ABSTRACT Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the oncological and functional results of open partial nephrectomy (OPN) and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) at the T1b clinical stage, which constitutes 25% of renal cell carcinomas (RCC) at diagnosis. Materials and Methods: The characteristics of 63 patients with stage T1b solitary tumor who underwent OPN (41) or LPN (22) were compared. The survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the factors affecting disease-free survival. Potential predictive factors, which might affect the postoperative glomerular filtration rate (GFR), were evaluated using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: No differences were observed between OPN and LPN groups regarding patient and tumor characteristics. Although the warm ischemia time, intraoperative estimated blood loss, and operation duration were higher in the LPN group, no differences were noted between the two techniques regarding complication rates (p<0.001, p=0.023, p≤0.001, and p=0.190, respectively). The median hospitalization time was shorter in the LPN group than that in the OPN group (4 and 5 days, respectively), with less severe complications. No intergroup differences were observed regarding cancer-specific survival (CSS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). The evaluation of the factors affecting DFS showed that age was an effective parameter (RR = 1.112, 95% CI: 1.010–8.254), but the surgical technique was not. Conclusion: No differences were observed between OPN and LPN techniques between oncological and functional outcomes in patients with clinical stage T1b RCC.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to adapt the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) scale into Turkish and study its validity and reliability. The original form of the scale has a single-factor structure and consists of 34 items. The study sample was composed of a total of 322 candidate teachers studying in the School of Education. Three items with fit values below 0.30 from the corrected item-total correlation were excluded from the scale and the analyses were conducted on the remaining 31 items. The construct validity of the scale was confirmed as a single factor through the Mplus software. Cronbach’s alpha for the scale was 0.94, indicating that the scale also has a high level of reliability in the Turkish form. No significant differences were detected between male and female participants’ speaking anxiety scores.

Resumen El propósito de este estudio fue adaptar la escala “Informe Personal de Ansiedad al Hablar en Público” (PRPSA, por sus siglas en inglés) al turco y hacer estudios de validez-confiabilidad del mismo. La escala original se estructura en un solo factor y consta de 34 ítems. La muestra estuvo conformada por 322 profesores candidatos que estudian en la facultad de Educación. Tres ítems con valores de ajuste por debajo de 0.30 de la correlación total de ítems corregidos se excluyeron de la escala y se analizaron los 31 ítems restantes. La validez de la escala ha sido confirmada como un factor único por el software Mplus. El alfa de Cronbach presenta una confiabilidad de 0.94, lo que indica que la escala turca tiene también un alto grado de confiabilidad. Con respecto a la variable género no se detectaron diferencias significativas entre los puntajes de ansiedad de habla de los participantes.

Abstract: Background: Isotretinoin is a synthetic analog of vitamin A. Recent studies support a role for retinoic acid in the recovery of olfactory function following injury in mice. Objective: This study aimed at determining the effect of isotretinoin on olfactory function in patients who have acne and are otherwise healthy. Methods: Forty-five patients (aged 25-40 years) with acne were included in the study. All patients underwent a rhinological examination. Olfactory function was assessed by the Sniffin' Sticks Test. The test was assessed at baseline and in the third month of isotretinoin treatment. Results: Isotretinoin improved the performance of patients in the olfactory test. The SST score increased from 8.7±1.09 to 9.5±1.19 (p<0.001), prevalence of hyposmia decreased from 40% to 24% and normosmia increased from 60% to 75% (p=0.059). The percentage of patients whose olfactory function was categorized as "good" increased from 6% to 21.3%. This increase was statistically significant (p<0.05). Study limitations: Absence of a control group is one of the limitations of this study. Also, we did not evaluate patients with smell test after stopping isotretinoin treatment. Conclusion: We examined the effect of systemic isotretinoin on olfactory function. It can be concluded from the present investigation that isotretinoin therapy improves the sense of smell.