Applicability of the reinforced ground embankments on sloped terrain and their comparison with alternative rockfall protection system solutions: Kanlıpelit case

Toprakarme duvarlar kaya düşmesi afetini engellemek için kullanılan yüksek enerji sönümleme özelliğine sahip masif yapılardır. Toprakarme duvarların taban genişlikleri fazla olması nedeniyle kaya düşmesinin yaşandığı eğimli arazilerde uygulanmasında çeşitli sıkıntılar doğmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, eğimli arazilerde toprakarme duvarların uygulanabilmesi için geliştirilmiş çözüm örnek bir proje üzerine incelenmiştir. Buna göre eğimli arazide 6 m yüksekliğinde taş istinat duvarı ve dolgu yapılarak düz bir platform elde edilmesi ve toprakarme duvarın platform üzerine yapılması projelendirilmiştir. Platform yapılmadan önce 8 adet en kesit üzerine kaya düşme analizleri gerçekleştirilerek kayanın sıçrama yüksekliği, hız ve toplam kinetik enerji değerleri elde edilmiş, daha sonra platform imalatı bitirilmiş, aynı analizlerle elde edilen veriler karşılaştırılmıştır. Yapılan çalışmada oluşturulan bu platform kayaların sıçrama yükseklikleri değerlerini %83, kinetik enerji değerlerini %62 ve hız değerlerini %42 oranında azaltmıştır. Çalışmanın ikinci kısmında projelendirilen platform üzeri toprakarme duvarın maliyeti alternatif projelerin maliyetleri ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Buna göre 6 metre betonarme duvar arkasına dolgu ve üzerine 3 metre yüksekliğinde çelik bariyer yapılmasından %60.8 oranında ve 6 metre yüksekliğinde çelik bariyer yapılmasından ise %74.5 oranında daha az maliyetli olduğu görülmüştür. Yapılan çalışmanın sonunda; Çelik bariyerler, kaya çarpmaları sırasında boyca azalmaları, ilk yapım ve bakım onarım maliyetleri, ithal edilmeleri ve doğaya uyumu gibi çeşitli konularda toprakarme duvarlara göre dezavantajlıdır. Bu nedenle oluşturulan platform üzerinde toprakarme duvar yapılmasının hem güvenlik açısından hem de maliyet açısından üstün bir ıslah yöntemi olduğu ortaya çıkmaktadır. Çalışma kapsamında geliştirilen yöntem Trabzon İli Maçka İlçesi Güney Mahallesinde kaya ıslahı projesinde uygulanmıştır.Reinforced ground embankments having high energy absorption capacity, which are being used as rockfall protection systems, are massive structures. Various problems arise in the application of reinforced ground embankments on sloped terrain, where rockfall occurs, because of it is high bottom width. In this study, a solution was improved for the application of reinforced ground embankments walls on sloping lands and was examined by implementing a pilot project. Additionally, it was planned to obtain a flat platform on inclined land with a 6 m high stone retaining wall and filling in order to construct the reinforced ground embankments wall on it. Initially rock fall analyses were performed on 8 cross sections in order to obtain bounce height, velocity and total kinetic energy values prior to constructing the platform. The same analysis was once again performed following the platform construction and the obtained data were compared. This platform has reduced 83% of the rocks’ bounce heights, 62% of kinetic energy and 42% of velocity values. In the second part of the study, the cost of the reinforced ground embankments on the platform was compared with the costs of alternative projects. It was observed that constructing platform was 60.8% less expensive than a 6meter reinforced concrete wall with a 3meter steel barrier and 74.5% cheaper than a 6meter steel barrier. Steel barriers are disadvantageous compared to the reinforced ground embankments walls in various aspect such as reduction in length during rock collisions, construction cost, maintenance costs, import and adaptation to nature. For the reasons above, we have concluded that construction of reinforced ground embankments wall over a constructed platform is a more efficient improvement solution in terms of both safety and cost. The developed solution within the scope of the study was applied in the rockfall protection project in Güney neighborhood, Maçka District of Trabzon Province

High abundance of sugar metabolisers in saliva of children with caries

Dental caries is a biofilm-mediated, dynamic disease with early onset. A balanced salivary microbiota is a foundation of oral health, while dysbiosis causes tooth decay. We compared the saliva microbiota profiles in children with and without caries. The study consisted of 617 children aged 9-12 years from the Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) study with available register data on oral health. Caries status was summarised based on Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index in permanent dentition. The children were then classified into the following two groups: DMFT value >= 1 was considered as cavitated caries lesions (hereafter called 'caries') (n=208) and DMFT=0 as 'cavity free' (n=409). Bacterial 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4 regions) was amplified using PCR and sequenced by Illumina HiSeq. The mean age (SD) of the children was 11.7 (0.4) years and 56% were girls. The children had relatively good dental health with mean DMFT of 0.86 (1.97). Since sex was the key determinant of microbiota composition (p=0.014), we focused on sex-stratified analysis. Alpha diversity indexes did not differ between caries and cavity free groups in either sexes (Shannon: p=0.40 and 0.58; Inverse Simpson: p=0.51 and 0.60, in boys and girls, respectively); neither did the composition differ between the groups (p=0.070 for boys and p=0.230 for girls). At the genus level, Paludibacter and Labrenzia had higher abundances in the caries group compared to cavity free group in both sexes (pPeer reviewe

Molecular-receptor-specific, non-toxic, near-infrared-emitting Au cluster-protein nanoconjugates for targeted cancer imaging

Molecular-receptor-targeted imaging of folate receptor positive oral carcinoma cells using folic-acid-conjugated fluorescent Au25 nanoclusters (Au NCs) is reported. Highly fluorescent Au25 clusters were synthesized by controlled reduction of Au+ ions, stabilized in bovine serum albumin (BSA), using a green-chemical reducing agent, ascorbic acid (vitamin-C). For targeted-imaging-based detection of cancer cells, the clusters were conjugated with folic acid (FA) through amide linkage with the BSA shell. The bioconjugated clusters show excellent stability over a wide range of pH from 4 to 14 and fluorescence efficiency of ~5.7% at pH 7.4 in phosphate buffer saline (PBS), indicating effective protection of nanoclusters by serum albumin during the bioconjugation reaction and cell-cluster interaction. The nanoclusters were characterized for their physico-chemical properties, toxicity and cancer targeting efficacy in vitro. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggests binding energies correlating to metal Au 4f7/2˜83.97 eV and Au 4f5/2~87.768 eV. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of individual nanoclusters of size ~1 nm and protein cluster aggregates of size ~8 nm. Photoluminescence studies show bright fluorescence with peak maximum at ~674 nm with the spectral profile covering the near-infrared (NIR) region, making it possible to image clusters at the 700-800 nm emission window where the tissue absorption of light is minimum. The cell viability and reactive oxygen toxicity studies indicate the non-toxic nature of the Au clusters up to relatively higher concentrations of 500 µg ml-1. Receptor-targeted cancer detection using Au clusters is demonstrated on FR+ve oral squamous cell carcinoma (KB) and breast adenocarcinoma cell MCF-7, where the FA-conjugated Au25 clusters were found internalized in significantly higher concentrations compared to the negative control cell lines. This study demonstrates the potential of using non-toxic fluorescent Au nanoclusters for the targeted imaging of cancer

The Composition and Functional Capacities of Saliva Microbiota Differ Between Children With Low and High Sweet Treat Consumption

Excess sugar consumption—common in youth—is associated with poor health. Evidence on the relationship between sugar consumption and the oral microbiome, however, remains scarce and inconclusive. We explored whether the diversity, composition, and functional capacities of saliva microbiota differ based on the consumption of select sugary foods and drinks (“sweet treats”). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we characterized saliva microbiota from 11 to 13-year-old children who participated in the Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) cohort study. The sample comprised children in the lowest (n = 227) and highest (n = 226) tertiles of sweet treat consumption. We compared differences in the alpha diversity (Shannon, inverse Simpson, and Chao1 indices), beta diversity (principal coordinates analysis based on Bray–Curtis dissimilarity), and abundance (differentially abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the genus level) between these low and high consumption groups. We performed PICRUSt2 to predict the metabolic pathways of microbial communities. No differences emerged in the alpha diversity between low and high sweet treat consumption, whereas the beta diversity differed between groups (p = 0.001). The abundance of several genera such as Streptococcus, Prevotella, Veillonella, and Selenomonas was higher in the high consumption group compared with the low consumption group following false discovery rate correction (p < 0.05). Children with high sweet treat consumption exhibited higher proportions of nitrate reduction IV and gondoate biosynthesis pathways compared with the low consumption group (p < 0.05). To conclude, sweet treat consumption shapes saliva microbiota. Children who consume a high level of sweet treats exhibited different compositions and metabolic pathways compared with children who consume low levels of sweet treats. Our findings reveal novel insights into the relationship between sugary diets and oral microbiota.Peer reviewe

Burden of injury along the development spectrum : associations between the Socio-demographic Index and disability-adjusted life year estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background The epidemiological transition of non-communicable diseases replacing infectious diseases as the main contributors to disease burden has been well documented in global health literature. Less focus, however, has been given to the relationship between sociodemographic changes and injury. The aim of this study was to examine the association between disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from injury for 195 countries and territories at different levels along the development spectrum between 1990 and 2017 based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 estimates. Methods Injury mortality was estimated using the GBD mortality database, corrections for garbage coding and CODEm-the cause of death ensemble modelling tool. Morbidity estimation was based on surveys and inpatient and outpatient data sets for 30 cause-of-injury with 47 nature-of-injury categories each. The Socio-demographic Index (SDI) is a composite indicator that includes lagged income per capita, average educational attainment over age 15 years and total fertility rate. Results For many causes of injury, age-standardised DALY rates declined with increasing SDI, although road injury, interpersonal violence and self-harm did not follow this pattern. Particularly for self-harm opposing patterns were observed in regions with similar SDI levels. For road injuries, this effect was less pronounced. Conclusions The overall global pattern is that of declining injury burden with increasing SDI. However, not all injuries follow this pattern, which suggests multiple underlying mechanisms influencing injury DALYs. There is a need for a detailed understanding of these patterns to help to inform national and global efforts to address injury-related health outcomes across the development spectrum.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal burden of disease and injury. These studies have also shown how a substantial portion of the world's population experiences non-fatal health loss with considerable heterogeneity among different causes, locations, ages, and sexes. Ongoing objectives of the GBD study include increasing the level of estimation detail, improving analytical strategies, and increasing the amount of high-quality data. Methods: We estimated incidence and prevalence for 354 diseases and injuries and 3484 sequelae. We used an updated and extensive body of literature studies, survey data, surveillance data, inpatient admission records, outpatient visit records, and health insurance claims, and additionally used results from cause of death models to inform estimates using a total of 68 781 data sources. Newly available clinical data from India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, China, Brazil, Norway, and Italy were incorporated, as well as updated claims data from the USA and new claims data from Taiwan (province of China) and Singapore. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between rates of incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death for each condition. YLDs were estimated as the product of a prevalence estimate and a disability weight for health states of each mutually exclusive sequela, adjusted for comorbidity. We updated the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary development indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Additionally, we calculated differences between male and female YLDs to identify divergent trends across sexes. GBD 2017 complies with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting. Findings: Globally, for females, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias in both 1990 and 2017. For males, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and tuberculosis including latent tuberculosis infection in both 1990 and 2017. In terms of YLDs, low back pain, headache disorders, and dietary iron deficiency were the leading Level 3 causes of YLD counts in 1990, whereas low back pain, headache disorders, and depressive disorders were the leading causes in 2017 for both sexes combined. All-cause age-standardised YLD rates decreased by 3·9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1-4·6) from 1990 to 2017; however, the all-age YLD rate increased by 7·2% (6·0-8·4) while the total sum of global YLDs increased from 562 million (421-723) to 853 million (642-1100). The increases for males and females were similar, with increases in all-age YLD rates of 7·9% (6·6-9·2) for males and 6·5% (5·4-7·7) for females. We found significant differences between males and females in terms of age-standardised prevalence estimates for multiple causes. The causes with the greatest relative differences between sexes in 2017 included substance use disorders (3018 cases [95% UI 2782-3252] per 100 000 in males vs 1400 [1279-1524] per 100 000 in females), transport injuries (3322 [3082-3583] vs 2336 [2154-2535]), and self-harm and interpersonal violence (3265 [2943-3630] vs 5643 [5057-6302]). Interpretation: Global all-cause age-standardised YLD rates have improved only slightly over a period spanning nearly three decades. However, the magnitude of the non-fatal disease burden has expanded globally, with increasing numbers of people who have a wide spectrum of conditions. A subset of conditions has remained globally pervasive since 1990, whereas other conditions have displayed more dynamic trends, with different ages, sexes, and geographies across the globe experiencing varying burdens and trends of health loss. This study emphasises how global improvements in premature mortality for select conditions have led to older populations with complex and potentially expensive diseases, yet also highlights global achievements in certain domains of disease and injury

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent with the estimates of the numbers of deaths in the GBD. The present iteration of the GBD, GBD 2017, improves on previous assessments and provides timely estimates of the mortality experience of populations globally. Methods: The GBD uses all available data to produce estimates of mortality rates between 1950 and 2017 for 23 age groups, both sexes, and 918 locations, including 195 countries and territories and subnational locations for 16 countries. Data used include vital registration systems, sample registration systems, household surveys (complete birth histories, summary birth histories, sibling histories), censuses (summary birth histories, household deaths), and Demographic Surveillance Sites. In total, this analysis used 8259 data sources. Estimates of the probability of death between birth and the age of 5 years and between ages 15 and 60 years are generated and then input into a model life table system to produce complete life tables for all locations and years. Fatal discontinuities and mortality due to HIV/AIDS are analysed separately and then incorporated into the estimation. We analyse the relationship between age-specific mortality and development status using the Socio-demographic Index, a composite measure based on fertility under the age of 25 years, education, and income. There are four main methodological improvements in GBD 2017 compared with GBD 2016: 622 additional data sources have been incorporated; new estimates of population, generated by the GBD study, are used; statistical methods used in different components of the analysis have been further standardised and improved; and the analysis has been extended backwards in time by two decades to start in 1950. Findings: Globally, 18·7% (95% uncertainty interval 18·4–19·0) of deaths were registered in 1950 and that proportion has been steadily increasing since, with 58·8% (58·2–59·3) of all deaths being registered in 2015. At the global level, between 1950 and 2017, life expectancy increased from 48·1 years (46·5–49·6) to 70·5 years (70·1–70·8) for men and from 52·9 years (51·7–54·0) to 75·6 years (75·3–75·9) for women. Despite this overall progress, there remains substantial variation in life expectancy at birth in 2017, which ranges from 49·1 years (46·5–51·7) for men in the Central African Republic to 87·6 years (86·9–88·1) among women in Singapore. The greatest progress across age groups was for children younger than 5 years; under-5 mortality dropped from 216·0 deaths (196·3–238·1) per 1000 livebirths in 1950 to 38·9 deaths (35·6–42·83) per 1000 livebirths in 2017, with huge reductions across countries. Nevertheless, there were still 5·4 million (5·2–5·6) deaths among children younger than 5 years in the world in 2017. Progress has been less pronounced and more variable for adults, especially for adult males, who had stagnant or increasing mortality rates in several countries. The gap between male and female life expectancy between 1950 and 2017, while relatively stable at the global level, shows distinctive patterns across super-regions and has consistently been the largest in central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia, and smallest in south Asia. Performance was also variable across countries and time in observed mortality rates compared with those expected on the basis of development. Interpretation: This analysis of age-sex-specific mortality shows that there are remarkably complex patterns in population mortality across countries. The findings of this study highlight global successes, such as the large decline in under-5 mortality, which reflects significant local, national, and global commitment and investment over several decades. However, they also bring attention to mortality patterns that are a cause for concern, particularly among adult men and, to a lesser extent, women, whose mortality rates have stagnated in many countries over the time period of this study, and in some cases are increasing

Association of serum biochemical panel with mineralogical composition of kidney stone in India

Purpose: The aim is to study the diversity in the composition of kidney stones and its association with the basic biochemical metabolic panel in patients with kidney stone disease (KSD). Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study enrolling consecutive patients with KSD attending a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore (India) was undertaken. Mineral compositions of kidney stones were analyzed using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Kidney stones were classified into different groups according to the composition. Metabolic status was assessed to analyze possible association with the kidney stone. Results: A total of 369 patients (male 305 and female 64) in the age group of 43.05 ± 14.3 years were included in the study and showed a high diversity of kidney stone types with >50% with mixed compositions. A significant association was found between pure stone type and gender as well with age group (P < 0.001). Serum calcium levels in the calcium oxalate stone formers were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than others. Similarly, uric acid stone formers showed higher random blood sugar, blood urea, uric acid, and serum creatinine levels (P < 0.001). Urine pH was also found to be a contributing factor for the stone formation (P < 0.001). Stone recurrence did not differ significantly concerning stone composition as well as metabolic status. Conclusion: The study reports a high diversity of the kidney stone types among patients. This finding highlights the increased cases of mixed stones that may be because of various lifestyle factors resulting in altered metabolic status. This finding warrants mechanistic studies to understand the etiology of stone formation. This will enable to develop novel noninvasive interventional strategies and proper preventive strategies to reduce the risk of KSDs

Characteristics of bacterial colonization after indwelling double-J ureteral stents for different time duration

Background: Indwelling Double-J ureteral stenting is commonly used in urological practice and has various complications. This study aimed to assess the frequency of bacterial stent colonization and stent-associated bacteriuria after indwelling it for different time durations and to evaluate the significance of urinary cultures for identification of colonizing microorganisms. Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Midstream urine from 72 patients undergoing J stent insertion was investigated microbiologically before stent insertion and on the day of stent removal. The stents were removed by aseptic manipulation, and 1–3 cm of the tip located in the bladder was collected for microbiological study. The urine and stent samples were cultured, and the bacterial pathogens were identified using standard microbiological methods followed by Phoenix automated system. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: Bacterial colonies were found in 47.2% (34 of 72) of the stents. Of the multiple pathogens identified, Escherichia coli (20%) was the most common, followed by Streptococcus sp. (17.5%) and Pseudomonas sp. (12.5%). The bacteria did not colonize within the first 2 weeks of stent placement. Results showed that 55% of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin, 52.5% to ampicillin, 42.5% to piperacillin, and least resistant being 17.5% for tetracycline and imipenem. However, 81.3% and 66.7% of the stents were colonized when placed for 90–120 days and 60–90 days, respectively. Conclusion: High prevalence of bacterial isolates and risk of bacteriuria and colonization was found in the DJ stent tips, with E. coli being dominant colonizer. Most of the bacteria were resistant to different classes of antibiotics. Bacteriuria and stent colonization gradually increases with the duration of stent retention in the body