Evaluation of the QuEChERS Method and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis Pesticide Residues in Water and Sediment

A method for the determination of pesticide residues in water and sediment was developed using the QuEChERS method followed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. The method was validated in terms of accuracy, specificity, linearity, detection and quantification limits. The recovery percentages obtained for the pesticides in water at different concentrations ranged from 63 to 116%, with relative standard deviations below 12%. The corresponding results from the sediment ranged from 48 to 115% with relative standard deviations below 16%. The limits of detection for the pesticides in water and sediment were below 0.003 mg L−1 and 0.02 mg kg−1, respectively

Micro-textural controlled variations of the geomechanical properties of andesites

Micro-textural variations are essential for understanding variation in strength and failure behavior of rock material. Therefore the effects of petrography and mineralogy on geomechanical properties have been widely investigated. In this study andesitic rock samples with different micro-textural characteristics from three different locations in Turkey were selected. Unconfined compressive strength tests revealed substantial variations in Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and the micro-crack initiation (sigma(CI)) threshold. Detailed petrophysical, petrographic and mineralogical analysis (XRD) were used to understand these strength variations. The synthesis of strength, petrographic, micro-structural and mineralogical data suggest, that both, the peak strength and crack initiation threshold are strongly influenced by the distribution of plagioclase, amphibole and biotite phenocrystals, and the mineral composition of the fine-grained matrix

Transitional Cell-like Morphology in Ovarian Endometrioid Carcinoma Morphologic, Immunohistochemical, and Behavioral Features Distinguishing it From High-grade Serous Carcinoma

Transitional cell-like growth has been reported as a morphologic variant of endometrioid adenocarcinoma in the uterus but is not well-described in the ovary. We report the clinicopathologic features of a series of ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinomas with transitional cell-like morphology, emphasizing the distinction from its mimics, including high-grade serous carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma, and granulosa cell tumor. Among a cohort of 71 ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinomas surgically staged at our institution, 10 tumors (14%) exhibited transitional cell-like morphology. Patient age ranged from 39 to 79 years (mean, 52 y). Five tumors were stage I, 2 were stage II, and 3 stage III. The tumors ranged from 8.5 to 23 cm, and the transitional cell-like component occupied from 5% to 90% of the overall tumor, with the remainder being conventional endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The most compelling findings to support that this tumor pattern represents a morphologic variant of endometrioid adenocarcinoma are that the transitional cell-like components (1) merged directly and seamlessly with the conventional endometrioid component; (2) contained areas of mature or immature squamous differentiation; (3) lacked WT1 immuno-expression; (4) lacked the characteristic p53/p16 immuno-phenotype of high-grade serous carcinoma; and (5) did not appear to independently affect patient outcome. Two patients (20%) whose tumor contained transitional cell-like morphology died, whereas 14 patients (23%) lacking this morphology died. Although uncommon, transitional cell-like morphology appears to be a variant growth pattern of ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma that does not affect behavior and that should be distinguished from high-grade serous carcinoma and conventional ovarian transitional cell carcinoma

A database for screening and registering late onset Pompe disease in Turkey

PubMedID: 29395671The aim of this study was to search for the frequency of late onset Pompe disease (LOPD) among patients who had a myopathy with unknown diagnosis registered in the pre-diagnostic part of a novel registry for LOPD within a collaborative study of neurologists working throughout Turkey. Included in the study were 350 patients older than 18 years who have a myopathic syndrome without a proven diagnosis by serum creatine kinase (CK) levels, electrodiagnostic studies, and/or muscle pathology, and/or genetic tests for myopathies other than LOPD. Acid alpha glucosidase (GAA) in dried blood spot was measured in each patient at two different university laboratories. LOPD was confirmed by mutation analysis in patients with decreased GAA levels from either both or one of the laboratories. Pre-diagnostic data, recorded by 45 investigators from 32 centers on 350 patients revealed low GAA levels in a total of 21 patients; from both laboratories in 6 and from either one of the laboratories in 15. Among them, genetic testing proved LOPD in 3 of 6 patients and 1 of 15 patients with decreased GAA levels from both or one of the laboratories respectively. Registry was transferred to Turkish Neurological Association after completion of the study for possible future use and development. Our collaborative study enabled collection of a considerable amount of data on the registry in a short time. GAA levels by dried blood spot even from two different laboratories in the same patient may not prove LOPD. LOPD seemed to be rarer in Turkey than in Europe. © 2017 Elsevier B.V