Učinak eksrakta kore brucijskog bora (Pinus brutia) na čiste i mješovite kulture buražnih bakterija i arheja te na fermentacijske značajke buraga in vitro

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of Pinus brutia bark extract, which is rich in polyphenolic compounds of tannins, on both pure and mixed continuous cultures of rumen bacteria and archaea, as well as on rumen fermentation characteristics in vitro. Antimicrobial susceptibility assay with pure cultures was carried out in an anaerobic chamber. Pinus brutia bark extract exhibited a potential inhibitor activity (P<0.05) against pure cultures of Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Eubacterium ruminantium, and Methanobacterium formicicum while a growth stimulatory effect (P<0.05) was observed for Ruminoccocus albus, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, and Streptococcus bovis. Pinus brutia bark extract only had a potential inhibitor effect (P<0.05) on R. albus at the highest dose (1200 μg/mL). Pinus brutia bark extract also stimulated (P<0.05) the growth of pure cultures of Fibrobacter succinogenes, while it did not affect Megasphaera elsdenii, except at the highest dose. The effects of two doses (75 and 375 mg/L) of P. brutia bark extract on in vitro mixed cultures and rumen fermentation parameters were determined by the rumen simulation technique (Rusitec). Supplementation with P. brutia bark extract led to a quadratic decrease (P<0.05) in the cell numbers of R. flavefaciens. Production of total and individual short chain fatty acids (SCFA), acetate to propionate ratio (C2/C3), total protozoa, ruminal pH, and dry matter digestibility (DMD) did not change in the presence of P. brutia bark extract. Supplementation with both doses of P. brutia bark extract decreased (P<0.05) the ammonia-N concentrations. Ammonia-N concentration was lowest in the high-supplemented group (P<0.05). As a conclusion, inhibitory effects of P. brutia bark extract on some species in the pure cultures were in the same direction as with mixed ruminal cultures, while stimulatory effects disappeared. The lack of inhibitory effects on protozoa and on a large number of Gram-positive rumen bacteria in the mixed cultures suggests that its mechanism of action is not exactly similar to antibiotics. Although P. brutia bark extract did not alter ruminal SCFA, it could have potential to improve ruminal protein utilization without depressing rumen microbial fermentation.Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti učinak ekstrakta kore brucijskog bora (Pinus brutia), koji je bogat polifenolnim sastojcima tanina, na čiste i mješovite kulture buražnih bakterija i arheja kao i na in vitro fermentacijske značajke buraga. Proveden je test antimikrobne osjetljivosti s čistim kulturama u anaerobnim uvjetima. Ekstrakt kore brucijskog bora pokazao je potencijalnu inhibitornu aktivnost (P < 0,05) protiv čistih kultura bakterija Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Eubacterium ruminantium i Methanobacterium formicicum, a stimulacijski učinak na rast (P < 0,05) opažen je za bakterije Ruminoccocus albus, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens i Streptococcus bovis. Ekstrakt kore brucijskog bora imao je potencijalan inhibitorni učinak (P < 0,05) na R. albus samo u najvećoj dozi (1200 μg/mL). Također je imao stimulacijski učinak (P < 0,05) na čiste kulture Fibrobacter succinogenes, a nije utjecao na Megasphaera elsdenii osim u najvećoj dozi. Učinak dviju doza (75 i 375 mg/L) ekstrakta kore brucijskog bora na in vitro mješovite culture i pokazatelje fermentacije u buragu određen je simulacijskom tehnikom (Rusitec). Dodatak ekstrakta kore brucijskog bora doveo je do kvadratnog smanjenja (P < 0,05) broja stanica R. flavefaciens. Nije bilo promjena u proizvodnji ukupnih i pojedinačnih kratkolančanih masnih kiselina (SCFA), omjeru acetata i propionata (C2/C3), ukupnom broju protozoa, buražnom pH i probavljivosti suhe tvari (DMD). Suplementacija objema dozama ekstrakta kore brucijskog bora smanjila je (P < 0,05) koncentracije amonijaka-N. Koncentracija amonijaka-N bila je najniža u skupini s najvećom dozom suplementa (P < 0,05). Zaključujemo da je inhibitorni učinak ekstrakta kore brucijskog bora na neke vrste u čistim kulturama bio jednak onomu u mješovitim buražnim kulturama, a nije bilo stimulacijskog efekta. Manjak inhibitornih učinaka na protozoe i na mnoge Gram-pozitivne buražne bakterije u mješovitim kulturama upućuje na to da njihov mehanizam djelovanja nije jednak onomu kod antibiotika. Premda ekstrakt kore brucijskog bora nije promijenio buražni SCFA, mogao bi poboljšati iskorištavanje proteina u buragu a da pritom ne suprimira mikrobnu fermentaciju

Meeting the challenges facing wheat production: The strategic research agenda of the Global Wheat Initiative

Wheat occupies a special role in global food security since, in addition to providing 20% of our carbohydrates and protein, almost 25% of the global production is traded internationally. The importance of wheat for food security was recognised by the Chief Agricultural Scientists of the G20 group of countries when they endorsed the establishment of the Wheat Initiative in 2011. The Wheat Initiative was tasked with supporting the wheat research community by facilitating collaboration, information and resource sharing and helping to build the capacity to address challenges facing production in an increasingly variable environment. Many countries invest in wheat research. Innovations in wheat breeding and agronomy have delivered enormous gains over the past few decades, with the average global yield increasing from just over 1 tonne per hectare in the early 1960s to around 3.5 tonnes in the past decade. These gains are threatened by climate change, the rapidly rising financial and environmental costs of fertilizer, and pesticides, combined with declines in water availability for irrigation in many regions. The international wheat research community has worked to identify major opportunities to help ensure that global wheat production can meet demand. The outcomes of these discussions are presented in this paper

A parametric study on processing of scratch resistant hybrid sol-gel silica coatings on polycarbonate

Scratch resistant silica-based hybrid coatings on polycarbonate substrates were formed by dip-coating of acid-catalyzed tetramethyl ortohosilicate (TMOS): diethylenetriamine (DETA): H2O:2-propanol sols. The sol formulation and dip-coating process parameters on microstructural and performance properties-here optical transmittance and scratch resistance-of the coatings were evaluated. The effect of water quantity, total aqueous component (H2O + 2-propanol) amount and relative proportion of TMOS: DETA on film formation behavior and on performance properties have been investigated in a systematic way. It was found that an effectively polymerized hybrid coating rich in silica content, as realized for high TMOS or abundant water containing sols, resulted in defective films with microcracking and adhesion problems. High 2-propanol content on the other hand led to incomplete film coverage. It was shown that 5 +/- 1 mu m-thick, scratch resistant and pristine coatings exhibiting a visible transmittance of 86-88% can be formed with a single deposition process using an optimized sol formulation of TMOS: DETA: H2O: 2-propanol of 30: 30: 20: 20 in wt.%. Meanwhile, the hardness of the PC has increased from an initial value of 13.9 +/- 2 to 70 +/- 25 (Vickers hardness, HV1) upon coating. A surface hardness approaching to 250 HV1 can be attained by for the thicker coatings (8 +/- 1 mu m) deposited at higher withdrawal speeds. However, such films suffered from non-uniform coverage and poor surface/optical quality. The transmittance values reduced by a factor of 20-30% for thicker coatings

The Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency on Retinopathy and Hearing Loss among Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Aim. The current study was aiming to investigate the relation between vitamin D, retinopathy, and hearing loss among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods. Cross-sectional study carried on 638 subjects aged between 20 and 60 years who visited the Endocrinology, Ophthalmology, and ENT Outpatient Clinics of the Medipol Hospital during the period from March 2016 to May 2017. Two audiometers Grason Stadler GSI 61 and Interacoustics AC40 Clinical audiometer were used to evaluate the hearing loss. Risk factors for diabetic retinopathy were evaluated, including age, sex, diabetes duration, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), hypertension, and lipid profiles. Results. The mean age (+/- SD, in years) for retinopathy with hearing loss versus normal subjects was 47.7 +/- 10.2 versus 48.5 +/- 9.1. The associated risk factors were significantly higher in T2DM with hearing loss, hypertension (32.6% versus 15.7%), tinnitus (40.0% versus 18.0%), vertigo (59.7% versus 26.8%), and headache (54.9% versus 45.3%), than in normal hearing diabetes. There were statistically significant differences between hearing impairment versus normal hearing for vitamin D [19.40 +/- 9.71 ng/ml versus 22.67 +/- 9.28ng/ml; p<0.001], calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, albumin, systolic blood pressure [131.70 +/- 9.25 Hg versus 127.73 +/- 1.98 Hg], diastolic blood pressure [82.20 +/- 8.60 mm Hg versus 79.80 +/- 8.20 mm Hg], and microalbuminuria. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that variables such as vertigo, duration of DM, mobile/I pad phone, vitamin D deficiency, sleeping disturbance, headache, frequently TV watching, tinnitus, cigarette smokers, and hypertension were considered at higher risk as a predictors of retinopathy with hearing loss among diabetic patients. Conclusion. Vitamin D deficiency is considered as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy and hearing loss among diabetic patients. Meanwhile, hyperglycemia could be considered as a modifiable risk factor for diabetic retinopathy; Light glycemic control may be the most effective and important therapy for improving quality of life and substantially reducing the incidence of retinopathy and in T2DM patients

Genç Onkologların Bakış Açısı ile Türkiye’deki Klinik Araştırmalar: Engeller ve Çözüm Önerileri

Günümüzde onkoloji alanında her geçen gün deneysel ve klinik araştırmaların sonucu olarak yeni bir gelişme olmaktadır. Kişi başına düşen yayın sayısına bakıldığında, Türkiye diğer gelişmiş Avrupa ülkelerinden epeyce geride yer almaktadır. Örneğin tüm dünyada kanser alanında yapılmış olan yayınların sayısı 2,134,964 iken, Türkiye’dekilerin sayısının toplamı 15.576’dır ve toplam yayın sayısı nüfus oranları ile karşılaştırıldığında diğer gelişmiş Avrupa ülkelerine göre epeyce geride kalmaktadır. Türkiye’de klinik çalışmaların önündeki en önemli engellerin finansal sorunlar, çalışma şartlarının zorlukları, iş yoğunluğu nedeniyle zaman kısıtlılığı, deneyimli-eğitimli insan gücü eksikliği, bilimsel çalışmanın tüm aşamalarında yardımcı olacak bir ekibin eksikliği, proje hazırlama ve etik kurul izin sürecinde yaşanan sıkıntılar, motivasyon eksikliği olduğu düşünülebilir. Biz genç onkologlar olarak bu yazımızda; dünya genelinde ülkemizin bilimsel ve klinik araştırmalardaki yerini, bilimsel araştırmaların yapılamamasının nedenlerini, ülkemizde yapılmakta olan yayınların çeşit ve kalitesini, bizim ülkemize ait varolan ger- çekleri ve bunlara yönelik getirilebilecek çözüm önerilerini tartışmayı amaçladık.There is a new improvement in oncology nearly in every day as a result of preclinical or clinical. As the number of publication per capita, Turkey is far behind the other developed European countries. For example, the number of publications in oncology field is 2.134.964 in the world, it is 15.576 in our country. The most important obstacles for clinical trials in Turkey may be listed as financial problems, difficulties of working conditions, time limitation due to work intensity, inadequate experienced/trained man-power, absence of assistance team at all steps of a scientific trial, difficulties faced during project planning and ethics committee submissions, and lack of motivation. In this article, we, as young oncologists, aimed to discuss the place of Turkey in areas of scientific and clinical trials in the world; underlying causes for inadequate number, type and quality of national studies and possible solution proposals in our countr

Neuroanatomy, 2002, Volume1, Pages 22-25. Experimental Study

The organization of the somatic cell nuclei within the oculomotor nuclear complex in rat