Silica aerogels modified with vinyl, epoxide, methacrylate moieties for the removal of ciprofloxacin by adsorption from water

Water pollution caused by antibiotic effluents, particularly ciprofloxacin is a growing environmental concern. To address this problem, silica aerogels containing vinyl, epoxide, or methacrylate organic functionalities were synthesized through facile sol-gel synthesis under ambient conditions and employed as ciprofloxacin adsorbents in this study. The physicochemical and structural features of the materials were characterized using conventional and complementary techniques. Structural characterization confirmed the successful chemical functionalization of the silica surface for all samples. Similar to the pristine aerogel, the vinyl-functionalized aerogel displayed a typical mesoporous network, whereas epoxide and methacrylate functionalization caused dominantly macroporous structures. Batchwise sorption experiments were performed under different operating conditions. The results of the equilibrium and kinetic adsorption studies showed excellent alignment with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, respectively. Under optimum conditions (C0 = 100 mg/L, mads/Vsoln = 0.5, pH=6, t = 90 min), the adsorption capacities of ciprofloxacin onto vinyl, epoxide, and methacrylatemodified aerogels were 62.7, 45.8 and 47.8 mg/g, respectively. Despite of the differences at micro- meso- and macrostructure level, obtaining similar adsorptive performances confirms that mechanism of sorption is not only relied on pore filling but also controlled by molecular interactions. The adsorbents also exhibited repetable sorption performance for at least six cycles.Ege University Office of Scientific Research Projects [23943]; CERIC-ERIC Consortium [20232184]; Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research; Graz University of Technology; University of Graz; Anton Paar GmbHThis study was financially supported by the Ege University Office of Scientific Research Projects under Contract Number 23943. Authors thank the help of Manfred Kriechbaum for his assistance in the X-ray measurements. The authors acknowledge the CERIC-ERIC Consortium for the access to experimental SANS & SAXS facilities and financial support (Proposal ID 20232184) . The authors would like to acknowledge the use of the Somapp Lab, a core facility supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Graz University of Technology, the University of Graz, and Anton Paar GmbH

The effects of art-based activities on hope and self-efficacy in stroke patients

İnmeli hastalarda sanat temelli aktivitelerin umut ve öz yeterlilik durumları üzerine etkileri İnme sonrasında hastanın yaşamında fonksiyonel kapasitenin oldukça sınırlı olduğu zor bir süreç başlamaktadır. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, inmeli hastalarda uygulanan sanat temelli aktivitelerin hastaların umut ve öz yeterlilik düzeyleri üzerine etkisini incelemektir. Alt amacı ise, inmeli hastalarda uygulanan sanat temelli aktivitelerden elde edilen sanat nesneleri ile ortaya çıkan duygu ve düşünceleri ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaçlar doğrultusunda randomize kontrollü ve nitel-hermenotik deseni ile yapılmıştır. Araştırma verileri, Ekim 2023- Şubat 2024 tarihleri arasında Sağlık Bilimleri Ünversitesi İzmir Bozyaka Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Nöroloji Kliniğinde toplanmıştır. Katılımcılar 34 sanat temelli aktivite grubu, 35 kontrol grubu olmak üzere toplam 69 kişiden oluşmuştur. Sanat temelli aktivite modülü 7 günlük bir aktivite programı olarak planlanmıştır. Program 3 aktiviteden oluşmaktadır. Umut düzeyi Herth Umut İndeksi, özyeterlilik düzeyi Genelleştirilmiş Özyeterlilik Ölçeği kullanılarak değerlendirilmiştir. Sanat temelli uygulama grubundaki bireylerin umut ve özyeterlilik durumları sanat temelli aktivite programı 1.gün ve 7.günde değerlendirilmiştir. Kontrol grubundaki bireylerin umut ve özyeterlilik durumları ise, klinikte yer alan rutin bakım uygulamalarının dışında herhangi bir uygulama yapılmadan 1. ve 7. günlerde değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmanın sonucuna göre; sanat temelli aktivite uygulamasının inmeli hastaların umut ve özyeterlilik düzeylerinde olumlu etkisi olduğu bulunmuştur. Nitel veri sonuçlarında umudu destekleyen ifadelerin yer alması araştırmanın nicel sonuçlarını desteklemektedir. Sanat nesnelerinin somutlaşmış verilerinin değerlendirilmesi, hastalık sürecinin etkisinin anlaşılmasında sağlık profesyonellerine yönder olacaktır. Araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan sanat temelli aktivite modülünün inmeli hastaların bakım sürecinde hemşireler tarafından aktif uygulanan bir bakım yöntemi olarak kullanılabileceği sonucuna varılmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler; İnme, Sanat, Öz yeterlilik, UmutThe effects of art-based activities on hope and self-efficacy in stroke patients After a stroke, patients face a challenging period where their functional capacity is significantly limited. The primary aim of this study is to examine the impact of art-based activities on the levels of hope and self-efficacy in stroke patients. The secondary aim is to reveal the emotions and thoughts expressed through the art objects created by stroke patients participating in art-based activities. This study was conducted using a randomized controlled and qualitative-hermeneutic design. Data were collected between October 2023 and February 2024 at the Neurology Clinic of İzmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, affiliated with the University of Health Sciences. The participants consisted of 69 individuals, with 34 in the art-based activity group and 35 in the control group. The art-based activity module was planned as a 7-day activity program consisting of 3 activities. Hope levels were assessed using the Herth Hope Index, and self-efficacy levels were assessed using the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. The hope and self-efficacy levels of individuals in the art-based activity group were evaluated on the 1st and 7th days of the art-based activity program. In the control group, hope and self-efficacy levels were assessed on the 1st and 7th days without any interventions beyond routine clinical care. According to the results of the study, art-based activities had a positive impact on the hope and self-efficacy levels of stroke patients. The presence of expressions supporting hope in the qualitative data supports the quantitative findings of the study. The evaluation of the tangible data from the art objects provides valuable insights for healthcare professionals in understanding the impact of the illness process. The researchers concluded that the art-based activity module developed could be used as an actively applied care method by nurses in the care process of stroke patients. Keywords; Stroke, Art, Self-efficacy, Hop

Is Teledentistry as Effective as Clinical Dental Diagnosis in Pediatric Patients?

Background: Teledentistry integrates telecommunications with dental practice, facilitating the exchange of clinical information and images for remote dental consultation and treatment planning. This approach enables dental care access across long distances, addressing the need for flexible healthcare solutions. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of teledentistry compared to clinical in-person dental diagnosis in pediatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: The study sample consisted of 200 children aged 3-13 years, each undergoing both teledentistry-based and in-person clinical dental diagnosis. Caries index scores, including DMFT/dmft and DMFS/dmfs, as well as the identification of specific dental conditions such as molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH), black tooth staining, periodontal disease, dental trauma, and orthodontic anomalies, were recorded in both diagnostic settings. Statistical analysis was conducted using chi-square, Wilcoxon, and Fisher's Exact tests. Results: The mean age of participants was 7.86 +/- 2.40 years. Caries index scores (DMFT/dmft, DMFS/dmfs) showed compatibility between teledentistry and clinical diagnoses. While "d/D, f/F, ds/DS, fs/FS" scores were observed to be higher in clinical diagnoses compared to teledentistry, the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Scores for "m/M" and "ms/MS" were identical in both diagnostic methods. Additionally, the prevalence of dental anomalies, including MIH, black tooth staining, periodontal disease, dental trauma, and orthodontic anomalies, was comparable across both diagnostic approaches. Conclusion: Findings suggest that teledentistry serves as an effective alternative to clinical in-person diagnosis for pediatric dental consultations and treatment planning, demonstrating comparable accuracy in identifying caries and dental anomalies in children

Development and characterization of kaolin-based PVA/alginate polymer composite (KPA) for removal of uranium and strontium from aqueous solutions

The present study used low-cost, abundant, and nontoxic kaolin and kaolin-based PVA/alginate composite (KPA) as adsorbents to remove U(VI) and Sr(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The characterization of the adsorbents was performed by several techniques. The results showed that PVA/alginate enhanced the functional groups and changed the surface morphology. Adsorption isotherm parameters were determined through both linear and non-linear regression analyses, from which it was inferred that the Langmuir model provides a better fit than other ones. The uranium removal capacity of KPA significantly improved as compared to that of kaolin, reaching 104.17 mg/g under the conditions of 30 min, pH 4.0, 298 K, and a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1.2 g/L. The strontium removal capacity of kaolin was significantly high as compared to that of KPA, reaching 68.96 mg/g under the optimum conditions. Removal of the radionuclides on both adsorbents was better described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, showing the ions to be immobilized on the adsorbents through chemical adsorption. Kaolin was not affected by interfering metals for U(VI) and Sr(II) adsorption, but KPA composite was influenced by the other metals. The adsorbents display potential as candidates to remove uranium and strontium from wastewater

On the structure of prime and semiprime rings with generalized skew derivations

Let R be a ring of characteristic different from 2, m,n,s >= 1 fixed positive integers, L a noncentral Lie ideal of R and F : R -> R a nonzero generalized skew derivation of R. We prove the following results: (a) If R is prime and there exists 0 not equal = a is an element of R such that a(F(x)F-m(y)(n)-y(n)x(m))(s)=0 for all x, y is an element of L then R subset of M (2)(K), the 2x2 matrix ring over a field K. (b) If R is semiprime and (F(x)F-m(y)(n)-y(n)x(m))s= 0 for all x, y is an element of L then either L centralizes a nonzero ideal of R or [s(4)(x(1),...,x(4)),x(5)]is a polynomial identity for R

Evaluation of apolipoprotein A5 variants: A cohort of patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia from Turkiye

BACKGROUND: This study aims to show the clinical and biochemical features in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) associated with rare variants in the apolipoprotein A-V ( APOA5 ) gene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Demographics, blood lipid levels, body mass index (BMI) and APOA5 mutation subtypes were collected from the endocrinology clinic registry and analyzed for a retrospective cohort study of ten patients with severe HTG and APOA5 gene variants. RESULTS: Of the 10 cases, four were female, and six were male. The median age was 45.0 years (min-max: 21-60 years), the median triglyceride was 2429.5 mg/dL (27.5 mmol/L) (min-max: 1351- 4087 mg/dL, 15.3-46.2 mmol/L), and the mean BMI was calculated as 30.4 +/- 4.4 kg/m2 (min-max: 24.9- 41.0 kg/m2 ). Four cases had diabetes mellitus (DM); two were on intensive insulin therapy, and two were on basal insulin therapy. The mean hemoglobin A1c was 9.2 +/- 1.2 % (min-max: 8.3-11.0 %). Among the study group, eight different APOA5 gene mutations were detected. These variants were heterozygous in 2 patients and homozygous (bi-allelic) in 8 patients. One patient was homozygous for APOA5 p.Ser19Trp, a relatively common polymorphism that is a risk variant for HTG. CONCLUSION: We report a cohort of patients with biallelic and single copy APOA5 variants, who were diagnosed later in life. Most had secondary factors, such as DM or obesity with increased BMI. Most rare APOA5 variants found in our patients were of uncertain significance. Our results add to the growing evidence that rare variants in certain candidate genes may predispose to developing HTG, together with secondary factors such as obesity. The genetic basis of HTG in many other patients is still unknown and remains the subject of further investigation. (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of National Lipid Association

Modified data classification for extreme values in Şen's innovative trend analysis: A comparative trend study for the Aegean and Eastern Anatolia Regions of Türkiye

The increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has worsened global warming, and marked changes have been observed in meteorological and climatic events, especially since the early 2000s. Trend analysis studies are important for determining changes in meteorological and climatic events over time. This study investigated the trends of maximum precipitation and minimum temperature in the Aegean Region and Eastern Anatolia Region of T & uuml;rkiye by conducting an innovative trend analysis (ITA), the Mann-Kendall (MK) test, and linear regression analysis (LRA). As a method, ITA has been used together with traditional methods in the last decade, and its advantages have been demonstrated in comparative trend studies. An important contribution of ITA is that it can categorize datasets according to their size (low, medium, and high). The classification technique of the ITA method includes dividing the sorted dataset into three equal parts and separately examining the trends of low, medium, and high data values. This approach is reasonable for datasets with low skewness (or normally distributed series). However, the normal distribution acceptance of ITA data classification is insufficient for trend analysis of data series with extreme values. Therefore, we propose a modified data classification method to rationally examine skewed datasets with the use of quartiles. Our study was performed for the trend analysis of maximum rainfall and minimum temperature data in two regions located in the west and east of T & uuml;rkiye showing different climatic characteristics. In the first part of the study in which the numerical trend analysis of ITA was evaluated, the MK and LRA methods showed similar results, whereas the ITA detected trends at a greater number of stations owing to its sensitivity feature in detecting trends. In the second part, which included data classification in trend analysis, the equal split data classification used in the ITA and the modified data classification proposed in the study were compared. The comparative results of the trend analysis of the maximum rainfall and minimum temperature data showed the superiority of the proposed data classification in examining the trend of extreme values, especially for maximum rainfall data with relatively high skewness.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TUBITAK)Open access funding provided by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TUBITAK). The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support was received during the prepara-tion of this manuscript. DAS:No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study

Treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with driver mutant non-small cell lung cancer and de novo brain metastases

Central nervous system (CNS) metastases can be seen at a rate of 30% in advanced stages for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Growing evidence indicates the predictive roles of driver gene mutations in the development of brain metastases (BM) in recent years, meaning that oncogene-driven NSCLC have a high incidence of BM at diagnosis. Today, 3rd generation targeted drugs with high intracranial efficacy, which can cross the blood-brain barrier, have made a positive contribution to survival for these patients with an increased propensity to BM. It is important to update the clinical and pathological factors reflected in the survival with real-life data. A multi-center, retrospective database of 306 patients diagnosed with driver mutant NSCLC and initially presented with BM between between November 2008 and September 2022 were analyzed. The median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 12.25 months (95% CI, 10-14.5). While 254 of the patients received tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), 51 patients received chemotherapy as first line treatment. The median intracranial PFS (iPFS) was 18.5 months (95% CI, 14.8-22.2). The median overall survival (OS) was 29 months (95% CI, 25.2-33.0). It was found that having 3 or less BM and absence of extracranial metastases were significantly associated with better mOS and iPFS. The relationship between the size of BM and survival was found to be non-significant. Among patients with advanced NSCLC with de novo BM carrying a driver mutation, long-term progression-free and overall survival can be achieved with the advent of targeted agents with high CNS efficacy with more conservative and localized radiotherapy modalities

Long-Term Results of Percutaneous Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty in Children With Aortic Stenosis: A Single-Center Experience

Purpose: Congenital aortic stenosis is a common pathology in the childhood age group and its clinical spectrum varies between asymptomatic and severe heart failure. In our study, we planned to evaluate the long-term results of patients who underwent balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) due to critical aortic valve stenosis in our clinic. Materials and methods: Patients aged 0-18 years who underwent aortic balloon valvuloplasty due to aortic stenosis in our clinic between January 2002 and January 2022 were retrospectively evaluated. Results: Among the 48 patients who underwent balloon valvuloplasty due to aortic stenosis, 13 (27%) were female, and 35 (73%) were male. The median age at the time of the procedure was 27.5 months (IQR: 4-96), the median weight was 9.9 kg (IQR: 5.40-29.50), and the median height was 79 cm (IQR: 54-133). The median follow-up duration was 93.5 months (IQR: 38-132). Angiographic assessments in all patients revealed a median left ventricular pressure of 160 mmHg (IQR: 140-200) and a median pressure gradient between the left ventricle and the aorta of 60 mmHg (IQR: 42-80). The median balloon diameter used was 10 mm (IQR: 8-12). Post-procedural measurements showed a median mean gradient of 30 mmHg (IQR: 2035) between the left ventricle and the aorta. The procedure was successful in 45 (93.5%) patients. During follow-up, 11 patients required surgical intervention. Ross procedure was performed in five patients, homograft in five patients, and mechanical valve implantation in one patient. Risk factors for the need for surgical intervention were evaluated in detail. During the follow-up, the risk factor for intervention was determined to be aortic insufficiency. Conclusion: Aortic valve balloon valvuloplasty is a safe and successful treatment method for critical aortic stenosis. It should be the first choice of treatment option in suitable patients.Ethics Committee of Ege UniversityHuman subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee of Ege University issued approval 23-11.2T/26. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work

Supramolecular solvent-based liquid-liquid microextraction (SUPRAS-LLME) of Sudan dyes from food and water samples with HPLC

Utilizing the environmentally friendly technique of supramolecular solvent -based microextraction (SUPRASLLME), Sudan I -IV dyes were successfully isolated and enriched from food and natural water samples. The optimization of the microextraction process was carried out by studying the effects of various parameters such as pH (6.0), supramolecular volume (100 mu L), tetrahydrofuran (THF) volume (200 mu L), ultrasonication temperature (40 degrees C), and vortex time (1.0 min). Extraction efficiency ranged between 82 % and 109 %, while other analytical parameters such as the limits of detection (LOD) were determined to be 0.23, 0.51, 0.42, and 0.39 mu g L -1 for Sudan I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The total figure of merits for the presented SUPRAS-LLME method includes a limits of quantification (LOQ) of 0.78, 1.70, 1.41, and 1.30 mu g L -1 , a relative standard deviation (RSD%) of 3.4, 6.1, 2.9, and 4.4 (n = 10), a linear range of 5-1000 mu g L -1 for all Sudan dyes, a pre -concentration factor (PF) of 15, 10, 10, and 17, and a determination coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.9994, 0.9965, 0.9955, and 0.9946, for Sudan I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The environmental friendliness of the method was confirmed by evaluating the greenness of the method with the AGREE metric tool. A sustainable and environmentally friendly option for the extraction of Sudan dyes from food and water samples is offered by this SUPRAS-LLME method.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [2221]Dr Abdul Hameed Kori is highly thankful to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for funding this project through 2221 (visiting researcher (Postdoctoral fellow) ) Research Fellowship Programme for Foreign Citizens