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The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and radiographic results of submerged and non-submerged implants for posterior single-tooth replacements and to assess patient-based outcomes. Twenty patients were included in the study. A split-mouth design was used; implants inserted using a submerged technique were compared to those inserted with a non-submerged technique. Implants were restored with metal–ceramic crowns after 3 months. Reconstructions were examined at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months. Standardized radiographs were made. Radiographic crestal bone level changes were calculated, as well as soft tissue parameters, including pocket probing depth, bleeding on probing, plaque index, and gingival index. Results were analyzed by two-way repeated measures of variance (ANOVA). To evaluate patient-based outcomes, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire at the 6-month follow-up; the Wilcoxon paired signed rank test was used to compare scores. The data of 18 patients were reviewed. During 24 months, non-submerged implants (0.57 ± 0.21 mm) showed significantly lower bone loss than submerged implants (0.68 ± 0.22 mm) ( P < 0.01). Patient satisfaction with non-submerged implants (median 87.5) was significantly higher than with submerged implants (median 81.5) ( P < 0.01). Non-submerged implants showed comparable clinical results to submerged implants and resulted in higher patient satisfaction due to decreased surgical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents an investigation into the stabilization of a soft clay subgrade of a military zone in Izmir, Turkey with a very high lime fly ash. Zero%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% (m/m) of the soil was replaced with fly ash. In addition to the control specimen, four different stabilized soil samples were prepared mixing fly ash with soil at optimum water contents determined by standard proctor test. Experiments lasted for 3 months and the unconfined compressive strength and shear strength parameters, cohesion and internal friction angle, were determined after 1, 7, 28 and 90 days. It was found that, inclusion of fly ash improved the properties of the soil. The improvements, appearing with increasing fly-ash content, were attributed to the pozzolanic reaction and pore refinement effect of fly ash as well as its high free-lime content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of erdosteine, an antioxidant agent, on doxorubicin (DXR)-induced cardio-toxicity through nitric oxide (NO) levels, collagen synthesis, xanthine oxidase (XO) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities in rats. Rats were treated with erdosteine (10 mg/kg b.wt. per day, orally) or saline starting 2 days before administrating a single dose of DXR (20 mg/kg i.p.) or saline. At the 10th day of the DXR administration, hearts were removed under anesthesia for biochemical measurements. Enzyme activities as well as OH-proline and NO levels were found to be significantly increased in DXR group compared with the control group. All of the parameters studied except ADA activity were decreased significantly approximating to the control levels upon erdosteine administration. In conclusion, erdosteine seems to be an alternative agent for protection of cardiac tissue against DXR-induced cardio-toxicity through its regulatory effect on XO activity and NO level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

NGCal, a free online computation software (http://ngcal.com), has been developed for narrow beam transmission properties of photons (for energies of X rays and gamma rays between 0.002 MeV and 20 MeV), thermal (25.4 meV) and fast neutrons (4 MeV), in this regard it theoretically calculates the mass and linear attenuation coefficient/factor, mean free path, half- and tenth-value layers of materials formed by elements, compounds and composites. Its calculation assumptions, user guide as well as a comparative example of its results to those of other online computation platforms (XCOM, NCNR, WinXCOM, MCNPX, and Phy-X/PSD) are presented in this study. The developed software allows for more data input consisting of elements/oxides/compound and their fractions, and presents a number of shielding results required by researchers and scientists working on radiation shielding properties of multi-component materials. • NGCal is a free online computation software for evaluating the shielding effectiveness of materials. • Incoherent scattering and absorption are considered in calculations for thermal and fast neutrons. • Compton scattering, photoelectric absorption and pair production are considered for photons. • Composition of materials can be defined as by weight fraction and by empirical/molecular formulas. • The simulation results of NGCal were found to be very similar to those of existing counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge about the combined effects of higher temperature and dietary nutrient quality on the diurnal nitrogenous excretion rates is very limited in farmed fish species including European sea bass. Therefore this study investigated the combined effects of increasing levels (30 vs. 60 %) of dietary fish oil replacement by equal mixture of cotton seed oil (CSO) and canola oils (CO) and two different ambient temperature (24 vs. 30°C) on diurnal total ammonia and Urea–N excretion rates in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Experimental diets were fed to fish three times (08:30–13:30–18:30h) at a fixed rate of 3 % BW.d−1. The daily consumed nitrogen and energy intake of fish were similar during the investigation in different dietary treatments. However, the daily excretion rates of TAN, total nitrogen (TAN+Urea–N) and total nitrogen expressed as a proportion of consumed nitrogen by the European sea bass maintained at 30°C were found to be significantly (P<0.001) higher (40 to 50%) than fish maintained at 24°C in all the dietary treatments suggesting higher rates of deamination of ingested amino acids with increased temperature. Daily urea–nitrogen excretion of fish accounted for between 20–30 % of total ammonia–nitrogen excretion rates for each dietary treatment at 24 and 30°C and appeared to be slightly increased by the temperature but neither the temperature nor the amount of plant oil mixture inclusion in diets or the interaction of these two factors had a significant effect on the urea nitrogen excretion rates of fish in different dietary treatments. However, Urea–N excretion rates in fish fed fish oil only (FO) diet were significantly higher (P<0.05) compared to that of fish fed diets containing increasing amount of plant oil mixture (VOM30 and VOM 60) during the light-on phase of the sampling period at 24°C indicating periodic enhancement of permeability for urea at excretion sites. Further research is needed in order to elucidate the mechanism of nitrogenous excretion in European sea bass fed plant oil containing diets under extreme summer time temperatures employing total dietary fish oil replacement to reveal the possible effects of alteration in cell membrane phospholipid composition on enzymes responsible for nitrogenous excretion and/or detoxification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was carried out to determine upper (CTMax) and lower (CTMin) thermal tolerance, acclimation response ratio (ARR) and thermal tolerance polygon of the European sea bass inhabiting the Iskenderun Bay, the most southeasterly part of the Mediterranean Sea, at three acclimation temperatures (15, 20, 25°C). Acclimation temperature significantly affected the CTMin and CTMax values of the fish. At 0.3°Cmin−1 cooling or heating rate, CTMin ranged from 4.10 to 6.77°C and CTMax ranged from 33.23 to 35.95°C in three acclimation temperatures from 15 to 25°C. Thermal tolerance polygon for the juveniles at the tested acclimation temperatures was calculated to be 296.14°C2. In general, the current data show that our sea bass population possesses acclimation response ratio (ARR) values (0.25–0.27) similar to some tropical species. The cold tolerance values attained for this species ranged from 4.10 to 6.77°C, suggesting that cold winter temperatures may not pose danger during the culture of European sea bass in deep ponds or high water exchange rate systems. Upper thermal tolerance is more of a problem in the southern part of the Mediterranean as maximum water temperature in ponds may sometimes exceed 33–34°C, during which underground cool-water should be used to lower ambient water temperature in the mid-summer. For successful culture of sea bass in ponds, temperature should be maintained around 25°C throughout the year and this can be managed under greenhousing systems using underground well-waters, commonly available in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: There is evidence that oxygen free radicals play an important role in the pathophysiology of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Although it has not been investigated yet, several recent studies proposed that nitric oxide (NO) and other parameters related to oxidative stress may have a pathophysiological role in autism. Methods: We assessed the changes in superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) levels in plasma as well as NO levels in red blood cells (RBC) in patients with autism (n=27) compared to age- and sex-matched normal controls (n=30). Results: In the autistic group, increased RBC NO levels (p<0.0001) and plasma GSH-Px activity (p<0.0001) and unchanged plasma TBARS levels and SOD activity were detected. Conclusions: These findings indicate a possible role of increased oxidative stress and altered enzymatic antioxidants, both of which may be relevant to the pathophysiology of autism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Dyslipidemia is an important complication in renal transplant patients. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the exchange of cholesteryl ester between high density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins. The aim of this study was to investigate CETP Taq1B gene polymorphism and lipid abnormalities in renal transplant patients. Methods: We studied 29 renal transplant patients and 29 healthy controls. CETP Taq1B polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. Serum lipid levels were measured enzymatically. Statistical analyses was performed by SPSS for Windows version 7.5. Results: The frequencies of CETP Taq1B B1B1, B1B2, and B2B2 genotypes in patients were 44.8%, 34.5%, and 20.7%; and in control subjects, 37.9%, 37.9%, and 24.2%, respectively. The patients with B1B1 genotype displayed higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). (P < .05). Also, patients showing a B1 allele had higher levels of TC, LDL-C, VLDL-C, and DBP compared to healthy controls (P < .05). Conclusion: We observed that CETP Taq1B B1 allele and B1B1 genotype have effects on the serum lipid profile among renal transplant patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]