Development of highly luminescent and cytocompatible near-IR-emitting aqueous Ag2S quantum dots

Colloidally stable and highly luminescent near-IR emitting Ag2S quantum dots (NIRQDs) were prepared by a very simple aqueous method using 2-mercaptopropionic acid (2MPA) as a coating. Emission of Ag2S-2MPA NIRQDs can be tuned between 780 and 950 nm. These NIRQDs have photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY) around 7–39% and exhibit excellent cytocompatibility even at 600 mg mL 1 in NIH/3T3 cells. With such improved properties, Ag2S-2MPA NIRQDs have a great potential in practical bio-applications

Artifact-Removed Quantitative Analysis of Choriocapillaris Flow Voids

Objectives:To investigate choriocapillaris flow voids (FV) with a new optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) image processing strategy that can eliminate artifacts caused by vitreous opacities, sub-retinal pigment epithelium fluid and deposits, and subretinal fluid (SRF) by thresholding the en-face OCT image of the outer retina.Materials and Methods:We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with drusen and patients with active central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). FV number (FVn), average area (FVav), and maximum area (FVmax) and the percentage of nonperfused choriocapillaris area (PNPCA) obtained using the proposed strategy were compared with those obtained by removing only artifacts caused by the superficial capillary plexus (SCP).Results:The SRF group included 21 eyes with active CSC and the drusen group included 29 eyes with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration. FVav, FVmax, FVn, and PNPCA obtained using the algorithm were significantly lower than those obtained by removing only SCP-related artefacts in both groups (all p<0.05). The algorithm was also able to remove 96.9% of artifacts secondary to vitreous opacities and all artifacts secondary to serous pigment epithelial detachments.Conclusion:Choriocapillaris nonperfusion areas on OCTA images may be overestimated in eyes with RPE abnormalities and SRF due to artifacts. These artifact areas on choriocapillaris OCTA images can be removed using thresholded images of the outer retina en-face OCT scans. Our new artifact-removal strategy is useful in the assessment of choriocapillaris FV in eyes with SRF, drusen, drusen-like deposits, and pigment epithelial detachment

Histomorphometric assessment of the impact of bovine demineralized bone graft on bone healing versus autogenous, allogeneic and synthetic grafts in experimentally- induced critical size bone defects in rats [Ratlarda deneysel olarak oluşturulan kritik boyutlu kemik defektlerine uygulanan siğir kaynakli deminarelize kemik greftininin kemik iyiyleşmesine olan etkisinin otojen, allojenik ve sentetik greftlerle karşilaştirilmasinin histomorfometrik olarak i'ncelenmesi]

Objectives: Bone tissue has the ability to heal itself (regeneration) and may restore its morphology and function when injured. However, healing may be limited in the case of large wounds. A "critical-size defect" is an intraosseous wound in a particular bone and species of animal that will not heal spontaneously morphologically and functionally during the lifetime of the animal. Autogenous bone grafts have been regarded as "gold standard" for treatment of critical-size bone defects. Known drawbacks of autogenous bone graft have led to research efforts focusing on different graft materials and resulted in several alternative substitutes including xenografts, allografts and synthetic graft materials. The aim of the present study was to perform a histomorphometric study to investigate the effect of bovine demineralized bone graft on bone healing in comparison to autogenous, allogeneic and synthetic graft materials when applied into critical size bone defects with a diameter of 5 mm. Materials and Methods: Experimental animals were divided into 4 groups, each having 8 rats. In the control group, a mandibular defect was created and then filled with a bovine graft (Integros Bone Plus XS Adana/Turkey). In the experimental groups, autogenous bone was reinserted into the critical-size defect which was created using a trephine bur in Group I (autogenous group) and Group II received a human graft (Korea Bone Bank (KBB) Gasandong Keumcheongu Seoul/South Korea) to fill the critical-size defect. For Group III, a synthetic bone graft ß-tricalcium phosphate (Cerasorb North Carolina/USA) was applied on the critical-size bone defect. Specimens were obtained for histomorphometric examination and rats were sacrificed on day 28. Results: Histomorphometric examination performed on day 28 to evaluate the relative effects of different graft materials on new bone formation showed no significant difference in the volume of newly formed bone between groups receiving autogenous bone graft, allograft and bovine xenograft but a significant difference was observed versus synthetic bone graft group. Conclusion: While autogenous bone graft is currently regarded as the gold standard for bone regeneration, the difficulties in harvesting and application of autografts limit their use. Our results demonstrate that bovine bone graft may be used as a safe and effective alternative to autogenous bone graft. © 2018 Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Dentistry.Amaç: Kemik dokusu iyileşme özelliğine (rejenerasyon) sahiptir ve yaralanan kemik dokusu şekil ve fonksiyonunu yeniden kazanabilmektedir. Fakat yaralanmanin boyutu büyük olduğu zaman iyileşme sinirli kalabilmektedir. Kritik boyutlu kemik defekti; kemik dokusunda, canlinin yaşami boyunca, şekil ve fonksiyon olarak, kendiliğinden tamamen iyileşmesinin mümkün olmayacaği boyuttaki defekt anlamina gelir. Kritik kemik defektlerinde tedavi için otojen greft uygulamasi altin standart olarak kabul edilir. Otojen kemik greftinin bazi dezavantajlari nedeniyle araştirmacilar çalişmalarini farkli greft materyalleri üzerinde yoğunlaştirmişlardir. Bu çalişmalar neticesinde Ksenogreft, Allogreft ve sentetik greft materyalleri gibi seçenekler ortaya çikmiştir. çalişmamizin amaci 5mm çapinda kritik boyutlu kemik defektlerinde siğir kaynakli demineralize kemik grefti uygulamasinin kemik iyileşmesine etkisi ile ayni çaptaki defektlere otojenik, allojenik ve sentetik greft materyali uygulandiği zaman elde edilen iyileşmelerin histomorfometrik olarak incelenmesidir. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Deney hayvanlari her grup 8 deney hayvanindan oluşan 4 gruba ayrildi. Kontrol grubunda mandibulada defekt oluşturulduktan sonra defekt siğir kaynakli kemik grefti (Integros Bone Plus XS Adana/Türkiye) ile dolduruldu. Daha sonraki deney gruplarinda; I. grupta oluşturulan kritik boyutlu defekte trefin frezle çikartilan otojen kemik tekrar konuldu. II. grupta oluşturulan kritik boyutlu defekte insan kaynakli kemik grefti (Korea Bone Bank (KBB) Gasandong Keumcheongu Seoul/Korea) uygulandi. III. grupta oluşturulan kritik boyutlu kemik defektine ise sentetik kemik grefti grubunda yer alan ß-trikalsiyum fosfat (Cerasorb North Caroline/USA) uygulandi. 28 gün sonra ratlar öldürüldü.Her grup sakrifiye edilerek histomorfometrik incelemeye alindi. Bulgular: Farkli greft materyallerinin 28. günde yeni kemik oluşumuna olan etkisinin histomorfometrik olarak incelendiğinde otojen kemik grefti, allogreft ve siğir kaynakli kemik grefti uygulanan gruplar arasinda yeni oluşan kemik hacmi bakimindan anlamli bir fark bulunmazken, sentetik kemik grefti uygulanan grupla aralarindaki fark anlamli bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Otojen kemik grefti günümüzde hala altin standart olarak kabul edilmesine rağmen, elde edilmesi ve uygulanmasindaki zorluklar nedeniyle çalişmamizda kullandiğimiz siğir kaynakli kemik greftinin otojen kemik greftine alternatif olarak güvenilir ve etkili biçimde kullanilabileceği belirlenmiştir. © 2018 Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Dentistry.Firat University Scientific Research Projects Management UnitThis study was funded by Cumhuriyet University Scientific Research Projects Division (CUBAP) under the project code DIS 120

Effects of gamma irradiation on chemical, microbial quality and shelf life of shrimp

In the present study the combined effect of gamma irradiation (1, 3 and 5. kGy) and storage at two temperatures: refrigeration (+4. °C) and frozen (-18. °C), on the shelf-life extension of fresh shrimp meat was investigated. The study was based on microbiological and physicochemical changes occuring in the shrimp samples. Total volatile base nitrogen values and trimethylamine values for irradiated shrimp samples were significantly lower than non-irradiated samples at both storage temperatures, and the rate of decrease was more pronounced in samples irradiated at the higher dose (p<0.05). Thiobarbituric acid values for irradiated shrimp samples were significantly higher than non-irradiated samples at both storage temperatures (p<0.05). pH values of shrimp samples were affected significantly by both irradiating dose and storage temperatures (p<0.05). Microbial counts for non-irradiated shrimp samples were higher than the respective irradiated samples at both storage temperatures (p<0.05). The results revealed that irradiation at high dose (5. kGy) might enhance lipid oxidation, although the growth of microorganisms and protein oxidation was inhibited. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd

Quality of life and psychiatric symptoms in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective: The purpose of this study is to measure the depression and anxiety levels, to investigate their associations with sociodemographic variables and to emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary approach for the follow up and treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Method: We enrolled randomly selected 100 consecutive patients with type 2 DM, admitted to the outpatient clinic of endocrinology. Age, gender and marital status matched 100 volunteers served as control group. Sociodemographic data form and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), Short Form-36 (SF-36) were performed for all participants. Results: For SF-36, all subscale mean scores were found to be lower in type 2 DM patients as compared to control group. HAD-Anxiety (HAD-A) and HAD-Depression (HAD-D) mean scores in the group of patients were found to be higher than the mean scores of the control group. The difference was significant for HAD-D, whereas negligible for HAD-A. In both patient and control groups, subscales of life quality were found to be negatively correlated with both depression and anxiety. Comparing the HAD-A and the HAD-D mean scores according to the gender, both subscale mean points were higher in female than male in both groups. When the SF-36 subscale scores for males and females were compared, it was found that females have lower scores in all the subscales. HAD-A and HAD-D mean scores were found to be positively correlated with the duration of diabetes, however, this correlation was not statistically significant. Conclusions: In this study, it was found that type 2 DM have extremely deteriorated the quality of life of the patients and caused many psychological signs accompanying clinic. Thus, our study has shown the necessity of consultation and emphasizes the liaison for clinics

Ratlarda Deneysel Olarak Oluşturulan Kritik boyutlu kemik defektlerine uygulanan sığır kaynaklı deminarelize kemik greftininin kemik iyiyleşmesine olan etkisinin otojen,allojenik ve sentetik greftlerle karşılaştırılmasının histomorfometrik olarak incelenmesi

Amaç: Kemik dokusu iyileşme özelliğine (rejenerasyon) sahiptir ve yaralanan kemik dokusu şekil ve fonksiyonunu yeniden kazanabilmektedir. Fakat yaralanmanın boyutu büyük olduğu zaman iyileşme sınırlı kalabilmektedir. Kritik boyutlu kemik defekti; kemik dokusunda, canlının yaşamı boyunca, şekil ve fonksiyon olarak, kendiliğinden tamamen iyileşmesinin mümkün olmayacağı boyuttaki defekt anlamına gelir. Kritik kemik defektlerinde tedavi için otojen greft uygulaması altın standart olarak kabul edilir. Otojen kemik greftinin bazı dezavantajları nedeniyle araştırmacılar çalışmalarını farklı greft materyalleri üzerinde yoğunlaştırmışlardır. Bu çalışmalar neticesinde Ksenogreft, Allogreft ve sentetik greft materyalleri gibi seçenekler ortaya çıkmıştır. Çalışmamızın amacı 5mm çapında kritik boyutlu kemik defektlerinde sığır kaynaklı demineralize kemik grefti uygulamasının kemik iyileşmesine etkisi ile aynı çaptaki defektlere otojenik, allojenik ve sentetik greft materyali uygulandığı zaman elde edilen iyileşmelerin histomorfometrik olarak incelenmesidir. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Deney hayvanları her grup 8 deney hayvanından oluşan 4 gruba ayrıldı. Kontrol grubunda mandibulada defekt oluşturulduktan sonra defekt sığır kaynaklı kemik grefti (Integros Bone Plus XS Adana/Türkiye) ile dolduruldu. Daha sonraki deney gruplarında; I. grupta oluşturulan kritik boyutlu defekte trefin frezle çıkartılan otojen kemik tekrar konuldu. II. grupta oluşturulan kritik boyutlu defekte insan kaynaklı kemik grefti (Korea Bone Bank (KBB) Gasandong Keumcheongu Seoul/Korea) uygulandı. III. grupta oluşturulan kritik boyutlu kemik defektine ise sentetik kemik grefti grubunda yer alan β-trikalsiyum fosfat (Cerasorb North Caroline/USA) uygulandı. 28 gün sonra ratlar öldürüldü.Her grup sakrifiye edilerek histomorfometrik incelemeye alındı. Sonuç: Farklı greft materyallerinin 28. günde yeni kemik oluşumuna olan etkisinin histomorfometrik olarak incelendiğinde otojen kemik grefti, allogreft ve sığır kaynaklı kemik grefti uygulanan gruplar arasında yeni oluşan kemik hacmi bakımından anlamlı bir fark bulunmazken, sentetik kemik grefti uygulanan grupla aralarındaki fark anlamlı bulunmuştur. Otojen kemik grefti günümüzde hala altın standart olarak kabul edilmesine rağmen, elde edilmesi ve uygulanmasındaki zorluklar nedeniyle çalışmamızda kullandığımız sığır kaynaklı kemik greftinin otojen kemik greftine alternatif olarak güvenilir ve etkili biçimde kullanılabileceği belirlenmiştir

The Relationship Between the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma 2 Gene Polymorphism, Lipids and Adipokines in Patients with Major Depression

Objective: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR?), lipids, lipoproteins, and adipokines have recently been shown to be associated with psychiatric diseases. Our major aim is to investigate the contribution of the PPAR? gene polymorphism, adipokines, lipids, and lipoproteins to the development of major depression. Material and Methods: The frequency of Pro12Ala in exon 2 and C478T in exon 6 of the PPAR? gene, lipids and adipokines in major depression (n = 78) and control subjects (n= 64) were analyzed. Genotypes of PPARy gene polymorphisms were examined. Serum leptin, adiponectin, and resistin were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum apo A1, apo B, and Lp(a) levels were determined by immunonephelometry. Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels were analyzed by enzymatic methods. Results: The genotypes of exon 2 and exon 6 distribution did not differ between the control subjects and patients with major depression. Frequencies of genotypes of Pro12Ala, and Ala12Ala in exon 2 in overweight and obese patients with major depression were higher than those of overweight and obese controls. C478T polymorphism was highest in overweight and obese patients with major depression. Pro12Ala and Ala12Ala genotypes in exon 2 of PPAR? gene in patients were found to be associated with triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol. There were significant differences regarding glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apo B, Lp(a), adiponectin and resistin levels between patient and control subjects. Conclusion: PPAR? exon gene polymorphisms, alterations in lipid profile and adipokines may be associated with the development of major depression. © 2011 by Türkiye Klinikleri