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In the study, environmetric methods were successfully performed a) to explore natural and anthropogenic controls on reservoir water quality, b) to investigate spatial and temporal differences in quality, and c) to determine quality variables discriminating three reservoirs in Izmir, Turkey. Results showed that overall water quality was mainly governed by “natural factors” in the whole region. A parameter that was the most important in contributing to water quality variation for one reservoir was not important for another. Between summer and winter periods, difference in arsenic concentrations were statistically significant in the Tahtalı, Ürkmez and iron concentrations were in the Balçova reservoirs. Observation of high/low levels in two seasons was explained by different processes as for instance, dilution from runoff at times of high flow seeped through soil and entered the river along with the rainwater run-off and adsorption. Three variables “boron, arsenic and sulphate” discriminated quality among Balçova & Tahtalı, Balçova & Ürkmez and two variables “zinc and arsenic” among the Tahtalı & Ürkmez reservoirs. The results illustrated the usefulness of multivariate statistical techniques to fingerprint pollution sources and investigate temporal/spatial variations in water quality.

"Work-Related Behaviour and Experience Patterns" (AVEM) has been developed with the intention of determining the occupation related behaviour and lifestyle models of professionals. This study has been conducted to test the validity and reliability of MEDYAM, the abbreviated Turkish equivalent of AVEM. 373 teachers from 10 different primary and secondary schools participated in the study (28.2% male and 71.8% female). Confirmatory factor analysis results revealed that the data fits well with the model (X[superscript 2] = 4426.30 and df = 2024 RMSEA = 0.056 and SRMR = 0.073). Moreover, the obtained absolute values were between 0.40 and 0.99 for Lambda; 0.20 and 0.88 for R2 value, and 8.04 and 23.09 for t-scores (p less than 0.05). In scope of the scale's reliability test, all Cronbach alpha coefficients obtained regarding each dimension varied between 0.72 and 0.85. Findings related to validity and reliability demonstrates the suitability of the MEDYAM scale for studies conducted in scope of determining teachers' work related behavior and experience patterns. (Contains 5 tables.)

Purpose: In this in vitro study, the purpose was to assess the cytotoxicity profiles of seven commercial dental implant materials by using cell culture methods on an osteoblastic cell line. Materials and Methods: The microstructure of seven commercial dental implants (each given a letter code) was investigated via scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Medium extracts were collected on the first and fifth days for each group and tested using MC3T3-E1 cell line. Cytotoxicity was evaluated with Xcelligance System and XTT reagent, and apoptosis was determined by Annexin-V staining. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's multiple range tests were used for statistical analyses. In all tests, P was set as .05. Results: ANOVA results disclosed that Ti (P = .001), Na (P = .001), Ca (P = .019), Al (P = .024), and P (P = .020) amounts were significantly different between test materials. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis analyses revealed that implant materials (C) and (E) were the materials with the lowest cell vitality and the highest apoptosis rates among the test materials. Phosphorus was the only element that presented the highest amount in C and E (14.23% and 12.29%, respectively) compared with the other implant materials tested. (F) and (G) had favorable results for all experiments. Conclusion: The results suggest that pure dental implant materials with a lower number of additional elements may possess fewer cytotoxic effects than the other implant materials tested in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Surgery is one of the treatment alternatives for prostate cancer, and robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) has become the new trend in the past decade. There is no consensus yet for surgeons who will perform RALP whether they need to be trained or experienced in laparoscopy. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the surgeon's laparoscopy experience in the perioperative and postoperative results of RALP patients. Material and method: Patients who underwent RALP were retrospectively screened. The first 20 cases done by surgeons in both groups and 40 cases in total were included in the study. Surgeons with laparoscopy training were designated as group 1, and surgeons without laparoscopy training were designated as group 2. Patient's age, preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value, prostate biopsy pathology, radical prostatectomy pathology, surgical margin positivity, extracapsular extension, and seminal vesicle invasion status, blood transfusion rate, operation time, length of hospital stay, and 1-year follow-up potency and urinary incontinence rates were compared. Results: There was no difference between the two groups in terms of age, preoperative PSA, preoperative biopsy results, blood transfusion rates, operation times, and the length of hospital stay of the patients. When the postoperative oncological and functional results of the patients were examined, there was no difference between the two groups in the prostatectomy pathology (p = 0.895), extracapsular extension (pT3a) (p = 0.519), positive surgical margin (pSM) (p = 0.723), and seminal vesicle invasion (pT3b) (p = 0.756). Potency and urinary incontinence rates were similar in both groups at the end of one year follow-up (p = 0.327, 0.500 respectively). Conclusions: Based on our study, it is clearly seen that regardless of the surgeon's experience of laparoscopy, it can be safely preferred when looking at the oncological and functional results of RALP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to establish the radiopacity of cements used in implant-retained fixed partial dentures with respect to implant material, enamel, and dentin. A sample of 10 specimens of 13 different cements, implants, enamel, and dentin were prepared. Radiographs of the specimens and aluminum step wedges were acquired. Mean gray values of specimens were measured using digital imaging software. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk normality tests and independent t test were used (P = .05). Implantlink Semi, Premier, and Dentotemp had the lowest radiopacity values; GC FujiTemp LT, Multilink Implant, Poly-F Plus, Cavex-Temporary, and Panavia SA showed the highest. Within the limitations of the study, cements containing zinc oxide and ytterbium-trifluoride can be recommended for cementation of implant-retained restorations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Color perception is an important variable in detecting and assessing oral conditions. The aim was to investigate clinicians' perception of toluidine blue (Tblue) staining compared to digital color analysis, which may impact mucosal lesion detection, affect the decision to biopsy, and biopsy site selection. Method and Materials: Four oral lesions were stained with Tblue. Digital color analyses of eight areas on each image were completed and were considered as "gold standard" (GS). Twenty specialists ranked these areas according to their perceived intensity of blue stain in two sessions. Results: Consistency between GS and observers rankings was 0.8791. However, more than half of the observers inaccurately perceived the intermediate blue tones. Overall interobserver agreement was 0.8714; stability between two sessions decreased to 45% for intermediate tones. Conclusion: Assessing the equivocal blueness of an oral mucosal lesion in clinical settings may vary due to variation in visual perception. A digital method for objective color analysis in clinical practice may be used to eliminate this deficiency by implementing a mathematical formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The effectiveness of an appliance for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) shows inordinate interindividual differences. Also, its therapeutic effects still remain unresolved. This study examined and compared the effects of a mandibular advancement splint (MAS) on the masseter and submental muscles of patients with mild and moderate OSA. Materials and Methods: Twenty OSA patients (10 mild and 10 moderate) who refused or did not tolerate nasal continuous positive airway pressure were randomly selected among individuals whose apnea-hypopnea indices (AHIs) were determined at the sleep laboratory of the Department of Chest Diseases, Ege University, before the study. Two polysomnography (PSG) sessions were performed and evaluated: the first without an MAS for the first half of the night to determine baseline muscle activity and the second with an MAS for the other half of the night to follow the condition of muscle activity. Electromyograms (EMGs) of the sum of the submental musculature and masseter muscle were measured with PSGs. The highest EMG amplitudes of the muscles and their AHIs were recorded before and after use of the appliance. Data were analyzed statistically using a t test. Results: After insertion of the MAS device, EMG amplitudes increased significantly in the submental (P < .05) and masseter muscles (P < .05) of both mild and moderate OSA patients. However, the increase in muscle activity in the mild OSA group was significantly different from the moderate OSA group (P < .05). Accordingly, the mean EMG amplitude during moderate apnea episodes was lower than mild both with and without the appliance. After insertion of the MAS, the mean AHI in both mild and moderate OSA patients decreased significantly from baseline recordings (P < .05). Patients reported a favorable sleeping pattern and no dislodgement of the appliance during sleep. Conclusion: The MAS activated the masseter and submental muscles during sleep and prevented the upper airway from collapsing. The prosthetic appliance was useful in the treatment of both mild and moderate OSA syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Impression techniques in restorative dentistry require displacement of gingival tissues to expose subgingival finish lines on tooth preparations. Retraction cords are commonly used for this purpose. Some cord systems include various medicaments, which may remain in the sulcus after retraction procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether any of the commonly used gingival retraction medicaments could influence the surface characteristics of the impression material and to evaluate the clinical performance of retraction cords. Method and Materials: Sixteen cord systems in various shapes, sizes, and medications were used in this study. The clinical performances of cords were evaluated with a blind experimental study design, according to predetermined criteria. Results were analyzed by using chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression analysis (P < .05). Results: Statistically significant differences were found in all criteria among groups (P < .05). None of the materials investigated appeared to have any influence on the surface characterization of the polyvinyl siloxane impression material used. Better impression qualities were observed in groups with easy insertion, proper dilatation, less recurrent bleeding, and no remnants or fraying. Logistic regression analysis revealed that both retraction cord medicaments (odds ratio = 0.63, P = .00 < .05) and cord thicknesses (odds ratio = 2.09, P = .00 < .05) were important risk factors on the gingival margin quality. Conclusions: The applied gingival retraction cord systems had no influence on the surface characterization of the polyvinyl siloxane material tested. Gingival margin quality of the impression and clinical application procedures were affected by the retraction systems. Untreated, medium-braided, and epinephrine-impregnated cord systems were clinically successful. However, the potential systemic effects of epinephrine must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the energy transferred at the bottom of eleven bulk-fill resin composites, comparing top and bottom microhardness's and evaluating the correlation between microhardness and radiant energy were aimed. Samples were placed over the bottom sensor of a visible light transmission spectrophotometer and polymerized for 20 s. The bottom and top Knoop microhardness were measured. Paired t-test and correlation analysis were used for statistics (p≤0.05). In all groups, the bottom radiant energy decreased significantly with increasing thickness. For groups of Aura 2 mm, X-tra Fil 2 and 4 mm, SDR 2 and 4 mm, X-tra Base 2 mm no significant difference was found between top and bottom microhardness. For the bottom levels of Aura, X-tra Fil, Filtek Bulk-Fill Posterior, SDR, X-tra Base groups no significant difference was found between the microhardness's of 2 and 4 mm thicknesses. For X-tra Fil, Tetric Evo Ceram Bulk-Fill, Filtek Bulk-Fill Flowable and Z100 groups radiant energy affected positively the microhardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]