Kinetic and thermodynamic investigations of strontium ions retention by natural kaolinite and clinoptilolite minerals

The current study was devoted to the determination of various thermodynamic and kinetic parameters resulting from the fixation of Sr2+ by natural samples of kaolinite and clinoptilolite minerals. The sorption process followed pseudo second order kinetics, with faster sorption on kaolinite compared to clinoptilolite, where the uptake is affected by intraparticle diffusion. Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models described the data more adequately than Langmuir model, and clinoptilolite showed a higher strontium sorption capacity than kaolinite. Thermodynamically, the activation energy of Sr2+ sorption by kaolinite and clinoptilolite were respectively, -8.5 and -18.4 kJ/mol. The sorption process on both minerals was spontaneous and endothermic at all the studied concentrations, with ΔH° being 11.3 and 9.8 kJ/mol, for sorption on kaolinite and clinoptilolite, respectively. The findings of this study were compared with those of an earlier study on the uptake of Cs+ by the same minerals.İYTE: 2003 İYTE 0

Identification of Durum Wheat Cultivars and Their Tetraploid Relatives with Low Cadmium Content

U ovom su radu okarakterizirani genotipovi 71 kultivara tvrde pšenice (Triticum durum Desf.), 22 kultivara dvozrnca (Triticum dicoccum L.) i 11 kultivara divlje dvozrne pšenice (Triticum dicoccoides L.) u svrhu pronalaska alela povezanih s većim udjelom kadmija. Nakon toga je uzgojem u posudi ispitan fenotip 14 odabranih kultivara s malim i velikim udjelom kadmija, radi potvrde genotipskih podataka. Identificirana su 32 genotipa tvrde (durum) pšenice, jedan kultivar dvozrnca i četiri kultivara divlje dvozrne pšenice koji sadržavaju alele povezane s velikim udjelom kadmija, te 68 genotipova koji sadržavaju alele povezane s malim udjelom kadmija, i to 39 kultivara durum pšenice, 21 dvozrnca i 7 divlje dvozrne pšenice. Povrh toga, fenotipske karakteristike uočene nakon uzgoja u posudama potvrdile su rezultate molekularne analize. Marker je uspješno upotrijebljen za klasifikaciju kultivara durum pšenice u one s velikim ili malim udjelom kadmija, pa je zaključeno da se može upotrijebiti u programu uzgoja novih kultivara durum pšenice koja sadržava alele povezane s malim udjelom kadmija. Zbog rutinske primjene fosfornih gnojiva na poljoprivrednim površinama i utjecaja ostalih antropogenih čimbenika što dovode do akumulacije toksičnog kadmija, treba čim prije razviti nove kultivare durum pšenice s malim udjelom kadmija za sigurnu proizvodnju makarona i ostalih tipova pšeničnih proizvoda za prehranu ljudi i ishranu stoke.In this study, 71 durum wheat cultivars (Triticum durum Desf.), 22 emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum L.) and 11 wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides L.) genotypes were genetically characterized to determine the alleles associated with high cadmium (Cd) content. After genotypic characterization, 14 cultivars selected among all genotypes with low and high Cd content were phenotyped by a pot experiment to verify the genotypic data. Identification of 32 durum wheat, one emmer wheat and four wild emmer genotypes showed that they have alleles associated with high Cd content, while 68 genotypes of which 39 durum wheat, 21 emmer wheat and 7 wild emmer cultivars had alleles associated with low Cd content. Moreover, phenotypic data obtained from pot experiment were similar to the molecular data. To sum up, the marker successfully classified durum wheat cultivars into either high or low accumulators and these results can be safely used in breeding programs to improve new durum wheat cultivars with alleles associated with low Cd content. Due to routine use of phosphorus fertilizers in agricultural areas and other anthropogenic factors related to Cd toxicity, new durum wheat cultivars with low Cd content should be urgently developed for safe production of macaroni or other types of wheat products for human and animal consumption

Evaluation of resistance of Turkish bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties to recently emerged Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici races

Using genetic diversity has made significant contribution to stripe rust resistance to improve wheat production. However, rapid evolution of the Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), and emergence of virulent races can negatively affect the wheat genotypes with race-specific resistance gene(s). In this study, reactions of 130 bread wheat varieties, released from 1931 to 2014, were evaluated to recently emerged Pst races in Turkey, PSTr-6 and PSTr-23, at seedling and adult-plant stages. 65.4% and 67.7% of wheat varieties showed susceptible reaction to PSTr-6 and PSTr-23 at seedling stage, respectively. Moreover, coefficient of infection (CI) values generated by infection type (IT) and disease severity (DS) data demonstrated that PSTr-23 (59.78) was more virulent than PSTr-6 (57.93) at adult-plant stage. In addition to these, the presence of important yellow rust (Yr) genes in these varieties was investigated at molecular level. It was determined that the frequencies of three Yr genes, Yr5, Yr10 and Yr15, among these varieties were 1.5, 6.2 and 3.8%, respectively. However, none of them had Yr36 and only one variety had Yr5+Yr10 combination with frequency of 0.7%. In conclusion, most varieties have not these Yr genes and possess a moderately resistance/susceptible reaction to both races in general. © 2022 Elsevier Lt

Races of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici identified from the coastal areas of Turkey

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is a devastating disease of wheat in Turkey and worldwide. This pathogen can overcome known resistance genes and negatively affect the wheat production. The objectives of this study were to determine the virulence patterns of wheat stripe rust isolates collected from the coastal areas (Aegean and Mediterranean regions) of Turkey, and to examine the genetic diversity of the pathogen populations by simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker analysis. The majority of the isolates collected were virulent at various frequencies on the resistance genes Yr1 (50%), Yr6 (100%), Yr7 (78%), Yr8 (50%), Yr9 (84%), Yr10 (25%), Yr17 (38%), Yr24 (22%), Yr27 (31%), Yr32 (22%), Yr43 (47%), Yr44 (6%), YrSp (41%), YrTr1 (6%), and avirulent on Yr5 and Yr15. Based on the analysis of virulence, all isolates were determined as 25 races and clustered into six virulence groups (VGs). In contrast, the isolates clustered into four molecular groups (MGs) based on genotypic data. All four MGs were found in Aegean region of Turkey, while only three MGs (MG1, MG2 and MG3) were found in the Mediterranean region of the country. Additionally, analysis of molecular variance indicated that 80.9% of genetic variation was found within regions and 19.1% was found between the regions. The results suggest that interregional migration of the pathogen was high. The data can be helpful for the management of stripe rust and understanding the population structure and migration of Pst in Turkey. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

COCCYDYNIA: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, ETIOLOGY AND TREATMENT

Pain and discomfort in the coccyx or tailbone area is called as coccydynia or coccygodynia. Despite its small size, the coccyx, which forms the terminal of the spine, has an important role to support the balanced distribution of body weight, especially in the sitting position, due to its relationship with the surrounding muscles, ligaments and bone structures. The problems of this area for various reasons manifests itself with localized discomfort and pain in the sacrococcygeal region. Our aim in this paper is to review the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical findings, diagnosis and treatment methods of coccydynia in light of the current literature

Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infective endocarditis: Turkish consensus report-2019 [İnfektif endokarditin tanısı, tedavisi ve önlenmesi: Ulusal uzlaşı raporu-2019]

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare but still important as an infectious disease due to high rate of morbidity and substantial mortality. Although IE is not a notifiable disease in Turkey, and an incidence study has not been performed, the incidence may be higher than that in the developed countries due to frequent predisposing cardiac conditions and higher rates of nosocomial bacteremia, which may lead to IE in risk groups. IE generally affects the elderly in developed countries but it is frequently encountered among young individuals in Turkey. In order to reduce mortality and morbidity, it is critical to diagnose IE, to determine the causative agent, and to start treatment rapidly. Most patients cannot be diagnosed at the first visit, about half can be diagnosed after 3 months, and the disease often goes unnoticed. In patients diagnosed with IE, the rate of the identification of a causative organism is significantly lower in Turkey than that in developed countries. Some important microbiological diagnostic tests are not performed in most centers and several antimicrobials that are recommended as the first option for the treatment particularly antistaphylococcal penicillins, are unavailable in Turkey. These problems necessitate reviewing the epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical characteristics of IE in our country, as well as the current information about its diagnosis, treatment, and prevention together with local data. The diagnosis and treatment processes of IE should be standardized at every stage so that the management can be conducted in a setting in which physicians of various specialties are involved and is consistent with the current recommendations. The Study Group for Infective Endocarditis and Other Cardiovascular Infections of the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases called for the collaboration of the relevant specialist organizations to establish a consensus report on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of IE in the context of current information and local data in Turkey. © 2020 Turkish Society of Cardiology

Thrombotic gene polymorphisms and postoperative outcome after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Emerging perioperative genomics may influence the direction of risk assessment and surgical strategies in cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) affect the clinical presentation and predispose to increased risk for postoperative adverse events in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 220 patients undergoing first-time CABG between January 2005 and May 2008 were screened for factor V gene G1691A (FVL), prothrombin/factor II G20210A (PT G20210A), angiotensin I-converting enzyme insertion/deletion (ACE-ins/del) polymorphisms by PCR and Real Time PCR. End points were defined as death, myocardial infarction, stroke, postoperative bleeding, respiratory and renal insufficiency and event-free survival. Patients were compared to assess for any independent association between genotypes for thrombosis and postoperative phenotypes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 220 patients, the prevalence of the heterozygous FVL mutation was 10.9% (n = 24), and 3.6% (n = 8) were heterozygous carriers of the PT G20210A mutation. Genotype distribution of ACE-ins/del was 16.6%, 51.9%, and 31.5% in genotypes I/I, I/D, and D/D, respectively. FVL and PT G20210A mutations were associated with higher prevalence of totally occluded coronary arteries (p < 0.001). Furthermore the risk of left ventricular aneurysm formation was significantly higher in FVL heterozygote group compared to FVL G1691G (<it>p </it>= 0.002). ACE D/D genotype was associated with hypertension (<it>p </it>= 0.004), peripheral vascular disease (p = 0.006), and previous myocardial infarction (<it>p </it>= 0.007).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>FVL and PT G20210A genotypes had a higher prevalence of totally occluded vessels potentially as a result of atherothrombotic events. However, none of the genotypes investigated were independently associated with mortality.</p

Unpleasant Souvenir: Imported Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Türkiye

Objective: Each year, approximately 125 million people visit malaria-endemic countries. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections in Türkiye. Methods: The study included patients diagnosed with P. falciparum malaria between 1996 and 2022. A retrospective evaluation was conducted on whole blood samples and/or blood smears, as well as detailed medical histories, clinical manifestations, and laboratory findings. A total of 131 imported cases of P. falciparum were included in the study. Results: Among the patients, 121 were male. Of these, 101 had traveled to Africa, while 30 had visited Asia. Among the patients, 109 were returned travelers, and 22 were refugees/migrants. Early trophozoites were observed in all patients, while gametocytes were detected in 30 patients. Cerebral malaria developed in 15 patients, resulting in the death of two individuals. Additionally, 10 patients received preventive chemoprophylaxis. Conclusion: Turkey is situated on migration routes that connect two continents to Europe, where more than 95% of the global malaria burden exists. The importation of malaria through returned travelers poses a risk of malaria reintroduction in our country, given the presence of suitable vectors, climate conditions, and environmental factors. Importantly, 30 patients (22.9%) exhibited gametocyte forms of P. falciparum, which have the potential to infect Anopheles species, thus establishing a basis for local malaria transmission

Immediate recovery of the left atrial and left ventricular diastolic function after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A transesophageal echocardiography study

Background: Chronic increased afterload due to severe aortic stenosis (AS) results in com­pensatory concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and LV dysfunction. These in turn cause remodeling of the left heart. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on left atrial (LA) mechanics and LV diastolic function. Methods: The study consisted of a total of 35 consecutive patients (mean age was 77.7 ± 5.0 years, 25 female) undergoing TAVI. All TAVI procedures have been performed under the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance. Before and 24 h after TAVI, all patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and mitral inflow velocities with pulsed-wave (PW) Doppler including early filling wave (E), late diastolic filling wave (A), and E/A ratio were obtained. LV diastolic function was also explored by pulsed tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Early (E’) and late (A’) diastolic annular velocities, E’/A’ ratio and E/E’ ratio were obtained. In addition, during the procedure before and minutes after the valve implantation, the left atrial appendage-peak antegrade flow velocity (LAA-PAFV) was measured and recorded with TEE. Results: Compared with baseline, the mean mitral E, septal E’ and E’/A’ ratio increased significantly after TAVI. In addition, the LAA-PAFV increased significantly within minutes of TAVI (32.45 ± 10.7 cm/s vs. 47.6 ± 12.6 cm/s, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: TAVI improves LV diastolic function and LA performance immediately