Background and Purpose: Cigarette smoking (CS) is the major risk factor for developing COPD and related skeletal muscle dysfunction. It has been postulated that CS exposure may directly causes muscle dysfunction via the induction of oxidative stress. The present study examined the effect of a potent Nox inhibitor and ROS scavenger, apocynin on CS-induced muscle dysfunction. Experimental Approach: Male BALB/c mice were exposed to either room air (sham) or CS generated from 9 cigarettes per day, 5 days a week for 8 weeks with or without apocynin treatment (5 mg·kg-1 w/v, intraperitoneal injection). C2C12 myotubes exposed to either hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or water-soluble cigarette smoke extract (CSE) with or without apocynin (500 nM), was set up as an experimental model in vitro. Key Results: Eight weeks of CS exposure caused significant lung inflammation and muscle dysfunction in mice; evidenced by a 10% loss in muscle mass and 54% loss in contractile function of tibialis anterior, attributable to altered myogenic homeostasis and protein oxidation. These effects were prevented by apocynin administration. In C2C12 myotubes, direct exposure to H2O2 or CSE caused myofiber wasting, which was associated with altered myogenic homeostasis marked by ~50% loss in muscle-derived insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and 1.5-fold increase in myostatin expression. Apocynin treatment completely attenuated CSE-induced Nox2 expression, preserving muscle-derived IGF-1 expression and downstream mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, thereby preventing myofiber wasting. Conclusion and Implications: Targeted pharmacological inhibition of Nox-derived ROS may alleviate the lung and systemic manifestations in smokers with COPD.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was a difference in LSG performed with 10 mmHg and 13 mmHg intraabdominal pressure values in terms of their effects on the internal jugular vein (IJV) diameter and volume and the results of liver and kidney function tests evaluated in blood. Material and Method: The patients were divided into two groups to apply LSG with 10 mmHg and 13 mmHg intraabdominal pressure. The patients’ age, additional disease, surgery history, height, weight, body mass index, family history, intraabdominal pressure value applied during surgery, duration of surgery, length of hospital stay, and the right IJV diameter and volume on the Doppler ultrasound before intubation during surgery (t1), 10 minutes after insufflation (t2), and at the end of insufflation (t3) were recorded. Results: Preoperative and postoperative kidney and liver function values of the patients in both groups were within the reference range. In both groups, while there was a significant decrease in the IJV diameter and flow measurement values at t2 compared to t1, and a significant increase was observed at t3 compared to t2 (p<0.05). The mean IJV diameter and flow were significantly higher in the 10 mmHg pressure group compared to the 13 mmHg group (p<0.05). Conclusion: We consider that LSG performed with CO2 pneumoperitoneum at low pressure is a safe, effective and feasible method that can facilitate the application of intraoperative central venous catheterization due to less changes in the IJV diameter and volume compared to the standard technique.

Together with the Neolithic human expansions, cattle spread from domestication centres and colonized the world. During their tangled expansion dynamics, European cattle occasionally intermingled with local aurochs leading to an exclusive pattern of genetic diversity. Among the most ancient European cattle, are breeds belonging to the so-called Podolian trunk which their history is still not well established. Here we used genome-wide SNP data of 806 individuals belonging to 36 breeds to reconstruct the origin and diversification of the Podolian cattle and to provide a reliable scenario of the European colonization, through an Approximate Bayesian Computation approach. Our results indicate that European Podolian cattle displays higher values of all genetic diversity indices when compared to both African taurine and Asian indicine. All our clustering analyses show close genomic relationships among Podolian breeds suggesting their possible common genetic ancestry. When we simulated and tested scenarios of colonization, we found that Podolian cattle followed different colonization routes, in line with two principal human migrations: via the Danube during the early stages of the Neolithic farmer expansions and through sea routes likely during the pre-Etruscan period. Furthermore, the best fitting model indicates that these two genomic pools admixed in Italy suggesting the Peninsula as an important hub for the Podolian cattle.

Aim: Aspects of parenting is an under-investigated topic among children with voiding complaints. We aimed to investigate the association between voiding complaints among children and two specific parenting related behaviors: 1) parental availability during the child’s leisure time and 2) frequency of witnessing interparental conflict. Material and Method: Children aged between 6 and 11 years with their parents were the participants. Two survey forms and informed consent form were sent to potential participants via children’s teacher. Voiding dysfunction complaints were evaluated with the Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Symptom Scale (DVISS). Results: Data analyses were performed with 1101 eligible participants. Mean duration of parental availability during the child’s leisure time was below 2 hours per day. Nearly one out of every four children witnessed interparental conflict at least once a month. Age, educational level of the mother, parental availability for the child’s leisure time, and frequency of witnessing parental conflicts were found to be significantly associated with DVISS ratings. Adjusting age, socioeconomic level, and educational level of the parents and later adjusting parental availability during the child’s leisure time did not change the association of frequency of witnessing interparental conflict with DVISS rates. Increase in the age, educational level of the mother, and parental availability during the child’s leisure time were correlated with better scores on DVISS while increase in the frequency of witnessing interparental conflict strongly correlated with worse scores. Conclusion: Exposing children to interparental conflicts and shorter togetherness with their leisure time is associated with voiding complaints.

We herein performed a series of brain/core temperature discordance studies in setting of brain excitation and depression to assess whether noninvasive temperature measurement at highly transmissive eyelid skin overlying newly discovered brain-eyelid thermal tunnel (BTT°) is specific for brain as opposed to core temperature (Core°). BTT°-Core° was determined during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), seizures induced during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), pharmacologic depression by sedation and anesthesia, sleep, stroke, brain trauma, and exercise in hot environmental chamber. During brain-core decoupling BTT° follows brain neuronal activity. BTT°-Core° varied dramatically due to extreme changes during CPB. During ECT, BTT° ipsilateral to induced seizure increased from 36.38±0.4°C pre-seizure to 36.69°±0.3°C at two minute post-seizure (p<0.001 by paired t-test); Core° remained within 0.01°C of baseline (p=0.2). These changes were accompanied by BTT°-Core° discordance ranging from-0.1°C pre-seizure to +0.31°C post-seizure. Alternatively, during brain neuronal depression, BTT° ipsilateral to evolving ischemic stroke and Core° were 35.37±0.2°C and 36.00±0.09°C, respectively, with p<0.0001 for BTT°-Core° of 0.63±0.13°C. These findings document specificity of BTT transmission for brain thermal energy and illustrate potential BTT° usefulness in myriad clinical and investigative settings.

Transferring lignocellulose-derived ketones to jet fuel blending through aldol condensation has great potential for the synthesis of high-performance jet fuels. However, the water formed in reaction decreases the activity of catalyst, especially the acid catalyst. Herein, water-tolerant SBA-16 confined phosphotungstic acid was developed to be applied in this reaction with high performance. The SBA-16-like pore size was regulated and the surface was modified by alkylimidazole which improves the water-tolerant property of catalyst by creating relative hydrophobic environment and leads to the resistance of HPW leaching and keeping stable performance of the catalyst in 5 runs of aldol condensation. About 64.2% primary-condensation products and 27.8% secondary-condensation products were produced by this catalyst. After hydrodeoxygenation, a high-performance fuel blending with density of about 0.905 g/mL and freezing point of -67 oC was obtained. This study provides a promising water-tolerant catalyst to develop a new route to produce high-performance bio-jet fuel blending.

A novel Pinch-based targeting and synthesis procedure in the domain of multiple constraints (e.g. multi-contaminants) for material recycle/reuse networks has been developed in this contribution. The main steps are the identification of the ranking order of material sinks/demands or sources/supplies. This is dependent on the limiting contaminants of sinks. Each contaminant/constraint is assigned a Pinch Diagram (Load vs Flowrate), and the Source and Sink Composite Curves (CC) are plotted for each diagram. The Source CC should be shifted until its lines could form a ‘polygon’ with the Sink CC, for which the points represent the vertices of the polygons. The sequential approach used is to first identify a preliminary resource target and allocated sources for each sink, then to follow certain heuristics for further reduction of the freshwater. The proposed approach provides a minimum resource target and a network design that achieves the targeted fresh resource along with graphical representation.

Abstract: Critical airway stenosis presents a challenge for surgeons and anesthesiologists alike in securing a reliable airway for adequate ventilation. The use of veno-venous (VV) extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been described as a strategy to provide adequate gas exchange in such instances. We present a case of a young female with a complex paratracheal mass significantly compressing the trachea in whom a planned intra-operative VV ECMO was instituted to allow safe oro-tracheal intubation of a double lumen endotracheal tube for lung isolation and tumor resection.

Objectives: Myroides spp. is an environmental pathogen and causes disease in immunocompromised patients. In this study, we report an outbreak of urinary tract infections caused by M. odoratimimus in a university hospital in Turkey. Methods: A total of 25 M. odoratimimus strains isolated from the clinical samples of 20 patients in our intensive care units and clinics were included in the study. Phenotypic and genotypic identification of isolates was performed using conventional methods, VITEK®-2 automated identification system, Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry and 16S-RNA Microbial Diagnosis methods. In addition, Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic Elements (REP) PCR Assay method was applied for molecular epidemiological analysis. Results: All cases were diagnosed with nosocomial urinary tract infection, except for one case diagnosed with nosocomial bacteraemia. One of the M. odoratimimus isolates was sensitive to piperacillin/tazobactam (MIC: ≤4 µg/ml) and one isolate was moderately sensitive to cefepime (MIC: 16 µg/ml). Other M. odoratimimus isolates were resistant to the tested antibiotics of beta lactams, monobactams, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones and sulphonamides. When 10 isolates were evaluated with the REP PCR method, DNA finger print similarities were visually determined and there was a similar DNA pattern among them. Myroides source was not detected in environmental samples. Conclusion: Clinicians should consider that Myroides spp. isolates with multiple and broad-spectrum drug resistance may be a serious nosocomial pathogen like Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Acinetobacter baumannii. In order to choose the best treatment regimen, this atypical pathogen needs to be quickly identified and antibiotic susceptibility tests performed.

    Son zamanlardaki istatistikler sonucu Matematik Mühendisliği işverenler tarafından aranan insan profili olmasıyla oldukça dikkat çekiyor. Matematik Mühendisliği; birçok farklı alanda çalışma imkanı bulunan, analitik düşünme yönüyle gelişmiş mühendisler yetiştirmeyi hedefleyen bir lisans programıdır. Çok yönlü bir meslek olduğu için tanımını tek bir cümlede yapmak pek mümkün değil, bu nedenle yazımızda bu bölümü sorular yardımıyla detaylı bir şekilde tanıtıyor olacağız. Bu içerik İTÜ Matematik Mühendisliği tanıtım videosu esas alınarak hazırlanmıştır.

Objectives: In this paper we outline how inflammation related to oral disease such as periodontitis, bacteraemia and pulpal lesions have been linked to cardiovascular disease and undertake a systematic review of the literature focused on acute dental infection and cardiac arrhythmia. We also describe an illustrative case where an acute oral infection was associated with occurrence of new onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: An electronic search was undertaken using MEDLINE and SCOPUS from 01 Jan 1970 until 30 June 2020. We also undertook manual searches using forward and backward citation chasing. Inclusion criteria were any primary research studies investigating symptomatic apical infections or dental abscess with outcomes of arrythmia. Results Over the last fifty years, only two low quality studies have been investigated this area. Our illustrative case involved a 58-year-old who was diagnosed with an acute dental infection from an upper canine tooth. The patient later developed tachycardia and new-onset AF. Conclusions: Based on the biological plausibility of a link between acute dental infection and arrythmia, together with the case report presented, it is evident that further study in this area is needed. If there are possible cardiovascular consequences for patients suffering acute dental infections, this has future implications for healthcare staff as they can integrate professional advice related to oral health and cardiovascular disease. Screening programmes situated in dental settings can also facilitate early intervention and prevention producing benefits not just for patients, but in savings to the health system.

BACKGROUND:There are studies reporting that uric acid elevation is a marker for hypoxemia and pulmonary hypertension secondary to some diseases. AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid level and uric acid/creatinine ratio with COPD exacerbation, hypoxemia in exacerbation and development of cor pulmonale. METHODS: A total of 96 COPD patients who were admitted to Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine emergency department and Chest Diseases outpatient clinic and whose written consent was obtained, were included in our study. 43 of these patients were in the period of exacerbation (Group 1) and 53 were in the stable period (Group 2). Complete blood count, blood biochemistry (including serum uric acid level) and arterial blood gas analysis were performed in our patients. In addition, spirometry and echocardiography findings were examined. RESULTS: Serum uric acid level of Group 1 was 6.97 ± 1.34 and Group 2 was 4.30 ± 1.01 (p <0.05). Uric acid/creatinine ratios; in group 1; 8.00 ± 2.06, in group 2; It was 5.52 ± 1.57 (p <0.05). In patients with hypoxemia, serum uric acid level and uric acid / creatinine ratio were significantly higher than non-hypoxemic (p <0.05). Serum uric acid level and serum uric acid/creatinine ratio of Group 1 were significantly higher than Group 2 (p <0.001). Serum uric acid level and serum uric acid / creatinine ratio of patients who developed cor-pulmonale were significantly higher than patients without cor-pulmonale (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum uric acid level and uric acid/creatinine ratio were found to be higher in patients with exacerbation of COPD and those developing cor pulmonale. Consequently, it suggests that serum uric acid level and serum uric acid/creatinine ratio may be a stimulating laboratory test for the severity of COPD and the development of COPD based cor pulmonale.

We examined whether the presence or absence of different environmental stressors influenced the reproductive potential of a saltmarsh species - Plantago maritima. We focused on total seed output, seed quality and biomass of progeny. So far, there are no studies trying to answer the question of how different saltmarsh management affects the quality of seed in saltmarsh species. For the purposes of the study, plots subjected to light mowing, light or heavy grazing, trampling or rooting were designated in three nature reserves in Poland. On each plot, the abundance of infructescences per sq. metre was calculated. Mature infructascences were collected and their length and no of fruit capsules were measured. The seeds obtained from fruit capsules were weighted and sown in controlled conditions. The germination rate and the final germination percentage were calculated. A representative number of sprouts were grown. After a period of two months, the specimens were harvested and their total dry mass was measured. It was found that heavy grazing had the greatest effect on all of the studied characteristics. The presence of this factor resulted in shorter infructescences with a smaller number of fruit capsules. However, this phenomenon was compensated by the higher abundance of infructescences per sq. metre. At the same time seeds produced by grazed specimens were significantly lighter. Intensive trampling by people affected specimens in a similar way to heavy grazing, while mowing and rooting had less impact on the considered characteristics. Although a positive correlation between seed mass and germination success was found, the altogether lower seed mass had a negligible effect on germination parameters. Also, the differences in seed parameters did not affect dry mass of obtained progeny grown in lab conditions.

Breast cancer is a common malignancy and a leading cause of cancer related mortality among women. Early diagnosis and better prognosis are vital to improve breast cancer outcomes and survival rates. Clinical assessment of the expression levels of biomarkers including estrogen receptors (ERs) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) had been beneficial in assisting the prognosis and deriving treatment regimes. Conventionally, these biomarkers were detected mostly using antibody-based methods. However, recent advances in identifying aptamers as antibody substitutes have favoured development of aptamer-based sensing platforms for rapid, cost-effective, and point-of-care testing applications. The last decade witnessed substantial use of aptamers in cancer diagnosis. This review provides a thorough update of recent developments in aptamer-based detection of human estrogen receptors (ERs) and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in breast cancer. The widely used tissue and serum-based biomarkers of breast cancer are introduced, and the conventional methods of ERs and HER2 detection are discussed. Electrochemical and optical methods of aptasensing strategies based on “on/off”, “target sandwich”, “nanomaterial beacons” and AuNP-based localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) approaches are then elaborated. Finally, a perspective for futuristic remote health care monitoring of breast cancer patients using smart wireless nano-aptasensor is provided.

Objective: The aim of this research was to compare the sensitivity and positive predictive value of contrast transcranial Doppler (c-TCD), contrast- transthoracic echocardiography (c-TTE) and contrast- transesophageal echocardiography (c-TEE), to determine the best method for diagnosing patent foramen ovale (PFO) and to provide a reference for the further improvement of clinical practice. Methods: We investigated 161 patients who suffered from migraines, cryptogenic stroke, TIA, and cerebral infarction of unknown cause. All patients underwent transcatheter examination, and the results of the right heart catheterization (RHC) were considered the gold standard for PFO diagnosis. Results: The present study revealed that c-TTE with the Valsalva maneuver had a higher sensitivity in detecting PFO related right-to-left shunt (PFO-RLS), but it might have a higher rate of misdetection than c-TCD. Conclusion: Patients with suspected PFO can be examined with c-TCD first, and if positive results are obtained, then c-TTE and c-TEE should be performed for further confirmation.

chylothorax is a relatively uncommon condition. It is characterized by the presence of chylous rich fluid within the pleural space. Spontaneous chylothorax usually refers to non-traumatic causes most common malignancy and infections. we present a case of a spontaneous chylothorax with evidence of resolution of pleural effusion without detectable cause.

The case report describes a newborn case of ACS based on clinical presentation(s) and microdeletions of 22q11.21 and 11p15.4 using DNA high throughput sequencing analysis. This finding has implications for ACS diagnosis and overcomes the limitations associated with FISH by using the DNA high throughput sequencing across the whole genome.

Although less common compared to postherpetic neuralgia, post herpes itch (PHI) is a known sequela after herpetic infections. PHI usually disappears over weeks to months, requiring only symptomatic management. Rarely, PHI can result in significant debilitation. We report one case of extreme post herpetic itching and review the available literature.

introduction:The patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia(CAP) could have a higher risk of acute and severe respiratory illness than those without CAP in acute exacerbations of COPD(AECOPD).consequently,early identification of pneumonia in AECOPD is quite important. metholds:62 subjects with AECOPD+CAP and 107 subjects with AECOPD were enrolled from two clinical centers. Clinical parameters and the values of osteopontin (OPN),soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTrem-1), C-reactive protein (CRP),procalcitonin (PCT),and neutrophil counts (NEU) were measured and compared in AECOPD and AECOPD+CAP on the first day of admission. results:patients with AECOPD+CAP has increased presence of fever, sputum volume,sputum purulence,diabetes mellitus,lower blood pressure, and higher carbon dioxide partial pressure than AECOPD patients(p<0.05).At day1,AECOPD+CAP patients had higher values of NEU,CRP,PCT and OPN,while serum sTREM-1 levels were similar in the two groups. CRP fares best at predicting acute exacerbation of COPD with pneumonia with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.78, while OPN had similar accuracy with Neu and PCT.the AUC value of OPN,Neu and PCT was 0.61(95% CI 0.53-0.68) , 0.63(95% CI 0.55-0.70) and 0.68(95% CI 0.60-0.75) respectively(p<0.05 for the test of difference). In multivariate analysis, plasma levels of CRP≥15.8 mg/dL at day 1 and sputum purulence were promising predictors of pneumonia in AECOPD. Conclusions:Patients with CAP in AECOPD patients present more clinical parameters and increased biomarker levels but similar short-term outcomes. Combined with plasma CRP level and the clinical characteristic of purulent sputum can be used to predict COPD complicated with pneumonia.

In our opinion, the question of the role of saturated fatty acids in the regulatory processes of living organisms was undeservedly relegated to the background. In this paper, we set a goal to generalize data on the role and distribution in organisms of various classes of one of the dominant in the composition of saturated fatty acids -- palmitic acid.

ABSTRACT Background: Increased extravascular lung water (EVLW) induced by systemic inflammatory response under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and diaphragmatic dysfunction due to phrenic nerve injury during cardiac surgery leads to weaning failure from mechanical ventilation (MV) in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that ultrasound measurement of EVLW shown by B-lines and diaphragm function in the form of thickening and excursion will be able to predict weaning failure defined as reintubation within 48 hours of endotracheal extubation in such patients. Methods: Fifty patients aged (1 month to 18 years) undergoing congenital cardiac surgeries were enrolled in the study. The ultrasound measurement of B-line of lung, diaphragm excursion (DE) and diaphragm thickness (DT) were done preoperatively, on pressure support ventilation (PSV) during weaning from mechanical ventilation (MV) and 4 hours after extubation. Results: 7 out of 50 patients had weaning failure. The patients with weaning failure (group 1, n=7) were younger, with median age of 1 year (0.25-7) compared to those who tolerated weaning (group 2, n=43), median age of 3 years (0.25-17), p=0.040. The B-line score in group 1 increased from a preoperative score of 0 to post-extubation period score of 2, the score being significantly higher than the patients of group 2 (p=0.024). The left diaphragm thickening fraction of <17.15% predicted weaning failure with a sensitivity of 85%, specificity of 51.4%, (AUC ROC 0.75, p= 0.032). Conclusion: LUS cannot predict weaning failure. The diaphragmatic thickening fraction <17.15% was found to be a predictor of weaning failure in our patients.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has a higher case fatality rate (CFR) in European ethnic groups than in others, especially East Asians. One explanation to this phenomenon might be TMPRSS2, a key processing enzyme essential for viral infection. Here, we analyzed the allele frequencies of two nonsynonymous variants rs12329760 (V197M) and rs75603675 (G8V) in the TMPRSS2 gene using over 200,000 present-day and ancient genomic samples. We found a significant association between the CFR of COVID-19 and the allele frequencies of the two variants. Interestingly, they had opposing effects on the CFR: inverse correlation by V197M, proportional correlation by G8V. East Asians have higher V197M and lower G8V allele frequencies than Europeans, possibly endowing resistance against SARS-CoV-2. Structural and energy calculation analysis of the V197M amino acid change showed that it destabilizes the TMPRSS2 protein, possibly affecting its ACE2 and viral spike protein processing negatively, ultimately resulting in reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection efficiency and CFR in East Asian ethnic groups.

During reading the paper recently (Niu et al., 2019), I found that the hypothetical degradation trajectory was not of precisely validity. According to their data, they hypothesized a degradation trajectory of an alpine rangeland based on the cracking phenomenon induced by overgrazing.

Fertilizer application in excess of plant nitrogen requirements, leading to nitrogen use inefficiency has become main culprit of nitrogen surplus, posing nonpoint pollution threats. Chao Lake has been recipient of nitrogen loadings, mainly coming from the agroecosystem surrounding it. This study was conducted in Chao Lake watershed to assess nitrogen use efficiency, crop yield and nitrogen loading, using reduced and conventional fertilizer rates, based on ten years field monitoring and experiment. Paddy rice - wheat rotational tillage arranged in a completely randomized design using 30m2 treatment plots was employed to study hypothesis. Three indicators namely agronomic efficiency (kgkg-1), recovery efficiency (%) and partial factor productivity (kgkg-1) were considered for nitrogen use efficiency. For nitrogen loading, nitrogen loading (kg ha-1yr-1), nitrogen runoff loss ratio (%) and net nitrogen runoff loss ratio (%) were taken. Results revealed, empirical formula of an exponential model explains the relationship. Reduced fertilizer levels produced high nitrogen use efficiency, high economic yield and less nitrogen loading. Nitrogen use efficiency was in order of: reduced > high > conventional fertilization treatments, while it decreased in ten years (2008 -2018) across all treatments. Nitrogen loading increased in ten years, both for rice and wheat growing seasons. Runoff volume influenced nitrogen loading more than other environmental factors considered. Such strategies that further reduce fertilizer levels by accounting for excessive supplies are critically important to consolidate effective nitrogen management measures.