Assessment of imidacloprid toxicity on reproductive organ system of adult male rats

In the current study it was aimed to investigate the toxicity of low doses of imidacloprid (IMI) on the reproductive organ systems of adult male rats. The treatment groups received 0.5 (IMI-0.5), 2 (IMI-2) or 8 mg IMI/kg body weight by oral gavage (IMI-8) for three months. The deterioration in sperm motility in IMI-8 group and epidydimal sperm concentration in IMI-2 and IMI-8 groups and abnormality in sperm morphology in IMI-8 were significant. The levels of testosterone (T) and GSH decreased significantly in group IMI-8 compared to the control group. Upon treatment with IMI, apoptotic index increased significantly only in germ cells of the seminiferous tubules of IMI-8 group when compared to control. Fragmentation was striking in the seminal DNA from the IMI-8 group, but it was much less obvious in the IMI-2 one. IMI exposure resulted in elevation of all fatty acids analyzed, but the increases were significant only in stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids. The ratios of 20:4/20:3 and 20:4/18:2 were decreased and 16:1n-9/16:0 ratio was increased. In conclusion, the present animal experiments revealed that the treatment with IMI at NOAEL dose-levels caused deterioration in sperm parameters, decreased T level, increased apoptosis of germ cells, seminal DNA fragmentation, the depletion of antioxidants and change in disturbance of fatty acid composition. All these changes indicate the suppression of testicular function

Türkiye'nin kıyı çizgisi değişimleri ile bunların çevre ve mühendislikteki etkileri

TEZ3374Tez (Doktora) -- Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana, 2000.Kaynakça (s. 187-190) var.xv, 190 s. ; hrt. ; 30 cm.

The effects of auditory interventions on pain and comfort in premature newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit; a randomised controlled trial

PubMed: 32653359Objective: This study investigated the effects of three auditory interventions; white noise, recorded mother's voice, and MiniMuffs, applied during a heel lance on pain and comfort in premature infants in the neonatal intensive care units. Design and methods: This experimental, parallel, randomised controlled research was conducted in a state hospital tertiary-level neonatal intensive care unit. The sample comprised sixty-four premature infants with gestational ages of 31–36 weeks. The infants were randomly assigned to four groups: i) white noise, ii) recorded mother's voice, iii) MiniMuffs, and iv) control. Pain and comfort of newborns were evaluated according to the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) and the COMFORTneo scale. Oxygen saturation, heart rate, and crying time were also measured. Results: The mean of oxygen saturation levels in the white noise, recorded mother's voice, and MiniMuffs group were higher than the control group. The heart rate, crying time, mean NIPS score, COMFORTneo score of the premature neonates in the white noise, recorded mother's voice, and MiniMuffs groups were significantly lower than the control group (p < .001). Conclusion: Auditory interventions used during heel lance reduce the pain and increase the comfort of the premature infants. White noise is extremely effective in preventing infants's pain. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd2017/HEF/001, 2017/HEF/001, 2017/HEF/001, 2017/HEF/001 2017/HEF/001, 2017/HEF/001, 2017/HEF/001, 2017/HEF/001This work was supported by Ege University Scientific Research Projects Directorate (Project Grant Number: 2017/HEF/001).We thank all nursing staff for their collaboration, all infants participating in the study and their respected families. This work was financially supported by Ege University Scientific Research Projects Directorate (Project Grant Number: 2017/HEF/001 ). We thank Ege University Scientific Research Projects Directorate

Developing multifunctional pectin-based hydrogel for wound dressing: in silico, in vitro and in vivo evaluation

Multifunctional hydrogel wound dressing with high hemostatic, antioxidant, and self-healing activity is desirable in clinical applications. In this contribution, we developed two distinct hydrogel formulations, namely PZ and PTBA, by employing low methoxyl pectin (P), zeolite, or 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) for sustained release of procaine (PC) in a controlled manner up to 40 h. These hydrogel systems (PZ and PTBA) utilize dynamic reversible hydrogen bonds between the components and a metal coordination bond between carboxyl acid groups of pectin chains and Ca2+ to confer self-healing properties, as demonstrated by molecular dynamics (MD) and rheological analyses. Moreover, PZ and PTBA hydrogels possess superior antioxidant, hemostasis, biocompatibility, and antibacterial activities. The data from the mouse skin incision model and infected full-thickness skin wound model demonstrated the highest wound closure rate (wound closure area per day) was achieved by the PZ (4.72) and PTBA (4.62) groups on day 21, which was better than the control (4.2) and Kaltostat groups (4.05) (p < 0.05). PZ and PTBA's effectiveness in wound closure and acceleration of the wound healing process, highlighting its significant potential in wound management

Performance Management Systems: Task‐Contextual Dilemma Owing to the Involvement of the Psychological Contract and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

The two dimensions of the performance management system, namely task and contextual performance have received the most attention from various scholars with regard to their contributive role in employees' goal accomplishment. It has been the case for decades that in addition to task performance; employers have started to use competency evaluations, which usually involve contextual performance dimensions as well. Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and the psychological contract (PC) have become more intertwined with performance management systems. The objective of this study is to assess whether competency frameworks in performance management systems are actually incorporating OCBs and PC dimensions. The competency definitions and behavioral indicators within the performance management handbooks of 10 organizations were considered as the data set. The findings reveal that many terms of OCB and PC dimensions are embedded in the competency frameworks. This introductory paper provides important insights helping to restructure the PMS domain in which both task and discretionary behaviors are taken into account when appraising employee success