Search

Background: Perfusion index (PI) has use to monitor sympathetic response changes to pain. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the utility of using perfusion index as an objective marker of pain relief and of the need for rescue analgesia in ED patients with documented renal colic. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study between January 2020 and December 2020. The demographic characteristics of the patients, their complaints, nephrolithiasis histories, vital signs, PI, and VAS scores (on admission and after treatment) were recorded. Results: A total of 144 patients were included. All patients were administered 20 mg of Tenoxicam on admission. There was a statistically significant difference between the PI (

The data presented in this paper is supporting the research article “Reconstructing an historical pollination syndrome: keel flowers” (Aygören Uluer et al., 2022). We present a dataset containing information on number of species, geographic distribution, floral type (keeled or not), presence or absence of fused petals, floral symmetry, presence or absence of a pentamerous corolla (petals+petaloid sepals in Polygalaceae), androecium type, presence or absence of enclosed reproductive organs, presence or absence of three distinct petal types (petals+ petaloid sepals in Polygalaceae), flower size, corolla size (i.e., in open flower) and/or filament size (i.e., entire filament size particularly in subfamily Caesalpinioideae), flower colour, UV reflectance, habit, height, inflorescence type and inflorescence size for 758 Fabales genera. The information was obtained from hundreds of appropriate, previously published sources. This the largest morphological dataset constructed for Fabales to date, and the data presented in this article can be used for morphology, biogeography, ancestral state, ancestral area analyses of any Fabales clades.

A critical feature of cancer is the ability to induce immunosuppression and evade immune responses. Tumor-induced immunosuppression diminishes the effectiveness of endogenous immune responses and decreases the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we describe a new immunosuppressive pathway in which adenosine promotes Casitas B-lineage lymphoma b (Cbl-b)-mediated Notch1 degradation, causing suppression of CD8+ T-cells effector functions. Genetic knockout and pharmacological inhibition of Cbl-b prevents Notch1 degradation in response to adenosine and reactivates its signaling. Reactivation of Notch1 results in enhanced CD8+ T-cell effector functions, anti-cancer response and resistance to immunosuppression. Our work provides evidence that targeting the Cbl-b-Notch1 axis is a novel promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy.

This study revealed the synthesis of cross-linked chitosan/Citrus reticulata peel waste (C/CRPW) composites that could be used as low-cost and green bio-adsorbents for the removal of Congo red (CR) dye from aqueous solutions. C/CRPW composites containing different amounts of Citrus reticulata peel waste (CRPW) and chitosan were prepared and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. The composites were characterized by FESEM, EDS, FTIR, XRD, BET, and zeta potential measurements. The C/CRPW composites as a new type of bio-adsorbents displayed superior adsorption capability toward anionic CR molecules, and the adsorption capacities increased with the incorporation of CRPW. Effects of different ambient conditions, such as contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, initial adsorbate concentration, and temperature, were fully studied. The conditions which obtained 43.57 mg/g of the highest adsorption capacity were conducted at pH 4 with an initial concentration of 100 mg/L, adsorbent dosage of 2.0 g/L, and contact time of 24 h at 328 K. The adsorption data was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. According to the findings of this investigation, it was observed that the C/CRWP composites could be used as adsorbents due to their advantages, including the simple preparation process, being environmentally friendly, renewable, efficient, and low-cost.

Abstract Tumors of the genital system are common and imaging is of crucial importance for their detection and diagnosis. Several non-neoplastic diseases may mimic these tumors and differential diagnosis may be difficult in certain cases. Misdiagnosing non-neoplastic diseases as tumor may prompt unnecessary medical treatment or surgical interventions. In this article, we aimed to present the imaging characteristics of non-neoplastic diseases of the male and female genital systems that may mimic neoplastic processes. Increasing awareness of the imaging specialists to these entities may have a severe positive impact on the management of these patients.

A young individual of Isurus oxyrinchus was caught by a commercial longline off Dana Island (Mersin Bay, northeastern Mediterranean Sea) at a depth of 72 m on May 18th 2020. Morphometric measurements of the specimen were recorded and its photographs were taken. The examined specimen is now being preserved in the Museum of Systematics at Faculty of Fisheries of Mersin University, under the reference number MEUFC-20-11-132. This occurrence of a young female specimen reported in this study is adding a new location (Mersin Bay) from the Mediterranean's Turkish waters.

الملخص: أهداف البحث: تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تحديد تأثير الفيروس التاجي على حالة البحوث الأكاديمية ودرجات القلق خلال ترتيبات العمل المرنة بعد جائحة كوفيد-١٩ في تركيا. طرق البحث: شارك ٢٩٠ أكاديميا أكملوا الاستبانة في هذه الدراسة الشاملة لعدد من القطاعات. تم تنفيذ الإحصاءات الوصفية (حسب تردد الاستجابة) والإحصائيات الاستدلالية لتحليل البيانات المتقدم. النتائج: وجدنا أن معظم الأكاديميين (٧١٪) لم يجروا البحوث الأكاديمية بعد جائحة كوفيد-١٩وتأثرت معظم البحوث التي أجراها الأكاديميون سلبا (٦٧.٢٪). وعلاوة على ذلك، انخفاض النتاج البحثي من البحوث الأكاديمية التي أجرتها الأكاديميات (٥٣.٩٪) وللذين لديهم معدل أعلى لمقياس كورونا للقلق. وبالإضافة إلى ذلك، تأثرت النساء (٥٤.٩٪)، والمشاركات العاملات في الكليات الصحية (٥٢.٨٪). وسجلت النساء والعاملات في الكليات الصحية، والمشاركات الأصغر سنا درجات أعلى لمقياس كورونا للقلق. الاستنتاجات: تقدم نتائج هذه الدراسة بيانات مهمة عن آثار اللوائح خلال فترة عمل الترتيبات العمل المرنة بعد جائحة كوفيد-١٩على حالة البحوث الأكاديمية، ودرجات القلق من الفيروس التاجي للأكاديميين. Abstract: Objectives: This study aims to determine the effect of flexible work arrangements (FWA) initiated in Turkey due to the COVID-19 pandemic on research status of academics and their coronavirus anxiety scores. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 290 academicians participated and completed the questionnaire. The descriptive (by response frequency) and inferential statistics (chi-square, student's t, and Anova tests) were performed for advanced data analysis. Results: We found that a majority of the academics (71%) did not conduct academic research after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and academic research was largely negatively affected (67.2%). Furthermore, women (53.9%) and those with higher Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) scores had low research output. Additionally, women (54.9%), the participants working in health faculties (52.8%) and those with a high CAS score were adversely affected (p

Our aim in this study was to determine both the level of exposure to the electromagnetic radiation of the young population in their living areas and its relationship with their health problems. A questionnaire about the intensity of the electromagnetic field radiation exposure and their health problems was used on 705 college students. Participants were 40.2% male, 59.8% female with a median of 20 (17-41) years old. Some students have been living close to base stations and high voltage lines (30% and 18.7%, respectively). Students had an internet network (82.3%). Mobile phone and computer usage for more than 5 years were 83% and 66%, respectively. 73.1% had electrical/electronic devices in the bedroom. Exposure time to electrical/electronic systems in 44.7% of students was more than 5 hours per day. Some health problems mentioned were fatigue (75.2%), muscle pain (39%), difficulty in concentration (51.7%), stress (36.4%), eye discomfort (28.5%), light sensitivity (21.3%), and sleep disorder (%40). Chi-square analysis showed a significant relationship between daily electrical/electronic device exposure time and headache frequency, concentration difficulties, fatigue, muscle pain (P [Med-Science 2021; 10(2.000): 380-5]

Abstract Background Although more than a year past since COVID-19 was defined, there is no specific treatment yet. Since COVID-19 management differs over time, it is hard to determine which therapy is more efficacious. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the regimen with Favipiravir (FPV) and determine if the timing of FPV addition offers any improvement. Methods A retrospective observational case-controlled cohort study was performed between March and September 2020, including adults with COVID-19 in a single-center in Turkey. We categorized patients into age-sex matched three groups, group 1 (n = 48) and group 2 (n = 48) included patients treated with the combination of FPV plus Hydroxychloroquine (HQ) early and late, respectively. Group 3 (n = 48) consisted of patients on HQ monotherapy. In Group 2, if the respiratory or clinic condition had not improved sufficiently, FPV was added on or after day 3. Results We found that starting FPV early had an impact on PCR negativity and the progression of the disease. 'No progression' was defined as the absence of a new finding in the control radiological examination and the absence of accompanying clinical deterioration. Also, the decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) was greater in Group 1 than Group 3 (p

Background/Aims Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has been accepted as a reliable tool in diagnosing and staging intra-abdominal tumors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the performance of EUS-FNA in the evaluation of liver masses and its impact on patient management and procedure-related complications retrospectively. Methods Data of patients who underwent EUS-FNA biopsies due to liver masses between November 2017 and July 2018 were retrieved retrospectively. Biopsies were performed using 22-G needles. The demographics, EUS-FNA results, sensitivity and specificity of the procedure, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, and specimen sufficiency rates were assessed. Results A total of 25 patients (10 females) were included in the study. The mean age was 62.73±15.2 years. The mean size of the masses was 34.50±16.04 mm. The technical success rate was 88%. During the EUS-FNA procedure, each patient had only one pass with 94.45% of aspirate sufficiency rate and 86.3% of biopsy sufficiency rate. The diagnostic accuracy rate was 86.3%. There were no complications. Conclusions For the evaluation of liver masses, EUS-FNA using a 22-G needle with even one pass had high aspiration and biopsy success rates accompanied with high diagnostic accuracy rates.

In June 2018, a single female specimen of the Ocean sunfish, Mola mola (Linnaeus, 1758) (122 cm in total length and 80 kg in weight) was caught by a commercial trammel net at a depth of 393 m in Mersin Bay (Bozyazı coast), Turkey. This paper presents the first substantiated occurrence and hence, the confirmation of M. mola in the Northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey. Morphological and meristic measurements of the specimen were made and recorded with the catalog number MEUFC-18-11-101 in the Museum of the Systematic in, Mersin University’s Faculty of Fisheries. Morphometric and mer-istic data matched other recordings of this species from parts of the Mediterranean, and the histor-ical captured record of the species in the Mediterranean was documented.

The present paper reports the maximum length of the rare seen deep-sea fish bristlemouth Gonostoma denudatum Rafinesque, 1810 in the Mediterranean. One specimen of G. denudatum was caught using a trawler from the deep seas of Northern Cyprus waters on June 22th 2019. The total length (TL) of the specimen was 165 mm, the standard length (SL) was 149.5 mm, and the total weight was 16.2 g. Till today, this sample shown to this species maximum length (TL), which was recorded for the Mediterranean as well as in Eastern basin waters.

The length-weight relationships (LWRs) of fish are helpful in fisheries science. A total of 504 yellowspotted puffer (Torquigener flavimaculosus) specimens (257 female and 247 male) were caught from the Yumurtalık coast of Turkey (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) between 2018 and 2019 by using a trammel net set with a depth range between 5 and 42 m. The sex ratio was found 1:1.08 for males and females, respectively. The length-weight relationship was described for combined both sexes by the following formula W = 0.00130×L3.094 (r2 = 0.918) with a positive allometric growth. Fulton condition factor (CF) was calculated as 1.713 ± 0.145 for combined sexes. This study presents the first results available for the length-weight relationships and condition factor of T. flavimaculosus according to both sexes in the Yumurtalık coast of Turkey.

In this study, five tripletails, Lobotes surinamensis, were reported for the first time in Mersin Bay (North-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey). . Four juveniles were observed during diving expeditions in Yeşilovacık, Mersin Bay, on 04 November 2015 and 23 September 2016, while the fifth juvenile was recorded in Ayaş/Erdemli, Mersin Bay on 26 June 2018. This report is the first observation for this location and fills an essential gap in the species' range distribution. This study is also important as it is the first visual record of juveniles in this region. This finding will be helpful for both fisheries management and conservation efforts of this species.

This article describes the author's experience as a specialist working at a nature-based sleepaway camp for children and their families in Antalya Geyikbayiri. The camp was organized by a psychotherapist and three expert instructors to enhance the connections between parents and children, other children and parents present, and with the natural world, enabling everyone to gain different perspectives. The workshops are diverse and include activities such as nature discovery walks, awareness activities in nature, music sessions, philosophy workshops, movement exercises, circus arts, creative arts, storytelling, and rock climbing. With the support of natural settings throughout the different philosophy workshops, the participants gain insights into their perspectives on specific subjects, recognize beliefs accepted without much contemplation, understand their thought patterns, identify contradictions, and explore the possibilities of thinking differently. Their opinions may evolve, becoming clearer, more uncertain, or even changing altogether through interacting with other participants, the examples and counterexamples they provide, and the questions posed by the instructors and participants.

This research was conducted to determine the ideal school that mainstream students dream of. The research was conducted using the phenemology approach, one of the qualitative research models. Participating in the research were students with mild special needs who attended inclusive education in Turkey and had no problems understanding and answering the questions asked, as well as the teachers and parents of these students. The study collected data from 28 inclusion students with special needs, 28 parents of these students, and 28 teachers. We obtained data using semi-structured interview forms. The analysis of the data obtained was done using the content analysis technique. As a result of the research, it was found that the wishes of inclusive students regarding school/class were collected in four themes: arrangements in teaching, lessons and environment, and positive attitudes. In addition, it was determined that the requests of the inclusion students from their parents regarding the school/class consisted of three themes: arrangements in the lessons and environment and positive attitudes, and their complaints consisted of two themes: peer bullying and social acceptance. In light of the research findings, it is recommended to conduct advanced research based on having inclusion students write stories about the school/class, keeping a diary, and collecting the information they convey to their close circle in order to determine the ideal school of their dreams.

Objective: The purpose of our quantitative correlational study is to investigate the relationship between the perceived organizational support of faculty members and their psychological well-being. Methods: Our study included 450 faculty members from state universities in Istanbul who were selected using a simple random sampling method. We used descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and linear multiple regression analyses. Results: We found that faculty perceptions of organizational support and psychological well-being vary according to academic title and tenure and are not different by gender. Perceived organizational support significantly predicted psychological well-being while controlling for gender, academic title, and tenure. Conclusions: Ensuring organizational support for faculty can positively impact their psychological wellbeing. Implication for Practice: Higher education institutions should diversify resources of support for faculty and make this approach a priority for the administration. The institution should make organizational changes that consider the needs and expectations of faculty members.

In design education, students benefit not only from their project courses' content but also from the information resources they contain. When it comes to the repetition of unique problems and solution-oriented approaches in the design professions, the resources used to research solutions for the problems encountered in design education are also specific to that problem. This situation highlights resource diversity, and especially resource sharing, at various stages and thus opens a view into innovation habits among designers' behaviors. This empirical study explores whether or not designers' behaviors can be related to their practices in design project courses, regarding their open innovation tendencies. Semi-structured interviews with 20 designers are used to form a case study. Interviewees had experience with both in-house designers and freelancers, therefore purposive sampling was used. The results were analyzed thematically and discussed under open innovation practices.

This study aims to create a comprehensive bibliometric map of published scientific articles on e-learning in mathematics education (ME). We used Web of Science (WoS) database to analyzed 341 articles published by 1018 authors representing 79 countries between 2012 and 2022. In this context, we examined scientific articles in terms of scientific production, network analysis, trend topics, thematic change, and conceptual structure. Bibliometric analysis was performed in the study. According to findings, the number of published articles differ according to the years, but the number of citations is constantly increasing. Albano, and Dello Iacono are the most prolific authors. The most productive institutions are Salerno and Black Sea Technical Universities. China, USA, and Russia lead the countries of the corresponding authors. According to the network analysis, the journals of Computers & Education and Computers in Human Behavior form strong links. The most used keywords are students, technology, and mathematics. The pandemic, COVID, reality, and process are trend topic titles. It determined that the best size reduction obtained in the conceptual analysis constituted approximately 31% of the total variability. We presented some suggestions based on the findings obtained at the end of the research.

In this study, the attitudes of adult learners towards distance education were examined and the study motivation and satisfaction level of adult learners, which are two important factors affecting participation, continuation and even dropout, were examined. This study was conducted in a relational research design in quantitative research model and data were collected with the help of three relational scales. These scales are "Attitude towards Distance Education Scale," "Distance Education Satisfaction Scale" and "Online Learning Motivation Scale." In this study, there were 350 participants, 302 women and 48 men. Adult learners of distance pedagogical formation program were selected within the scope of "purposive sampling method." "Regression analysis" was conducted with "the bootstrap method" to test the mediating role of motivational behavior in online learning in the effect of individuals studying via distance education on attitude towards distance education and satisfaction in distance education. Process macro developed by Hayes (2018) was used in the analysis. Accordingly, it was found that the indirect effect of attitude towards distance education on satisfaction with distance education was significant. Thus, it was determined that motivation in online learning mediates the relationship between attitude towards distance education and satisfaction with distance education. This study revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between attitude towards distance education and satisfaction with distance education. There is a significant positive relationship between attitude towards distance education and online learning motivation. There is a significant positive relationship between satisfaction with distance education and online learning motivation, and in the mediation model, it is seen that all path coefficients are significant in the mediation model of distance education students' attitudes towards distance education affecting their satisfaction with distance education through their online learning motivation.

Background Patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy are at risk for life‐threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias, but progressive heart failure (HF) may occur in later stages of disease. This study aimed to characterize potential risk predictors and develop a model for individualized assessment of adverse HF outcomes in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Methods and Results Longitudinal and observational cohorts with 290 patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy from the Fuwai Hospital in Beijing, China, and 99 patients from the University Heart Center in Zurich, Switzerland, with follow‐up data were studied. The primary end point of the study was heart transplantation or death attributable to HF. The model was developed by Cox regression analysis for predicting risk and was internally validated. During 4.92±3.03 years of follow‐up, 48 patients reached the primary end point. The determinants of the risk prediction model were left ventricular ejection fraction, serum creatinine levels, moderate‐to‐severe tricuspid regurgitation, and atrial fibrillation. Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators did not reduce the occurrence of adverse HF outcomes. Conclusions A novel risk prediction model for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy has been developed using 2 large and well‐established cohorts, incorporating common clinical parameters such as left ventricular ejection fraction, serum creatinine levels, tricuspid regurgitation, and atrial fibrillation, which can identify patients who are at risk for terminal HF events, and may guide physicians to assess individualized HF risk and to optimize management strategies.

This paper explores the governance of a state-led urban renewal project in a politically contested area in the aftermath of a major armed conflict. Building on the ethnocratic regime theory, we explore the governance of the urban renewal process in the historic district of Suriçi by focusing on the political, spatial, and governmental underpinnings of displacement and dispossession in the context of the unresolved “Kurdish Question” of Turkey. We argue that this exclusionary and state-led urban renewal project is shaped around the ethnocratic state interests with limited real estate returns that aims to sanitize and dehistoricize the historic core of Diyarbakir given its political and socioeconomic significance for the Kurdish Movement. The rhetorical formation of a “renewed” historic core epitomizes the racialized governance that intensifies the race-class realities sitting at the center of the decades-old ethnic conflict in Turkey. The central government authority's use of gentrification in practice illustrates the ethnocratic regime's spatial, political, and economic repercussions for the Kurdish population as the country's largest ethnic minority. Suriçi‘s redevelopment illustrates that ethnocratic regime practices coexist with a democratic façade and militarization activates an ethnocratic urban regime. Our findings contribute to the literature on space and power by illustrating the incompleteness and paradoxical elements of settler-colonial urbanism.

Objective: The study aims to examine family functionality, emotion regulation difficulties, preference for loneliness, social exclusion, internalizing and externalizing disorders, and executive functions in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) and compare with ADHD, and ADHD+ Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Method: This study included 842 children aged 8-12 years. The subjects were categorized according to DSM-V as ADHD (n = 246), ADHD + ODD (n = 212), ADHD + CDS (n = 176), and Control group (n = 207). The solitude and social exclusion, difficulties in emotion dysregulation and Barkley SCT scales, Child Behavior Checklist, family assessment device, and Central Vital Signs (CNSVS) test were used. Results: According to the study, children with ADHD + CDS had higher rates of internalizing disorders. They also preferred being alone and experienced more difficulty communicating with their parents and solving problems within the family. Additionally, these children had difficulty recognizing and understanding the emotional reactions of others. The ADHD + ODD group presented a poorer performance on CNSVS domain tests except for the psychomotor speed test than other groups. Also, ADHD + CDS children had the lowest psychomotor speed scores and lower scores on reaction time and cognitive flexibility than pure ADHD children. Conclusion: This study will contribute to the etiology, treatment, and clinical discrimination of ADHD + CDS. (J. of Att. Dis. 2024; 28(12) 1555-1576)

To learn the meaning of a new word, or to recognize the meaning of a known one, both children and adults benefit from surrounding words, or the sentential context. Most of the evidence from children is based on their accuracy and efficiency when listening to speech in their familiar native accent: they successfully use the words they know to identify other words' referents. Here, we assess how accurately and efficiently 4-year-old children use sentential context to identify referents of known and novel nouns in unfamiliar-accented speech, as compared to familiar-accented speech. In a looking-while-listening task, children showed considerable success in processing unfamiliar-accented speech. Children robustly mapped known nouns produced in an unfamiliar accent to their target referents rather than novel competitors, and they used informative surrounding verbs (e.g., "You can eat the dax") to identify the referents of both known and novel nouns--although there was a processing cost for unfamiliar-accented speech in some cases. This demonstrates that 4-year-olds successfully and rapidly process unfamiliar-accented speech by recruiting the same strategies available to them in familiar-accented speech, revealing impressive flexibility in word recognition and word learning across diverse linguistic environments.

We conducted a descriptive analysis and meta-analysis of single-case research design (SCRD) studies investigating the effectiveness of the graduated guidance procedure. Once we identified studies through electronic databases and reference lists, we used What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards to evaluate each study. Then, we described studies in terms of various descriptive variables, calculated effect sizes through three non-parametric effect size methods, and analyzed results across studies. Results showed 11 of the 27 studies met WWC Standards or met standards with reservation. Of the 11, seven studies resulted in a large effect. We found the graduated guidance procedure to be an evidence-based practice when evaluating the findings against contemporary evidence standards. However, this review also showed that the majority of the reviewed studies (n = 20) had no effects and only one third of the studies had moderate or strong effects. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Background Diastolic dysfunction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients is a frequent, yet poorly understood phenomenon. Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between the myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in patients with HCM. Materials and Methods We retrospectively investigated the impact of the myocardial fibrosis, as assessed by the extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE-%) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), on diastolic dysfunction in 110 patients with HCM. The diastolic dysfunction was evaluated by the left atrial (LA) volume index measured on CMRI and lateral septal E/E′ ratio calculated on echocardiography. Results : There was a moderate correlation between the LGE-% and LA volume (r = 0.59, p < 0.0001). The logistic regression model of LGE-%, mitral regurgitation, and total left ventricular mass that investigated the independent predictors of LA volume identified LGE-% as the only independent parameter associated with the LA volume index (β = 0.30, p = 0.003). No correlation was observed between the LGE-% and E/E′(r = 0.24, p = 0.009). Conclusions Myocardial fibrosis in HCM patients is associated with a chronic diastolic burden as represented by increased LA volume. However, the fibrosis does not influence the E/E′ ratio, which is a well-known parameter of ventricular relaxation, restoring forces, and filling pressure.

Abstract Microstructural alterations in cortico-subcortical connections are thought to be present in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). However, prior studies have yielded inconsistent findings, perhaps because small sample sizes provided insufficient power to detect subtle abnormalities. Here we investigated microstructural white matter alterations and their relation to clinical features in the largest dataset of adult and pediatric OCD to date. We analyzed diffusion tensor imaging metrics from 700 adult patients and 645 adult controls, as well as 174 pediatric patients and 144 pediatric controls across 19 sites participating in the ENIGMA OCD Working Group, in a cross-sectional case-control magnetic resonance study. We extracted measures of fractional anisotropy (FA) as main outcome, and mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity as secondary outcomes for 25 white matter regions. We meta-analyzed patient-control group differences (Cohen’s d) across sites, after adjusting for age and sex, and investigated associations with clinical characteristics. Adult OCD patients showed significant FA reduction in the sagittal stratum (d = −0.21, z = −3.21, p = 0.001) and posterior thalamic radiation (d = −0.26, z = −4.57, p

Cross-linked chitosan/waste mussel shell (C/WMS) and chitosan/waste mussel shell/waste active sludge char (C/WMS/WASC) composites were prepared from waste mussel shell, waste active sludge (WAS), and chitosan, and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. The quantities of chitosan, WMS, and WASC used for the C/WMS and C/WMS/WASC composites were 1:1 and 1:0.5:0.5, respectively. The two adsorbents were characterized for their quality by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and a Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) analyzer. The effects of contact time (0–1,620 mins), pH (1–5), adsorbent dosage (0.01–0.1 g/50 ml), initial dye concentration (20–100 mg/L), and temperature (25–45 °C) on Reactive Blue 49 (RB49) adsorption onto C/WMS and C/WMS/WASC composites were investigated. The maximum RB49 adsorption capacity of C/WMS and C/WMS/WASC composites was 54.7 and 38.8 mg/g, respectively. The experimental data were analyzed by kinetic and isotherm models. The Freundlich isotherm was a good fit for the experimental data of RB49 adsorption on C/WMS and C/WMS/WASC composites, and the adsorption kinetics for both adsorbents were the pseudo-second-order rate equation. All results showed the preparative adsorbents can be used as effective adsorbents for the treatment of waste water contaminated with RB49 since they are low cost and eco-friendly for the environment.

Gonostoma denudatum belonging to Gonostomatidae family are small fishes living in deep-sea around Atlantic and Mediterranean. They are vital species for plastic accumulation because they can be available in all depths of the water column during the day. In this study, it was aimed to present the recent record of G. denudatum, which captured from North Cyprus in May 2018. The total length of the specimen, which obtained from a depth of between 420 and 640 m, is 12.8 cm. Its photograph was taken and the catalogue number (MEUFC-19-11-108) was given. Morphometric characteristics were measured and calculated. The specimen is stored in the Museum of the Systematic, Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University.

Lantern sharks are small shark species that can be seen at depths between 70 and 2000 meters. Due to their luminescent characteristics, they have been called “Lantern shark”. In total eleven specimens of the velvet belly lantern shark, Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758), were caught in the deep seas of Northern Cyprus by using a bottom trawl. Sampling was carried out using 13 trawling operations. The collected samples were placed in 4% formalin and stored at the Museum of the Systematic, Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University, (catalogue number: MEUFC-18-11-082). As a sampling area, the depths between 274 and 641 m were selected. Other cartilaginous fish caught during sampling except E. spinax were Galeus melastomus (1 individual), Squalus acanthias (4 individuals), Scyliorhinus canicula (85 individuals). E. spinax made up 10.89% of all cartilaginous fishes which were caught. Species identification for all fishes caught is made with the help of morphological features.

Dedifferentiated vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) play an essential role in neointima formation, and we now aim to investigate the role of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) modulator BMPER (BMP endothelial cell precursor-derived regulator) in neointima formation. To assess BMPER expression in arterial restenosis, we used a mouse carotid ligation model with perivascular cuff placement. Overall BMPER expression after vessel injury was increased; however, expression in the tunica media was decreased compared to untreated control. Consistently, BMPER expression was decreased in proliferative, dedifferentiated vSMC in vitro. C57BL/6_Bmper+/− mice displayed increased neointima formation 21 days after carotid ligation and enhanced expression of Col3A1, MMP2, and MMP9. Silencing of BMPER increased the proliferation and migration capacity of primary vSMCs, as well as reduced contractibility and expression of contractile markers, whereas stimulation with recombinant BMPER protein had the opposite effect. Mechanistically, we showed that BMPER binds insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 4 (IGFBP4), resulting in the modulation of IGF signaling. Furthermore, perivascular application of recombinant BMPER protein prevented neointima formation and ECM deposition in C57BL/6N mice after carotid ligation. Our data demonstrate that BMPER stimulation causes a contractile vSMC phenotype and suggest that BMPER has the potential for a future therapeutic agent in occlusive cardiovascular diseases.

The generation of unprecedented amounts of data brings new challenges in data management, but also an opportunity to accelerate the identification of processes of multiple science disciplines. One of these challenges is the harmonization of high-dimensional unbalanced and heterogeneous data. In this manuscript, we propose a statistical approach to combine incomplete and partially-overlapping pieces of covariance matrices that come from independent experiments. We assume that the data are a random sample of partial covariance matrices sampled from Wishart distributions and we derive an expectation-maximization algorithm for parameter estimation. We demonstrate the properties of our method by (i) using simulation studies and (ii) using empirical datasets. In general, being able to make inferences about the covariance of variables not observed in the same experiment is a valuable tool for data analysis since covariance estimation is an important step in many statistical applications, such as multivariate analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.

Rabbitfish (Chimaera monstrosa, Linnaeus 1758), which is a deep-sea holocephalan mostly seen between 200-1000 m in depth. The specimen of C. monstrosa was caught in the deep-seas of Northern Cyprus by a commercial bottom trawler from Turkey. The depth of sampling area is between 456 and 690 m. Species description fulfilled with the help of morphological features and metric measurements. The specimen was preserved in 4% formaldehyde and deposited in the Museum of the Systematic, Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University, (Catalogue number: MEUFC-19-11-103).

Introduction: The aim was to investigate the link between tinnitus and serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TRG), low-density (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the central anatolian Turkish population. Materials and Methods: The retrospective and case-control study included a total of 91 patients with subjective tinnitus and a control group of age- and sex-matched 65 healthy volunteers. A detailed otolaryngologic examination followed by pure tone audiometry, serum lipid values, and magnetic resonance imaging of the temporal bone was performed. The clinical characteristics of tinnitus were registered for all patients. The serum levels of TC, TRG, LDL and HDL were compared between the two groups. Results: Mean TC level was 200.57±41.06 mg/dL in the patient group and 179.0±39.03 mg/dL in the control group (P=0.001). Mean TRG level was 177.76±86.94 mg/dL in the patient group and 124.43±61.44 mg/dL in the control group (P=0.000). Mean LDL level was 115.88±32.56 mg/dL in the patient group and 101.31±34.42 mg/dL in the control group (P=0.008). Mean HDL level was 50.25±13.60 mg/dL in the patient group and 53.46±12.66 mg/dL in the control group (P=0.137). Among all the serum lipids, TC, TRG and LDL established a significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: The results indicated that TC, TRG and LDL levels were significantly higher in tinnitus group and this increase implicates the potential role of hyperlipidemia associated with altered lipid metabolism in the etiology of tinnitus. We suggest that serum lipid levels could be useful and conducive in the diagnosis and prognosis of tinnitus.

Objective: The leading concern among cancer patients is posttreatment complications and survival, which are associated with patient-related, tumor-related and treatment-related factors. We present here an analysis of the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) as a preoperatively improvable prognostic factor. Material and methods: A retrospective review was made of 228 patients operated on for gastric cancer between January 2011 and October 2019. The patients were divided into two groups based on PNI (PNI Results: PNI was ≥45 in 162 patients and p=0.014), age (p=0.054), tumor size (p=0.027), and Body Mass Index (BMI) (p=0.041) between the two groups. Using a Kaplan-Meier test, overall survival analysis revealed a difference between the two groups (p=0.001). A multivariate Cox regression analysis of the factors impacting overall survival revealed the T stage (p=0.031), N stage (pp=0.041) to be significant. Conclusion: The prognostic nutritional index is easy to calculate, a simple and practical approach to assessing nutritional status. Based on the present study's findings, the preoperative calculation of the prognostic nutritional index can serve as an indicator of postoperative complications and prognosis. The most important benefit of this marker is that it can be improved preoperatively.