RGDS-functionalized polyethylene glycol hydrogel-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles enhance specific intracellular uptake by HeLa cells

The objective of this study was to develop thin, biocompatible, and biofunctional hydrogel-coated small-sized nanoparticles that exhibit favorable stability, viability, and specific cellular uptake. This article reports the coating of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MIONPs) with covalently cross-linked biofunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel. Silanized MIONPs were derivatized with eosin Y, and the covalently cross-linked biofunctional PEG hydrogel coating was achieved via surface-initiated photopolymerization of PEG diacrylate in aqueous solution. The thickness of the PEG hydrogel coating, between 23 and 126 nm, was tuned with laser exposure time. PEG hydrogel-coated MIONPs were further functionalized with the fibronectin-derived arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine (RGDS) sequence, in order to achieve a biofunctional PEG hydrogel layer around the nanoparticles. RGDS-bound PEG hydrogel-coated MIONPs showed a 17-fold higher uptake by the human cervical cancer HeLa cell line than that of amine-coated MIONPs. This novel method allows for the coating of MIONPs with nano-thin biofunctional hydrogel layers that may prevent undesirable cell and protein adhesion and may allow for cellular uptake in target tissues in a specific manner. These findings indicate that the further biofunctional PEG hydrogel coating of MIONPs is a promising platform for enhanced specific cell targeting in biomedical imaging and cancer therapy

Doğal bir kollajen çapraz bağlayıcının kendinden bağlanabilen akışkan kompozitlerin dentin bağlanma dayanımına etkisi

Amaç: Bu in vitro çalışmanın amacı proantosiyanidinden zengin bir özütün (üzüm çekirdeği özütü), kendinden bağlanabilen akışkan kompozitlerin [VertiseFlow, Kerr; Fusio Liquid Dentin, Pentron; NovaCompo SF, Imicryl] dentin makaslama bağlanma dayanımlarına etkisini incelemektir. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada 90 adet çürüksüz insan üçüncü molar dişi kullanıldı. Dişlerin tüberkülleri uzaklaştırılarak düz okluzal dentin yüzeyleri hazırlandı. Dentin yüzeyleri #600 grenli zımpara kâğıdı ile zımparalandıktan sonra rastgele 6 gruba ayrıldı (n=15). Deney gruplarına ait dentin yüzeylerine kompozitleri bağlamadan önce bu yüzeyler %20’lik üzüm çekirdeği özütü ile muamele edildi. Kompozitler silindirik şekilli plastik matrisler içinde uygulandı ve ışık ile sertleştirildi. Makaslama bağlanma dayanımı için her bir örneğin diş-kompozit ara yüzeyinde kırılma meydana gelinceye kadar 1 mm/dk hızda kuvvet uygulandı. Veriler One-Way ANOVA ve Tukey's HSD Post-hoc testleri ile analiz edildi. Bulgular: Nova Compo SF ve Vertise Flow için, üzüm çekirdeği özütü ile muamele edilen gruplar ile kontrol gruplarının dentin bağlanma dayanımları arasında fark yoktu (p > 0.05). Ancak, dentinin üzüm çekirdeği özütü ile muamele edilmesi Fusio Liquid Dentin’in dentine bağlanma dayanımını düşürdü (p < 0.05). Sonuç: Kollajen çapraz bağ ajanı olarak kullanılan %20’lik üzüm çekirdeği özütü, kendinden bağlanabilen akışkan kompozitlerin dentine bağlanma dayanımlarını arttırmadı. Bunlara ilaveten, Fusio Liquid Dentin’in, dentine bağlanma dayanımını olumsuz etkiledi

The problems of international students studying in higher education Yükseköğretimde öğrenim gören uluslararası öğrencilerin sorunları

The aim of the research is to determine the causes of these problems by revealing the problems of international students studying at Trakya University. For this reason, this research is a descriptive research. 118 international students studying at Trakya University Education Faculty in 2016-2017 constitute the sample of the study. International Students’ Problems Evaluation Form" and “International Students’ Problems Evaluation Interview Form” were used to collect data. Scaling based on V. Equation of comparative judgment case and content analysis were used for the analysis of the data. According to the findings obtained for the first purpose of the research, the most important problem that international students see is "Academic failure", followed by "University's Lack of Services for International Students", "Distant from Family", "Exposure to Discrimination Due to Being a Non-Turkish Citizen" Economic Difficulties ","Language Difficulties", "Unable to Adapt to Culture", "Accommodation Difficulties", “Loneliness”, and “Inability to Participate in Social Environments”. The results of the "International students' problems related to Turkish" it has been reported that international students have problems in understanding, speaking and writing skills respectively with regard to Turkish.Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file. ÖzetAraştırmanın amacı, Trakya Üniversitesinde öğrenim görmekte olan uluslararası öğrencilerin sorunlarını ve bu sorunların nedenlerini belirlemektir. Bu yönüyle çalışma betimsel araştırma türündedir. Trakya Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesinde 2016-2017 eğitim öğretim yılında öğrenim görmekte olan 118 uluslararası öğrenci çalışmanın örneklemini oluşturmaktadır. Verilerin toplanmasında “Uluslararası Öğrencilerin Sorunlarını Değerlendirme Formu” ve “Uluslararası Öğrencilerin Sorunlarını Değerlendirme Görüşme Formu” kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde karşılaştırmalı yargı kanununun V. Hal denklemine dayalı ölçekleme yöntemi ve içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Öğrencilerin en önemli gördükleri sorun “Akademik Başarısızlık” iken bunu sırasıyla “Üniversitenin Uluslararası Öğrenciler İçin Hizmetlerinin Azlığı”, “Aileden Uzak Olma”, “Türk Vatandaşı Olamamaktan Dolayı Ayrımcılığa Maruz Kalma”, “Ekonomik Sıkıntı”, “Dile Hâkim Olamama”, “Kültüre Uyum Sağlayamama”, “Barınma Sıkıntısı”, Yalnızlık” ve son olarak “Sosyal Ortamlara Katılamama” takip etmektedir. Öğrencilerin Türkçe ile ilgili sorunları ve önerileri” ile ilgili elde edilen sonuçlarda; öğrencilerin Türkçe ile ilgili olarak sırasıyla anlama, konuşma ve yazma becerilerinde sorun yaşadıkları bildirilmiştir

Cantrell pentalojisi

Cantrel pentalojisi nadir görülen bir sendromdur. Gelişen teknoloji ile birlikte son yıllarda erken haftalarda tanı konabilmektedir. Tanı konulan hastalarda gebeliğin sonlandırılması önerilmekte ve bir çok hastada terminasyon uygulanmaktadır. Ancak nadiren de olsa aile terminasyon seçeneğini kabul etmediğinden dolayı terme ulaşan fetuslar görülmektedir. Bizim vakamız da terme kadar ulaşan ve doğum esnasında kaybedilen bir Cantrel pentalojisi vakasıdı

Modeling Stochasticity and Variability in Gene Regulatory Networks

Modeling stochasticity in gene regulatory networks is an important and complex problem in molecular systems biology. To elucidate intrinsic noise, several modeling strategies such as the Gillespie algorithm have been used successfully. This paper contributes an approach as an alternative to these classical settings. Within the discrete paradigm, where genes, proteins, and other molecular components of gene regulatory networks are modeled as discrete variables and are assigned as logical rules describing their regulation through interactions with other components. Stochasticity is modeled at the biological function level under the assumption that even if the expression levels of the input nodes of an update rule guarantee activation or degradation there is a probability that the process will not occur due to stochastic effects. This approach allows a finer analysis of discrete models and provides a natural setup for cell population simulations to study cell-to-cell variability. We applied our methods to two of the most studied regulatory networks, the outcome of lambda phage infection of bacteria and the p53-mdm2 complex.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Minimal Symptom Expression' in Patients With Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab

The efficacy and tolerability of eculizumab were assessed in REGAIN, a 26-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and its open-label extension

The genetic history of the Southern Arc: a bridge between West Asia and Europe

By sequencing 727 ancient individuals from the Southern Arc (Anatolia and its neighbors in Southeastern Europe and West Asia) over 10,000 years, we contextualize its Chalcolithic period and Bronze Age (about 5000 to 1000 BCE), when extensive gene flow entangled it with the Eurasian steppe. Two streams of migration transmitted Caucasus and Anatolian/Levantine ancestry northward, and the Yamnaya pastoralists, formed on the steppe, then spread southward into the Balkans and across the Caucasus into Armenia, where they left numerous patrilineal descendants. Anatolia was transformed by intra–West Asian gene flow, with negligible impact of the later Yamnaya migrations. This contrasts with all other regions where Indo-European languages were spoken, suggesting that the homeland of the Indo-Anatolian language family was in West Asia, with only secondary dispersals of non-Anatolian Indo-Europeans from the steppe