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Background & Aims: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection can cause liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) on clinical parameters, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and phosphorus metabolism in the patients with CHB. Materials and Methods: Eighty-one patients with CHB treated with TDF were included in the study. 27 of them switched from TDF to TAF during the follow-up was considered as TAF group. 54 patients continued TDF were evaluated as TDF group. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of the patients were obtained from outpatient follow-up files. Results: The mean ages of the patients were 45±12 and 48±15 in the TDF and TAF groups, respectively. The mean durations of TDF treatment were 31±20 and 52±32 months, respectively. The mean duration of TDF use was significantly higher in the TAF group (0.01). The mean aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), GFR, and serum phosphorus levels of the patients before/after the TDF treatment were 48/23 U/L, 67/25 U/L, 99/103 ml/min, and 2.9/3.1 mg/dl in the TDF group, respectively. The mean AST, ALT, GFR, and serum phosphorus levels of the patients before the TDF treatment/at the time of the switch/after the TAF treatment were 42/22/21 U/L, 48/23/22 U/L, 90/100/102 ml/min, and 2.8/2.3/2.9 mg/dl in the TAF group, respectively. Decrease in the mean values of the transaminases after the TDF treatment in the both groups and increase in the mean level of phosphorus after the switching were found significant (p

Background/aims The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori is reported to be roughly 80% in Turkey, and only very few culture-based studies are available on antibacterial resistance in adult dyspeptic patients. This study was carried out in adult dyspeptic patients with an aim to: (i) detect H. pylori by invasive tests (culture, polymerase chain reaction, and histopathology) and (ii) determine the current resistance rates of H. pylori isolates to six antibiotics, including rifampicin. Materials and methods This study was conducted in 422 adult dyspeptic patients. The presence of H. pylori was demonstrated by culture, polymerase chain reaction, and the histopathology of gastric biopsy material. Antibacterial susceptibility was determined with the E-test. Results The mean age of the patients was 50 ± 15 (range 18-90), and 265 (63%) of them were female. By culture, polymerase chain reaction, and histopathology, the presence of H. pylori was detected at rates of 35% (148/422), 67% (281/422), and 53% (224/422), respectively. The prevalence of H. pylori was determined as 75.6% (319/422). Metronidazole, levofloxacin, clarithromycin, and rifampicin resistance rates were 62%, 36%, 19%, and 12%, respectively. Mono-drug, dual-drug, and multi-drug resistance rates were ascertained as 36.9%, 29.4%, and 10.5%, respectively. All of the isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin and tetracycline. Conclusions This study revealed the current prevalence of H. pylori in adult dyspeptic patients as 75.6%, and thereby, showed that infection with this pathogen remains highly prevalent. Although resistance to metronidazole and levofloxacin has increased over time, clarithromycin resistance rate has decreased. The high levels of resistance to metronidazole and levofloxacin limit the empirical use of these antibiotics in the eradication protocol. Owing to the low level of resistance determined for rifampicin, this antibiotic could be included in the eradication protocol, in the event of the need for rescue therapy in Turkey.

To evaluate the comparison of direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and warfarin for their effects on major bleeding and hospital outcomes in patients with acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB).An observational study.Tekirdag Namik Kemal University Hospital, Hitit University Erol Olçok Education and Research Hospital, between January and December 2021.Adult patients prescribed warfarin and DOACs were followed up for one year. Their length of hospital stay, need for intensive care unit admission, need for red blood cell transfusion, and major bleeding rates were compared.Thirty-two patients (61.5%) were user of DOACs (DOAC group), and 20 patients (38.5%) were users of warfarin (warfarin group). No statistically significant difference was determined between patients in warfarin group and DOAC group for the number of packed red blood cells transfused [median 3 (0-6) units, 3 (0-10) units, p=0.229, respectively], length of hospital stay [median 5 days (3-10), and 4.5 days (2-20), p=0.739, respectively], rate of intensive care unit admission [(n=9, 45%; and n=10 (31%), p=0.623, respectively] and the occurrence of major bleeding events (warfarin-70%; DOACs-78%; p=0.529).Major bleeding episodes and hospital outcomes of acute NVUGIB were similar between patients receiving warfarin and DOACs.Direct-acting oral anticoagulants, Warfarin, Gastrointestinal bleeding, Outcome, Mortality.

Purpose: Bacterial virulence factors play a major role in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori infection. The aims of this study were to evaluate virulence genes in H. pylori isolates and to compare the presence of these genes and associated clinical pathologies. Methods: A total of 148 H. pylori isolates, recovered from adult dyspeptic patients, were used. The patients, from whom the isolates were obtained, were assigned to two groups by their endoscopic findings, which manifested as chronic gastritis or peptic ulcer. The presence of gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia was recorded for each patient, based on histopathological examination. Analyses of the virulence genes were performed by the polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: The patients had a mean age of 47 ?± ?15 years and 86 (58%) of them were female. Based on endoscopic examination, 103 (69.6%) patients were diagnosed with chronic gastritis and 45 (30.4%) with peptic ulcer. Histopathological examination revealed intestinal metaplasia in 30 (20%) patients and gastric atrophy in 12 (8%) patients. The prevalence rates of cagA, cagE, iceA1, iceA2, and babA2 were determined to be 87%, 74%, 58%, 26%, and 95%, respectively. The most prevalent vacA alleles were s1/s1a (82%/97%) and the least prevalent allele was s2 (20%). A new vacA genotype (s1as1bs1c) was detected, for the first time, in 18 (12%) isolates. No significant difference was found between the patient groups with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer for the prevalences of the virulence genes (p ?> ?0.05). Furthermore, intestinal metaplasia and gastric atrophy showed no significant correlation with the virulence genes (p ?> ?0.05). Conclusions: It is thoughted that H. pylori isolates with predominant cagA, cagE, VacA (s1, s1a), and babA2 virulence genes are associated with gastroduodenal diseases. However, there is no correlation between gastric premalignant lesions and virulence genes. © 2022 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists

Giriş ve Amaç: Kronik hepatit C enfeksiyonu karaciğer sirozu ve hepatoselüler karsinomun nedenleri arasındadır. Bu çalışmada primer olarak kronik hepatit C’li heterojen bir hasta grubunda güncel olarak kullanılan ikinci kuşak direk etkili oral antivirallerin tedavi etkinliği ve yan etki profillerinin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Retrospektif olan bu çalışmaya ikinci kuşak direk etkili oral antiviral tedavi alan 72 hasta dahil edilmiştir. Hastalara ait klinik ve laboratuvar verileri poliklinik takip dosyalarından elde edilmiştir. Bulgular: Hastaların yaş ortalaması 58±14 olup, 39’u (%54) kadın idi. Baskın genotip 1b idi (%74.6). Non-sirotik, kompanse siroz ve dekompanse siroz hastaların sayıları sırasıyla; 56 (%77.8), 14 (%19.4) ve 2 (%2.8) idi. On sekiz hasta (%25) tedavi deneyimli idi. Paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir + dasabuvir, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir + ribavirin, sofosbuvir + ribavirin, glekaprevir + pibrentasvir ve paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir + ribavirin alan hasta sayıları sırasıyla; 38 (%52.8), 13 (%18.1), 7 (%9.7), 7 (%9.7), 6 (%8.3) ve 1 (%1.4) idi. Toplam 71 hasta tedaviyi tamamladı ve bunların 69’unda (%97.2) kalıcı viral yanıt elde edildi. Ayrıca başlangıç aspartat aminotransferaz, alanin amimotransferaz, gama glutamil transferaz ve alfa fetoprotein düzeylerinde tedavi ile birlikte anlamlı bir düşüş izlendi (p, Background and Aims: Chronic hepatitis C infection is one of the causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The purpose of this study was primarily to examine the treatment efficacy and side effect profiles of second-generation direct-acting oral antivirals currently used in a heterogeneous patient group with chronic hepatitis C. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 72 patients who received second-generation direct-acting oral antiviral therapy. Clinical and laboratory data of the patients were collected from outpatient follow-up files. Results: The mean age of the patients was 58±14 years, of which 39 (54%) were women. The predominant genotype was 1b (74.6%). Patients with no cirrhosis, compensated cirrhosis, and decompensated cirrhosis were 56 (77.8%), 14 (19.4%), and 2 (2.8%), respectively. Eighteen patients (25%) were treatment experienced. On the other hand, patients treated with paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir + dasabuvir, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir + ribavirin, sofosbuvir + ribavirin, glecaprevir + pibrentasvir, and paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir + ribavirin were 38 (52.8%), 13 (18.1%), 7 (9.7%), 7 (9.7%), 6 (8.3%), and 1 (1.4%), respectively. A total of 71 patients completed the treatment and 69 of them (97.2%) was obtained sustained viral response. In addition, a significant decrease was observed in the initial aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transferase, and alpha fetoprotein levels during treatment (p

Bu çalışmada Nevşehir ilinde yetişen Pinus Nigra jf. arnold ve Thuca occidentalis türlerine ait kozalakların antioksidan ve antibakteriyel aktivteleri incelenmiştir. Antioksidan aktivite tayini için DPPH serbest radikal süpürme aktivitesi, metal iyonları şelatlama aktivitesi, total fenol, βkaroten, likopen miktarı tayini yapılmıştır. Antibakteriyel aktivite tayini için toplam 6 test bakterisi (Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644, Micrococcus luteus ATCC 4698, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Escherichia coli ATCC 11229) kullanılmıştır. Bu çalışmada Pinus nigra türünde yüksek oranda DPPH süpürme aktivitesi görülmüştür. Metal iyonları şelatlama aktivitesi bakımından yine Pinus nigra türünde yüksek aktivite tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmada total fenol miktarı bakımından en yüksek değer Pinus nigra türünde tespit edilmiştir. ꞵ-karoten miktarı bakımından ise en yüksek değer Thuca occidentalis türünde belirlenmiştir. Likopen içeriği bakımından en yüksek değer Pinus nigra türünde tespit edilmiştir.

BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to contribute new and updated information to the literature by comparing the clinical and radiologic results of arthroscopic microfracture, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) after arthroscopic microfracture, and BST-Cargel scaffold application after arthroscopic microfracture in the treatment of talar osteochondral lesions.MethodsSixty-two talar osteochondral lesion patients (31 women and 31 men) who underwent ankle arthroscopy in two different centers were randomized into three groups. The first group consisted of patients who underwent only arthroscopic microfracture (MF) (n = 22); the second group consisted of patients who underwent the PRP procedure after arthroscopic MF (PRP; n = 19); and the third group consisted of patients who underwent the BST-Cargel procedure after arthroscopic MF was (BST-Cargel; n = 21). The talar osteochondral lesions in the three groups were classified according to magnetic resonance and arthroscopic images. American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, Foot and Ankle Ability Measurement (overall pain, 15-minute walking, running function), and visual analog scale scores were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively, and postoperative return time to sports activities was performed.ResultsCompared to the preoperative score, postoperative American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society score increased 48.80 ± 9.60 in the BST-Cargel group, whereas there was an increase of 46.68 ± 3.65 in the PRP group and 29.63 ± 3.69 in the MF group, which were statistically significant (P < .05).There was a statistically significant postoperative change in the visual analog scale scores of the patients in all three groups compared to the preoperative scores (P < .05). At the end of the follow-up, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measurement overall pain, 15-minute walking, and running function results of all three groups increased significantly postoperatively compared to the preoperative values (P < .005).ConclusionsBST-Cargel application with microfracture is a method that can be applied easily and safely with arthroscopy to lesions larger than 1.5 cm2 regardless of the size of the cartilage defect, and it has been found to be superior to the other two methods in terms of pain, functional score, radiologic recovery, and return to sports activities.

We report a simple one-step protocol for the preparation of nearly monodisperse and highly water-soluble erbium borate nanoparticles through a co-precipitation method. Erbium ions were precipitated by boric acid/sodium hydroxide buffer with a pH of 9.2 in the presence of polyethylene glycol (2000 gmol−1) (PEG). As a result of the X-ray diffraction analysis, it was determined that the products that were precipitated in the medium with/without PEG were amorphous and the calcined product has an appropriate pattern for the vaterite-type ErBO3 crystal structure. Infrared spectrophotometer and thermal gravimetric analysis revealed the chemical formulation of the ErBO3.3H2O compound. It was found that partially spherical nanoparticles have a size of 15 ± 6 nm according to TEM images. The average particle size was also measured in the water using dynamic light scattering method. The particles size is equal to about 100 nm in water and the zeta potential of particles is + 41 mV, which indicates a highly stable colloidal solution. Besides ErBO3.3H2O nanoparticles showed strong paramagnetism, their Bohr magnetron number was found as 9.48. Thus, these nanoparticles have promising properties for biomedical applications, such as cell targeting, drug delivery, and bioimaging.

We present a female patient manifested by AIH associated with systemic lupus erythematosus related antiphospholipid syndrome.

Background & Aims: This study was aimed to investigating the correlation between the severity of hepatic fibrosis and mean platelet volume (MPV) and comparing the accuracy rate of MPV with that of other long-used non-invasive parameters in predicting severe hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Materials and Methods: Ninety-nine patients with CHB were enrolled. The patients were assigned to two groups, based on their hepatic fibrosis scores. Those with scores ranging from 0 to 3 (mild to moderate fibrosis) were assigned to Group 1, and those with scores ranging from 4 to 6 (severe fibrosis) were included in Group 2. Results: The mean age of the patients was 4213, and 69 (70%) of them were male. Twenty two patients (22%) were in Group 2. Patients in Group 2 displayed significantly lower albumin and platelet count (p

Aim: This study was aimed to investigate the levels of antioxidant markers (paraoxonase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and thiol) and oxidative stress markers (advanced oxidation protein products, xanthin oxidase, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine) in pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B and C. Material and Method: Sixty pregnant women in the last trimester, 20 of whom had chronic hepatitis B, another 20 of whom had chronic hepatitis C, and the remaining 20 of whom were healthy controls, were enrolled in this study. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were recorded for all patients. Results: When compared to the healthy controls, the pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B and C displayed significantly lower levels of paraoxonase, glutathione peroxidase, and thiol (p0.05). Conclusion: Oxidative stress had significantly increased in pregnant women chronically infected with the hepatitis B and C viruses, when compared to healthy pregnant women. Thus, we suggest that pregnant women chronically infected with the hepatitis B and C viruses should be closely monitored throughout pregnancy for diseases induced by oxidant-antioxidant imbalance, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension.

A new cationic polyelectrolyte, constituting with quaternary poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PVPy) backbone and methacrylate pendant groups was prepared by spontaneous polymerization methodology. Thus, action of 2-bromoethyl methacrylate (BEMA) on 4-vinyl pyridine resulted in spontaneous polymerization of vinyl pyridine monomer, without initiator, while methacrylate double bonds remaining unreacted. The resulting water-soluble polymer (QMEP); poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl 4-vinyl pyridinium bromide) was demonstrated to undergo rapid gelation in concentrated aqueous solutions via self-crosslinking of the methacrylate pendant groups by radical polymerization (The abbreviation QMEP stands for quaternary methacrylate functional polymer). Crosslinking densities of QMEP hydrogels estimated by “Phantom Network Model” using equilibrium swelling values, revealed 62.5% of the residual methacrylate double bonds. QMEP was also employed as multifunctional crosslinker for synthesis of highly swelling hydrogels derived from a set of monomers, such as acrylic acid, acrylamide, N-vinyl formamide and N-vinyl pyrrolidinone.

Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is a rare radiologic finding that is usually precipitated by intestinal ischaemia, intra-abdominal abscesses, necrotising enterocolitis, abdominal trauma, infectious enteritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, we present a case of HPVG in a 66-year-old female patient who underwent colonoscopy for evaluation of haematochezia and a review of the literature focused on HPVG following colonoscopy.

In the present paper we have examined Bayesian update for descriptive statistics for a sample of 730 Por’s Goatfish (Upeneus pori) (Ben-Tuvia and Golani, 1989), collected from Iskenderun Bay, in the northeast Mediterranean Sea. The computational approach uses the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation to draw samples from the posterior distributions of model parameters implementing the simulation in OpenBUGS software. We assigned the results of previous studies as a prior distribution. The posterior distribution for mean length and variance were found to be 11.1 cm and 0.003, while for weight, they were 15.7 g and 0.026. The 95% confidence limits of length and weight were 10.99-11.21 and 15.42-16.05 respectively. The key aspect of this research is that when previous studies are included in the estimation, this significantly reduces the variance and uncertainty, leading to a more sufficient and reliable estimation.

To compare the effect of arthroscopic microfracture surgery alone or in combination with platelet rich plasma (PRP) on functional outcomes in osteochondral lesions of the talus. A total of 35 patients were included in the study. Control subjects (n = 16) received treatment with microfracture surgery alone, while the remaining patients (PRP group, n = 19) were also given PRP. After an average follow-up of 16.2 months (range 12–24 months), patients were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scoring system, Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. At baseline, AOFAS and FAAM scores were similar in the two groups, whereas pain scores (VAS) were higher in those who were assigned to combined treatment. Despite the latter finding, the combined treatment with PRP resulted in better outcomes in terms of functional scores [AOFAS, 89.2 ± 3.9 vs. 71.0 ± 10.2, (p = 0.001); FAAM overall pain domain, 1.0 (1.0–2.0) vs. 2.5 (1.0–4.0), (p = 0.04); FAAM 15-min walking domain, 1.0 (1.0–2.0) vs. 2.0 (1.0–4.0) (p = 0.001)]; and pain-related scores [VAS, 2.2 ± 0.8 vs. 3.8 ± 1.2, (p = 0.001)] as compared to arthroscopic microfracture surgery alone. PRP as an adjunct to arthroscopic microfracture surgery for the treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus resulted in improved functional score status in the medium-term. Further studies to determine the long-term efficacy of this approach were warranted. II.

In this case report we overview the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for pleural effusions encountered during the tre- atment and follow-up of patients with myeloma in the light of the current medical literature. A 73-year-old female patient with a stage IIIA multiple myeloma was being treated with melphalan and methyl prednisolone. In the third month of the treat- ment, she had complaints of coughing, dyspnea and right side pain. Computed tomographic examination of the thorax re- vealed pleural effusion. Pathological examinations of the pleural fluid and pleural biopsy specimen were compatible with ade- nocarcinoma. Repeated examinations did not reveal a progression in myeloma or a pleural involvement of myeloma. The pa- tient died of respiratory insufficiency due to the progression of the pleural adenocarcinoma.

Bu çalışma; heterojen beşeri sermaye istihdamının, brüt sabit sermaye ve izin verilen patentlerin gayri safı yurt içi hasıla (GSYIl)’ya etkisini açıklamaktadır. Çalışmada, önceki çalışmalardan farklı olarak istihdam edilen emeği heterojen kabul edip; okuma yazma bilmeyen-ilköğrenim mezunu ve ortaöğrenim-üniversite mezunu olarak ikiye ayrıştırılıp, bunların GSYH’ya olan etkisi araştırılmıştır. Okullaşmış istihdam GSYH’yı artırıcı bulunmuştur. Orta öğrenim ve üniversite diplomasına sahip istihdamdaki %1’lik bir artış, GSYH’yı %0.39 artırmakta, okuma-yazma bilmeyen- ilköğretim mezunundaki %1’lik bir artış ise GSYH’yı %0.37 azaltmaktadır. Diğer faktörler değişmezken, brüt sabit sermaye yatırımlarındaki ve verilen patent sayısındaki %1’lik artış GSYH’yı sırasıyla %0.18 ve % 0.04 artırmaktadır. Kurulan model, seriler arasında uzun dönem bir ilişkinin istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olduğu ve ölçeğe göre azalan getiri ile üretim yapıldığını işaret etmiştir.

Bu çalışma ile Bayesyen istatistik yöntemin, su ürünleri alanındaki uygulama olanakları araştırılmıştır. Balıkçılık çalışmalarında kullanılan boy-ağırlık verilerine doğrusal regresyon yapılarak hem Bayesyen istatistik yöntem hem de klasik istatistik yöntemle ilgili parametreler ve güven aralıklar tahmin edilmiştir. Sonuçta, Bayesyen yaklaşımın klasik yaklaşımdan daha isabetli ve güvenilir olduğu saptanmıştır In this study, we have examined the focus of using the Bayes statistical method to the field of fisheries. It has been estimated the parameters and confidence intervals for length-weight simple linear regressionin fisheries by applying the Bayesian and classical statistical methods. Therefore, it could be concluded that the Bayesian approach was better than classical statistical method in the sense of efficiency and giving narrow confident intervals

Çalışmada (Mayıs 1999-Nisan 2000), Akkuyu Koyu'ndan (Içel-Türkiye) toplanan çift kabuklu yumuşakçalardan, Pinctada radiata Leach, 1814 ve Brachidontes pharaonis Fischer, 1870'in yumuşak dokularında Cd, Fe, Zn ve Cu birikimi araştırılmıştır. Ağır metal içerikleri, Perkin-Elmer 2380 Model Atomik Absorbsiyon Spektrofotometresi ile ölçülmüştür. Ağır metal birikim ortalamaları ve standart hatalar B. pharaonis'te 0,0605 ± 0,00467 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Cd, 2,8227 ± 0,24486 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Fe, 0,2979 ± 0,02368 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Zn, 0,0355 ± 0,00303 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Cu; P. radiata'da ise 0,0058 ± 0,00034 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Cd, 0,3682 ± 0,04252 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Fe, 0,1579 ± 0,00628 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Zn, 0,0027 ± 0,00018 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Cu (yaş ağırlık) olarak bulunmuştur. Buna göre, ağır metaller B. pharaonis'te Fe>Zn>Cd>Cu, P. radiata'da ise Fe>Zn>Cu>Cd şeklinde sıralanmıştır. Saptanan birikim miktarları, Türk standartlarının çok altında olduğundan, Akkuyu Koyu'nda ağır metal kirliliğinin olmadığı sonucunu çıkarmak mümkündür. Bioaccumulation of some heavy metals (Cd, Fe, Zn and Cu) in fresh parts of 2 bivalvia species (Pinctada radiata Leach, 181.4 and Brachidontes pharaonis Fischer, 1870) was examined in samples collected between May, 1999, and April, 2000, in Akkuyu Bay (iÇel, Turkey). Heavy metal contents in soft bodies were measured by an atomic absorption spectrophometer. The means of the amounts of heavy metals with standard errors were estimated as follows: 0.0605 ± 0.00467 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Cd, 2.8227 ± 0.24486 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Fe, 0.2979 ± 0.02368 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Zn, and 0.0355 ± 0.00303 pgg-1 Cu (wet weight) for B. pharaonis, but for P. radiata the means were 0.0058 ± 0.00034 pgg-1 Cd, 0.3682 ± 0.04252 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Fe, 0.1579 ± 0.00628 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Zn, and 0.0027 ± 0.00018 $\mu gg^{-1}$ Cu. In a comparison of the means, the order of magnitude will be Fe, Zn, Cd and Cu for B. pharaonis, and Fe, Zn, Cu and Cd for P. radiate these results were below Turkish legal standards. Therefore, we may conclude that there is no heavy metal pollution in Akkuyu Bay.

The linear functional and structural relationships are of great importance in the physical, biological, economical and agricultural »cinences but the estimation of these relation is not always saticfactory.We have shown, by an empirical examination, that when the errors are uncorrelated, the likelihood surface contains a saddle point and that the maximum likelihood method leads to this saddle point and not to a real maximum. We have thus confirmed the work done hy Solari (1969) and shown that MAXÎMUM LÎKELIHOOD METHOD fails to solve for this problem.