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Introduction 17α‐Hydroxylase deficiency is a very rare disease reported to be associated with a risk of gonadal malignancy. We herein report a rare case of seminoma in a 46, XY patient with 17α‐hydroxylase deficiency. Case presentation A 52‐year‐old woman presented with a 9‐cm pelvic tumor. At age 14, she had been identified as having the XY karyotype and 17α‐hydroxylase deficiency. However, she was not informed and did not consult the urology department. Laparoscopic gonadectomy was performed at the latest consultation, and seminoma was diagnosed. Conclusion This is the third reported case of testicular tumor and the first of germ cell tumor in a 46, XY patient with 17α‐hydroxylase deficiency. Given the rarity and the risk of gonadal malignancy associated with 17α‐hydroxylase deficiency, the involvement of multidisciplinary specialists and prophylactic gonadectomy is considered crucial in its management.

Our team proposed a Reading Skills Test that assesses cognitive academic language skills from six perspectives: syntactic comprehension, referential resolution, paraphrasing, inference, matching textual and non-textual information, and reading and understanding definitions. Each test item consists of a 100-word description and a multiple-choice question that tests one of the abilities from the above six perspectives. Subjects solve the test items, which appear one after another on the browser based on item response theory. We have confirmed that this test meets the desirable properties of an assessment test and have demonstrated that the syntactic processing ability measured by this test has improved yearly from the fifth to the ninth grade. Furthermore, we found that the characteristics of the subjects as measured by this test reflect syntactic processing ability independent of vocabulary and academic knowledge.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-supported style of communication used across many fields of human services, including addiction treatment, social work, healthcare, education, and criminal justice. MI can be utilized by a variety of human service professionals and requires no special licensure or educational degree. In 2016, our Human Services program at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY began to implement MI training as a core part of our curriculum to provide students with this micro-credential to increase their career readiness. This paper outlines our ongoing approach for implementing MI in a community college human services program, including the training model we used for preparing faculty and staff to implement this approach, as well as some reflections from graduates.

Zeliha Ozdemir Koken,1 Rana Elcin Sezer Ceren,1 Sabri Karahan,2 Osman Abbasoglu3 1Surgical Nursing Department, Hacettepe University Faculty of Nursing, Ankara, Turkiye; 2Surgical Nursing Department, Harran University, Faculty of Health Science, Sanliurfa, Turkiye; 3General Surgery Department, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, TurkiyeCorrespondence: Zeliha Ozdemir Koken, Surgical Nursing Department, Hacettepe University Faculty of Nursing, Ankara, Turkiye, Email zeliha.ozdemir@hacettepe.edu.trPurpose: Preserving graft functions and preventing rejection is closely related to immunosuppressive medication adherence in liver transplant recipients. Therefore, it is essential to determine factors affecting immunosuppressive medication use positively or negatively in liver transplant recipients. This study aimed to explore the use of immunosuppressive medication experience in liver transplant recipients with poor adherence and reveal the factors affecting the medication adherence.Material and Methods: The study was conducted as a qualitative study with phenomenological approach. Seven adult liver transplant recipients were included in this study, who had poor adherence to immunosuppressive medication. Data was collected via in-depth personal interviews. Data analysis was conducted through inductive content analysis with three steps of preparation, organization, and reporting phases.Results: Content analysis revealed four main categories, nine categories and 31 sub-categories. Four main categories emerged from the interview data: medication adherence perception, types of medication non-adherence, factors affecting medication adherence negatively and factors affecting medication adherence positively.Conclusion: This study explored that there are several factors affecting immunosuppressive medication adherence among liver transplant recipients, both positively and negatively. In order to achieve liver transplant recipients’ total adherence to immunosuppressive medication, the factors affecting medication adherence positively and negatively should be understood. The study results are expected to contribute developing strategies to improve immunosuppressive medication adherence in liver transplant recipients.Keywords: immunosuppressive, liver transplant, medication adherence, medication non-adherence

We determined the complete mitogenome sequence of the bioluminescent fish Malacosteus niger using long-read sequencing technologies. The 21,263 bp mitogenome features a complex structure with two copies of a 1198-bp inverted-repeat and a region of 2616-bp containing alternating copies of 16 and 26 bp repeat elements. Whole mitogenome phylogenies inferred from both nucleotide and amino-acid datasets place M. niger among Melanostomiinae. The need for additional complete mitogenome sequences from the subfamily Malacosteinae is discussed.

Background: Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease, which is one of the serious public health problems in the world. Nowadays, antibody production using hybridoma technology may be a correct approach in terms of sensitivity in the diagnosis of diseases such as leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was investigation of the effectiveness of different adjuvants on polyclonal antibody production against L. tropica based on hybridoma technique. Methods: Accordingly, Freund's adjuvant (1956, M. tuberculosis), as a classic adjuvant in studies, was used comparatively with the non-toxic polymeric based Polyoxidonium adjuvant. All animal immunization procedures were conducted at Bezm-i Alem University Experimental Animal Research Center. The adjuvant response was tested both in the serum sample and in the antibodies produced by the hybridomas. The antibody titers were determined with ELISA. Results: Freund’s and Polyoxidonium (PO) group blood titer’s increased approximately 5.5 fold compared to control after the 6th and 8th immunization. Hybridomas produced from mice immunized with PO adjuvant induced only antigen-specific antibody response and did not develop an immune response against the adjuvant. Conclusion: Adjuvant selection is very important in terms of the specificity of antibody responses of cells produced in hybridoma technology. Therefore, PO is recommended as a new adjuvant system in this study.

Plastic debris and its fragments are carriers of harmful substances in the marine ecosystem, which has called for much-needed attention over the last few years. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a major marine pollutant. Herein, we explain the fabrication of novel water-repellent and self-cleaning microfibers via electrospinning of a polymeric solution with 5, 10, and 15 wt% of inclusions to manipulate their surface, thermal, and wetting properties. Surface chemistry, surface morphology, thermal degradation, wettability, and self-cleaning performance of the produced microfibers were investigated. It was observed that microfibers with 15 wt% inclusion exhibited the best thermal stability among all microfibers above 400 °C. Also, the addition of micro/nanoinclusions improved the strength and number of absorption peaks of the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra, in turn forming more functional groups. The incorporation of 15 wt% inclusion, after heat treatment at 70 °C for 6 h, produced the most superhydrophobic surface with the best self-cleaning performance with water contact angle of 172.44° ± 3.13°, contact angle hysteresis of 107.67° ± 5.94, and surface roughness of 21442 nm. Heat treatment and the concentration of micro/nanoinclusions significantly affected the self-cleaning capability of the fabricated microfibers. The fabricated microfibers could be used for anti-fogging and antibacterial applications, debris removal, and water–oil​ separation.

A reading skill test to diagnose basic language skills isintroduced. The test is designed to measure six componentskills relevant to reading in comparison with those of state-of-the-art natural language processing technologies. The resultsof the first large-scale experiments using the test are reported.Surprisingly, almost half of Japanese junior high schoolstudents do no better than machines in dependency analysis.More than half of 7th grade students do no better than makingrandom choices on questions involving inferences anddefinition understanding.

Abstract Background Social insects vary widely in social organization, yet the genetical and ecological factors influencing this variation remain poorly known. In particular, whether spatially varying selection influences the maintenance of social polymorphisms in ants has been rarely investigated. To fill this gap, we examined whether fine-scale habitat heterogeneity contributes to the co-existence of alternative forms of social organization within populations. Single-queen colonies (monogyne social form) are generally associated with better colonization abilities, whereas multiple-queen colonies (polygyne social form) are predicted to be better competitors and monopolize saturated habitats. We hypothesize that each social form colonizes and thrives in distinct local habitats, as a result of their alternative dispersal and colony founding strategies. Here, we test this hypothesis in the Alpine silver ant, in which a supergene controls polymorphic social organization. Results Monogyne and polygyne colonies predominate in distinct habitats of the same population. The analysis of 59 sampling plots distributed across six habitats revealed that single-queen colonies mostly occupy unconnected habitats that were most likely reached by flight. This includes young habitats isolated by water and old habitats isolated by vegetation. In contrast, multiple-queen colonies were abundant in young, continuous and saturated habitats. Hence, alternative social forms colonize and monopolize distinct niches at a very local scale. Conclusions Alternative social forms colonized and monopolized different local habitats, in accordance with differences in colonization and competition abilities. The monogyne social form displays a colonizer phenotype, by efficiently occupying empty habitats, while the polygyne social form exhibits a competitor phenotype, thriving in saturated habitats. The combination of the two phenotypes, coupled with fine-scale habitat heterogeneity, may allow the coexistence of alternative social forms within populations. Overall, these results suggest that spatially varying selection may be one of the mechanisms contributing to the maintenance of genetic polymorphisms in social organization.

This technical note describes two devices to enable accurate irradiation of mice on clinical linac-based systems. To study the effects of radiation in murine, preclinical animal models, controlled and accurate dosing is important. This is not only important when specific volumes need to be irradiated, but also when the whole animal body is irradiated. To enable both purposes, we designed two devices. One device to administer Total Body Irradiation (TBI) simultaneously to six, free walking mice, and a second device, denoted as target box, in which we irradiate specific parts of the mice whilst organs-at-risk (OAR) are protected. In this latter device, we can position the mice in multiple ways. One configuration allows to sedate twelve mice simultaneously by isoflurane inhalation anesthesia and protect the body by lead shielding to allow radiation of the head only. Alternatively, the target box can be used to sedate maximal 4 mice simultaneously to irradiate the flank or paws only. All these setups allow high experimental throughput and thus a minimal occupation of the clinical equipment. As measured, the delivered radiation dosages in the regions of interest were accurate for both devices. In this technical note, we describe the design and build of these devices.

Low vitamin D levels have also been associated with many chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to examine the 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OH-D) level studied Medical Biochemistry Laboratory of Afyon Health Sciences University between January and December 2015 according to age, sex, and season. A total of 7291 individuals (5326 women and 1965 men) who applied to the Afyon Health Sciences University Medical Biochemistry Laboratory for the first time between January 1 and December 31, 2015, were included in the study. The 25OH-D level of the individuals included was retrospectively evaluated according to age, sex, and season. Results: It was observed that 61.7% of the measurements were done in summer and 39.3% in winter. The 25OH-D level was on an average 19.913.27 ng/mL in men and 14.9313.75 ng/mL in women, and an average of 16.4313.54 ng/mL in summer and 16.0214.21 ng/mL in winter. Although a significant correlation was found between the 25OH-D level and sex, no statistically significant correlation was found with the season. When the 25OH-D level was evaluated according to age decades, the lowest value was observed in the tenth decade, with an average of 13.1612.87 ng/mL, and the highest value was observed in the first decade, with an average of 31.6216.89 ng/mL. A statistically significant difference was found between decades. Located in the Aegean region, Afyonkarahisar is suitable for benefiting from the sun due to its latitude and atmospheric structure. Moreover, sun exposure during the day is low due to the lifestyle and clothing style. For this reason, the level of vitamin D synthesized in individuals is affected because ultraviolet-B radiation does not reach the skin. These findings suggest that both nutritional and vitamin D supplements are important for the improvement in vitamin D deficiency in Afyonkarahisar province. [Med-Science 2020; 9(3.000): 614-8]

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. In this study, we investigated the possible association of vitamin D levels and rs703842 in the CYP27B1 gene with MS. Methodology: We used blood samples of 99 patients (65 female, 35 male) with an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-confirmed definitive diagnosis of MS and 99 controls (70 female, 29 male) between the ages of 18-55 years. We measured their vitamin D levels, isolated their DNA, and scanned rs703842 polymorphism in the CYP27B1 gene. Results: Rs703842 polymorphism in the CYP27B1 gene in humans was found as three different genotypes: CC, CT, and TT. Among them, CC genotype was found higher in the patient group and CT genotype was found higher in the control group. The statistical analysis showed that the probability of a C allele having an association with MS to be 1.5189 times of the probability of T allele. Also, the vitamin D levels in the patient group were detected lower than the control group. Conclusion: Low levels of vitamin D and low expression of CYP27B1 were found to have an association with MS. [JBCGenetics 2020; 3(1.000): 3-6]

Purpose: In 2014, a Belgian/Dutch Nederlandse Commissie voor Stralingsdosimetrie (NCS) task group was formed to develop guidelines on the clinical practice of total body irradiation (TBI) and total skin irradiation (TSI). Methods and Materials: As a basis for these guidelines, a survey conducted among 17 Belgian and Dutch radiation oncology institutions measured the clinical practice of TBI. Four of these institutions also performed TSI. An update was performed in 2019 and 2020 because several institutions innovated their TBI techniques. Results: As old and more recent studies have shown, clinical protocols for TBI and TSI still vary considerably between institutions. Conclusions: New radiation therapy technologies have been introduced relatively slowly for TBI purposes.

• The measurement of total flow resistance with a novel drag plate system. • Analysis of the effect of emergent or submerged canopies on the total flow resistance. • Accurate estimation of the total flow resistance parameters with simple relations. In canopy flows, flow resistance mainly originates from vegetation drag and depends on vegetation characteristics and flow conditions. In the present study, a series of experiments were performed in various hydraulic scenarios with high stem Reynolds numbers (2641 ≤ Re d ≤ 17333) using relatively sparse rigid canopies, represented with four different dimensionless vegetation densities (0.0044, 0.0098, 0.0174 and 0.0392), on a smooth bed. A novel drag plate mechanism was developed to measure the total flow resistance due to the emergent and submerged vegetation arrays in a staggered pattern under subcritical flow conditions. Manning's roughness coefficient and Darcy–Weisbach friction factor were adopted to represent the total flow resistance in the analyses. Simple empirical relationships based on roughness concentration and submergence ratio were derived to determine the total flow resistance parameters within a broad range of stem Reynolds numbers. Although relationships were proposed in a simple form to be used for direct practical applications, they show similar or better performance in the prediction of total flow resistance parameters than the existing equations in the literature, which require considerable computational effort. Additionally, analyses demonstrated that the results of the present study and those of similar studies regarding canopy flow resistance are in good agreement. Accordingly, the novel drag plate looks promising for measuring flow resistance due to vegetation and bed conditions similar to those in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Symptomatic osteoarthritis is one of the most common indications for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) operations. Pain in every stage of the disease causes sleep disturbances in patients. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of TKA on the quality of sleep in patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective, descriptive study was performed on 80 patients diagnosed with symptomatic osteoarthritis who underwent TKA. The patients responded to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which is widely used to evaluate sleep quality. Additionally, the effects of demographic and clinical variables such as age, gender, body mass index, smoking and alcohol consumption were also evaluated before and after surgery. RESULTS: There was no correlation between demographic variables and PSQI scores pre- and postoperatively. There was a decrease in sleep quality on the sixth postoperative week compared to the preoperative period however this difference was not statistically significant. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative sixth month PSQI scores. Mean values of overall sleep quality and daily function were significantly higher in the postoperative sixth compared to the preoperative period (p

Osimertinib has demonstrated efficacy against stable or asymptomatic central nervous system (CNS) metastases of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials that allowed prior CNS radiotherapy. However, the efficacy of osimertinib only or the optimal treatment combination or sequence of radiotherapy has not been investigated. A 74-year-old woman diagnosed with T4N1M1c Stage IVB lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutation presented with a left upper lobe mass and multiple bilateral lung metastases. A total of more than 20 asymptomatic multiple brain metastases with a maximum diameter of 12 mm were diagnosed simultaneously. Osimertinib was administered as first-line treatment. Whole brain radiotherapy was deferred because she had no neurological symptoms. After 5 weeks, the multiple brain metastases disappeared completely, together with the response in the lung lesions. This case demonstrated that first-line treatment with osimertinib could even achieve complete remission of multiple brain metastases comprising as many as twenty lesions of EGFR-mutated NSCLC without radiation therapy. Radiation therapy for brain metastases can be deferred or even withheld. A new treatment strategy for EGFR mutated NSCLC with CNS metastases should be investigated using osimertinib, especially regarding optimal combination or sequence of radiotherapy.