723 research outputs found
AS AN EXAMPLE OF ECOLOGICAL DEVASTATION EGIRDIR LAKE (TURKEY)
Abstract OZEN, M. R., I. I. TURNA and K. CINAR, 2008. As an example of ecological devastation Egirdir lake (Turkey). Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., Egirdir Lake is placed Anatolian Peninsula in 500 km 2 , its mean depth takes 16 meters. They are made use of watering and due to oligotrphical characteristic and drinkable water besides fishing (Fish and Crayfish). Since 1950, 9 different species of fishes of Cyprinidae were lived this lake. There were cause irreversible alterations by way of implantation of pike-perch (Sander lucioperca) in here for to aim more economical production. In the first year while the while the level of prosperity of the people rising, and the following years there were obtained catching low recolte neither carp nor pike-perch catching. Local government and fisherman were negative effected in this situation, and they were implantation in the lake in early 1990. In this implantation who nobody knows Carassius auratus gibelio Bloch, 1783 was implanted in this lake. This species which is rapidly increased more rapidly growth and more become dominant species than pike-perch. Velvet fish (Tinca tinca) were implanted in Egirdir Lake in 1996. But they couldn't become any their population. They were found 10 different species by Balik et al. (2002) in Lake Egirdir. The last implantation in Egirdir Lake was silver fish (Atherina boyeri) while there were caught 80 tons carps, 300 ton pike-perch in 1985; 5.5 ton carp and 4 ton pike-perch were caught in 2004. Depend on decreasing of the pike-perch's body criterion, economical production of this fishes was also decreased. In this situation of the lake ecosystem is worried about Local government and fisherman. In this study, some hydrobiological characteristics of the lake were defined and the negative changes of the fish population were also examined
Pharmacokinetics of orally administered tetrahydrobiopterin in patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency
Summary: The oral loading test with tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is used to discriminate between variants of hyperphenylalaninaemia and to detect BH4-responsive patients. The outcome of the loading test depends on the genotype, dosage of BH4, and BH4 pharmacokinetics. A total of 71 patients with hyperphenylalaninaemia (mild to classic) were challenged with BH4 (20 mg/kg) according to different protocols (1 Ă 20 mg or 2 Ă 20 mg) and blood BH4 concentrations were measured in dried blood spots at different time points (T0, T2, T4, T8, T12, T24, T32 and T48âh). Maximal BH4 concentrations (median 22.69 nmol/g Hb) were measured 4 h after BH4 administration in 63 out of 71 patients. Eight patients presented with maximal BH4 concentrations âŒ44% higher at 8 h than at 4 h. After 24 h, BH4 blood concentrations dropped to 11% of maximal values. This profile was similar using different protocols. The following pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for BH4 in blood: t max = 4 h, AUC (T0â32) = 370 nmol Ă h/g Hb, and t 1/2 for absorption (1.1 h), distribution (2.5 h), and elimination (46.0 h) phases. Maximal BH4 blood concentrations were not significantly lower in non-responders and there was no correlation between blood concentrations and responsiveness. Of mild PKU patients, 97% responded to BH4 administration, while one was found to be a non-responder. Only 10/19 patients (53%) with Phe concentrations of 600-1200 ÎŒmol/L responded to BH4 administration, and of the patients with the severe classical phenotype (blood Phe > 1200 ÎŒmol/L) only 4 out of 17 patient responded. An additional 36 patients with mild hyperphenylalaninaemia (HPA) who underwent the combined loading test with Phe+BH4 were all responders. Slow responders and non-responders were found in all groups of HP
Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management
Purposeâ
The objective of this research is to identify the cross-cultural similarities and differences of the implementation of the UK PFI procurement process in different contexts.
Design/methodology/approachâ
The research methodology adopted was the SLEEPT approach. The identified features are examined from source material of various projects within the stated nations. A Delphic approach of confirmation by national collaborators from each country is utilised. Confirming and disaffirming features are examined utilising exogenous cultural drivers.
Findingsâ
The conclusion of this research identifies cross-cultural features of six different cultures presented as a âcultural compassâ which will inform the development of future private finance initiative (PFI)/public private partnership (PPP) projects. The impact of this research will have implications for the appreciation of cultural similarities and differences of national âconstruction culturesâ for effective project delivery of future PFI/PPP projects.
Originality/valueâ
This paper offers an approach that can be generalised for adoption by nations considering the introduction of PFI as a procurement process
Non-equilibrium Condensation Process in a Holographic Superconductor
We study the non-equilibrium condensation process in a holographic
superconductor. When the temperature T is smaller than a critical temperature
T_c, there are two black hole solutions, the Reissner-Nordstrom-AdS black hole
and a black hole with a scalar hair. In the boundary theory, they can be
regarded as the supercooled normal phase and the superconducting phase,
respectively. We consider perturbations on supercooled Reissner-Nordstrom-AdS
black holes and study their non-linear time evolution to know about physical
phenomena associated with rapidly-cooled superconductors. We find that, for
T<T_c, the initial perturbations grow exponentially and, eventually, spacetimes
approach the hairy black holes. We also clarify how the relaxation process from
a far-from-equilibrium state proceeds in the boundary theory by observing the
time dependence of the superconducting order parameter. Finally, we study the
time evolution of event and apparent horizons and discuss their correspondence
with the entropy of the boundary theory. Our result gives a first step toward
the holographic understanding of the non-equilibrium process in
superconductors.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure
Benzothiazole derivatives as human DNA topoisomerase IIα inhibitors
Benzothiazole derivatives resembling the structure of DNA purine bases were tested to determine their topoisomerase inhibition activities. Based on DNA topoisomerase I and II relaxation assay results, all 12 derivatives acted as human topoisomerase IIα inhibitors, whereas only two compounds inhibited Calf thymus topoisomerase I. 3-amino-2-(2-bromobenzyl)-1,3-benzothiazol-3-ium 4-methylbenzensulfonate (BM3) was observed to be the most effective human topoisomerase IIα inhibitor with the lowest IC50 value of 39 nM. The mechanistic studies suggested that BM3 was neither a DNA intercalator nor a topoisomerase poison, it was only a DNA minor groove-binding agent. BM3 initially bound to the DNA topoisomerase IIα enzyme, then to DNA. As a result, the tested benzothiazole derivatives were obtained as strong topoisomerase IIα inhibitors. The benzothiazole tosylated salt form BM3 was found as the most effective topoisomerase IIα inhibitor. BM3's mechanisms of action might be its direct interaction with the enzyme. BM3's minor groove-binding property might also contribute to this action. Hence, BM3 could be a good candidate as a new anticancer agent. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Pinealectomy Increases and Exogenous Melatonin Decreases Leptin Production in Rat Anterior Pituitary Cells: an Immunohistochemical Study
Summary Melatonin, the main hormone of the pineal gland, informs the body about the environmental light and darkness regimen, which in turn contributes to the photoperiodic adaptation of several physiological functions. Leptin, the hormone secreted mainly by adipocytes and some other tissues including the pituitary, informs the brain about the mass of adipose tissue, which plays an important role in energy homeostasis. Melatonin has been shown to decrease circulating leptin levels. It is currently not known whether melatonin has an effect on leptin synthesis in the pituitary. The aim of this study was to immunohistochemically examine the effects of pinealectomy and administration of melatonin on leptin production in the rat anterior pituitary. The pituitary samples obtained from 18 male Wistar rats including sham-pinealectomized, pinealectomized and melatonin-injected pinealectomized groups were immunohistochemically evaluated. Immunostaining of leptin was moderate (3+) in sham-pinealectomized rats, heavy (5+) in pinealectomized rats and low (1+) in melatonin-treated pinealectomized rats, respectively. The present results indicate that pinealectomy induces leptin secretion in anterior pituitary cells, and this increase of leptin synthesis can be prevented by administration of melatonin. Thus, melatonin seems to have both physiological and pharmacological effects on leptin production in the anterior pituitary of male rats
Evaluation of inhibitory effects of benzothiazole and 3-amino-benzothiazolium derivatives on DNA topoisomerase II by molecular modeling studies
There has been considerable interest in DNA topoisomerases over the last decade, as they have been shown to be one of the major cellular targets in anticancer drug development. Previously we synthesized some benzothiazole derivatives and corresponding benzothiazolium forms, and tested their DNA inhibitory activity to develop novel antitumor agents. Among the 12 prepared compounds, compound BM3 (3-aminobenzothiazole-3-ium 4-methylbenzene sulfonate) exhibited extreme topoisomerase II inhibitory activity compared with the reference drug etoposide. We also tried to determine the DNA and enzyme binding abilities of BM3 and found that BM3 acted on topoisomerase II first at low doses, while it had also showed DNA minor groove binding properties at higher doses. In this study the interactions between DNA topoisomerase II and the compounds were examined in detail by molecular modelling studies such as molecular docking and pharmacophore analysis performed using Discovery Studio 3.5. As a result, it was found that benzothiazolium compounds exhibited a totally different mechanism than benzothiazoles by binding to the different amino acids at the active site of the protein molecule. 3-Aminobenzothiazoliums are worthy of carrying onto anticancer studies; BM3 especially would be a good anticancer candidate for preclinical studies. © 2014 Taylor & Francis
International Retrospective Chart Review of Treatment Patterns in Severe Familial Mediterranean Fever, Tumor Necrosis Factor ReceptorâAssociated Periodic Syndrome, and Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency/Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D Syndrome
Objective: Periodic fever syndrome (PFS) conditions are characterized by recurrent attacks of fever and localized inflammation. This study examined the diagnostic pathway and treatments at tertiary centers for familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), tumor necrosis factor receptorâassociated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), and mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD)/hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome (HIDS).
Methods: PFS specialists at medical centers in the US, the European Union, and the eastern Mediterranean participated in a retrospective chart review, providing deâidentified data in an electronic case report form. Patients were treated between 2008 and 2012, with at least 1 year of followup; all had clinical and/or genetically proven disease and were on/eligible for biologic treatment.
Results: A total of 134 patients were analyzed: FMF (nâ=â49), TRAPS (nâ=â47), and MKD/HIDS (nâ=â38). Fever was commonly reported as severe across all indications. Other frequently reported severe symptoms were serositis for FMF patients and elevated acuteâphase reactants and gastrointestinal upset for TRAPS and MKD/HIDS. A long delay from disease onset to diagnosis was seen within TRAPS and MKD/HIDS (5.8 and 7.1 years, respectively) compared to a 1.8âyear delay in FMF patients. An equal proportion of TRAPS patients first received antiâinterleukinâ1 (antiâILâ1) and antiâtumor necrosis factor (antiâTNF) biologic agents, whereas ILâ1 blockade was the main choice for FMF patients resistant to colchicine and MKD/HIDS patients. For TRAPS patients, treatment with anakinra versus antiâTNF treatments as first biologic agent resulted in significantly higher clinical and biochemical responses (Pâ=â0.03 and Pâ<â0.01, respectively). No significant differences in responses were observed between biologic agents among other cohorts.
Conclusion: Referral patterns and diagnostic delays highlight the need for greater awareness and improved diagnostics for PFS. This realâworld treatment assessment supports the need for further refinement of treatment practices
Renal amyloidosis in children
Renal amyloidosis is a detrimental disease caused by the deposition of amyloid fibrils. A child with renal amyloidosis may present with proteinuria or nephrotic syndrome. Chronic renal failure may follow. Amyloid fibrils may deposit in other organs as well. The diagnosis is through the typical appearance on histopathology. Although chronic infections and chronic inflammatory diseases used to be the causes of secondary amyloidosis in children, the most frequent cause is now autoinflammatory diseases. Among this group of diseases, the most frequent one throughout the world is familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). FMF is typically characterized by attacks of clinical inflammation in the form of fever and serositis and high acute-phase reactants. Persisting inflammation in inadequately treated disease is associated with the development of secondary amyloidosis. The main treatment is colchicine. A number of other monogenic autoinflammatory diseases have also been identified. Among them cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) is outstanding with its clinical features and the predilection to develop secondary amyloidosis in untreated cases. The treatment of secondary amyloidosis mainly depends on the treatment of the disease. However, a number of new treatments for amyloid per se are in the pipeline
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