OCT in Lamellar Corneal Transplantation

Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) is a valuable tool in corneal transplantation surgery. In deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), AS-OCT gives valuable information on preoperative decision process. AS-OCT image of the recipient cornea helps the surgeon to decide whether to proceed with a big bubble DALK or a manual dissection. Preoperative AS-OCT imaging of recipient stroma can also predict Descemet membrane perforation during big bubble induction. Intraoperative AS-OCT assures reaching the proper depth in order, and postoperatively, a surgeon can objectively assess the Descemet membrane and donor association and define complications such as a double anterior chamber. Before deciding for a Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), preoperative stromal scars can be identified with an AS-OCT and might affect the decision of the surgical procedure (DMEK or penetrating keratoplasty). After DMEK, graft detachment can be visualized by AS-OCT and treated accordingly

Cari açık-bütçe açığı- ekonomik büyüme ilişkisi: Türkiye ekonomisi örneği

İstikrarlı büyüme ve kalkınma için üretimin artırılması ne kadar zorunlu ise teknoloji ve yapısal değişimlerinde gerçekleştirilmesi bir o kadar önemlidir. Yapısal değişimler uzun vadede sonuç vereceğinden Türkiye gibi gelişmekte olan ülkelerde kısa vadede kamu ve özel sektörün yapmış olduğu harcamalarının miktarı ve bu harcamaların bileşenleri de önemlidir. İktisadi dengenin sağlanmasında iç ve dış dengeyi temsil eden iki önemli kavram vardır. Bütçe açığı ve cari işlemler açığı olarak ifade edilen bu kavramlar ekonomik büyüme ile yakın ilişki içeresindedir. Türkiye ekonomisinin 2006-2017 çeyrek dönemlik verileri kullanılarak bütçe ve cari işlemler bilançosu açıkları ile iktisadi büyüme arasındaki ilişkiler ekonometrik yöntemlerle analiz edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada büyüme ve bütçe açığındaki değişmelerin cari açığa etkisi araştırılmıştır. Türkiye Ekonomisinin ilişkin 2006-2017 dönemine ilişkin değişkenler arasındaki eşbütünleşme ve nedensellik ilişkileri tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen bulgular neticesinde, gayri safi yurt içi hasıladaki artış cari işlemler açığını artırmakta, bütçe açığındaki artış da cari işlemler açığında artışa neden olmaktadır

Shared Psychotic Disorder (Folie à Deux) in Turkey

Shared psychotic disorder or folie à deux is a rare and relatively unknown syndrome. Large case series are needed to find out and clarify the etiological factors and the phenomenology of shared psychotic disorder by comparing the cases from different society and cultures. In this study, we reviewed all reported cases of shared psychotic disorder that had been published or presented in Turkey since 1962. To reach this aim, we have searched Pubmed/Medline, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Ulakbim Turkish Medical Index, Turkish Psychiatric Index databases for published records originating from Turkey. We have also manually searched poster abstract books of congresses held in Turkey between 1962 and 2009. All cases eligible for inclusion into this study have been evaluated one by one and grouped as primary or secondary cases. The features of these cases were investigated for a number of variables including age, sex, educational level, occupation, the presence of shared delusion and hallucinations, diagnosis, management, onset of illness, family history, IQ, social isolation, the nature of the relationship and classification system used for diagnosis. The results have showed that the syndrome is more frequently observed among women, within same family members and between sisters. Social isolation was the most common risk factor in these patients and most patients shared hallucinations with their partners along with their delusions. Several secondary cases required antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of their symptoms. Though these features were inline with literature findings, the present findings from Turkish population were different from previous studies with regards to the presence of olfactory hallucinations, absence of grandiose delusions and the number of affected family members. The results mostly supported the challenges and discussions in western countries. To understand this most pathological form of interpersonal relationships; longitudinal prospective studies evaluating the psychodynamic formulations , biological factors, risk factors as social isolation, prognostic factors are definitely essential

Surgical treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Surgery for proliferative diabetic retinopathy remains a valid treatment option even for patients who received proper laser photocoagulation and medical therapy. With the advancements of surgical techniques and technology, indications for surgery in diabetic retinopathy is increasing. Aside from vitreous hemorrhage and tractional retinal detachment, patients with macular edema and proliferative complications get early intervention. This review identifies the indications, surgical techniques, anti-VEGF therapies related to surgery, surgical outcomes and complications of pars plana vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic reinopathy and macular edema

Evaluation of factors that affect skin to subarachnoid space distance

Introduction: Lumbar puncture is a procedure frequently used in anesthetic practice. For the success of the procedure, prediction of skin to subarachnoid space distance (SSD) is valuable. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between SSD with age and body mass index (BMI). Methods: Two hundred and fifty patients, ASA physical status I, II, and III scheduled to undergo elective surgery under spinal anesthesia, were studied. Spinal anesthesia was induced in the sitting position at the L3–4 vertebral level using a midline approach. Furthermore, the level of L3–L4 was identified by palpation, using Tuffier’s line as a guide. Following an intrathecal injection, the spinal needle was grasped between the thumb and the index finger during its removal from the patient’s back. From the grasping point, SSD was measured using rulers. Results: Mean values of SSD at the L3-4 interspace were 55.43±6.47 mm (range 35-74). Statistically significant correlations were observed between SSD with BMI and body weight (ρ=0.650, P<0.001 and ρ=0.651, P<0.001, respectively). Statistically significant correlation was not found between SSD with age, gender and body height (ρ=0.120, P=0.058; ρ=-0.047, P=0.4568 and ρ=0.089, P=0.159, respectively). Conclusions: SSD is affected by BMI and body weight but not by age, gender and body height

Preparation of fast responsive macroporous hydrogels from frozen solutions

Bu çalışmada, 2-akrilamido-2-metilpropan sülfonik asit sodyum tuzu’nun (AMPS) sulu ortamlarda N,N-metilenbisakrilamid (BAAm) çapraz bağlayıcısı ile kopolimerizasyonu incelenmiştir. AMPS monomeri ile BAAm çapraz bağlayıcısının sulu çözeltileri başlatıcı amonyum persülfat (APS) ile hızlandırıcı N,N,N’,N’-tetraetilmetilendiamin (TEMED) redoks başlatıcı sistemi ile polimerizasyon sisteminin donma noktasının altında ve üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen hidrojellerin şişmiş durumdaki elastik modülleri, sudaki şişme oranları, aseton ve sudaki büzülme ve şişme hızları ölçülmüştür. Taramalı elektron mikroskobu yardımı ile polimer ağyapılarının morfolojileri incelenmiştir. Hidrojellerin şişme ve elastik özelliklerinin -8ºC gibi bir jel hazırlama sıcaklığında belirgin bir şekilde değiştiği gözlenmiştir. -8ºC’nin altında sentezlenen hidrojelleri oluşturan ağyapıların gözenekli olduğu ve gözenek çaplarının 30-50 mm arasında değiştiği buna karşılık -8ºC ve üzerinde sentezlenen ağyapıların gözenek içermediği görülmüştür. Hazırlanan Poli(AMPS)(PAMPS) hidrojellerinin mikroyapısının, karnıbahara benzeyen ve değişik büyüklüklerde agregatlar içeren, reaksiyona bağlı faz ayrılma mekanizmasıyla oluşan makrogözenekli ağyapılardan belirgin bir şekilde farklı oldukları ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Bununla birlikte, -8ºC’nin altında sentezlenen PAMPS hidrojelleri için, suda ve asetonda tamamen tersinir şişme-büzülme eğrileri elde edilmiştir. -8ºC’nin altında oluşan jeller, denge şişme hacimlerine 30 saniyede ulaşırken, yüksek sıcaklıklarda oluşan jellerin suda denge durumlarına ulaşmaları için 1 saat gerekmiştir. Ayrıca, şişmiş PAMPS jelleri asetona daldırıldığında, -8ºC’nin altında hazırlanan jeller 5 ile 10 dakika arasında büzülerek dengeye ulaşırken, yüksek sıcaklıklarda sentezlenenler ise hacim değişimlerine dayanamayarak parçalanmıştır. Böylelikle, jel hazırlama sıcaklığının -8ºC’nin altına indirilmesi ile hacim değişimlerine karşı dayanıklı süper hızlı şişen PAMPS hidrojelleri elde edilmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Hidrojel, şişme, donma, makrogözenek. Responsive hydrogels are smart materials, capable of changing volume in response to specific external stimuli, such as the temperature, solvent quality, pH, electric field, etc. These properties of hydrogels received considerable interest in last three decades and, a large number of hydrogel based devices have been proposed, including artificial organs, actuators, and on-off switches. Important parameters of hydrogels, which to a large extent determine their performance, are an improved mechanical property as well as a fast swelling-deswelling rate to the external stimuli.  However, in some applications, such as artificial organs, the conventional hydrogel with slow response rate cannot satisfy this requirement. Therefore, the slow response rate of the hydrogels limits their technological applications. Increasing the response rate of hydrogels has been one of the challenging problems in the last 25 years. In this regard, several strategies have been proposed. A widely used approach to obtain fast responsive hydrogels is to create voids (pores) inside the hydrogel matrix, so that the response rate becomes a function of the microstructure rather than the size or the shape of the gel samples. A new and contradictory method to produce macroporous hydrogels and thus, increasing their response rate is conducting the polymerization reactions below the freezing point of the reaction system. This low temperature gelation so-called cryogelation was used to create an interconnected pore structure within the polymer networks. In this cryogelation process, the reaction system is partially frozen after the onset of polymerization reaction. The ice crystals formed after partial freezing, act as a template, while the dissolved monomer, cross-linker and initiator are concentrated in a small fraction of an unfrozen liquid phase. Although the frozen monomer system appears homogenous, it is composed of two phases: the solid phase and the unfrozen liquid phase where the polymerization takes place. After polymerization and after melting of ice, many pores are formed in the spaces that were originally occupied by solvent crystal. The morphology of the networks consists of polyhedral pores and the network chains building the pore walls. The gels formed under these conditions were named as cryogels. In this study, by applying the cryogelation technique to the present gelling system, cryogels exhibiting superfast swelling-deswelling kinetics were obtained from 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) monomer and N,N-methylenebis (acrylamide) (BAAm) crosslinker  in aqueous solution at 5 w/v % initial monomer concentration. The crosslinker BAAm content in the monomer mixture was set to 17 mol %. The gel preparation temperature, Tprep, was varied between -22ºC and 25ºC. The swelling, swelling/deswelling kinetics, the morphologies as well as the elastic properties of the gels formed at various temperatures were studied. Tprep was found to be a significant parameter affecting the properties of the hydrogels. Depending on Tprep, two different regimes were observed from the experiments. At Tprep=-8ºC or above, Poly(AMPS) (PAMPS)  gels exhibit relatively high swelling ratios Veq of the order of 101, and low moduli of elasticity G in the range of 102-103 Pa. However, decreasing Tprep below -8ºC results in a tenfold decrease in the swelling ratio and about tenfold increase in the elastic modulus of gels. Thus, the swelling and elastic properties of PAMPS drastically change as Tprep is decreased below -8ºC. SEM images of PAMPS networks formed at various Tprep, indicated that all of the polymer samples formed below -8ºC have a porous structure with pore sizes of 30-50 µm while those formed at or above -8ºC exhibit a continuous morphology. Completely reversible swelling-deswelling cycles were obtained using PAMPS cryogels prepared below -8ºC. Gels formed below -8ºC attain their equilibrium swollen volumes in less than 30 sec, while those formed at higher temperatures require about 1 h to reach their equilibrium state in water. Moreover, if swollen PAMPS gels are immersed in acetone, those prepared below -8ºC attain their equilibrium collapsed state in 5 to 10 min, while the hydrogels formed at higher temperatures are too weak to withstand the volume changes. Thus, decreasing Tprep below -8oC results in the formation of superperfast-responsive PAMPS hydrogels, which are also stable against volume changes. Keywords: Hydrogel, swelling, freezing, macroporous

Investigation the Performance of Cr-Doped ZnO Nanocrystalline Thin Film in Photodiode Applications

Undoped and Cr-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on the glass and p-Si substrates by the chemical spray pyrolysis technique. The films were characterized by x-ray diffractometry (XRD) and UV-visible spectrometry, and electrical characterization was achieved by using the films as an interfacial layer between the Au and p-Si. The XRD results confirmed the undoped and Cr-doped ZnO thin film crystalline structures. UV-visible spectra provided the transmittance plots and band gap energy values. I-V measurements were performed on the fabricated Au/ZnO/p-Si and Au/ZnO:Cr/p-Si devices to determine the effect of the ZnO interfacial layer on their performance. Various junction parameters, such as the ideality factor, barrier height, and series resistance, were calculated from the I-V measurements by various techniques, and have been discussed in detail. A 100-mW/cm(2) power intensity light was exposed on the Au/ZnO:Cr/p-Si device to see the photodiode behavior as well as to determine light sensitivity parameters such as photosensitivity and detectivity. The results highlight that the Au/ZnO:Cr/p-Si device can be thought of for optoelectronic application

First report of the histopathological effect of electrocautery using on the urethral taste rosea during glans penis injury by incision in rabbits

Objective: Currently, electrocautery devices have frequently been used in penile surgical procedures. We hypothesized that electrocautery using during penile surgical procedures may harm the taste rosea and the dorsal nerve of the penis or clitoris. Methods: Eighteen young age male New Zealand rabbits were studied: five in the control (Group I, n=5), five in the penile surgery without using electrocautery (sham group, Group II, n=5), eight in the monopolar cautery (study group, Group III, n=8) groups under general anesthesia. The animals were followed for 3 weeks and sacrificed. Penile tissuedpudendal nerve root complexes and dorsal root ganglion of sacral 3 level were examined using stereological methods. The results were compared statistically. Results: The live and degenerated taste bud -like structures and degenerated neuron densities of pudendal ganglia (mean +/- standard deviation, n/mm3) were estimated as 198 +/- 24/mm3, 4 +/- 1/mm3, and 5 +/- 1/mm3 in Group I; 8 +/- 3/mm3, 174 +/- 21/mm3, and 24 +/- 7/mm3 in Group II; and 21 +/- 5/mm3, 137 +/- 14/mm3, and 95 +/- 12/mm3 in Group III, respectively. Neurodegeneration of taste buds and pudendal ganglia was significantly different between groups. Conclusion: Intact spinal cord and normal parasympathetic and thoracolumbar sympathetic networks are crucial for human sexual function. The present study indicates that the glans penis injury by using electrocautery may lead to pudendal ganglia degeneration. Iatrogenic damage to taste rosea and retrograde degeneration of the pudendal nerve may be the cause of sexual dysfunction responsible mechanism

Analyzing and Presenting Data with LabVIEW

LabVIEW is an abbreviation for Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench and allows scientists and engineers to develop and implement an interactive program. LabVIEW has been specially developed to take measurements, analyze data, and present the results to the user. You determine what the device looks like, rather than the manufacturer of the device. LabVIEW has a very large library of functions and subprograms (subVIs) that can help you during your programming and use without occupying memory. Hidden programming problems that you may encounter in traditional programming languages are less common in LabVIEW. LabVIEW also includes different applications such as serial device control, data analysis, data presentation, data storage and communication over the internet. Analysis library; It includes versatile and useful functions such as signal generation, signal processing filters, Windows statistics and regressions, linear algebra and array arithmetic. Due to the graphical nature of LabVIEW, it is an innate data presentation package. You can view the data in any form you want. Chart, graph and user-defined graph are among the output options that can be used. As a scientist or an engineer, you frequently measure physical changes such as temperature, pressure, time, mass, electric current, light intensity, radioactivity etc. You generally need to analyze and present the data. When you have large amounts of data, you need to use software to analyze and present the data. LabVIEW makes these actions easy for you. Because LabVIEW includes hundreds of built-in and add-on functions you need that make it easy to create a user-friendly interface. In this chapter, we focus on data analysis and presentation

Confluent and Reticulated Papillomatosis (Gougerot-Carteaud Syndrome) in Two Brothers

Confluent and reticulate papillomatosis (CRP) is a rare disorder that has mostly been described in case reports and limited case series. It is a benign acquired ichthyosiform dermatosis that is clinically characterized by persistent brown papules and plaques that are confluent centrally and reticulated peripherally. Most of the patients are sporadic but familial cases were also reported. Herein we described CRP in two brothers supporting the hereditary predisposition.</p