Determination of Boron in hazelnut varieties with the addition of sorbitol by using ICP-OES and ultrasonic nebulization after microwave digestion system

Boron is an essential nutrient for plants and an essential element for many organisms, but can be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms above certain concentrations. The aim of this research is determining the Boron content of four varieties of Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) from Sakarya. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) with ultrasonic nebulization (USN) was used for the determination of Boron contents. This method is based on microwave digestion system and reduced memory effect of Boron by using sorbitol. Different conditions were optimized for this method. Four hazelnut varieties, eight soil samples and certificated reference material (NIM-GBW10012) were analyzed. The Boron contents were found as 18.27, 28.3, 38.6, 17.6 mg/kg in Kara, Sivri, Delisava and Tombul hazelnut varieties, respectively. And Boron contents of soil samples were between 30.44 to 196.79 mg/kg. The results revealed that the Turkish hazelnut is a good natural source of Boron. (C) 2018 ACG Publications. All rights reserved

Transfer learning for drug–target interaction prediction

MotivationUtilizing AI-driven approaches for drug–target interaction (DTI) prediction require large volumes of training data which are not available for the majority of target proteins. In this study, we investigate the use of deep transfer learning for the prediction of interactions between drug candidate compounds and understudied target proteins with scarce training data. The idea here is to first train a deep neural network classifier with a generalized source training dataset of large size and then to reuse this pre-trained neural network as an initial configuration for re-training/fine-tuning purposes with a small-sized specialized target training dataset. To explore this idea, we selected six protein families that have critical importance in biomedicine: kinases, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, nuclear receptors, proteases, and transporters. In two independent experiments, the protein families of transporters and nuclear receptors were individually set as the target datasets, while the remaining five families were used as the source datasets. Several size-based target family training datasets were formed in a controlled manner to assess the benefit provided by the transfer learning approach.ResultsHere, we present a systematic evaluation of our approach by pre-training a feed-forward neural network with source training datasets and applying different modes of transfer learning from the pre-trained source network to a target dataset. The performance of deep transfer learning is evaluated and compared with that of training the same deep neural network from scratch. We found that when the training dataset contains fewer than 100 compounds, transfer learning outperforms the conventional strategy of training the system from scratch, suggesting that transfer learning is advantageous for predicting binders to under-studied targets.Availability and implementationThe source code and datasets are available at https://github.com/cansyl/TransferLearning4DTI. Our web-based service containing the ready-to-use pre-trained models is accessible at https://tl4dti.kansil.org

Phytoremediation of Cu, Cr and Pb mixtures by lemna minor

The present study reports the capacity of the aquatic macrophyte Lemna minor to remediate combinations of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cr(III) from a simulated natural environment. The effect of these metal mixtures on the growth of L. minor was also investigated using growth rate and biomass inhibition calculations. L. minor was successful in removing Cr and Pb from the water, and it remained an effective remediation agent when both metals were present in the environment. However, a relatively low absorption capacity was observed for Cu, increasing concentrations of which were associated with significant decreases in growth rate. No statistically significant difference was found between the 24 h and 7 days absorption rates of Cu, Pb and Cr, suggesting that, at the concentrations tested, equilibrium occurs within 24 h of metal exposure. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Chromium(VI) Biosorption and Bioaccumulation by Live and Acid-Modified Biomass of a Novel Morganella morganii Isolate

Conventional methods of chromium removal are often insufficient for the remediation of chromium-contaminated natural environments, necessitating the development of alternative strategies. In this paper, we report the isolation of a novel Morganella morganii strain capable of reducing hexavalent chromium to its less-toxic and less-soluble trivalent form. Cr(VI) reduction by this strain was evaluated in both acidic environments and conditions reflecting natural freshwater sources. The isolate achieved equilibrium within 3 h and displayed a specific uptake rate of 24.30 ± 1.67 mg Cr(VI)/g biomass following HCl treatment. Without acid treatment, a reduction of over 90% was recorded within 72 h for an initial Cr(VI) concentration 20 mg/L, corresponding to a Cr(VI) removal capacity of 19.36 ± 1.89 mg/g. Absorption data of acid-treated STB5 biomass most closely followed the Toth and Langmuir models. FTIR results indicate that hydroxyl groups and extracellular or cell membrane polysaccharides may be potential adsorption sites for hexavalent chromium. Our results suggest that the isolate may be used in situ for treatment of polluted freshwater environments. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Renal and suprarenal insufficiency secondary to familial Mediterranean fever associated with amyloidosis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Familial Mediterranean fever is an autosomal recessive disease that predominantly affects people of the Mediterranean coast. One of the most frequent complications of the disease is amyloidosis. This clinical entity is known as secondary (also called AA) amyloidosis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this report, we describe the case of a 33-year-old Turkish man with familial Mediterranean fever and chronic renal insufficiency. He was admitted to our clinic with symptoms of suprarenal insufficiency. The patient died three months later as a result of cardiac arrest.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our aim is to make a contribution to the literature by reporting a case of combined insufficiency due to the accumulation of renal and adrenal amyloid in a patient with familial Mediterranean fever, which has very rarely been described in the literature. We hope that adrenal insufficiency, which becomes fatal if not diagnosed and treated rapidly, will come to mind as easily as chronic renal failure in clinical practice.</p