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Which peculiar uncertainties does democratic erosion (DE) pose to opposition actors? How have these uncertainties influenced the behavior of opposition actors during Turkey's autocratization since the early 2000s? What can we learn from this case regarding the links between DE and opposition behavior? The latter should be treated as an integral part of explaining DE—the gradual decline in the quality of multiple aspects of democracy under popularly elected governments. We argue that a contextual uncertainty, "regime uncertainty" (RU) challenged Turkish opposition actors, compounding the other and related uncertainties they faced such as institutional and strategic uncertainties and affecting their resilience against DE. RU concerns the ambivalence that DE's inherent qualities generate about what the regime is, or is becoming. The resulting intra-opposition divisions and indecisions raise the question of whether the primary context, frame and end of opposition politics should be issue- and party-based competitive politics or defending democracy against an imminent threat. Hence, RU generates recurring rifts over "normal" versus "extraordinary" politics. We analyze the Turkish experience and intra-opposition politics in four sub-periods (nascent DE, consolidation of erosive power, advanced DE, breakdown and post-breakdown opposition experimentation). Turkish opposition actors' RU perceptions and resulting behaviors evolved on highly non-linear paths. We offer novel analytical/theoretical tools and argue that the agency and capacity of oppositions to overcome RU in a country, alongside their ability to surmount other challenges, should be considered an integral part of democratic resilience against erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has changed since our last review of recent advances in neuro-otology 7 years ago. Unfortunately there are still not many practising neuro-otologists, so that most patients with vestibular problems need, in the first instance, to be evaluated and treated by neurologists whose special expertise is not neuro-otology. The areas we consider here are mostly those that almost any neurologist should be able to start managing: acute spontaneous vertigo in the Emergency Room—is it vestibular neuritis or posterior circulation stroke; recurrent spontaneous vertigo in the office—is it vestibular migraine or Meniere's disease and the most common vestibular problem of all—benign positional vertigo. Finally we consider the future: long-term vestibular monitoring and the impact of machine learning on vestibular diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertigo attacks lasted longer in VM patients than in MDO and in MDM patients and headaches lasted longer during vertigo attacks in VM than in MDM patients. There were no significant age or gender differences between MD and VM patients, but MD patients had a significantly longer history of vertigo attacks than VM patients ( I p i < 0.001). Vertigo attacks were more severe both in our MDO and MDM patients than in our VM patients, suggesting that MD and migraine, both occuring in one patient, amplifies vertigo severity. Dear Sirs, Menière Disease (MD) and Vestibular migraine (VM) both cause recurrent vertigo attacks. [Extracted from the article]

Nowadays, textile waste arising from increasing clothing production, consumption, and disposal activities has led to environmental, social, and economic sustainability problems. Encouraging sustainable clothing disposal methods that extend the useful life of products is an effective way to deal with textile waste. One of the most sustainable clothing disposal methods is social recycling, which entails giving away unused products by allowing other consumers to obtain them for free. Thus, this study aims to investigate the motivations affecting the consumers' social recycling behaviors in Turkey. In this context, online and offline surveys were conducted on 478 participants and analyzed utilizing structural equation modeling. The findings show that altruism, the warm glow of giving, and social benefits influenced social recycling behavior, while environmentalism had no effect. These results support the social exchange theory which proposes that both other-oriented and self-serving motivations affect behavior. One of the most crucial findings of the study is that the warm glow of giving has a mediating effect between altruism and social recycling behavior. This research is also important in terms of revealing that women engage in more social recycling behavior than men. The findings have important implications for practitioners and researchers interested in sustainable clothing disposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, activated carbon (AC) obtained with apple peel was used for removal of Neutral Red (NR) from aqueous solutions. The characterization of AC was evaluated with the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) analyses. Isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic parameters were determined for NR removal with AC. Eighteen isotherm models and eight kinetic models were analyzed for three temperatures and six initial dye concentrations. The experimental data best agree with the Langmuir model among the isotherm models, and the maximum adsorption capacity (qm) was calculated 142.857 mg/g at 318 K. It was determined that the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model was the best choice among the kinetic models with the highest correlation coefficients. The removal percentage of NR dye with AC obtained 82.13%, 84.79%, and 87.20% for 120 mg/L initial dye concentration at 298 K, 308 K, and 318 K, respectively. The negative free energy, enthalpy, and entropy values of adsorption obtained − 6386 J/mol, 46280 J/mol, and 165.48 J/mol.K for 20 mg/L NR concentration at 318 K, respectively. The results of this separation process shown spontaneous essence, and workability coinciding with the negative free energy and activation energy was found 13.651 kJ/mol. The assessment of the isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic results were evaluated with error functions. The highest correlation coefficient (R2) values and the lowest sum of squares (SS), sum of the square of error (SE), and mean square of error (MSE) values were determined with Langmuir isotherm and PSO kinetic models. This research showed that AC prepared from biomass can be used effectively for wastewater treatment using adsorption technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the prevalence of DFNB1 mutations containing GJB2 (connexin 26) genes with deletion 35delG mutation in congenital hearing loss, and to analyze this gene according to regional differences based on geographic and socio-economic relations in Turkish patients in Istanbul. Our study includes 51 unrelated children with non-syndromic sensorineural hearing impairment with the proof of clinical ABR results. Molecular studies were performed using PCR- Mediated Site-Directed Mutagenesis assay, PCR and direct sequencing to screen for GJB2 and 35delG mutations. Genomic DNA is obtained from the peripheral blood which is taken using a Qiagen DNA isolation kit. GJB2-35delG mutations were found in 25.5% of the patients; 19.6% were homozygous, 5.8% were heterozygous. The ratio of 35delG mutation detected in the children of families with consanguineous marriages and not; were 18.5% (n = 5) and 33.3% (n = 8) of cases respectively. The 35delG mutations in the patients whose father and mother were both from the Black Sea region were 43.18% (n = 19). Our results show that 35delG mutation is at a high frequency in our country, although it is more common in children of parents from the Black Sea region. Screening for the 35delG mutation in the GJB2 gene is the best choice for early diagnosis and emergency response plans for treatment and rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, pinecone sawdust (PCS) performance was investigated for Basic Red 46 (BR 46) dye adsorption from aqueous solutions. The physicochemical and morphological characterization of PCS before and after BR 46 adsorption were evaluated with the help of Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. Effects of initial dye concentration, temperature and contact time were determined for BR 46 adsorption. Seventeen equilibrium isotherm models and eight kinetic models were compared at 298 K, 308 K and 318 K temperatures for five different concentrations which varied from 20 to 60 mg/L. The obtained adsorption data best-fit the Freundlich model among all the applied isotherm models, and the maximum adsorption capacity (qm) was calculated as 129.87 mg/g at 298 K. The pseudo-second-order model was the best choice to describe the adsorption behavior among all the applied kinetic models. The removal percentage of BR 46 dye with PCS was 74.52% at 318 K for 60 mg/L concentration. The negative free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) values of adsorption were calculated as − 2837 kJ/mol, 18,898 kJ/mol and 68.51 J/mol K, respectively. This adsorption process was spontaneous and favorable, coinciding with the negative free energy. The activation energy (EA) value of this process was determined with the Arrhenius equation as 19.92 kJ/mol. The reliability of all results was analyzed statistically and evaluated with correlation coefficient (R2), sum of squares, sum of the square of error and mean square of error values. As a result of this study, PCS can be used effectively for BR 46 dye removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of an individualized vestibular rehabilitation (VR) program on balance and gait performance and on self-perceived handicap in a group of vestibular migraine (VM) patients with associated anxiety. Methods: An 8-week prospective clinical trial of a VR program was conducted on 74 VM patients. The effects were evaluated with the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration in Balance (mCTSIB), the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) before and after VR. The Panic Agoraphobic Spectrum Self-Report version (PAS-SR) was used to assess the patients' level of anxiety. Results: DGI and DHI parameters significantly improved after VR (p < 0.05). The fall rates of mCTSIB were significantly decreased on foam with eyes closed (chi-square: 4.934, p = 0.026), and on foam with head back and eyes closed (chi-square: 7.451, p = 0.006). Forty-three (58.1%) of 74 VM patients had panic-anxiety complaints in terms of PAS scores (a score of > 46 points indicates the presence of anxiety). Balance and gait performance as measured by DGI (p = 0.000), DHI (p = 0.000), and mCTSIB (p < 0.05) improved significantly after VR in both groups of VM patients: those with and without anxiety complaints (PAS scores > 46 points and < 46 points, respectively). Conclusion: Even VM patients with anxiety complaints benefited from vestibular exercises, and their imbalance complaints and perceived levels of handicap/disability improved. Individual specific vestibular exercises created with a clinical decision-making process provide functional improvement through vestibular compensation mechanisms. VR should be included in the treatment programs of VM patients with either high or low anxiety levels to improve vestibular function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents survey on various techniques used to classify plants and its disease. Classification is concerned with classifying each sample into different classes. Classification is a method of separating a healthy and diseased leaf on its morphological features such as texture, color, shape, pattern and so on. Due to resemblance in the visual properties among plants, sorting and classification are complicated to carry out especially in large area. There are various methods based on image processing techniques and computer vision. Choosing the suitable classification technique is quite difficult as the result varies on different input data. Classification of leaf diseases in plants has wide applications in different fields such as agriculture and biological research. This paper provides a general idea of few existing methods, its pros and cons, state of art of different techniques used by several authors in leaf disease identification and classification such as preprocessing techniques, feature extraction and selection techniques, datasets used, classifiers and performance metrics. Apart from these some challenges and research gaps are identified and their probable solutions are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents survey on various techniques used to classify plants and its disease. Classification is concerned with classifying each sample into different classes. Classification is a method of separating a healthy and diseased leaf on its morphological features such as texture, color, shape, pattern and so on. Due to resemblance in the visual properties among plants, sorting and classification are complicated to carry out especially in large area. There are various methods based on image processing techniques and computer vision. Choosing the suitable classification technique is quite difficult as the result varies on different input data. Classification of leaf diseases in plants has wide applications in different fields such as agriculture and biological research. This paper provides a general idea of few existing methods, its pros and cons, state of art of different techniques used by several authors in leaf disease identification and classification such as preprocessing techniques, feature extraction and selection techniques, datasets used, classifiers and performance metrics. Apart from these some challenges and research gaps are identified and their probable solutions are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our study, medium conditions were optimized for percent chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction and drug removal from diclofenac sodium (DFS) solutions. Response surface methodology/central composite design was used for optimization. A. Campestris/Amberlite Styrene–divinylbenzene (XAD-4) biocomposite material was used as adsorbent. Four independent parameters (pH, initial concentration, interaction time and adsorbent amount) were chosen to optimize both % COD reduction and DFS removal. As a result of experiments, maximum 77% COD reduction and maximum 98% DFS removal were obtained at 4 pH, 225 mg/L initial concentration, 36 min and 0.69 adsorbent amount. Scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy devices were used for characterization of adsorbent material. To identify the isotherm for the adsorption mechanism, the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Harkins–Jura isotherm equations were examined. The Freundlich isotherm had 96.2% regression coefficient (R2) and was linear, so had better fit compared to the other equations and the adsorption mechanism abided by the Freundlich isotherm. The results show that statistical optimization design was successfully applied to experiments and A. Campestris/Amberlite XAD-4 is an appropriate biocomposite adsorbent with specific affinity for % COD reduction and removal of DFS from aqueous solutions under optimal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vestibular migraine (VM) is one of the most common causes of vertigo in clinical practice but it is not always easy to make the correct diagnosis. Our aims were to find out how VM patients differ from migraine only (MO) patients, to evaluate co-morbid depression in these two groups and to determine if their disease has an effect on their quality of life. Methods: We studied 50 definite VM and 35 MO patients. Each patient was asked about: age of onset, duration of headaches, presence of aura, headache characteristics, triggering factors, associated features, motion sickness history and family history of migraine. VM patients were also asked about their vertigo attacks and accompanying symptoms. Each patient also completed the following questionnaires: (1) Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS); (2) headache severity with VAS (Visual Analog Scale); (3) Allodynia Symptom Checklist (ASC-12); (4) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); (5) World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire Short Form-12 (WHOQL-SF12); (6) Activities Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC). VM patients also completed the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI). Results: We found that VM patients were more likely than MO patients to be female, post-menopausal, depressed, motion sick, complaining of imbalance and of food-triggered headaches. In contrast, MO patients were more likely than VM patients to have severe headaches and that these can be triggered by certain odors and by noise. Conclusion: Our findings showed differences between VM and MO patients and attention to these differences could help clinicians diagnose, characterize and manage their VM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low signal-to-noise ratio is a characteristic feature of NMR experiments in the Earth's magnetic field. The main problem of such studies is the ineffectiveness of signal accumulation due to fluctuations of the Earth's magnetic field because of magnetic interferences from laboratory equipment and other magnetic field sources. Taking into account the fact that generally in the Earth's magnetic field, proton-containing liquids have spectra with a strong central line, a relatively simple method has been developed to neutralize the influence of Larmor frequency fluctuations. The NMR signal processing algorithm is described. The home-built NMR-equipment allows us to clearly register the splitting in proton spectra, for example, due to the J-interaction with such nuclei as 29Si or 13C at their natural abundance (4.7 and 1.1%, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The careless activity of drivers in logistics transportation is a primary reason inside the vehicle during road accidents. This research aims to reduce the number of accidents caused by a failure of the driver in logistics transportation by incorporating an autonomous system. We propose a convolutional neural network -based architecture to recognize and classify different positions which cause road accidents. The proposed system is evaluated with the State Farm Distracted Driver Database, which included examples illustrating ten different driving positions like reaching behind and talking to the passenger, making up, safe driving, talking on the phone, clothing, checking right/left hand, right/left hand, and running the radio. The proposed approach has also been tested against recent algorithms and evaluated. Our model has obtained 98.98% accuracy compared to other types of approaches with different descriptors and classification techniques [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) based on clinical findings supported by genetic mutation. Recently, the new Eurofever/PRINTO classification criteria including genetic analysis were established. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of the new criteria in FMF patients with a single exon 10 mutation in childhood. The study group consisted of FMF patients who had a single exon 10 mutation in a referral center in Turkey. Patients with periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome were included as a control group. The medical charts of all patients were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 106 FMF patients (59 boys) were enrolled in the study group. The median age at first symptom was 5; the median age at diagnosis was 7 years. The mean follow-up was 33 ± 35.4 months. Majority of the patients (n = 58, 54.7%) had heterozygous M694V, 16 (15%) patients had M694V/E148Q and 13 (13.8%) patients had heterozygous M680I mutation. The sensitivity of the Yalcinkaya-Ozen criteria was 98.1% and it was 97.1% for the Eurofever/PRINTO classification criteria. The specificity of the new Eurofever/PRINTO classification criteria was 96.7% and it was 74.1% for the Yalcinkaya-Ozen criteria. The new Eurofever/PRINTO classification criteria have a good sensitivity as the Yalcinkaya-Ozen criteria in patients with a single exon 10 mutation. Additionaly, the new criteria have better specificity. It should be useful to apply the clinical only criteria where the carrier rate is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are being reported to have manifestations of hyperinflammatory states and/or Kawasaki-like disease. In this study, we investigated children with typical and atypical Kawasaki disease (KD) likely to be associated with COVID-19. We have reported four children with Kawasaki-like disease probably associated with COVID-19. The clinical features were consistent with incomplete KD in three patients. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR was positive in one and the serology was positive in one patient with negative RT-PCR. Corticosteroids, anakinra, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and acetylsalicylic acid were used in the treatment. Three patients recovered after the treatment while one patient died. The literature review revealed 36 articles describing 320 children with Kawasaki-like disease associated with COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR was negative in 120 (65.5%) of 183 patients while the serology was positive in 130 (83.8%) of 155 patients. The therapeutic options have included IVIG, acetylsalicylic acid, tocilizumab, anakinra, enoxaparin, and methylprednisolone. Pediatric COVID-19 cases may present with atypical/incomplete Kawasaki-like disease. Thus, pediatricians need to be aware of such atypical presentations resembling KD for early diagnosis of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Some reports have described arterial hypertension (AH) in patients treated by serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressants. The mechanism remains discussed, some authors suggesting a role of SERT (SERotonin Transporter) inhibition whereas others discussing NET (NorEpinephrine Transporter) involvement. The present study used the pharmacoepidemiological-pharmacodynamic (PE-PD) method to investigate the role of these transporters in SRI- and SNRI-induced AH. Methods: The study involved two successive approaches: first, a PE study (disproportionality analysis) investigating in VigiBase®, the World Health Organization Individual Case safety Report (ICSR) database, the relationships between exposure to SRI AND SNRI, and reports of AH. The primary analysis compared patients receiving one SRI (or one SNRI) with non-users. Secondary analyses were performed according to the pharmacological classes. Results are expressed as reporting odds ratios (ROR) with 95% CI and information component (IC), an indicator for disproportionate Bayesian reporting. Second, we performed a PD study using linear regression analyses to explore the association between the AH signal and binding affinities for NET and SERT (expressed as their pKi ratio) of SRIs and SNRIs. Results: A significant ROR value was found for each individual SRI (except fluvoxamine) and each individual SNRI. ROR values were also significant for SRIs and SNRIs in general with higher values for SNRIs than for SRIs. Similar trends were found using IC. A significant correlation was found between the signal of AH and the NET/SERT pKi ratio (y = 6.57x – 2.55, R2 = 0.68, Pearson coefficient correlation = 0.82). Conclusion: The present study found a positive association between the NET/SERT pKi ratio and the occurrence of arterial hypertension with SRI and SNRI antidepressants. These results are important for the selection of antidepressants in hypertensive and/or at risk depressive patients as well as for future development of antidepressants devoid of hypertensive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Neuroinflammation represents one of the two major pathological components of multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of our study was to find the role of the late pro-inflammatory cytokine HMGB1 (high mobility group box) in MS pathogenesis.Subjects and Methods: A total of 165 patients from three MS centers in Slovakia were enrolled in the study. Patients underwent a complex clinical investigation and their plasma levels of HMGB1 were analyzed by a sandwich ELISA test.Results: MS patients had 4.5 times higher plasma level of HMGB1 (median, 13.529 ng/mL; IQR = 2.330-113.45) than healthy controls (median, 2.999 ng/mL; IQR = 1.686-9.844; P < 0.0001). The concentrations of HMGB1 were significantly associated with increased number of affected areas diagnosed by MRI (P < 0.0001) (the median for one affected area, 4.205 ng/mL; median for five affected areas, 17.843 ng/mL; P < 0.05). Patients with at least one active lesion in any of the affected areas in the brain had significantly higher plasma levels of HMGB1 (median, 20.118 ng/mL; IQR, 3.693-100.12) than those without any active lesion (median, 16.695 ng/mL; IQR, 3.255-113.45; P < 0.0235). We found also a very highly significant association of HMGB1 plasma levels with clinical condition expressed as EDSS (expanded disability status scale) (P < 0.0001); patients with higher EDSS had higher levels of HMGB1 (EDSS ≤ 2.5, 11.648 ng/mL vs. EDSS ≥ 3, 17.549 ng/mL; P = 0.0115).Conclusion: Our results suggest chronic low-grade inflammation in MS patients that correlates with clinical conditions of MS patients, and for HMGB1 as a possible target molecule in future therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the frequency of MEFV gene mutations in children with Henoch–Schönlein purpura who had no prior familial Mediterranean fever diagnosis and to evaluate the association of MEFV mutations with the clinical and laboratory features of Henoch–Schönlein purpura. Methods: Data of 1120 patients diagnosed with Henoch–Schönlein purpura were reviewed retrospectively. The spectrum and degree of organ involvement and acute phase reactant levels were documented for each patient. Blood for MEFV gene mutation analysis was obtained either at the time of the Henoch–Schönlein purpura diagnosis or during follow-up visits. Pathological specimens of patients who underwent biopsy (renal/skin) were evaluated with special consideration for immunofluorescent examinations. Results: Two hundred and thirty-eight (21.3%) patients were found to have one of the MEFV mutations in which exon 10 mutations were the most common (16.7%). Abdominal pain, joint involvement, scrotal involvement, and relapse were more frequent, and acute-phase reactant levels were significantly high in patients with MEFV mutations. More severe characteristics were observed in the presence of homozygous exon 10 mutations. There was no significant association between exon 2 variants and clinical course of Henoch–Schönlein purpura. Patients carrying MEFV mutations did not have significantly higher levels of IgA deposits in the biopsy materials. Conclusion: Henoch–Schönlein purpura in patients with homozygous exon 10 MEFV mutations seems to be more severe than that in patients carrying other mutations. In patients with exon 10 MEFV mutations, Henoch–Schönlein purpura might be considered as an associated presentation of familial Mediterranean fever rather than a separate clinical entity. Key points • p.M694V mutation is more common in Henoch–Schönlein purpura than in the general population. • p.E148Q variants have no impact on clinical symptoms and laboratory findings in Henoch–Schönlein purpura patients. • The majority of Henoch–Schönlein purpura patients with familial Mediterranean fever have no IgA deposits. • Henoch–Schönlein purpura in familial Mediterranean fever patients may be considered as an integral clinical feature of familial Mediterranean fever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some studies have been showed that electromechanical delay, which may pose an increased tendency to atrial fibrillation, may prolong in patients with various clinical conditions. In addition, the electromechanical delay in patients with secundum type atrial septal defect (ASD) compared to healthy people have been reported previously. Therefore, in the present study, we prospectively evaluated the mid-term and long-term effects of the transcatheter closure of secundum type ASD on the lateral atrial conduction time (PA), septal PA, tricuspid PA, left and right intra-atrial electromechanical delay (ILeft-EMD and IRight-EMD, respectively) and inter-atrial electromechanical delay (IA-EMD) measured by means of Doppler echocardiography. Our prospective study included a total of 45 secundum type ASD patients who undergone percutaneous transcatheter closure from December 2012 to April 2015. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before the closure, at sixth and twelfth months after the closure. In comparison of the EMD sixth months after the device closure, there were statistically significant decrease in lateral PA, septal PA, tricuspid PA, ILeft-EMD, IRight-EMD and IA-EMD compared to pre-device closure values. Twelfth months after the device closure, we also observed statistically significant decrease in lateral PA, septal PA, tricuspid PA, ILeft-EMD, IRight-EMD and IA-EMD compared to 6-month post-device closure values. In the present study, we observed that the atrial EMD improves after device closure and continues to improve after twelfth month following post-device closure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance imaging is well known as a highly effective technique of medical visualization. One of its relatively new approaches is diffusion imaging. As a rule, the majority of magnetic resonance investigations in biology and medicine tends to be carried out in high magnetic fields (1.5 T and higher), but there are some advantages of the same experiments in low magnetic fields. It can be strongly useful, for example, for designing and testing new pulse sequences, training operators of magnetic resonance imagers, making new phantoms (model objects). In this study, diffusion-weighted imaging experiments in a low magnetic field 7 mT are performed in the first time. Nevertheless, this field is about two orders of magnitude bigger than an extremely low Earth field, and so concomitant gradients and polarization problems do not arise. In particular, diffusion weighted images of combined model samples (phantoms) are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of concomitant magnetic fields emerging in conjunction with encoding gradients, which is important in the process of the magnetic resonance imaging in low fields, has been considered. The manifestations of concomitant magnetic fields in a concrete gradient system, namely in the system of two coaxial gradient coils, have been thoroughly analyzed. It has been suggested to improve the gradient system via optimization of the interspace between coils on the basis of the standard criterion of the minimum of root-mean-square deviation of the encoding field dependence from a linear one. It has been shown that the optimal interspace is not the Maxwell condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is widely used for studying the liquid and solid compounds. NMR in low fields is one of the promising methods for the detection of liquid explosives and hazardous compounds. The attractiveness of low magnetic fields for solving this problem is in the low cost of the devices themselves and of their operation, and the relatively low-energy inputs for the maintenance of the magnetic field. In this work, the prospects of the application of a magnetic resonance imaging system with the low magnetic field induction for the operative differentiation of the type of the liquid were discussed. On the basis of the above study, it is possible to state that the methodology of the detection of liquid explosive and hazardous compounds using NMR in low and ultra-low fields can be elaborated and successfully introduced for providing security in crowded places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study is to determine whether benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS) modifies the risk of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Female patients fulfilling the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) diagnostic criteria for FM were included into the study. Joint hypermobility and BJHS were assessed using Beighton's scoring system and Brighton criteria, respectively. Echocardiograpic evaluation was performed in order to test the presence of MVP. Of the 75 female FM patients, 68.0 % ( n = 51) and 20.0 % ( n = 15) were diagnosed with BJHS and MVP, respectively. The frequencies of both MVP and BJHS seemed higher than the general population prevalence ( p = 0.000 for both). The frequency of MVP was significantly higher in patients with BJHS than that in patients without BJHS ( p = 0.028). In addition, BJHS was found to increase the risk of MVP approximately ninefold [odds ratio (OR) 8.7, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.1-70.7]. As a result, BJHS and MVP are both common in female patients with FM. Moreover, among the female patients with FM, those with BJHS are about nine times more prone to MVP than those without BJHS. Cardiologic assessment might be added to the routine follow-up strategies in FM patients with BJHS in order to exclude the cardiac pathologies, especially MVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on medical topics including post stroke dementia, aging and dementia and cerebrovascular disease as presented in symposia, oral and poster presentations during the Joint Congress of European Neurology on May 31-June 3, 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17 by Th17 cells and other cells of the immune system protects the host against bacterial and fungal infections, but also promotes the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Several biologicals targeting IL-17, the IL-17 receptor, or IL-17-related pathways are being tested in clinical trials, and might ultimately lead to better treatment for patients suffering from various IL-17-mediated disorders. In this review, we provide a clear overview of current knowledge on Th17 cell regulation and the main Th17 effector cytokines in relation to IL-17-mediated conditions, as well as on recent IL-17-related drug developments. We demonstrate that targeting the Th17 pathway is a promising treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and various other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, improvements in technical developments assisting in the identification of patients suffering from IL-17-driven disease are needed to enable the application of tailor-made, personalized medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pH- and temperature-responsive pentablock copolymers that could form in situ hydrogels, composed of pH-responsive polyamide and temperature-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL-b-PEG-b-PCL), have been synthesized. The pH-responsive polyamide blocks containing diamide linkages were synthesized using condensation polymerization of adipic acid dihydrazide and phthalic anhydride; whereas, temperature-responsive PCL-b-PEG-b-PCL was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone in the presence of bifunctional PEG macroinitiator. Pentablock copolymer was then synthesized by the chemical conjugation of carboxylic acid-terminated pH-responsive copolymer to the chain end of temperature-responsive triblock copolymer through ester bond formation. The pKa values of pH-sensitive polyamide, measured using titration method, varied depending on the average molecular weight of polymers. In aqueous solutions, the pentablock and triblock copolymers formed spherical micelles and their particle sizes were found to be 55 to 100 nm. The pentablock copolymer exhibited pH- and temperature-induced sol-to-gel phase transition. At high pH and low temperature, the copolymers were freely soluble even at 20 wt% concentration and form stable hydrogel at the physiological condition (pH 7.4, 37 °C). Furthermore, the sol-to-gel window of the pentablock copolymers was controlled by varying the composition of polyamide to PCL/PEG and covers the physiological region. Overall, these results suggest that the sharp physicochemical change of the pentablock copolymers may be exploited in controlled delivery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]