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Based on the entropy-area relation from Nouicer's generalised uncertainty principle (GUP), we derive the GUP modified Friedmann equations from the first law of thermodynamics at apparent horizon. We find a minimum apparent horizon due to the minimal length notion of GUP. We show that the energy density of universe has a maximum and finite value at the minimum apparent horizon. Both minimum apparent horizon and maximum energy density imply the absence of the Big Bang singularity. Moreover, we investigate the GUP effects on the deceleration parameter for flat case. Finally, we examine the validity of generalised second law (GSL) of thermodynamics. We show that GSL always holds in a region enclosed by apparent horizon for the GUP effects. We also investigate the GSL in ΛCDM cosmology and find that the total entropy change of universe has a maximum value in the presence of GUP effects. To better grasp the effects of Nouicer's GUP on cosmology, we compare our results with those obtained from quadratic GUP (QGUP).

Sodium iodide symporter (NIS) gene transfer for active accumulation of iodide in tumor cells is a powerful theranostic strategy facilitating both diagnostic and therapeutic application of radioiodide. In glioblastoma (GBM), the blood-brain barrier (BBB) presents an additional delivery barrier for nucleic acid nanoparticles. In the present study, we designed dual-targeted NIS plasmid DNA complexes containing targeting ligands for the transferrin receptor (TfR) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), thus providing the potential for active transport across the BBB followed by targeting of tumor cells. In vitro 125I transfection studies confirmed TfR- and EGFR-dependent transfection efficiency and NIS-specific iodide uptake of dual-targeted polyplexes. In vivo gene transfer in mice bearing orthotopic U87 GBM xenografts was assessed at 48 h after intravenous polyplex injection by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using 18F-labeled tetrafluoroborate (TFB) as tracer. The tumoral 18F-TFB uptake of mice treated with dual-targeted polyplexes (0.56% ± 0.08% ID/mL) was significantly higher compared with mice treated with EGFR-mono-targeted (0.33% ± 0.03% ID/mL) or TfR-mono-targeted (0.27% ± 0.04% ID/mL) polyplexes. In therapy studies, application of 131I induced a superior therapeutic effect of the dual-targeted therapy, demonstrated by a significant delay in tumor growth and prolonged survival.

The Coronavirus disease is quickly spreading all over the world and the emergency situation is still out of control. Latest achievements of deep learning algorithms suggest the use of deep Convolutional Neural Network to implement a computer-aided diagnostic system for automatic classification of COVID-19 CT images. In this paper, we propose to employ a feature-wise attention layer in order to enhance the discriminative features obtained by convolutional networks. Moreover, the original performance of the network has been improved using the mixup data augmentation technique. This work compares the proposed attention-based model against the stacked attention networks, and traditional versus mixup data augmentation approaches. We deduced that feature-wise attention extension, while outperforming the stacked attention variants, achieves remarkable improvements over the baseline convolutional neural networks. That is, ResNet50 architecture extended with a feature-wise attention layer obtained 95.57% accuracy score, which, to best of our knowledge, fixes the state-of-the-art in the challenging COVID-CT dataset.

Background: We aimed to investigate the extent to which ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) is used as a bridging or definitive therapy for grade II and III acute cholecystitis and whether this treatment causes significant changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) and direct bilirubin (DB) levels in the first 72 h and the first three weeks. Methods: We included 145 consecutive patients who underwent PC over 17 years. No patient had cirrhosis. PC was performed in the interventional radiology department under US guidance. Results: US-guided PC was the definitive treatment for more than half of the patients (51.7%) and decreased DB levels significantly more than CRP levels. Conclusion: No statistically significant correlation between those whose CRP and DB levels normalized within three weeks and those who did not and required a second invasive procedure. Nevertheless, the bridging treatment group was significantly older than the definitive treatment group.

In this paper, we investigate the phase transitions of Reissner-Nordström (RN) and Schwarzschild black holes for the extended uncertainty principle (EUP) framework. Considering temperature T, charge Q and electric potential Φ as the state parameters, we show the van der Waals (vdW) like phase transition of RN black hole in Q−Φ diagrams and find the critical points depending on EUP parameter α. Furthermore, we find Hawking-Page like phase transition for Schwarzschild black hole. The results imply that the black holes in asymptotically flat space have the similar phase structure with the black holes in anti-de Sitter (AdS) space.

Background: Infraclavicular brachial plexus nerve block is a commonly performed anesthesiology technique in the upper extremity. Local anesthetics may be administered at different temperatures for both neuraxial and peripheral nerve blocks. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the temperature of the local anesthetic at the time of administration on the onset and duration of sensory and motor blocks in infraclavicular brachial plexus nerve block. Methods: A total of 80 patients undergoing elective upper extremity surgery were randomly assigned to one of the following groups using a computer-based randomization software; low temperature (4 °C) (Group L, n = 26), room temperature (25 °C) (Group R, n = 27) and warmed (37 °C) (Group W, n = 27). A 1:1 mixture of 2% lidocaine and 0.5% bupivacaine was used as local anesthetic. Infraclavicular brachial plexus nerve block was performed under ultrasound guidance in all patients preoperatively. The onset and duration of sensory and motor blocks were recorded. Results: Each group had different onset of motor (p

In this paper, alternative advanced combustion methods were investigated by conducting experiments at common operation condition (2000 rpm, 6.6 mg fuelling) of EURO-5 capable 1.5-liter diesel engine under NEDC. Single and double injection configurations of 6.6 mg at 2000 rpm were studied by adjusting SOI and EGR with pure diesel and biodiesel blended diesel. Power, NOx, Opacity, Start of Combustion and combustion data of the studied points were compared with the original condition of the 1.5 L diesel engine of the Ford Fiesta. Adjusting SOI and EGR for double injection configuration allowed reducing NOx emission from 65 ppm to 29 ppm and Opacity emission 1.2% to 0.2%. Utilization of biodiesel at single injection configuration reduced power almost 4% compared to pure diesel. More than 15% increase was observed for NOx emission, while opacity emission reduced 20% with biodiesel blended diesel compared to pure diesel. Although addition of biodiesel worsen the power, proposed advanced combustion method with pure diesel improve opacity, NOx and power compared to original condition of the engine.

In this letter we investigate the throttling process of the charged Anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes in the rainbow gravity. In the extended phase space of these black holes, the cosmological constant plays the role of a varying thermodynamic pressure and the black hole mass is identified with the thermodynamic enthalpy. We derive exact expressions for the Joule-Thomson coefficient and the inversion temperature in terms of black hole parameters and constants of rainbow gravity analytically, and then perform a numerical analysis for the isenthalpic and inversion curves of charged AdS black holes. Our calculations show all quantities are sensitive to rainbow parameter η. We also discuss the isenthalpic curves for different values of the black hole mass.

Background: Circulating miRNAs are known to play important roles in intercellular communication. However, the effects of exosomal miRNAs on cells are not fully understood. Methods: To investigate the role of exosomal miR-1246 in ovarian cancer (OC) microenvironment, we performed RPPA as well as many other in vitro functional assays in ovarian cancer cells (sensitive; HeyA8, Skov3ip1, A2780 and chemoresistant; HeyA8-MDR, Skov3-TR, A2780-CP20). Therapeutic effect of miR-1246 inhibitor treatment was tested in OC animal model. We showed the effect of OC exosomal miR-1246 uptake on macrophages by co-culture experiments. Findings: Substantial expression of oncogenic miR-1246 OC exosomes was found. We showed that Cav1 gene, which is the direct target of miR-1246, is involved in the process of exosomal transfer. A significantly worse overall prognosis were found for OC patients with high miR-1246 and low Cav1 expression based on TCGA data. miR-1246 expression were significantly higher in paclitaxel-resistant OC exosomes than in their sensitive counterparts. Overexpression of Cav1 and anti-miR-1246 treatment significantly sensitized OC cells to paclitaxel. We showed that Cav1 and multi drug resistance (MDR) gene is involved in the process of exosomal transfer. Our proteomic approach also revealed that miR-1246 inhibits Cav1 and acts through PDGFβ receptor at the recipient cells to inhibit cell proliferation. miR-1246 inhibitor treatment in combination with chemotherapy led to reduced tumor burden in vivo. Finally, we demonstrated that when OC cells are co-cultured with macrophages, they are capable of transferring their oncogenic miR-1246 to M2-type macrophages, but not M0-type macrophages. Interpretation: Our results suggest that cancer exosomes may contribute to oncogenesis by manipulating neighboring infiltrating immune cells. This study provide a new mechanistic therapeutic approach to overcome chemoresistance and tumor progression through exosomal miR-1246 in OC patients. Keywords: Exosome, oncomiR, miR-1246, Ovarian cancer, Cav1, P-gp

This paper is based on the study of the paper of Scardigli and Casadio (2015) [56] where the authors computed the light deflection and perihelion precession for the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) modified Schwarzschild metric. In the present work, we computed the gravitational tests such as Shapiro time delay, gravitational redshift, and geodetic precession for the GUP modified Schwarzschild metric. Using the results of Solar system experiments and observations, we obtain upper bounds for the GUP parameter β. Finally, we compare our bounds with other bounds in the literature.

The intelligent transportation system (ITS) offers a wide range of applications related to traffic management, which often require high data rate and low latency. The ubiquitous coverage and advancements of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology have made it possible to achieve these requirements and to enable broadband applications for vehicular users. In this paper, we perform field trial measurements in various different commercial LTE networks using software defined radios (SDRs) and report our findings. First, we provide a detailed tutorial overview on how to post-process SDR measurements for decoding broadcast channels and reference signal measurements from LTE networks. We subsequently describe the details of our measurement campaigns in urban, sub-urban, and rural environments. Based on these measurements, we report joint distributions of base station density, cellular coverage, link strength, disconnected vehicle duration, and vehicle velocity in these environments, and compare the LTE coverage in different settings. Our experimental results quantify the stronger coverage, shorter link distances, and shorter duration of disconnectivity in urban environments when compared to sub-urban and rural settings.

Introduction: Stroke has been projected to increase in developing countries like Turkey. Information about the prevalence of stroke may uncover the etiology of stroke and overcome its impact burden. However, data is limited due to a lack of studies based in Turkey and neighboring regions. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of stroke in the Turkish city of Karabük and to pave the way for future epidemiological studies in Turkey. Methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional, door-to-door survey. The questionnaire was completed by a trained team in the presence of the participants according to their answers. Patients who had been diagnosed with stroke prior to the survey were re-examined by a neurologist. Results: 3131 persons who were above 44years old were screened. 129 of them were found to have had a stroke previously. The prevalence rate of stroke above 44years was found to be 4.12% (98% confidence level and ±2% margin of error). 72.1% of stroke patients had hypertension. Male/female ratio was 0.72. Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence rate of stroke in Karabük Turkey with a low male/female ratio when compared to other studies. Keywords: Stroke, Epidemiology, Turkey, Risk factors

A number of empirical studies assert that interest rates are governed by unit root processes rejecting any form of reversion to a long term mean by resorting to certain tests, among which the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) is the most widely used one. In this study, we propose an alternative testing methodology that can be applied along with ADF test, in the sense that there are times where it can capture stationarity when the other fails to do so. Moreover, our test has more power than ADF test. As an application to real-data, we consider 10-year US and Turkish T-bond rates.

Postintubation Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a rare complication. Acquired TEF most commonly occurred following prolonged mechanical ventilation with an endotracheal or tracheostomy tube, cuff-related tracheal injury, post-intubation injury. We present a case of both tracheomegaly and tracheosephagial fistula following mechanical ventilation for 15 days, in the light of the literature.

Pneumorrhachis is a rare phenomenon which may be caused by trauma, intracraneal infection, pneumomediastinum or iatrogenic factors. Presence of air in the spinal canal is reported in most cases. In this article, we report a case with PR in the spinal canal without any neurological deficit, which developed secondary to subcutaneous emphysema.

Background and objectives: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors may cause postoperative residual curarization when they are used for reversal of neuromuscular blockade. Sugammadex reverses neuromuscular blockade by chemical encapsulation and is not associated with the side effects that may occur with the use of anticholinesterase agents. Because of increased outpatient surgical procedures postoperative residual curarization and rapid postoperative recovery have a greater importance in the pediatric patient population. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of sugammadex and neostigmine on reversing neuromuscular blockade in pediatric patients undergoing outpatient surgical procedures. Methods: 80 patients, aged 2–12 years, scheduled for outpatient surgery were enrolled in this randomized prospective study. Neuromuscular blockade was achieved with 0.6 mg kg−1 rocuronium and monitorized with train-of-four. Group RN (n = 40) received 0.03 mg kg−1 neostigmine, Group RS (n = 40) received 2 mg kg−1 sugammadex for reversal of rocuronium. Extubation time (time from the reversal of neuromuscular blockade to extubation), train-of-four ratio during this time, time to reach train-of-four > 0.9, and probable complications were recorded. Results: There was no significant difference between the patients’ characteristics. Extubation time and time to reach train-of-four > 0.9 were significantly higher in Group RN (p = 0.001, p = 0.002). Train-of-four at the time of neostigmine/sugammadex injection in Group RN were significantly higher than in the RS group (p = 0.020). Extubation train-of-four ratio was significantly lower in Group RN (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Sugammadex provides safer extubation with a shorter recovery time than neostigmine in pediatric patients undergoing outpatient surgical procedures. Resumo: Justificativa e objetivos: Os inibidores da acetilcolinesterase podem causar curarização residual no pós-operatório quando usados para reverter o bloqueio neuromuscular. Sugamadex reverte o bloqueio neuromuscular por encapsulação química e não está associado aos efeitos colaterais que podem ocorrer com o uso de agentes anticolinesterase. Devido ao aumento dos procedimentos cirúrgicos ambulatoriais. A curarização residual e a rápida recuperação no pós-operatório são muito importantes para a população de pacientes pediátricos. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a eficácia de sugamadex e neostigmina na reversão do bloqueio neuromuscular em pacientes pediátricos submetidos a procedimentos cirúrgicos ambulatoriais. Métodos: 80 pacientes, com idades entre 2-12 anos, programados para cirurgias ambulatoriais foram incluídos neste estudo prospectivo e randomizado. O bloqueio neuromuscular foi obtido com 0,6 mg kg−1 de rocurônio e monitorizado com a interpretação da sequência de quatro estímulos. O Grupo RN (n = 40) recebeu 0,03 mg kg−1 de neostigmina e o Grupo RS (n = 40) recebeu 2 mg kg−1 de sugamadex para a reversão de rocurônio. O tempo de extubação (tempo desde a reversão do bloqueio neuromuscular até a extubação), a razão da sequência de quatro estímulos durante esse tempo, o tempo para atingir uma sequência de quatro estímulos > 0,9 e as complicações prováveis foram registrados. Resultados: Não houve diferença significativa entre as características dos pacientes. Os tempos de extubação e para atingir uma sequência de quatro estímulos > 0,9 foram significativamente maiores no Grupo RN (p = 0,001, p = 0,002). A sequência de quatro estímulos no momento da injeção de neostigmina/sugamadex foi significativamente maior no Grupo RN que no Grupo RS (p = 0,020). A razão entre extubação e sequência de quatro estímulos foi significativamente menor no Grupo RN (p = 0,002). Conclusão: Sugamadex proporciona extubação mais segura com um tempo de recuperação mais curto que o de neostigmina em pacientes pediátricos submetidos a procedimentos cirúrgicos ambulatoriais. Keywords: Sugammadex, Neostigmine, Pediatric, Palavras-chave: Sugammadex, Neostigmina, Pediatria

We aimed to define the etiologic and prognostic factors in live-born infants with hydrops fetalis (HF) in our tertiary neonatal intensive care unit over a 10-year period. Methods: Medical records of newborn infants with HF during 2002–2011 were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic data, prenatal interventions, clinical and laboratory findings, outcomes, and the results of postmortem examinations were analyzed. Results: During the study period, 62 newborn infants with HF were identified from 16,200 live-born deliveries and the incidence of HF was 3.8/1000 live births in our hospital. Twenty-eight infants (45.2%) had immune HF, whereas 34 (54.8%) had nonimmune HF. An etiologic factor could be identified in 24 (70.5%) infants with nonimmune HF. Lymphatic dysplasias comprised the majority (23.5%) of the infants with nonimmune HF. Mortality rate was 50%. The presence of two or more serous cavity effusions and gestational age were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Conclusion: Despite the improvements in neonatal care, mortality rate in infants with HF is still high. Gestational age and the extent of serous cavity determine the risk of mortality. Timely and advanced prenatal or postnatal new therapeutic strategies may alter this fatal outcome in appropriate patients.

Background/purpose: Dental treatment for children often requires the use of behavior management techniques (BMTs). The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of nonaversive BMTs by the ratings of parents who had observed their children during three sequential dental treatment sessions. Materials and methods: Dental records of 47 children (age 5–13 years) who had received at least three sessions of dental treatment, two of which included local anesthesia administration, were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty-five out of 47 invited parents agreed to participate in the study. The parental form of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule – Dental Subscale was used for determining children's anxiety. Parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire after watching a descriptive video on eight widely-accepted BMTs to rate the effectiveness of each applied BMT on a 10-grade visual analog scale (VAS). Results: All nonaversive BMTs were considered by the parents to be very effective on children's favorable behavior with a mean VAS score of 9.25. Perceived control and positive reinforcement were rated the most (VAS score: 9.80 and 9.52; P > 0.05). Conclusion: All nonaversive BMTs were found to be effective by some Istanbulian parents on children's favorable behavior.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is thought to be driven by a subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that self-renew and recapitulate tumor heterogeneity yet remain poorly understood. Here, we present a comparative analysis of chromatin state in GBM CSCs that reveals widespread activation of genes normally held in check by Polycomb repressors. These activated targets include a large set of developmental transcription factors (TFs) whose coordinated activation is unique to the CSCs. We demonstrate that a critical factor in the set, ASCL1, activates Wnt signaling by repressing the negative regulator DKK1. We show that ASCL1 is essential for the maintenance and in vivo tumorigenicity of GBM CSCs. Genome-wide binding profiles for ASCL1 and the Wnt effector LEF-1 provide mechanistic insight and suggest widespread interactions between the TF module and the signaling pathway. Our findings demonstrate regulatory connections among ASCL1, Wnt signaling, and collaborating TFs that are essential for the maintenance and tumorigenicity of GBM CSCs.

While mild pericardial effusion generally accompanies overt hypothyroidism, massive pericardial effusion or pericardial tamponade is rare and more frequently occurs in patients with severe hypothyroidism. Similarly, massive pericardial effusion as the initial presenting feature of newly diagnosed hypothyroidism is also quite uncommon. A 64 year old diabetic (DM) male patient presented to our clinic with a recent worsening of shortness of breath. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated the presence of massive pericardial effusion and a pericardiocentesis was performed. Laboratory examination showed elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and decreased free thyroxine (fT4) and free tri-iodothyronine (fT3) levels. A diagnosis of primary hypothyroidism was made. A diagnosis of hypothyroidism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with unexplained pericardial effusion, even in the absence of accompanying signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. Keywords: Hypothyroidism, Pericardial effusion

Pyometra is a life-threatening disease, the severity of which depends on cervical patency status. This study investigated cervical inflammation status as well as the expression patterns and localization of aquaporin (AQP1, AQP2, AQP3, AQP5, and AQP9), and hormone receptors in cervical tissue that influences canine pyometra. Of the 36 animals enrolled in the study, 24 were diagnosed with pyometra and separated into two groups: open cervix pyometra and close cervix pyometra, while 12 healthy animals presented for elective ovariohysterectomies were allocated into the control group. Surgical treatment was performed for treatment of pyometra. After each operation, cervix samples were collected and analyzed for AQP and hormone receptor expression patterns determined by qPCR and protein expression by means of immunohistochemistry. Blood samples were also collected to determine serum progesterone concentrations. AQP9 expression was downregulated approximately 3-fold while and PGR expression was downregulated more than 2 fold in both pyometra groups compared to the control group. AQP3 and AQP5 gene expression levels were upregulated more than 3 fold in the open-cervix pyometra group than the closed-cervix pyometra group (P < 0.05). This is the first study to describe the expression patterns and immunolocalization of AQPs in canine cervical tissue based on pyometra patency status and to report AQP3 and AQP5 expression in cervical tissue linked to cervical patency., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Herein, tannic acid-tethered cellulose was developed as an efficient and selective sorbent for Mn 2 ⁺ removal from aqueous solutions. The modified cellulose was characterized through scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analyses. Sorption performance was evaluated using various parameters, including pH, initial Mn 2 ⁺ concentration, contact time, and the presence of interfering ions. Results indicated that Mn 2 ⁺ removal was highly pH-dependent, with removal efficiency increasing from 8% at pH 2 to99% at pH 9, achieving a remarkable 99% removal rate within only 30 min, highlighting the rapidity of the cellulose sorption kinetics. The results of isotherm studies confirmed that the sorption conformed to the Langmuir model with a monolayer sorption mechanism. Using a sorbent dose of 0.05 g, 99% of Mn 2 ⁺ could be effectively eliminated from water, achieving a maximum sorption capacity of 32.2 mg/g dry-sorbent. The modified cellulose could be effectively regenerated using 0.5-M HCl or 0.1-M H₂SO₄, with no considerable deterioration in sorption performance after three sorption-regeneration cycles. The presence of Na⁺ and K⁺ had minimal impact on Mn 2 ⁺ removal, whereas the presence of Ca 2 ⁺ and Mg 2 ⁺ at low concentrations facilitated moderate-level Mn 2 ⁺ removal., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplant is one of the curative methods for some patients with hematological malignancies. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is the most common drug used to mobilize CD34 + cells, generally found in small numbers. Recent evidence showed that exercise causes transient mobilization in HSC. However, the type and intensity of exercise have not been fully revealed. We aimed to detect a significant increase in stem cell levels following 60 ​min of running at a personalized running pace., Materials/methods: Eighteen runners, 48.2 ​± ​1.9 years with peak oxygen consumption of 46.2 ​± ​1.4 ​ml/kg/min, were enrolled in the study. The cardiopulmonary exercise test was performed to determine the individual running pace, and the participants ran 60-min on a treadmill at an intensity close to their ventilatory threshold (VT). The blood sampling for HSC count was performed before, immediately after, at the 1st, 4th and 24th hour after the 60-min running., Results: The CD34 + HSCs were 13.9 ​± ​2.3 ​cells/μl before and significantly increased immediately after to 19.5 ​± ​3.6 ​cells/μl (p ​< ​0.05). The consecutive HSC counts were 15.3 ​± ​2.2, 19.5 ​± ​4.8 and 15.1 ​± ​3.4 ​cells/μl at the 1st, 4th, and 24th hour, respectively., Conclusion: The individual data showed that some runners had higher HSC levels than the transplantation limit before and after the 60-min running trail, which was maintained for 24 ​h. Pre-running high CD34 + HSCs may reflect an adaptive response to regular exercise, with a 60-min run near the VT further elevating HSCs. Individualized exercise may be a valuable tool to mobilize the CD34 + HSCs in peripheral blood for donors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Habitat alterations and the introduction of non-native species have many ecological impacts, including the loss of biodiversity and a deterioration of ecosystem functioning. The effects of these combined stressors on the community trophic web and functional niche are, however, not completely clear. Here, we investigated how artificial ecosystems (i.e. reservoirs) and non-native species may influence the trophic and functional niche space of freshwater fish communities. To do so, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope and abundance data to compute a set of isotopic, trait, and functional metrics for 13 fish communities sampled from 12 distinct ecosystems in Türkiye. We show that in reservoirs, fish were more similar in their trophic niche compared to lakes, where the trophic niche was more variable, due to higher habitat complexity. However, there were no differences in the trait and functional metrics between the two ecosystem types, suggesting a higher prey diversity than assumed in reservoirs. We also found that the number of non-native species did not affect the trophic niche space, nor the trait or functional space occupied by the fish community. This indicates that non-native species tended to overlap their trophic niche with native species, while occupying empty functional niches in the recipient community functional space. Similarly, the proportion of non-native species did not affect any trophic, trait, or functional metric, suggesting that changes in community composition were not reflected in changes in the community niche space. Moreover, we found that trait richness, but not functional richness, was positively related to the isotopic niche width and diversity, indicating that a wider occupied trait niche space corresponded with a wider occupied trophic niche and lesser interspecific similarity. Our findings underscore the complexity of ecological relationships within freshwater ecosystems and highlight the need for comprehensive management strategies to mitigate the impacts of human activities and biological invasions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no financial/personal interest or belief that could affect their objectivity to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cleft lip and palate (CLCP) surgeries necessitate precise airway management, especially in pediatric cases with anatomical variations. The Covid-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to anesthesiology practices that required adaptations to ensure patient safety and minimize viral transmission. Videolaryngoscopy (VL) emerged as a valuable tool in airway management during the pandemic, offering improved intubation success rates and reduced aerosol generation risks., Methods: This retrospective study compared anesthesiology practices in CLCP surgeries before (2015-2019) and during the Covid-19 (2019-2022) pandemic at a tertiary care center. Patient demographics, anesthesia techniques, intubation difficulty, airway management, and intraoperative and postoperative follow-up were analyzed from anesthesia records., Results: This study included 1282 cases. Demographics were similar between periods. During the pandemic, there was a significant decrease in the number of patients under one year old (p < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of micrognathia and comorbidities (p = 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively). Difficult intubation and intraoperative complication rates decreased during the pandemic, but they were not statistically significant. VL usage during the pandemic contributed to improved extubating success (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: VL usage and improved patient outcomes were observed during the pandemic, potentially due to proactive measures and infection control protocols. Decision-making processes for extubation and intensive care unit stay became crucial during the pandemic. Understanding the role of VL and its adaptations during the Covid-19 pandemic is vital for optimizing perioperative care in CLCP surgeries and other procedures requiring airway management. The findings highlight the resilience of healthcare systems and the importance of evidence-based practices under challenging circumstances., (Copyright © 2024 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this work, a new ultra-performance liquid chromatography method based on photodiode array detection (UPLC-PDA) was first developed for the quantitative analysis of the quaternary mixture of ascorbic acid (AA), paracetamol (PAR), caffeine (CAF) and chlorpheniramine maleate (CPA) in a commercial dosage form. The developed UPLC-PDA method offered a new possibility for the co-determination of four active ingredients in a drug combination with short run time and simple sample preparation. The successful chromatographic separation of the four drugs was performed using a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (1.7 µm 2.1 × 100 mm) (Mildford, USA) and a mobile phase consisting of water (12 %), acetonitrile (13 %) and 0.1 M H 3 PO 4 (75 %) at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. The validation of the proposed UPLC-PDA approach was verified by analyzing synthetic mixtures, inter- and intra-day experiments, and commercial powder samples and provided satisfactory results., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Plant species C. majus, which is a very rich source of secondary metabolites, was used to obtain extracts, using a conventional extraction technique. For the extraction of bioactive molecules, three solvents were used: ethyl acetate, methanol and water, which differ from each other based on their polarity. The obtained extracts were examined in terms of chemical composition, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory activity, and cytotoxic effects. The research results indicate that methanol was a better and more efficient extractant in the process of isolating bioactive compounds than ethyl acetate and water. The chemical composition of this solvent, i.e. its polarity, contributed the most to the extraction of alkaloids and flavonoids. The high content of total phenolic compounds in the methanol extract, as well as individual alkaloids, caused a very strong antioxidant activity, as well as a strong inhibitory power when it comes to inhibiting the excessive activity of cholinesterase and tyrosinase. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts achieved very good cytotoxic activity against cancerous cells HGC-27 and HT-29 and did not exert a toxic effect on non-cancerous cell lines (HEK293). Extracts of plant species C. majus, especially methanol extract could be characterized as a very good starting plant material for the formulation of products intended for various branches of the food and pharmaceutical industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: We aimed to investigate the relationship between triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and intracoronary thrombus burden in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods and Results: A total of 468 consecutive patients who were admitted with STEMI and underwent primary PCI were included in the study. TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL)/2]. According to the angiographic reclassified thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) thrombus grade, patients were divided into two groups as small thrombus burden (STB) with TIMI thrombus grade 0-3, and large thrombus burden (LTB) with TIMI thrombus grade 4-5. TyG index was significantly higher in the LTB group than in the STB group (9.11 ± 0.86 vs 8.89 ± 0.62; p = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, TyG index was found to be an independent predictor of LTB in STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI [OR (95 % CI): 1.470 (1.090-1.982), p = 0.012]. The area under the curve (AUC) of TyG index predicting LTB was 0.568 (95 % CI 0.506-0.631; p = 0.023), with the best cut-off value of 8.87. In the classification according to TyG index cut-off value, the frequency of LTB was found to be significantly higher in the high TyG index group than in the low TyG index group (33.6 % vs 21.2 %; p = 0.003)., Conclusion: TyG index, a valid surrogate marker of insulin resistance, is an independent predictor of LTB in STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI and can be used as an indicator of increased intracoronary thrombus burden., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The changes in the surface chemistry and morphological structure of chitin forms obtained from shrimp shells (ShpS) with and without microorganisms were evaluated. Total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB), estimated Pseudomonas spp. and Enterococcus spp. were counted in Shp-S by classical cultural counting on agar medium, where the counts were 6.56 ± 0.09, 6.30 ± 0.12, and 3.15 ± 0.03 CFU/g, respectively. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)/Energy dispersed X-ray (EDX) were used to assess the surface chemistry/functional groups and morphological structure for ChT free (non-microorganism), and ChT mo (with microorganisms). ChT free FTIR spectra presented a detailed chitin structure by OH, NH, and CO stretching vibrations, whereas specific peaks of chitin could not be detected in ChT mo . Major differences were also found in SEM analysis for ChT free and ChT mo . ChT free had a flat, prominent micropore, partially homogeneous structure, while ChT mo had a layered, heterogeneous, complex dense fibrous, and lost pores form. The degree of deacetylation was calculated for ChT free and ChT mo according to FTIR and EDX data. The results suggest that the degree of deacetylation decreases in the presence of microorganisms, affecting the production of beneficial components negatively. The findings were also supported by the molecular docking model., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Lenz-Majewski hyperostotic dwarfism (LMHD) is a rare condition characterized by intellectual disability, sclerosing bone dysplasia, dysmorphic facial features, brachydactyly, symphalangism and cutis laxa. Nineteen cases have been reported in the literature so far, eleven of them with PTDSS1 mutations. Although studies have had clinically similar findings, in some cases the authors have reported even rarer features such as hydrocephalus, facial paralysis, and cleft palate. We, hereby, report the case of the first patient with Lenz-Majewski syndrome (LMS) with molecular confirmation from Turkey. Although our patient had characteristic features described in the literature, she also had immunodeficiency, which has not been reported before. Although there is no established phenotype-genotype correlation, molecular mechanisms can be explained with the reporting of more patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no potential conflicts of interest declared by the authors., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests relating to the content of the manuscript. ÖY reports honoraria from Biogen. HHH reports grants from Moderna to the University of Basel; and he reports personal consulting fees from AlCuris, Allovir, Moderna, VeraTX, and Roche, and personal honoraria from VeraTX, Takeda, Biotest, and Gilead. UFischer reports research grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Heart Foundation, Medtronic, Stryker, Penumbra, Rapid medical, Phenox, and Boehringer Ingelheim; consulting fees from Medtronic, Stryker, CSL Behring (fees paid to institution); has membership in a data safety monitoring board for the TITAN trial, IN EXTREMIS trial, LATE-MT trial, Rapid Puls Trial; has membership in the Clinical Event Committee of the COATING Trial (Phenox) and membership in the advisory board for CLS Behring, Acthera, Alexion/Portola, Boehringer Ingelheim (all fees paid to institution); is president of the Swiss Neurological Society.

In batch-scale operations, biosorption employing phosphorylated hazelnut shell waste (FHS) revealed excellent lithium removal and recovery efficiency. Scaling up and implementing packed bed column systems necessitates further design and performance optimization. Lithium biosorption via FHS was investigated utilizing a continuous-flow packed-bed column operated under various flow rates and bed heights to remove Li to ultra-low levels and recover it. The Li biosorption capacity of the FHS column was unaffected by the bed height, however, when the flow rate was increased, the capacity of the FHS column decreased. The breakthrough time, exhaustion time, and uptake capacity of the column bed increased with increasing column bed height, whereas they decreased with increasing influent flow rate. At flow rates of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mL/min, bed volumes (BVs, mL solution/mL biosorbent) at the breakthrough point were found to be 477, 369, and 347, respectively, with the required BVs for total saturation point of 941, 911, and 829, while the total capacity was calculated as 22.29, 20.07, and 17.69 mg Li/g sorbent. In the 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 cm height columns filled with FHS, the breakthrough times were 282, 366, and 433 min, respectively, whereas the periods required for saturation were 781, 897, and 1033 min. The three conventional breakthrough models of the Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, and Modified Dose-Response (MDR) were used to properly estimate the whole breakthrough behavior of the FHS column and the characteristic model parameters. Li's extremely favorable separation utilizing FHS was evidenced by the steep S-shape of the breakthrough curves for both parameters flow rate and bed height. The reusability of FHS was demonstrated by operating the packed bed column in multi-cycle mode, with no appreciable loss in column performance., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Asli YUKSEL reports financial support was provided by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. Asli Yuksel reports a relationship with Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey that includes: funding grants. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: A healthy diet is important at every stage of life. We aimed to determine the serum vitamin D and iron, folic acid, and vitamin B 12 levels in healthy children younger than 48 months and to investigate the relationship between nutrition and micronutrients in children of this age., Methods: In this observational study children who presented to the Pediatrics Clinic of our hospital during the period 2015-2022 were included. Vitamin D and other nutritional parameters (serum folate, vitamin B 12 , iron, ferritin) were evaluated from the study participants' serum samples during the outpatient clinic visit (jaundice check-up, pre-circumcision surgery, etc.)., Results: Overall, 766 cases were included in the study. Vitamin D was higher in the group that was fed only breast milk (p = 0.019), and vitamin D insufficiency was statistically higher in the formula group (p = 0.015). Hemoglobin levels were significantly higher in the formula group (p = 0.007). The folic acid level was found to be normal in all infants, and was higher in formula-fed infants (p = 0.012). Vitamin B 12 was found to be significantly higher in infants fed with formula (p = 0.001). Vitamin D deficiency was most common in infants aged 25-48 months (p < 0.001). Similarly, vitamin D insufficiency (12-20 ng/mL) was detected in infants aged between 25 and 48 months (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Micronutrients such as calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamin D, and iodine are critical in early fetal development from pregnancy onward. It is vital to raise awareness of this issue for mothers, starting from pregnancy, and for mothers to feed their babies more carefully in the first years of life., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 French Society of Pediatrics. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-2) prevents the development of serious diseases has been shown in many studies. However, the effect of vaccination on outcomes in COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care is not clear., Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted in 17 intensive care unit (ICU) in Turkey between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. Patients aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and followed in ICU were included in the study. Patients who have never been vaccinated and patients who have been vaccinated with a single dose were considered unvaccinated. Logistic regression models were fit for the two outcomes (28-day mortality and in-hospital mortality)., Results: A total of 2968 patients were included final analysis. The most of patients followed in the ICU during the study period were unvaccinated (58.5%). Vaccinated patients were older, had higher Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and had higher APACHE-2 scores than unvaccinated patients. Risk for 28-day mortality and in-hospital mortality was similar in across the year both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. However, risk for in-hospital mortality and 28-day mortality was higher in the unvaccinated patients in quarter 4 adjusted for gender and CCI (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.06-1.99 and OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.03-1.96, respectively) compared to the vaccinated group., Conclusion: Despite effective vaccination, fully vaccinated patients may be admitted to ICU because of disease severity. Unvaccinated patients were younger and had fewer comorbid conditions. Unvaccinated patients have an increased risk of 28-day mortality when adjusted for gender and CCI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: SARS-CoV-2 infections with Omicron variants have a high capability of human-to-human transmission. Nevertheless, the duration of isolation for mild cases was shortened to 5 to 7 days. We aimed to detect the duration of viral shedding among healthcare workers (HCWs) with Omicron by using viral culture., Methods: We prospectively included newly diagnosed nonsevere, symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive HCWs. Nasopharyngeal swab samples were obtained consecutively on days 5, 7,10, and 14 of onset of symptoms. The samples were examined by nucleic acid amplification test and viral culture., Results: In total, 55 non-severe patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant were included. The mean age of the population was 34 years (range, 23 to 54) and 78% (43/55) were female. The PCR positivity rate on days 5, 7, 10, and 14 was 96.4% (53/55), 87.3% (48/55), 74.545% (41/55), and 41.8% (23/55) consecutively, whereas the viral culture positivity rates were 83% (44/53), 52% (26/50), 13.5% (7/52), and 8% (4/50). Among the patients who became symptom-free, the viral culture positivity rates were 100% (4/4), 58% (7/12), 11% (3/27), and 5% (2/41)., Discussion: We showed that among the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infected patients, viral shedding continues for ≥10 days in 13.5% of all cases and 11% in symptom-free cases. The decision for cessation of isolation according to the presence of symptoms could be reconsidered until further studies disapprove of our results. Meanwhile, the infected HCWs who give care to high-risk patients for severe COVID-19 might extend their isolations ≤10 days after the onset of symptoms, regardless of their symptoms., (Copyright © 2022 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This research evaluated the trace metal pollution and the pollution sources in the coastal sediments of Fethiye-Göcek Bay by using the spatial distribution maps, correlation and statistical analysis, which were acquired from 69 sampling points. Spatial distribution maps for eleven elements (namely Al, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Ti, V, and Zn) revealed that there is an enrichment of the studied elements, especially near Fethiye harbor. Moreover, the contamination evaluation carried out by using different evaluation methods suggests considerable contamination of As, Co, Cr and Ni. There is a high correlation between Ni, Co, and Fe, Even the minimum Ni concentrations are 9 fold enriched relative to the Earth Crust's values. The controlling factors for element distribution in the area are both natural and anthropogenic. The natural sources are related to the weathering of the geological units and hydrothermal activity. In contrast, various anthropogenic sources include coal smoke, fuel oils used near the crowded harbors, urbanization and the increase in the population recently. When the ecological risk of these enriched elements is considered, the level of probability of toxicity comes out to be the highest, which demonstrates that the accumulation of trace metals in harbor sediments should be considered in the near future to prevent any contamination toward biota and human., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Addressing antimony (Sb) contamination, which is caused by the use of Sb compounds in various industries, is crucial. This study aims to compare two different Sb removal mechanisms: ion exchange and chelation. Therefore, two different water-soluble polymers-glycidyl methacrylate-N-methyl-D-glucamine and poly 2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl trimethylammonium chloride-were synthesized and used to remove Sb(III) and Sb(V) using the polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) method. The removal of Sb(III) was pH-dependent and extremely difficult at a pH of 1.2. However, when the pH of the solution was increased to 11, the Sb(III) removal rate increased to 77%. The Sb(III) removal rate was 28% at an Sb(III):polymer mole ratio of 1:5, which increased to 77% at a mole ratio of 1:20. Sb(III) removal was discovered to be unaffected by the low concentrations of Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+ ions in the solution, maintaining a Sb(III) removal rate of 77%. The test parameters showed different characteristics for Sb(V) removal. Increasing the pH of the solution from 1 to 9 correspondingly increased the removal rate from 0% to 45%, but increasing it further to 11 decreased the removal rate to 14%. The removal rate of Sb(V) was 67% at a Sb(V):polymer mole ratio of 1:60. Sb(V) removal was discovered to be unaffected by low concentrations of SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , and PO 4 3- anions in the solution. However, notably, the Sb(V) removal rate decreased from 67% to 58% in the presence of Cl - ions. The results demonstrate that Sb removal via chelation was more effective than by ion exchange, and it remained unaffected by the presence of interfering ions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Glycine encephalopathy with normal serum glycine (MIM #617301), also known as GLYT1 encephalopathy, is an extremely rare disorder caused by biallelic variants in SLC6A9 and characterised by facial dysmorphic features, skeletal findings including contractures, knee hyperextension, and joint dislocations and seizures. To date, only ten patients from five families have been reported and only two of them could survive until childhood. In this study, we report on a consanguineous Turkish couple with a history of six pregnancies with three habitual abortions and three postpartum exitus. While in three pregnancies the babies were born prematurely at 32nd gestational week by emergency ceserean section due to hydrops and fetal distress, the other pregnancy was medically terminated at 16th gestational week due to absent fetal heart activity. The product of all these three pregnancies exhibited similar phenotype including short neck, thoracic kyphosis, hypertrichosis, joint contractures and dislocations, hypertonia, knee hyperextension and facial dysmorphic features. Trio exome sequencing was performed prenatally during the last pregnancy and a novel VUS variant in SLC6A9 and a likely pathogenic variant in MTOR gene were detected. DNA isolation was performed from frozen muscle and adrenal tissue of previously autopsied fetuses with similar clinical features, and the same variants were confirmed in both of them. Our data suggest that SLC6A9 and MTOR variants may be responsible for this extremely lethal phenotype in this family., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the authors declare they have no conflict of interest., (Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Introduction: To assess the placental elasticity using point shear wave velocity (pSWV) in pregnant women who had recovered from coronavirus COVID-19., Methods: A total of 40 pregnant women who had recovered from moderate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and 40 healthy pregnant women were included in this study. We evaluated placental elasticity by using transabdominal pSWV method. Three measurements were made, and their average was accepted as the mean placental velocity value in each case. The results were compared between the post-COVID-19 and control groups., Results: The mean pSWV values were significantly higher in the post-COVID-19 group compared to the control group, indicating that the women with a history of COVID-19 had stiffer placentas. Furthermore, the pSWV values were significantly and positively correlated with the uterine artery pulsatility index. We also found that the NICU requirement was statistically higher in the post-COVID 19 group., Discussion: The pregnant women who had recovered from COVID-19 had rigid placentas than the healthy controls. The use of pSWV for the assessment of placental velocity may provide valuable information in the diagnosis and management of post-COVID-19 patients as a complementary tool to the existing ultrasonography methods., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Authors state no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study investigated the prognostic effect of preoperative skeletal muscle quantity and quality on survival after Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) resection., Methods: This retrospective study consisted of patients with NSCLC who underwent curative lung cancer resection between 2015 and 2020. Skeletal muscle quantity and quality, as determined by paravertebral muscle index (PVMI) and paravertebral muscle density (PVMD), were measured at the level of the twelfth thoracic vertebra on preoperative images of computed tomography. The patients were divided into two subgroups as low and high according to sex-specific median PVMI and PVMD values. Overall survival (OS) rates were compared according to low and high PVMI and PVMD using the Kaplan-Meier procedure, and prognostic factors after lung cancer resection were assessed using Cox's regression models., Results: The study comprised 180 patients, with 89 patients in the low PVMI and PVMD groups and 91 patients in the high PVMI and PVMD groups. The OS rates in patients with low PVMI were less than in those with high PVMI (log-rank p = 0.037), with a median survival time of 52.5 months and 57.5 months, respectively. The OS rates in patients with low PVMD were less than in those with high PVMD (log-rank p < 0.001), with a median survival time of 50.8 months and 59.4 months, respectively. Low PVMI and low PVMD were independent prognostic factors of poor OS ([HR] = 1.77, P = 0.014; [HR] = 1.84, P = 0.038, respectively)., Conclusion: Preoperative CT-determined low skeletal muscle quantity and quality have a poor prognostic effect on survival after NSCLC resection. Preoperative evaluation of these curable morphometric measures may shed light on pre-rehabilitation and nutritional support programs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Background: A change in MRI hardware impacts brain volume measurements. The aim of this study was to use MRI data from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy control subjects (HCs) to statistically model how to adjust brain atrophy measures in MS patients after a major scanner upgrade., Methods: We scanned 20 MS patients and 26 HCs before and three months after a major scanner upgrade (1.5 T Siemens Healthineers Magnetom Avanto to 3 T Siemens Healthineers Skyra Fit). The patient group also underwent standardized serial MRIs before and after the scanner change. Percentage whole brain volume changes (PBVC) measured by Structural Image Evaluation using Normalization of Atrophy (SIENA) in the HCs was used to estimate a corrective term based on a linear model. The factor was internally validated in HCs, and then applied to the MS group., Results: Mean PBVC during the scanner change was higher in MS than HCs (-4.1 ± 0.8 % versus -3.4 ± 0.6 %). A fixed corrective term of 3.4 (95% confidence interval: 3.13-3.67)% was estimated based on the observed average changes in HCs. Age and gender did not have a significant influence on this corrective term. After adjustment, a linear mixed effects model showed that the brain atrophy measures in MS during the scanner upgrade were not anymore associated with the scanner type (old vs new scanner; p = 0.29)., Conclusion: A scanner change affects brain atrophy measures in longitudinal cohorts. The inclusion of a corrective term based on changes observed in HCs helps to adjust for the known and unknown factors associated with a scanner upgrade on a group level., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate effect of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) on macular and radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) vascular changes by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)., Methods: Thirty-three patients with IDA and 33 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, macular superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) vessel density and RPC vessel density were evaluated by the AngioVue Imaging System. Hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), red cell distribution width (RDW), serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), serum ferritin and transferrin saturation values were also recorded., Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of FAZ area and FAZ perimeter while foveal density (FD) was significantly decreased in the IDA group. Compared to control group, IDA group revealed significantly decreased macular vessel density in all macular regions except fovea in both SCP and DCP. RPC vessel density was significantly decreased in whole image, peripapillary and superior-hemifield area wihout RNFL thinning. Hemoglobin level was positively correlated with SCP whole and RPC whole vessel density and serum iron level was also positively correlated with SCP whole vessel density., Conclusion: Macular and optic disc vessel density were reduced in IDA patients. OCTA may be useful in detecting retinal ischemia before clinically visible signs of retinopathy associated with IDA appear., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: COVID-19 has been a devastating pandemic. There are indications that vitamin A is depleted during infections. Vitamin A is important in development and immune homeostasis. It has been used successfully in measles, RSV and AIDS infections. In this study, we aimed to measure the serum retinol levels in severe COVID-19 patients to assess the importance of vitamin A in the COVID-19 pathogenesis., Methods: The serum retinol level was measured in two groups of patients: the COVID-19 group, which consisted of 27 severe COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit with respiratory failure, and the control group, which consisted of 23 patients without COVID-19 symptoms., Results: The mean serum retinol levels were 0.37 mg/L in the COVID-19 group and 0.52 mg/L in the control group. The difference between the serum retinol levels in the two groups was statistically significant. There was no significant difference in retinol levels between different ages and genders within the COVID-19 group. Comorbidity did not affect serum retinol levels., Conclusion: The serum retinol level was significantly lower in patients with severe COVID-19, and this difference was independent of age or underlying comorbidity. Our data show that retinol and retinoic acid signaling might be important in immunopathogenesis of COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. No author is affiliated with any undeclared institution or financial relationship that could affect the objectivity of this study., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Cisplatin (CiSP) induced-overload Ca 2+ entry results in the increase of mitochondrial oxidative stress and apoptosis in the cancer cell. TRPM2 cation channel is gated by the cytosolic ADP-ribose (ADPR) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The high content of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the brain is a main target of ROS. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) induces oxidant action via the enhance of PUFA content in the glioblastoma (DBTRG) cells. We hypothesized that a combination of CiSP and EPA may offer a potential therapy in the DBTRG cell by exerting the antitumor, oxidant, and apoptotic actions and stimulating Ca 2+ influx and TRPM2 activity. In the DBTRG cells, we induced four groups as control, EPA (30 μM for 24 h), CiSP (25 μM for 24 h), and CiSP + EPA. The CiSP-induced intracellular Ca 2+ responses to the TRPM2 activation were increased in the DBTRG cells from coming H 2 O 2 and ADPR. The responses were decreased in the cells by the inhibitions of TRPM2 (ACA and 2/APB) and PARP/1 (DPQ and PJ34). The incubation of EPA further increased the intracellular Ca 2+ responses, mitochondria function, and the generation of ROS in the DBTRGs. After the treatment of EPA, lipid peroxidation, apoptosis, cell death, caspase -3, -8, and -9 levels were further increased in the DBTRG, although the levels of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, cell numbers, and cell viability were further decreased in the cells. In summary, anticancer, apoptotic, and oxidant actions of CiSP were further increased via the activation of TRPM2 channel in the DBTRGs by the treatment of EPA. Hence, TRPM2 stimulation via EPA could be used as an effective agent in the treatment of glioblastoma tumors with CiSP., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although Keban Reservoir (KR) is Turkey's the second largest man-made reservoir, limited data are available on the contents of trace elements (TEs) in sediments of the KR. The concentrations of 23 less- and commonly-monitored TEs in the sediments from 49 sites in the reservoir were measured to assess health risks, contamination levels and ecological risks of TEs. Concerning median Enrichment Factor values of TEs, chromium (Cr), strontium (Sr) and nickel (Ni) showed moderate enrichment, while other TEs showed minimal enrichment. Pollution Load Index values ranged from 0.33 to 0.63, indicating no a multi-element contamination case in the study area. Low ecological risk was found at 47 sites, while moderate ecological risk was recorded at two sites. The PEC (probable effect concentration) values were exceeded for Ni and Cr. Although wastewater from leather processing factory partly contributed to Cr enrichment at site 2, all TEs mainly originated from lithogenic sources. Median hazard quotient (HQ) values of zirconium (Zr) and lanthanum (La) for children from sediment ingestion were above the risk threshold of unity (HQ = 4.81 and 1.39) and contributed 62.9% and 18.2% of the total health risk. Such high HQ values of Zr and La have never been reported in the literature. Hazard index values for children exceeded those for adults, indicating that children are more vulnerable to health risks than adults. Carcinogenic risk values of arsenic (As) were within the acceptable limits. Our findings indicated that in a multi-element sediment study, some less-monitored elements such as Zr and La may have an important role in health risk assessment even if they are found in the sediment at low concentrations. Therefore, this study can be a model for future similar studies evaluating the health risks of multi-elements in sediments., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Optimal treatment of bicondylar plateau fractures is still a matter of debate. Accelerometer-measured physical activity levels may help us to obtain objective information regarding the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to compare the physical activity levels, objective and subjective functional results and stabilities of fixations of patients with treated bicondylar plateau fractures., Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 23 patients, accelerometer-measured physical activity levels, daily energy consumption and measurements of knee joint range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength were measured. While Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was used as a patient-reported outcome measurement, Rasmussen Radiological Score was used for radiological evaluation., Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of physical activity levels and daily energy consumption (P = 0.667). While Total KOOS, Symptom and Stiffness and Sports Activities scores were higher in patients with a single plate (P = 0.034, P = 0.003 and P = 0.014, respectively), knee flexion and extension ROM and flexor and extensor muscle strength were similar between groups (P = 0.405, P = 0.095, P = 0.982 and P = 0.988, respectively)., Conclusions: While patient-reported outcome measurements were better with single plating, there was no difference between the groups in terms of physical activity levels, ROM, muscle strength and radiological results. Although it should be kept in mind that the choice of the primary surgeon, the condition of the soft tissue and the fracture geometry are also effective in the decision-making process, single plating seems to be a valid surgical option in the treatment of bicondylar plateau fractures., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Phycocyanins (PCYs) are a group of luxuriant bioactive compounds found in blue-green algae with an estimated global market of about US$250 million within this decade. The multifarious markets of PCYs noted by form (e.g. powder or aqueous forms), by grade (e.g. analytical, cosmetic, or food grades), and by application (such as biomedical, diagnostics, beverages, foods, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals), show that the importance of PCYs cannot be undermined. In this comprehensive study, an overview on PCY, its structure, and health-promoting features are diligently discussed. Methods of purification including chromatography, ammonium sulfate precipitation and membrane filtration, as well as characterization and measurement of PCYs are described. PCYs could have many applications in food colorants, fluorescent markers, nanotechnology, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. It is concluded that PCYs offer significant potentials, although more investigations regarding its purity and safety are encouraged., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Treatment of stage IIIA lung cancer remains controversial because it includes a very heterogeneous group of patients. The purpose of our study was to compare survival between stage IIIA subsets and to externally validate our results with another center's database., Methods: Patients with completely resected stage IIIA/B lung cancer were retrospectively analyzed. There were 424 patients with stage IIIA and 82 patients with stage IIIB (T3/4 N2) (study cohort). Stage IIIA was divided into 2 subsets according to the tumor localization and tumor size (T3 N1-T4 N0/1, IIIA-T group; n = 308) and the extension of nodal disease (T1/2 N2, IIIA-N2 group; n = 116). The study cohort results were used to create a model for stage IIIA patients, which was validated with another center's database (validation cohort)., Results: The multivariate analyses showed age, stage IIIB, and pN2 were independent negative prognostic factors (P < .0001). Survival at 5 years was 51.3% (median, 64 months) for patients in the IIIA-T group and was 25.7% (median, 31 months) in the IIIA-N2 patients (hazard ratio, 1.834; P < .0001). There was no statistical difference in survival between the IIIA-N2 and stage IIIB groups (25.7% vs 25.3%, P = .442). The created model was performed on patients in the validation cohort as a model IIIA-T (T3 N1-T4 N0/1, n = 139) and model IIIA-N2 (T1/2 N2, n = 104). Model IIIA-T patients had a statistically better survival rate than model IIIA-N2 patients (median, 62 months vs 37 months; hazard ratio, 1.707, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: There is a prognostic difference between stage IIIA subgroups in lung cancer patients who undergo surgical treatment., (Copyright © 2021 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most frequent aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Predicting response and estimating prognosis earlier makes management of this heterogeneous lymphoma more satisfying. Interim PET response is established in Hodgkin Lymphoma to tailor the therapy but results for non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is unconvincing. In the current study evaluation of interim PET and survival outcomes of 103 DLBCL patients is performed., Patients and Methods: About 103 Patients with DLBCL followed up in a single center between 2009 and 2019 were enrolled the study. All patients received R-CHOP chemoimmunotherapy at first line. Interim PET was performed after at least one or more cycles. All PET scans were performed with 18 F-FDG isotope as PET/CT. PET scoring results were evaluated according to the 5-Point Deauville Scoring system defined in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network clinical guidelines for iPET and eotPET. 5-P DS of scores of 1 to 3 were defined as negative scans, and scores of 4 to 5 were considered to be positive scans., Results: Forty-six (44.7%) Female and 57 (55.3%) male aged between 25 and 83 (median 57) years newly diagnosed DLBCL patients were enrolled in the study. Median PFS was 21 (interquartile range 8.5-53.7) months and median OS was 33.5 (interquartile range 12.5-62.9) months for the total cohort. Positive predictive value of interim PET according to Deauville scoring system was 65.4% and negative predictive value was 77.9%., Conclusion: Our study showed that according to Deauville 5 point scale (D 5PS) scoring system, interim PET-positive patients have shorter both PFS and OS than iPET-negative patients., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)