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  The effectiveness of block-based programming applications in secondary school: Meta-thematic analysis complemented with qualitative research

  (Springer Nature, 2026)

  Bingölbalı, Abdullah

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  Batdı, Veli

  ;

  Koç, Senem Şevval

  ;

  Başkahraman, Gamze

  ;

  Bilgölbalı, Nisanur

  Daha fazla

  Programming is becoming increasingly important today and is considered one of the advanced skills that individuals should possess in the 21st century. However, since individuals often struggle when learning programming, block-based programming (BBP) applications have begun to be used to make coding easier to learn. In this study, the effect of BBP applications at the middle school level was investigated using meta-thematic analysis supported by qualitative research. The study consists of two stages. In the first stage of the research, studies were identified through document analysis within the scope of meta-thematic analysis. Two different researchers conducted content analysis on the identified studies to identify themes and codes. A total of 121 codes were identified from 10 studies, and 5 themes were created based on these codes. The study was conducted using an interdisciplinary approach within the scope of the experimental process. Due to the suitability of coding applications for science education and the fact that one of the researchers is a science teacher, the study continued with a 4-week BBP application with 6th-grade students taking science, information technology and software courses. At the end of the process, a semi-structured interview form was administered to the students, and codes were obtained from the participants’ responses through content analysis. The results of the study showed that BBP applications contributed to students’ affective and academic characteristics, 21st-century skills, personal development, and digital literacy. Therefore, this study not only synthesises the effects of BBP but also presents experimental evidence linking programming education to digital competencies and personal development, offering a rarely explored integrative approach to the literature.

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  Serum bone and mineral metabolism markers in CBCT confirmed degenerative versus non-degenerative temporomandibular disorders

  (Springer Nature, 2026)

  Altundal, Gizem

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  Zorlu, Ece

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  Yüce, Fatma

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  Altundal, Yusuf Emre

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  Biren, Sibel

  Daha fazla

  Background Bone and mineral metabolism markers, particularly vitamin D, have been linked to temporomandibular disorders, but rarely to objectively documented joint degeneration. We examined whether serum bone and mineral metabolism markers, particularly 25-hydroxyvitamin D and magnesium, differ between temporomandibular disorder patients with versus without cone-beam computed tomography-documented osseous degeneration, and whether they track with condylar erosion severity. Methods In this single-centre prospective cross-sectional study of consecutively enrolled patients, sixty temporomandibular disorder patients with cone-beam computed tomography-confirmed degenerative joint disease were compared with forty symptomatic patients without cone-beam computed tomography-detectable osseous degeneration. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, magnesium, parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase were measured. The two markers of primary interest were 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the established candidate, and magnesium, the novel one; all remaining comparisons were secondary or exploratory. Groups were compared with parametric or non-parametric tests as appropriate, and with a Firth penalized logistic regression adjusted for age and sex only. Results Degenerative patients had lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (16.4 versus 25.6 ng/mL) and magnesium (1.66 versus 2.00 mg/dL) and higher parathyroid hormone (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively); calcium did not differ. No degenerative patient was vitamin D-sufficient, whereas the comparison group was predominantly insufficient. After adjustment, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and magnesium remained associated with degeneration independently of age and sex, whereas parathyroid hormone did not. Within degenerative patients, erosion severity correlated inversely with 25-hydroxyvitamin D and positively with parathyroid hormone; magnesium separated the groups but showed no severity gradient. Conclusions Lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and magnesium were associated with cone-beam computed tomography-documented joint degeneration independently of age and sex, most strongly for 25-hydroxyvitamin D; the magnesium association is the novel element and requires confirmation. Comparing degenerative with non-degenerative patients reduces confounding by the presence of the disorder itself, although the groups also differed in their DC/TMD profiles and adjustment was possible for age and sex only. These cross-sectional associations do not establish causality and do not support any screening or treatment recommendation; they identify bone and mineral metabolism status as a hypothesis for prospective study in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.

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  Inter-method agreement between digital occlusograms and mounted-cast articulator analysis in temporomandibular disorders with degenerative joint changes

  (Springer Nature, 2026)

  Altundal, Gizem

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  Zorlu, Ece

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  Yıldırımer, Sahra

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  Yüce, Fatma

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  Şavkan, İpek

  Daha fazla

  Background Intraoral scanner occlusograms are increasingly used for non-invasive digital occlusal analysis, yet their agreement with an articulator-mounted reference in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients with degenerative joint changes is unknown. This is a methodological question about the fidelity of digital occlusal recording in a population with altered occlusal anatomy, not a claim that occlusal factors cause TMD or that occlusal adjustment treats it. This study aimed to quantify per-cusp inter-method agreement between an iTero Element 5D Occlusogram and a semi-adjustable articulator with 8 μm articulating paper on identical mounted casts, and to compare agreement between TMD patients with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)-confirmed degenerative joint changes and Class I controls. Methods Sixty adults (30 TMD with DC/TMD Axis I and CBCT-confirmed degenerative joint changes; 30 Class I controls selected to have comparable age and sex distributions) had Type IV stone casts mounted on a SAM 3 articulator in centric relation, recorded with the Dawson bimanual manipulation technique; after removal of the interocclusal record the articulator was closed until the mounted casts came into occlusal contact, and the incisal pin was locked to preserve that standardised position; both methods were then read with the casts held in it. Two operators, blinded to study-group allocation during their respective occlusal assessments, classified 12,718 cusp/surface sites on identical casts using 8 μm Arti-Fol (reference) and the iTero Element 5D Occlusogram (index). The Occlusogram threshold was selected by maximising pooled Cohen’s κ, Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC), and F1 score. Group comparisons were adjusted for within-patient clustering using a patient-level generalised estimating equation (GEE) and per-patient nonparametric tests. Results At the optimised ≤ 0.2 mm threshold, inter-method agreement fell from substantial in controls to fair in TMD patients (Cohen’s κ 0.636 vs. 0.392; p = 2.5 × 10⁻⁶). Sensitivity decreased by 20.1% points in TMD (93.16% vs. 73.08%) and positive predictive value by 21.2 points (49.32% vs. 28.15%; both p < 0.001); specificity and negative predictive value remained high (≥ 96.9% and ≥ 99.5%, respectively) and overall accuracy was 96.51% in TMD and 98.11% in controls. Both reductions persisted after adjustment for within-patient clustering (GEE odds ratio 0.17 [95% CI 0.05–0.62]; p = 0.007 for sensitivity and 0.51 [0.30–0.89]; p = 0.017 for positive predictive value). False positives clustered predominantly at mandibular incisal edges. Conclusions Even under controlled mounted-cast conditions, agreement between the iTero Occlusogram and the articulator-mounted reference dropped from substantial in controls to fair in TMD patients with degenerative joint changes, driven by reduced sensitivity relative to the articulating-paper comparator. Digital occlusograms should therefore be interpreted with caution when accurate static contact information is required in this population, and confirmation with a physical occlusal indicator on mounted casts may be advisable before irreversible restorative procedures. These findings concern the fidelity of digital occlusal recording and do not bear on the aetiology or management of TMD itself.

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  Vertical growth pattern and posterior eruption space of the developing mandibular second molar: A retrospective cross-sectional study

  (Springer Nature, 2026)

  Karaca, Ebru

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  Altundal, Gizem

  Daha fazla

  Background The role of the vertical growth pattern in the etiology of mandibular second molar eruption disturbance is controversial; this relationship has mostly been examined through whether or not the tooth erupts, and the eruption space left anterior to the ramus for the second molar has not been directly measured and compared across different growth patterns. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the available posterior eruption space and molar angulation for the developing mandibular second molar differ among individuals with vertical, normal, and horizontal growth patterns. Methods A total of 132 individuals (aged 9–18 years), in whom at least two-thirds of the second molar root development was complete, were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Individuals were divided into vertical (n = 44), normal (n = 44), and horizontal (n = 44) growth pattern groups according to SN/GoGn° and FMA° values. On lateral cephalometric radiographs, the gonial angle, Y-axis, posterior/anterior facial height ratio, ramus height, mandibular corpus length, and effective mandibular length were measured; on panoramic radiographs, the first molar–ramus distance, ramus distance/second molar mesiodistal width ratio, molar inclination angle, second molar mesiodistal width, and eruption depth were measured. One-way ANOVA and eta-squared (η²) effect size were used for between-group comparisons, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess associations. Results The groups differed markedly in gonial angle (p < 0.001; η²=0.497), Y-axis (p < 0.001; η²=0.444), and posterior/anterior facial height ratio (p < 0.001; η²=0.671). In contrast, none of the panoramic measurements differed significantly among the groups: molar inclination angle (p = 0.584), first molar–ramus distance (p = 0.260), second molar mesiodistal width (p = 0.274), ramus distance/mesiodistal width ratio (p = 0.390), and eruption depth (p = 0.976); all effect sizes were negligible (η²=0.000–0.021). Before adjustment for multiple testing, the first molar–ramus distance and second molar width correlated positively with mandibular corpus length, effective mandibular length, and ramus height in all three groups (r = 0.33–0.64); after Benjamini–Hochberg correction, the associations of second molar width with mandibular corpus length and effective mandibular length remained significant in all three groups, whereas those of the first molar–ramus distance were retained in the normal and horizontal groups but not in the vertical group. Conclusion The available posterior eruption space and molar angulation for the developing mandibular second molar did not differ among cephalometrically distinct vertical growth pattern groups. In this cross-sectional sample, the available posterior eruption space was associated with mandibular size, whereas no association with the vertical facial pattern was identified.

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  Protective effect of Cyclotrichium niveum on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

  (MDPI, 2026)

  Özsayın, Gazihan Harun

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  Yorulmaz Özü, Özlem

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  Güven, Umay Merve

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  Demirci Kayıran, Serpil

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  Kuyucu, Yurdun

  Daha fazla

  Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic and has therapeutic importance in the treatment of Gram-negative aerobic bacterial infections. However, its clinical use is limited by nephrotoxicity, in which oxidative stress plays an important role. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of Cyclotrichium niveum, an endemic plant with antioxidant properties, against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Renal injury and protection were assessed using blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine as markers of renal function, malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker of oxidative stress, and histopathological evaluation of renal cortical injury. We first characterized the chemical composition of C. niveum essential oil (EO) by GC-MS, identifying pulegone as its major constituent (79.6%). Next, we evaluated the in vitro antioxidant activity of EO and isolated pulegone using the DPPH assay. Their protective effects were then examined in vivo at two dose levels each (EO, 200 and 400 mg/kg/day; pulegone, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day, p.o.) in rats receiving gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day, i.m.) for 8 days. Both EO and pulegone exhibited DPPH radical-scavenging activity. Gentamicin induced pronounced renal injury, whereas co-administration of either EO or pulegone provided protection, with more pronounced effects at the higher doses. In particular, gentamicin increased BUN and creatinine 2.74- and 2.37-fold, respectively (p < 0.001 for both), and produced grade 4–5 cortical injury in all histologically evaluated animals. At the higher doses, EO and pulegone reduced BUN by 56% and 64%, respectively (p = 0.042 and p < 0.001), and MDA by 57% and 55%, respectively (p = 0.006 for both). Pulegone additionally reduced creatinine by 39% (p = 0.041). Both treatments significantly improved histopathological injury grade (p = 0.002 and p = 0.008 for EO and pulegone, respectively). Together, these findings demonstrate that C. niveum EO and pulegone attenuate gentamicin-induced renal injury across functional, oxidative, and structural measures, with the strongest protection observed at the higher doses. Their in vitro antioxidant activity and attenuation of lipid peroxidation in vivo support an antioxidant contribution to the nephroprotective response, while the activity of isolated pulegone identifies it as an important bioactive contributor to the protective effects of C. niveum EO.

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