Proceedings European Geothermal Congress

ABSTRACT Development of NW-SE trending grabens at Neotectonic period is due to absolute NE movement and relative SW movement of Anatolia and surrounding area. This new tectonic model shows an adaptation with young magmatic and geothermal system of Western Anatolia as well. According to this new model, geothermal localities in the Aegean region and continuousness of geothermal systems which have been classified due to their heat sources can be explained. Boron including fluids derived from altered oceanic crust and thick oceanic sediments, ascend towards the surface and change their isotopic composition by fractionation in different geological process (partial melting, crystallizations in the different environments), so that the boron occurs in different environments in differing amounts. Geothermal systems which have deep circulation in Western Anatolia (Kizildere, Germencik, Salihli) have rather high amount of boron. These geothermal fluids which are hotter and have deep circulation interact with metamorphic rocks of Menderes Massif including some pegmatitic minerals. Generally these rocks have relatively low d 11 B values and these values fit the low d 11 B values of geothermal waters in contact with these rocks. According by, water-rock interaction appears to be as the main source for boron. Boron contents of geothermal waters having shallower circulation, like Pamukkale and Karahayit, are lower. On the other hand d 11 B values of these waters are a little bit high due to their lithological differences. In geothermal systems having sea water contribution, higher d 11 B values indicate that boron comes from sea water and also from water-rock interaction

Timing of induction of cardiomyocyte differentiation for in vitro cultured mesenchymal stem cells: A perspective for emergencies

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, myocytes, and cardiomyocytes. Several established methods are presently available for in vitro isolation of MSCs from bone marrow. However, the duration necessary to culture them can be a major handicap to cell-based therapies needed for such urgent cardiovascular conditions as acute myocardial infarction and acute hindlimb ischemia. The best timing of car- diomyocyte differentiation induction after MCS isolation and expansion is still an unresolved issue. Our goal was to investigate the possibility of obtaining functional cardiomyocytes from rat MSC within a shorter time period. We examined MSCs' colony-forming capacity, CD90 and CD34 immunoreactivity during the 14 days of culturing. Cardiomyocyte differentiation was induced by 5-azacytidine. Immunohistochemic staining, together with intracellular Ca2+ measurement experiments, revealed that MSCs do not differentiate into any specific cell lineage but show the characteristics of MSCs on both the 9th and 14th days of the culture. To check the potential for differentiation into cardiomyocytes, experiments with caffeine application and depolarization with KCl were performed. The cells possessed some of the specific biochemical features of contracting cells, with slightly higher capacities on the 14th day. Cells from 9th and 14th days of the culture that were treated with 5-azacytidine had a higher expression of cardiac-specific markers such as troponin I, α-sarcomeric actin, and MEF2D compared with the control groups. This study illustrates that it is possible to get functional cardiomyocytes from in vitro MSC culture in a shorter time period than previously achieved. This reduction in time may provide emergency cases with access to cell-based therapies that may have previously been unavailable

Bacillus thuringiensis isolates entomopathogenic for Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Anticarsia gemmatalis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Samples of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were collected from soil and insects. Eight isolates were selected from rural soil, 15 from urban soil and 11 from insects. These were evaluated for entomopathogenicity against larvae of Anticarsia gemmatalis and Culex quinquefasciatus. The pathogenicity tests showed that a higher percentage of isolates were active against A. gemmatalis (60%) compared to C. quinquefasciatus (31%). Probit analysis (LC50) indicated that against A. gemmatalis four of the isolates presented values similar to the reference strain against A. gemmatalis, while against C. quinquefasciatus one isolate showed an LC50 similar to the reference strain (IPS-82). SDS-PAGE characterisation of two isolates showed a 27 kDa protein fraction related to the Bt subspecies israelensis cytolytic toxin (cyt) gene. One 130 kDa protein, possibly related to the Bt crystal inclusions (cry1) gene, was identified in the other two isolates, which were more toxic for lepidoptera; another isolate presented a protein of 100 kDa. Some new local Bt isolates had similar LC50 probit values to the reference strains

Mesenchymal stem cells or cardiac progenitors for cardiac repair? A comparative study

Gene regulation and cell differentiatio