Browsing by Subject "Risk factors"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Open Access
Aviation risk perception: a comparison between experts and novices
(Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2004) Thomson, M. E.; Önkal D.; Avcioǧlu, A.; Goodwin, P.
This article describes an exploratory investigation of the risk perceptions of experts and novices in relation to helicopter operations, under conditions where the participants are matched on various characteristics previously found to affect perceptions, such as demographic, gender, and background factors. The study reports considerable evidence of perceptual differences between the two participant groups (i.e., expert pilots and candidate pilots). We find that the experts' perceptions of relative risks are more veridical, in terms of their higher correlation with the true relative frequencies. A significant positive correlation between the flight hours and the contextual risk-taking tendency is also shown, leading the experienced pilots' choices toward risky alternatives in scenarios - a potential result of their overconfidence based on superior task performance. Possible explanations are offered for the findings and potential avenues for future research are identified.
Open Access
Coagulation factor V gene mutation increases the risk of venous thrombosis in Behcet's disease
(Oxford University Press, 1996) Gül, A.; Özbek, U.; Öztürk, C.; Inanç, M.; Koniçe, M.; Özçelik, T.
We investigated the prevalence of the coagulation factor V gene G1691A mutation in 64 patients with Behcet's disease (BD) and in 107 apparently healthy individuals. The mutation was present in the heterozygous state in 37.5% of the patients with a history of deep vein thrombosis (12/32) and in 9.4% of the patients without any thrombotic event (3/32). Eleven healthy individuals were also heterozygous for the mutation (10.3%). The prevalence of the mutation in BD patients with and without thrombosis was significantly different (P = 0.0079). We conclude that the factor V gene mutation may play a major role in the development of venous thrombosis in BD.
Open Access
Data mining experiments on the Angiotensin II-Antagonist in Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (ANTIPAF-AFNET 2) trial: ‘exposing the invisible’
(Oxford University Press, 2016) Okutucu, S.; Katircioglu-Öztürk, D.; Oto, E.; Güvenir, H. A.; Karaagaoglu, E.; Oto, A.; Meinertz, T.; Goette, A.
Aims: The aims of this study include (i) pursuing data-mining experiments on the Angiotensin II-Antagonist in Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (ANTIPAF-AFNET 2) trial dataset containing atrial fibrillation (AF) burden scores of patients with many clinical parameters and (ii) revealing possible correlations between the estimated risk factors of AF and other clinical findings or measurements provided in the dataset. Methods: Ranking Instances by Maximizing the Area under a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) Curve (RIMARC) is used to determine the predictive weights (Pw) of baseline variables on the primary endpoint. Chi-square automatic interaction detector algorithm is performed for comparing the results of RIMARC. The primary endpoint of the ANTIPAF-AFNET 2 trial was the percentage of days with documented episodes of paroxysmal AF or with suspected persistent AF. Results: By means of the RIMARC analysis algorithm, baseline SF-12 mental component score (Pw = 0.3597), age (Pw = 0.2865), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (Pw = 0.2719), systolic blood pressure (Pw = 0.2240), and creatinine level (Pw = 0.1570) of the patients were found to be predictors of AF burden. Atrial fibrillation burden increases as baseline SF-12 mental component score gets lower; systolic blood pressure, BUN and creatinine levels become higher; and the patient gets older. The AF burden increased significantly at age >76. Conclusions: With the ANTIPAF-AFNET 2 dataset, the present data-mining analyses suggest that a baseline SF-12 mental component score, age, systolic blood pressure, BUN, and creatinine level of the patients are predictors of AF burden. Additional studies are necessary to understand the distinct kidney-specific pathophysiological pathways that contribute to AF burden. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.
Open Access
Lack of association between RNASEL Arg462Gln variant and the risk of breast cancer
(International Institute of Anticancer Research, 2004) Sevinç, A.; Yannoukakos, D.; Konstantopoulou, I.; Manguoglu, E.; Lüleci, G.; Çolak, T.; Akyerli, C.; Çolakoglu, G.; Tez, M.; Sayek, I.; Gerassimos, V.; Nasioulas, G.; Papadopoulou, E.; Florentin, L.; Kontogianni, E.; Bozkurt, B.; Kocabas, N. A.; Karakaya, A. E.; Yulug, I. G.; Özçelik, T.
Background: The RNASEL G1385A variant was recently found to be implicated in the development of prostate cancer. Considering the function of RNase L and the pleiotropic effects of mutations associated with cancer, we sought to investigate whether the RNASEL G1385A variant is a risk factor for breast cancer. Patients and Methods: A total of 453 breast cancer patients and 382 age- and sex-matched controls from Greece and Turkey were analyzed. Genotyping for the RNASEL G1385A variant was performed using an Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS). Results: Statistical evaluation of the RNASEL G1385A genotype distribution among breast cancer patients and controls revealed no significant association between the presence of the risk genotype and the occurrence of breast cancer. Conclusion: Although an increasing number of studies report an association between the RNASEL G1385A variant and prostate cancer risk, this variant does not appear to be implicated in the development of breast cancer.
Open Access
Level of knowledge, attitudes and interest of Turkish high school students towards cancer
(Sage Publications, 2020-12) Yıldırım Usta, Ilgın; Ateşkan, Armağan
Objective: This study investigated Turkish high school students’ knowledge about risk factors for cancer, their interest in the disease, and their affective and behavioural attitudes towards it. Design: Quantitative survey. Setting: Data collection took place in three private schools in Central Turkey and one private school in Eastern Turkey. Method: Students (N=275; 56% female students, 44% male students) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire and described their level of knowledge regarding cancer risk factors, as well as their attitudes and interest in the disease. For data analysis, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, v.24.0) was used. Results: Results indicated that most students succeeded in identifying nearly all carcinogenic (except for overweight) and non-carcinogenic risk factors. In addition, while most participants held negative attitudes towards cancer, they typically did not exhibit cancer protective behaviours, and most participants were not interested in cancer as a topic. Conclusion: Exploring high school students’ levels of knowledge, attitudes and interests in regard to cancer may provide curriculum developers with information that enables the development of effective cancer education for Turkish high school students.
Open Access
MDM2 T309G polymorphism is associated with bladder cancer
(International Institute of Anticancer Research, 2006) Onat, O. E.; Tez, M.; Özçelik, T.; Törüner, G. A.
Recently, a functional T to G polymorphism at nucleotide 309 in the promoter region of the MDM2 gene (rs: 2279744, SNP 309) has been identified. This polymorphism has an impact on the expression of the MDM2 gene, which is a key negative regulator of the tumor suppressor molecule p53. The effect of T309G polymorphism of the MDM2 gene on bladder cancer susceptibility was investigated in a case-control study of 75 bladder cancer patients and 103 controls from Turkey. The G/G genotype exhibited an increased risk of 2.68 (95% CI, 1.34-5.40) for bladder cancer compared with the combination of low-risk genotypes T/T and T/G at this locus. These results show an association between MDM2 T309G polymorphism and bladder cancer in our study group. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting that MDM2 T309G polymorphism may be a potential genetic susceptibility factor for bladder cancer.
Open Access
An observational study investigating the CRY1Δ11 variant associated with delayed sleep–wake patterns and circadian metabolic output
(Nature Publishing Group, 2021-10-11) Smieszek, S. P.; Brzezynski, J. L.; Kaden, A. R.; Shinn, J. A.; Wang, J.; Xiao, C.; Polymeropoulos, C.; Özçelik, Tayfun; Polymeropoulos, M. H.
We conducted an observational research study to collect information on sleep–wake patterns from participants with a confirmed status of the cryptochrome circadian clock 1 (CRY1) splicing variant, CRY1Δ11 c.1657 + 3A > C, and their controls, defined as wild-type (WT) family members. Altogether, 67 participants were enrolled and completed this study in Turkey, recruited from a list of families with at least one CRY1-confirmed member. We measured sleep–wake patterns and metabolic output, specifically time and frequency of bowel movements, for all participants by daily post-sleep diaries over 28 days. The sleep diary measured self-reported bed time, wake time, midpoint of sleep, and latency to persistent sleep (LPS), and accounted for naps and awakenings for religious purposes. Wake time and midpoint of sleep were significantly later in the CRY1Δ11 variant group versus WT, and LPS was significantly greater in participants in the CRY1Δ11 variant group. The mean bed time on all nights of sleep was later in participants with a CRY1Δ11 variant versus WT. Additionally, participants with a CRY1Δ11 variant had significantly affected metabolic outputs, measured by later bowel movements than WT participants. These results demonstrate that, on average, individuals with the studied splicing variant experience pronounced delays in sleep period and circadian-related metabolic processes.
Open Access
p53 codon 72 polymorphism in bladder cancer-No evidence of association with increased risk or invasiveness
(Springer, 2001) Törüner, G. A.; Uçar, A.; Tez, M.; Çetinkaya, M.; Özen, H.; Özçelik, T.
We studied the effect of the p53 gene Arg72Pro polymorphism on bladder cancer susceptibility in a case control study of 121 bladder cancer patients and 114 age-sex matched controls to determine whether this polymorphism is a biomarker for the risk and how aggressive the disease is. Genomic DNA was obtained from venous blood samples for genotype determination by PCR and restriction digestion. The genotype frequencies in the patient group were Arg/Arg: 0.3553, Arg/Pro: 0.4711, Pro/Pro: 0.1736, and in the control group Arg/Arg: 0.3684, Arg/Pro: 0.4825, Pro/Pro: 0.1491. The distribution of genotypes between the two groups was not statistically different (χ2 = 0.260, df: 2, P = 0.878). The patient group was subdivided into two groups as superficial bladder cancer (n = 88) and invasive bladder cancer (n = 33), according to the presence of muscle invasion. The distribution of genotypes in the superficial group was Arg/Arg: 0.3409, Arg/Pro: 0.5114, Pro/Pro: 0.1477 and in the invasive group Arg/Arg: 0.3940, Arg/Pro: 0.3636, Pro/Pro: 0.2424. No association was observed with the invasiveness of the tumor (χ2 = 2.542, df: 2, P = 0.281). Stratification of the data by tobacco exposure did not result in a significant difference in genotype frequencies. These data do not support an association between the p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and bladder cancer.
Open Access
Silk road: past and present
(Center for Scientific Information Analysis and Monitoring, 2015)
Silk Road is the subject of the article presented by noted scholar in the fi eld of economics from Turkey. Silk Road possesses its glorious history, the road was at its prime in the middle Ages. Then and nowadays this major transportation artery serves to link economies of Western, Central Europe with the Far Eastern countries of China, Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan and some other countries of the region, the CIS lands included. In the past the route was very profi table: items made of silk in China brought profi t thrice of the original price when imported to Western Europe. Actually Silk Road consisted of 3 iterineries – the Northern, middle and the southern one. The goods traffic was and is effected not by land alone but by rail, sea and air as well. The turn-over between East and West now runs to billions of US dollars and is likely to grow. The autor presents in his article a thorough economic analysis concerning transportation costs, traffi c hazards, trade costs, etc. The modern Silk Road through Centr l Asia is and will be a major Euroasian connection in the era of globalization.