Exercise Barriers in Older Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and Objectives: Defining the exercise habits of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) may help to determine optimal rehabilitation programs. This study aimed to investigate the physical and psychological parameters associated with exercise barriers in older individuals with AD, with the goal of informing more effective rehabilitation programs. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted with 50 individuals with AD. The individuals were evaluated with the Exercise Benefit/Barriers Scale (EBBS), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Five Times Sit to Stand Test (FTSTS), the Barthel Index (BI), the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: There was a significant positive correlation between age with EBBS-Exercise Barriers (r = 0.308; p = 0.029) and EBBS-Total Score (r = 0.295; p = 0.038). There were significant negative correlations between the time of diagnosis with EBBS-Exercise Benefits (r = -0.569; p = 0.000), EBBS-Exercise Barriers (r = -0.324; p = 0.022), and EBBS-Total Score (r = -0.508; p = 0.000). There was a positive correlation between MMSE and EBBS-Exercise Benefits (r = 0.465; p = 0.001), EBBS-Exercise Barriers (r = 0.471; p = 0.001) and EBBS-Total Score (r = 0.519; p = 0.000). There were significant positive correlations between FTSTS and EBBS-Exercise Barriers (r = 0.340; p = 0.016), and EBBS-Total Score (r = 0.280; p = 0.049). There were positive correlations between BI and EBBS-Exercise Benefits (r = 0.362; p = 0.010), EBBS-Exercise Barriers (r = 0.377; p = 0.007), and EBBS-Total Score (r = 0.405; p = 0.004). Conclusions: Exercise barriers/benefits were associated with cognition and post-diagnosis duration in individuals with AD. Individuals with lower physical function had lower exercise perception. In addition, living with relatives or caregivers led to better exercise benefit scores.

Aerobic exercise and dual-task training combination is the best combination for improving cognitive status, mobility and physical performance in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different exercise combinations on cognitive status, muscle strength of lower extremities, mobility, physical performance, mood and quality of life in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: A total of 48 older adults with MCI were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) aerobic plus lower extremity strengthening exercises (AG), (2) dual-task training plus lower extremity strengthening exercises (DG), (3) aerobic exercise, dual-task training and lower extremity strengthening exercises (ADG), (4) solely lower extremity strengthening exercises (CG). Patients' cognitive status, lower extremity muscle strength, balance, mobility, activities-specific balance confidence, functional exercise capacity, physical performance, mood and quality of life were evaluated. RESULTS: In all three intervention groups, there was a significant improvement in cognitive status, balance, mobility, activities-specific balance confidence, physical performance, mood and quality of life (p < 0.05). The most remarkable change was observed in the ADG on cognitive status, mobility and physical performance parameters (p < 0.05). In addition, the most significant improvement in balance parameters was recorded both in the DG and ADG (p < 0.05). Besides, the highest increase in functional exercise capacity was detected both in the AG and ADG (p < 0.05). On the other hand, both exercise combinations were superior to the control group in terms of improving mood and quality of life (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The trial results proved that aerobic exercise and dual-task training is the best combination for improving cognitive status, mobility and physical performance in older adults with MCI.

Precision Agriculture Using Soil Sensor Driven Machine Learning for Smart Strawberry Production.

Ubiquitous sensor networks collecting real-time data have been adopted in many industrial settings. This paper describes the second stage of an end-to-end system integrating modern hardware and software tools for precise monitoring and control of soil conditions. In the proposed framework, the data are collected by the sensor network distributed in the soil of a commercial strawberry farm to infer the ultimate physicochemical characteristics of the fruit at the point of harvest around the sensor locations. Empirical and statistical models are jointly investigated in the form of neural networks and Gaussian process regression models to predict the most significant physicochemical qualities of strawberry. Color, for instance, either by itself or when combined with the soluble solids content (sweetness), can be predicted within as little as 9% and 14% of their expected range of values, respectively. This level of accuracy will ultimately enable the implementation of the next phase in controlling the soil conditions where data-driven quality and resource-use trade-offs can be realized for sustainable and high-quality strawberry production.

ML Approach to Improve the Costs and Reliability of a Wireless Sensor Network.

Temperature-controlled closed-loop systems are vital to the transportation of produce. By maintaining specific transportation temperatures and adjusting to environmental factors, these systems delay decomposition. Wireless sensor networks (WSN) can be used to monitor the temperature levels at different locations within these transportation containers and provide feedback to these systems. However, there are a range of unique challenges in WSN implementations, such as the cost of the hardware, implementation difficulties, and the general ruggedness of the environment. This paper presents the novel results of a real-life application, where a sensor network was implemented to monitor the environmental temperatures at different locations inside commercial temperature-controlled shipping containers. The possibility of predicting one or more locations inside the container in the absence or breakdown of a logger placed in that location is explored using combinatorial input-output settings. A total of 1016 machine learning (ML) models are exhaustively trained, tested, and validated in search of the best model and the best combinations to produce a higher prediction result. The statistical correlations between different loggers and logger combinations are studied to identify a systematic approach to finding the optimal setting and placement of loggers under a cost constraint. Our findings suggest that even under different and incrementally higher cost constraints, one can use empirical approaches such as neural networks to predict temperature variations in a location with an absent or failed logger, within a margin of error comparable to the manufacturer-specified sensor accuracy. In fact, the median test accuracy is 1.02 degrees Fahrenheit when using only a single sensor to predict the remaining locations under the assumptions of critical system failure, and drops to as little as 0.8 and 0.65 degrees Fahrenheit when using one or three more sensors in the prediction algorithm. We also demonstrate that, by using correlation coefficients and time series similarity measurements, one can identify the optimal input-output pairs for the prediction algorithm reliably under most instances. For example, discrete time warping can be used to select the best location to place the sensors with a 92% match between the lowest prediction error and the highest similarity sensor with the rest of the group. The findings of this research can be used for power management in sensor batteries, especially for long transportation routes, by alternating standby modes where the temperature data for the OFF sensors are predicted by the ON sensors.

Rich learning representations for human activity recognition: How to empower deep feature learning for biological time series.

Deep learning versus feature engineering has drawn significant attention specifically for applications where expertly crafted features have been used for decades. Human activity recognition is no exception where statistical and motion specific features have shown potential in detecting falls and other daily activities across a wide range of datasets. This paper provides an in-depth study and comparison of two fundamentally different approaches to HAR while introducing a novel way to harness the spectral properties of biological time series in addition to temporal features. A research group at Stanford recently proposed subject agnostic features as state-of-the-art when applied to a large dataset with many participants of different ages. In this paper, we demonstrate that implicit feature learning in the latent spaces of deep learning algorithms can be powerful alternatives to using finely tuned domain-specific features for HAR. In fact, when using a spectrotemporal representation of the raw sensor data in the form of spectrograms, a standard convolutional neural network without any prior conditioning on the features, statistically significantly outperforms the prior state-of-the-art using subject agnostic features in all the different partitions of the dataset with a significant  29.8% reduction in the overall average error rate.

Atomistic theory of thermally activated magnetization processes in Nd2Fe14B permanent magnet.

To study the temperature dependence of magnetic properties of permanent magnets, methods of treating the thermal fluctuation causing the thermal activation phenomena must be established. To study finite-temperature properties quantitatively, we need atomistic energy information to calculate the canonical distribution. In the present review, we report our recent studies on the thermal properties of the Nd2Fe14B magnet and the methods of studying them. We first propose an atomistic Hamiltonian and show various thermodynamic properties, for example, the temperature dependences of the magnetization showing a spin reorientation transition, the magnetic anisotropy energy, the domain wall profiles, the anisotropy of the exchange stiffness constant, and the spectrum of ferromagnetic resonance. The effects of the dipole-dipole interaction (DDI) in large grains are also presented. In addition to these equilibrium properties, the temperature dependence of the coercivity of a single grain was studied using the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation and also by the analysis of the free energy landscape, which was obtained by Monte Carlo simulation. The upper limit of coercivity at room temperature was found to be about 3 T at room temperature. The coercivity of a polycrystalline magnet, that is, an ensemble of interactinve grains, is expected to be reduced further by the effects of the grain boundary phase, which is also studied. Surface nucleation is a key ingredient in the domain wall depinning process. Finally, we study the effect of DDI among grains and also discuss the distribution of properties of grains from the viewpoint of first-order reversal curve.

Quantum-corrected transient analysis of plasmonic nanostructures.

A time domain surface integral equation (TD-SIE) solver is developed for quantum-corrected analysis of transient electromagnetic field interactions on plasmonic nanostructures with sub-nanometer gaps. "Quantum correction" introduces an auxiliary tunnel to support the current path that is generated by electrons tunneled between the nanostructures. The permittivity of the auxiliary tunnel and the nanostructures is obtained from density functional theory (DFT) computations. Electromagnetic field interactions on the combined structure (nanostructures plus auxiliary tunnel connecting them) are computed using a TD-SIE solver. Time domain samples of the permittivity and the Green function required by this solver are obtained from their frequency domain samples (generated from DFT computations) using a semi-analytical method. Accuracy and applicability of the resulting quantum-corrected solver scheme are demonstrated via numerical examples.

Time-Temperature Management Along the Food Cold Chain: A Review of Recent Developments.

The cold chain is responsible for the preservation and transportation of perishable foods in the proper temperature range to slow biological decay processes and deliver safe and high-quality foods to consumers. Studies show that the efficiency of the cold chain is often less than ideal, as temperature abuses above or below the optimal product-specific temperature range occur frequently, a situation that significantly increases food waste and endangers food safety. In this work, field studies on time-temperature conditions at each critical stage of the cold chain are reviewed to assess the current state of commercial cold chains. Precooling, ground operations during transportation, storage during display at retail and in domestic refrigerators, and commercial handling practices are identified and discussed as the major weaknesses in the modern cold chain. The improvement in efficiency achieved through the measurement, analysis, and management of time-temperature conditions is reviewed, along with the accompanying technical and practical challenges delaying the implementation of such methods. A combination of prospective experimental and modeling research on precooling uniformity, responsive food inventory management systems, and cold chains in developing countries is proposed for the improvement of the cold chain at the global scale.

Transient analysis of electromagnetic wave interactions on plasmonic nanostructures using a surface integral equation solver.

Transient electromagnetic interactions on plasmonic nanostructures are analyzed by solving the Poggio-Miller-Chan-Harrington-Wu-Tsai (PMCHWT) surface integral equation (SIE). Equivalent (unknown) electric and magnetic current densities, which are introduced on the surfaces of the nanostructures, are expanded using Rao-Wilton-Glisson and polynomial basis functions in space and time, respectively. Inserting this expansion into the PMCHWT-SIE and Galerkin testing the resulting equation at discrete times yield a system of equations that is solved for the current expansion coefficients by a marching on-in-time (MOT) scheme. The resulting MOT-PMCHWT-SIE solver calls for computation of additional convolutions between the temporal basis function and the plasmonic medium's permittivity and Green function. This computation is carried out with almost no additional cost and without changing the computational complexity of the solver. Time-domain samples of the permittivity and the Green function required by these convolutions are obtained from their frequency-domain samples using a fast relaxed vector fitting algorithm. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and applicability of the proposed MOT-PMCHWT solver.

Management of complications and compromised free flaps following major head and neck surgery.

Microvascular free flaps are preferred for most major head and neck reconstruction surgeries because of better functional outcomes, improved esthetics, and generally higher success rates. Numerous studies have investigated measures to prevent flap loss, but few have evaluated the optimal treatment for free flap complications. This study aimed to determine the complication rate after free flap reconstructions and discusses our management strategies. Medical records of 260 consecutive patients who underwent free flap reconstructions for head and neck defects between July 2006 and June 2010 were retrospectively reviewed for patient and surgical characteristics and postoperative complications. The results revealed that microvascular free flaps were extremely reliable, with a 3.5 % incidence of flap failure. There were 78 surgical site complications. The most common complication was neck wound infection, followed by dehiscence, vascular congestion, abscess, flap necrosis, hematoma, osteoradionecrosis, and brisk bleeding. Twenty patients with poor wound healing received hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which was ineffective in three patients who eventually experienced complete flap loss. Eleven patients with vascular congestion underwent medicinal leech therapy, which was effective. Among the 78 patients with complications, 44 required repeat surgery, which was performed for postoperative brisk bleeding in three. Eventually, ten patients experienced partial flap loss and nine experienced complete flap loss, with the latter requiring subsequent pectoralis major flap reconstruction. Microvascular free flap reconstruction represents an essential and reliable technique for head and neck defects and allows surgeons to perform radical resection with satisfactory functional results and acceptable complication rates.

Assessment of Hematological Factors Involved in Development and Prognosis of Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of routine hematological parameters on the development and prognosis of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients applying to our clinic. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective clinical study. SETTING: One academic health center from 2008 to 2014. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: One hundred forty patients with sudden hearing loss and 132 healthy controls were included in the present study. RESULTS: Patients having idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss were divided into 2 subgroups based on whether they recovered (complete, partial, and slight recovery) (Group 1; n = 83, 59.3%) or not (Group 2; n = 57, 40.7%) during the follow-up term. Group 1, Group 2, and the controls differed statistically significantly in terms of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.001), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.001), lymphocytes % (P = 0.001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (P = 0.019), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (P = 0.015), platelet (P  = 0.001), mean platelet volume (P = 0.001), platelet distribution width (P = 0.009), and glucose (P = 0.001). The study groups and the controls did not have any significant difference in terms of other laboratory parameters affecting the prognosis of Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: The results the authors obtained showed that laboratory parameters such as lymphocyte, lymphocyte%, platelet, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration may be indicative for prognosis and treatment success in groups of patients suffering idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in whose etiology many factors play a role.

Feasibility and clinical outcomes of transoral robotic surgery and transoral robot-assisted carbon dioxide laser for hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has been used as a novel procedure for squamous cell carcinoma of the laryngopharyngeal cancers with encouraging outcomes. The safety, feasibility, and efficacy regarding this approach have previously been demonstrated. There are several studies proposing the benefit of combining TORS with carbon dioxide (CO2) laser in resecting upper aerodigestive tract tumors. We report a series of patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma treated with primary TORS with or without the flexible carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. All TORS resections were completed without any intraoperative complication. None required conversion to an open procedure. Clinical outcomes in this preliminary analysis indicate that magnified view, 3D visualization with the wristed instruments and tremor reduction technology of robotic experience, allow en bloc resection of early stage hypopharyngeal cancers. TORS with CO2 laser is a promising, minimally invasive surgical alternative for the treatment of hypopharyngeal tumors with comparable oncologic outcomes.

CT and MR Imaging in a Large Series of Patients with Craniofacial Fibrous Dysplasia.

BACKGROUND: In this retrospective review of patients with craniofacial fibrous dysplasia (FD), the clinical and radiological findings of CT and MR scan were analyzed. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study material included 32 patients, at 9 to 68 years of age that were directed for differential diagnostics of several disorders in the head. We recorded CT and MRI data related to the lesion number, location, sidedness, appearance, and sex of the cases with craniofacial FD. RESULTS: Of 32 patients involved in this study, 17 had monostotic and 15 had polyostotic involvement pattern. Bones most commonly involved by monostotic involvement in females were, in descending order, mandibular, maxillary, and sphenoid bones, while the sphenoid bone was involved the most in males. Leontiasis ossea was observed in 2 patients. Sclerotic and mixed lesion types were more common in both females and males. In T1- and T2-weighted MRI sequences, hypointensity was more common compared to hyperintensity or heterogeneous intensity. The type of enhancement of lesions was found similar after contrast medium administration. CONCLUSIONS: In the presence of craniofacial FD during CT or MRI imaging of the head, a detailed description of FD lesions may provide an important clinical benefit by increasing radiological experience during the diagnostics of this rare disorder.

The effect of topical mometasone furoate nasal spray on carriage of Staphylococcus aureus.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine the effect of topical mometasone furoate nasal spray on nasal Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonization in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2012 and February 2013, 53 patients having perennial allergic rhinitis symptoms (37 females, 16 males) and 53 healthy controls (36 females, 17 males) were included in the study. Nasal cultures were obtained and evaluated before and after the treatment in allergic rhinitis patients who were admitted to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) outpatient clinic and receiving a mometasone furoate nasal spray treatment (200 mcg/day) once a day for one-month. In healthy controls, nasal cultures were obtained and evaluated once. RESULTS: In allergic rhinitis patients, five cultures were positive for S. aureus before the treatment while the number of cultures positive for S. aureus was six after the treatment. There was no significant difference in the pre-treatment and post-treatment S. aureus colonization between the patient group and controls (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Mometasone furoate nasal spray used in the treatment of allergic rhinitis appears to be ineffective for nasal S. aureus colonization.

[Evaluation of shrinkage of surgical margins on tongue specimens following formalin fixation]. / Formalin fiksasyonu sonrasi dil örneklerinde cerrahi sinir küçülmesinin degerlendirilmesi.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the alterations in distances to the surgical margins on sheep tongue specimens, through resection, formalin fixation, frozen section, and microscopic examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty fresh sheep tongues were used in the study. A metal plate was fixed on the lateral aspect of each tongue to represent tumor tissues. A total of 40 specimens with either 1 cm or 2 cm distances as surgical safety margins of the surrounding plate were prepared using either scalpel or monopolar cautery (10 specimens were prepared for each group). Additional 10 specimens with 1 cm safety margins were prepared using either scalpel or monopolar cautery (5 specimens per group) for frozen section examination. Distances to the metal plates before resection were compared with the ones which were determined after resection, frozen section examination, 24-hour formalin fixation and microscopic examination. RESULTS: Distances to the surgical margins were found to be decreased in all specimens after resection, 10% formalin fixation and microscopic examination. The distances to the surgical margins were observed to be reduced by 6.5-7.5% on average after resection, 10-12% on average after formalin fixation and 30% on average after microscopic examination, compared to the baseline values. The level of shrinkage was reduced by 6.3-10% following microscopic section preparation during frozen section examination. CONCLUSION: Seven to eight-millimeter distance to the surgical margin at minimum should be maintained to achieve a 5 mm in height surgical safety margin during sheep tongue resection. The distance defined by the pathologist may be multiplied with 1.42 to estimate around in-situ distance to the surgical margins. Therefore, 1.42 may be used as a corrective factor for sheep tongue tissues.

Investigation of Reaction Time, Proprioception, and Shaped Pathway Walking Performance in Older Patients with Total Knee Arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVES: The existing literature on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) does not provide clear data on step reaction time and proprioception and gait in shaped pathways. This study investigated the relationship between proprioception and reaction time with walking performance in shaped pathways in older patients undergoing TKA. DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: An orthopedic outpatient clinic with 103 older patients with TKA after a minimum of 6 months after surgery. METHODS: Participants were evaluated with Figure-of-8 Walk Test (F8WT), L Test, Tinnetti Gait Test (TGT), proprioception measurement with an app-based inclinometer, and step reaction time (SRT) test. The same assessor carried out all evaluations. RESULTS: F8WT showed a strong correlation with SRT-right, SRT-left, and Tinetti Gait Test (TGT), respectively (r1 = 0.628, r2 = 0.619, r3 = -0.615, P < .01). In addition, F8WT was moderately correlated with Right Leg Proprioception Test (RLPT) and Left Leg Proprioception Test (LLPT), respectively (r1 = 0.487, r2 = 0.439, P < .01). There was a moderate correlation between L Test with RLRT, LLRT, and TGT, respectively (r1 = 0.597, r2 = 0.584, r3 = -0.542, P < .01). Besides, there was a weak positive correlation between L Test with RLPT and LLPT, respectively (r1 = 0.394, r2 = 0.335, P < .01). A regression model showed that the L test was related to RLRT, LLRT, and TGT (R2 = 0.432, P < .001). The higher ability of the L test was weakly associated with higher levels of TGT (standardized ß = -0.28, P = .0012). Besides, regression analysis also proved that F8WT was related to RLRT, LLRT, and TGT (R2 = 0.522, P < .001). The most highly associated parameter was LLRT (standardized ß = 0.958, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Gait in shaped pathways is associated with proprioception, reaction time, and balance ability in older patients with TKA. Therefore, proprioception, reaction time, and balance should be considered to improve the shaped pathway walking performance of patients after bilateral, right, or left TKA surgery.

The effectiveness of dual task exercise training on balance, mobility, physical performance, and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Most activities of daily living require more than one activity, including motor-motor or motor-cognitive task. Few studies have investigated the effects of dual-task training in children with cerebral palsy (CP). AIMS: This study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of motor-cognitive dual-task exercise training in children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS: A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with thirty children with CP. Participants were randomized into dual group training group (DTG) and control group (CG). Children were evaluated before the intervention and after 12 weeks of treatment with Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS), Pediatric Berg Balance Test (PBBS), Single Leg Stance Test (SLST), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), 3 Meter Backwards Walk Test (3-MBWT), 6 Meter Walk Test (6-MWT), and General Children's Quality of Life Measure (KINDL). RESULTS: DTG demonstrated significantly improved all KINDL scores (p < 0.01). In comparisons between groups adjusted analysis, results showed a better improvement of all KINDL scores in-favor-of DTG (p < 0.01). Significant improvements were found in all SLST scores and PBS in DTG (p < 0.01). Adjusted analysis results proved there was a significant improvement in all balance scores on behalf of DTG (p < 0.01). Significant improvement was observed in DTG for TUG, 3MBWT, and 6MWT scores (p = 0.001). An improvement in-favor-of DTG was found for all performance tests in the adjusted analysis (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this randomized controlled trial highlighted the advantage of dual-task training on balance, physical performance, and quality of life in children with CP.

Does backward gait require more proprioception and balance in older adults after total knee arthroplasty?

Objectives: Some basic and instrumental daily living activities include backward gait. There is a need to clarify which parameters should be focused more on to improve backward gait in older individuals. This research investigated the proprioception, and balance in forward-backward gait of older individuals with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: A prospective cross-sectional research was conducted with 105 older adults with TKA. Individuals' forward and backward gait performance was assessed with the Timed Up & Go Test (TUG) and 3 Meter Walk Back Test (3MBWT), respectively. Proprioception was measured with a mobile application-based inclinometer. Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Activity Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) were used to assess balance and balance confidence levels, respectively. A single clinician evaluated the individuals. Results: TUG was weakly and positively correlated with the Right and Left Leg Proprioception Test (RLPT and LLPT) (r1 = 0.386, r2 = 0.391, p < 0.01). Also, the 3MBWT was weakly and positively correlated with RLPT and LLPT, respectively (r1 = 0.293, r2 = 0.251, p < 0.01). In addition, TUG was strongly and negatively correlated with BBS and ABC, respectively (r1 = -0,693, r2 = -0.722, p < 0.01). Besides, 3MBWT was strongly and negatively correlated with BBS and ABC (r1 = -0.642, r2 = -0.645, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The study revealed that forward and backward walking were similarly associated with balance and proprioception in older adults with TKA. Clinicians should focus more on balance ability than proprioception to improve backward walking performance in older individuals with THA.

Evaluation of hearing in patients with familial Mediterranean fever.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a common and well-understood hereditary periodic fever syndrome. Hereditary periodic fever syndromes include a group of multisystem diseases characterized by recurrent fever attacks with inflammation affecting skin, joints, and some other tissues. These are FMF, tumor necrosis factor receptor, tumor necrosis factor receptor associated periodic syndrome, hyperimmunglobulinemia D syndrome, Muckle-Wells syndrome, and familial cold urticaria. In literature, it is determined that some of these diseases cause hearing loss. In light of the foregoing, we thought that FMF patients may have the same type of subclinical hearing loss and, therefore, the hearing ability of these patients was evaluated with otoacoustic emission and high frequency audiometry tests.

Evaluation of nasal mucociliary activity in iatrogenic hypothyroidism.

Our aim was to evaluate the effects of iatrogenic, acute and deep hypothyroidism on nasal mucociliary clearance. A total of 46 patients undergoing total or near total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer between March and June 2012, and scheduled to undergo radioactive iodine (I-131) ablation therapy followed with an induced hypothyroidism for routine screening were included in the study. Mucociliary clearance test was made during hypothyroid and euthyroid periods in all the patients included in the study. Of the 46 patients included in the study, 37 (%80.4) were females, 9 (%19.6) were males, and the average mucociliary clearance times were 16.78 and 9.58 min during hypothyroid and euthyroid periods, respectively. When the results were compared statistically, mucociliary clearance time measured during hypothyroidism period was found to be significantly longer than the one measured during euthyroid period. Mucociliary clearance time was found to be long during iatrogenic acute and deep hypothyroid periods. During these periods, patients should be followed closely for lower and upper respiratory tract infections.