An Ethnobotanical Analysis on Wild Edible Plants of the Turkish Asteraceae Taxa

Asteraceae (Compositae) is one of the biggest families in the Flora of Turkey as in the World. Also, it is one of the most important families in which many popular plants are used as food and recreational tea in Turkey. The aim of this study is to make an ethnobotanical analysis on the wild edible plants of the Asteraceae family in Turkey, according to our investigations and scientific literature records. This study is based on local ethnobotanical investigations. The information about the plants was obtained from the local people through open and semi-structured interviews. In the light of our investigations and the literature records, 43 genera (including 121 taxa) of Asteraceae (used for food, tea and other purposes) were determined. Among them, Scorzonera, Tragopogon, Cirsium, Centaurea, Onopordum, Taraxacum, Echinops, Achillea, Anthemis and Carduus are the most popular genera in the localities of Turkey

The Medicinal and Wild Food Plants of Batman City and Kozluk District (Batman-Turkey)

This paper reports an ethnobotanical investigation carried out in 2012 to record medicinal and wild food plants of Batman City and Kozluk District. Totally, forty-one plants are recorded as used as traditional folk medicine for the region, and twenty of these are also used as a source of wild food. The most commonly used plants in the region as medicinal remedies were Malva nicaeensis, Pistacia khinjuk, Plantago major subsp. intermedia and Teucrium polium. Plants are mostly used for the treatment of gastrointestinal system diseases, respiratory system diseases and diabetes. The species most commonly used for food are: Gundelia tournefortii, Pistacia khinjuk and Rhus coriaria. This ethnobotanical study conducted in both districts will enable the traditional use of wild plants both as food sources and herbal remedies to be passed on to future generations

Geri Dönüşüm Lifler İçeren Süprem Kumaşların Isıl Konfor Özelliklerinin İncelenmesi

Bu çalışmada orijinal (ORJ) ve geri dönüşüm (GD) pamuk lifleri kullanılarak, %100 ORJ, %100 GD ve 50/50 ORJ/GD pamuk lifleri içeren iplikler üretilmiş ve bu iplikler ile üretilen süprem kumaşların ısıl konfor özellikleri incelenmiştir. Bu amaçla konfeksiyonda açığa çıkan kumaş kırpıntılarından elde edilen geri dönüşüm pamuk lifleri ve orijinal pamuk lifleri open-end rotor iplik eğirme sisteminde eğrilmiş ve bu ipliklerden süprem kumaşlar üretilmiştir. Geri dönüşüm ve orijinal pamuk ipliklerinden elde edilen bu kumaşların ısıl konfor özelliklerini karşılaştırmak amacıyla; ısıl iletkenlik, ısıl direnç, ısıl soğurganlık ve hava geçirgenlik özellikleri ölçülmüştür. Kumaşlarda geri dönüşüm pamuk liflerinin kullanımının kumaşların ısıl direnç değerlerini arttırdığı; ısıl iletkenlik, hava geçirgenliği ve ısıl soğurganlık değerlerini düşürdüğü gözlenmiştir. Geri dönüşüm liflerinden örülmüş süprem kumaşların ısıl direnç değerlerinin yüksek olmasının ve ilk temasta daha sıcak bir his vermesinin orijinal liflerden üretilen kumaşlara göre kullanım alanına bağlı olarak üstünlük sağladığı düşünülmektedir

Ascending aortic coarctation - an atypical location in a non-takayasu arteritis female patient

Coarctation of the aorta is a well-known congenital cardiovascular disorder that typically occurs within proximity to the ductus arteriosus. The ascending aorta, distal descending aorta, and abdominal aorta are segments which are prone to development of an atypical coarctation. The etiologies of atypical cases are usually associated with various types of vasculitis syndromes or underlying genetic disorders. In this report, we present a 24-year-old female patient with an ascending aortic coarctation which developed secondary to an atherosclerotic process

Treatment of a patient with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries associated with ascending aortic hypoplasia and type A interrupted aortic arch without aortic cross clamping leading to myocardial ischemia

İnterrupted aortik ark tedavisi karmaşık bir süreçtir. Cerrahi rekonstrüksiyon genellikle myokard iskemisine neden olan aortik kros klempleme, kalbin durdurulması ve hatta kansız operasyon sahası için derin hipotermi gerektirir.Bu yazıda, normotermik şartlarda, kalbi durdurmadan çıkan aort, aortik ark ve proksimal desendan aort replasmanını selektif kanülasyon ve tüm vücut perfüzyonunu sağlayan cerrahi teknik ile tedavi ettiğimiz konjenital düzeltilmiş büyük arter transpozisyonu, tip A kesintili aortik ark ve hipoplazik asendan aortu olan hastamızı sunuyoruz.Treatment of interrupted aortic arch is complex. Surgical reconstruction consists of procedures that cause myocardial ischemia, such as aortic cross clamping, cardioplegia, and hypothermia. In this article, we present a patient with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries together with Type A interruption as well as hypoplastic ascending aorta and the aortic arch. The replacement of the aorta, aortic arch, and the proximal descending aorta was performed under normothermic conditions without cardioplegia, which was achieved with a technique that preserves the systemic blood supply by using selective cannulation

Optic Neuropathy and Macular Ischemia Associated with Neurosarcoidosis: A Case Report

In this study, we present a case of bilateral optic neuropathy and macular ischemia in the right eye associated with neurosarcoidosis. A 26-year-old woman presented to our clinic with complaints of bilateral blurred vision. Bilateral granulomatous anterior uveitis, vitritis, optic neuropathy, and macular ischemia were detected in the right eye in slit-lamp examination. She also reported complaints of fever, weakness, sweating, arthralgia, and headache for 2 months. She was referred to the pulmonary diseases unit of our hospital due to hilar lymphadenopathy seen in her chest x-ray, and biopsies were taken for diagnostic purposes. Histological analysis of the mediastinal lymph node biopsies revealed chronic, non-caseating, granulomatous inflammation. Furthermore, the patient was referred to a neurologist due to concomitant complaint of intense headaches. She was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis supported by findings on cranial magnetic resonance imaging and lumbar puncture. She received a 3-day course of high-dose (1 g/day) intravenous steroid treatment (methylprednisolone) followed by a tapering dose of oral prednisone. The patient began receiving oral methotrexate 15 mg/week as a steroid-sparing agent. Significant improvement in neurological and ophthalmological symptoms occurred in the first week of treatment. In this case report, we emphasized that neurosarcoidosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with both bilateral optic neuropathy and macular ischemia. Furthermore, early diagnosis and timely treatment of neurosarcoidosis are important for favorable visual outcomes

CD4(+) T cells of myasthenia gravis patients are characterized by ıncreased IL-21, IL-4, and IL-17A productions and higher presence of PD-1 and ICOS

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease mediated by autoantibodies predominantly against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Specific T cell subsets are required for long-term antibody responses, and cytokines secreted mainly from CD4(+) T cells regulate B cell antibody production. The aim of this study was to assess the differences in the cytokine expressions of CD4(+) T cells in MG patients with AChR antibodies (AChR-MG) and the effect of immunosuppressive (IS) therapy on cytokine activity and to test these findings also in MG patients without detectable antibodies (SN-MG). Clinically diagnosed AChR-MG and SN-MG patients were included. The AChR-MG patients were grouped as IS-positive and -negative and compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used for ex vivo intracellular cytokine production, and subsets of CD4(+) T cells and circulating follicular helper T (cTfh) cells were detected phenotypically by the expression of the chemokine and the costimulatory receptors. Thymocytes obtained from patients who had thymectomy were also analyzed. IL-21, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-17A productions in CD4(+) T cells were increased in AChR-MG compared to those in healthy controls. IS treatment enhanced IL-10 and reduced IFN-gamma production in AChR-MG patients compared to those in IS-negative patients. Increased IL-21 and IL-4 productions were also demonstrated in SN-MG patients. Among CD4(+) T cells, Th17 cells were increased in both disease subgroups. Treatment induced higher proportions of Th2 cells in AChR-MG patients. Both CXCR5(+) and CXCR5(-) CD4(+) T cells expressed higher programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and inducible costimulatory (ICOS) in AChR-MG and SN-MG groups, mostly irrespective of the treatment. Based on chemokine receptors on CXCR5(+)PD-1(+) in CD4(+) T (cTfh) cells, in AChR-MG patients without treatment, the proportions of Tfh17 cells were higher than those in the treated group, whereas the Tfh1 cells were decreased compared with those in the controls. The relevance of CXCR5 and PD-1 in the pathogenesis of AChR-MG was also suggested by the increased presence of these molecules on mature CD4 single-positive thymocytes from the thymic samples. The study provides further evidence for the importance of IL-21, IL-17A, IL-4, and IL-10 in AChR-MG. Disease-related CD4(+)T cells are identified mainly as PD-1(+) or ICOS+ with or without CXCR5, resembling cTfh cells in the circulation or probably in the thymus. AChR-MG and SN-MG seem to have some similar characteristics. IS treatment has distinctive effects on cytokine expression.Istanbul Universit

Turner sendromlu ergenlerin multidisipliner yaklaşımla psikometrik ve psikososyal açıdan değerlendirilmesi: Ön çalışma

Introduction: The aim of this study is to compare neurocognitive and psychosocial characteristics in adolescents with Turner Syndrome (TS) and age-matched adolescents with short stature (SS) and normal karyotypes. Materials and Methods: Seven patients with TS and 7 patients with SS and normal karyotypes were included in the study. Their comorbid psychopathologies, cognitive functioning, quality of life, self-esteem, emphatic tendencies, mentalizing abilities and coping strategies were investigated. Results: Although the adolescents with SS had higher levels of anxiety and conduct problems, there were no significant differences between the TS and SS groups in terms of comorbid psychopathologies, social cognition skills, quality of life, self-esteem and coping strategies. However, the cognitive functioning of adolescents with TS was found to be lower than both of the adolescents with SS and community samples. Conclusions: According to this preliminary study, anxiety/conduct problems and cognitive functioning of patients with TS should be evaluated in order to prevent subsequent negative outcomes.Giriş: Bu çalışmanın amacı, TS olan ergenler ile kısa boylu ve normal karyotipi olan benzer yaştaki ergenleri nörobilişsel ve psikososyal olarak karşılaştırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya TS olan yedi hasta ile kısa boylu ve normal karyotipi olan yedi hasta dahil edilmiştir. Eşlik eden psikopatolojiler, bilişsel işlevsellik, yaşam kalitesi, benlik saygısı, empatik eğilimler, zihinselleştirme becerileri ve baş etme stratejileri araştırılmıştır. Bulgular: Kısa boylu ergenlerde anksiyete ve davranım problemleri daha yüksek olmasına karşın, eşlik eden psikopatolojiler, sosyal biliş becerileri, yaşam kalitesi, benlik saygısı ve başetme stratejileri açısından TS olan ergenler ile kısa boylu ergenler arasında önemli bir fark bulunmamıştır. Bununla birlikte, TS olan ergenlerin bilişsel işlevlerinin hem kısa boylu ergenlere hem de toplum örneklemine göre daha düşük olduğu bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Bu ön çalışmaya göre, ileride gelişebilecek olumsuz sonuçları önlemek için TS’li hastalar anksiyete / davranış sorunları ve bilişsel işlevler açısından değerlendirilmelidir

Tears evoke the intention to offer social support: A systematic investigation of the interpersonal effects of emotional crying across 41 countries

Tearful crying is a ubiquitous and likely uniquely human phenomenon. Scholars have argued that emotional tears serve an attachment function: Tears are thought to act as a social glue by evoking social support intentions. Initial experimental studies supported this proposition across several methodologies, but these were conducted almost exclusively on participants from North America and Europe, resulting in limited generalizability. This project examined the tears-social support intentions effect and possible mediating and moderating variables in a fully pre-registered study across 7007 participants (24,886 ratings) and 41 countries spanning all populated continents. Participants were presented with four pictures out of 100 possible targets with or without digitally-added tears. We confirmed the main prediction that seeing a tearful individual elicits the intention to support, d = 0.49 [0.43, 0.55]. Our data suggest that this effect could be mediated by perceiving the crying target as warmer and more helpless, feeling more connected, as well as feeling more empathic concern for the crier, but not by an increase in personal distress of the observer. The effect was moderated by the situational valence, identifying the target as part of one's group, and trait empathic concern. A neutral situation, high trait empathic concern, and low identification increased the effect. We observed high heterogeneity across countries that was, via split-half validation, best explained by country-level GDP per capita and subjective well-being with stronger effects for higher-scoring countries. These findings suggest that tears can function as social glue, providing one possible explanation why emotional crying persists into adulthood.</p

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world