A novel method for reliable and rapid detection of BC, BLAD, CVM, and DUMPS in cattle

This study aimed to optimize a reliable and rapid genotyping assayto detect the carriers of bovine citrullinemia (BC), bovine leukocyte adhesiondeficiency (BLAD), complex vertebral malformation (CVM), and deficiency of uridinemonophosphate synthase (DUMPS) in cattle populations. We developed real-timepolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assays to distinguish wild-type and defectivealleles of BLAD, CVM, BC, and DUMPS. Twenty-four bulls in the International Center forLivestock Research and Training were genotyped. At the same time, genotyping wasperformed for DUMPS and BC using PCR-RFLP, and sequencing was performed for alldiseases and compared with the RT-PCR kit we developed. None of the bulls carriedmutant alleles of these hereditary autosomal recessive lethal defects. It takes only2 h for the assay to be completed, including DNA extraction from the sample. Theseconsequences indicate that RT-PCR is an easy, reliable, and rapid method for detectingBLAD, CVM, BC, and DUMPS carriers. Studies show a high frequency of mutant allelesof these genetic defects that cause genetic diseases, and this requires routine testsystems to eradicate genetic diseases of economic importance.</p

Üropatojenik Escherichia coli ile Oluşturulan Deneysel Piyelonefrit Modelinde Böbrek Hasarı Biyobelirteçlerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, üropatojenik Escherichia coli uygulanarak piyelonefrit modeli oluşturulan ratlarda,hastalığın farklı günlerindeki biyobelirteç düzeylerini belirlemektir.Materyal-Metot: Çalışmada 40 adet dişi rat kullanıldı; 10'u kontrol grubu olarak belirlendi, geriye kalan 30 adetrata intrarenal olarak üropatojenik Escherichia coli uygulandı ve piyelonefrit modeli oluşturuldu. 1. gruptanenjeksiyonu takiben 1 gün sonra, 2. gruptan enjeksiyonu takiben 4 gün sonra, 3. gruptan enjeksiyonu takiben 7gün sonra, kontrol grubundan da çalışmanın sonunda kan ve idrar örnekleri toplandı. Ardından tüm hayvanlarınböbrekleri histopatolojik inceleme için alındı. Serum ve idrar örneklerinde üre, kreatinin, albümin ve totalprotein düzeylerine spektrofotometrik yöntemle; NGAL, L-FABP, klusterin, KİM-1 ve sistatin C düzeyleri iseELİSA yöntemiyle analiz edildi.Bulgular: Histopatolojik olarak değerlendirildiğinde deneme gruplarının tamamında piyelonefrit oluştuğubelirlendi. Serum örneklerinde gruplar arasında Klu, L-FABP ve Klu/Cr düzeylerinde anlamlı değişimler gözlendi.İdrar örneklerinde ise kreatinin, klusterin, NGAL/Cr ve klu/Cr düzeylerinde anlamlı değişim saptanmazken,NGAL, L-FABP, KİM-1, Sistatin C, KİM-1/Cr, Sistatin C/Cr, L-FABP /Cr düzeylerinde anlamlı değişiklikler belirlendi.Sonuç: Çalışma kapsamında piyelonefrit oluşturulan ratların serum ve idrar örneklerinde belirlenenbiyobelirteçlerdeki değişiklikler, özellikle idrar numunelerinde daha belirgin bir şekilde ortaya çıktı. Hastalığınfarklı günlerinde yapılan değerlendirmelerde, idrar NGAL, L-FABP, KİM-1 ve Sistatin C düzeylerinin kontrolgrubuna kıyasla 4. güne kadar artış gösterdiği gözlendi. Bu bulgular, özellikle idrar biyobelirteçlerinin,piyelonefritin tanısında önemli bir rol oynayabileceğini düşündürmektedir.Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the levels of biomarkers on different days of the disease in rats, inwhich a pyelonephritis model was created by applying uropathogenic Escherichia coli.Material-Method: In the study, 40 female rats were used; 10 were determined as the control group,uropathogenic Escherichia coli was applied intrarenally to the remaining 30 rats and a pyelonephritis modelwas created. From the 1st group, 1 day after the injection, from the 2nd group, 4 days after the injection, fromthe 3rd group, 7 days after the injection, and from the control group, blood and urine samples were collectedat the end of the study. Then, the kidneys of all animals were taken for histopathological examination. Urea,creatinine, albumin and total protein levels in serum and urine samples were analyzed by spectrophotometricmethod; NGAL, L-FABP, clusterin, KIM-1 and cystatin C levels were analyzed by ELISA method.Results: When evaluated histopathologically it was determined that pyelonephritis occurred in all experimentalgroups. In serum samples, significant changes were observed in Klu, L-FABP and Klu/Cr levels between groups.Inurinesamples, while no significant change was detected in creatinine, clusterin, NGAL/Cr and klu/Cr levels,significant changes were determined in NGAL, L-FABP, KIM-1, Cystatin C, KIM-1/Cr, Cystatin C/Cr, L-FABP /Crlevels.Conclusion: Within the scope of the study, changes in the biomarkers determined in the serum and urinesamples of the rats in which pyelonephritis was induced appeared more prominently in urine samples. In theevaluations made on different days of the disease, it was observed that the levels of urine NGAL, L-FABP, KIM-1, and Cystatin C increased until the 4th day compared to the control group. These findings suggest thatespecially urine biomarkers may play an important role in the diagnosis of pyelonephritis.</p

Lise Öğrencilerinin Grafik Anlama Becerilerinin İncelenmesi

Teknolojik ilerlemelerin hızla arttığı günümüzde bilgiye erişim oldukça çeşitlenmiştir. Aynı zamanda bilginin derlenmesi ve sunulması da yapısal zenginlik içinde giderek daha görsel ve uzamsal bir nitelik kazanmaktadır. Bu süreçte vazgeçilmez olan temel araçlardan biri grafiklerdir. Grafik ve diyagramlar bilgi sunma aracı olarak kullanılarak bilgiyi anlamlandırabilmeye imkan sağlar (Stern, vd., 2003). Grafikler bir kavram hakkında sözcüklerden çok daha hızlı iletişim kurmayı mümkün kılar ve bir paragraftan çok daha fazla bilgi içerebilmektedir. Grafikler pek çok meslekte hem iletişim dilinin bir parçası hem de verilerde gizlenen durumların değerlendirilmesine izin vermek için ilişkilerin ve sayısal sonuçların sunulduğu ve bunların analiz edildiği araçlardır (Gonzalez, vd., 2011). Bu araçlar bugün sanattan, spora, siyasetten ekonomiye, tıptan eğitime hemen her alanda geniş kullanım alanına sahiptir. Grafiklerin yapı, işlev ve etkilerine yönelik önemin artmış olması öğrencilerin grafikleri anlama becerisi kazanmasını gerekli kılmaktadır. Öğretme ve öğrenme perspektifinden bakıldığında, grafikler ile ilgili bilgi, uygulama ve değerlendirme eylemlerinin en fazla yer aldığı ders matematiktir. Nitekim matematik dersi öğretim programlarında ikinci sınıftan başlayarak lise son sınıfa kadar birçok farklı kazanımda grafiklere yer verildiği görülmektedir. Grafik anlama becerisinin geliştirilmesi öğrencilerin veri analizi, görsel okuma, eleştirel düşünme ve bilgiyi etkili iletme yeteneklerini güçlendirmektedir. Bu çalışmada lise öğrencilerinin grafik anlama becerilerinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma nitel yapıda bir durum çalışmasıdır. Çalışma grubu araştırmaya gönüllü olarak katılan 12. sınıftaki 8 öğrenciden oluşmaktadır. Öğrencilere yazarlarca seçilen 4 adet farklı yapıdaki grafik sırayla sunularak onların bu grafikleri okuması, analiz etmesi ve yorumlaması (grafik anlama süreci) istenmiştir. Bu süreçte öğrencilere yazarlarca oluşturulmuş olan sorular yöneltilmiştir. Süreç video ile kayıt altına alınmıştır. Kayıtlar yazıya aktarılarak analiz sonucu elde edilen bulgular paylaşılacaktır.</p

Effect of peer education on knowledge and frequency of smoking among high school students in disadvantaged districts: A quasi-experimental study

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of peer education on changing the knowledge and frequency of smoking of high school students. Method: The quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, Turkey, during the 2021-22 academic year, and comprised students of either gender from the 9th to the 11th grade. After baseline assessment, training that blended peer education with the photovoice technique was administered between March 2021 and January 2022. Post-intervention assessment included smoking frequency, cigarette exposure and health literacy. Data was analysed using R version 4.0.5. Results: Of the 465 students available, 395(84.95%) were part of the baseline assessment, while 434(93.3%) took the post-intervention assessment. At the baseline, 365(93.8%) participants were males and 24(6.2%) were femaes. The overall median age was 15 years (interquartile range: 15-16 years). Post-training, smoking rate and indoor exposure to cigarette smoke among the students were statistically lower than the baseline values (p<0.05). The mean health literacy score post-intervention was significantly higher than the baseline score (p<0.05). Conclusion: Photovoice combined with peer education seemed beneficial in terms of positive effect on smoking behaviour among youths

EVALUATION OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH MTHFR DEFICIENCY

EVALUATION OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH MTHFR DEFICIENCYÖzge Kamer Karalar Pekuz (Turkey)1; Pelin Teke Kısa (Turkey)1; Esra Er (Turkey)2; Sedef Sezen (Turkey)3; Sevil Dorum (Turkey)4; Zümrüt Arslan Gülten (Turkey)5; Banu Kadıoğlu Yılmaz (Turkey)6; Özlem Ünal Uzun (Turkey)7; Halil İbrahim Aydın (Turkey)8; Mustafa Kılıç (Turkey)9; Bahar Kulu (Turkey)1; Şahin Erdöl (Turkey)3; Nur Arslan (Turkey)11 - Division of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey; 2 - Division of Pediatric Metabolism, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Research and Training Hospital, İzmir, Turkey; 3 - Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine, Bursa; 4 - Department of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey; 5 - Division of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul; 6 - Division of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Konya; 7 - Division of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey; 8 - Division of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Başkent University Ankara Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; 9 - Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Metabolic Diseases, Ankara, TurkeyBackground: Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) deficiency typically presents with feeding problems, failure to thrive, hypotonia, microcephaly, seizures and encephalopathy in the neonatal period. However the late-onset disease may present with a more variable picture. This study aimed to document the clinical and laboratory findings and genetic analysis of patients with MTHFR deficiency. Materials and methods: This observational, multicenter, descriptive study retrospectively evaluated patients' medical records with MTHFR deficiency. Results: A total of 15 patients were included; the median age was 70 (min-max:2-300) months, the median age at diagnosis was 10 (min-max:1-168) months, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.5. Twelve patients were consanguineous. The median age at symptom onset was 4 (min-max:0.33-144) months, and the median age at first admission was 6 (min-max:0.33- 276) months. Initial symptoms included feeding problems, hypotonia, seizures, and neuromotor developmental delay. Nine patients had symptoms in the neonatal period, 10 had epileptic seizures, and 9 had microcephaly. All patients had high plasma total homocysteine levels (&gt;50 mmol/L); the mean methionine levels were 8.1± 4.9 mmol/L at diagnosis. The median follow-up period was 45 months. All patients were receiving betaine therapy. Two patients had thromboembolic events, and 4 had ataxia. Nine different MTHFR variants were identified from 11 patients. Late-diagnosed and initiated treatment patients had more severe neurologic findings than early diagnosed. Conclusion: MTHFR deficiency is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disease. The real-world data presented in this study could provide valuable insights for natural history studies related to MTHFR deficiency. In regions where homocysteine is not included in the newborn screening program, MTHFR deficiency should be considered for each newborn presenting with neurological findings; treatment should be initiated immediately.</p

Effect of culture hydrodynamics on Arthrospira platensis production using a single-use photobioreactor system through a CFD supported approach

Laboratory scale conventional single-use bioreactor was used to investigate the effect of different stirrer speeds on the Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina platensis) culture. Experiments were handled in two steps. First step was the selection of the stirring speeds, which was simulated via using CFD, and the second was the long term cultivation with the selected speed. During 10 days of batches as the first step, under identical culture conditions, stirrer speed of 230 rpm gave higher results, compared to 130 and 70 rpm, with respect to dry biomass weight, absorbance value (AB) and chlorophyll-a concentration. Volumetric productivity during the growth phase of the cultures were calculated as 0.39 ± 0.03, 0.28 ± 0.01, and 0.19 ± 0.02 g L−1 d−1, from the fast to the slower speeds. According to the results a 17 day batch was handled with 230 rpm in order to monitor the effects on the culture. The culture reached a volumetric productivity of 0.33 ± 0.04 g L−1 d−1. Statistical analysis showed the significance of the parameters related with the stirring speed