Economic Integration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region

This study evaluates the effects of the current Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Agreement for the EU and the Mediterranean region, in order to assist policy makers in defining the next steps in the Euro-Mediterranean Road map till 2010 and beyond. It provides quantitative, qualitative and sectoral assessment of the impacts of the Euro-Mediterranean FTA on trade and investment, points out the partnerships’ strengths and weaknesses and provides policy recommendations with the view of realizing a goal of a well functioning free trade area in the future. The focus of the study is on Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia (MED5). [...

RENAL FAILURE

Background: Malnutrition is a common problem in uremic patients. It is unclear whether there is an association between the degree of malnutrition and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure patterns in patients undergoing hemodialysis. In the present study, we observed the relationship between the degree of malnutrition and deterioration of the rhythm of diurnal blood pressure, which are both risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity-mortality and associated with hypervolemia. Method: We observed 148 patients undergoing hemodialysis in the Nephrology Department of Celal Bayar University Hospital. All cases were assessed for body weight alterations, dietary food intake, gastrointestinal symptoms, loss of subcutaneous fat and muscle tissue, presence and severity of comorbidities, functional capacity (subjective global assessment), and anthropometric indices. Ambulatory blood pressure measurements were performed for all cases on the day between the two hemodialysis sessions. Results: We found that the circadian blood pressure rhythm deteriorated in patients with a high-malnutrition score, and that malnutrition was more common and severe in those subjects with the non-dipper and reverse-dipper blood pressure patterns. Malnutrition score was positively correlated with the nighttime systolic and nighttime mean blood pressures and mean 24-h arterial blood pressure (all p <= 0.01). We identified a positive correlation between malnutrition score and the reduction in serum albumin and anthropometric indices. Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate an association between malnutrition and deterioration in the circadian blood pressure rhythm in a hemodialysis population. Nutritional disturbance is associated with an increase in night-time blood pressure. Low serum albumin levels and hypervolemia may contribute this situation

Could Red Cell Distribution Width be a Marker in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

Aims: Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT) is the most common autoimmune thyroiditis worldwide and characterized with lymphomonocytic inflammation of the thyroid gland. Red cell distribution width (RDW) reflects erythrocyte anisocytosis and besides it increases in iron deficiency anemia, recent studies reported that RDW was also associated with conditions characterized with overt or subclinical infl ammation. We aimed to answer whether RDW increased in Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Association between Omentin Levels and Insulin Resistance in Pregnancy

Aims: Omentin is a new adipokine secreted mainly from visceral adipose tissue. Serum omentin is found to be reduced in patients with impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and insulin resistant states. Despite the fact that pregnancy is also characterized with hyperinsulinemia, literature is lacking about data of omentin levels and its association with insulin resistance in pregnant women. We aimed to evaluate the association of omentin levels and insulin resistance in pregnant women and to compare these levels with those of non-pregnant, nondiabetic women

Effect of particle shape on thermal conductivity of copper reinforced polymer composites

Thermal conductivity of copper powder filled polyamide composites are investigated experimentally in the range of filler content 0-30% by volume for particle shape of short fibers and 0-60% by volume for particle shapes of plates and spheres. The thermal conductivity of polymer composites is measured by the Hot-Disk method. It is seen that the experimental values for all the copper particle shapes are close to each other at low particle content, phi < 10, as the particles are dispersed in the polyamide matrix and they are not interacting with each other. For particle content greater than 10% by volume, a rapid increase occurs in the thermal conductivity for the copper fibers filled polymer composite. As a result of this study, thermal conductivity of copper filled polyamide composites depends on the thermal conductivity of the filler particles, filler particle shape and size, and the volume fraction and spatial arrangement of the filter particles in the polymer matrix