In this study, general information about augmented reality (AR) technology is given to be a resource for special education researchers and teachers who are interested in using AR as a ...learning/teaching material. Additionally, the researches that use AR as a learning material in the education of individuals with special needs are examined and the findings obtained are revealed. In the education of individuals with special needs, 19 articles published between 2013 and 2019, addressing the use of AR as learning material, and meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed using descriptive content analysis in terms of general characteristics. Also, the properties of AR contents and development environments were examined in detail. The findings of the researches indicate that the use of AR as a learning material gives positive results in the education of individuals with special needs. AR contents are mostly used to support effective teaching strategies. In most research, portable devices such as smartphones and tablets are used to show AR content to students. AR content, which is used as a learning material, has often been developed specifically for research purposes. Also, AR content development environments used in the researches are introduced and suggestions were made about different applications, software development environments, and hardware that can be used in the education of individuals with special needs.
Objective
We aimed to investigate the predictive ability of the Hounsfield unit (HU) on non‐contrast computed tomography (NCCT) for the success of medical expulsive therapy (MET) using silodosin in ...distal ureteric stones of 4‐10 mm.
Methodology
The data of patients who underwent MET were retrospectively screened. The patients were divided into two groups as Groups 1 and 2 depending on the presence or absence of stone expulsion, respectively. In addition to HU calculated using the NCCT images, state of the collecting systems, daily fluid intake, number of emergency department visits, and number of pain attacks were compared.
Results
A total of 88 patients were included in the study. Sixty‐four patients (72.7%) expelled the stone after MET while the treatment was not successful in 24 patients (27.3%). The stone area was significantly larger in Group 2 (28.4 ± 15.7 mm2 vs 46.8 ± 16.1 mm2; P < .001). NCCT‐HU was calculated as 542.5 ± 256.8 for Group 1 and 873.1 ± 335.2 for Group 2, indicating a significant difference (P < .001). The mean number of pain attacks was 1.5 ± 1.2 in Group 1 and 2.2 ± 1.4 in Group 2 (P = .048). The number of visits to the emergency department significantly differed between Groups 1 and 2 (1.1 ± 1.0 and 1.8 ± 1.3, respectively; P = .010).
Conclusions
In this study, HU and stone area values calculated on NCCT were found to be effective factors in predicting the treatment success for MET. Therefore, we consider that it would be useful to consider these parameters in the selection of an appropriate treatment for distal ureteric stones.
Objective
We aimed to compare the efficacy of silodosin and a terpene combination in the treatment of distal ureteral stones.
Methodology
The data of the patients admitted to the urology policlinic ...with renal colic, diagnosed with distal ureteral stones, and followed up with medical expulsive therapy between December 2017 and June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 comprised 72 patients that received 8 mg/day silodosin and Group 2 consisted of 51 patients that were given three capsules of a terpene combination daily. The groups were compared in terms of the patients’ demographic characteristics, medical history, localisation of the present stone, renal collecting system status, daily fluid intake, number of emergency service visits, number of additional analgesic applications needed, number of pain attacks, number of days off work, stone expulsion rate and time to stone expulsion.
Results
Of the total 123 patients, 98 (79.7%) were stone‐free. The stone‐free rate was 75.0% in Group 1 and 86.3% in Group 2, with no statistical difference between the two groups. However, the number of visits to the emergency service because of pain, number of additional analgesic applications required, number of days off work, and time to stone expulsion were statistically significantly lower in Group 2 than in Group 1.
Conclusions
The treatment of distal ureteral stones with silodosin is as effective as the terpene combination. However, the terpene combination is more effective than silodosin in managing pain and accelerating stone expulsion.
We aimed to investigate the factors predicting the need for ureteral J stent placement in the treatment of distal ureteral stones by ureteroscopy (URS).
Between January 2007 and June 2018, 550 ...consecutive patients who underwent URS with the diagnosis of distal ureteral stone disease were evaluated in a single center. The patients were divided into two groups as; group 1 who received a ureteral J stent, and group 2 without ureteral J stent. The two groups were compared in terms of possible preoperative, perioperative and postoperative risk factors.
History of systemic disease, stone disease and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) were significantly higher in group 1 (
<0.001,
=0.009,
=0.016). The operation time was longer in group 1 (
<0.001). The rate of impacted stones was higher in group 1 (61.7% vs 15.6%;
<0.001). In multivariate analysis, co-morbidities, previous SWL history, presence of impacted ureteral stone and prolongation of the operation time were found to be statistically significant in predicting ureteral J stent placement.
In the treatment of distal ureteral stones by URS, not only perioperative complications, prolongation of the operation time, and the presence of residual stones but also preoperative factors, such as systemic disease, and impacted ureteral stones should be considered as predictive factors in assessing the need for a ureteral J stent and to avoid unnecessary stent procedures.
Introduction and hypothesis
Our aim was to investigate the efficacy of the EndoFast Reliant™ system, which is a novel trocarless mesh technology for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP).
...Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study including 31 female patients with POP who underwent vaginal repair. Total follow-up duration was 24 months. All patients were evaluated with a clinical history, POP-Q measures, pelvic ultrasound, body mass index (BMI), questionnaires on symptoms, and quality of life scoring system.
Results
The mean age was 53 ± 9.7 years, and the mean BMI was 28.5 ± 3.9 kg/m
2
. The BMI of 20 patients was < 30 kg/m
2
. No intraoperative complications occurred. Prolapse was anatomically resolved in 87.1% of patients at 2-year follow-up. Four patients presented stage 1 non-symptomatic prolapse recurrence. De novo stress urinary incontinence developed in four (12.9%) cases and de novo urgency developed in two (6.4%) cases; all were diagnosed and treated easily with oral medication. One case of mesh exposure was found and treated conservatively. There was no migration of fasteners or mesh. Urinary retention, postoperative groin pain, and dyspareunia were not observed.
Conclusions
The EndoFast Reliant™ system was found successful with high success rates, short learning time and very low complication rates in our study. However, further prospective studies with higher patient numbers and longer follow-up durations are needed to reach definitive conclusions.
Objective
We aimed to evaluate the use of computed tomography (CT) as the first imaging modality in patients with renal colic and microscopic haematuria.
Methodology
The patients that presented to ...the emergency service of six health centers with renal colic between January 2017 and January 2018 and were found to have microscopic hematuria on urinalysis were retrospectively evaluated. Only patients for whom non‐contrast CT was used as the first imaging modality were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the stone presence (stone +, stone ‐) and the groups were compared in terms of demographics and clinical characteristics of patients.
Results
A total of 834 patients were included in the study and 711 (85.3%) were diagnosed with urolithiasis. CT also revealed additional pathology in 26 (3.1%) patients. The male patients had a significantly higher rate of stones than female patients (89.5% vs 75.2%; P < .001) and the BMI values were also significantly higher in the male patients compared with the females (27.0 ± 2.1 vs 25.0 ± 4.0, P < .001). Right renal colic was more common in female patients and the rate of left renal colic was significantly higher in male patients. The male patients diagnosed with stone disease required treatment at a higher rate than the female patients (P = .005).
Conclusions
Because of its high sensitivity and specificity values in the diagnosis of stone disease, easy applicability and fast results, CT can be safely used as the first imaging modality for the diagnosis of renal colic and microscopic haematuria.
Background:
We aimed to assess the results of first- and fifth-year outcomes and the effect on quality of life (QoL) of transobturator tape (TOT) treatment in patients with stress urinary ...incontinence (SUI).
Methods:
The patients who underwent TOT surgery between January 2008 and June 2013 were screened retrospectively. The QoL was evaluated with Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7) and Urogenital Distress Inventory-Short Form (UDI-6). The subjective evaluation of patients in terms of incontinence outcome was classified as worsened (UDI-6 and IIQ-7 if pre-operative < postoperative), improved (UDI-6 and IIQ-7 if pre-operative > postoperative), or cured (UDI-6 and IIQ-7 postoperative <10). The first-year and fifth-year success rates were compared between the IIQ-7 and UDI-6 results.
Results:
A total of 109 patients were included in the study. There was a significant improvement (
P
<0.001) in the patients’ UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scores when the preoperative and postoperative first-year results were compared. Comparing the postoperative first-year and fifth-year total UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scores, a significant improvement was observed and the patients’ complaints were significantly reduced (
P
<0.001). The results of the IIQ-7 and UDI-6 questionnaire revealed that the TOT surgery success rate was 93.3% at the end of the first year and 88.7% at the end of the fifth year.
Conclusion:
The postoperative first-year and fifth-year data reveal that TOT surgery has a high success rate and positive effects on QoL. Low complication rates and the ease of application make TOT a good alternative to other treatment modalities in surgical treatment of SUI.
Introduction: Migrant students face various challenges when adapting to an educational system different from their own, encountering exclusionary/racist attitudes, learning the language and culture ...of the host country, integrating into new social environments, and understanding the education system and curriculum of the destination country. These difficulties can become even more complex when combined with special needs or disabilities, making it harder for students to adjust to the education system of the host countries.
Method: The study aimed to examine to examine research articles published between 2011 and 2022 regarding the education of migrant students with special needs (MSSN). The study examined various variables, including the publication year, country of origin, research purpose, research methodology, participants, data collection tools/techniques, and findings. To achieve this aim, a systematic review method was adopted, and searches were conducted in national and international databases based on the following criteria: (a) the research was published between 2011 and 2022, (b) the study included educators working with migrant students with any special needs diagnosis, with either the students themselves or their parents as participants, (c) the research focused on the education of MSSN, (d) the research was published in Turkish or English, (e) the research underwent a peer review and was published, and (f) the research met at least 90% of the criteria established by the quality assessment criteria developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) for evaluating the methodological quality of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies. Nine research articles that met these criteria were analyzed.
Findings: Within the scope of the study, 34 research articles related to the education of MSSN were identified in the national and international literature. However, most of these studies (n = 25) were excluded as they did not meet the criteria (90%) set by the quality assessment criteria developed by the JBI. According to the findings of the study, the participant group in the research on MSSN generally consisted of parents and teachers of these students. All nine studies that met the inclusion criteria were designed using qualitative research methods. Additionally, the highest number of studies was conducted in the United States.
Discussion: The findings indicate that various research studies have been conducted on the education of MSSN, particularly from 2015 onwards. These studies predominantly relied on the perspectives of the families and educators of MSSN, highlighting that the most significant challenges in their education stem from language and cultural differences. Furthermore, most of the research reported in the national and international literature did not meet the criteria of quality assessment, suggesting a need for a more significant number of high-quality studies to delve deeper into the subject matter.
Giriş: Göçmen öğrenciler, kendi eğitim sistemlerinden farklı bir eğitim sistemine dâhil olmak, dışlayıcı/ırkçı tutumlarla karşılaşmak, göç ettikleri ülkenin dilini ve kültürünü öğrenmek, yeni sosyal ortamlara katılmak, göç edilen ülkenin eğitim-öğretim kültürünü ve müfredatını anlamak gibi güçlüklerle baş etmeye çalışmaktadırlar. Bu güçlüklerin üzerine özel gereksinimli olma durumu da eklendiğinde öğrencilerin göç ettikleri ülkelerin eğitim sistemine uyum sağlamaları daha da karmaşık hale gelebilmektedir.
Yöntem: Bu çalışmanın amacı, göçmen özel gereksinimli öğrencilerin (GÖGÖ) eğitimlerine yönelik 2011-2022 yılları arasında yayımlanmış araştırmaları yayımlanma yılı, yapıldığı ülke, araştırma amacı, araştırma yöntemi, katılımcıları, veri toplama araç/teknikleri ve bulguları olmak üzere çeşitli değişkenler açısından incelemektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda sistematik derleme yöntemi benimsenerek ulusal ve uluslararası veri tabanlarında taramalar yapılmış (a) araştırmanın 2011-2022 yılları arasında yayımlanması, (b) araştırma grubunu oluşturan katılımcıların göçmen ve herhangi bir özel gereksinim tanısı olan öğrencilerle çalışan eğitimciler, öğrencilerin kendileri ya da ebeveynlerinden oluşması, (c) araştırmanın GÖGÖ’lerin eğitimi konusunu ele alması, (d) araştırmanın Türkçe ya da İngilizce dilinde yayımlanması, (e) araştırmanın hakem sürecinden geçerek yayımlanmış araştırma olması ve (f) Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tarafından nitel, nicel ve karma araştırmaların metodolojik kalitelerinin değerlendirilmesi amacıyla geliştirilen kalite değerlendirme kriterlerinin en az %90’ını karşılaması ölçütlerini karşılayan dokuz araştırma analiz edilmiştir.
Bulgular: Çalışma kapsamında GÖGÖ’lerin eğitimiyle ilgili ulusal ve uluslararası alanyazında 34 araştırmaya ulaşılmış ancak bu araştırmaların büyük çoğunluğu (n = 25) JBI tarafından geliştirilen kalite değerlendirme kriterlerine göre belirlenen ölçütü (%90) karşılayamadığı için çalışma dışında bırakılmıştır. Çalışmadan elde edilen bulgulara göre GÖGÖ’lerle ilgili yapılan araştırmaların katılımcı grubunu genellikle bu öğrencilerin ebeveyn ve öğretmenleri oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmanın dahil etme kriterlerini karşılayan dokuz araştırmanın tamamının nitel araştırma yöntemiyle tasarlandığı belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca en fazla araştırmanın Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde yapıldığı görülmüştür.
Tartışma: Çalışmanın bulguları, GÖGÖ’lerin eğitimlerine ilişkin 2015 ve sonrasında çeşitli araştırmaların yapıldığını; bu araştırmalarda genellikle GÖGÖ’lerin aileleri ve eğitimcilerinin görüşlerine başvurulduğunu ve GÖGÖ’lerin eğitimi ile ilgili en önemli sorunların dil ve kültür farklılığından kaynaklandığını ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca ulusal ve uluslararası alanyazında yapılan çalışmaların çoğunun kalite değerlendirme kriterleri ölçütünü karşılayamamış olması konunun derinlemesine incelenmesi açısından daha fazla sayıda ve nitelikli araştırmaya gereksinim olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.
Objective: Simple nephrectomies may be challenging owing to the fibrotic and inflammatory processes that extend to the renal hilum and perirenal adipose tissue. This study aimed to investigate the ...complications of laparoscopic nephrectomies for atrophic kidneys. Materials and Methods: Data of patients who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy for atrophic kidneys were retrospectively evaluated. Preoperatively, all patients had undergone biochemical examinations, computed tomography and scintigraphic studies. The localisation of the stone, affected side, size of the atrophic kidney and presence of fistula and abscess were evaluated radiologically in the preoperative period. The pathology results of the patients were also assessed. Results: A total of 53 patients were included. Conversion to open surgery was necessary in 3 (6%) patients. Pathology reports of these patients revealed xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Moreover, 10 (19%) patients had Clavien-Dindo score >1. Postoperative fistula or abscess formation was not observed in any patient. None of patients had dialysis or sepsis in the postoperative period. Compared with the preoperative data, postoperative creatinine and blood urea nitrogen values were significantly increased. Conclusion: Although laparoscopic nephrectomy is a gold standard treatment option, especially for atrophic kidney, nephrectomies for xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis can become challenging even for the most experienced surgeons. Thus, surgeons should be always ready to transition to open surgery and be aware of the occurrences of complications in the perioperative and early postoperative periods. Keywords: Laparoscopy, nephrectomy, urolithiasis, atrophic kidney, xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis