Search

This study investigated the effect of testosterone antibodies and a combination of vitamin A and E on reproductive performance and lipid peroxidation in Tuj sheep during the oestrus period. Two castrated Tuj rams were used to produce an ovine testosterone antibody. To perform the experiment, 30 clinically healthy adult Tuj sheep were divided into three groups, in each group had 10 sheep. The Control group were given a placebo, Group I was injected with the testosterone antibody alone and Group II was injected with testosterone antibody plus a combination of vitamins A and E in Freund"s incomplete adjuvant. The testosterone antibody and vitamin combination were administered at synchronization and 1 week before synchronization. To synchronize the sheep, 2.5 ml GnRH was injected to sheep in Control, Group I and Group II. Control, Group I and II were subsequently given 600 IU PMSG with 2 ml PGF2α at 5th day of synchronization. Progesterone levels were higher in the two treatment groups than in the control group as pregnancy progressed. Plasma malondialdehyde levels were higher during initial drug application and prior to mating but were lower in the experimental groups than in control during pregnancy and after parturition. Erythrocyte glutathione levels remained significantly higher in experimental groups than in Control during pregnancy. The number of offspring and the lambing rates in Group I and Group II was higher than the Control. There were no stillbirths in Group I. The number of nonpregnant sheep was lowest in Group II. In summary, injections of testosterone antibody and a combination of vitamins A and E led to an increased incidence of multiple pregnancies in sheep and a greater number of lambs were born. These data indicate that the immunoneutralization of testosterone combined with a reduction in free radicals via the antioxidant activities of vitamins led to increased rates of conception and twinning. Also, it is thought that to allow the growth of the herd in a shorter time, testosterone antibody and combination of vitamins A and E can be applied.

Nesrin Ocal,1 Birol Yildiz,2 Nuri Karadurmus,2 Deniz Dogan,1 Sukru Ozaydin,2 Ramazan Ocal,3 Mustafa Ozturk,2 Fikret Arpaci,4 Hayati Bilgic1 1Department of Chest Diseases, 2Department of Oncology, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey; 3Department of Hematology, Medical Faculty, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey; 4Department of Oncology, Liv Hospital, Ankara, Turkey Objective: Even though the primary mediastinal extragonadal germ cell tumors (EGCTs) are rare, they are noteworthy in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses. In this study, we aimed to identify the clinical features of mediastinal malignant GCTs and compare the results of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between mediastinal and nonmediastinal malignant EGCTs.Method: Data of the patients with EGCT who were treated and underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at our hospital between 1988 and 2015 were retrieved retrospectively. Results were compared between mediastinal and nonmediastinal EGCTs.Results: Data of 65 patients diagnosed with EGCT (37 [56.92%] cases with mediastinal EGCT and 28 [43.07%] cases with nonmediastinal EGCT) were assessed. The clinical stages, frequency of pretransplant status, mean pretransplant time, and mean number of chemotherapy lines before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were not significantly different between groups. Although the overall survival did not significantly differ between groups, the 5-year survival was significantly higher in mediastinal EGCTs (P=0.02). Yolk sac tumor was significantly more common in mediastinal EGCTs (P=0.05). Mortality rates were higher in seminomas and yolk sac tumors in all cases, higher in embryonal carcinomas in mediastinal EGCT group and higher in yolk sac tumors in nonmediastinal EGCT group. While choriocarcinomas had more aggressive courses in mediastinal EGCTs, seminomas and yolk sac tumors had poorer prognosis in nonmediastinal EGCTs. Short pretransplant time and persistence of elevated posttransplant βhCG and AFP levels were the significant mortality risk factors both in mediastinal and nonmediastinal EGCTs.Conclusion: Mediastinal placement of EGCT was not a poor prognostic factor; furthermore, the 5-year survival was significantly higher in mediastinal EGCTs. According to our knowledge, this is the first study that compares the clinical outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation of mediastinal and nonmediastinal malignant EGCTs. Keywords: mediastinum, extragonadal germ cell tumor, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, survival, tumor marker, βhCG, α-fetoprotein

The aim of this research is to evaluate teachers' motivation and curriculum autonomy levels. The research is quantitative and descriptive and designed according to the survey model. The sample of the research consisted of 340 teachers who have been reached by simple random sampling method who have been worked in public primary and secondary schools in Istanbul. Motivation Scale developed by Gagné, Forest, Gilbert, Aube, Morin, and Malorni (2010) and adapted into Turkish by Çevik and Köse (2017) has been used to determine teachers' motivation levels. Teachers' curriculum autonomy levels have been determined with The Teacher Autonomy Scale developed by Yolcu (2019). According to the research results, teachers' motivation and curriculum autonomy levels are high. It has been examined whether the motivation and curriculum autonomy levels of teachers differ significantly according to the variables gender, professional seniority, educational status and the number of projects participated in professional life. It has been found that the levels of motivation differ significantly according to gender and the levels of curriculum autonomy differ according to number of projects participated in professional life. Finally, the research has revealed that there is a medium-level, positive and significant relationship between teachers' motivation and curriculum autonomy levels.

Many scientific applications produce very large amounts of data as advances in hardware fuel computing and experimental facilities. Managing and analyzing massive quantities of scientific data is challenging as data are often stored in specific formatted files, such as HDF5 and NetCDF, which do not offer appropriate search capabilities. In this research, we investigated a special class of search capability, called membership query, to identify whether queried elements of a set are members of an attribute. Attributes that naturally have classification values appear frequently in scientific domains such as category and object type as well as in daily life such as zip code and occupation. Because classification attribute values are discrete and require random data access, performing a membership query on a large scientific data set creates challenges. We applied bitmap indexing and parallelization to membership queries to overcome these challenges. Bitmap indexing provides high performance not only for low cardinality attributes but also for high cardinality attributes, such as floating-point variables, electric charge, or momentum in a particle physics data set, due to compression algorithms such as Word-Aligned Hybrid. We conducted experiments, in a highly parallelized environment, on data obtained from a particle accelerator model and a synthetic data set.

Carbon deposition from CO and other carbon-containing fuels is a major cause of the performance degradation of catalysts and electrocatalysts in many energy conversion devices, including low-temperature solid oxide cells (LT-SOCs). In this work, we present direct observation of carbon deposition on thin-film CeO2 electrodes at LT-SOC operating temperatures (450 °C) in a CO/CO2 atmosphere by in operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In contrast to the general view that CeO2 is a carbon tolerant material, significant carbon formation was observed on CeO2 during CO2 electrolysis, with no other catalyst present. Moreover, carbon deposition on CeO2 demonstrated an intriguing threshold onset formation against surface Ce3+ concentration. With the aid of Monte Carlo simulations, we propose the neighboring Ce3+-Ce3+ pairs to be a critical catalytic structure that facilitates carbon deposition from CO. Finally, we propose mitigation of carbon deposition on CeO2 by doping CeO2 with non-redox-active cations, and proved this concept using 50% Gd- and 50% Zr-doped CeO2 as an example system. These findings provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of carbon deposition on CeO2 during electrochemical reactions and can guide the design of carbon-resistant CeO2-based electrocatalysts.

All-solid-state batteries promise significant safety and energy density advantages over liquid-electrolyte batteries. The interface between the cathode and the solid electrolyte is an important contributor to charge transfer resistance. Strong bonding of solid oxide electrolytes and cathodes requires sintering at elevated temperatures. Knowledge of the temperature dependence of the composition and charge transfer properties of this interface is important for determining the ideal sintering conditions. To understand the interfacial decomposition processes and their onset temperatures, model systems of LiCoO2 (LCO) thin films deposited on cubic Al-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) pellets were studied as a function of temperature using interface-sensitive techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data indicated significant cation interdiffusion and structural changes starting at temperatures as low as 300 °C. La2Zr2O7 and Li2CO3 were identified as decomposition products after annealing at 500 °C by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. X-ray absorption spectroscopy results indicate the presence of also LaCoO3 in addition to La2Zr2O7 and Li2CO3. On the basis of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and depth profiling of the Li distribution upon potentiostatic hold experiments on symmetric LCO|LLZO|LCO cells, the interfaces exhibited significantly increased impedance, up to 8 times that of the as-deposited samples after annealing at 500 °C. Our results indicate that lower-temperature processing conditions, shorter annealing time scales, and CO2-free environments are desirable for obtaining ceramic cathode|electrolyte interfaces that enable fast Li transfer and high capacity.

Under the sponsorship of the U.S. National Science Foundation, a workshop on emerging research opportunities in ceramic and glass science was held in September 2016. Reported here are proceedings of the workshop. The report details eight challenges identified through workshop discussions: Ceramic processing: Programmable design and assembly; The defect genome: Understanding, characterizing, and predicting defects across time and length scales; Functionalizing defects for unprecedented properties; Ceramic flatlands: Defining structure-property relations in free-standing, supported, and confined two-dimensional ceramics; Ceramics in the extreme: Discovery and design strategies; Ceramics in the extreme: Behavior of multimaterial systems; Understanding and exploiting glasses and melts under extreme conditions; and Rational design of functional glasses guided by predictive modeling. It is anticipated that these challenges, once met, will promote basic understanding and ultimately enable advancements within multiple sectors, including energy, environment, manufacturing, security, and health care.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of microvascular and macrovascular diabetic complications and the associated comorbidities in newly diagnosed pre-diabetic individuals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study includes 100 newly diagnosed pre-diabetic individuals. Fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and oral glucose tolerance (OGTT) were tested according to the American Diabetes Association's diagnostic criteria for pre-diabetes, besides anthropometric measurements, lipid profiles, and demographic and biochemical parameters. Comorbidities like hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia etc., were evaluated. All participants were screened for microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy) and macrovascular [coronary artery disease (CAD) and cerebrovascular event-peripheral artery disease] complications. RESULTS: Microvascular complications were found in 12% of the participants (neuropathy: 4%, nephropathy: 8%) and 19% had macrovascular complications. Of the participants, 21% of the cases presented hypertension, 21% dyslipidemia and 48% obesity. A high probability of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-related fibrosis [estimated using non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS)] was found in 68% of cases. History of dyslipidemia (OR: 5.00, 95% CI: 1.10-22.56; p=0.037) was an independent risk factor for the development of vascular complications. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic vascular complications were found in approximately one-third of pre-diabetic cases. Dyslipidaemia was found to be an important risk factor for the development of vascular complications in these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mpox can cause serious complications and is a public health concern. Family physicians are the first healthcare professionals patients can apply for health. This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge of family physicians about mpox. Methods: This prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. A survey was conducted between March 14, 2023 and April 14 of 2023 to evaluate the knowledge of mpox among 102 family physicians in Gaziantep, Turkey. The collected data were analyzed to determine physicians’ knowledge of the disease, its symptoms, transmission, and treatment options. Results: At the 80% cut-off, 8.8% of family physicians had good knowledge; at the 70% cut-off, 35.3% of physicians had good knowledge. The highest level of knowledge was observed in those working for 5 years or less; the lowest level was observed in those working for 6-15 years (p=0.045). The most correct answer (n=98) was “What is the type of microorganism that causes mpox?”. The question with the most incorrect answers (n=90) was “A definitive diagnosis is made using ELISA tests”. Conclusion: Family physicians are the first health professionals to access the virus, particularly in cases of community transmission. Identify areas where physicians need additional education and training to better diagnose and treat mpox.

Background. We know that mortality had increased in diabetic patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality and inflammation parameters difference in critically ill COVID-19 patients according to their admission HbA1c levels and diabetes mellitus status. Secondary aim was to evaluate the effect of the first week hyperglycemic episode frequency on mortality. Methods. Critically ill COVID-19 patients who were tested for HbA1c levels on ICU admission were analyzed retrospectively. Results. Of 218 COVID PCR(+) patients, 139 met the inclusion criteria in study period. The median age was 67 [57-76] years and 55(40%) of them were female. Seventy-six (55%) of the patients required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). The IMV requirement was higher in diabetic patients (p=0.01). When the groups were compared in terms of inflammatory parameters no significant difference was found except for admission and first week’s highest fibrinogen levels (p=0.02 and p=0.03, respectively). In multivariate analysis, fibrinogen levels were not determined as a risk factor for mortality. Overall ICU mortality was 43% (60/139). In group-1 23 (37%), in group-2 27 (57%), and in group-3 10 (34%) patients had died. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of mortality (p=0.05). Records of 96 (69%) patients revealed there were more than five glucose readings over 180mg/dL during the first week. Mortality was higher in patients with more frequently hyperglycemic recordings (p=0.03). Conclusions. There was no significant mortality and inflammatory parameters difference in patients with and without diabetes. However, more than five glucose readings over 180mg/dL during the first week were found with increased mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy-related adverse reactions have been steadily increasing in recent years. In patients who develop oxaliplatin-induced hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs), prognosis and quality of life are adversely affected. Proper management of cancer patients enables them to safely receive first-line treatments. This study aimed to assess the risk factors in oxaliplatin-induced HSRs and the effectiveness of the rapid desensitization protocol. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the study, 57 patients treated with oxaliplatin between October 2019 and August 2020 in the Medical Oncology Department of Elazig City Hospital were retrospectively evaluated. We analyzed patients' clinical histories to reveal any associations with the development of oxaliplatin-induced HSRs. Moreover, we re-evaluated 11 patients with oxaliplatin-induced HSRs through infusion time or desensitization procedures. RESULTS: Of 57 patients treated with oxaliplatin, 11 (19.3%) had HSRs. Patients with HSRs were younger and had higher peripheral blood eosinophil counts than those without HSRs (p=0.004, p=0.020, respectively). Prolongation of the infusion time was effective in the re-administration of oxaliplatin in six of the hypersensitive patients. Rapid desensitization protocol was performed for a total of 11 cycles in four patients with recurrent HSRs, and their chemotherapy regimens were successfully completed. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study has revealed that younger ages and higher peripheral eosinophil counts could be predictive for oxaliplatin-induced HSR. Furthermore, the study confirms that prolongation of the infusion time and rapid desensitization protocol are effective in patients with HSRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the hybridization is a very powerful tool to manipulate the modes in a single nanostructure. We investigate the hybridization between localized and propagating surface plasmons in a nanostructure system where a thin metal layer strongly interacts with a nanodisk array. Hybrid plasmon resonances are observed in the reflection spectra obtained from finite-difference time domain simulations and experimental measurements in the visible-near-infrared region. We demonstrate how the geometrical parameters of the nanostructure can be utilized to bring these plasmon modes in the strong coupling regime. The hybrid plasmon modes exhibit anticrossing with a Rabi splitting of ∼ 0.1 eV , which is the signature of strong coupling. Near-field profiles of the hybrid modes exhibit a mixture of localized and propagating plasmon characteristics, with propagating modes excited on both sides of the metal film. Our design promises richer implementations in light manipulation towards novel photonic applications compared to the systems with thick metal films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]