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In this study, the growth performance, carcass yield, relative organ weight, and thigh meat quality of quail fed with diets containing different amounts of nisin as an active ingredient were investigated. A total of 400 one-day-old Japanese quail chicks were used. The quail were divided into 4 groups with five replicates and were fed with diets without (control) or with nisin (150, 300, and 500 mg/kg). The study lasted 35 d. At the end of the experiment, a total of 80 quail, 10 males and 10 females of each group, were randomly weighed and slaughtered. After slaughtering, carcass yield, relative liver, heart, gizzard, and proventriculus weights were recorded. Stress factors (Malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant status (TAS), the total of oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI)) were analysed in thigh meat. Increasing levels of nisin did not affect the growth performance of quail (P > 0.05). In terms of slaughter weight, the slaughter weight of both males and females differed among the groups (P < 0.05). While the highest value in males was observed in the control group, the highest value in females was observed in the N150 group. Only the relative liver weights of males and the relative proventriculus weights of females were statistically different (P < 0.01) between treatments. With increasing nisin level, the weight of the liver increased in the males and the weight of the proventriculus in the females. The addition of nisin decreased MDA and OSI values in both males and females, as compared to the control group. Furthermore, CAT and TAS values were found to be significantly higher in the nisin supplemented group than in the control group. As a result, it is concluded that adding nisin to quail feed positively affects TAS, TOS, MDA and CAT values of thigh meat and can prevent the adverse effects that may occur due to stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of mulberry leaves on performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of Japanese quail. A total of 240 one-day-old Japanese quail chicks were randomly allocated to three experimental groups and fed a basal diet (control) and the basal diet plus 50 g/kg and 100 g/kg mulberry leaf meal (MLM) for 42 days. By the end of the study, performance parameters of quail fed the 100 g/kg MLM-supplemented diet were affected negatively. The highest carcass weight and carcass yield levels were exhibited in the control group. In terms of meat quality, the shear force of the breast meat of quail fed the diet with 100 g/kg supplemented MLM was higher than the other groups. The highest L* and hue angle values of breast meat were found in the 50 g/kg MLM group. Released water from the thigh meat in the control group was higher than in the experimental groups. The current study indicates that 50 g/kg MLM can be used easily in quail rations without any negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of open-pit slopes is important for identifying failure mechanisms and taking precautions before a serious slope failure. Especially in simultaneous underground and open-pit mining activities, unstable slopes are expected under the subsidence effect of underground production, independently of the current kinematical conditions of the pit slope. In these circumstances, the stability assessments must consider the effect of underground operation. The present study monitors the stability in an open-pit slope located above an underground mine by a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), and compares the results with those of kinematical analyses. Although no failure was predicted in the kinematical analyses, significant deformation rates were detected by TLS. Depending on the subsidence effect of underground production, the minimum angle of open-pit slopes that cause the instability was determined, and the locations of possible failure were determined by a model created from the TLS measurements. The updated analyses revealed the possibility of plane, wedge, and block-toppling failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of the working pressure and temperature on the performance of the PEM fuel cell were investigated numerically. Non-isothermal, steady-state and single-phase model was used to examine the behaviour of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells in the three-dimensional condition. The threedimensional single-cell model has been developed within FLUENT 6.3 software by utilizing the PEMFC module. The results of polarization (voltage) variation curves and current density distribution were given and compared with each other. According to the results obtained, by keeping humidification and cell temperatures in equilibrium, the performance of the cell improves with the increasing cell temperature. In addition, the current density of the cell increases with the increasing operating pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, porous silicon (PS) samples were prepared on -type silicon (100) wafers by electrochemical etching method, varying the current density from 20 to 100mA/cm2 and keeping constant HF concentration (10%) and etching time of 15min. Then, Ag thin films, which have 10, 50 and 100nm film thicknesses, were deposited on PS layers by using thermal evaporation to investigate the influence of Ag film thickness on structural and optical properties of PS. The structural and optical properties of PS and Ag deposited PS layers have been investigated by XRD, FE-SEM, Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. FE-SEM XRD and Raman analyzes indicate that average pore size and porosity of PS layers increase with the increasing current density. Further, Ag nanoparticles have embedded in pore channel. PL measurement reveals that higher porosity of PS would be better to form the Ag-PS nano-composite material leading to stronger PL band. The PL spectra of PS and Ag-PS samples indicate that PL bands show blue shift with increasing current density and film thickness. Consequently, it has been found that the structural and optical properties of PS depend on current density and Ag film thickness individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Oxygen-derived free radicals play an important role in ischemia–reperfusion injury (IR). Hyperbaric oxygenation (HO) decreases free radical production. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of HO treatment on renal ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats. Methods: Rats were divided into four groups. All groups underwent right nephrectomy. Group I served as the control group; group II had left renal ischemia–reperfusion; group III was pretreated with HO; and group IV, ischemia–reperfusion and HO pretreatment. Tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels were measured, and histopathologic damage scored. Results: HO pretreatment significantly decreased tissue MDA levels and histopathologic scores among rats with IR. There was an increased GSH in HO-pretreated rats with IR; however, the difference was not significant. Conclusion: HO prior to ischemia displayed a beneficial effect on renal IR by reducing oxygen radical peroxidation of lipid membranes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Groin hernia may have very unusual sac content. Vermiform appendix, acute appendicitis, ovary, fallopian tube and urinary bladder have been rarely reported. We aimed to present our experience with these unusual hernia contents. Records of 1,950 groin hernia patients were retrospectively analyzed. Vermiform appendix was found in 0.51% and acute appendicitis was found in 0.10% of groin hernia sacs. The incidence of appendix in femoral hernia was 5%, while inguinal hernia sac contained ovary and fallopian tube in 2.9% of the cases. The incidence of groin hernias containing urinary bladder was 0.36%. We also had 1 patient with incarcerated bladder diverticula in an indirect hernia sac. Iatrogenic bladder injury occurred in 2 patients. Although rare, a groin hernia sac may contain vermiform appendix and exceptionally acute appendicitis. Tubal and ovarian herniation in inguinal hernias can be found in adult and perimenopausal women with an incidence as high as in children. Urinary bladder hernia occurs with a similar incidence of tuba-ovarian hernia, however, it requires special attention because of a high risk of iatrogenic bladder injury during the inguinal dissection. Every effort should be made to preserve the organ found in hernia sac for an uneventful postoperative period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor about the effects of plasma fibrinogen levels and D-dimer on hypertensive patients.

Mean platelet volume (MPV), a determinant of platelet function, is a newly emerging risk factor for atherothrombosis. Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) is probably a frequent glycemic disorder in the general population and is considered as a prediabetic state. The present study was designed to evaluate MPV in subjects with IFG compared with diabetic patients and normoglycemic control subjects. We selected 50 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 50 subjects with IFG, and 50 normoglycemic healthy subjects matched for age, gender, and body mass index. MPV was very significantly higher in diabetic and IFG groups than in control group ( p &ThickSpace; &ThickSpace;0.05). Platelet mass was significantly higher in diabetic and IFG groups than in normotensives ( p &ThickSpace; [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the pathological complete response rates in a group of locally advanced rectal cancer patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) after treatment with induction folinic acid and 5-florouracil (FOLFOX) chemotherapy and the relationship between the complete response and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The files of 239 patients who were diagnosed with rectal cancer between January 2008 and January 2012 were evaluated retrospectively. Of these, there were 24 locally advanced rectal cancer patients who met the following criteria: They were administered CRT after receiving four courses induction oxaliplatin, FOLFOX and they underwent PET-CT for staging and for the evaluation of their response to FOLFOX treatment. Of these 24 patients, 20 operable patients were included in the study. RESULTS: The pathological complete response was obtained in seven patients (35%) who were operated on and then given induction four courses FOLFOX chemotherapy and CRT. We determined that age, gender, clinical stage at diagnosis and PET-CT before and after induction chemotherapy were not predictive of the pathological complete response to tumor fluorodeoxyglucose uptake activity. CONCLUSION: The rates of pathological complete response were increased in locally advanced rectal cancer patients who underwent short-term induction chemotherapy. Although the PET-CT has retained its importance in predicting pathological complete response, there is still a need for studies with a larger number of patients and long-term follow-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For years, centers dedicated to hernia surgery have been operating in North America and Europe. However, such centers have not been available to patients in most other countries, including Turkey. In 2006, the first Turkish center devoted to hernia surgery, the “Ankara Hernia Center”, was opened. In this paper, we present general information about the center’s construction, staff, practice, patient profiles, and future goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Gridding artifacts between observations and predefined grid cells strongly influence the local spatial properties of MODIS images. The sensor observation in any grid cell is only partially derived from the location of the cell, with the average overlap between observations and their grid cells being less than 30%. This mismatch between grid cells and observations has strong implications for the use of reference data for the validation of MODIS products or the training of MODIS algorithms. When generating multidate composites, gridding artifacts introduce bias when spectral compositing criteria are used. Also, results indicate that the ability to generate consistent long-term remote sensing records is dependent on both consistent sensing scenarios (spectral bands, view angle distributions, geolocation error) as well as consistent compositing approaches. The band-to-band registration for the different spatial resolutions of gridded MODIS data can be poor if the different resolutions of data are gridded before aggregation. In all cases it is imprecise to characterize the subpixel properties of the coarser resolution bands using the finer resolution bands due to poor correspondence in the areas from which the observations are derived. All of the band-to-band registration problems are minimized when the MODIS data are aggregated to coarser resolutions. When validating algorithm accuracy, available data on the observation dimensions and the offsets between the grid cell and the observation should be included to ensure the quality of validation results. If this information is not available, MODIS data should be aggregated to coarser resolutions to improve the correspondence between the location of observations and grid cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: We present our data comparing retrospectively the efficacy of abiraterone and cabazitaxel in patients who progress after docetaxel treatment.Patients and Methods: The study included 56 patients diagnosed with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer who were previously treated with abiraterone therapy at four oncology centers in Turkey.Results: With abiraterone, the patients had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 5.9 months (95% confidence interval (CI) for hazard ratio (HR) (4.4-7.4)) and an overall survival of 13.4 months (95% CI for HR (5.5-21.3)). When we compared the disease-free survival (DFS) of reference patients treated with cabazitaxel as a second-line treatment with those receiving second-line abiraterone therapy, there was no significant difference. (PFS = 5.9 months with cabazitaxel vs. 6.7 months with abiraterone, P = 0.213).Conclusion: This study has shown that in our experience abiraterone acetate is an effective agent in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) regardless of the line of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Primary adenocarcinoma of the bladder is a very rare disease that is difficult to treat. In this paper, we report the second case in the literature with primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the bladder which showed complete response to FOLFOX4 (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin) chemotherapy regimen. Case Report: A 41-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of primary adenocarcinoma of the bladder. Due to the similarity in histology with colon carcinoma, a FOLFOX4 regimen was started. Complete response was achieved at the end of this treatment. Today the patient is free of local or systemic disease. Conclusion: FOLFOX4 regimen may be a treatment option for primary adenocarcinoma of the bladder. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We tested whether zoledronic acid, a biphosphonate with proposed apoptotic activity, augmented the cytotoxicity of cisplatin and/or gemcitabine in A549 lung cancer cell line. This cell line was subjected to different concentrations of the above chemotherapeutic agents and zoledronic acid. Cytotoxicity was assessed by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrasodium bromide) assay. Particularly, zoledronic acid in 100 micromolar (μM) concentration augmented the cytotoxicity by cisplatin 1μg/ml from 25% to 70% (Z =3.22, P =0.0072). A significant portion of cells underwent apoptosis with or without zoledronic acid, but more so with the combination treatment as assessed by an Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit. However, 100μM zoledronic acid showed 50% cytotoxicity on its own, but failed to improve cytotoxicity by Gemcitabine. Thus, we show for the first time in a lung cancer cell line that zoledronic acid bears cytotoxic potential on its own and in conjunction with cisplatin. The clinical potential of this finding should be further studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is used to treat several cancers. Currently, experience with anti-VEGF treatment for psoriasis is limited, and no published reports on this use exist. We describe a patient with metastatic colon cancer and psoriasis who experienced complete remission of psoriasis during treatment with bevacizumab and combination chemotherapy without any other treatment for psoriasis. These data suggest that bevacizumab may be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]