The aim of this study was to determine the emotional and sociodemographic characteristics of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to investigate the impact of the disease on their social life and quality of life (QOL). This study included 101 patients with the diagnosis of AS. All patients filled in a questionnaire comprising their sociodemographic and emotional status and their self-rating on the disease and completed the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The impact of the disease on work status, sexuality, and family relations was measured on a Likert scale. The impact of the disease on employment, family and sexual relations, work life as well as SF-36 was investigated. Therefore, the effect of educational level, employment, social security, and sexual relations with spouse, etc. on QOL were assessed. More than half of the patients had no knowledge about the disease and half of them were not under a physician's control. Thirty-two percent of the previously working patients quit their jobs because of the disease. Quitting a job due to the disease was more frequent in the first 10 years of the disease. The most affected domains of the SF-36 were physical role power, general health, and pain. Patients unemployed due to the disease had lower SF-36 scores compared with employed ones. Unemployed patients without social insurance had lower values on SF-36 subscales (p<0.05). A higher education level had positive influences on disease impact. The level of anxiety was high and was associated with sexual relations (p<0.05). Our results show that the disease affects patients' work and social life. Work disability affects QOL. Educating the patients about the disease may play an important role in improving his/her life quality and coping with the disease. Thus, the socioeconomic burden of the disease on the person and on society can be diminished.

The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of electrical stimulation combined with continuous passive motion (CPM-ES) versus isometric exercise on symptoms, functional capacity, quality of life, muscle strength, knee and thigh circle measurements, and balance in knee osteoarthritis (OA). This is a randomized clinical trial. The study was done in Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GMMA) Rehabilitation Center. Forty patients with knee OA were included in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: 20 patients placed in Group 1 were treated with conventional physical therapy and CPM-ES combination; 20 patients in Group 2 were treated with conventional physical therapy and isometric exercise. Therapies were applied 3 weeks, 5 days per week. The following main outcome measures were done: values of pain (VAS was used), WOMAC, SF-36, knee and thigh circle measurements, isokinetic tests, dynamic and static balance tests were determined at baseline and after the treatment. There were no statistically significant differences in the tested variables between the groups for post-treatment values. Dynamic and static balance test improved statistically strongly significantly in both groups. The findings of this study demonstrate that knee OA patients could improve their balance function in both static and dynamic conditions after CPM-ES combination or isometric exercise therapy. The improvement might prevent knee OA patients from falling down and increase their sense of security during physical activities.

A nonlinear mathematical model of differential equations with piecewise constant arguments is proposed. This model is analyzed by using the theory of both differential and difference equations to show the spread of HIV in a homogeneous population. Because of the solution of this differential equations being established in a certain subinterval, solutions will be analyzed as a system of difference equations. After that, results will be considered for differential equations as well. The population of the model is divided into three subclasses, which are the HIV negative class, the HIV positive class that do not know they are infected and the HIV positive class that know they are infected. As an application of the model we took the spread of HIV in India into consideration. MSC: 39A10; 39A11

Terörle mücadele sürecinde malul gazi sayısı her geçen gün artmaktadır. Ateşli silahla yaralanma, mayına basma veya bombalama gibi olaylar, silahlı kuvvet mensuplarında yaralanmalara neden olmaktadır. Silahlı kuvvet mensupları görevleri sırasında aldıkları bu yaralanmalar nedeniyle organ kaybı yaşamakta hatta bazıları işlev kaybına uğramaları sonucu malul gazi olmaktadırlar. Görevleri nedeniyle çatışmanın içinde yer alarak doğrudan ölüm tehdidi içeren ve travmatik deneyim yaşayan ve bununla birlikte fiziksel olarak yaralanan gazilere destek sağlanması önemlidir. Yaralanma sonucu yaşanan kayıplar gaziler için risk ve tehdit içermekle birlikte pek çok gazi yeni durumlarına uyum sağlayabilmektedir. Yeni durumlarına uyum sağlamalarında sağlamlıkları, baş etme becerileri ve onlara bakım veren kişilerin desteklerinin önemli olduğunu söylemek mümkündür. Gaziler için uyum pek çok bireyin sahip olduğu kaynaklara ve bu süreçteki kayıp/kazanca yüklediği anlamlarla şekillenmektedir. Bu çalışmada yaralanmanın ardından gazi müracaatçılara yönelik sosyal hizmet uygulamalarını değerlendirmek amaçlanmaktadır. Bu derleme yazısının gazilerin kayıplarının ardından yaşadıklarını anlama, uyumlarını kolaylaştırma yönünden gazilerin ailelerine ve gazilere hizmet veren ekibe yol gösterici olması beklenmektedir.