestinal cancer patients and 42 cancer-free subjects with cholelithiasis as the control group, were included in the study. Serum ACTH, cortisol, TSH, thyroid hormones, IL-6, IL-10 and neopterin levels were measured. Diagnosis and pathological staging were confirmed by surgical intervention. Cortisol levels were correlated with IL-6 in cancer patients. In addition to elevated neopterin values, linear regression analysis revealed that serum neopterin was associated more strongly with the increase of cortisol rather than IL-6 levels in advanced stage carcinoma. Furthermore, neopterin also correlated with IL-6, IL-10, cortisol and TSH levels in advanced carcinoma cases. These data indicated that cortisol, IL-6 and neopterin values of cancer patients were influenced by the tumor presence and progression.

Exposure to methyl mercury (MeHg), induces blood-brain barrier damage leading to non-selective influx of cytotoxic agents, besides the entrance of inflammatory cells into the brain. However, there is no data available regarding the effects of co-treatment of neopterin and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in MeHgexposed SH-SY5Y dopaminergic neurons. MeHg-exposed SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were treated with neopterin and IFN-gamma in the presence and absence of L-Glutamine. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Oxidative stress intensity coefficient was calculated by taking into consideration the amount of nitric oxide production per viable neuron. 5μM MeHg was found to be more toxic than 1μM or 2μM doses of MeHg for SH-SY5Y cells in glutamine-containing medium. Furthermore, 0.1μM neopterin supplementation significantly increased the neuronal cell viability while, oxidative stress significantly decreased. Glutamine supplementation in culture medium, not only enhanced the MeHg toxicity, but also supported the antioxidant effect of neopterin. These results indicate that neopterin has a protective effect on MeHg toxicity in SH-SY5Y neurons. Neopterin was more effective in improving the total mitochondrial metabolic activity of cells exposed to 5μM MeHg in comparison to IFN-gamma. Although IFN-gamma supplementation alone partially improved 5μM MeHg toxicity on neurons, it weakened the protective effect of neopterin.