Naime Meric Konar
@web.bandirma.edu.tr
Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Asuman Celikbilek, Aydan Koysuren, and Naime Meric Konar
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Muhammed-Azad Sahin, Basak Cigdem-Karacay, Naime-Meric Konar, and Figen Tuncay
Elsevier BV
Gülgün Aylaz and Naime Meric Konar
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Serra Nur Mutlu, Özge Pasin, and Naime Meriç Konar
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Murat Doğan
LookUs Bilisim A.S.
the reliability of the fit. Results: The study included 202 patients with a mean age of 57.6±13.4 years. Construct validity results showed that factorial findings demonstrated the factorable structure (Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ 2 =1554.8; p<0.001) and good model fit (NFI=0.88, GFI=0.85, root mean square error of approximation=0.10, root mean square residual=0.03) for the present data. For criterion validity, correlation coefficients were found to range from −0.22 to 0.57 (p<0.05, for all), indicating moderate relationships between sub-dimensions. In addition, a high level of reliability was found for the adaptation, as suggested by Guttman’s split-half coefficients (0.90, 0.83, and 0.88 for symptom severity, functional ability, and the full scale, respectively), Cronbach’s alpha (0.89, 0.83, 0.92), and ICC coefficients (0.88, 0.81, 0.90). Conclusion: The Turkish version of C19-YRSm has 2 sub-dimensions such as symptom severity and functional ability and is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring patient assessment and monitoring in PCS in Turks.
Vanessa Gorasso, Joana Nazaré Morgado, Periklis Charalampous, Sara M. Pires, Juanita A. Haagsma, João Vasco Santos, Jane Idavain, Che Henry Ngwa, Isabel Noguer, Alicia Padron-Monedero,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Objectives Within the framework of the burden of disease (BoD) approach, disease and injury burden estimates attributable to risk factors are a useful guide for policy formulation and priority setting in disease prevention. Considering the important differences in methods, and their impact on burden estimates, we conducted a scoping literature review to: (1) map the BoD assessments including risk factors performed across Europe; and (2) identify the methodological choices in comparative risk assessment (CRA) and risk assessment methods. Methods We searched multiple literature databases, including grey literature websites and targeted public health agencies websites. Results A total of 113 studies were included in the synthesis and further divided into independent BoD assessments (54 studies) and studies linked to the Global Burden of Disease (59 papers). Our results showed that the methods used to perform CRA varied substantially across independent European BoD studies. While there were some methodological choices that were more common than others, we did not observe patterns in terms of country, year or risk factor. Each methodological choice can affect the comparability of estimates between and within countries and/or risk factors, since they might significantly influence the quantification of the attributable burden. From our analysis we observed that the use of CRA was less common for some types of risk factors and outcomes. These included environmental and occupational risk factors, which are more likely to use bottom-up approaches for health outcomes where disease envelopes may not be available. Conclusions Our review also highlighted misreporting, the lack of uncertainty analysis and the under-investigation of causal relationships in BoD studies. Development and use of guidelines for performing and reporting BoD studies will help understand differences, avoid misinterpretations thus improving comparability among estimates. Registration The study protocol has been registered on PROSPERO, CRD42020177477 (available at: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/).
Periklis Charalampous, Juanita A. Haagsma, Lea S. Jakobsen, Vanessa Gorasso, Isabel Noguer, Alicia Padron-Monedero, Rodrigo Sarmiento, João Vasco Santos, Scott A. McDonald, Dietrich Plass,et al.
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Abstract This systematic literature review aimed to provide an overview of the characteristics and methods used in studies applying the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) concept for infectious diseases within European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA)/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and the United Kingdom. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched for articles reporting the assessment of DALY and its components. We considered studies in which researchers performed DALY calculations using primary epidemiological data input sources. We screened 3053 studies of which 2948 were excluded and 105 studies met our inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 22 were multi-country and 83 were single-country studies, of which 46 were from the Netherlands. Food- and water-borne diseases were the most frequently studied infectious diseases. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of burden of infectious disease studies was 1.6 times higher compared to that published between 2000 and 2014. Almost all studies (97%) estimated DALYs based on the incidence- and pathogen-based approach and without social weighting functions; however, there was less methodological consensus with regards to the disability weights and life tables that were applied. The number of burden of infectious disease studies undertaken across Europe has increased over time. Development and use of guidelines will promote performing burden of infectious disease studies and facilitate comparability of the results.
Burc E. Sahin, Asuman Celikbilek, Yusuf Kocak, Bilal Ilanbey, Gamze T. Saltoglu, Naime M. Konar, and Lokman Hizmali
Wiley
OBJECTIVE
A wide spectrum of neurological symptoms (NS) has been described in patients with COVID-19. We examined the plasma levels of neuron spesific enolase (NSE) and neurofilament light chain (NFL) together, as neuronal damage markers, and their relationships with clinical severity in patients with NS at acute COVID-19.
METHODS
A total of 20 healthy controls and 59 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled in this pilot prospective study. Serum NSE and NFL levels were measured by using enzymle linked immunoassay method from serum samples.
RESULTS
Serum NSE levels were found to be significantly higher in the severe group than in the non-severe group (p=0.034). However, serum NFL levels were similar between control and disease groups (p>0.05). For mild group, serum NFL levels were significantly higher in patients with the sampling time ≥ 5 days than in those with the sampling time < 5 days (p=0.019). However, no significant results for NSE and NFL were obtained in patients with either single or multiple NS across the groups (p>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Increased serum NSE levels were associated with disease severity regardless of accompanied NS in patients with acute COVID-19 infection. However, serum NFL levels may have a role at the subacute phase of COVID-19. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Periklis Charalampous, Elena Pallari, Vanessa Gorasso, Elena von der Lippe, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Sara M. Pires, Dietrich Plass, Jane Idavain, Che Henry Ngwa, Isabel Noguer,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Background Calculating the disease burden due to injury is complex, as it requires many methodological choices. Until now, an overview of the methodological design choices that have been made in burden of disease (BoD) studies in injury populations is not available. The aim of this systematic literature review was to identify existing injury BoD studies undertaken across Europe and to comprehensively review the methodological design choices and assumption parameters that have been made to calculate years of life lost (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD) in these studies. Methods We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, and the grey literature supplemented by handsearching, for BoD studies. We included injury BoD studies that quantified the BoD expressed in YLL, YLD, and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) in countries within the European Region between early-1990 and mid-2021. Results We retrieved 2,914 results of which 48 performed an injury-specific BoD assessment. Single-country independent and Global Burden of Disease (GBD)-linked injury BoD studies were performed in 11 European countries. Approximately 79% of injury BoD studies reported the BoD by external cause-of-injury. Most independent studies used the incidence-based approach to calculate YLDs. About half of the injury disease burden studies applied disability weights (DWs) developed by the GBD study. Almost all independent injury studies have determined YLL using national life tables. Conclusions Considerable methodological variation across independent injury BoD assessments was observed; differences were mainly apparent in the design choices and assumption parameters towards injury YLD calculations, implementation of DWs, and the choice of life table for YLL calculations. Development and use of guidelines for performing and reporting of injury BoD studies is crucial to enhance transparency and comparability of injury BoD estimates across Europe and beyond.
B.E. Sahin, A. Celikbilek, Y. Kocak, G.T. Saltoglu, N.M. Konar, and L. Hizmali
Elsevier BV
Periklis Charalampous, Vanessa Gorasso, Dietrich Plass, Sara M Pires, Elena von der Lippe, Alibek Mereke, Jane Idavain, Katarzyna Kissimova-Skarbek, Joana Nazaré Morgado, Che Henry Ngwa,et al.
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Abstract Background Assessment of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) resulting from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) requires specific calculation methods and input data. The aims of this study were to (i) identify existing NCD burden of disease (BoD) activities in Europe; (ii) collate information on data sources for mortality and morbidity; and (iii) provide an overview of NCD-specific methods for calculating NCD DALYs. Methods NCD BoD studies were systematically searched in international electronic literature databases and in grey literature. We included all BoD studies that used the DALY metric to quantify the health impact of one or more NCDs in countries belonging to the European Region. Results A total of 163 BoD studies were retained: 96 (59%) were single-country or sub-national studies and 67 (41%) considered more than one country. Of the single-country studies, 29 (30%) consisted of secondary analyses using existing Global Burden of Disease (GBD) results. Mortality data were mainly derived (49%) from vital statistics. Morbidity data were frequently (40%) drawn from routine administrative and survey datasets, including disease registries and hospital discharge databases. The majority (60%) of national BoD studies reported mortality corrections. Multimorbidity adjustments were performed in 18% of national BoD studies. Conclusion The number of national NCD BoD assessments across Europe increased over time, driven by an increase in BoD studies that consisted of secondary data analysis of GBD study findings. Ambiguity in reporting the use of NCD-specific BoD methods underlines the need for reporting guidelines of BoD studies to enhance the transparency of NCD BoD estimates across Europe.
Naime Meric Konar, Serkan Karaismailoglu, and Eda Karaismailoglu
Informa UK Limited
Abstract Background Personalized medicine (PM), as a rapidly growing research area, provides treatments, practices, and interventions being adapted to an individual patient based on his own risk of disease. This study aims to analyze the productivity of countries, institutions, and authors in this field, to determine the existing research trends worldwide, and to forecast future research activity for specific countries. Methods Documents published between 2000 and 2020 were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database. Bibliometric analysis was performed to assess the outputs, correlation analysis was applied to analyze the relationship between Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDP-PP) and the number of publications, and an extrapolation method was used for predicting the future productivity trends for certain countries. Results A total of 7,772 documents were published globally on PM between 2000 and 2020. The most productive country, journal, and institution are the USA, Personalized Medicine, and Harvard Medical School, respectively. The USA is also first in line in terms of total citations. Netherlands, Denmark, and the USA are listed at the top in terms of the total number of papers and citations, after adjusting for GDP-PP and population size. Also, as predictions suggest, the USA will maintain its predominant role in the PM field in the next 5 years. Conclusions Owing to its both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature, PM bestows researchers’ numerous sources to benefit and enables them a field that they can be productive of for the future. Therefore, this field is expected to progress and be the lead area in medicine in the upcoming years.
Cihan Koç, Emine Eda Kurt, Fatmanur Aybala Koçak, Hatice Rana Erdem, and Naime Meriç Konar
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractThis study assessed the additional contribution of balneotherapy on physical therapy in subacute supraspinatus tendinopathy. Ninety patients with subacute supraspinatus tendinopathy were included. They were randomized into two equal groups. In group 1 (n = 45), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), hot pack, ultrasound treatments, and Codman’s and range of motion (ROM) exercises were performed. In group 2 (n = 45), balneotherapy was added to the treatment program. In both groups, shoulder active ROM and handgrip strength were measured. Pain was evaluated using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) (rest, sleep, movement); functional assessment and quality of life were measured respectively with the Shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (QuickDASH), and the Short Form-36 health survey (SF 36) form. All measurements were repeated before and after 15 treatment sessions. There were statistically significant differences between the before and after assessment parameters in group 1 (all p < 0.05), but not for SF-36 General Health Perceptions, SF-36 Mental Health sub-parameters, and handgrip strengths. However, there were statistically significant differences between all the evaluation before and after the treatment in group 2 (all p < 0.05). When the two groups were compared in terms of alpha gains, statistically significant differences were observed in favor of group 2 in all measurements (all p < 0.05) except for SF-36 Emotional Role Difficulty and SF-36 Mental Health sub-parameters. This study shows that the addition of balneotherapy to physical therapy for subacute supraspinatus tendinopathy can make additional contributions to shoulder ROM, pain, handgrip strength, functional status, and quality of life.
Naime Meriç Konar
LookUs Bilisim A.S.
Objectives: Medical students are observed to feel depressive, anxious and stressful due to intensive medical education program along with other individual factors. This study aims at investigating the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress levels and their potential determinant among medical students on before and after the exam in newly-established Medical Faculty of Kirsehir Ahi Evran University in Turkey. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on before and after the first Committee Exam by conducting 42-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale with General Information Form that includes questions regarding health, academia and socioeconomic-related factors between October and November 2018. Results: In total, prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were found as 34.04%, 48.94%, 32.62% and 43.71%, 49.67% and 37.09% on pre and post-exam, respectively. Even though statistically insignificant, PhaseII students had the highest depression (p=0.228 and p=0.512), anxiety (p=0.428 and p=0.083) and stress scores (p=0.125 and p=0.853) on both pre and post exam. Male students were more likely to feel depressed (p=0.044 and p=0.018), anxious (p=0.392 and p=0.209) and stressed (p=0.736 and p=0.977) compared to females in overall in terms of their scores. Depression, anxiety and stress levels were mostly associated with healthrelated factors either pre or post-exam. Socioeconomic determinant was found to be mostly associated with stress levels. Conclusion: High prevalence of anxiety was observed on both before and after the exam. Depression, anxiety and stress prevalence were found to be increasing on post-exam, therefore academic and social support systems are suggested to be provided for medical students.
Naime Konar, Eda Karaismailoglu, Oytun Portakal, Asli Pinar, Zeliha Dikmen, and Ahmet Karaagaoglu
Clinical Laboratory Publications
BACKGROUND
Serial C-reactive protein (CRP) biomarker values are frequently recorded from patients in adult intensive care units (ICU). The aim of this study was to assess the time-dependent diagnostic accuracy of repeated CRP measurements in predicting ICU mortality and determine the time-dependent cutoff values for this biomarker in mixed ICU population.
METHODS
Joint modeling was performed to model repeated CRP measurements and survival data. Time-dependent AUC (td-AUC) values were used to assess the diagnostic performances. Maximization of the product of sensitivity and specificity rule was applied to determine the time-dependent cutoff values.
RESULTS
Time-dependent diagnostic performance of serial CRP values were found as moderate in overall, observed to be higher in males than females, ranging from 0.603 to 0.624 in females and 0.639 to 0.690 in males. On the other hand, time-dependent cutoff values either remained constant or decreased through the 3rd day after the last measurement for both gender groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Newly proposed time-dependent cutoff values for CRP biomarker are suggested to be used in clinics to discriminate subjects who are at risk and who are not during the first three days after the last measurement. Furthermore, taking serial CRP values in predicting the risk of death at ICU is highly recommended, to be able to assess the change in longitudinal profiles of subjects throughout the follow-up period.
Eda Karaismailoglu, Naime Meric Konar, Dincer Goksuluk, and Ahmet Ergun Karaagaoglu
Informa UK Limited
ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of correlation structure, prevalence and effect size on the risk prediction model by using the change in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ΔAUC), net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). In simulation study, the dataset is generated under different correlation structures, prevalences and effect sizes. We verify the simulation results with the real-data application. In conclusion, the correlation structure between the variables should be taken into account while composing a multivariable model. Negative correlation structure between independent variables is more beneficial while constructing a model.
Osman Dag, Anil Dolgun, Naime, and Meric Konar
The R Foundation
One-way tests in independent groups designs are the most commonly utilized statistical methods with applications on the experiments in medical sciences, pharmaceutical research, agriculture, biology, engineering, social sciences and so on. In this paper, we present the onewaytests package to investigate treatment effects on the dependent variable. The package offers the one-way tests in independent groups designs, which include ANOVA, Welch's heteroscedastic F test, Welch's heteroscedastic F test with trimmed means andWinsorized variances, Brown-Forsythe test, Alexander- Govern test, James second order test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The package also provides pairwise comparisons, graphical approaches, and assesses variance homogeneity and normality of data in each group via tests and plots. A simulation study is also conducted to give recommendations for applied researchers on the selection of appropriate one-way tests under assumption violations. Furthermore, especially for non-R users, a user-friendly web application of the package is provided. This application is available at http://www.softmed.hacettepe.edu.tr/onewaytests.
Renée T. Fortner, Anika Hüsing, Tilman Kühn, Meric Konar, Kim Overvad, Anne Tjønneland, Louise Hansen, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, Gianluca Severi, Agnès Fournier,et al.
Wiley
Endometrial cancer risk prediction models including lifestyle, anthropometric and reproductive factors have limited discrimination. Adding biomarker data to these models may improve predictive capacity; to our knowledge, this has not been investigated for endometrial cancer. Using a nested case–control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, we investigated the improvement in discrimination gained by adding serum biomarker concentrations to risk estimates derived from an existing risk prediction model based on epidemiologic factors. Serum concentrations of sex steroid hormones, metabolic markers, growth factors, adipokines and cytokines were evaluated in a step‐wise backward selection process; biomarkers were retained at p < 0.157 indicating improvement in the Akaike information criterion (AIC). Improvement in discrimination was assessed using the C‐statistic for all biomarkers alone, and change in C‐statistic from addition of biomarkers to preexisting absolute risk estimates. We used internal validation with bootstrapping (1000‐fold) to adjust for over‐fitting. Adiponectin, estrone, interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha and triglycerides were selected into the model. After accounting for over‐fitting, discrimination was improved by 2.0 percentage points when all evaluated biomarkers were included and 1.7 percentage points in the model including the selected biomarkers. Models including etiologic markers on independent pathways and genetic markers may further improve discrimination.