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One of the primary purposes of proteomic studies is to analyze the proteins in the blood to be considered as biomarkers. Albumin, which constitutes the majority of total serum proteins, complicates the discovery of low-density proteins that are important for the diagnosis of diseases. Based on this, an alternative approach for albumin depletion was developed in this study by covalently attached Cibacron Blue 3GA (CB) to magnetic microcryogels. After detailed characterization of CB attached magnetic microcryogels synthesized

Total aplasia of paranasal sinus (TAPS) is extremely rare, although the fact that partial aplasia is very common. TAPS seems to be limited to only 5 case reports in the literature until now. We present the case of a 29-year-old patient who has a syndromic face appearance but whose TAPS was detected incidentally. The maxillary, sphenoid, ethmoid, and frontal sinuses were totally aplastic. Furthermore, clinodactyly and high-arched palate were observed. The patient's appearance was consistent with a syndromic face because of some findings on inspection such as hypertelorism, shortening of the palpebral fissure, protruded and wide nasal base, high arched palate and zygomatic hypoplasia. The patient's profile was more suitable for Teacher-Collins syndrome than other syndromes, however, a certain diagnosis was not made genetically. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported association between TAPS and a syndromic condition.

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), called as bone cement, has been used in implant surgery, initially in dental practices, then in arthroplasty surgery for decades. Bone cement is a highly preferred chemical in the field of orthopedics due to its bone-like hardness and mechanical strength. Meanwhile, antibiotic-loaded cements are used in joints and similar surgeries are generally due to the risk of infection. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the effects of borate mineral loading into bone cement on enhancing the antibacterial resistivity and cell integration as well as retaining mechanical properties. Moreover, the incorporation of minerals into bone cements makes them much more cost-friendly biomaterials for surgical operations. Herein, antibacterial properties were evaluated by using vancomycin- and gentamycin-susceptible strains of

Objective Skin cancers of the auricle usually present with challenges because of the unique anatomy and topography of the auricle and the behavior of the tumor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and histopathological characteristics and the surgical outcomes in patients with skin cancer of the auricle. Methods Medical records of patients who underwent surgery for a skin cancer of the auricle at two different tertiary medical centers during 2010 to 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Sociodemographic data of patients, tumor location and size, histopathological type and subtype, T-stage, recurrence, and reconstructive technique were evaluated. Results The study included 41 patients with skin cancers of the auricle. Thirty-six (87.8%) were male and five (12.2%) were female; with a male-to-female ratio of 7.2:1. The mean age of the patients was 71.4 (46-92) years. Eighteen (43.9%) tumors were basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 17 (41.5%) tumors were cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). The most common subunit for tumor location was the helix (n=17, 41.5%). Wedge resection plus primary closure was the most common surgical technique (58.5%). Recurrent disease was detected in five patients (12.1%). Conclusion The frequency of the skin cancers of the auricle was remarkably high in men, and the helix was the most common subunit. Both BCC and cSCC were the most common histopathological types. Poor prognostic factors such as lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion, and recurrence were relatively common in patients with cSCC of the auricle.

In this study, a new approach for the detection of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in aqueous media is presented by combining molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors. Herein, BaP imprinted sensor was fabricated on a SPR chip in the presence of a pre-polymerization complex of BaP and N-methacryloyl-L-phenylalanine, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The developed sensor was characterized by atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, and contact angle measurements. Association kinetics analysis via Scatchard, Langmuir, Freundlich, Langmuir–Freundlich isotherms were applied to the data and Langmuir adsorption model was found as the most accurate model for the affinity sensor system. MIPs-based SPR sensor linearly responded to BaP in a concentration range of 20-400 ng mL−1 with an excellent LOD of 14.97 ng L−1. The SPR sensor was found to be highly selective toward BaP according to the selectivity study results in the presence of interfering agents such as benzo[b]floranthene (BbF), benzo[k]floranthene (BkF), indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IcdP), and 1-naphthol. The studies demonstrated that MIPs-based SPR sensor provides rapid and reliable detection and identification of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within a quite short time.

Molecularly imprinted polymer based nanofilms specific to melamine were synthesized on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) electrode surface. Contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy were used for characterizations process. Some of the findings of the study are as follows: pH 6.0 was found as optimal working pH for melamine detection. Prepared MIP QCM electrode showed a linearity of 99.53% in the concentration range of 50-1000 ng/mL. Langmuir-Freundlich hybrid model was the best fitted isotherm for whole concentration range. The performance of MIP QCM electrode was also confirmed by determining of melamine in melamine spiked milk samples. As a conclusion, the results figured out that not only QCM nanosensor for specific melamine detection but also polymerization strategy were classified as an intriguing alternative for developing new melamine sensing platforms. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were calculated as 2.3 ng/mL and 7.8 ng/mL, respectively.

Gene therapy is an alternative approach to insert the gene into a patient's cell to treat various diseases such as cancer, inherited disorders, and viral infections instead of using drugs or operations. For this aim, the viral and nonviral vectors are used in gene delivery studies and the nonviral vectors received significant attention because of simplicity, low-immune response, and controllability. Conducting polymers (CPs) known as Nobel Prize winner materials with unique features such as ease of synthesis, in vivo and in vitro biocompatibility, electric conductivity are promising materials for wide applications, e.g., biosensor platforms, photocatalytic applications, and biomedical studies. Furthermore, depending on the redox state, the molecules could be entrapped or released by applying the electrical stimulation; so, these conjugated polymers are also potentially used in gene delivery studies. In this context, the widely used CPs, their chemical synthesis, their interactions with DNA, siRNA, their entry into the cells, and their gene delivery performances are highlighted.

Petrous apex cephalocele (PAC) is a rare type of cephalocele. It is usually asymptomatic. It can be unilateral or bilateral. Bilateral cases are less common. They are etiologically and clinically different entities from unilateral ones. A 56-year-old female patient presented to the hospital with the complaint of a severe nonspecific headache. She has been examined in ear nose throat, ophthalmology, and finally neurology clinics. Bilateral PAC was incidentally found in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Headache was associated with PAC because no additional pathology could explain the clinical symptomatology. There is a proven relationship between empty sella and PAC. Regarding PAC less than 50 cases are known. Our paper aims to contribute to the literature by exhibiting etiologic and clinic differences between unilateral and bilateral PAC. It highlights the relationship between PAC and broad sella that is a different entity from empty sella and shows this remarkable radiological appearance. The authors presented our case accompanied by clinical and MRI findings.

WOS: 000510187300004 Objective: Childhood onset speech fluency disorder (stuttering) is a communication disorder beginning in childhood, and is characterised by interruption to speech flow, sound prolongations and pauses produced by repetition of a particular sound or word. The aim of this study was to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid psychiatric diagnoses and other variables that are associated with stuttering. Methods: Sixty-four children and adolescents aged under 18 years and attending the child and adolescent psychiatry or otorhinolaryngology (END outpatient clinic between November 2017 and June 2019 were enrolled in the study. ENT examination was carried out. A sociodemographic questionnaire was also administered to the participants. The psychiatric evaluation of the patients was performed according to DSM-5 criteria. Results: The mean age was 7.36 +/- 3.76 years. 70.3% of the cases were male. The mean age at onset of stuttering was 4.85 +/- 2.34 years and the average stuttering duration was 2.31 years. In 31.3% of cases a life stressor had preceded stuttering, 21.9% had a positive family history, and 40.6% had comorbid psychiatric morbidity. The most common comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were specific learning disorder, speech sound disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Conclusion: According to the results obtained, stuttering was 2.3 times more common in males, and 68.7% of all cases were below the age of 5 years. The most common psychiatric diagnoses found in cases of stuttering are within the neurodevelopmental disorders grouping. Since psychiatric diagnoses occur at such a high frequency, it is important to address this comorbidity when treating stuttering.

A novel methodology has been applied to generate a porous molecularly imprinted material for highly selective and sensitive recognition of Janus kinase inhibitor ruxolitinib (RUX). The porous material-based nucleobase-derivative functional monomer was developed by a photopolymerization method. The thymine methacrylate (ThyM) as a functional monomer was synthesized and copolymerized with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in the presence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) onto the glassy carbon electrode [glassy carbon electrode/molecularly imprinted polymer@poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-thymine methacrylate), (GCE/MIP@PHEMA-ThyM)] for the first time. The presence of ThyM results in the functional groups in imprinting binding sites, while the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) allows to generate porous materials for sensitive sensing. The characterization of GCE/MIP@PHEMA-ThyM was investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and impedance spectroscopy technique. Then, the porous MIP modified glassy carbon electrode was optimized with effecting parameters including removal agent, removal time, and incubation time to get a better response for RUX. Under well-controlled optimum conditions, the GCE/MIP@PHEMA-ThyM linearly responded to the RUX concentration up to 0.01 pM at the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.00191 pM. The non-imprinted polymer (NIP) was also prepared to serve as a control in the same way but without the template. The proposed method improves the accessibility of binding sites by generating the porous material resulting in highly selective and sensitive recognition of drugs in the pharmaceutical dosage form and synthetic human serum samples.

Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensors (MI-ECS) exhibit the features of molecularly imprinted materials employed as recognition element (artificial receptor) and electrochemical transducers. The high sensitivity and selectivity analogue to biological receptors enable molecularly imprinted materials with recognition abilities to be used in electrochemical sensing strategies. So, this review focuses on the electrochemical detection of proteins, hormones, pesticides, and neurotransmitters based on molecular imprinting technique.

Objective: Stuttering is a communication disorder that can affect an individual’s life in many ways. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of stuttering on children and adolescents’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL).Methods: This is a cross-sectional type of case-control study. Thirty-six children and adolescents diagnosed with stuttering according to DSM-5 and 37 age- and gender-matched healthy children and adolescents were included in the study. The child and adolescent’s HRQoL in both groups was evaluated using the KIDSCREEN-52 self and proxy reports.Results: No significant difference was observed in the physical well-being, psychological well-being, moods and emotions, self-perception, autonomy, parental relationships and home life, financial resources, social support and peers, school environment, social acceptance-bullying dimensions in the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire between-group comparison of both report and proxy results. The parental score reports were found to be statistically significantly lower than the children with stuttering in social acceptance-bullying dimension. In contrast, the children’s scores in the dimensions of physical well-being, self-perception, parental relationships and home life, social support and peers and school environment were found to be statistically significantly lower than their parents.Conclusion: According to the study results, it was observed that the HRQoL of children between the ages of8-18 who stutter was not different from healthy children. Since factors affecting the HRQoL of children may be affected by developmental processes, the necessity of longitudinal assessment of the HRQoL of stuttering children should be considered.

In this study, we introduced a new strategy to design interface imprinted polymers for a novel aspect of molecular imprinting technique, utilization of sacrificial metal oxide particles. In the first step, bovine hemoglobin (BHb) was adsorbed on zinc oxide (ZnO) particles, which were then used to synthesize polyacrylic acid-based molecular imprinting membrane by bulk polymerization in the presence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linking agent. After polymerization terminated, BHb-ZnO particles were removed to leave effective imprint sites onto the bulk polymeric network which is responsible for the formation of template orientation. The characterization of membranes was investigated by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy (RS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface area measurements (BET analyses) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The interface molecularly imprinted membranes (iMIMs) have a relatively high specific rebinding capacity of 65.98 mg/g and excellent selectivity towards BHb with a separation factor of 6.78. The equilibrium adsorption isotherms fitted well to Langmuir isotherms (R2 = 0.9944) and the value of adsorption capability (Qmax) and equilibrium constant (b) were estimated to be 73.53 mg/g and 1.36 mg/mL for the iMIM, respectively. The kinetics of adsorption fitted best to pseudo-second order (R2 = 0.9912). The ZnO particles were used not only to ensure the preservation of the imprint cavities in the polymer network but also to lead to high template removal and better rebinding kinetics. This novel design with multiple recognition sites is quite simple and suitable for the separation of biomacromolecules.

Polymerizable terbium(III) complex-based fluorescent molecular imprinted smart nanoparticles were synthesized for the quantitative determination of potential metabolic destitution biomarkers. Melatonin has been reported to be one of the key factors in seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and was chosen as a model metabolite to demonstrate a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticle sensor. We exploited lanthanide ion complexes in our biosensing platforms due to their deeper penetration ability, negligible autofluorescence, lack of photobleaching and photoblinking, and their sharp absorption and emission bands, extreme photostability, and long lifetime. Given the high affinity of lanthanide ions for carboxylic acid groups, we used two amino acid-based functional monomers, N-methacryloyl-L-tryptophan and N-methacryloyl-L-aspartic acid, to coordinate terbium-(III) ions and melatonin, respectively. The fluorescent MIP nanoparticles were synthesized using a miniemulsion polymerization technique after forming complexes between terbium(III):MA-Asp and melatonin:MATrp molecules. Due to the polymerizability of lanthanide complexes, they were readily inserted into the polymeric chain, which enabled homogeneous distribution as well as closer orientation to the imprinted cavities for selective melatonin recognition.