Assessment of Seismic Risk in Istanbul

The 1999 earthquakes occurred in Turkey caused destructions in every field and level in nation wide with the high number of deaths and injuries, the remarkable rates of collapsed and heavily damaged buildings and the interruption of business activities in long-term. In the last 5 year-period, various scientific researches focusing on seismic issues have investigated the relationships among seismicity, site conditions and vulnerability. Moreover, with the co-operations of central and local governments, universities and international agencies, many comprehensive projects have been carried out, such as “A Disaster Prevention/Mitigation Basic Plan for Istanbul” by Istanbul Greater Municipality - Japan International Cooperation Agency. Despite 1999 earthquakes had slight effects on Istanbul, the probability of a great earthquake (estimated to occur up to 30 years), has accelerated the attempts on risk evaluation, development of mitigation strategies, readjustment of disaster management system and so on. The primary studies on this field are focused on understanding seismicity and site conditions at large scale so that the earthquake maps produced show risky zones related to geological indicators. Aftermath of many great disasters, it has been observed that land-use decisions, demographic and economic pattern are the key components which increase or decrease the vulnerability level of settlements. In this context, the aim of this paper is to evaluate vulnerability components affecting risk levels and to explore risky zones of Istanbul. In this paper, urban and seismic indicators (i.e. site conditions, demography, land use, economy) have been aggregated and factor analysis has been used in order to reveal principal components of earthquake risk in Istanbul. According to these main factors, using cluster analysis, the critical zones of Istanbul have been indicated on urban pattern.

Urban Transformation as a tool for Disaster Mitigation

Urban transformation projects are prepared with the purpose to sanitize decayed areas, to make cities beautiful and to create economic vitality. Since natural hazards threaten large metropolitan areas, urban transformation is pronounced together to mitigate disasters. This approach of urban transformation includes land use decisions related to hazard, risk and vulnerability analysis and to enhance the implementation of building codes respecting the current standards with application of urban transformation methodologies. Ideally urban transformation methodologies include not only physical and economic improvement but also provide social improvement concerning people who live in the area. Urban transformation seems to be the government’s primary tool for disaster mitigation by guiding urban development and improving the quality of housing stock in Turkey. Several attempts since 2005 to pass a bill to institutionalize this controversial strategy finally succeeded in 2010. In June, Law No. 5998, an amendment to Municipal Law No5393 of 2005, expanded item 73 on urban transformation projects to give municipalities the power to initiate Urban Transformation projects to rehabilitate urban areas or to mitigate disaster risk. According to this item in metropolitan areas, district municipalities can implement such projects within their jurisdictions with the approval of the metropolitan municipal council. Therefore Istanbul (Turkey) which is the biggest metropolitan area and waiting a big earthquake in next 30 years will be subjected to several urban transformation projects in the near future. In the paper, the urban transformation related to disaster mitigation approach will be discussed in the case of Istanbul in terms of descriptive analysis and proposals for future development.

Synthesis, characterization, cytotoxicity evaluation and physicochemical properties of some novel N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides

888-900Several N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides derivatives have been synthesized and structural analyses have been carried out using FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H and 13C NMR, LC-MS-MS and elemental analyses. Photoluminescence and physicochemical properties have also been conducted. Two 4-aminobenzenesulfonamides have been treated with 2-bromopropionyl bromide in pyridine to give their respective bromo substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides as intermediates. Subsequent reactions with morpholino-, thiomorpholino- and piperazine amines have yielded novel aminobenzenesulfonamide derivatives. As it is well known that CA IX and CA XII enzymes play an active role in attacking various cancerous conditions, studies presented in this study target these enzymes with in vitro cytotoxicity studies being performed on the compounds synthesized. The target compounds have been found to be active against some cancerous cells, with mimimal effects on normal cells. The physicochemical data reveal interesting synergistic effects controlling cytotoxicities, where the lipophilicity and polarity combinations play important roles on the eventual observed cytotoxicities. Further, the electronegativity and availability of the electrons of the heteroatoms of the synthesized compounds appear to have an effect on cancer cell cytotoxicities

Synthesis, characterization, cytotoxicity evaluation and physicochemical properties of some novel N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides

Several N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides derivatives have been synthesized and structural analyses have been carried out using FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H and 13C NMR, LC-MS-MS and elemental analyses. Photoluminescence and physicochemical properties have also been conducted. Two 4-aminobenzenesulfonamides have been treated with 2-bromopropionyl bromide in pyridine to give their respective bromo substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides as intermediates. Subsequent reactions with morpholino-, thiomorpholino- and piperazine amines have yielded novel aminobenzenesulfonamide derivatives. As it is well known that CA IX and CA XII enzymes play an active role in attacking various cancerous conditions, studies presented in this study target these enzymes with in vitro cytotoxicity studies being performed on the compounds synthesized. The target compounds have been found to be active against some cancerous cells, with mimimal effects on normal cells. The physicochemical data reveal interesting synergistic effects controlling cytotoxicities, where the lipophilicity and polarity combinations play important roles on the eventual observed cytotoxicities. Further, the electronegativity and availability of the electrons of the heteroatoms of the synthesized compounds appear to have an effect on cancer cell cytotoxicities

The Importance and Place of Adenotonsillectomy in Syndromic Children

Objective: Upper airway obstruction and sleeping disorders are important issues in syndromic children, including mouth, lower-upper jaw, or all facial abnormalities. Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy is required because of systemic problems and upper airway obstruction that increase the existing systemic problems, except those anomalies. However, tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy are mostly avoided because of the tendency to cause both intubation/perioperative systemic problems and respiratory complications in the postoperative period and in delays in the oral intake. However, these surgeries are sometimes required. In this context, we present our experience related with performing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy in syndromic children admitted to our hospital. Methods: We retrospectively examined the data on tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy performed in syndromic patients in our clinic between 2001 and 2011. Results: We did not observe any postoperative complications in adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy performed by the same surgeon in 14 syndromic cases. Conclusion: It should be noted that respiratory problems may arise from many different anatomical regions in syndromic patients. Therefore, surgery should be performed taking into consideration all of these factors in these patients. These patients must be hospitalized in the postoperative period

Evaluation of Hearing Loss in Pilots

Objective: High-intensity noise sources with an increase in air traffic and sudden changes in atmospheric pressure can cause hearing loss in pilots. The main goal of this research is to examine hearing loss due to age, the total flight hours and aircraft types and to evaluate the effects of personal conditions that can influence the hearing level. Methods: We examined the data of 234 Turkish pilots aged between 25 and 54 years who were examined due to the aviation Law for annual control from January 2005 to January 2014 at Baskent University Medical Faculty, Ankara Hospital. The audiometric results of the pilots were used. While 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 KHz were used for the airway threshold, 1, 2, and 4 KHz were used for the bone conduction threshold. Results: According to the data of the 234 pilots, there was a significant correlation between high-frequency hearing loss and the total flight hours and pilots' ages. The average hearing loss was higher, particularly in the left ear, in pilots using helicopters than in those using other aircraft types. There was no statistically significant correlation between hearing loss and diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, high blood pressure, anemia, obesity, and smoking. Conclusion: A significant cor-relation was observed between high frequency hearing loss and the total flight hours, pilots' age, and aircraft types in our study

Recurrent Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Submandibular Gland

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is the most common benign tumor of salivary glands. Most PAs occur in the parotid (80%), followed by the submandibular gland (10%) and minor salivary and sublingual glands (10%). Submandibular gland PAs usually manifest in the submandibular area as a painless hard mass. Although several recurrent parotid gland PA cases have been reported in the literature, recurrent submandibular gland PA is quite rare. Complete surgical removal of tumor of the submandibular gland and keeping the capsule intact are important to prevent recurrence. Here we present a rare case of submandibular gland PA recurrence that occurred 5 years after the first surgery and methods to prevent recurrence

Effect of mometasone furoate nasal spray on the DNA of nasal mucosal cells

Background/aim: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a respiratory disease caused by inflammation of the nasal mucosa. Intranasal corticosteroids (ICs) are an effective treatment for AR; however, their use has been associated with atrophy in nasal mucosae. Because DNA damage has been linked to several chronic diseases, we hypothesize that use of ICs could cause DNA damage in nasal mucosa cells, leading to mucosal atrophy and septal perforation. Materials and methods: Sixty patients with moderate or severe AR were divided randomly into two groups. Mometasone furoate (MF) and antihistamine tablets (desloratadine) were given to the study (IC) group. Physiologic saline and desloratadine were given to the control ((serum physiologic (SP)) group. Nasal irrigation fluid was taken from patients before study commencement and after 4 weeks of treatment. The comet assay was applied to detect DNA damage in nasal mucosa cells. Results: Nineteen patients were excluded, leaving a study population of 41 patients (IC group: 17 patients; SP group: 24 patients). Genotoxic damage was evaluated by comet assay. Conclusion: Treatment with MF spray for 4 weeks does not cause DNA breaks within cells in the nasal mucosa. These results could form the basis of clinical trials involving treatment with different ICs over longer treatment periods

Pediatric Mass Lesions of the Head and Neck Region and Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy Results

Objective: 1. To provide a classification of pediatric mass of the head and neck region and evaluate their frequency. 2. To examine the findings of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in pediatric patients along with its contribution to diagnosis. Methods: Totally, 233 pediatric patients (125 boys and 108 girls) operated at Baskent University for head and neck mass were included. Clinical, radiological, and histopathological data were retrieved from medical records. Results: The mean age was 119 +/- 65 months, and the mean duration of follow-up was 75 +/- 49 months. Localization of the masses was as follows: 208 (89%) in the neck, 21 (9%) in the oral cavity, 2 (1%) in the neck and nasopharynx, and two (1%) in the larynx. The most common surgical procedure was open excisional biopsy (n=105, 45%) followed by cystic mass excision (n=72, 31%) and salivary gland excision (n=33, 14%). Basedon histopathological findings, benign cystic lesions were the most common disease group (n=77, 33.1%), whereas reactive lymphadenopathy was the most common condition (n=36, 15%) when a single disease was considered. Infectious/inflammatory diseases, malignancies, and benign salivary glands were present in 49 (21%), 24 (10.3%), and 22 (9.4%) patients, respectively. FNAB was performed in 29.8% of the patients with an accuracy of 90.3% (95% CI, 80.1-96.4). Conclusion: The differential diagnosis of head and neck masses during childhood includes a wide spectrum with the different conditions being benign cystic diseases of congenital origin and reactive lymphadenopathies. Owing to its high predictive value, FNAB represents a rapid and reliable method that can be commonly used in both adult and pediatric patients