Enhanced transmission through a subwavelength aperture using metamaterials

We report an enhanced transmission through a single circular subwavelength aperture that is incorporated with a split ring resonator (SRR) at the microwave regime. Transmission enhancement factors as high as 530 were observed in the experiments when the SRR was located in front of the aperture in order to efficiently couple the electric field component of the incident electromagnetic wave at SRR's electrical resonance frequency. The experimental results were supported by numerical analyses. The physical origin of the transmission enhancement phenomenon was discussed by examining the induced surface currents on the structures

Chronic restraint stress impairs spatial memory while decreasing hippocampal BDNF levels in rats

Aim: This study investigated the potential role of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on spatial memory, recognition memory, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and acetylcholine (ACh) levels in young adult rats. Material and Methods: In the study, 16 female rats of 12 weeks old were used. Rats were divided into two groups as control and CRS (n=8). CRS was applied 5 hours a day for 21 days. Following the end of CRS, recognition memory of rats was evaluated with new object recognition test (NORT) and spatial memory was evaluated with Morris water maze (MWM) test. At the end of the study, rats were euthanized and hippocampal tissue homogenates were obtained. Hippocampal BDNF and ACh levels were determined by ELISA method. Results: Exposure to CRS did not significantly change the exploratory behavior and discrimination index of rats (p > 0.05). In the test phase in which spatial memory was evaluated, CRS decreased the time spent in the target quadrant (p > 0.01). There was no significant difference between days in the training phase. CRS significantly decreased BDNF level in hippocampus (p > 0.05). Hippocampal ACh levels were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: CRS weakened cognitive functions in rats. This effect was mainly accompanied by a decrease in hippocampal BDNF levels. Our findings point to the potential role of BDNF in understanding the molecular mechanism of CRS-induced cognitive impairment

Agomelatin yetişkin sıçanlarda skopolamin kaynaklı öğrenme ve hafıza bozukluğunu tersine çevirir

Amaç: Agomelatin, melatonin reseptör (MT1 ve MT2) agonisti ve serotonin reseptör (5-HT2C) antagonisti olan antidepresan bir ilaçtır. Artan kanıtlar, agomelatinin nöroprotektif ve nöromodülatör etkiye sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu çalışmada skopolamin indüklü bilişsel yetmezlik oluşturulan sıçanlarda agomelatinin potansiyel etkileri araştırılmıştır. Materyal ve Metot: Erişkin erkek sıçanlara 21 gün süreyle skopolamin (1 mg/kg) ve agomelatin (40 mg/kg) uygulandı. İlaç uygulamalarını takiben sıçanlar bilişsel davranışların değerlendirilebilmesi amacıyla yeni nesne tanıma (YNT) ve Morris su labirenti (MSL) testine tabi tutuldu. İlave olarak, beyin nörokimyasal analizleri için hipokampus ve prefrontal kortekste beyin-türevi nörotrofik faktör (BDNF) ve asetilkolin (ACh) düzeyleri değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Skopolamin hem uzamsal hafızayı hem de ayırt etme indeksini önemli ölçüde azalttı (p<0,05). Agomelatin tedavisi uzamsal hafıza performansını ve keşif süresini arttırdı, ancak ayrımcılık indeksini etkilemedi (P>0,05). Ayrıca agomelatin, skopolamin grubuna kıyasla hem hipokampusta hem de prefrontal kortekste BDNF düzeylerini önemli ölçüde arttırdı (sırasıyla p<0,05, p<0,01). Diğer yandan grupların ACh düzeyleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlılık bulunmadı (p>0,05). Sonuç: Birlikte ele alındığında, bu sonuçlar agomelatinin skopolamin kaynaklı hafıza yetmezliğinin hafifletilmesinde belirgin rol oynadığını göstermiştir. Bu nedenle, agomelatinin bilişsel yetmezliğin önlenmesinde potansiyel bir ajan olabileceğini öne sürüyoruzObjective: The antidepressant agomelatine agent is a melatonin receptor (MT1 and MT2) agonist and a serotonin receptor (5-HT2C) antagonist. Increasing evidence shows that agomelatine has neuroprotective and neuromodulatory effects. In this study, the potential effects of agomelatine in rats with scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment were investigated. Materials and Methods: Adult male rats were administered scopolamine (1 mg/kg) and agomelatine (40 mg/kg) for 21 days. After drug administration, rats were subjected to new object recognition (NOR) and Morris water maze (MWM) tests in order to evaluate cognitive behaviors. In addition, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and acetylcholine (ACh) levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were evaluated. Results: Scopolamine significantly decreased both spatial memory and discrimination index (p<0.05). Agomelatine treatment increased spatial memory performance and exploration time, but did not affect the discrimination index (P>0.05). In addition, agomelatine significantly increased BDNF levels in both hippocampus and prefrontal cortex compared to the scopolamine group (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively). On the other hand, there was no statistically significant difference between the ACh levels of the groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Taken together, these results demonstrated that agomelatine plays a important role in alleviating scopolamine-induced memory impairment. Therefore, we suggest that agomelatine may be a potential agent in the prevention of cognitive impairment

Relationship between WISC-R subtests and psychiatric symptom groups in attention and learning disorders

Purpose: In this study, in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or learning disorder (LD), we aimed to investigate the differentiating capacity of several instruments including Weschler Intelligence Tests (WISC-R) and Learning Disorder Battery. Materials and Methods: The children (72-131 mo.) that where diagnosed with ADHD and/or LD (total n: 81, boy n: 63 [77.8%]) were included. While the children were tested, active symptoms were remitted in a part of children (Clinical Global Impression below 3). Therefore, participants' active diagnoses were ADHD: 11, LD: 33, both: 15, or remitted: 22, and the children were grouped accordingly. Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and LD Battery were used. Results: The cases with LD (LD plus both) had significantly worse scores in all tests of LD Battery except for duration of reading and all subscores of WISC-R except for similarities compared to the cases without LD. The cases with ADHD (ADHD plus both) had significantly worse scores only in draw a clock of LD Battery and cipher of WISC-R compared to the cases without ADHD. Conclusion: WISC-R and LD Battery are valid and reliable instruments to differentiate several interrelated disorders (LD, ADHD, and/or both) and they have a good predictive validity to differentiate the cases that respond well to the treatments

The effects of antitrombin ııı on lung injury in a model of experimental acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis, especially in the severe form, is a well-known disease causing both local intraabdominal and remote organ disturbances, including lungs. As a natural inhibitor of serine proteases, antithrombin was previously shown to attenuate the tissue damage after ischemia-reperfusion, sepsis, and shock in several organ systems. Here, we examined the effects of antithrombin on pulmonary injury in a rat acute pancreatitis model. Thirty male Wistar-Albino rats underwent median laparotomy and randomized into three groups: group I (control) bilio-pancreatic duct was dissected but not ligated (n=10), group II (acute pancreatitis group) bilio-pancreatic duct was ligated (n=10), and group III (AT treated group) AT III 250 U/Kg was injected following bilio-pancreatic duct ligation (n=10). After observation time (48 hours) animals were sacrificed and myeloperoxidase activity together with tissue wet/dry ratio in the lung parenchyma were assessed and compared. There was a statistically significant increase in the quantity of myeloperoxidase activity and tissue wet/dry ratio of lungs in the acute pancreatitis group when compared to the control group. Treatment of animals with antithrombin partly reduced the pulmonary injury characterized by increased tissue wet/dry ratio and myeloperoxidase activity. But this reduction was not found to be statistically significant. Beneficial effects of AT in preventing pulmonary injury following experimental models of sepsis and ischemia-reperfusion have been reported previously. In our model of experimental acute pancreatitis, AT showed some attenuating effect on pulmonary injury despite it was limited when compared to that of ischemiareperfusion and sepsis models. This result suggests that some other confounding factors may be involved in the mechanisms of pulmonary injury related to acute pancreatitis. We believe that further detailed studies are needed to elucidate the exact mechanisms of that injury.Akut pankreatitte gelişen akciğer hasarına Antitrombin III'ün etkisi araştırıldı. 30 adet rat üç gruba ayrıldı ( n=10). Grup I (Kontrol grubu): Laparotomi ve bilio-pankreatik kanal hazırlığı yapıldı. Grup II (Akut pankreatit grubu):Bilio-pankreatik kanal bağlanarak akut pankreatit ve akciğer hasarı oluşturuldu. Grup III (Tedavi grubu): Bilio-pankreatik kanal bağlandı ve Antitrombin III verilerek akciğer dokusunun ıslak/kuru ağırlık oranı ve miyeloperoksidaz aktivitesindeki değişimler ölçüldü. Grup II ve III de miyeloperoksidaz aktivitesi ve ıslak/kuru ağırlık oranındaki artış kontrol grubuna göre anlamlı derecede yüksek saptandı (p<0.0001). Grup III de miyeloperoksidaz ve ıslak/kuru oranında azalma görüldü. Fakat bu değişim istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmadı. Literatürde deneysel iskemi-reperfüzyon ve sepsis modellerinde gelişen akciğer hasarı üzerine olumlu etkileri bildirilen Antitrombin III'ün, çalışmamızda oluşturulan pankreatite bağlı akciğer hasarını kısmen azalttığı, fakat bu etkinin iskemi-reperfüzyon ve sepsis modellerine göre çok daha sınırlı kaldığı görülmektedir. Bu da pankreatite bağlı akciğer hasarının oluşum mekanizmasında etkili başka faktörlerin olabileceğini düşündürmektedir. Bu konuda altta yatan mekanizmaları aydınlatmak için ileri çalışmalara ihtiyaç vardır

Diagnostic accuracy and safety of CT-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of pulmonary lesions with non-coaxial technique: a single center experience with 442 biopsies

PURPOSE:We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy of pulmonary lesions with fine needle aspiration (FNA) using non-coaxial technique.METHODS:We analyzed 442 patients who underwent CT-guided lung biopsy with FNA and non-coaxial technique to determine the diagnostic outcomes, complication rates, and independent risk factors for diagnostic failure and pneumothorax.RESULTS:Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 97.6%, 97.3%, and 100%, respectively. Age and >35 mm lesion size were significant risk factors for diagnostic failure. The rates of pneumothorax and chest tube placement were 19% and 2.9%, respectively. Middle and lower lobe location, lesion to pleura distance >7.5 mm, and >45° needle trajectory angle were significant risk factors for pneumothorax.CONCLUSION:CT-guided FNA of pulmonary lesions with non-coaxial technique is a safe and reliable method with a relatively low pneumothorax rate and an acceptably high diagnostic accuracy

HASTANELERDE KUYRUK VE RANDEVU SİSTEMİNİN ETKİNLİĞİ ÜZERİNE BİR ARAŞTIRMA: AFYON DEVLET HASTANESİ ÖRNEĞİ

Sağlık hizmetlerinde organizasyonel ilerlemelere rağmen, günümüz hastanelerinde, hastalar hala istenmeyen bekleme süreleri ile karşı karşıya kalmaktadır. Bu bekleme başta doktor bekleme olmak üzere, muayene için bekleme yada bir kaza yada acil durum için kuyrukta bekleme şeklindedir. Bu çalışmada Afyon Devlet Hastanesi’nde kuyruk ve randevu sisteminin etkinliğinin belirlenmesine yöneliktir. Bu amaçla 04.06.2008 – 27.06.2008 tarihleri arasında kuyruk ve randevu sistemini ayrı ayrı uygulayan en yoğun 6 klinikte 5562 hasta üzerine anket uygulaması gerçekleştirilmiştir.Çalışmanın sonucunda hasta kabulleri ile ilgili olarak hem kuyruk, hem de randevu sistemini karma şeklinde uygulayan sistem önerilmektedir

Recognizing the psychosocial aspects of type 1 diabetes in adolescents

WOS: 000351307200009PubMed ID: 25800477Objective: Considering the ever increasing population of diabetic adolescents and the association of the disease with psychosocial problems throughout its course, depression and/or anxiety and social support from parents are issues of special concern in these patients. The study aimed to identify the depression and anxiety state of diabetic adolescents and its impact on the management of diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: 295 adolescents with type 1 DM and their parents attended our study. Psychological distress was assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI I-II) for Children, Perceived Social Support from Family (PSS-Fa) scale, Beck Depression Inventory for adults, STAI I-II for adults and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Records of glycemic measurements, insulin dosage and hemoglobin A1c levels were used as glycemic control parameters. Results: Depression rate was 12.9%. State (p<0.001) and trait anxiety (p<0.001) levels were high; PSS-Fa (p<0.001) and MSPSS (p<0.006) scores were low in the depressive patients. Positive correlations were noted between depression, PSS-Fa, STAI-I and STAI-II. Conclusion: Therapeutic strategies of DM should include co-existing psychiatric conditions throughout the course of the disease. In diabetic adolescents, PSS-Fa, STAI-I and STAI-II appear to be effective tools in the evaluation of depression

Dikkat ve öğrenme bozukluklarında WISC-R alt testleri ile psikiyatrik semptom gruplar arası ilişki

Purpose: In this study, in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or learning disorder (LD), we aimed to investigate the differentiating capacity of several instruments including Weschler Intelligence Tests (WISC-R) and Learning Disorder Battery. Materials and Methods: The children (72-131 mo.) that where diagnosed with ADHD and/or LD (total n: 81, boy n: 63 [77.8%]) were included. While the children were tested, active symptoms were remitted in a part of children (Clinical Global Impression below 3). Therefore, participants' active diagnoses were ADHD: 11, LD: 33, both: 15, or remitted: 22, and the children were grouped accordingly. Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and LD Battery were used. Results: The cases with LD (LD plus both) had significantly worse scores in all tests of LD Battery except for duration of reading and all subscores of WISC-R except for similarities compared to the cases without LD. The cases with ADHD (ADHD plus both) had significantly worse scores only in draw a clock of LD Battery and cipher of WISC-R compared to the cases without ADHD. Conclusion: WISC-R and LD Battery are valid and reliable instruments to differentiate several interrelated disorders (LD, ADHD, and/or both) and they have a good predictive validity to differentiate the cases that respond well to the treatments

Effect of Multivisceral Resection on Health Status and Survival of Patients with Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer

Aim: Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Adjacent organ invasion is frequently observed in cases of gastric cancer which is often diagnosed in advanced stages in the Western countries. It is aimed to evaluate the effects of gastrectomy with multivisceral resection on health status and survival of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. Methods: The prospectively recorded data of 445 operated patients in the General Surgery Clinic at Dokuz Eylül University due to gastric cancer were reviewed. A total of 164 patients with locally invasive tumor detected during laparotomy or those in pT4 status according to post-resection pathologic staging were included in the study. Results: One hundred and twenty patients underwent gastrectomy, 24 patients underwent gastrectomy with multivisceral resection, and 20 patients underwent palliative procedure. The patient groups were compared for demographic data, tumor location, preoperative biochemical analysis, hemoglobin values, and survival. The patients with palliative procedures were found to be significantly disadvantaged in terms of survival. There were no differences in the rates of R0 resection and postoperative complication between multivisceral resection group and only gastrectomy group. It was determined that survival of patients with multivisceral resection was significantly longer than palliative surgery patients. Conclusion: Multivisceral resection in patients in whom R0 resection is possible, in those with a platelet/lymphocyte ratio of <130, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio of <2.4, and with fewer than six metastatic lymph nodes, may provide increased survival periods without additional morbidity burden in experienced hands