Investigation of branch breaking resistances in “Sari Zeybek” fig cultivar

The aim of this study was to examine the branch breaking characteristics of the 4 to 5 years old branches mechanically by a determination of the breaking resistance in Sari Zeybek fig cultivars. In this respect, the study was conducted with 10 different ages for trees belonging to Sarilop cultivar, known with a characteristic of drying and Sari Zeybek cultivar, known with equal or even better characteristics. The sclerenchyma tissues of the 1 to 5 aged branches of Sari Zeybek cultivar were weaker in degree than some other fruit tree species, especially the Sarilop cultivar. Furthermore, it was brought out that the breakages were related to the flexibility of tissues even with the excess forced application (150 kg.) in Sarilop. In Sari Zeybek cultivar, where there is an existence of the branch breakage problem, the length and diameters of branches increased with the increasing branch ages. In particular, the forces at the branch collar were increased due to the fruit weight increase in trees, starting with the 4 to 5 year aged branches. According to the approach of encouragement of branch breakages due to the aforementioned reason, it was taken seriously that shape prunings need to be made more carefully, and not allowed in over critical levels branch lengths and angles within 1 to 4 years growth in Sari Zeybek cultivar.Key words: Sari Zeybek, fig, branch breakage

Onewaytests: An R package for one-way tests in independent groups designs

One-way tests in independent groups designs are the most commonly utilized statistical methods with applications on the experiments in medical sciences, pharmaceutical research, agriculture, biology, engineering, social sciences and so on. In this paper, we present the onewaytests package to investigate treatment effects on the dependent variable. The package offers the one-way tests in independent groups designs, which include ANOVA, Welch's heteroscedastic F test, Welch's heteroscedastic F test with trimmed means andWinsorized variances, Brown-Forsythe test, Alexander- Govern test, James second order test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The package also provides pairwise comparisons, graphical approaches, and assesses variance homogeneity and normality of data in each group via tests and plots. A simulation study is also conducted to give recommendations for applied researchers on the selection of appropriate one-way tests under assumption violations. Furthermore, especially for non-R users, a user-friendly web application of the package is provided. This application is available at http://www.softmed.hacettepe.edu.tr/onewaytests

Maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancies with pulmonary hypertension: Experience of a tertiary center

Objective: Pregnancies complicated with PHT are serious debates for obstetricians due to high maternal and fetal complication potentials. The aim of the study was to present our maternofetal outcomes in pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension. Materials and methods: This study was performed using data extracted from the medical files of 23 pregnancies of 18 patients with PHT who were followed-up in the obstetrics and gynecology department. Results: The average age was 27.09 ± 6.97 (range: 14–38) years. The most frequent maternal cardiac pathologies were cardiac valvular disease (mitral or aortic insufficiency) (n = 4), atrial septal defect (n = 3), mitral stenosis (n = 3), ventricular septal defect (n = 2) and arrhythmia (n = 2). Caesarean section and normal vaginal delivery were performed in 13 and 7 deliveries, respectively. Therapeutic dilatation and curettage was performed in 3 patients. Preterm delivery occurred in 4 pregnancies and there were 2 intrauterine growth retardations, 1 preeclampsia and 2 maternal pulmonary edemas. One patient underwent re-laparotomy 5 days after delivery due to uterine hematoma. Totally, 20 newborns (14 female, 6 male) were delivered. Most of the complications were seen in advanced PHT classes. Conclusion: The care of the pregnant women with PHT necessitates a well-planned, multidisciplinary approach focusing on close monitoring before, during and after delivery. This approach may contribute to reduction of poor maternal and fetal outcomes

Carcinoma of the Oral Tongue: A Case Series Analysis of Prognostic Factors and Surgical Outcomes

Purpose: To identify factors affecting the clinical course and survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Materials and Methods: One hundred thirty-eight patients who were treated with surgical excision of primary tongue cancer and neck dissection were analyzed retrospectively. The study had a median follow-up period of 23 months. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses for prognostic risk factors were performed using the Cox regression method. Survival curves were processed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The 138 patients (73 male, 65 female) had a median age of 60 years. The 5-year overall, disease-specific, and relapse-free survival rates were 81%, 73%, and 71%, respectively. Tumor thickness greater than 8 mm was the only independent prognostic factor indicating a poor prognosis in overall survival (P = .049). Presence of involved lymph nodes indicated a tendency toward a poorer prognosis in disease-specific survival (P = .026) and relapse-free survival (P = .043). Conclusions: The present findings indicated that tumor thickness greater than 8 mm and lymph node metastasis were independent predictors of worse survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Because similar regional recurrence rates were observed in selective and radical neck dissections, supraomohyoid neck dissection is supported as a primary treatment for patients with clinical N0 tumor

Accuracy of turbo spin-echo diffusion-weighted imaging signal intensity measurements for the diagnosis of cholesteatoma

PURPOSE We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of turbo spin-echo diffusion-weighted imaging (TSE-DWI) at 3 T, for cholesteatoma (CS) diagnosis, using qualitative and quantitative methods with numerical assessment of signal intensity (SI), signal intensity ratios (SIR), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. METHODS In this retrospective study, two blinded observers independently evaluated the preoperative TSE-DWI images of 57 patients who were imaged with a presumed diagnosis of CS. Qualitative assessment with respect to the SI of the adjacent cortex and quantitative measurements of SI, SIR, and ADC values were performed. RESULTS Surgery with histopathologic examination revealed 30 CS patients and 27 patients with non-cholesteatoma (NCS) lesions including chronic inflammation and cholesterol granuloma. On TSE-DWI, 96.7% of the CS lesions and none of the NCS lesions appeared hyperintense compared with the cortex. The mean SI and SIR indices of the CS group were significantly higher and the mean ADC values significantly lower compared with those of the NCS group (P < 0.001). Using specific cutoff values for SI (92.5) and SIR (0.9), CS could be diagnosed with 100% sensitivity and specificity. The use of quantitative imaging further increased the sensitivity of the TSE-DWI technique. CONCLUSION The quantitative indices of SI, SIR, and ADC of TSE-DWI appear to be highly accurate parameters that can be used to confirm the diagnosis of CS

Evaluation of single tooth loss to maxillary sinus and surrounding bone anatomy with cone-beam computed tomography: A multicenter study

Background: Posterior maxillary tooth loss may complicate the implant treatment due to the alterations in alveolar anatomy and maxillary sinus pneumatization. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the anatomical structure of this region from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods: The posterior maxilla regions with single tooth loss were analyzed by dividing the variables into 3 subgroups from images of 597 patients chosen from 1160 CBCTs. Variables associated with sinus membrane (SM), sinus dimensions, ostium, septa, sinus neighborhood, alveolar bone height (ABH) and width (RW), posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA), and adjacent roots were evaluated. Results: The majority of the patients demonstrated 0 to 5 mm membrane thickness. Irregular SM thickening was lower for female patients. While females showed higher number of narrow sinus, males had higher RW than females. Sinus augmentation classification showed negative correlation with ABH, root-tip sinus floor and edentulous site classification. Posterior septa height was correlated with number of septa and ABH. PSAA diameter and location were also correlated between each other. Conclusion: The present results define formation of a sinus space with 11 mm coronal and 16 mm apical width after single tooth loss. A flat or semispherical thickening around 4 mm is usual in most cases with 51% possibility of anterior septum existence. A ridge anatomy, around 7.5 mm ABH and 7.2 to 9 .3 RW from coronal to apical, complements this anatomy. Further studies are needed to clarify the reasons behind the SM and crestal anatomy variations between genders

The effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser, fluoride, and CPP-ACP on caries resistance of primary enamel

The aim of this in vitro study was to determine the effect of different remineralization agents and laser on caries resistance of primary enamel. In the study, 150 sound primary molars were used. The initial microhardness values were measured and the teeth were randomly assigned to ten treatment groups (n = 15): no treatment/negative control (C), NaF, APF, fluoride varnish (FV), CPP-ACP, laser (L), L + NaF, L + APF, L + FV, L + CPP-ACP. The microhardness values were measured after the treatments and the pH cycle. The obtained data were analyzed statistically. One sample from each group was examined before treatment, after treatment, and after the pH cycle with a scanning electron microscope. While microhardness values after treatment compared to baseline increased, microhardness after the pH cycle decreased compared to after treatment values in all experimental groups (p < 0.05). In regard to the difference in microhardness after the pH cycle and baseline, there were no statistically significant differences between groups C and NaF and between C and CPP-ACP (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference between groups L and L + FV (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was noted between groups L and L + NaF, L + APF, L + CPP-ACP (p > 0.05). As a conclusion, FV is more effective when used in combination with laser than laser alone. NaF, CPP-ACP, and laser may be insufficient in protecting the primary teeth against acid attacks compared to FV used with laser