Search

Enzymatic browning reactions by polyphenol oxidases cause alteration of appearance, flavor and nutritive value of vegetables and fruits. It is one of the important problems for vegetables used as salads and causes lots of economic losses. In this study, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from Eruca sativa was extracted and characterization studies were carried out. Substrate specificity for variable substrates, optimum pH, optimum temperature, effect of different metal ions were assayed. Km and Vmax values were determined as for pyrocatechol Km = 10.24 mM, Vmax = 0.0018 U min-1, catechin; Km = 12.57 mM, Vmax = 0.0012 U min-1, gallic acid; Km = 23.07 mM, Vmax = 0.0001 U min-1. Optimum pH and temperature were determined as pH:7.0 and 20 oC respectively. Effect of various metal ions such as, K+, Fe2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Hg2+ on enzyme activity were measured. K+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ ions inhibited PPO activity significantly. However Fe2+ ion did not inhibit PPO activity.

Apricot pomace (AP) is lignocellulosic agro-industrial waste that could be considered a good source for cellulose-based, value-added compounds. In this study, conditions for cellulose nanocrystals’ (CNCs) extraction from apricot pomace (AP) were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the extraction yield, and the resulting CNC was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmittance Electron Microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The maximum CNC yield (34.56%) was obtained at a sulfuric acid concentration of 9.5 M within 60 min. FTIR analysis showed that noncellulosic components were gradually removed from the pomace. A morphological analysis of the nanocrystal was performed using SEM and TEM. CNCs were in the range of 5–100 µm in diameter and appeared as individual fibers. TGA analysis of the CNC sample revealed good thermal stability around 320°C. The crystalline index (%CI) of the CNC obtained from AP was determined to be 67.2%. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that AP could be considered a sustainable source for value-added compounds such as CNCs to contribute to a circular economy.

In this study, preservice teachers' epistemological beliefs and attitude/knowledge level regarding organ transplantation and donation (OTD) are investigated according to such demographical variables as gender, department and grade level. Teachers play a fundamental role in providing information to children/adolescents and could influence their attitudes. Organ transplantation is a life-saving hope for many people around the world. But, shortage of organs for transplantation is essentially a universal problem. Having positive attitude and true knowledge to the OTD are essential for teachers that affected students the future attitude toward this topic. The research method was descriptive and cross-sectional. The sample of research was 589 preservice teachers (preschool, classroom and science teachers) in a public university in Turkey’s East. Data collection instruments were developed by researchers as valid and reliable questionnaire in order to determine the attitudes and knowledge levels of preservice teachers regarding OTD. In addition, epistemological beliefs scale which adapted to Turkish by Deryakulu and Buyukozturk (2002) was used. The results indicated the high level of knowledge and positive attitudes regarding the OTD and developed epistemological beliefs. In addition, the results of correlation matrix for relationship between attitude/knowledge and epistemological beliefs presents that developed epistemological belief has a positive effect on attitude and knowledge levels. Also, the results showed that there is a low positive relationship between attitude and knowledge level.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon soft tissue sarcoma that originates from the dermis or subcutaneous tissue in the skin. While its prognosis is generally favorable, disease recurrence is relatively frequent. Because morbidity after repeated surgery may be significant, an optimized prediction of recurrence-free survival (RFS) has the potential to improve current management strategies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the Ki-67 proliferation index with respect to RFS in patients with DFSP. We retrospectively analyzed data from 45 patients with DFSP. We calculated the Ki-67 proliferation index as the percentage of immunostained nuclei among the total number of tumor cell nuclei regardless of the intensity of immunostaining. We constructed univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models to identify predictors of RFS. Among the 45 patients included in the study, 8 developed local recurrences and 2 had lung metastases (median follow-up: 95.0 months; range: 5.2−412.4 months). The RFS rates at 60, 120, and 240 months of follow-up were 83.8%, 76.2%, and 65.3%, respectively. The median Ki-67 proliferation index was 14%. Notably, we identified the Ki-67 proliferation index as the only independent predictor for RFS in multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis (hazard ratio = 1.106, 95% confidence interval = 1.019−1.200, p = 0.016). In summary, our results highlight the potential usefulness of the Ki-67 proliferation index for facilitating the identification of patients with DFSP at higher risk of developing disease recurrences.

Abstract The present study aims to evaluate an English Language Teaching (ELT) Program in terms of teacher autonomy development. It attempts to do so by investigating the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) of the program through the framework of European Profile for Language Teacher Education (EPLTE). The paper reports on the research findings from that analysis and the other qualitative analysis using a semi-structured interview conducted with seven teacher educators who have had experience with the ELT program. The results show that the ELT program has covered most of the aspects included in the checklist and the teacher educators shared positive views about the program in terms of autonomy development. They also gave some suggestions about the program and the context of the courses. Keywords: Teacher autonomy, ELT program, European Profile for Language Teacher Education

Copyright of Journal of Management & Economics Research is the property of Journal of Management & Economics Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract  NAD(P)H autofluorescence was used to verify establishment of metabolic anoxia using primary cultures of cortical neurons and astrocytes. Cells on cover slips were placed in a chamber and O2was displaced by continuous infusion of argon. Perfusion with medium at PO2 < 0.4 mm Hg caused an increase in NAD(P)H fluorescence, albeit to levels lower than that obtained with cyanide. Addition of the nitric oxide-generating agent DETA-NO to the hypoxic medium further increased fluorescence to the level with cyanide. Fluorescence under anoxia remained high in the presence of glucose, but declined in neurons and not in astrocytes when glucose was substituted with 2-deoxyglucose. Reoxygenation of neurons resulted in a decline in fluorescence and a loss in fluorescent gradient between fully reduced and fully oxidized (plus respiratory uncoupler). We conclude that (1) DETA-NO is useful for generating metabolic anoxia in the presence of argon (2) Exogenous glucose is necessary to maintain NAD(P)H in a reduced state during metabolic anoxia in neurons but not astrocytes (3) Neurons undergo a partially irreversible decline in NAD(P)H fluorescence during metabolic anoxia and reoxygenation that could contribute to prolonged metabolic failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation / Turkiye Fiziksel Tip ve Rehabilitasyon Dergisi is the property of Turkish Society of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective:Histopathological examination of the liver is the gold standard in the follow-up and treatment of chronic hepatit B vius (HBV) disease. Ishak’s Modified histological activity index (HAI) and fibrosis staging system are usually used in Turkey. Although a common scoring system is used, the same sample can be interpreted differently between different pathologists due to various variables. In this study, the evaluation of liver histopathologies of chronic HBV patients by pathologists in different hospitals and the correlation of the results with each other and the effect on the treatment decision were investigated.Methods:Pathology slides of liver biopsy materials of 10 patients were evaluated by pathologists in 5 different tertiary care hospitals. Using non-parametric statistical methods, the coefficient of agreement between pathologists was determined. Also, descriptive statistics were used to determine the percentage of receiving treatment.Results:Agreement between pathologists was calculated the most in total HAI and Fibrosis score (k=0.8186, k=0.8217). The Kuder-Richardson reliability coefficient among centres was found to be high in the treatment decision (k=0.8207). Although all patients were indicated for treatment according to The European Association for the Study of the Liver 2017 guideline, it was calculated that an average of 58% of the patients could receive treatment according to liver histopathology.Conclusion:Differences in the pathological diagnosis between pathologists in centres may cause delays in chronic hepatitis B patients' access to treatment.

Mucinous adenocarcinoma (MAC) has a worse prognosis than do classical adenocarcinoma. Increased tumor budding (TB) and lower number of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) negatively affect prognosis in classical adenocarcinoma. In this study, we investigated whether TB and TIL values influenced prognosis in patients with MAC. Forty-five patients diagnosed with MAC between 2011 and 2015 were included in the study. TB and TIL values of the patients were re-evaluated. In assessing TIL, lymphocytes that infiltrated the stroma and tumor were evaluated separately. The effects of these findings on the prognostic parameters and the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. The mean follow-up period was 26.07 months (min: 1 max: 82, SD:24.86), OS 28.04 months (min: 1 max: 82 SD:24.81). The results between TB and OS (p = 0.066) and DFS (p = 0.205) were not significant. The relationship between sTIL and OS (p = 0.367) and DFS (p = 0.949) was not significant. The relationship between iTIL and OS (p = 0.502) and DFS (p = 0.870) was not significant. The only significant difference between clinicopathological parameters and TB, sTIL, and iTIL was between grade and TB (p = 0.016). In terms of clinicopathologic parameters, stage with OS (p = 0.008) and DFS (0.016), lymph node metastasis with OS (p = 0.010) and DFS (0.008), LVI (lymph vascular invasion) with OS (p = 0.034) and DFS (p = 0.015), PNI (perineural invasion) and DFS (p = 0.007) was significant. In this study, the effect of TB and TIL on the prognosis of MAC was investigated. We found that these data did not correlate with the prognosis of the tumor and the prognostic parameters (LVI, PNI, lymph node metastasis, stage) in the staging system remained as the gold standard for predicting prognosis. [Med-Science 2019; 8(4.000): 896-900]

Abstract: Purpose:: We aim to determine infections occuring in patients with non-small cell lung cancer during radiotherapy (RT). Methods and materials:: A total of 181 patients had been treated with thoracic radiotherapy between October 1995 and December 1999. Radiotherapy was given using 1.8–3Gray (Gy) fraction daily, five fractions a week for a total dose of 59.4Gy (30–70.2Gy). A complete history was collected retrospectively for each patient. All microbiological examinations were performed according to the routine procedures of the hospital laboratory. Numeric and categoric variables were employed such as sex, age, performance status, histology, stage, chemotherapy, usage of corticosteroids, neutropenia, surgery, hospitalization, associated diseases, smoking during treatment, package per year of cigarette smoking, dose of radiotherapy, and response rates. Results:: Infections developed in 84 patients (46%, 84/181) during thoracic radiotherapy. A 101 episodes of infections developed in these patients. Most patients suffered from sputum production (65%), cough (59%), auscultation findings (31%) and fever (31%). Gram-negative bacteria were the most frequently isolated pathogens in the cultures of specimens (70%, 16/23 samples). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR=4.81; 95% CI, 1.57–9.12; p =0.003) and neutropenia (OR=4.25; 95% CI, 1.44–6.89; p =0.009) were found as risk factors for influencing infection based on logistic regression analyses. Package per year of cigarette smoking was found statistically significantly higher in patients with infections than patients without infections (p =0.001). A slight increase in infections, which was of borderline statistical significance (p =0.07), was observed in patients age over 70. Ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin were the most frequently used agents in treatment. Median survival was 9 months in the patients with infection and 13 months in the 97 patients without infection. Overall survival seemed to be statistically significantly better in patients without infection than patients with infection (p =0.042) calculated using Kaplan–Meier method. Based on Cox regression analyses; overall survival was not correlated to presence of infection but associated with poor performance status (≤80) (OR=2.35; 95% CI, 0.85–8.93; p =0.03), and usage of corticosteroids (OR=2.68; 95% CI, 0.98–6.72; p =0.01). The dose of radiation therapy >5940 cGy (OR=2.06; 95% CI, 0.72–7.18; p =0.007) and the absence of response to treatment (OR=2.45; 95% CI, 0.89–14.23; p &#60;0.001) were also found to be risk factors for survival. Conclusions:: Infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality in lung cancer patients. The control of infection in these patients may improve the survival. Predisposing factors and treatment management approaches in non-small cell lung cancer should be defined carefully. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background/aims: 5-Fluorouracil-based chemoradiotherapy is the most widely used treatment modality in the adjuvant treatment of rectal cancer. Capecitabine represents a valuable alternative to 5-Fluorouracil in this situation., Methodology: Patients with stage II and stage III rectal adenocarcinoma, who were included in this analysis, received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy consisting of external-beam radiotherapy (50.4-54Gy) either with 5-Fluorouracil at a median dose of 300 mg/m2/day by protracted venous infusion for 5 days a week, or capecitabine at a median dose of 1650 mg/m2/day for 5 days a week after surgery. The data concerning the toxicity and the efficacy of the treatments were compared in patients treated with 5-Fluorouracil- and capecitabine-based chemoradiotherapy., Results: Forty-three patients received 5-Fluorouracil, and 24 patients received capecitabine during adjuvant radiotherapy. Although there were no differences between the groups in terms of toxicity rates, distant metastasis-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates; a trend for improved loco-regional recurrence-free survival rate was observed in the capecitabine arm (p = 0.063)., Conclusions: Capecitabine is at least as effective as 5-Fluorouracil in the postoperative treatment of rectal adenocarcinoma. Considering the trend for improved loco-regional recurrence-free survival rate in the capecitabine arm, it seems that the drug exerts better synergy with radiotherapy in this situation.

Aims and Background: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a new treatment approach including induction chemotherapy (CT) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC)., Patients and Methods: Twenty-four patients with LAPC were enrolled in the study. They first received induction CT consisting of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) (500 mg/m2) and gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2), which were given weekly for 3 weeks of every 4. Patients showing a response or disease stabilization after 2 cycles of induction CT received CRT consisting of external beam radiotherapy (50.4-54 Gy in fractions of 1.8 Gy/day) and gemcitabine (350 mg/m2, weekly for 6 weeks). Patients without disease progression received 2 additional cycles of CT consisting of 5FU plus gemcitabine with the same doses and schedule as given in the induction CT., Results: After the end of the study, 2 (8%) and 5 (21%) patients showed complete and partial responses, respectively. Five patients (21%) had disease stabilization. The grade 3 and 4 toxicities associated with CT were neutropenia (21%) and thrombocytopenia (4%). The grade 3 and 4 toxicities occurring in patients who received CRT were neutropenia (24%), thrombocytopenia (24%), diarrhea (18%), and nausea (12%). The median progression-free survival for all patients was 6 months (95% CI, 3.6-8.4), and the median overall survival was 11 months (95% CI, 8.16-13.84)., Conclusions: The CRT approach of this study is moderately active and has an acceptable toxicity profile. However, the incorporation of combination CT into CRT at the present schedule could not produce any additional benefit over CRT alone. Newer agents with more systemic activity are clearly warranted.

Aims and Background: The status of the axillary lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis has been accepted as one of the most important prognostic factors for the overall and disease-free survival of patients with breast cancer. The aim of our study was to determine which factors influence axillary node involvement in invasive breast cancer., Methods: The data presented here were obtained from 344 patients who were treated for invasive breast cancer at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Uludağ University Medical College, Bursa, Turkey. Possible prognostic factors were categorized as patient related and tumor related. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for univariate analysis and logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis., Results: In univariate analysis, a familial cancer history (P = 0.0042), age < 40 years (P = 0.0276), higher T stage (P < 0.0000), nipple involvement (P = 0.0345), skin involvement (P = 0.0270), perineural invasion (P = 0.0231), and lymphatic vessel invasion (P < 0.0000) were correlated with increased axillary node involvement. A higher incidence of > or = 4 involved lymph nodes was associated with higher T stage (P = 0.0004), nipple involvement (P = 0.0292), presence of an extensive intraductal component (P = 0.0023), skin involvement (P = 0.0008), perineural invasion (P = 0.0523), and lymphatic vessel invasion (P < 0.0000) in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, age < 40 years (P = 0.0454), cancer history within the family (P = 0.0024), higher T stage (P = 0.0339), lymphatic vessel invasion (P = 0.0003), and perineural invasion (P = 0.0408) were found to be independent factors for axillary lymph node positivity. Age < 40 years (P = 0.0221), perineural invasion (P = 0.0408), and an extensive intraductal component (P = 0.0132) were associated with an increased incidence of > or = 4 involved nodes in the logistic regression analysis. In patients with breast cancer, the incidence of axillary lymph node involvement was independently influenced by age < 40 years, presence of cancer history within the family, higher T stage, lymphatic vessel invasion, and perineural invasion., Conclusions: In conclusion, absence of familial cancer history, presence of lymphatic vessel invasion, higher T stage, and age below 40 years independently increased the risk of axillary node involvement. Presence of perineural invasion and lymphatic vessel invasion, age below 40, and an extensive intraductal component of more than 25% independently affected the risk of having > or = 4 nodes involved. Patients characterized by these factors may be classified into a higher risk group for nodal involvement, but more data are needed to define factors that can help in the decision-making regarding the omission of axillary treatment.

Acquired lymphangiectasis is a dilatation of lymphatic vessels that can result as a complication of surgical intervention and radiation therapy for malignancy. Acquired lymphangiectasis shares clinical and histological features with the congenital lesion, lymphangioma circumscriptum. Diagnosis and treatment of these vesiculobullous lesions is important because they may be associated with pain, chronic drainage, and cellulitis. We describe patient who had these lesions after treatment for cancer. Although a number of treatment options are available, we have found cryosurgery and electrocautery to be particularly effective.