Structural analysis and functional characteristics of greenhouses in the Mediterranean region of Turkey

This study was carried out to determine the structural analysis and functional characteristics of the greenhouses in the Mediterranean region where 87% of the greenhouse production area in Turkey is concentrated. Information about types, material and construction properties, placement and arrangement of greenhouses in the research area was gathered by questionnaires; then greenhouses in enterprises were divided into three groups based on the covering material, load bearing materials anddirectional placement. Five greenhouse types with the most economic cross-section were selected and loads acting on structural members of these were calculated. The stretch ratios, resulting from loads acting on beams of each greenhouse, were analyzed by SAP2000 program. Also, the stretch ratios as per whether greenhouse types and covering materials have a statistically significant effect were examined. According to the obtained data, it was found that all of the selected greenhouses could notcarry the dead and/or dynamic loads safely. It was also obtained that covering material has a significant effect on dead loads but not on dynamic loads at 0.05 probability levels whereas dead and dynamicloads were significantly affected by structural materials of the  greenhouses

International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Assessment of water quality management in Turkey

There has been a noticeable increase in the amount of pollution in water resources in Turkey in recent years. Negative environmental developments, such as industrialization, increasing urbanization, improper pesticide and fertilizer applications in agricultural lands, and the drainage of domestic and industrial wastewater into water resources without any waste treatment applications, cause rapid pollution of both surface and groundwater resources. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate more attention to water resources monitoring and evaluation studies to prevent the pollution of water resources, and to reclaim these resources

Cytokine levels in serum of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

PubMedID: 11254238We investigated serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-? in JRA patients during both active and inactive phases of the disease. The systemic JRA patients had the highest IL-1ß and IL-6 levels during both active and inactive periods. In the systemic group IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-12 levels during the active period were elevated compared to the inactive period (p = 0.0173, p = 0.0359 and p = 0.0117, respectively). Levels of these cytokines during the inactive stage were still greater than those of controls. IL-8 and TNF-? levels during both active and inactive periods were comparable to controls. IL-1ß correlated strongly with CRP and ESR (p = 0.008 and p = 0.031, respectively). IL-6 correlated significantly with CRP (p = 0.002). IL-12 levels were found to be correlated with ESR and CRP (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04, respectively). In active polyarticular JRA patients, IL-6 levels were elevated compared to the inactive phase, and the control (p = 0.001) IL-12 levels decreased significantly with clinical remission (p = 0.018). There was a strong correlation between I1-12 levels and number of joint with limited motion (p = 0). In oligoarticular JRA patients, IL-12 levels during active period were greater than in the controls and there was a marked decrease in IL-12 levels when the patients entered the inactive phase (p = 0.001) In conclusion, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-12 may play an important role in JRA and may be used as a marker of disease activity

Prevalence of childhood allergic diseases in Adana, Southern Turkey

PubMedID: 9690752A study to determine the prevalence of childhood asthma and other allergic diseases was done in Adana, during the period between January 1993 and January 1994. The study has been carried out on 2334 children (48.5% boys). Asthma and the other allergic diseases were recognized in 23.6% of the children. The prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing, and atopic dermatitis were found to be 12.9, 8.8, 8.4, and 5.0%, respectively. The symptoms of respiratory allergic diseases (asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing) seemed to be significantly associated with the environmental factors. In conclusion, asthma and other allergic diseases constituted a major health problem for school children in Adana

An idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis treated with azathioprine

Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) is more frequently seen in childhood than in adults, but it is still a rare disease. The clinical triad include hemoptysis, diffuse parenchymal infiltrates and iron deficiency anemia. Hydroxychloroquine, azothioprine and cyclophosphamide or combination therapies have been recommended for the control of the disease. In this report, we presented a pediatric case with IPH that failed to respond corticosteroid therapy and was treated succesfully with the combination of azathioprine

A guide for pediatric intensive care units: Propositions from pediatric emergency medicine and intensive care society [Çocuk yogun bakim birimleri için kilavuz: Çocuk acil tip ve yogun bakim dernegi önerileri]

The importance of pediatric intensive care medicine is being more generally accepted in our country as services become more widely available. Indeed, important developments occurred in this field in recent years. The aim of these guidelines is to provide a reference point as new units are established or old ones undergo reconstruction, raising the quality of services to state of the art level. Representing the view of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Society, various aspects of pediatric intensive care services are discussed in this guideline, including organizational and administrative issues, hospital and unit facilities, personnel, and equipment requirements

CRITICALLY ILL CHILDREN WITH PANDEMIC INFLUENZA (H1N1) 2009 IN PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNITS IN TURKEY

WOS: 000208479701301

Astım ve/veya rinitli çocuklarda B. tropicalis ve D. pteronyssinus ile nazal ve bronşiyal provokasyon

Giriş: Ev tozu akarları bölgemizde en sık rastlanan inhalan allerjenlerdir. Bu çalışmada, persistan allerjik semptomları olan çocuklarda, Blomia tropicalis’e duyarlılık ve Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ile arasındaki çapraz reaksiyon oranını araştırmayı amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Her iki akara olan duyarlılık, deri testi ve spesifik IgE düzeyleri ile değerlendirildi. Ayrıca, hem B. tropicalis hem de D. pteronyssinus’a duyarlı bulunan 38 hastaya her iki akar ile nazal ve bronşiyal provokasyonlar uygulandı. Bulgular: Persistan semptomları olan, astım ve/veya rinitli 165 çocuğa, D. pteronyssinus ve B. tropicalis ile deri testleri yapıldı ve spesifik IgE düzeyleri ölçüldü. Daha sonra, her iki akar ile toplam 46 nazal ve 30 bronşiyal provokasyon yapıldı. B. tropicalis’e duyarlılık, deri testleri ile %37.4, CAP ile %42.4 oranında saptandı. Yirmi üç hastaya D. pteronyssinus ile nazal provokasyon uygulandı ve tümü pozitif bulundu. B. tropicalis ile nazal provokasin 23 patients and all had positive results with D. pteronyssinus. 20 out of 23 (86.9%) patients had positive nasal challenges with B. tropicalis. Bronchial challenges were conducted in 15 patients and all of them had positive challenge with D. pteronyssinus except one. Twelve (80%) out of 15 patients had positive bronchial challenges with B. tropicalis. Conclusion: We found that the sensitization rate to B. tropicalis is not as high as D. pteronyssinus in our patients with persistent allergic symptoms. (Asthma Allergy Immunol 2011;9:20-28)Objective: House dust mites were found to be the most prevalent inhalant allergens in our region. We aimed to investigate the sensitization rate to Blomia tropicalis and to evaluate the cross-reactivity between Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and B. tropicalis in children with persistent allergic symptoms. Materials and Methods: In order to determine the sensitization rate to these two mites, skin prick tests and specific IgE levels were used. Additionally, we performed nasal and bronchial challenges in a group of 38 patients who sensitized to both D. pteronyssinus and B. tropicalis. Results: Skin prick tests and specific IgE levels with D. pteronyssinus and B. tropicalis were performed in 165 children with asthma and/or rhinitis having persistent allergic symptoms. Then, a total of 46 nasal and 30 bronchial challenges were conducted with both mite species. The sensitization rate to B. tropicalis was found 37.4% using prick tests and 42.4% using CAP results. Nasal challenges were performe

Critically ill children with pandemic influenza (H1N1) in pediatric intensive care units in Turkey

PubMedID: 21263368Objectives: To outline the epidemiologic features, clinical presentation, clinical courses, and outcomes in critically ill children with pandemic influenza in pediatric intensive care units. Design: Retrospective, observational, multicenter study. Setting: Thirteen tertiary pediatric intensive care units in Turkey. Patients: Eighty-three children with confirmed infection attributable to pandemic influenza detected by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay between November 1 and December 31, 2009 who were admitted to critical care units. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: During a 2-month period, 532 children were hospitalized with pandemic influenza and 83 (15.6%) needed critical care. For the 83 patients requiring critical care, the median age was 42 (range, 2-204) months, with 24 (28.9%) and 48 (57.8%) of patients younger than 2 and 5 yrs, respectively. Twenty (24.1%) patients had no underlying illness, but 63 (75.9%) children had an underlying chronic illness. Indications for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit were respiratory failure in 66 (79.5%), neurologic deterioration in six (7.2%), and gastrointestinal symptoms in five (6.0%) patients. Acute lung injury was diagnosed in 23 (27.7%), acute respiratory distress syndrome was diagnosed in 34 (41%), and 51 (61.4%) patients were mechanically ventilated. Oseltamivir was used in 80 (96%) patients. The mortality rate for children with pandemic influenza 2009 was 30.1% compared to an overall mortality rate of 13.7% (p =. 0016) among pediatric intensive care unit patients without pandemic influenza during the study period. Also, the mortality rate was 31.7% in patients with comorbidities and 25.0% in previously healthy children (p =. 567). The cause of death was primary pandemic influenza infection in 16 (64%), nosocomial infection in four (16%), and primary disease progression in five (20%) patients. The odds ratio for respiratory failure was 14.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.85-111.11), and odds ratio for mechanical ventilation was 27.7 (95% confidence interval, 0.003-200). Conclusions: Severe disease and high mortality rates were seen in children with pandemic influenza. Death attributable to pandemic influenza occurred in all age groups of children with or without underlying illness. Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is associated with increased mortality, and death is frequently secondary to severe lung infection caused by pandemic influenza. ©2012 The Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies