Treatment of Bifocal Cyst Hydatid Involvement in Right Femur with Teicoplanin Added Bone Cement and Albendazole

Although bone involvement associated with cyst hydatid is rarely seen, it can cause unintended results such as high recurrence rate, infection, sepsis, or amputation of relevant extremity. Because of this reason, its treatment is difficult and disputed. In the case of bifocal bone cyst hydatid in right femur, along with albendazole treatment, result of resecting cyst surgically and its treatment with teicoplanin with added bone cement is given. In conclusion, since the offered treatment method both supports bone in terms of mechanical aspect and also can prevent secondary infection, the method is thought to be a good and safe treatment approach

The effect of low dose teicoplanin-loaded acrylic bone cement on biocompatibility of bone cement

Antibiotic-loaded acrylic bone cement (polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA) is used to prevent or treat infection in total joint replacement surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the teicoplanin-loaded acrylic bone cement. Cytotoxicity examination of acrylic bone cement balls and 400 mg teicoplanin added acrylic bone cement balls conducted by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) was used to observe adhesion and spreading of cells on surface of the balls. Cytotoxicity examination conducted by MTT assay on acrylic bone cement balls and teicoplanin-added acrylic bone cement balls revealed no cytotoxicity. SEM analysis put forward that cells started to proliferate and adhere on surface of the samples in both groups as a result of 48-hour incubation and that the cell proliferation over acrylic bone cement and teicoplanin-added acrylic bone cement was similar. As a consequence, there was no cytotoxicity in acrylic bone cement and teicoplanin-added acrylic bone cement groups according to results of MTT assay. On the other hand, results of SEM showed that biocompatibility of both groups was similar. In conclusion, teicoplanin-loaded bone cement did not change biocompatibility of bone cement in studied dose

DOPING AND PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUG USE IN ATHLETES LIVING IN SIVAS, MID-ANATOLIA: A BRIEF REPORT

The aim of this study was to determine the rate of doping and performance enhancing drug use in athletes in Sivas, Turkey, and to analyze the main reasons for the use. This was a cross-sectional study based on a self-report questionnaire. The subjects filled the questionnaires under the supervision of the investigators during interviews. This questionnaire included 24 items describing the population in terms of demographics, sport practice, doping in sport and substance use. Moreover, we assessed the frequency of doping drug use. The number of respondents was 883, of which 433 athletes and 450 healthy non-athletes (control group). The mean age of the total volunteers was 21.8 ± 3.7 yrs. The male and female ratios were 78.2% and 21.8% respectively. Doping and performance enhancing drug usage rate was 8.0% (71cases in 883 subjects). Doping drug use among the athletes was significantly (p < 0.05) higher (14.5%) compared with the non-athletes (1.8%). The agents used were anabolic steroids in 60.5%, l-carnitene in 12.7%, erythropoietin in 5.4%, Na-bicarbonate in 11.3% and creatinine in 14.1% of 71 cases. The reasons for doping use were to have a better body condition in 34 cases (47.9%) and to solve weight (gaining or loosing) problems in 8 (11.3%) cases. Since the potential side effects of doping drugs are not satisfactorily familiar to the most users, the education of athletes on the matter must be a top priorit

Enrichment and distribution of elements in the middle Miocene coal seams in the Orhaneli coalfield (NW Turkey)

This study focuses on ascertaining controlling factors and differences on mineralogical and elemental contents for reconstructing palaeoenvironmental conditions of both seams applying standard coal characteristics, mineralogical, coal-petrologic, and elemental data of the Orhaneli coalfield. The studied coalfield, one of the important coalfields in NW Turkey, includes two workable coal seams, the lower with 0.5–2 m and the upper with 5–6 m in thickness, which are separated by 2–5 m thick, grayish-green limnic claystone. The floor rocks of the both seams are limnic claystones, whereas the roof rock of the upper seam is the tuffite layers-bearing lacustrine marls. Matrix and xylite-rich lithotypes are common in the upper seam, while alternations of xylite-clayey bands (detro-xylite and xylo-detritic) are common in the lower seam. The lower seam is also characterized with the presence of altered tuff layers, while freshwater gastropod shell-bearing bands were identified from the upper seam. Even though the banding character and maceral composition of the coals were invariant between the seams, there are distinct differences in mineralogy and elemental composition, that can be related to the nature of the clastic sediment influx and contemporary volcanic inputs into freshwater forested mires. The lower seam is characterized by high ash yields (%44.2–64.3, d) and relatively high concentrations of aluminosilicate-affiliated elements and REY (rare earth elements and Y). In contrast, the upper seam has relatively low ash yield, and is slightly enriched B concentration. The B enrichment in the upper seam is presumably controlled by the presence of clay mineral (e.g., illite) and clastic volcanogenic accessory minerals (e.g., apatite). Arsenic is the only enriched element in both seams due to development of anoxic conditions. Although no traceable As was detected from syngenetic framboidal pyrite grains, the contemporary volcanic inputs (e.g., air-fall ash/tephra) along with leached surface waters into palaeomires might be source for As, while the development of anoxic conditions palaeomires could cause formation of syngenetic pyrite grains. Thus, the As concentrations of the studied samples are elevated. Nevertheless, the difference on ash yields and mineralogical compositions between studied seams might be related with different clastic influx ratios and contemporary volcanic inputs, in turn, aluminosilicate affiliated elements display different concentration coefficients (CC) values in the studied seams, and high B concentrations that are not expectable for a limnic coal Besides, enrichment of Cr, V and Ni in the upper seam are controlled by clastic V-bearing chromite grains from Orhaneli chromite deposit in the adjacent area. Furthermore, the contemporary volcanic inputs into the palaeomire of the lower seam, and their alteration under anoxic conditions caused REY enrichment and the formation of kaolinite and smectite matrices of clay aggregates in coal and altered tuff layers in this seam.The authors would like to thank Turkish Coal Enterprise (TKİ) for sampling permission, and field geologists for their helps during sampling, to Mr. Arif Talay and Mr Ufuk Kibar (MTA) for his helps during FEI-SEM studies, to Prof. Dr. James Hower (University of Kentucky, Center for Applied Energy Research), Prof. Dr. Xavier Querol (Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research) and Prof. Dr. Kimon Christanis (University of Patras) for their constructive comments during manuscript preparation. Finally, Dr. S. Dai, the editors-in-chief, and the anonymous reviewers are also thanked for constructive comments and corrections.Peer reviewe

Tectonic evolution of the Ganos segment of the North Anatolian Fault (NW Turkey)

We analyzed the paleostress field, ongoing deformation, meso- to micro-scale faulting, cataclasis, fault rock alteration and veining within turbidite and limestone sequences at the Ganos Fault which represent a major branch of the North Anatolian Fault Zone in NW Turkey. Fault damage was found to occur across a several kilometers wide zone. Effects of faulting are shown by localized subsidiary brittle faults and fault rock alteration in the turbidites as well as fault breccia formation in the limestone sequence. Microseismicity along the Ganos Fault Cluster at two locations, the more pronounced being located offshore at a fault bend associated with a change from a transpressional to a transtensional regime. Kinematic analysis reveals a dextral strike-slip regime with components of normal and thrust faulting. Along strike paleostress orientation at the Ganos Fault is rather uniform. Deformation mechanisms and fluid inclusion data from quartz and calcite veins suggest that fault-related quartz veins were formed at temperatures between 170 and 250 C and pressures between 40 and 120 MPa. Fault-related calcite vein growth occurred during a temperature decrease from 170 C to 70 C with pressures likely below 50 MPa. Fluid inclusion and stable isotope data show that the fluids are predominantly of meteoric origin and Migrated upwards into the fault. Pure CH4 inclusions in quartz also suggest a biogenic or thermogenic methane origin. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Clinical Heterogeneity in Patients with Long QT Syndrome and Segregation of Single Nucleotide Variants and Clinical Symptoms in 17 Affected Families

Introduction: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a disorder of ventricular myocardial repolarization characterized by a prolonged QT interval on the electrocardiogram. It increases the risk of ventricular arrhythmias, which can cause syncope or sudden cardiac death. In this study, we study the genotype-phenotype relationships of patients referred to us with suspected arrhythmia syndrome. Methods: Seventeen cases and their twenty relatives were evaluated. Next-generation sequencing analysis was performed for 17 LQTS-related genes. Results: We detected seventeen single nucleotide variants (SNVs) with potential pathogenic significance in 26 of the 36 subjects analyzed. KCNH2 c.172G>A, KCNQ1 c.1768G>A, ANK2 c.4666A>T, c.1484_1485delCT, KCNH2 c.1888G>A were reported as pathogenic or likely pathogenic in HGMD variant classification database. Conclusion: Current study pointed out that early diagnosis can be life-saving for patients and their families by taking family history and detailed examination. Also, we highlight the clinical heterogeneity of arrhythmia syndrome through a patient with a dual phenotype