Serum and peritoneal fluid levels of ischemia modified albumin in moderate/severe endometriosis

Background: Recently, the role of oxidative stress in progression of endometriosis has been reported. Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a marker of protein oxidation and very limited number of studies has evaluated the role of IMA in endometriosis. This study was designed to evaluate the serum and peritoneal fluid IMA levels in moderate/severe endometriosis as a marker for oxidative stress.Methods: This study was designed as a prospective controlled clinical trial. The study group consisted of 35 cases who underwent laparoscopy and with a diagnosis of moderate/severe endometriosis. The control group (n=35) was cases without endometriosis that underwent laparoscopy for tubal sterilization. The serum and peritoneal fluid IMA levels were measured spectrophotometrically by colorimetric method with complex of albumin non-binding cobalt and dithioerthreitol.Results: Although the median serum IMA levels in study and control groups were similar (p=0.553), the levels of peritoneal fluid IMA were significantly higher in study group (p=0.044). In endometriosis cases with dysmenorrhea peritoneal fluid IMA levels were much higher than cases without dysmenorrhea (p=0.018).Conclusions: The increased levels of IMA in peritoneal fluid of endometriosis support the possible role of oxidative stress in endometriosis. With this study, peritoneal fluid IMA levels are initially documented in endometriosis cases

Studies of equity returns in emerging markets: a literature review

We review the literature on empirical asset pricing in emerging markets. This literature is quite diverse and almost thirty years old. In order to make this task manageable, we focus on equity markets and limit the topics to return predictability and volatility modeling as well as restricting the review to the set of top journals in finance and those that specialize on emerging markets

Derivative markets in emerging economies: a survey

We review the literature on derivatives in emerging markets. This young but booming literature appears to be concentrated on a few countries, but is quite rich in terms of subject coverage. We classify these topics based on the generally recognized functions of derivative markets and restrict the review to the set of top journals in finance and those that specialize on emerging markets or derivatives

Black carbon traces of human activities in stalagmites from Turkey

Speleothems are recognized as sensitive recorders of climatic fluctuations in the past and provide precisely dated and highly resolved environmental records. However, their potential as an archaeological archive is not fully acknowledged yet. Here we present several stalagmites containing soot and charcoal layers from various caves in Turkey and provide evidence that these black carbon layers are directly related to human activity. The archaeological artefacts found in Tabak and Kocain caves in SW Turkey support the linkage between soot and charcoal layers existence and human activity in the caves. For this study, we focus on stalagmites from Tabak and Kocain cave. To explore the age and nature of the soot and charcoal layers within stalagmites Ta-9, Ta-10 and Ko-1, Uranium series dating, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thin section analyses were performed. The episodic soot and charcoal deposition in stalagmites Ta-9 and Ta-10 occurred between 7424 +/- 225 yr BP and 6670 +/- 218 yr BP while the soot and charcoal layers in stalagmite Ko-1 formed between 2830 +/- 189 yr BP and 470 +/- 56 yr BP. In combination with the archaeological inventory in Tabak Cave, the soot and charcoal layers within stalagmites Ta-9 and Ta-10 show that the cave was used repeatedly as a burial site during Chalcolithic period. In Kocain Cave was also used repeatedly between the Iron Age and Medieval Period, most likely for ritual activities and for providing animals with water from a small spring in the entrance to the cave. The soot and charcoal layers within stalagmites from Turkey prove that speleothems are also important as archaeological archives

Systemic Low-Grade Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Akdi, Ahmet/0000-0002-3428-1977; Okutucu, Sercan/0000-0002-2001-929XWOS: 000461553100014PubMed: 30122069