Reproductive biology traits affecting productivity of sour cherry

The objective of this work was to evaluate variability in reproductive biology traits and the correlation between them in genotypes of 'Oblacinska' sour cherry (Prunus cerasus). High genetic diversity was found in the 41 evaluated genotypes, and significant differences were observed among them for all studied traits: flowering time, pollen germination, number of fruiting branches, production of flower and fruit, number of flowers per bud, fruit set, and limb yield efficiency. The number of fruiting branches significantly influenced the number of flower and fruit, fruit set, and yield efficiency. In addition to number of fruiting branches, yield efficiency was positively correlated with fruit set and production of flower and fruit. Results from principal component analysis suggested a reduction of the reproductive biology factors affecting yield to four main characters: number and structure of fruiting branches, flowering time, and pollen germination. Knowledge of the reproductive biology of the 'Oblacinska' genotypes can be used to select the appropriate ones to be grown or used as parents in breeding programs. In this sense, genotypes II/2, III/9, III/13, and III/14 have very good flower production and satisfactory pollen germination

The effect of 1-MCP concentration on skin and flesh color polyphenol oxidase activity during cold storage and shelf life periods in ‘Ankara’ pear (Pyrus communis L.)

In this research, the effect of postharvest 1-methylcyclopropane (1-MCP) concentrations of 150 and 300 ppb on fruit skin and flesh color, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity of ‘Ankara’ pear (Pyrus communis L. ‘Ankara’) was investigated during two consecutive years. Fruit harvested at commercial harvest time were stored at 0±1°C temperature, 85-90% relative humidity (RH) conditions after 1-MCP treatments at 20°C for 24 h. In addition, for shelf life determinations, fruit were taken at 30 days intervals and kept at 20±1°C, 60-70% RH conditions for 2 weeks. The efficacy of 1-MCP treatments at both concentrations on keeping fruit color were clearer during shelf life periods and also they helped to decrease PPO activity. Moreover, fruit flesh L* and h* values are negatively and fruit flesh C values were positively correlated with PPO activity during shelf life periods in both years. A 1-MCP treatment concentration of 300 ppb could be promising for storing ‘Ankara’ pear fruit longer than 200 days and improved resistance to flesh browning disorder. © 2020 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.Data in this study is some part of M.Sc. thesis, ?The Effect of Postharvest 1-Methylcyclopropane Treatments on Storage of ?Ankara? Pear Cultivar?, by Nalan Bakoglu, Ankara University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Treatment delays and in-hospital outcomes in acute myocardial infarction during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationwide study

Objective: Delayed admission of myocardial infarction (MI) patients is an important prognostic factor. In the present nationwide registry (TURKMI-2), we evaluated the treatment delays and outcomes of patients with acute MI during the Covid-19 pandemic and compaired with a recent pre-pandemic registry (TURKMI-1). Methods: The pandemic and pre-pandemic studies were conducted prospectively as 15-day snapshot registries in the same 48 centers. The inclusion criteria for both registries were aged ≥18 years and a final diagnosis of acute MI (AMI) with positive troponin levels. The only difference between the 2 registries was that the pre-pandemic (TURKMI-1) registry (n=1872) included only patients presenting within the first 48 hours after symptom-onset. TURKMI-2 enrolled all consecutive patients (n=1113) presenting with AMI during the pandemic period. Results: A comparison of the patients with acute MI presenting within the 48-hour of symptom-onset in the pre-pandemic and pandemic registries revealed an overall 47.1% decrease in acute MI admissions during the pandemic. Median time from symptom-onset to hospital-arrival increased from 150 min to 185 min in patients with ST elevation MI (STEMI) and 295 min to 419 min in patients presenting with non-STEMI (NSTEMI) (p-values <0.001). Door-to-balloon time was similar in the two periods (37 vs. 40 min, p=0.448). In the pandemic period, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) decreased, especially in the NSTEMI group (60.3% vs. 47.4% in NSTEMI, p<0.001; 94.8% vs. 91.1% in STEMI, p=0.013) but the decrease was not significant in STEMI patients admitted within 12 hours of symptom-onset (94.9% vs. 92.1%; p=0.075). In-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were significantly increased during the pandemic period [4.8% vs. 8.9%; p<0.001; age- and sex-adjusted Odds ratio (95% CI) 1.96 (1.20-3.22) for NSTEMI, p=0.007; and 2.08 (1.38-3.13) for STEMI, p<0.001]. Conclusion: The present comparison of 2 nationwide registries showed a significant delay in treatment of patients presenting with acute MI during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although PCI was performed in a timely fashion, an increase in treatment delay might be responsible for the increased risk of MACE. Public education and establishing COVID-free hospitals are necessary to overcome patients' fear of using healthcare services and mitigate the potential complications of AMI during the pandemic. © 2020 by Turkish Society of Cardiology