The effects of daylight exposure on melatonin levels, Kiss1 expression, and melanoma formation in mice

Aim To determine how daylight exposure in mice affects melatonin protein expression in blood and Kiss1 gene expression in the hypothalamus. The second aim was to assess the relationship between skin cancer formation, daylight exposure, melatonin blood level, and kisspeptin gene expression level. Methods New-born mice (n = 96) were assigned into the blind group or daylight group. The blind group was raised in the dark and the daylight group was raised under 12 hours light/12 hours dark cycle for 17 weeks. At the end of the 11th week, melanoma cell line was inoculated to mice, and tumor growth was observed for 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, melatonin level was measured from blood serum and Kiss1 expression from the hypothalamus. Results The blind group had significantly higher melatonin and lower Kiss1 expression levels than the daylight group. Tumor volume was inversely proportional to melatonin levels and directly proportional to Kiss1 expression levels. Tumor growth speed was lower in the blind than in the daylight group. Conclusion Melatonin and Kiss1 were shown to be nvolved in tumor suppression. They were affected by daylight and were mutually affected by each other

Evaluation of sexual functional status and consistency of scales in patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism before and after testosterone replacement therapy: a single-center experience

ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of sexual dysfunction and the effect of short-term testosterone replacement therapy on sexual functions in congenital hypogonadism patients. Furthermore, we sought to reveal the consistency of the self-report scales used for the diagnosis of sexual dysfunction and the relationship between biochemical parameters. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 47 young male patients aged above 18 years who were diagnosed with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Short (IIEF-5) and long (IIEF-15) forms of the International Index of Erectile Function and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) were applied before treatment under the supervision of a physician. The patients’ blood pressure, height, and weight were measured, and their luteinizing hormone (LH), FSH, and total testosterone levels were recorded. Patients who started their treatments were called for a follow-up checkup after 6 months. Their blood pressure, height, and weight were measured by reapplying the ASEX, IIEF-5, and IIEF-15. In addition, their LH, FSH, and total testosterone levels in the biochemical tests were rerecorded. Results: In this study, the sexual dysfunction status of patients diagnosed with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism before and after treatment was evaluated using the ASEX, IIEF-15, and IIEF-5 scales. A decrease in sexual dysfunction was observed in all three scales after treatment compared with that before treatment. The IIEF-5 and IIEF-15 scales were found to be uncorrelated in terms of the pretreatment values but were correlated in terms of the post-treatment values. Although a correlation was observed between ASEX and IIEF-5 before treatment, no correlation was detected between ASEX and IIEF-15. After the treatment, ASEX was found to be correlated with both IIEF-5 and IIEF-15. The results of the scales indicated the correlation in all categories, except the pretreatment results of the IIEF-15 scale. Conclusion: The results of the current study demonstrated a significant improvement in the sexual function of hypogonadism patients undergoing short-term testosterone therapy. The ASEX, IIEF-5, and IIEF-15 scales used in the diagnosis and follow-up of sexual dysfunction were useful for evaluating sexual functions in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism patients

A New Ore Grade Estimation Using Combine Machine Learning Algorithms

Accurate prediction of mineral grades is a fundamental step in mineral exploration and resource estimation, which plays a significant role in the economic evaluation of mining projects. Currently available methods are based either on geometrical approaches or geostatistical techniques that often considers the grade as a regionalised variable. In this paper, we propose a grade estimation technique that combines multilayer feed-forward neural network (NN) and k-nearest neighbour (kNN) models to estimate the grade distribution within a mineral deposit. The models were created by using the available geological information (lithology and alteration) as well as sample locations (easting, northing, and altitude) obtained from the drill hole data. The proposed approach explicitly maintains pattern recognition over the geological features and the chemical composition (mineral grade) of the data. Prior to the estimation of grades, rock types and alterations were predicted at unsampled locations using the kNN algorithm. The presented case study demonstrates that the proposed approach can predict the grades on a test dataset with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.507 and R2=0.528, whereas the traditional model, which only uses the coordinates of sample points as an input, yielded an MAE value of 0.862 and R2=0.112. The proposed approach is promising and could be an alternative way to estimates grades in a similar modelling tasks

Intravenous magnesium sulfate prophylaxis for atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery

AbstractObjective: Atrial fibrillation is a rhythm disorder commonly seen early after coronary artery bypass grafting, and it increases morbidity. Methods: To investigate the effectiveness of magnesium sulfate in the prophylaxis of atrial fibrillation, we conducted a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study on 200 consecutive patients in whom we performed elective and initial coronary artery bypass grafting operations. In each group 50% of patients underwent beating-heart operations. In the treatment group 100 patients (76 men and 24 women; mean age, 57.63 ± 9.68 years) received 24.34 mEq (3 g) of magnesium sulfate in 100 mL of saline solution that was administered over 2 hours (50 mL/h) preoperatively, perioperatively, and at postoperative days 0, 1, 2, and 3. In the control group 100 patients (74 men and 26 women; mean age, 59.96 ± 9.29 years) received only 100 mL of saline solution according to the same administration schedule as the treatment group. Results: Atrial fibrillation developed in 15 patients from the treatment group and in 16 patients from the control group. The arrhythmia developed after 37.87 ± 12.76 and 45.26 ± 15.27 hours in the treatment and control groups, respectively. Although a significant relationship was found between low magnesium sulfate levels and increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (P <.05), when the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation is concerned, no significant difference was found between the 2 groups (P >.05). Also, no significant difference was found between operations with cardiopulmonary bypass and beating-heart operations in terms of atrial fibrillation incidence (P >.05). However, atrial fibrillation extended the duration of hospital stay in both groups (P <.05). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that magnesium sulfate infusion alone is not sufficient for the prophylaxis of atrial fibrillation.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2003;125:344-5

The Roles of Filler Amount and Particle Geometry on the Mechanical, Thermal, and Tribological Performance of Polyamide 6 Containing Silicon-Based Nano-Additives

© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.The development of polymeric nanocomposites provides a practical strategy to achieve weight-reduction purposes and enhanced performance in structural applications. Polyamide 6 (PA6) has high potential in various applications where high mechanical properties are desired. In this study, four different silicon-containing nano-additives with various geometries, namely nanoclay (NC), halloysite nanotube (H), dodecaphenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (DP-POSS), and silica nanoparticles (NS), are compared based mainly on their reinforcing activities. The amount and geometry of reinforcers are examined through mechanical, thermal, thermo-mechanical, tribological, and morphological analysis. According to test results, different nanofillers show the best result in different behaviors of composites. The highest tensile and flexural strength are observed with the use of NC. Tribological test results implied that the wear resistance of composites depends on the loading level of nano-additives and the highest abrasion resistance is observed for halloysite-filled composites. The involvement of Si-containing nano-additives in PA6 composites confers thermal and thermo-mechanical performance as their filling amounts are kept at low levels. Overall performances of nanocomposites were improved with the inclusion of nano-additives in the order of sheet-like (2D) > tubular (1D) > irregular > spherical (0-D) structural geometries according to investigated results. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Association analyses of depression, anxiety, and physical fitness parameters in Turkish obese adults

Objective: This study aims to investigate the associations among depression, anxiety, aerobic exercise capacity, body fat percentage, sum of skinfolds, abdomen circumference, and waist to hip ratio on the basis of body mass index (BMI) in adults. Methods: The subjects of the study were 60 obese participants (30 women, 30 men) with BMIs over 30 kg/m(2) and 60 healthy controls (30 women, 30 men) with BMIs of 18-25 kg/m(2). Body fat percentage was calculated from the skinfold thicknesses using the formula. Body circumference measurements were performed using a tape measure. Maximal aerobic capacity (VO(2)max) was determined by Astrand submaximal exercise protocol. Two self-reported questionnaires, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), were administered to all participants. Results: BMI, body fat percentage, sum of skinfolds, abdomen circumference, and waist to hip ratio were found to be higher in obese groups as compared to the controls, while VO(2)max (ml/kg/min) values were lower in both genders. In males, BAI scores and mild-level anxiety percentage values were higher in the obese group than in the control group. There was no significant difference for BDI scores and levels between the obese and control groups in both genders. There was also no significant difference in BAI scores and levels between the obese and control groups in women. Conclusion: The fact that physical fitness being found poor in obese shows the existence of a condition that might constitute an increased tendency for obesity-related disorders. In addition, it was suggested that, in Turkey, attitudes toward obesity change depending on gender

Comparison of biochemical nutritional parameters and bioimpedance indexes in hemodialysis patients

44th ERA-EDTA Congress -- JUN 22-24, 2007 -- Barcelona, SPAINWOS: 000253320600414ERA-EDT