Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity is one of the most significant reasons of the childhood blindness in developing countries due to the rising numbers of preterm deliveries and improved neonatal care. The most important risk factors for PR are low birth weight and low gestational age. It is necessary for risky babies to be recognized by a screening program and to be followed by a trace program for PR. Peripheral retinal ablation is applied for therapy of PR. The functional results of surgical therapy are not promising. The results of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections alone or combined with peripheral retinal ablation become gradually encouranging

Farklı evlerden toplanan ve farklı üzümlerden üretilen hardaliye örneklerinin fizikokimyasal, fonksiyonel ve mikrobiyolojik özellikleri]

Twenty-three hardaliye beverage samples were collected from different regions of Kirklareli city in Turkey and five hardaliye samples were produced under laboratory conditions according to traditional methods. Total phenolic compounds, monomeric anthocyanins (malvidin-3-glucoside), volatile acid, ethyl alcohol. total sugar contents, total acidity (lactic acid), pH, color values (L (brightness), a (red-green), b (yellow-blue)), total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeast and mold and coliform counts were determined. Acidity between 0.38 and 0.919%, pH from 3.54 and 4.33, color (L.a.b.) values from 7.57 to 13.74, from 0.71 to 7.68, from 0.73 to 4.50, respectively were determined. Total phenolics from 368.8 to 2647.5 mg L-1, ethanol between 0.4 and 6.0% in 7 out of 23 examples, TMAB number 3x10(1)-3.2x10(6)cfu mL(-1), LAB 1x10(2)-3x10(5)cfu mL(-1) in 16 out of 23 samples, yeast and mold count 1x10(1)-2,3x10(4)cfu mL(-1) in 18 out of 23 samples were found. According to the results obtained. coliforms and Escherichia coif were not found in the analyzed samples. Statistical analysis results revealed that differences between samples were significant (P <= 0.01). Given its bioactivc characteristics, hardaliye beverage should be produced at large-scale and be recognized by large communities.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110O018]The authors gratefully acknowledged the TUBITAK (Project number: 110O018) for providing funding for this work

Investigation of sloping cuts in abrasive water jet

Çeşitli sanayi kollarında son yıllarda kullanımı giderek artan Aşındırıcılı Su Jeti (ASJ) ile kesme yöntemi, geleneksel olmayan (alışılmamış) bir malzeme kesme yöntemidir. ASJ yöntemi genellikle maden ve metal endüstrisinde malzemelerin kesilmesinde kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada diğer bir malzeme türü olan polimer matrisli kompozit malzemeler (cam elyaf takviyeli vinil ester kompozit) ASJ yöntemi ile kesilmiştir. ASJ tezgâhının ana unsurlarından biri olan ASJ nozulunun, çeşitli eğim açılarında tutulmasıyla kesme performansına etkileri araştırılmıştır. Yedi farklı eğim açısına göre kesilen malzemenin kesme yüzeylerinin ortalama yüzey pürüzlülükleri değerleri optik profilometre aracılığıyla ölçülmüştür. Kesme yüzeyi üzerinde başlangıç ve bölge ortalama yüzey pürüzlülüğü tanımlanmış, nozulun 87,5° ve 82,5° eğim açısında her iki yüzey pürüzlülüğünü iyileştirici etkisi bulunmuştur. Ayrıca eğim açılarının etkileri SEM görüntüleri ile incelenmiş, eğimli kesimin iyileştirici etkileri gösterilmiştir.Abrasive Water Jet (AWJ) cutting method is a non-traditional material cutting method which has been increasing its use in various branches of industries in recent years. The AWJ method is usually used in the cutting of materials in the metal and mining industries. In this study, polymer matrix composite materials ( glass fiber reinforced vinyl ester composite) which is another type of material are cut by AWJ method. AWJ nozzle is one of the main components of AWJ machine and the effects of nozzle angle on the cutting performance were investigated by keeping it at various slope angles. According to seven different slope angles, work material was cut. The average surface roughness values of the cutting surfaces were measured by optical profilometer. On the cutting surface, initial and zone average surface roughness was defined. At 87.5° and 82.5° slope angles of nozzle, it was found improvement effect for both surface roughness values. In addition, the effects of slope angles were examined by SEM images and the improvement effects of sloping cuts were shown

Some Technological and Functional Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Hardaliye

Hardaliye is a lactic acid fermented beverage produced from red grape or grape juice with addition of crushed mustard seeds and benzoic acid and it is widely produced and consumed in the Thrace region of Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the dominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species found in hardaliye and to investigate their technological properties related to probiotic action and potential use as a starter culture for production of hardaliye. For this aim; LAB were isolated from 28 hardaliye samples (23 hardaliye samples that were obtained from different regions of Kirklareli, Turkey and 5 hardaliye samples were produced by using traditional methods in laboratory conditions). After carrying out conventional and molecular biological methods, it was found that all LAB species isolated belonged to genus Lactobacillus. The dominant species in the microbiota was found to be Lactobacillus plantarum while around 98% of the isolates were similar to each other. Therefore, it was well understood that a small diversity of LAB strains played role during the fermentation process. The results of this study revealed that the isolates had the potential to be used as starter cultures in hardaliye production due to their antimicrobial effects and acid production capabilities.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110O018]The authors gratefully acknowledged the TUBITAK (Project number: 110O018) for providing funding for this work

The Effect of Different Grape Varieties and Adding Different Ratios of Mustard Seeds on the Phenolic Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, and Bioaccessibility Values of Hardaliye under In Vitro Digestion

Hardaliye, grape-based fermented beverage, rich in antioxidant phenolic compounds. Bioaccessibility and antioxidant capacity of bioactive compounds in hardaliye, produced using varying amounts of mustard seeds (1%, 1.5%, and 2%) with Merlot and Papazkarası grape varieties, were evaluated under in vitro gastrointestinal digestion conditions. After digestion, Merlot and Papazkarası samples with 2% addition of mustard seed showed significantly higher total phenolic compounds (TPC) (358.48±14.73 and 89.01±2.42 mg GAE/L, respectively) compared to other samples (P<0.05). 2% mustard seed added Merlot samples resulted in the highest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC)  values (19.06±3.91 and 9.96±1.83 mmol TEAC/L, respectively) which differed significantly from other samples (P<0.05). The Merlot sample with 2% addition of mustard seed showed significantly higher TPC, total flavonoid compounds (TFC), DPPH, and CUPRAC bioaccessibility values compared to other Merlot samples (P<0.05). For Papazkarası samples with 2% mustard seed addition, significant differences were observed only in terms of TPC and TFC bioaccessibility values (15.87±2.30% and 15.27±1.29%, respectively) compared to samples with 1% and 1.5% mustard seed addition (P<0.05). The study demonstrated that the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds in hardaliye can vary depending on the grape variety and to some extent, the use of mustard seed. This suggests that the food matrix and interaction with other food matrices in the environment can affect the stability and bioavailability of bioactive compounds during simulated digestion

Rheological behaviour and yield characterization of gum from local isolates: Xanthomonas hortorum pv. pelargonii and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. begonia

Xanthan production capacity of local isolates X. hortorum pv. pelargonii and X. axonopodis pv. begonia were investigated by systematically changing fermentation conditions. Optimum yields were found as 11.19 g/L, 9.72 g/L and9.65 g/L and for standard isolate X. campestris DSM 19000, X. hortorum pv. pelargonii and X. axonopodis pv. begonia, respectively. Optimum agitation rate and inoculum volume were found as 180 rpm and 5%. Moreover, better gelforming and thickening properties were obtained for xanthan gum from local isolates. Higher K value was observedfor gum solutions of the local isolates at all concentration when Ostwald de Waele model was used. Activation energies changed between 4.85 and 25.43 kJ/mol and it is the highest for gum from standard isolate. Moreover, K’ andK” values obtained from dynamic rheological analysis were higher for the local isolates than that of standard isolate.The results confirmed that the local isolates appeared to be suitable microorganisms for xanthan gum production

Which out-of-office measurement technique should be used for diagnosing hypertension in prehypertensives?

Hypertension (HT) is diagnosed with high office blood pressure (BP), although confirmation with the addition of out-of-office measurements is currently recommended. However, insufficient data are available concerning the use of out-of-office BP measurement techniques for the diagnosis of HT in the prehypertensive population. The aim of the present study was to determine which out-of-office measurements yielded earlier and more frequent detection of development of HT in prehypertensive patients. Two hundred seven prehypertensive patients under monitoring in the Cappadocia cohort were included in the study. Office BP was measured five times at 1-min intervals, followed by 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (24-h ABPM). Home BP measurement (HBPM) was performed five times, at the same times in the morning and evening, at 1-min intervals for 1 week. The same procedure was carried out at 4-6-month intervals for ~2 years. HT was diagnosed in 25.6% of subjects, masked HT in 11.1%, and white coat HT in 2.9%, while 23.7% remained prehypertensive and 36.7% became normotensive. Briefly, 56.6% of the patients with HT were diagnosed with office plus 24-h ABPM, 13.2% with office plus HBPM, and 30.2% with office plus HBPM and 24-h ABPM. Office with 24-h ABPM yielded statistically significantly more diagnoses (p < 0.001). In conclusion, our prospective observational study evaluated the usefulness of out-of-office BP measurements in confirming diagnosis of HT in prehypertensive patients. The findings show that 24-h ABPM detected HT earlier and more frequently in this high-risk population

Examination of the Pandemic Awareness Level and Approach to the Pandemic in Wrestlers

Study aim: Wrestling involves a high risk of transmission in terms of Covid-19 as it is performed using close one-to-one physical contact. This field research study examined wrestlers' approach to and awareness levels of the pandemic. Method: The study sample consists of 214 male wrestlers aged 19.15 ± 1.78 years who participated in the U-23 Turkish National Freestyle Wrestling Championship. The data was collected using a personal information form and the Pandemic Awareness Scale. The statistical analysis consisted of an independent sample t-test, descriptive statistics, and a One-Way ANOVA test for multi-group comparison. Results: Non-smokers and the wrestlers who complied with the precautions had statistically higher awareness score averages (p 0.05) was not found. Conclusion: The study findings indicate that the level of awareness of the pandemic is high among non-smokers and wrestlers who complied with the necessary precautions

Role of tumor location on high-grade serous ovarian cancer prognosis

Objectives: Ovarian cancer is associated with the highest mortality of gynecologic cancers. Epidemiological and genetic factors of ovarian cancer development are clearly defined but prognostic factors have not been adequately identified. Right and left ovarian cancers seem to act different behaviors at high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) prognosis. The aim of this study is to explain this prognostic role of its sidedness. The aim of this study is to explain this prognostic role of its sidedness. Material and methods: We reviewed 160 consecutive patients with Figo stage 1-3 HGSOCs and undergone surgery at two high-volume hospitals. Prognostic effects of primary tumor location onset were evaluated in terms of 5-year disease free survival and overall survival rate. Results: One hundred-sixty patients with ovarian cancer records were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, that demonstrated a significant difference in the 5-year disease-free survival rates between right and left-sided cancers for all stages (44.6% vs 78.5%, p &lt; 0.001). Also, there was significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rates between the two groups (71.1% vs 91.9%, p = 0.020). Conclusions: Tumor location within the HGSOC seems to be a compelling prognostic factor ovarian cancer. Further prospective studies are needed in order to support our hypothesis

Metabolic dysfu nctio n-As socia ted fatty liver disease and fibrosis status in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Treated at Internal medicine clinics: Türkiye DAHUDER awareness of fatty liver disease (TR-DAFLD) study

Background/Aims: This awareness study aimed to determine the ultrasound (US) examination rates in relation to US-confirmed metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) diagnosis in internal medicine outpatients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) across Turkiye. Materials and Methods: A total of 6283 T2D patients were included in this multicenter retrospective cohort study conducted at 17 internal medicine clinics across Turkiye. The presence and indications for US performed within the last 3 years were recorded along with US-confirmed MAFLD rates, laboratory findings on the day of US, and referral rates. Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index was calculated to estimate the risk of advanced liver fibrosis (FIB-4 index ≥ 1.3). Results: Overall, 1731 (27.6%) of 6283 patients had US examination, which revealed MAFLD diagnosis in 69.9% of cases. In addition, 24.4% of patients with US-confirmed MAFLD were at risk of advanced fibrosis (FIB-4 index ≥ 1.3), and the referral rate was 15.5%. Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings emphasize an insufficient MAFLD awareness among clinicians and the likelihood of most of T2D patients to be at risk of living with an unknown status regarding their MAFLD and advanced fibrosis ris