Sinus Node Dysfunction as the First Manifestation of Left Ventricular Noncompaction with Multiple Cardiac Abnormalities

AbstractLeft ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a genetically heterogenous form of cardiomyopathy which may remain undiagnosed till adulthood due to the late presentation of typical symptoms such as dyspnea, congestion, ventricular arrhythmias and thromboembolism. Symptomatic bradycardia secondary to persistent sinus node dysfunction is very rare. Coexistent cardiac defects are common in children however in adults the disease is usually in isolated form. Here, we present a case of twenty-three year-old female LVNC patient with patent ductus arteriosus, bicuspid aortic valve and persistent sinus node dysfunction who presented with dizziness as the first manifestation of the disease

Determination and Application of Pont's Index in Turkish Population

Disharmony between tooth size and dental arch size induces orthodontic problems. So, dental indices were identified by various authors. One of these is Pont who determined a method of prediction of the ideal dental arch width which has become known as Pont's Index. The purpose of this study was to assess the applicability of Pont's Index to a Turkish population and to compare the results with those obtained from studies of different ethnic subjects. The sample comprised 64 male subjects and 78 female subjects with age range from 14 to 15 years. Measurements were obtained directly from plaster casts; they included mesiodistal crown diameters of the four maxillary incisors, as well as interpremolar and intermolar maxillary arch widths as specified by Pont. Correlation coefficients determined between the measured arch width values and those calculated according to Pont's Index were low in all cases, with r values ranging from 0.02 to 0.36. It was concluded that Pont's Index should not be used to predetermine ideal arch width values in Turkish individuals

Effect of Ag2O addition on the intergranular properties of the superconducting Bi–(Pb)–Sr–Ca–Cu–O system

The effect of Ag2O addition on the Bi–(Pb)–Sr–Ca–Cu–O system has been investigated in terms of ac susceptibility, phase evolution, critical current density and critical temperature. It was found that as the amount of Ag2O addition increases, the intergranular critical current density decreases in our samples (Bi1.84Pb0.34Sr1.91Ca2.03Cu3.06O10) fabricated by ammonium nitrate technique. The analysis for comparison is based on the suppression degree of the diamagnetic behaviour with respect to fields, rapid or slow shift of the summit in χ'(T) to lower temperature with increasing field amplitude and the sharpness of the transition of χ'(T) for intergranular component for the same field amplitude. We also qualitatively discuss experimental results in the framework of the critical state model. The room temperature XRD diagram indicates the presence of large amount of high-Tc (2223) phase. The percentage of Bi-2223 phase in the phase mixture was estimated from the intensities of high-Tc (2223) and low-Tc (2212) phase peaks as 78% for the pure BSCCO sample. Among the Ag2O-added BSCCO samples studied, the one in which 5 wt%Ag2O was added shows the highest rate of Bi-2223 formation as 92%. The SEM analysis reveals some morphological changes induced by silver addition

Zebrafish Aging Models and Possible Interventions

Across the world, the aging population is expanding due to an increasing average life expectancy. The percentage of elderly over the age of 65 is expected to be more than 15% of the total world population by 2025. As the lifespan increases, there will be a need for maintaining a healthy state for these individuals. Our current knowledge on types and durations of potential anti-aging therapies is quite limited. Recently the zebrafish has emerged as a promising model for understanding the cognitive and neurobiological changes during aging, as well as its use with potential anti-aging interventions. Like humans this model organism ages gradually, displays similar behavioral properties and social characteristics, and in addition, there is a wealth of molecular and genetic tools to uncover the cellular mechanism that contribute to age-related cognitive declines. Drug effect and toxicity can be easily tested in the zebrafish. Therefore, this animal model can provide information about potential therapies that could be translated directly into human populations or provide a more focused treatment direction for testing in other mammalian animal models. The zebrafish will be a powerful tool for uncovering the mysteries of the aging brain

Effect of Different Polymerization Methods on the Cytotoxicity of Dental Composites

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the cytotoxic effects of various dental composites polymerized with two different curing units. Methods: Disc-shaped test samples of composites Filtek Z250, Filtek A110, Filtek P60, Filtek Supreme, and SDI Rok were polymerized using one quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) and one light emitting diode (LED) light curing unit (LCU), namely Optilux 501 (QTH) and Elipar Freelight 2 (LED). L-929 mouse fibroblast cultures (3x104 cells/ml) were incubated with the samples in 96 well culture plates for evaluation after 8, 24, 48, 72 h. At the end of each period, the cells were counted and examined under a light microscope, and a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed. The degree of cytotoxicity for each sample was determined according to the reference value represented by the cells in a control group (a culture without sample). Results: A significant 3 factor interaction occurred among LCUs, composites, and time factors (P<.005). In general, the test materials cured with the LED LCU demonstrated higher cell survival rates when compared with those cured with halogen LCUs. Conclusions: This study shows that polymerization of dental composites with a light emitting diode LCU positively influences the L-929 mouse fibroblast cell viability.PubMe

Do Resin Cements Alter Action Potentials of Isolated Rat Sciatic Nerve?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects dual-cure resin cements on nerve conduction. Methods: Panavia F, RelyX ARC, and Variolink II polymerized either by light-emitting diode (LED) or quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) were used in the study (n=10). The conductance of sciatic nerves of 50 rats were measured before and after contact with the specimens for 1 h. Results: The time-dependent change in nerve conductance and the comparison of LED versus QTH showed that differences between groups are significant (P<.05). For both polymerization techniques, pair-wise comparisons of resin cements showed that the nerve conductance between groups is different (P<.05). RelyX ARC elicited irreversible inhibition of compound action potentials (more than 50% change) and Panavia F and Variolink II polymerized by LED and QTH did not alter nerve conduction beyond physiologic limits. Conclusions: Resin cements may alter nerve conductance and even lead to neurotoxic effects.PubMe

Cephalometric Evaluation of Turkish Children With Class III Malocclusion in the Mixed Dentition

Objective:To investigate the cephalometric characteristics of Turkish children with Class III malocclusion and compare them with to those of children with clinically normal occlusion during the mixed dentition phase.Materials and Method:Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 80 children with Class III malocclusion (mean age, 10.23 years) and 80 subjects with normal occlusion (mean age, 10.79 years) were examined for the study. Mean values of 13 linear and 21 angular cephalometric parameters were measured and compared.Results:Sagittal skeletal measurements included SNB (Class III, 81.82 ± 4.26; control group, 74.5 ± 3.86; p<.001), ANB (Class III, −2.35 ± 2.02; control group, 2.4 ± 1.17; p<.0001), Pg to Nasion vertical (Class III, −5.70 ± 2.68; control group, −9.60 ± 3.21; p<.05), Wits appraisal (Class III, −5 ± 4.57; control group, −0.8 ± 2.44; p<.05), Co-A (Class III, 79.38 ± 2.19; control group, 83.94 ± 2.64; p<.01) and Co-Gn (Class III, 105.7 ± 2.04; control group, 102.4 ± 1.15; p<.05). Vertical skeletal analysis included Gonial angle (Class III, 132.6 ± 7.15; control group, 122.1 ± 6.6; p<.01), and S-Ar length (Class III, 28.31 ± 0.9; control group, 30.2 ± 1.4; p<.05). Dentoalveolar measurements included U1 to SN (Class III, 107.96 ± 8.13; control group, 98.4 ± 8.19; p<.05). Soft tissue measurements included soft tissue convexity (Class III, 173.4 ± 3.68; control group, 165.9 ± 3.25; p<.01).Conclusion:The findings of the study indicated that effective mandibular length was larger in Class III groups and effective maxillary length was smaller in Class III groups

The Phenolics and Antioxidant Properties of Black and Purple versus White Eggplant Cultivars

The total phenolic content, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, antioxidant capacity and α-amylase inhibitory activity of black (Aydin Siyahi), purple (Kadife Kemer) and white (Trabzon Kadife) eggplants grown in Turkey were subjected to a comparative investigation. The black cultivar exhibited the highest total phenolic (17,193 and 6552 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg fw), flavonoid (3019 and 1160 quercetin equivalent/kg fw) and anthocyanin (1686 and 6167 g delphinidin-3-O-glucoside equivalent/kg fw) contents in crude extracts of the peel and pulp. The majority of the caffeic acid was identified in the ester (2830 mg/kg fw) and ester-bound (2594 mg/kg fw) forms in the peel of ‘Kadife Kemer’ and in the glycoside form (611.9 mg/kg fw) in ‘Aydin Siyahi’, as well as in the pulp of these two eggplants. ‘Kadife Kemer’ (purple eggplant) contained the majority of the chlorogenic acid in free form (27.55 mg/kg fw), compared to ‘Aydin Siyahi’ in the ester (7.82 mg/kg fw), glycoside (294.1 mg/kg dw) and ester-bound (2.41 mg/kg fw) forms. The eggplant cultivars (peel and pulp, mg/kg fw) exhibited a relatively high delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside concentration in the peel of ‘Aydin Siyahi’ (avg. 1162), followed by ‘Kadife Kemer’ (avg. 336.6), and ‘Trabzon Kadife’ (avg. 215.1). The crude phenolic extracts of the eggplants exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity values (peel and pulp, µmoL Trolox equivalent/kg fw) of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH, 8156 and 2335) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC, 37,887 and 17,648). The overall results indicate that black and purple eggplants are the cultivars with greater potential benefits in terms of their phenolics and antioxidant values than the white eggplant