Inalienable rights and pluralism in animal advocacy

I comment on two of Ng’s suggestions. There is a lack of support for his suggestion that some experiments on individual animals will be useful for future success, so they should be permitted. I also question his recommendation that animal advocacy should focus on farmed animals first and wild animals later. The lack of solid support for why this would be a more effective strategy leads me to suggest a more pluralistic support of a variety of types of advocacy

Relations and Moral Obligations towards Other Animals

Relational accounts acknowledge and emphasise the intersubjective nature of selfhood and argue that focusing solely on the capacities of animals cannot account for all moral obligations towards them. My argument is concerned with the move from the premise of intersubjectivity to differential positive duties. Relationality here functions as a means of differentiating and refining our positive duties towards some animals, but this refinement often also functions as an exclusion of others, e.g. in the differential treatment of domesticated and wild animals. A similar danger lies in diminishing human moral obligation by arguing for accepting some cases of suffering and death as unavoidable tragedies. I argue that the debate about the nature and scope of our relational duties towards other animals can profit from the relational ethics of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas. Buber and Levinas develop relational accounts, in which the fundamental ethical element is not knowledge of the capacities of the other but rather the encounter, out of which moral selfhood emerges. By applying Buber and Levinas we can refine the way relationality is used in animal ethics today without dismissing our positive duties towards individual animals, in the wild or otherwise

Farklı tip kumaşların bebeklerin giyim konforu, Uyku Paterni ve Tükürük Kortizol ve Melatonin düzeyleri üzerine etkisi

Infants’ health must be cared about in order to raise healthy generations. The way that infants can grow healthily is that they wear healthy, safe and comfortable clothes. The purpose of this study is to develop clothes intended for the clothing comfort of infants, to improve the product variety and quality of infant clothes, and also to research how the clothes affect infants. In conclusion of this study, it was confirmed that different fabrics had different reactions on the infants’ bodies.Sağlıklı nesiller yetiştirebilmek için bebeklerin sağlığına önem verilmelidir. Bebeklerin gelişimlerini sağlıklı bir şekilde sürdürebilmelerinin bir kolu da sağlıklı, güvenli ve konforlu giysiler giymeleridir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, 0-1 yaş aralığındaki bebeklerin giyim konforuna yönelik giysilerin geliştirilmesi, bebek giysilerinin ürün çeşidinin ve kalitesinin arttırılması, bunlara ek olarak giysilerin bebekleri ne şekilde etkilemekte olduğunun araştırılmasıdır. Sonuç olarak, birbirlerinden farklı kumaşların bebeklerin vücutları üzerinde farklı tepkiler oluşturdukları ve çalışma kapsamında geliştirilen çift katlı kumaş yapılarının bebeklerde olumlu yönde etkiler ortaya çıkardıkları tespit edilmiştir.This research was funded by Ege University with the project number of 11-TKUAM-001

Potential benefits of healthy food and lifestyle policies for reducing coronary heart disease mortality in Turkish adults by 2025: a modelling study

Objective This study uses a modelling approach to compare the potential impact of future risk factor scenarios relating to smoking, physical activity levels, dietary salt, saturated fat intake, mean body mass index (BMI) levels, diabetes prevalence and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption on future coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in Turkey for year 2025. Design A CHD mortality model previously developed and validated in Turkey was extended to predict potential trends in CHD mortality from 2008 to 2025. Setting Using risk factor trends data from recent surveys as a baseline, we modelled alternative evidence-based future risk factor scenarios (modest/ideal scenarios). Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to account for uncertainties. Subject Projected populations in 2025 (aged 25–84) of 54 million in Turkey. Results Assuming lower mortality, modest policy changes in risk factors would result in ∼25 635 (range: 20 290–31 125) fewer CHD deaths in the year 2025; 35.6% attributed to reductions in salt consumption, 20.9% to falls in diabetes, 14.6% to declines in saturated fat intake and 13.6% to increase in F&V intake. In the ideal scenario, 45 950 (range: 36 780–55 450) CHD deaths could be prevented in 2025. Again, 33.2% of this would be attributed to reductions in salt reduction, 19.8% to increases in F&V intake, 16.7% to reductions in saturated fat intake and 14.0% to the fall in diabetes prevalence. Conclusions Only modest risk factor changes in salt, saturated/unsaturated fats and F&V intake could prevent around 16 000 CHD deaths in the year 2025 in Turkey, even assuming mortality continues to decline. Implementation of population-based, multisectoral interventions to reduce salt and saturated fat consumption and increase F&V consumption should be scaled up in Turkey

Détermination de l’expression des gènes codant pour le TNF-α et la leptine par RT-PCR dans le sang de vaches présentant un déplacement de la caillette à gauche

The aims of this study are to evaluate the TNF-α and leptin gene expression in blood from Holstein cows with left abomasal displacement and to correlate it with induced liver injury. The TNF-α and leptin expression in blood samples was determined by RT-PCR after normalisation using the constant expression of the housekeeping GAPDH gene in cows with left abomasal displacement (LAD) (n = 20) before surgery and 7 days after as well as in healthy controls (n = 10). Plasma hepatic enzyme (AST: aspartate aminotransferase, ALT: alanine aminotransferase and ALP: alkaline phosphatase) activities were measured in parallel. Plasma AST and ALP activities dramatically increased in diseased cows during the preoperative period and then declined. Although not significantly, the leptin expression tended to decrease in LAD affected cows while the TNF-α expression tended to increase during the postoperative period. These results suggest that TNF-α may be associated with liver damage during abomasal displacement and that leptin was inversely correlated.Les objectifs de cette étude ont été d’évaluer l’expression des gènes codant pour le TNF-α et la leptine dans le sang de vaches Holstein présentant un déplacement à gauche de la caillette et de la corréler avec les lésions hépatiques induites. L’expression du TNF-α et de la leptine a été déterminée par RT-PCR après normalisation en considérant l’expression du gène de ménage GAPDH comme constante dans les échantillons sanguins provenant de vaches atteintes d’un déplacement à gauche de la caillette (n = 20) avant et 7 jours après traitement chirurgical ou provenant de vaches saines (témoins, n = 10). Les activités plasmatiques des enzymes hépatiques (AST : aspartate aminotransférase, ALT ; alanine aminotransférase et PAL : phosphatase alcaline) ont été mesurées en parallèle. Les activités plasmatiques de l’AST et de la PAL étaient considérablement augmentées chez les vaches malades avant la chirurgie puis elles ont diminué durant la période postopératoire. Bien que les variations n’aient pas été significatives, l’expression de la leptine chez les animaux malades a tendu à diminuer alors que celle du TNF-α a augmenté durant la période postopératoire. Ces résultats suggèrent que le TNF-α pourrait être associé aux lésions hépatiques associées à un déplacement de la caillette alors que la leptine serait inversement corrélée.Scientific Research Projects Commission of Mehmet Akif Ersoy Universit

Fenofibrate Treatment Enhances Antioxidant Status and Attenuates Endothelial Dysfunction in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Diabetic endothelial dysfunction is accompanied by increased oxidative stress and upregulated proinflammatory and inflammatory mediators in the vasculature. Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-α) results in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study was designed to investigate the effect of fenofibrate, a PPAR-α activator, on the endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation in streptozotocin diabetic rats. Diabetic rats received fenofibrate (150 mg kg−1 day−1) for 4 weeks. Fenofibrate treatment restored the impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation and increased basal nitric oxide availability in diabetic aorta, enhanced erythrocyte/liver superoxide dismutase and catalase levels, ameliorated the abnormal serum/aortic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and prevented the increased aortic myeloperoxidase without a significant change in serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It did not affect the decreased total homocysteine level and the increased tumor necrosis factor-α level in the serum of diabetic rats. Fenofibrate-induced prevention of the endothelial function seems to be related to its potential antioxidant and antiinflammatory activity

A novel marker of systemic inflammation in psoriasis and related comorbidities: Chitotriosidase

Background/aim: Chitotriosidase (ChT) is an enzyme secreted by activated macrophages and neutrophils in response to proinflammatory signals. There is growing evidence indicating that ChT activity reflects the systemic inflammatory status. This study aimed to investigate whether serum ChT activity increased in patients with psoriasis and related comorbidities. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included 53 (28 with associated comorbidities and 25 without comorbidities) patients with psoriasis and 52 healthy volunteers. All participants underwent laboratory investigations for serum ChT levels, complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and serum lipid levels. Results: The patients with psoriasis showed significantly higher levels of ChT activity as compared to the healthy controls (23.5 ± 11.4 vs. 17.5 ± 10.4 μmol/mL/hour; p = 0.015). Additionally, the ChT activity was significantly higher in patients with comorbidities than in those without (p = 0.042). Conclusion: Our data support the pathogenetic role of inflammatory processes induced by macrophage activation in patients with psoriasis and related comorbidities. We believe that high ChT activity in patients with psoriasis may serve as an early prediction of the possible related comorbidities. © TÜBİTAK

Immunohistochemical Examination on the Effects of Malathion and Onosma Nigricaule (Boraginaceae) on the Leptin in Renal Tissues of Mice

AimThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the plant extract, which is obtained from Onosma nigricaule due to the oxidation parameters caused in mice by Malathion that is used as an insecticide in agriculture, on leptin in renal tissues in an immunohistochemical way.Material-MethodsA total of 48 male mice were used in our study. 6 groups were determined as the control (group 1), maize oil which is the transport agent of malathion (group 2), normal saline which is the transport agent of plant extract (group 3), Onosma nigricaule (group 4), malathion (group 5) and Onosma nigricaule plant extract + malathion (group 6) group. The localization of leptin in the renal tissue was determined using the method of Streptavidin-Biotin- Peroxidase. Hematoxylin-eosin and triple staining methods were used for histological and pathological examinations.ResultsNo lesion was determined in renal tissues of the control group, normal saline group, maize oil group, Onosma nigricaule malathion and onosma nigricaule + malathion groups. Leptin immunoreactivity was determined with a weak intensity in renal tubulus proximalis and distalis epithelial cells of mice in the onosma nigricaule group, and onosma nigricaule + malathion group and with a high intensity in tubulus proximalis of other groups.ConclusionThis study conducted on mice revealed that malathion, which is commonly used as insecticide in Turkey, affects leptin activities in renal tissue of mice

False Positive Diagnosis of Lysosomal Storage Disease Based on Dried Blood Spot Sample; Leucocyte Number of a Challenging Factor

Aim:Recently dried blood spot (DBS) samples have been recommended as a screening test for Lysosomal Storage diseases. Although DBS samples have many advantages including non-invasiveness, cost and transportation, usage of these samples is limited by its high false positive rate. We aimed to investigate any possible effect of the leucocyte number on enzyme activity in dried blood samples in a retrospective study.Materials and Methods:Data was collected from subjects (n=263) for whom hematological parameters were available in the database of Ege University Hospital. The lysosomal enzyme activity results (alpha glycosidase, glycocerebrosidase, alpha galactosidase, sphingomyelinase and galactocerebrosidase) were re-evaluated with regard to the leucocyte number. Enzyme activities were measured using fluorometric and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods.Results:All enzyme activities closely correlated with the total number of leucocyte, since leucocytes are the main source of lysosomal enzymes. Glycocerebrosidase and galactocerebrosidase presented a positive correlation with the number of neutrophils and sphingomyelinase showed a positive correlation with the number of lymphocytes. When we recalculated the lysosomal enzyme activities with regard to the leucocyte number, the false positive rates for glycocerebrosidase, sphingomyelinase and alpha galactosidase decreased from 20%, 10.5% and 10.8% to 4.5%, 4.4% and 4.2%, respectively.Conclusions:Our data indicated that the enzyme activity in dried blood samples including low leucocyte number might be found lower than reference intervals resulting in false positive diagnosis. We concluded that the calculation of enzyme activity with regard to the number of leucocytes might produce more reliable results and might be helpful in decreasing the false positive rate

Severe iron overload and hyporegenerative anemia in a case with rhesus hemolytic disease: therapeutic approach to rare complications

A 33 weeks’ gestation, a baby with rhesus hemolytic disease (RHD), who had received intrauterine transfusions twice, developed cholestatic hepatic disease and late hyporegenerative anemia. Her serum ferritin and bilirubin levels increased to 8842 ng/ml and 17.9 mg/dl, respectively. Liver biopsy showed cholestasis and severe iron overload. Treatment with recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO) decreased the transfusion need, and intravenous deferoxamine resulted in a marked decreased in serum ferritin levels and normalization of liver function. In patients who have undergone intrauterine transfusions due to RHD, hyperferritinemia and late hyporegenerative anemia should be kept in mind. Chelation therapy in cases with symptomatic hyperferritinemia and rHuEPO treatment in cases with severe hyporegenerative anemia should be considered