Covalently functionalized MSNs as potential photosensitizing agents for PDT

Ankara : The Graduate Program of Materials Science and Nanotechnology and the Institute of Engineering and Sciences of Bilkent University, 2011.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2011.Includes bibliographical references leaves 42-45.Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a novel approach for the treatment of some cancers and other non-malignant diseases. PDT aims to kill cancer tissue by the generation of singlet oxygen as a result of excitation of the photosensitizer (PS) by illuminating with a light source at a certain wavelength. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are promising in PDT issue due to their chemical inertness, biocompatibility, lowtoxicity, hydrophility and ease of surface modification. We have synthesized and characterized novel boradiazaindacene (BODIPY)-based PS that is covalently attached to the pore of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). We have observed that near infrared absorbing photosensitizer attached MSNs successfully generate cytotoxic singlet oxygen.Kaplan, Merve TürkşanlıM.S

Mekânsal Davranış Yaklaşımı İle Huzurevlerinin Mekânsal Örgütlenmesinin İrdelenmesi, Bolu ve Düzce Örnekleri

Günümüzde özellikle gelişmiş ülkelerde hayat koşullarının iyileşmesiyle yaşam süreleri uzamıştır. Bunun sonucu olarak da artan yaşlı nüfus nedeniyle yaşlılık ve yaşlı kurumları üzerinde çalışılması gereken bir olgu haline gelmiştir. Yaşlılık kurumları olarak adlandırdığımız yaşlı bakım evleri, huzurevleri gibi kurumların tasarlanması,  gelişen olanaklar ve gereksinimler nedeniyle üzerinde araştırılması ve geliştirilmesi gereken önemli bir konu olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu kurumların tasarımı ve yaşlı birey davranışlarının mekânın mimarisi ile ilişkisinin araştırılması bu çalışmanın amacıdır. Araştırmada, mekânsal davranış kavramı literatürde incelenerek huzurevlerinin tasarımı ile ilişkisi irdelenecektir. Bu amaçla, Bolu İli, Merkez İlçesi’nde bulunan Bolu İzzet Baysal Vakıf Huzurevi ve Düzce İli, Kalıcı Konutlar Mevkii’nde bulunan Neriman Çilingir Huzurevleri örnek çalışma alanı olarak seçilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın kavramsal çerçevesini mekân ve  mekânsal davranış oluşturmaktadır.  Araştırma; fotoğraflama, gözlem, mülakat ve anket yöntemlerinin kullanıldığı dört aşamada gerçekleşmiştir. Bu araştırma ile elde edilen verilerin değerlendirilmesi sonucunda, yaşlı kullanıcı davranış tepkileri, mekânı kullanımları, mekânın dönüşümü ve alan çalışması olarak seçilen mekânlar üzerinde nasıl etki ettiğine ulaşılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, gelecekteki huzurevlerinin projelendirilmesinde bu yaş gurubundaki insanların duyuşsal ve davranışsal gereksinimleri dikkate alınarak mimari tasarım sürecinde göz önünde tutulması gereken somut ölçütlerin elde edilmesi hedeflenmektedir

Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Kapsamında Türkiye’nin Deniz ve Deniz Ürünleri Profili

Günümüzde, dünya liderleri, ekonomik ve politik kararlarını sürdürülebilir kalkınma hedeflerine dayanarakuygulamaya koymaktadırlar. Ülkeler ekonomik büyüme ve kalkınma süreçlerini devam ettirirken, doğaya veçevreye daha az zarar vermenin ve doğal kaynakların daha verimli kullanılmasının yol ve teknikleri üzerineodaklanmaktadırlar. Sürdürülebilir kalkınma için 2030 Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Hedefleri (2030 SKH) önemlive iyi bir rehber özelliği taşımaktadır. 2015 yılında Birleşmiş Miller tarafından öne sürülen bu hedefler, oldukçaayrıntılı 17 temel hedef sunarak dünya ülkelerine yol göstermeye başlamıştır. 2030 Sürdürülebilir KalkınmaHedefleri çok çeşitli temalarda sürdürülebilirliğin sağlanabilmesi için hangi amaçların gerçekleştirilmesigerektiğini belirtmektedir. Denizler ve sualtı yaşam ile ilgili olarak da Hedef-14’ün amacı ülkelerin denizlerinkorunması, sualtı yaşamın devamlılığı ve çeşitliliğin korunmasına ilişkin yol gösterici unsurlarıgöstermektedir. Bu bağlamda, çalışmanın amacı Türkiye’nin sürdürülebilir kalkınma hedefleri kapsamındadenizlerin ve deniz ürünlerinin mevcut durumunu inceleyerek, Türkiye’deki denizler ve deniz ürünlerineyönelik bir profil vermektir

Revisiting Urban Brownfield Regeneration and Beyond within the Lens of Green Infrastructure-based Design and Management

The typical showcase of urban transformation practice can be experienced mostly in the core or close proximity of downtowns as either replacing a series of existing vacant or deserted lots along with exacerbated natural system or retrofitting built-up areas and housing affordability. In this way, regardless of their size but their linkage with nearby land uses and down to the urban core, brownfields necessitate urban regeneration practice whereas charging the city with discriminatory land use policies as well as a multitude of social and ecological problems. Urban brownfields consisting of natural assets -including river, wetlands, delta etc.-, post-industrial facilities and districts, dysfunctional settlement patterns and slums, and leftover areas make up of depressed, yet significant regions of urban fabric. Having traces of very natural and cultural threads of urban communities, these specific places as a basic ‘urban regenerator’ are capable of revising physical and social aspects of downtowns or urban core areas. The basic argument raised in the paper engages urban brownfield(s) within fast growing metropolitan cities across the globe into urban regeneration policy through hands-on experience of green infrastructure concept. Based on this fact, this paper aims at; - introducing green infrastructure-based design and management approach that claims to mitigate present and likely effects of social and ecological problems particularly on both urban fabric and the brownfield itself while recognizing the importance of urban (brownfield) regeneration policy, - studying the theme in the case of a strategically significant and centrally located brownfield of İzmir coastal metropolitan city that embraces post-industrial sites, slums and abandoned lots along with delta and hydrological system. This brownfield and its urban-wide ecological, social and historical traces have nowadays been a central concern of urban regeneration in İzmir

N-glycans from human milk glycoproteins are selectively released by an infant gut symbiont in vivo

Complex, indigestible free oligosaccharides as well as conjugated glycans are found in milk that shape the gut microbiome of infants. The activity of an endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase from B. longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis) is known to release N-glycans from native milk glycoproteins under physiological conditions. We investigated whether this enzyme is active in vivo in breastfed infants fed B. infantis EVC001. Using mass spectrometry, we found 19 N-glycans related to human milk glycoproteins increased in abundance, similar to previous work using bovine milk glycoproteins, and these 19 N-glycans matched unique specificities of this enzyme. Twenty N-glycans were unique to infants fed B. infantis EVC001. Bifidobacteriaceae were correlated with these glycans, confirming the relationship between B. infantis and released N-glycans. This suggests that this enzyme is active in vivo and releases N-glycans from milk glycoproteins, and may play a role in B. infantis EVC001 colonization of the gut microbiome

Post-Recovery Sexual Function of Women with COVID-19 and Associated Factors

This study was conducted to investigate the sexual function status and related factors in women after contracting COVID-19. The study comprised 261 women who had been infected with COVID-19. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Female Sexual Function Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Sub-dimension scores for desire (3.80 ± 1.16, 3.66 ± 1.17), arousal (4.25 ± 1.40, 4.11 ± 1.41), orgasm (4.36 ± 1.25, 4.29 ± 1.26), and sexual satisfaction (4.50 ± 1.49, 4.40 ± 1.49) in women, as well as the Female Sexual Function Scale total score (26.50 ± 6.79, 26.00 ± 6.93), decreased following COVID-19 infection. Moreover, the frequency of weekly intercourse decreased (2.78 ± 0.90; 2.60 ± 0.92) compared to the pre-infection levels, and the frequency of sexual dysfunction increased (FSFI < 26 = 38.7%, 46.0%). In this study, advanced age, high body mass index (BMI) value, low education, income level, unemployment, smoking, lack of physical activity, anxiety, decreased coital frequency, and COVID-19 infection were identified as risk factors for sexual dysfunction. There was no significant relationship between the time elapsed after recovery from COVID-19 and sexual function. In conclusion, this research suggests that COVID-19 infection may lead to sexual dysfunction in women. Based on these research findings, health practitioners should assess the sexual health of female patients who have had COVID-19 infections, ensuring that women feel comfortable discussing their sexual health issues and referring them to appropriate treatment and counseling services when needed

Investigation of Pasta Consumption Habits in Türkiye

This study aim to determine pasta consumption habits in Türkiye. Durum wheat is the basic raw material of pasta. Türkiye is one of the most important durum wheat producing country in the world. Pasta is widely consumed and cooked in household for centuries due to its long shelf life, easy preparation, delicious taste and affordable food. In the study%253B considering the geographical regions of Türkiye, the provinces with the highest population in the regions were biasedly selected. While number of surveys to be conducted with consumers was determined as 1815 according to the simple random sampling method, they were completed in 2019 through face-to-face interviews with consumers. Results indicated that 30%25 of households in Türkiye bought pasta once a week, 37.3%25 of households cooked pasta once a week. On the other hand, average consumption per person was found as 11.95 kg. Results also determined that price and quality are the most important criterias of consumers in demanding pasta . It was observed that consumers tended to eat healthier rather than meet their nutritional needs. Although pasta has an important place in Turkish cuisine, the results of the research proved again that pasta was a food consumed by all age groups in Türkiye. Considering that sauces come to the forefront in countries where pasta is consumed the most, developing and recommending sauces suitable for the Turkish palate may be one of the ways to increase pasta consumption

The Importance of Analytical Chemistry in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring for Personalized Medicine

Personalized therapy (PM) has the potential to adapt treatment with the best response and highest safety to provide better patient care. Key data is drug concentration of biological materials such as plasma and serum.Individual drug therapy means, choice of a drug and its dose regime should fit every individual specifically. Thus efficacy of a drug treatment would improve significantly. When developing an analytical method for (Therapeutic drug monitoring) TDM, it is important to choose a clinically relevant calibration range. This quantitation range should be built around the proposed target concentration, covering majority of samples as seen in the clinic (Ciocan-Cartita et al. 2019).Inter-individual variability in Pharmacokinetic variables may affect the blood concentration of drug so TDM approaches could solve the dosing problem.To achieve individual drug therapy with a reasonably predictive outcome, one must further account for different patterns of drug response among geographically and ethnically distinct populations. Keywords: LC-MS/MS, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Lenalidomide, Anastrozole DOI: 10.7176/CMR/12-7-05 Publication date:September 30th 202

Potential Applications of Endo-B-N-Acetylglucosaminidases From Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies infantis in Designing Value-Added, Next-Generation Infant Formulas

Human milk is the optimal source of infant nutrition. Among many other health benefits, human milk can stimulate the development of a Bifidobacterium-rich microbiome through human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). In recent years, the development of novel formulas has placed particular focus on incorporating some of the beneficial functional properties of human milk. These include adding specific glycans aimed to selectively stimulate the growth of Bifidobacterium. However, the bifidogenicity of human milk remains unparalleled. Dietary N-glycans are carbohydrate structures conjugated to a wide variety of glycoproteins. These glycans have a remarkable structural similarity to HMOs and, when released, show a strong bifidogenic effect. This review discusses the biocatalytic potential of the endo-B-N-acetylglucosaminidase enzyme (EndoBI-1) from Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis (B. infantis), in releasing N-glycans inherently present in infant formula as means to increase the bifidogenicity of infant formula. Finally, the potential implications for protein deglycosylation with EndoBI-1 in the development of value added, next-generation formulas are discussed from a technical perspective

Bovine Colostrum and Its Potential for Human Health and Nutrition

Colostrum is the first milk produced post-partum by mammals and is compositionally distinct from mature milk. Bovine colostrum has a long history of consumption by humans, and there have been a number of studies investigating its potential for applications in human nutrition and health. Extensive characterization of the constituent fractions has identified a wealth of potentially bioactive molecules, their potential for shaping neonatal development, and the potential for their application beyond the neonatal period. Proteins, fats, glycans, minerals, and vitamins are abundant in colostrum, and advances in dairy processing technologies have enabled the advancement of bovine colostrum from relative limitations of a fresh and unprocessed food to a variety of potential applications. In these forms, clinical studies have examined bovine colostrumas having the substantial potential to improve human health. This review discusses the macro-and micronutrient composition of colostrum as well as describing well-characterized bioactives found in bovine colostrum and their potential for human health. Current gaps in knowledge are also identified and future directions are considered in order to elevate the potential for bovine colostrum as a component of a healthy diet for a variety of relevant human populations