Prevalence and risk factors of allergies in turkey (PARFAIT): Results of a multicentre cross-sectional study in adults

The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Allergies in Turkey (PARFAIT) study was planned to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for asthma and allergic diseases in Turkey. The present analysis used data from 25,843 parents of primary school children, obtained from a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. A total of 25,843 questionnaires from 14 centres were evaluated. In rural areas, the prevalences asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis and eczema in males were: 8.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.9-9.1%), 13.5% (95% CI 12.8-14.2%), 17.5% (95% CI 16.7-18.2%) and 10.8% (95% CI 10.211.4%), respectively; and in females were: 11.2% (95% CI 10.9-11.8%), 14.7% (95% CI 14.315.1%), 21.2% (95% CI 20.4-22.0%) and 13.1% (95% CI 2.4-13.8%), respectively. In urban areas, the corresponding prevalences in males were: 6.2% (95% CI 5.8-6.6%), 10.8% (95% CI 10.311.3%), 11.7% (95% CI 11.4-12.0%) and 6.6% (95% CI 6.2-7.0%), respectively; and in females were: 7.5 % (95% CI 7.9-7.1%), 12.0% (95% CI 11.7-12.3%), 17.0% (95% CI 16.4-17.6%) and 7.3% (95% CI 6.9-7.7%), respectively. Having an atopic first-degree relative or any other atopic diseases had significant effects on the prevalence of allergic diseases. Housing conditions, such as living in a shanty-type house, visible moulds at home and use of wood or biomass as heating or cooking material were associated with one or more allergic diseases. Although genetic susceptibility is strongly associated, country-and population-based environmental factors may contribute to increased prevalence rates of allergic diseases. Copyright © ERS Journals Ltd 2009

Identification and Validation of Novel Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers for Staging Early Alzheimer's Disease

Ideally, disease modifying therapies for Alzheimer disease (AD) will be applied during the 'preclinical' stage (pathology present with cognition intact) before severe neuronal damage occurs, or upon recognizing very mild cognitive impairment. Developing and judiciously administering such therapies will require biomarker panels to identify early AD pathology, classify disease stage, monitor pathological progression, and predict cognitive decline. To discover such biomarkers, we measured AD-associated changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome.CSF samples from individuals with mild AD (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] 1) (n = 24) and cognitively normal controls (CDR 0) (n = 24) were subjected to two-dimensional difference-in-gel electrophoresis. Within 119 differentially-abundant gel features, mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified 47 proteins. For validation, eleven proteins were re-evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Six of these assays (NrCAM, YKL-40, chromogranin A, carnosinase I, transthyretin, cystatin C) distinguished CDR 1 and CDR 0 groups and were subsequently applied (with tau, p-tau181 and Aβ42 ELISAs) to a larger independent cohort (n = 292) that included individuals with very mild dementia (CDR 0.5). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses using stepwise logistic regression yielded optimal biomarker combinations to distinguish CDR 0 from CDR>0 (tau, YKL-40, NrCAM) and CDR 1 from CDR<1 (tau, chromogranin A, carnosinase I) with areas under the curve of 0.90 (0.85-0.94 95% confidence interval [CI]) and 0.88 (0.81-0.94 CI), respectively.Four novel CSF biomarkers for AD (NrCAM, YKL-40, chromogranin A, carnosinase I) can improve the diagnostic accuracy of Aβ42 and tau. Together, these six markers describe six clinicopathological stages from cognitive normalcy to mild dementia, including stages defined by increased risk of cognitive decline. Such a panel might improve clinical trial efficiency by guiding subject enrollment and monitoring disease progression. Further studies will be required to validate this panel and evaluate its potential for distinguishing AD from other dementing conditions

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Thermoluminescence glow curve analysis of Ca3Y2B4O12 phosphor prepared using combustion method

Ca3Y2B4O12 (CBYO) phosphor was synthesized using a gel combustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement confirmed a single-phase structure (space group Pnma (62)) of synthesized compound. TL measurements were conducted between room temperature (RT) and 450 degrees C at a heating rate of 2 degrees Cs-1. Significant glow peaks were observed at 64, 116, and 242 degrees C in CYBO phosphor sample exposed to different beta doses. In the range of 0.1-100 Gy, the TL intensity of the glow peak displayed good linearity. Different methods were employed to determine the number of peaks, the trap structure, and the kinetic parameters of the thermoluminescence glow curve of CBYO; the Hoogenstraaten method, various heating rates (VHR), and glow curve deconvolution method (CGCD) implemented through tgcd:An R package. Currently available findings confirm that CYBO host is a promising candidate for environmental studies because one exhibits adequate TL dose response coupled with a good sensitivity and linearity

Thermoluminescence characteristics of a novel Li2MoO4 phosphor: Heating rate, dose response and kinetic parameters

Lithium molybdate (Li2MoO4) phosphor was synthesized by a gel combustion method and its thermoluminescence properties were studied with the irradiation of beta. Various Heating Rate (VHR), Initial Rise (IR), and Computerized Glow Curve Deconvolution (CGCD) methods were used to determine the kinetic parameters (activation energy E (eV), frequency factor s (s(-1)), and kinetic order b) of the visible glow peaks. According to the kinetic study, the TL glow curve is made up of seven separate peaks with activation energies of 1.05, 0.76, 0.40, 0.60, 0.78, 1.81 and 1.25 eV and these peaks follow general-order kinetics. The results clearly showed that undoped Li2MoO4 has a potential to be considered in dosimetric applications where high doses have to be monitored as in the case of clinical dosimetry.Izmir Bakircay University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit [GDM.2021.003]This work was supported by Izmir Bakircay University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit, under grant number GDM.2021.003

Thermoluminescence glow curve analysis and kinetic parameters of Eu doped Li2MoO4 ceramic phosphors

LiMoO4: x Eu ceramic phosphors with x = 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 mol% were synthesized using a gel combustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirmed a rhombohedral structure (space group R-3) of synthesized compounds. Following irradiation with 50 Gy beta dose, the sample doped with 5 mol% Eu exhibited the highest integrated thermoluminescence (TL) intensity. In order to evaluate dose-response, samples were irradiated with beta radiation for 10-1000 Gy. TL intensity with 1000 Gy dose without saturation yielded the highest integrated value. Different methods were employed to determine the number of peaks, the trap structure, and the kinetic parameters of the thermoluminescence glow curve of Eu doped Li2MoO4: the Hoogenstraaten method, the Booth-Bohun-Parfianovitch method, the initial rise method (IR), combined with the T-M-T-stop experiment, various heating rates (VHR), and glow curve fitting with two different software packages. Based on the glow curve deconvolution obtained using both software packages, the component TL glow peaks present in the complex glow curve are composed of well-isolated nine overlapping glow peaks. Two software packages have shown quite similar activation energies and frequency factors.I?zmir Bak?r?ay University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit [GDM.2021.003]Acknowledgement This work was supported by I?zmir Bak?r?ay University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit, under grant number GDM.2021.003

Samarium doped Ca(3)Y2B(4)O(12) phosphor prepared by combustion method: Anomalous heating rate effect, dosimetric features, and TL kinetic analyses

The structural and thermoluminescence characteristics of samarium doped Ca3Y2B4O12 samples at various concentrations are presented. The samples were synthesized via the combustion method. The thermolumines-cence (TL) glow curves for Ca(3)Y2B(4)O(12):Sm3+ depict strong peaks at 97 and 410 C. Ca(3)Y2B(4)O(12):Sm3+ exhibited completely opposite behavior, contrary to expectations, in that the luminescence intensity of both the total and individual glow peaks increased with the heating rate throughout the TL experiments. This unusual TL glow peak pattern was discussed via the Mandowski model of semi-localized transitions. The kinetic characteristics of both prominent glow peaks were established using various analysis techniques, including variable heating rate, initial rise (IR) by using the TM-Tstop method and the fractional glow technique (FGT), and computerized glow curve deconvolution (GCD). The dose response of the high temperature peak at 410 C is linear between 0.1 and 5 Gy, and then sublinear at higher doses. In addition, the repeatability and fading results of 410 C TL peak also yielded very favorable results. These findings suggest that Ca(3)Y2B(4)O(12):Sm(3+ )has great potential in the development of high temperature dosimetric materials for beta irradiation