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Objective: In studies on the relationship between amino-terminal propeptide of C-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proCNP) concentration and height velocity in children, CNP has been implicated as an emerging new growth marker during childhood. It has been reported that besides its well-studied role in growth, plasma CNP levels are reduced in overweight and/or obese adolescents, suggesting CNP as a potential biomarker in childhood obesity. The primary goal of this study was to test this hypothesis in a Turkish population. Methods: Consent was taken from 317 children [ages 0-18 (158 girls, 159 boys)] and their parents. All subjects were physically examined; anthropometric measurements were obtained. Body mass index was calculated. During routine blood work, 1 mL extra blood was taken. Plasma NT-proCNP concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Results confirmed the previously described relationship between plasma NT-proCNP concentration and growth velocity. Plasma NT-proCNP concentration showed a negative correlation with age, weight, and height in children. Gender was not a factor that alters the age-dependent plasma NT-proCNP concentration until puberty. Conclusion: Unlike previous reports, plasma NT-proCNP concentration of overweight/obese children was not significantly lower than that of children with normal weight in age groups analyzed in a Turkish population. Thus, it is too early to conclude that CNP is a potential biomarker in childhood obesity. Further studies are necessary to address this question.

Plasmodium sporozoites, the mosquito-transmitted forms of the malaria parasite, first infect the liver for an initial round of replication before the emergence of pathogenic blood stages. Sporozoites represent attractive targets for antimalarial preventive strategies, yet the mechanisms of parasite entry into hepatocytes remain poorly understood. Here we show that the two main species causing malaria in humans, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, rely on two distinct host cell surface proteins, CD81 and the Scavenger Receptor BI (SR-BI), respectively, to infect hepatocytes. By contrast, CD81 and SR-BI fulfil redundant functions during infection by the rodent parasite P. berghei. Genetic analysis of sporozoite factors reveals the 6-cysteine domain protein P36 as a major parasite determinant of host cell receptor usage. Our data provide molecular insights into the invasion pathways used by different malaria parasites to infect hepatocytes, and establish a functional link between a sporozoite putative ligand and host cell receptors.

This paper focuses on the evaluation of regional climate model simulation for Turkey for the 21st century. A regional climate model, ICTP-RegCM3, with 20 km horizontal resolution, is used to downscale the reference and future climate scenario (IPCC-A2) simulations. Characteristics of droughts as well as the crop growth and yields of first-and second-crop corn are then calculated and simulated based on the data produced. The model projects an increase in air temperature of 5 to 7°C during the summer season over the west and an increase of 3.5°C for the winter season for the eastern part of the country. Precipitation is predicted to be 40% less in the southwest, although it may increase by 25% in the eastern part of the Black Sea region and north-eastern Turkey. Trends in drought intensity and crop growth are related to climate changes. The results suggest more frequent, intense and long-lasting droughts in the country particularly along the western and southern coasts under future climate conditions. A shift of climate classes towards drier conditions is also projected for the western, southern and central regions during the 21st century. Evaluating the role of the climate change trends in crop production reveals significant decreases in yield and shortened growth seasons for first-and second-crop corn, a likely result of high temperatures and water stresses. In addition to rising temperatures and declining precipitation, increasing frequency, severity and duration of drought events may significantly affect food production and socio-economic conditions in Turkey. Our results may help policy makers and relevant sectors to implement appropriate and timely measures to cope with climate-changeinduced droughts and their effects in the future. © 2012 Inter-Research.

[No abstract available]

Soil salinity (ECe) monitoring is vital to the viability of large-scale irrigation schemes. In areas where soil or water salinity is a potential constraint to sustainable cropping, rapid, reliable and cost-effective mapping of the distribution and severity of in situ soil salinity is essential. We used a hand-held electromagnetic induction device (Geonics EM38) that incorporated a global positioning system to estimate in situ ECe in an area irrigated with drainage water in the Cukurova region of southern Turkey. Four EM38 apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) reading sets in the horizontal and vertical dipole-mode configurations were converted into ECe using appropriate ECa-ECe calibrations. The quadratic-type calibration equations between ECa and ECe of composite soil samples representing the 0-1 m (root zone) and 0-2 m soil depths were statistically significant. Soil salinity maps were constructed using an inversedistance-weighted interpolation technique. Both the spatial variability and areal means of ECe increased with soil depth. In the peak irrigation season (July), mean ECe in the rooting depth was least, indicating a leaching effect of the marginal quality drainage water. Contrary to expectations, at the beginning of the irrigation season (March/ April), following winter rains, the areal extent of saline areas was much higher than at the end of the season. The winter rains were not effective in leaching salts from the soil profile due to the inherently poor drainage-outlet conditions as well as the shallow groundwater table. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of using a hand-held EM38 to efficiently and accurately evaluate the extent and severity of soil salinity in large-scale irrigated areas. ©by PSP.

Agricultural output globally is largely dependent on fertilizer use, particularly nitrogen (N), especially in irrigated cropping. While a substantial amount of the applied N is taken up by the crop to stimulate growth and yield, much of it does not positively affect crop growth due to losses by leaching, volatilization, denitrification, and immobilization. Thus, N fertilizer-use efficiency is less than optimum in most production systems. Loss of N by leaching to the groundwater has economic, health and environmental implications. In a study area with poor drainage outlet conditions due to the low-lying drainage basin, Yemisli Irrigation District in the Cukurova region of southern Turkey, we determined the variability over space and time of ground-water nitrate (NO3) concentrations during years 2007 and 2008. Relatively shallow groundwater observation wells (56), up to 3 meters deep, were dug at various locations to represent the most common crops and soils in the irrigation district. Groundwater depth was measured, and water samples were collected (five times in 2007 and four times in 2008) and analyzed for NO3 concentration. Regional maps of groundwater depth and NO3 concentration were developed from the point data by using the inverse distance- squared interpolation technique. Groundwater NO3 concentrations ranged between 0.78 and 56.38 mg L-1 in 2007 and between 1.48 and 52.79 mg L-1 in 2008, only exceeding the critical 50 mg L -1 concentration in 0.4 to 5.4 % of the wells, depending on the sampling dates The NO3 concentrations were highest in February and in June-July. The peaks suggest that there is a likelihood that in the early part of the wheat cropping season (February), NO3 could be leached by the high rainfall in winter; similarly, N losses can occur by irrigation in June-July during the growth of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and corn (Zea mays). In most of the area (>60% of total), groundwater NO3 concentrations ranged from 20 to 50 mg L-1, and were thus marginal relative to the threshold pollution level (30 mgL-1). As both N fertilizer use and the extent of irrigation are likely to increase in this region of Turkey, so too will the poor drainage conditions inevitably continue. Consequently, regular groundwater NO3 monitoring, as adopted in this study, is advisable, and is also applicable to irrigated areas in other regions of the world. © by PSP.

As the international community is moving from response to disaster risk reduction, it becomes imperative to take the whole risk chain into consideration, from prevention to rehabilitation of a droughtstricken area. To assess impacts on drought-stricken groups, it is useful to take a close look at risk spreading strategies these groups already use, which reduce their vulnerability to shocks. In Turkey, there is a very little coordination between adjacent water user groups on a river or in an irrigation scheme. This means there is no mutual coordination mechanism in times of unexpected drought. The article argues that a deliberative multi-stakeholder approach can enhance Disaster Risk Reduction, as currently practiced in Latin America and South Asia, and explores avenues for mutual crop and drought insurance initiatives such as currently practiced as pilot projects in India, and assess its applicability for the drought prone regions in Turkey, which experienced a coordination gap in the 2007-2008 droughts

The ammonium (NH4) and nitrate (NO3) are the available nitrogen (N) forms that plants need in large quantities. Their existence in the soil is limited, and concentrations are kept low due to the losses by leaching in the soil profile and microbial consumptions. Sustainability of the plant available nitrogen forms in soil profile is important for plant growth and crop production. In this research, our main objective was to evaluate mineral nitrogen (Nmin) status of the first crop corn soils and plants in Akarsu Irrigation District of Cukurova Region in 2007. Soil samples prior to sowing and after harvest were taken from 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm soil depths, and analyzed for ammonium and nitrate concentrations. Plant samples were also taken during harvest, and analyzed for N content for determination of total N uptake. There was considerable amount of ammonium and nitrate in the soil profile during preplanting and postharvest. Since the soils were mostly heavy texture, there is tendency to have ammonium also in the soil solution. However, ammonium concentration was far below the nitrate concentration throughout the profile. Plant nitrogen uptake in the irrigation district was very close to the amount that was applied by the local farmers. The results indicated that soil mineral nitrogen level is an important criteria for fertilization practices, especially the preplant Nmin values need to be considered to decrease the amount of N fertilizer that will be applied.

In the Mediterranean region, careful management of water and nitrogen utilization is required to achieve high crop yields in a sustainable and economic way. Prediction models are useful tools for deriving site/region–specific optimum management strategies for irrigation and nitrogen use. Yield-SAFE, a simple and robust model for growth and resource use in agroforestry systems, simulates crop yields under rainfed and irrigated conditions. This paper represents a refined calibration with respect to the fluxes of water, based on, data from an irrigation/fertilisation experiment with maize in the South-East of Turkey. The model performs satisfactorily and further development will includede nitrogen leaching calibration and validation.

It has been reported that thyroid function tests change during calorie-restricted diet treatment. However, the results are often conflicting. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of dexfenfluramine on thyroid function in 40 obese women. Patients were divided into two groups: the first group (group 1) (n = 20) received dexfenfluramine 15 mg twice a day plus calorie-restricted diet and the second group (group 2) (n = 20) had only calorie-restricted diet. Both groups were similar in respect to age. The study period lasted three months. Mean basal levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) revealed no significant differences between the two groups (p > 0.05). Patients receiving dexfenfluramine had low FT3 levels when compared with group 2 (p < 0.01). Thyroid hormone levels showed no significant changes in group 2 (p > 0.05). However, the levels of FT3 were decreased significantly in group 1 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, our study suggested that dexfenfluramine with its anorexigenic feature and other unknown effects causes reduction in FT3 levels in obese patients.

The effects of nitrendipine (dihydropyridine) and verapamil (phenalalkylamin), which are structurally dissimilar in the calcium channel blockers, on rat model gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity were investigated. Both drugs showed no beneficial effects on gentamicin nephrotoxicity according to biochemical parameters, and caused no changes on renal histopathology. These results indicated that calcium channel blockage with nitrendipine or verapamil has no protective effect on aminoglycoside nephrotoxicity.

Objective: Estrogen and progesterone have the decreasing effect on massive collagen synthesis in wound heating. Here, it is aimed to determine their decreasing effect on collagen accumulation and fibroblast proliferation in trachea histologically and to understand if they would be protective for tracheal stenosis. Methods: Thirteen mate Winstar rats were divided randomly into two groups: estrogen-progesterone group (group 1, eight rats) and control group (group 2, five rats). Under general anesthesia, tracheas were incised vertically extending from second to fifth tracheal ring. Incision was closed with absorbable sutures. Estrodiol benzoat and progesterone was given intramuscularly to estrogen progesterone group, saline solution to control group. After 4 weeks they were sacrificed and tracheas were excised. Horizontal, cross section of the narrowest part of the incised trachea was examined histologically. Epithelial regeneration, inflammatory cell infiltration, angiogenesis, fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition were evaluated by histological grading. Results: Statistically significant difference was found between the groups in collagen deposition and fibroblast proliferation (p = 0.011, < 0.05). For epithelial regeneration, inflammatory cell infiltration, and angiogenesis there was no difference. Conclusion: As a result, it was proved that sex hormones inhibit massive collagen deposition and fibroblast proliferation in wound heating of tracheal surgery. Hence, they may prevent tracheal stenosis. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. C1 Kocaeli Univ, Dept Thorac Surg, Fac Med, Kocaeli, Turkey. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Med, Dept Otorhinolaryngol, Pamukkale, Turkey. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Med, Dept Pathol, Pamukkale, Turkey. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Med, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Pamukkale, Turkey. Pamukkale Univ, Fac Med, Anim Res Lab, Pamukkale, Turkey.

International audience

Objective: Estrogen and progesterone have the decreasing effect on massive collagen synthesis in wound heating. Here, it is aimed to determine their decreasing effect on collagen accumulation and fibroblast proliferation in trachea histologically and to understand if they would be protective for tracheal stenosis. Methods: Thirteen mate Winstar rats were divided randomly into two groups: estrogen-progesterone group (group 1, eight rats) and control group (group 2, five rats). Under general anesthesia, tracheas were incised vertically extending from second to fifth tracheal ring. Incision was closed with absorbable sutures. Estrodiol benzoat and progesterone was given intramuscularly to estrogen progesterone group, saline solution to control group. After 4 weeks they were sacrificed and tracheas were excised. Horizontal, cross section of the narrowest part of the incised trachea was examined histologically. Epithelial regeneration, inflammatory cell infiltration, angiogenesis, fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition were evaluated by histological grading. Results: Statistically significant difference was found between the groups in collagen deposition and fibroblast proliferation (p = 0.011, < 0.05). For epithelial regeneration, inflammatory cell infiltration, and angiogenesis there was no difference. Conclusion: As a result, it was proved that sex hormones inhibit massive collagen deposition and fibroblast proliferation in wound heating of tracheal surgery. Hence, they may prevent tracheal stenosis. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[No abstract available]

WOS: 000183519500033, PubMed ID: 12846074, …