The effect of ecologically based playgrounds on the child's sensory and motor functions

Children actively learn themselves, their immediate environment and the world through play. It is observed that the environment plays a major role in increasing the physical activity levels of children and ensuring their functional development. Being intertwined with nature is very important for children in environmental education. However, the importance of physical planning of ecological playgrounds for children is often overlooked. It is known that natural spaces designed within the framework of ecological principles and containing different habitat types (water, soil, plants, animals, etc.) are more suitable for environmental education than classical green spaces, especially for children living in cities. It is known that a flexible and changeable environment provides more opportunities for positive behavior in environmental education. In addition to the positive aspects that the natural elements in the environment contribute to the psychological, emotional and social integration of the child, there are also contributions in terms of motor and sensory development. In addition, the areas designed in this direction reveal the feeling of freedom of children and are effective in making them more sensitive to environmental issues

Application of biotechnological tools to model plant: brachypodium distachyon

Brachypodium distachyon has recently emerged as a model plant species for the grass family (Poaceae) which includes cereal crops and forage grasses. Tn the present study, it was aimed to create inbred lines of Brachypodium distachyon that were collected from different geographic regions of Turkey and characterize this diverse collection morphologically and cytologically. Besides, an efficient tissue culture and a plant transformation system using microprojectile bombardment and Agrobacterium- mediated gene transfer methods for three selected genotypes were established. Phenotypic characterization of the lines and macro-/microelement analysis in Brachypodium seeds showed extensive variation and significant differences. Callus formation percentages (50% to 100%) of the mature embryos and regeneration capacities of these calli (11.7% to 52.3%) were found to be genotype dependent. Each genotype displayed different responses to tissue culture conditions. Bombardment of the calli with the GUS (fJ-glucorinidase) gene revealed an average transient transformation efficiency of 28.7% within all three genotypes. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains (EHA105, LBA4404 and AGL1), first two conferring resistance to kanamycin (nptll gene) and the later to glufosinate ammonium based herbicides (bar gene), were used for the transformation of calli that were wounded by microprojectile bombardment with two different sizes of gold particles or cutting with a blade. The GUS expression ranged from 0.0 to 10.4 (GUS foci/callus). All parameters were found to have significant effect on transient gene expression efficiency. Our well-characterized germplasm collection (146 inbred lines and 116 of them diploid) is freely available for scientific community and the lines that were used for the first time in this research for plant tissue culture and transformation studies could aid for further genetic and genomics studies in Brachypodium and other grass species including energy grasses

Brachypodium Genomics

Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv. is a temperate wild grass species; its morphological and genomic characteristics make it a model system when compared to many other grass species. It has a small genome, short growth cycle, self-fertility, many diploid accessions, and simple growth requirements. In addition, it is phylogenetically close to economically important crops, like wheat and barley, and several potential biofuel grasses. It exhibits agricultural traits similar to those of these target crops. For cereal genomes, it is a better model than Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa (rice), the former used as a model for all flowering plants and the latter hitherto used as model for genomes of all temperate grass species including major cereals like barley and wheat. Increasing interest in this species has resulted in the development of a series of genomics resources, including nuclear sequences and BAC/EST libraries, together with the collection and characterization of other genetic resources. It is expected that the use of this model will allow rapid advances in generation of genomics information for the improvement of all temperate crops, particularly the cereals

Skuteczność oznaczania parametrów morfologii w diagnostyce ciąży ektopowej jajowodowej

Objective: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is the major cause of maternal morbidity and is responsible for maternal mortality in the first trimester. In order to reduce undesirable results, it is necessary to find rapid and accurate, non-surgical diagnostic tests for EP. The goal of the study was to investigate the differences in complete blood count parameters between tubal EPs and healthy pregnancies in be used in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. Study design: White blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte, platelet (PLT) counts, mean PLT volume (MPV) and PLT distribution width (PDW) levels in the complete blood count samples have been obtained from subjects with diagnosed tubal EP (n=78; study group) and women with healthy intrauterine gestations (n=79; control group). Statistical comparisons between groups were performed using the t test. Results: PDW levels were found to be significantly higher in the control group than EP (pCel: Ciąża ektopowa (EP) jest główną przyczyną śmiertelności matek w pierwszym trymestrze ciąży. Aby zmniejszyć niekorzystne wyniki tej choroby, konieczne jest znalezienie szybkiego i właściwego testu nieoperacyjnego służącego do rozpoznania EP. Celem badania była ocena różnic w wynikach morfologii pomiędzy pacjentkami z ciążą ektopową a zdrowymi ciężarnymi. Materiał i metoda: W próbkach pełnej krwi zbadano następujące parametry: leukocyty (WBC), neutrofile, monocyty, limfocyty, płytki krwi (PLT), średnią objętość płytki krwi (MPV), szerokość rozdziału płytek (PDW) u pacjentek z rozpoznaną ciążą jajowodową (n=78, grupa badana) oraz u zdrowych ciężarnych (n=79, grupa kontrolna). Analiza statystyczna porównująca obie grupy została wykonana przy pomocy testu t. Wyniki: PDW był istotnie wyższy w grupie kontrolnej niż w grupie EP (

Diploid brachypodium distachyon of Turkey: molecular and morphological analysis

Brachypodium distachyon is a model species for the grass family, Poaceae, which includes major cereal crops such as wheat and barley. The aim of this study were to assess morphological and phylogenetic relationships among diploid accessions of Brachypodium representing diverse geographic regions of Turkey based on Sequence related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) analyses. The similarity matrix indicated close relation among species used in the section using SRAP primer combinations, produced 156 fragment bands, of which 120 were polymorphic. Genetic distance ranged from 0.03 to 0.62. Plant genotypes were grouped into two major clusters based on SRAP analysis. There was a high level of diversity among the native diploid Brachypodium genotypes. These genotypes can be used for a better understanding of grass genomics

Koronavirüs Hastalığı-2019 Hastalarının Tırnak Dibi Kapilleroskopisi ile Değerlendirilmesi

Amaç: Mikrovaskülopati, Koronavirüs hastalığı-2019 (COVID-19) hastalığı komplikasyonlarında rol alan mekanizmalardan biridir. Tırnak dibi kapilleroskopisi (TDK) mikrovasküleriteyi değerlendirmede kullanılan non-invaziv bir yöntemdir. COVID-19 hastalarında endotel disfonksiyonu ve mikrovaskülopatinin saptanmasında yol gösterici olabilir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Şiddetli akut solunum yolu sendromu-CoV-2 testi pozitif çıkmış 54 hastaya TDK yapıldı ve hastalar kapiller yoğunluk, mimari ve morfoloji açısından değerlendirildi. Anormal ve normal kapilleroskopi bulguları olan hastalar COVID-19 klinik semptomları açısından karşılaştırıldı. Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan hastaların %72’si erkek, yaş ortalaması ise 35,6±11,6 idi. Toplamda 22 hastada (%41) anormal kapilleroskopik değişikliklerden en az 1 tanesi vardı. Kapilleroskopik yaygın anormallikler ise sırasıyla, perikapiller ödem (%43), genişlemiş ve dilate kapil (%24), tortiyozite kapiller (%22) oldu. Hastaların %17’sinde hiperenflamatuvar yanıt görüldü ve 1 hastada yoğun bakım ihtiyacı oldu. Anormal kapilleroskopik değişliği olan hastalarda hiperenflamatuvar yanıt, antisitokin kullanımı ve tromboz sıklığı artmıştı. Sonuç: COVID-19 hastalarında anormal kapilleroskopik bulgular sıklıkla gözlenmiştir. Anormal kapilleroskopik bulguları olan hastalarda hiperenflamatuvar yanıt ve antisitokin ilaç kullanımı sıklığının artması hiperenflamasyon ile mikrovaskülopati arasında bir ilişki olabileceğini düşündürmektedir. TDK’nın, COVID-19 hastalığı klinik tutulumları ile ilişkisini değerlendirmek için daha fazla çalışmaya ihtiyaç vardır

The Role of Soil Beneficial Bacteria in Wheat Production: A Review

Free-living plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have favourable effect on plant growth, tolerance against stresses and are considered as a promising alternative to inorganic fertilizer for promoting plant growth, yield and quality. PGPR colonize at the plant root, increase germination rates, promote root growth, yield, leaf area, chlorophyll content, nitrogen content, protein content, tolerance to drought, shoot and root weight, and delayed leaf senescence. Several important bacterial characteristics, such as biological nitrogen fixation, solubilization of inorganic phosphate and mineralization of organic phosphate, nutrient uptake, 1-aminocydopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity and production of siderophores and phytohormones, can be assessed as plant growth promotion traits. By efficient use, PGPR is expected to contribute to agronomic efficiency, chiefly by decreasing costs and environmental pollution, by eliminating harmful chemicals. This review discusses various bacteria acting as PGPR, their genetic diversity, screening strategies, working principles, applications for wheat and future aspects in terms of efficiency, mechanisms and the desirable properties. The elucidation of the diverse mechanisms will enable microorganisms developing agriculture further

The Possible Relation of Demodex and Facial Erythema in Connective Tissue Diseases

Background: We aimed to investigate the frequency of Demodex infestation and clinical implications in connective tissue disease patients with facial erythema. Methods: Patients diagnosed with a connective tissue disease and had facial erythema were consecutively enrolled in the study from 2019-2020. An age and gender matched control group was formed from healthy volunteers. Presence of Demodex was investigated by standardized skin surface biopsy. Number of Demodex mites over 5 per centimeter square was considered meaningful for infestation. Topical or systemic metronidazole treatment was given to the connective tissue disease patients with Demodex infestation. Facial erythema visual analog scale was questioned in patients at treatment onset and one month after. Results: A total of 31 connective tissue disease patients with facial erythema were enrolled. Control group included 31 healthy volunteers. Demographics and comorbidities were similar between groups. Demodex infestation was present in 58.1% of the disease group and in 25.8% of the control group (P=0.01). Pruritus was the most common symptom in patients with infestation. Median (IQR) facial erythema visual analog scale score was 6 (3) at treatment onset and was 2 (2.5) one month later (P<0.001). Conclusion: When evaluating facial cutaneous lesions, Demodex infestation should not be overlooked in a patient group like connective tissue diseases with dysfunctional immune system