Morphology and histochemistry of primary flight muscles in Rhinolophus mehelyii

Two primary flight muscles of Rhinolophus mehelyii were studied using morphological and histochemical analysis. Two fast-twitch fiber types are histochemically identified in pectoralis muscles of R. mehelyii. These were classified as type IIa and type IIb according to glycine-calcium-formalinpreincubation staining protocol for myosin ATPase. The primary flight muscles, serratus ventralis included type I, type IIa and type IIb fibers. Type I fibers were highly oxidative, as stained dark for NADHTR.Type IIa fibers exhibited relatively weak staining properties for NADH-TR and SDH, indicating an intermediate oxidative capacity. Type IIb fibers showed low oxidative capacity, as indicated by weak reaction for NADH-TR

Investigating Turkish Pre-service Science Teachers’ Moral Reasoning in Genetics related Socioscientific Issues

In this study, Turkish pre-service science teachers' moral reasoning patterns and the factors which influence their decisions while discussing genetics-related socio-scientific issues (SSI) were investigated. A basic qualitative approach was adopted for this purpose. Seven third-grade pre-service science teachers enrolled in the study. Semi-structured interviews for different genetics related SSI were conducted. The results revealed that decisions were generally based on the consequences of genetic applications (consequentialist) or based on moral principles or prescripts (principle-based). Most participants used consequence-based moral reasoning in their decisions, while principle-based moral reasoning was less used. They also used emotion-based moral reasoning.  Their decisions were influenced by emotions, including empathy or sympathy toward the characters, or the unborn baby, in the scenarios. Additional and varied factors, including legal, ethical, economic, and technological concerns, were revealed as influential. Participants' decisions were also shaped by their own experiences, media resources, and faith in science. The implications for science teacher education programs are discussed

Molecular diversity in persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) cultivars growing around Hatay province in Turkey

Genetic relationships among Diospyros kaki L. growing around Hatay province in Turkey were assessed by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay. Ten decamer primers were selected from 50 primers. These primers yielded a total of 155 bands and 126 of them were recorded aspolymorphic. Pairwise genetic distances of the samples were used to construct dendograms using Unweighted Pair-Group Method of Arithmetic Average (UPGMA). The study suggests that the morphological differences among cultivars of persimmon might be the result of genetic differencesrather than the ecological or growing conditions. The study forms a basic contribution to the characterization of D. kaki population in Turkey

Plexiform neurofibroma of the submandibular gland in patient with von Recklinghausen's disease

Plexiform neurofibroma of the submandibular gland is an extremely rare tumor. Herein, we report a case of plexiform neurofibroma in a patient with a von Recklinghausen's disease (NF-1) who presented with a submandibular mass mimicking a submandibular gland tumor. Complete surgical excision provides the best treatment and final diagnosis. A neurofibroma should be considered in the differential diagnosis for submandibular mass

Reconstruction versus conservative treatment after rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament: cost effectiveness analysis

BACKGROUND: The decision whether to treat conservatively or reconstruct surgically a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an ongoing subject of debate. The high prevalence and associated public health burden of torn ACL has led to continuous efforts to determine the best therapeutic approach. A critical evaluation of benefits and expenditures of both treatment options as in a cost effectiveness analysis seems well-suited to provide valuable information for treating physicians and healthcare policymakers. METHODS: A literature review identified four of 7410 searched articles providing sufficient outcome probabilities for the two treatment options for modeling. A transformation key based on the expert opinions of 25 orthopedic surgeons was used to derive utilities from available evidence. The cost data for both treatment strategies were based on average figures compiled by Orthopaedic University Hospital Balgrist and reinforced by Swiss national statistics. A decision tree was constructed to derive the cost-effectiveness of each strategy, which was then tested for robustness using Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS: Decision tree analysis revealed a cost effectiveness of 16,038 USD/0.78 QALY for ACL reconstruction and 15,466 USD/0.66 QALY for conservative treatment, implying an incremental cost effectiveness of 4,890 USD/QALY for ACL reconstruction. Sensitivity analysis of utilities did not change the trend. CONCLUSION: ACL reconstruction for reestablishment of knee stability seems cost effective in the Swiss setting based on currently available evidence. This, however, should be reinforced with randomized controlled trials comparing the two treatment strategies

Spermatozoal sensitive biomarkers to defective protaminosis and fragmented DNA

Human sperm DNA damage may have adverse effects on reproductive outcome. Infertile men possess substantially more spermatozoa with damaged DNA compared to fertile donors. Although the extent of this abnormality is closely related to sperm function, the underlying etiology of ensuing male infertility is still largely controversial. Both intra-testicular and post-testicular events have been postulated and different mechanisms have been proposed to explain the presence of damaged DNA in human spermatozoa. Three among them, i.e. abnormal chromatin packaging, oxidative stress and apoptosis, are the most studied and discussed in the present review. Furthermore, results from numerous investigations are presented, including our own findings on these pathological conditions, as well as the techniques applied for their evaluation. The crucial points of each methodology on the successful detection of DNA damage and their validity on the appraisal of infertile patients are also discussed. Along with the conventional parameters examined in the standard semen analysis, evaluation of damaged sperm DNA seems to complement the investigation of factors affecting male fertility and may prove an efficient diagnostic tool in the prediction of pregnancy outcome

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials assessing effectiveness of prosthetic and orthotic interventions.

BACKGROUND: Assistive products are items which allow older people and people with disabilities to be able to live a healthy, productive and dignified life. It has been estimated that approximately 1.5% of the world's population need a prosthesis or orthosis. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to systematically identify and review the evidence from randomized controlled trials assessing effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of prosthetic and orthotic interventions. METHODS: Literature searches, completed in September 2015, were carried out in fourteen databases between years 1995 and 2015. The search results were independently screened by two reviewers. For the purpose of this manuscript, only randomized controlled trials which examined interventions using orthotic or prosthetic devices were selected for data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 342 randomised controlled trials were identified (319 English language and 23 non-English language). Only 4 of these randomised controlled trials examined prosthetic interventions and the rest examined orthotic interventions. These orthotic interventions were categorised based on the medical conditions/injuries of the participants. From these studies, this review focused on the medical condition/injuries with the highest number of randomised controlled trials (osteoarthritis, fracture, stroke, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, anterior cruciate ligament, diabetic foot, rheumatoid and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankle sprain, cerebral palsy, lateral epicondylitis and low back pain). The included articles were assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Details of the clinical population examined, the type of orthotic/prosthetic intervention, the comparator/s and the outcome measures were extracted. Effect sizes and odds ratios were calculated for all outcome measures, where possible. CONCLUSIONS: At present, for prosthetic and orthotic interventions, the scientific literature does not provide sufficient high quality research to allow strong conclusions on their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness

Surface mining equipment cost analysis with a developed linear break even model

As the international surface mining industry proceeds into twenty first century, surface operation throughout the world will increasingly encounter many problems in terms of economic viability and in such situations, true cost analysis techniques taking into account time value of money approach have gained more important than ever before. Linear break even model as a true cost analysis model contributes an important role in surface mining equipment cost analysis. As an illustration, this paper introduces a linear break even model developed for equipment replacement analysis and in so doing, also the adaptation of two linear models which will be used in estimating equipment operating cost over time are examined in detail. Hence the paper is concluded with a given numerical example