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This qualitative study captured the reflections of 53 English language teachers from 40 different contexts including Bangladesh, Colombia, France, India, Scotland, Taiwan, Türkiye and the United Kingdom on teaching English during the times of COVID-19 and its post-effects on their practices. Data were collected through an online form consisting of three stems and the participants were asked to create similes about teaching English before, during and after the pandemic. By conducting thematic analysis, images created for each phase were categorized under occupational well-being, digital transformation, transactional distance, gap of communication and social isolation. Teachers pointed out work overload, lack of administrational support, instructions' not making sense, decreasing level of participation, dropouts, loss of student--teacher interaction and isolation as the drawbacks of the process along with the possibility of digital transformation ahead of their profession.

INTRODUCTION: Craniopharyngiomas (CPG) have complex treatment challenges due to their proximity to vital structures, surgical and radiotherapeutic complexities, and the tendency for recurrence. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of endocrine and metabolic comorbidities observed during initial diagnosis and long-term follow-up in a nationwide cohort of pediatric CPG patients. A further aim was to highlight the difficulties associated with CPG management. METHODS: Sixteen centers entered CPG patients into the ÇEDD NET data system. The clinical and laboratory characteristics at presentation, administered treatments, accompanying endocrine, metabolic, and other system involvements, and the patient’s follow-up features were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 152 evaluated patients, 64 (42.1%) were female. At presentation, the mean age was 9.1±3.67, ranging from 1.46 to 16.92, years. The most common complaints at presentation were headache (68.4%), vision problems (42%), short stature (15%), and nausea and vomiting (7%). The surgical procedures were gross total resection (GTR) in 97 (63.8%) and subtotal resection in 55 (36.2%). Radiotherapy (RT) was initiated in 11.8% of the patients. Histopathological examination reported 92% were adamantinamatous type and 8% were papillary type. Postoperatively, hormone abnormalities consisted of thyroid-stimulating hormone (92.1%), adrenocorticotropic hormone (81%), antidiuretic hormone (79%), growth hormone (65.1%), and gonadotropin (43.4%) deficiencies. Recombinant growth hormone treatment (rhGH) was initiated in 27 (17.8%). The study showed hesitancy among physicians regarding rhGH. The median survival without relapse was 2.2 years. Median (range) time of relapse was 1.82 (0.13-10.35) years. Relapse was related to longer followups and reduced GTR rates. The median follow-up time was 3.13 years. Among the last follow-up visits, the prevalence of obesity was 38%, but of these, 46.5% were already obese at diagnosis. However, 20% who were not obese at baseline became obese on follow-up. Permanent visual impairment was observed in 26 (17.1%), neurological deficits in 13 (8.5%) and diabetes mellitus in 5 (3.3%) patients. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Recurrence was predominantly due to incomplete resection and the low rate of postoperative RT. Challenges emerged for multidisciplinary regular follow ups. It is suggested that early interventions, such as dietary restrictions and increased exercise to prevent obesity, be implemented.

INTRODUCTION: Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) occurs due to mutations in genes involved in pancreatic beta cell function and insulin secretion, has heterogeneous clinical and laboratory features, and account for 1-5% of all diabetes cases. The prevalence and distribution of MODY subtypes vary between countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and laboratory characteristics, mutation distribution, and phenotype-genotype relationship in a large case series of pediatric Turkish patients genetically diagnosed with MODY. METHODS: MODY cases from 14 different pediatric endocrinology departments were included. Diagnosis, treatment, follow-up data, and results of genetic analysis were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 224 patients were included, of whom 101 (45%) were female, and the mean age at diagnosis was 9.4±4.1 years. Gene variant distribution was: 146 (65%) GCK; 43 (19%) HNF1A; 8 (3.6%) HNF4A, 8 (3.6%) KLF11 and 7 (3.1%) HNF1B. The remaining 12 variants were: PDX (n=1), NEUROD1 (n=3), CEL (n=1), INS (n=3), ABCC8 (n= 3) and KJNC11 (n=1). Of the cases, 197 (87.9%) were diagnosed with incidental hyperglycemia, 16 with ketosis (7%) and 7 (3%) with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), while 30% presented with classical symptoms of diabetes. Two-hundred (89%) had a family history of diabetes. Anti-GAD antibody was detected in 13 cases, anti-islet antibody in eight and anti-insulin antibody in four. Obesity was present in 16. Distribution of therapy was: 158 (71%) diet only; 23 (11%) intensive insulin treatment; 17 (7.6%) sulfonylureas; 10 (4.5%) metformin; and 6 (2.7%) insulin and oral anti-diabetic treatment. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This was the largest genetically diagnosed series from Turkey. The most common gene variants were GCK and HNF1A with much lower proportions for other MODY types. Hyperglycemia was the most common presenting symptom while 11% of patients had diabetes-associated autoantibodies and 7% were obese. The majority of patients received dietary management only.

Objective: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a hereditary disorder with progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. Nusinersen is an antisense oligonucleotide directed against SMN2 and has been shown in studies to improve the motor skills of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of nusinersen treatment in patients with SMA type 2 and type 3 using the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded (HFMSE) score. Method: The diagnosis and differentiation of SMA type 2 and type 3 were based on clinical findings and genetic tests. The HFMSE scores of all patients were evaluated in detail before nusinersen doses. Results: Evaluation was made of a total of 15 patients, 12 SMA type 2 and 3 SMA type 3, with a median age of 13 years. None of the patients had regression of acquired abilities after nusinersen treatment. The median HFMSE score of SMA type 2 patients before treatment was 9. After nine doses of nusinersen, the HFMSE score showed a significant increase from 9 to 30 points. Although none of the patients could walk, their motor skills improved significantly. The median HFMSE score of SMA type 3 patients before treatment was 60. After 3 doses of nusinersen treatment, HFMSE scores were found to be 63. Conclusion: Nusinersen is an effective and safe treatment for patients with late-onset SMA. It can be suggested that different motor scales should be applied and developed for SMA type 2 (sitter) and type 3 (walker) patients due to differences in the clinical characteristics of SMA types.

Abstract Obesity is a health problem characterized by large expansion of adipose tissue. During this expansion, genotoxic stressors can be accumulated and negatively affect the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of adipose tissue. Due to the oxidative stress generated by these genotoxic stressors, senescence phenotype might be observed in adipose tissue MSCs. Senescent MSCs lose their proliferations and differentiation properties and secrete senescence-associated molecules to their niche thus triggering senescence for the rest of the tissue. Accumulation of senescent cells in adipose tissue results in decreased tissue regeneration and functional impairment not only in the close vicinity but also in the other tissues. Here we hypothesized that declined tissue regeneration might be associated with loss of stemness markers in MSCs population. We analyzed the expression of several stemness-associated genes of in vitro cultured MSCs originated from adipose tissue of high-fat diet and normal diet mice models. Since the heterogenous MSCs population covers a small percentage of the pluripotent stem cells, which have roles in proliferation and tissue regeneration, we measured the percentage of these cells via TRA-1-60 pluripotent state antigen. Additionally, by conducting a shotgun proteomic approach using LC-MS/MS, whole cell proteome of the adipose tissue MSCs of high-fat diet and normal diet mice were analyzed and identified proteins were evaluated via gene ontology and PPI network analysis. MSCs of obese mice showed senescent phenotype and altered cell cycle distribution due to a hostile environment with oxidative stress in adipose tissue where they reside. Additionally, the number of pluripotent markers expressing cells declined in the MSC population of the high-fat diet mice. Gene expression analysis evidenced the loss of stemness with a decrease in the expression of stemness-associated genes. Of the proteomic comparison of the normal and the high-fat diet group, MSCs revealed that stemness-associated molecules were decreased while inflammation and senescence-associated phenotypes emerged in obese mice MSCs. Our results showed us that the MSCs of adipose tissue may lose their stemness properties due to obesity-associated stress conditions.

Background: Although several surgical landmarks have been proposed to localize the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), there is still no reliable landmark. Aims: To validate the reliability of a novel reference point at the intersection of the inferior border of the cricopharyngeal muscle and the inferior cornu of thyroid cartilage for locating the RLN. Study Design: Cadaver dissection study in the academic department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Methods: Sixty-four RLNs in cadavers were assessed, and measurements of different surgical landmarks in conjunction with the proposed surgical landmark were obtained. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-squared test, and Student’s t-test were performed to analyze the data using GraphPad Prism (version 9.4.1; Dotmatics, Boston, Massachusetts, USA). Results: The average distance from the proposed landmark to the RLN was 2.3 ± 0.85 mm. The RLN was located just posterior to the reference point in 95.31% of the cadavers. The RLN passed under the inferior constrictor muscle in 90.63% of the cadavers. There was no statistically significant difference between right- and left-sided RLNs in terms of their relation with the reference point. Conclusion: The proposed reference point can be used as a reliable landmark to locate the RLN. This reference point may help surgeons during difficult thyroidectomy surgeries by providing an additional anatomical landmark.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease of the CNS thought to require an environmental trigger. Gut dysbiosis is common in MS, but specific causative species are unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we used sensitive and quantitative PCR detection to show that people with MS were more likely to harbor and show a greater abundance of epsilon toxin-producing (ETX-producing) strains of C. perfringens within their gut microbiomes compared with individuals who are healthy controls (HCs). Isolates derived from patients with MS produced functional ETX and had a genetic architecture typical of highly conjugative plasmids. In the active immunization model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), where pertussis toxin (PTX) is used to overcome CNS immune privilege, ETX can substitute for PTX. In contrast to PTX-induced EAE, where inflammatory demyelination is largely restricted to the spinal cord, ETX-induced EAE caused demyelination in the corpus callosum, thalamus, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord, more akin to the neuroanatomical lesion distribution seen in MS. CNS endothelial cell transcriptional profiles revealed ETX-induced genes that are known to play a role in overcoming CNS immune privilege. Together, these findings suggest that ETX-producing C. perfringens strains are biologically plausible pathogens in MS that trigger inflammatory demyelination in the context of circulating myelin autoreactive lymphocytes.

This study aims to reveal the opinions of English teachers, advisors and a member of Curriculum Development Committee of Ministry of National Education about 5th grade English Language Curricula in Turkey. To this end, 100 English teachers were given Curriculum Opinion Scales. Fifteen English teachers, three advisors, and a member of Curriculum Development Committee were also interviewed through semi-structured interviews in order to add to the quantitative findings. The curricula were evaluated in terms of learning objectives and content, assessment and evaluation, coursebook as an instructional material, language skills, principle of appropriateness, and continuum of learning. Furthermore, participants shared their opinions on curriculum literacy, class hours, methodological perspectives, and examination system. The findings are discussed in comparison with the related literature.

In recent years, efforts to enhance precision in brain tumor surgeries have focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) with medical imaging. This involves integrating AI with medical imaging. This study aimed to generate a tumor-free MRI by using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to establish a relationship between preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resection cavity segmentation masks obtained from intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) data. For cavity segmentation, U-Net and U-Net with transfer learning were used, with the U-Net + EfficientNetB7 model achieving a high dice score of 97.82. The resection cavity mask was applied to preoperative MRI images using Pix2Pix, SPADE GAN, and BrainPixGAN. BrainPixGAN, incorporating transfer learning, outperformed the others, achieving SSIM 0.87, PSNR 35.89, and LPIPS 0.0037. This innovative approach represents a pioneering effort in generating GAN models for intraoperative MRI (iMRI) images using IOUS data, despite the challenges in setup and cost associated with iMRI imaging.

The pancreatic islets are composed of discrete hormone-producing cells that orchestrate systemic glucose homeostasis. Here we identify subsets of beta cells using a single-cell transcriptomic approach. One subset of beta cells marked by high CD63 expression is enriched for the expression of mitochondrial metabolism genes and exhibits higher mitochondrial respiration compared with CD63lo beta cells. Human and murine pseudo-islets derived from CD63hi beta cells demonstrate enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion compared with pseudo-islets from CD63lo beta cells. We show that CD63hi beta cells are diminished in mouse models of and in humans with type 2 diabetes. Finally, transplantation of pseudo-islets generated from CD63hi but not CD63lo beta cells into diabetic mice restores glucose homeostasis. These findings suggest that loss of a specific subset of beta cells may lead to diabetes. Strategies to reconstitute or maintain CD63hi beta cells may represent a potential anti-diabetic therapy.

Purpose: Methanol, is a clear, colourless, highly toxic substance obtained from the destructive distillation of wood. During the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic alcohol users consumed alternatives such as cologne and cheap alcohol, the toxicology analyses showed that there was an increase in methanol poisoning due to the use of cheaper methanol instead of ethanol in alcoholic liquids. The aim of this study was to evaluate autopsy cases in the Şanlıurfa Forensic Medicine Branch Directorate that were recorded as cause of death from methanol poisoning. Materials and Methods: 15 cases whose cause of death was determined to be methyl alcohol intoxication were examined at Şanlıurfa Forensic Medicine Branch Directorate between 1 January 2016 and 1 November 2022. Sociodemographic data of the cases, crime scene information, clinical findings and hospitalization data, distribution of events according to years, type of beverage consumed toxicological and pathological data were evaluated. Results: All of the cases were male. The mean age was calculated as 52.1. The drinks consumed were determined to be cologne in 8 cases, fake raki, whisky and vodka in 4, and the type of drink could not be determined in 3 cases. Conclusion: It should not be forgotten that in times of increased alcohol consumption, methanol can be mixed with liquids in place of ethanol, and programs should be implemented to inform the public about intoxications. The necessary precautions against methanol intoxication should be taken by increasing control at the production and sales stages of alcoholic drinks and antiseptics containing alcohol, such as cologne.

This study examines the day-of-the-week (DoW) and month-of-the-year (MoY) effects in the cryptocurrency market, with a focus on Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Due to the absence of a specific closing time in the cryptocurrency market, the closing time of the daily data is taken as 23:59 UTC. Initially, an appropriate volatility model for the cryptocurrency market is established using the GARCH, EGARCH, and TGARCH models. The most appropriate model for BTC is ARMA(1,0)-EGARCH(1,1) and ARMA(1,0)-GARCH(1,1) for ETH. The results of the analysis indicate a leverage effect in the cryptocurrency market, where negative shocks cause a more significant increase in volatility than positive shocks. Based on this volatility structure, the DoW and MoY are analyzed. For BTC, returns on other days are lower compared to Mondays. However, for ETH, returns on Thursdays are lower than those on Mondays. In terms of volatility, both BTC and ETH show that the highest volatility occurs on Mondays. For the MoY effect, neither BTC nor ETH don’t exhibit a significant effect in the mean equation. Nevertheless, the variance equation indicates that January has higher volatility compared to other months, indicating the presence of a MoY effect in terms of volatility.

Aim: The goal of this study was to investigate the expression levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) (miR-196b, miR-10a, miR-31-5p, and miR-338-3p) which regulate the genes involved in the proliferation and function of cells functioning in the inflammatory processes in Celiac patients' blood and tissue samples. Celiac disease (CD) is an inflammatory disease which affects people who are genetically predisposed to gluten consumption. The only treatment for this disease is a gluten-free diet. Materials and Methods: The miRNA expressions were determined in blood and tissue samples from 12 pediatric patients with CD and from 8 healthy children using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and SybrGreen dye. The gene expression levels of miRNAs such as miR-196b, miR-10a, miR-338-3p, and miR-31-5p were compared between the two groups. Results: There was a significant difference only in miR-10a gene expression levels between the control and patient blood samples. The greatest difference between the tissue and blood samples within the CD group were found in the expressions of miR-31-5p and miR-338-3p. It was seen that the patients’ human leukocyte antigen tissue type was not associated with their miRNA expression profiles. In addition, there was no significant correlation between their Marsh classification and gene expression levels. Conclusion: The significantly low level of miR-10a may be related to CD due to its effect on the immune response. Additionally, miR-10a may have potential as a non-invasive biomarker in the diagnosis of CD.

With the recent worldwide statistical rise in the amount of public violence, automated violence detection in surveillance cameras has become a matter of high importance. This work introduces an end-to-end, trainable 3D Convolutional Neural Network (3D CNN) for detecting violence in video footage. The proposed network is inherently capable of processing both spatial and temporal information, thereby obviating the need for additional models that would introduce higher computational requirements and complexity. This work has two main contributions: 1) developing a lightweight 3D CNN suitable for inference on edge devices as mobile systems, and 2) a comprehensive explanation of all components comprising a CNN model, thereby enhances model interpretability. Experiments were conducted to assess the performance of the proposed model using a consolidated dataset combining four benchmark datasets. The results of the experiments support the asserted contributions, which are discussed in detail.

Homeland is generally the land where one person was born and grew up and also it is a broad concept that includes language, history, culture and family ties as well as being the land that a nation freely lives on. Homeland is not only a physical space, but a strong association of cultures, arts assets, and language, religion and common past together. In this study, it was tried to determine the views of the middle school students living in the Kyrgyz Republic, whose mother or father is a Turkish citizen. This study was conducted with 156 students studying in, the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education Kyrgyzstan Bishkek Middle School and in Imam Hatip Secondary School. This school, which is connected to the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education and mostly children continued who are the citizens of the Republic of Turkey. In this descriptive survey model, the data were obtained from the open-ended questionnaire asked to the students. In the analysis of the data, content analysis was used. 109 students participated in the survey stated that they see Turkey as the homeland. Students were determined Kyrgyzstan and Russia as a country after Turkey. 4 themes and 9 sub-themes were formed in the direction of the students' thinking about the concept of "homeland". In the research, each theme related to students 'responses was examined separately, and some students' thoughts were also included and interpreted. [This paper was presented as a platform presentation at the 17th Primary Teacher Education Symposium, April 11-14, 2018, Ankara, Turkey.]

Common divisor is one of the concepts that started to be learned in secondary school and forms the basis of many concepts. But students generally have difficulty in making sense of it. The purpose of this study is to investigate concept formation processes of common divisor through a case study on seven sixth grade students. To do this, we designed a learning environment based on Realistic Mathematics Education and tried to determine how students construct the concept. The data collected through group and individual study papers and semi-structured clinical interviews were analyzed with content analysis within the APOS theoretical framework. The findings showed that one student was unable to internalize the action and her thoughts depended on the contextual problem. Other students internalized all common divisors and coordinated them with prime factorization. At the end, students were able to encapsulate all the processes into object by finding the product of common prime numbers. Moreover, students were able to identify greatest common divisor among all common divisors and clarified its meaning.

The opinions of parents as a school-based stakeholders on ELT curricula have been neglected by not only authorities but also the related literature. Except from their consent or demands' being a prerequisite for the application of intensive curriculum for 5th graders, parents do not have a role for the development or application of English language curricula in Turkish education system. The present study is an attempt to hearken to their voices about the English language curricula implemented for 5th graders in Turkish middle schools. To this end, a cross-sectional survey study was designed and 116 parents of 5th graders were reached through 'Parental Questionnaire on ELT Curriculum.' The data were analyzed through Nvivo 12 and the results were supported with visual maps and direct quotations. The findings indicated that with high expectations from the curricula, the parents supported learning English based on the factors of providing long-term benefits and keeping up the new world order. Sharing their opinions on teaching material, content, class hours, assignments, and activities, participants gave suggestions on cognitive, affective, and practical aspects to improve the applications.

The purpose of this study is to investigate physicists' views about the possible impacts of recent developments in quantum physics on educational implementations, particularly on science learning. Throughout the research a mixed-methods strategy was used. The data were collected from the physicists working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The qualitative and quantitative results were compared to portray the consistency between the two cohorts. The results indicated that the physicists' experiences could provide valuable contributions to educational practices, and both teachers and students could benefit from the knowledge exchange between the field specialists. The implications for, and potential contributions to educational practices are discussed, taking into account the three most pertinent subfields, namely curriculum, learning, and teaching methods.

Introduction : Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is one of the common malignancies of the salivary glands. Nasopharyngeal mucoepidermoid carcinoma cases are rare. The treatment of these rare cases depends on the stage of the tumor and its invasion into the surrounding tissues. Case: A 63-year-old male patient, who was followed up for thyroid papillary carcinoma in 2006, was referred to our clinic after incidentally detected asymmetrical thickening of the nasopharynx on the left as a result of brain MRI during medical oncology follow-ups. The patient had a complaint of pain in the left neck region for about a month. Excisional biopsy from the lymph node that increased FDG uptake in the left jugulodigastric region in PET/CT and multiple punch biopsy from the nasopharynx were performed. The patient, whose pathology resulted in mucoepidermoid carcinoma, was referred to oncology to receive radiochemotherapy. Discussion: Although rare, it should be kept in mind that in patients presenting with a mass in the nasopharynx, mucoepidermoid carcinoma may be present. Although there is information about treatment options in the studies carried out to date, prospective studies are needed for prognosis and treatment selection.

Abstract Background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a prevalent childhood chronic arthritis, often persisting into adulthood. Effective transitional care becomes crucial as these patients transition from pediatric to adult healthcare systems. Despite the concept of transitional care being recognized, its real-world implementation remains inadequately explored. This study aims to evaluate the thoughts and practices of healthcare providers regarding transitional care for JIA patients. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among pediatric and adult rheumatologists in Turkey. Based on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ six core elements of transitional care, the survey included 86 questions. The respondents’ demographic data, attitudes towards transitional care, and practical implementation were assessed. Results The survey included 48 rheumatologists, with 43.7% having a transition clinic. The main barriers to establishing transition programs were the absence of adult rheumatologists, lack of time, and financial constraints. Only 23.8% had a multidisciplinary team for transition care. Participants agreed on the importance of coordination and cooperation between pediatric and adult healthcare services. The timing of the transition process varied, with no consensus on when to initiate or complete it. Participants advocated for validated questionnaires adapted to local conditions to assess transition readiness. Conclusions The study sheds light on the challenges and perspectives surrounding transitional care for JIA patients in Turkey. Despite recognized needs and intentions, practical implementation remains limited due to various barriers. Cultural factors and resource constraints affect the transition process. While acknowledging the existing shortcomings, the research serves as a ground for further efforts to improve transitional care and ensure better outcomes for JIA patients transitioning into adulthood.

In this study, softwood cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani A.Rich.) and hardwood black poplar (Populus nigra L.), turned into cylinders by turning, were subjected to a surface densification process. Densification was carried out on the lathe using the spinning roller designed and manufactured for this purpose. Hardness, brightness and roughness (Rz) measurements were carried out on undensified and densified regions of the cylindrical solid wood materials. An increase in hardness and brightness and a decrease in roughness values occurred under all densification conditions. The highest surface hardness values occurred in cedar of Lebanon at 0.081 mm/rev feed, 200 rpm spindle speed, and 1 mm densification depth. On densified wood surfaces, as the feed from the densification parameters increases, the hardness decreases, and as the densification depth increases, the hardness increases-. The effect of surface densification parameters on the gloss and roughness results of the samples shows no linear effect in terms of experimental parameters. In both species, lower spring back was obtained at low depth of densification.

Walls produced using different masonry materials and mortars are among the structural elements that carry horizontal and vertical loads. In this context, the mechanical properties of walls produced with different wall and mortar materials have been investigated. In the production of wall samples, Harman Brick (HB), Masonry Brick (MB) and Bimsblok (BB) were chosen as the mesh material Reinforced Mortar (RM) and Polypropylene Fiber Added Mortar (PM) were used as binding materials in the construction of the walls produced in 900x900 mm dimensions. The volumetric mixing ratios of the mortar used were prepared as sand:cement:lime=6:1:1, according to the TSE 2510 standard. The bricked wall samples were subjected to diagonal loading tests after being kept in the laboratory environment for 28 days. Flexural and compressive strengths of the mortars used in wall building, displacement values of the walls, shear strength, rigidity modulus, energy absorption capacity and collapse patterns of the walls were determined. The graphs of the displacement values obtained by examining the behaviors observed in the test samples and the cracks formed were interpreted. It was observed that the shear strength of the walls built using PM was higher than the shear strength of the walls built using RM. The energy absorption capacity was highest in the fibrous specimen laid with masonry bricks. The average vertical load value of the wall specimens built with fibrous mortar, which is the BB of the masonry material, was 30% higher than the specimens built with non-fiber mortar.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with brucellosis present with nonspecific symptoms originating from different organs. In this study, we aimed to investigate the symptoms related to the head and neck region in patients with brucellosis. METHODS: The retrospective study analyzed 542 patients with a definitive diagnosis of brucellosis who were admitted to our hospital between January 2015 and April 2022 and received outpatient and/or inpatient care. Clinical symptoms localized to the ear-nose-throat and head and neck regions were evaluated. RESULTS: A neck mass was detected in 52 out of 542 patients included in the study. The prevalence of cervical lymphadenopathy and/or abscess was 9.6%. Only lymphadenopathy was present in 30 (57.7%) patients, while both neck abscess and lymphadenopathy were detected in 22 (42.3%) patients. No significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to treatment regimens (p=0.37). Mean duration of treatment was 30 +- 22.1 (range, 14-70) days in the lymphadenopathy group and was 22 +- 14.7 (range, 14-60) days in the abscess group. No significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to the length of time to clinical recovery (p=0.34). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Brucellosis affects many regions of the head and neck and can have a variety of imaging manifestations that mimic benign and malignant lesions. The diagnosis of brucellosis should be considered in the first-line differential diagnosis conducted based on imaging features in patients residing in endemic regions.

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı iki farklı kürleme modunda ışıklanan iki farklı bulk fill kompozit rezinin, 1 hafta boyunca distile su, şarap ve kahvede bekletilmesiyle meydana gelen renk değişimlerinin değerlendirilmesidir. Gereç-Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada A2 renginde iki farklı bulk fill kompozit rezin kullanılmıştır: Sonic Fill 2 (SF) (Kerr, ABD) ve Filtek Bulk Fill (FBF) (3M ESPE, ABD). Örnekler 5 mm çapında, 2 mm kalınlığında bir teflon kalıp kullanılarak hazırlanmıştır. Örnekler bir LED ışık cihazı (VALO Ultradent, South Jordan, UT) ile iki farklı kürleme modunda (standart güç modu-1000 mw/cm²-20 sn ve ekstra güç modu 3200 mw/cm²-3 sn) polimerize edilmiş, toplam 60 numune hazırlanmıştır. Renklendirme işlemlerine başlamadan önce örneklerin renk değerleri spektrofotometre (VITA Easyshade V, VITA Zahnfabrik, Almanya) kullanılarak ölçülmüştür. Ardından örnekler, üç farklı sıvıda 1 hafta boyunca bekletilmiştir. Renklendirme işlemleri tamamlandıktan 24 saat sonra renk ölçümü tekrarlanmıştır. Renk değişimi değerlendirmesi CIEDE2000 formülü kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Çalışmada elde edilen veriler SPSS Windows 25.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) programı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Anlamlılık düzeyi p