Determining the effects of excess weight on renal cortical stiffness in children and adolescents with point Shear Wave Elastography.

Aim: To determine the early effects of excess weight on renal cortical stiffness in children and adolescents using point shear wave elastography (pSWE). Materials and methods: One hundred and forty-six overweight and obese children (43.2% male: mean age, 12.6 +/- 2.9 years: range 4.3-18) and 48 lean children (27.1% male: mean age, 12.4 +/- 3.4: range 4.8-18.9) were included in the study and control group, respectively. pSWE measurements of the two kidneys were performed. The mean value of shear wave velocity was compared between groups. Results: The mean shear wave velocity was 2.79 +/- 0.53 m/s for the control subjects and 3.09 +/- 0.59 m/s for the overweight-obese subjects. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (p=0.001). There was no correlation between shear wave velocity and age or depth. A positive correlation was found between shear wave velocity and body mass index, body mass index-standard deviation score, Conclusion: Renal cortical stiffness was higher in children with excess weight than in lean children. This study is the first attempt at applying pSWE to investigate the early adverse effects of excess weight

Molybdenum disulfide as the interfacial layer in the CuO-TiO2 photocathode for photoelectrochemical cells

WOS: 000407946700065Photoelectrochemical cells guarantee the production of hydrogen as the clean energy source to overcome energy crisis. In this study, we have explored the impact of MoS2 as the interfacial layer in the CuO-TiO2 composite photocathode framework. The CuO was electrodeposited on the indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates and subsequently treated at high temperature (550 degrees C for 2 h) to develop CuO. The fitting of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data revealed a decrease in the magnitude of total impedance (CEuroZCEuro) for the composite photocathode with MoS2 as the interfacial layer between the CuO and TiO2. The magnitudes of charge transfer resistance for the ITO/CuO, ITO/CuO/TiO2, and ITO/CuO/MoS2/TiO2 electrodes were calculated as 429,170, 18,490, and 17,388 Omega cm(-2), respectively. Likewise, the photocurrent density was increased with the addition of MoS2 at the interface up to -0.73 mA cm(2) which was recorded -0.39 mA cm(2). This study is critical for the future improvement of the potential photocathode materials with enhanced photocurrent response.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK Project) under the 2236-Co-Funded Brain Circulation Scheme [116C035]The author acknowledge the financial support by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK Project No: 116C035) under the 2236-Co-Funded Brain Circulation Scheme

A novel thiophene Schiff base as an efficient corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1.0 M HCl: Electrochemical and quantum chemical studies

WOS: 000447482500043This study presents the synthesis, structural characterization, and inhibition efficiency of a new sulphur containing Schiff base (4-((thiophene-2-ylmethylene)amino)benzamide) (4-TAB) on mild steel in 1.0 M HCl solution. The inhibition efficiency of the 4-TAB is analysed by using electrochemical analysis, solution assay analysis, and theoretical calculation. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and linear polarization resistance results show the highest inhibitor efficiency of 96.8% and 96.5%. respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization measurements indicate a decreasing corrosion rate from 9.104 to 0.481 mm year(-1) by addition of 4-TAB. Theoretical calculations are performed using the density functional theory to further confirm and compare our experimental results. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Cukurova UniversityCukurova University [FBA-2017-7056]This work was supported by Cukurova University Scientific Research Project (grant numbers: FBA-2017-7056)

A Case Study for Turkey: A Secure Paper-Based Electronic Voting System

A Case Study for Turkey: A Secure Paper-Based Electronic Voting Syste

Evaluation of vitamin D prophylaxis in 3-36-month-old infants and children.

AbstractBackground:Vitamin D (VD) deficiency (VDD) is still a population-based health problem that affects people at different ages. The aim of this study was to evaluate VD prophylaxis for the prevention of VDD in (3–36)-month-old infants and children.Methods:Infants and children aged between 3 and 36 months, with different etiologies, admitted to outpatient and inpatient clinics from October 2010 to October 2011 at the Children’s Hospital of Erciyes University, were enrolled for the study. Their VD intake (if used; time of initiation, dosage and compliance) and nutritional status (breast-fed, formula or complementary fed) were noted. In order to study seasonal VD changes, the levels of serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, alkaline phosphatase activity (PLA), plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 25 hydroxyvitamin 25(OH)D levels were measured at the beginning of VD supplementation during the four seasons.Results:A total of 316 subjects were enrolled in the study, consisting of 202 (63.9%) outpatient and 114 (26.1%) inpatient groups. From these subjects, 304 (96.2%) were supplemented with VD; whereas 12 (3.8%) were not. Out of the subjects supplemented with VD, 237 (75%) initiated VD after the second week of life, 267 (87.8%) were given three drops of VD daily and 209 (66.1%) had taken VD regularly. The plasma 25(OH)D levels were found to be lower in the inpatient group than the outpatient group (29.35 ng/mL and 34.35 ng/mL, respectively). The plasma 25(OH)D levels were lower during the spring and winter. VDD and VD insufficiency (VDI) was found in 31 (9.8%) and 30 (9.5%) subjects, respectively.Conclusions:The plasma 25(OH)D levels were lower in inpatient and breast-fed only subjects and in winter and spring. The national VD augmentation program seems to be beneficial for the prevention of VDD, but VDD/VDI seems to still be an important health problem.</jats:sec

Effects of L-carnitine supplementation on respiratory distress syndrome development and prognosis in premature infants: A single blind randomized controlled trial

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of L-carnitine therapy on the occurrence and prognosis of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). A single blind, randomized controlled trial study was conducted on 130 infants with gestational ages of 28-36 weeks. Infants were assigned to experimental groups (groups 1 and 2) and control groups (groups 3 and 4). Groups 1 and 3 consisted of infants with RDS, and groups 2 and 4 groups were composed of infants without RDS. The experimental groups were treated with carnitine. No statistically significant differences in serum carnitine levels were detected between the study and the control groups on day 1 of treatment (P=0.06). However, on day 7 of treatment, serum carnitine levels in the experimental groups were significantly increased (P=0.02), as compared with the control groups. The surfactant requirement value, which is how many rounds of surfactant therapy were required, was 1.56+/-0.97 in group 1, and 2.12+/-0.99 in group 3 (P<0.001). The mean duration of mechanical ventilation required was 3.04+/-3.60 days in group 1, and 4.73+/-5.63 days in group 3 (P<0.001). The present results indicate that carnitine supplementation in premature infants with RDS may help to increase carnitine levels, thus decreasing the duration of mechanical ventilation and surfactant requirement

Clinical, Electrodiagnostic, and Genetic Features of Tangier Disease in an Adolescent Girl with Presentation of Peripheral Neuropathy

WOS: 000365348100010PubMed ID: 26479764Tangier disease (TD) is a rare, autosomal recessive inherited disorder caused by a mutation in the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) gene, which results in a decrease in plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Peripheral neuropathy can be seen in approximately 50% of patients with TD, which usually occurs after the age of 15 years, and is characterized by relapsing-remitting mono-or polyneuropathy or syringomyelia-like neuropathy. Herein, we report a 16-year-old female patient who was initially diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy at the age of 13 years. Whole exome sequencing was performed, and a nonsense mutation (p.Arg1817X) in ABCA1 was identified. The patient was investigated for systemic findings of TD after the genetic diagnosis was made, and low (<5 mg/dL) levels of HDL cholesterol were detected by lipid electrophoresis. Other family members were reexamined after the diagnosis of the proband, and asymptomatic sister of the proband was diagnosed with TD. We would like to emphasize that TD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pediatric patients presenting with peripheral neuropathy; furthermore detection of HDL levels by lipid electrophoresis is a simple but indicative diagnostic test

Serum levels of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) in drug-naive patients with generalized anxiety disorder

WOS: 000384776700048PubMed ID: 27512921Sex hormones, particularly estrogen, are suggested to play a role in the physiopathology of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Estrogen functions through the estrogen receptors alpha and beta and the recently discovered G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1). This study aimed, for the first time, to evaluate serum GPER1 levels in drug-naive patients with GAD. This study included 40 newly diagnosed drug -naive patients with GAD aged between 18 and 50 years and 40 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Medical histories were obtained, and physical examinations and laboratory tests were conducted; the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) was also used for all participants. Serum GPER1 levels were measured. The serum GPER1 level was significantly higher in the patients with GAD than in the controls. A positive significant correlation was observed between the GPER1 level and the HAM-A score. The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 85.0%, 82.5%, 82.9%, and 84.6%, respectively, for the presence of anxiety when the serum GPER1 value was >= 0.14 (the area under the curve was 0.904.). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that GPER1 levels were associated with the anxiety levels of patients, and that the serum GPER1 level was a valuable predictor of the presence of anxiety independent of gender. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Kahramanmaras Sutcuimam University [2014/3-46 M]This study was supported financially by the Kahramanmaras Sutcuimam University Scientific research project unit (Project no. 2014/3-46 M)