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Purpose: At present, drug treatments are composing the majority of dry eye therapies. However, considering the side effects of drugs, there has been increasing interest in novel non-drug treatment options, and these new treatments have been researching ways of tear production. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of chewing gum on tear-meniscus parameters and blinking rate with objective and quantitative methods. Methods: Sixty eyes of 30 healthy volunteers' tear-meniscus height (TMH), tear-meniscus depth (TMD), and tear-meniscus area (TMA) were acquired with anterior segment-optical coherence tomography. Tear-meniscus measurements were performed before and during chewing gum; at 15 and 30 min. Blinking rates were also recorded both before and during chewing gum for 5 min. Results: TMH, TMD, and TMA values at 15 and 30 min of chewing gum were significantly higher than those values before chewing gum (p<0.001). TMH, TMD, and TMA values at 15 min of chewing gum were similar to those values at 30 min of chewing gum (p>0.05). Blinking rate during chewing gum was significantly higher than that value before chewing gum (p<0.001). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study demonstrating that chewing gum increased tear-meniscus parameters and blinking rate at acute phase of chewing with objective, quantitative, and non-invasive methods. Chewing gum is cheap, sustainable, and easy to reach. In addition, it is not a drug, and there is no risk of drug-related side effects. According to our outcomes, we thought that chewing gum might improve dry eye-related complaints by increasing tear production and blinking rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of a single-session of 180° selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) as primary treatment in newly diagnosed cases with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PEG) and ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: Thirty-six eyes of 36 PEG cases (PEG-group) and 32 eyes of 32 OHT cases (OHT-group) were included in the study. Intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), and endothelial cell count (ECC) were noted at baseline and post-SLT 3rd month. IOP reduction and success rates were detected. Inter and intragroup comparisons were made. Results: At baseline, age and gender distributions of groups were similar (P>0.05). Baseline IOP was 26.7±1.6 in PEG-group and 27.2±1.2 mmHg in OHT-group (P=0.648). In both groups, there was a significant decrease in IOP at 3rd month compared to baseline (P<0.001). IOP at 3rd month was 18.9±1.1 in PEG-group and 19.6±0.6 mmHg in OHT-group (P=0.507). IOP reduction rate (29.2% vs. 27.9%, P=0.807) and success rate (69.4% vs. 75%, P=0.846) were similar in PEG-group and OHT-group. Baseline CCT was 541.4±25.3 in PEG-group and 543.3±22.1 µm in OHT-group (P=0.581), while baseline ECC was 2496.5±231.8 and 2512.3±242.7 cells/mm2, respectively (P=0.324). In groups, no significant change was detected in CCT and ECC values at 3rd month compared to baseline (P>0.05). IOP, CCT, and ECC values of groups were similar at 3rd month (P>0.05). Conclusion: We found that single-session of 180° SLT was similarly effective in reducing the IOP in newly diagnosed PEG and OHT cases. We also detected that it was safe for cornea and could be used as primary treatment in newly diagnosed cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the elastic theory assumptions, an infinite element boundary which is frequency independent is derived. The infinite element development is based on mapping functions and viscous layer for damping propagating waves. In numerical modelling the general finite element software ANSYS using its User Programmable Features (UPF) is used. Related comparisons are done with PLAXIS and ABAQUS software. In simulation of propagating waves, the numerical approach is done considering several one-dimensional and two-dimensional wave propagation.

The criticality problem for one-speed neutrons in a slab is investigated using Chebyshev polynomials of first kind in the series expansion of the neutron angular flux in stationary neutron transport equation. The medium is assumed to let the neutrons to scatter anisotropically and to be surrounded by a reflector. The critical thicknesses for the neutrons in a uniform finite slab are computed for selected values of the reflection coefficient and the anisotropy parameter and they are given in the tables. The numerical results obtained from the present method are in good accordance with the results already existed in literature.

Background: The objective was to retrospectively evaluate the contribution of fluorodeoxyglucose [18F] positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18FDG-PET/CT) to the re-staging of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Materials and methods: A total of 16 patients (10 males and 6 females), who underwent adrenalectomy due to adrenocortical carcinoma and 18FDG-PET/CT scan to re-stage the tumor between July 2007 and April 2013, were included in the present study. The mean age was 53.37 ± 13.91 years (min: 30, max: 74) The patients were required to fast for six hours prior to scanning, and whole-body PET scanning from the skull base to the upper thighs was performed approximately 1 h after the intravenous injection of 555 MBq of F-18 FDG. Whole body CT scanning was performed in the cranio-caudal direction. FDG-PET images were reconstructed using CT data for attenuation correction. Suspicious recurrent or metastatic lesions were confirmed by histopathology or clinical follow-up. Results: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of 18FDG-PET/CT were 100%, 83.3%, 90.9%, 83.3%, and 93.7%, respectively. Conclusion: 18FDG-PET/CT detects local recurrence and/or distant metastases with high accuracy in the re-staging of operated adrenocortical carcinoma. It is considered that the procedure could play an important role in treatment decision after the operation and post-operative follow-up and could influence the entire decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical detection dogs have potential to be used to screen asymptomatic patients in crowded areas at risk of epidemics such as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, the fact that SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs are in direct contact with infected people or materials raises important concerns due to the zoonotic potential of the virus. No study has yet recommended a safety protocol to ensure the health of SARS- CoV-2 detection dogs during training and working in public areas. This study sought to identify suitable decontamination methods to obtain nonpathogenic face mask samples while working with SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs and to investigate whether dogs were able to adapt themselves to other decontamination procedures once they were trained for a specific odor. The present study was designed as a four-phase study: (a) Method development, (b) Testing of decon- tamination methods, (c) Testing of training methodology, and (d) Real life scenario. Surgical face masks were used as scent samples. In total, 3 dogs were trained. The practical use of 3 different decontam- ination procedures (storage, heating, and UV-C light) while training SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs were tested. The dog trained for the task alerted to the samples inactivated by the storage method with a sensitivity of100 % and specificity of 98.28 %. In the last phase of this study, one dog of 2 dogs trained, alerted to the samples inactivated by the UV-C light with a sensitivity of 91.30% and specificity of 97.16% while the other dog detected the sample with a sensitivity of 96.00% and specificity of 97.65 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hematological inflammatory markers and metabolic parameters in positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are important indicators predicting the prognosis of the disease in lung cancer as in many cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between pretreatment hematological inflammatory markers and PET/CT metabolic parameters in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to predict the prognostic value of these parameters. Materials and Methods: A total of 132 patients with diagnosed NSCLC who underwent PET/CT at staging were retrospectively evaluated. Hematological parameters were obtained from the hemogram taken no more than 2 weeks prior to PET/CT. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and mean platelet volume (MPV) were recorded. Maximum standard uptake value, SUVmean, metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were calculated. Clinical stage, tumor pathology, and overall survival were analyzed with these parameters. Results: NLR and PLR were significantly positively correlated with MTV and TLG (all P < 0.001), MPV was negatively correlated with TLG (P = 0.021). While TLG, MTV, NLR, and PLR were increased in advanced stage disease, MPV was decreased. Univariate Cox-regression analysis demonstrated that greater age (P = 0.015), advanced stage (P < 0.001), low MPV (P = 0.017), high NLR (P < 0.001), PLR (P < 0.001), MTV (P = 0.004), TLG (P = 0.001) values, multivariate Cox-regression analysis revealed that NLR (P < 0.001) and advanced stage (P < 0.001) were significant predictors of poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Conclusions: There were significant associations between hematological inflammatory markers and PET/CT metabolic parameters in the patients with NSCLC at the time of diagnosis. These indicators can contribute to predicting prognosis in patients with NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy and enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX) syndrome is a rare disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3). IPEX patients frequently show chronic diarrhea (enteropathy) associated with villous atrophies in the small intestine. Our case is different from this classical information in the literature, since he presented with neonatal onset inflammatory bowel disease within the first months of life accompanied by deep ulcers throughout colonic mucosa. Moreover, he developed chronic lung disease during follow-up and histopathological examinations showed granulomas in both gastrointestinal tract and lung parenchyma. Genetic analysis revealed the diagnosis of IPEX syndrome with a germline mutation in FOXP3. Thus, our study provides an unusual presentation of IPEX syndrome with colitis and granulomas presence in histopathological examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Hakan. Ozturk Dear Editor, With reference to the recent article on venous air embolism during percutaneous nephrolithotomy published in your journal, [sup][1] we would like to reiterate that air [...]

The economic crisis in the USA between 2008-2010 is estimated to be associated with 260,000 additional cancer-related deaths.[[6]] As a result of COVID-19 pandemic, additional cancer-related deaths in the acute-subacute and chronic period are expected. COVID-19 pandemic limits diagnosed cancer patients access to treatment each day globally. [Extracted from the article]

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

In the study, an experimental and numerical study is performed to investigate the efficiency of diagonal shear reinforcement (DSR) on reinforced concrete (RC) short beams. For this purpose, 7 RC short beam specimens were tested under a 4-point loading, and a numerical study is conducted by using finite element method. Additionally, the efficiency of addition of DSR to specimens is observed in the experimental study together with the increase in stirrup spacing. Analysis results are compared in terms of load-displacement behavior and failure modes. As a result of the study, a significant improvement both in shear and displacement capacities of the RC short beams are achieved along with addition of DSR in short beams. Moreover, it is deduced from the numerical results that increasing both the diameter and yield strength of DSR makes a significant contribution to the shear capacity and ductility of shear critical RC members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti-6Al-4V is widely used alloy in advanced industrial applications such as bio-compatible implant manufacturing, aerospace and power generation systems. Lower density and superior mechanical properties, like high strength, corrosion and fatigue resistance at elevated temperatures, enables manufacturing of lighter components. Due to the high cost of the raw material forging of Titanium is becoming more desirable rather than machining with excessive chip scrap. This article presents a numerical modelling of Ti-6Al-4V forging process and investigates the effect of the process parameters on mechanical and microstructural properties of alloy. The simulation of the forging process is vital, because Ti-6Al-4V has a temperature dependent dual structure and phase transformation affects thermo-mechanical properties of the alloy. The influence of the heat treatment process on forged parts is experimentally analysed by mechanical and microstructural analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child safety around dogs is an important issue since most dog bites involve small children. The supervision of children and dogs whilst they are together is therefore crucial. This study aimed to investigate the ability of adults to interpret canine body language and behavior during a child–dog interaction. An online survey about three selected videos, each showing small children interacting with dogs, was sent to four different groups of participants: dog owners with children, dog owners without children, non-dog owners with children, and non-dog owners without children. The dogs appearing in the videos were categorized as fearful/anxious and lacking in confidence by an expert panel. According to the answers given by 71 participants, people mostly classified the dogs as relaxed (68.4%) and confident (65.1%) during the dog–child interaction. Respondents reported the predominant behaviors of the dogs whilst they interacted with children as play (23.0%) and friendly behaviors (19.2%). Holistic cues (44.6%) were the most common cues referred to by respondents; these being cues that are qualitative assessments based on the dogs’ behaviors, such as descriptions about the dogs’ feelings, intentions, and judgments. Significant differences were found between dog owners and non-dog owners in describing the dogs’ emotions in the videos. Participants without dogs were more successful than dog owners when classifying the emotional states of the dogs. These findings indicate that adults have difficulty in reading behavioral signs of anxiety and fear in dogs interacting with children. Moreover, it was shown that having experience with a dog without any theoretical knowledge of dog behavior may be a detriment to interpreting canine language. Therefore, the education of adults on dog behavior as well as on safe practices during child–dog interaction is important in the prevention of dog bites to children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The adrenal glands are among the target metastatic organs due to the potential of systemic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The number of cases with bilateral metachronous metastases from RCC is about twenty. Patients and Methods: A sixty-one-year-old man presented for routine checks due to an operated left renal tumor (clear cell carcinoma, PT2N0M0, Fuhrman grade III). The patient underwent 18FDG-PET/CT in order to restage the disease upon observation of bilateral adrenal masses on ultrasound and CT. A bilateral metachronous metastasis was found, whose SUVmax was 6.7 × 50 × 38 × 20 cm on the left adrenal gland, and another metastasis whose SUVmax was 5.5 40 × 29 × 20 on the right adrenal gland. Results: The patient underwent a CT-guided biopsy and diagnosis of adrenal metastasis was made by pathological and immunohistochemical examination. The laparoscopic treatment was performed. Conclusions: There is no standard approach for the treatment of these patients in the literature. But metastasectomy is the most realistic part of the treatment. Making definitive diagnosis with biopsy, following hormonal examination and treatment with minimally invasive adrenal sparing surgical procedure containing frozen-section are strongly recommended. Cancer specific survival significantly increases with metastasectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma of the kidney (MTSCC-K) is an extremely rare carcinoma of the kidney, which develops by malignant differentiation of the collecting ducts or the loop of Henle. The tumor can occur at all ages, with 4 times higher prevalence in females than in males. A 62-year-old female patient presented with an asymptomatic mass lesion in the left kidney. The ultrasound revealed a hyperechogenic mass lesion measuring 4 cm in diameter and centrally located in the left kidney. Computed tomography (CT) revealed an isodense mass lesion measuring 4 cm in diameter and posterolaterally located in the left kidney. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a renal mass of 4 cm in diameter with hypervascular contrast uptake. For primary staging, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron-emission tomography (18FDG-PET)/CT revealed left renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with a maximum standard uptake value of 6.7. The patient underwent transperitoneal radical nephrectomy. The immunohistochemical examination revealed MTSCC-K. 18FDG-PET/CT provides 81-89% sensitivity and 83-100% specificity in primary staging of the renal cancers, in diagnosing metastatic RCC, and monitoring the response to therapy. Its use in the staging of MTSCC of the kidney has not been previously described in the literature. This case highlights the usefulness of, 8FDG-PET/CT in the staging of this rare tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Background: Hematospermia is the presence of blood in the ejaculate. Its etiology is congenital, inflammatory, infectious, obstructive, tumoral, vascular, traumatic, iatrogenic or related to systemic disease. It is a quite irritating and life-quality-disturbing condition for men. It is significant to demonstrate infectious-based hematospermia due to the fact that its treatment is easier than for other reasons. Methods: 30 patients, having spontaneous hematospermia, were taken to our study. The serum total PSA levels of the patients were examined and microbiological examinations such as direct inspection for ejaculate, routine bacteriological and mycetes culture, Gram staining, trichrome staining and Mycoplasma hominis/Ureaplasma urealyticum culture (Mycofast Evolution 3, ELITech, France) were performed. Results: Bacteria was isolated in 11 (36%) of 30 patients with hematospermia. S.aureus occurred in five patients (45.5%), U.urealyticum in three patients (27.2%) and E.coli and K.pneumoniae in one each (9.1%). U.urealyticum and S.aureus occurred together in one patient. No statistical difference of scores of National Institute of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index (CPSI) and serum total PSA levels between the patients with and without infection was observed. Conclusions: Hematospermia mostly affects micturition functions of young men and it can be due to infection in one-third of the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The increased use of biologic drugs (BDs) may lead to an increase in immediate hypersensitivity reactions (I-HSRs) in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our aim was to assess I-HSRs to BDs in pediatric IBD, examining frequency, clinical features, management, and associated risk factors. Methods: All children diagnosed with IBD at our institution between January 1, 2006, and August 1, 2023, and who developed I-HSRs related to any BD were included in the study. Results: In a study of 197 pediatric IBD patients, 61 used BD. Among these, 52.4% were male, with a median diagnosis age of 145 months (13–215). Out of a total of 1,679 administrations, 6 patients developed I-HSRs (5 with infliximab, 1 with adalimumab), resulting in a frequency of 9.8% per patient and 0.36% per administration. Of these, 66.7% were cases of Type 1 HSRs (skin test positivity n = 1), while the rest were infusion-related reactions (anti-drug antibody positivity n = 4), all of which were mild to moderate in severity. In the age and gender-adjusted logistic regression model, the presence of any comorbid allergic disease was significantly associated with the occurrence of I-HSR (aOR = 8.35; 95% CI = 1.24–56.38; p = 0.029). Conclusion: The frequency of I-HSRs to BDs in children with IBD is not rare but not severe in the long term. The presence of any comorbid allergic disease is a risk factor for the development of I-HSRs to BDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the surface topography of mandibular natal and neonatal incisors at the ultrastructural level using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The enamel of the teeth exhibited hypoplastic, depressed areas and the incisal edge of natal tooth lacked enamel. In addition, root formation of the teeth was not completed, which correlated with findings that teeth may erupt without root formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reduced FCA and chronic stress may be related in dogs. • Measuring FCA can be used as a new tool to assess welfare of dogs in shelters. • Rehabilitation programs in shelters are important for optimal cognitive processing in dogs. Investigating the link between stress and functional cerebral asymmetry (FCA) has been a subject of interest in recent years. The demonstration of this link in the field of veterinary medicine is particularly important as measuring FCA has the potential to be an alternative and non-invasive behavioral method to assess stress in dogs. The present study aimed to investigate whether FCA is affected by different environmental conditions in dogs. The main aim of this study was to investigate the changes in FCA in dogs living under different conditions. To this aim, strength and direction of FCA in 40 urban free-ranging dogs were measured by a Kong test. Dogs were divided into four groups considering their environmental conditions: The dogs in Group 1 (n = 8) were rehabilitated urban free ranging dogs, which were kept in enriched shelter conditions. The dogs in Group 2 (n = 9) were adopted free ranging dogs, which lived in home environment for more than 1 year. The dogs in Group 3 (n = 11) were urban free ranging dogs, which stayed in individual cages in a dog shelter for more than 6 months. The dogs in Group 4 (n = 12) were adopted urban free ranging dogs, which stayed in a dog pension for more than 30 days. Considering the length of their stay in a kennel environment, quality of living condition and emotional states, the dogs in Group 3 and 4 were classified as chronically stressed dogs. Statistically significant differences existed between groups considering strength and direction of lateralization. Most of the dogs in Group 1 (87.5 %) and Group 2 (77.8 %) showed significant paw preferences, whereas most of the dogs in the Group 3 (72.7 %) and Group 4 (75 %) were categorized as ambilateral. Considering the individual level asymmetry in dogs and environmental conditions of dogs in Group 3 and 4, one may suggest that high ambilaterality levels is related with chronic stress. Thus, reduced FCA may not be the reason for stress sensibility, rather it can be an outcome of stressful situations. These results are the first to demonstrate the possible link between chronic stress and ambilaterality in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete cracking reduces flexural and shear stiffness of reinforced concrete (RC) members. Therefore analyzing RC structures without considering the cracking effect may not represent actual behavior. Effective flexural stiffness resulting from concrete cracking depends on some important parameters such as confinement, axial load level, section dimensions and material properties of concrete and reinforcing steel. In this study, a simple formula as a securer, quicker and more robust is proposed to determine the effective flexural stiffness of cracked sections of circular RC columns. This formula is generated by genetic programming (GP). The generalization capabilities of the explicit formulations are compared by cross sectional analysis results and confirmed on a 3-D building model. Moreover the results from GP based formulation are compared with EC-8 and TEC-2007. It is demonstrated that the GP based model is highly successful to determine the effective flexural stiffness of circular RC columns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]