Detection of reactive oxygen metabolites in malignant and adjacent normal tissues of patients with lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Different types of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) are known to be involved in carcinogenesis. Several studies have emphasized the formation of ROMs in ischemic tissues and in cases of inflammation. The increased amounts of ROMs in tumor tissues can either be because of their causative effects or because they are produced by the tumor itself. Our study aimed to investigate and compare the levels of ROMs in tumor tissue and adjacent lung parenchyma obtained from patients with lung cancer. METHODS: Fifteen patients (all male, mean age 63.6 ± 9 years) with non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled in the study. All patients were smokers. Of the patients with lung cancer, twelve had epidermoid carcinoma and three had adenocarcinoma. During anatomical resection of the lung, tumor tissue and macroscopically adjacent healthy lung parenchyma (control) that was 5 cm away from the tumor were obtained. The tissues were freshly frozen and stored at −20°C. The generation of ROMs was monitored using luminol- and lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) techniques. RESULTS: Both luminol (specific for (.)OH, H(2)O(2), and HOCl(-)) and lucigenin (selective for O(2)(.-)) CL measurements were significantly higher in tumor tissues than in control tissues (P <0.001). Luminol and lucigenin CL measurements were 1.93 ± 0.71 and 2.5 ± 0.84 times brighter, respectively, in tumor tissues than in the adjacent parenchyma (P = 0.07). CONCLUSION: In patients with lung cancer, all ROM levels were increased in tumor tissues when compared with the adjacent lung tissue. Because the increase in lucigenin concentration, which is due to tissue ischemia, is higher than the increase in luminol, which is directly related to the presence and severity of inflammation, ischemia may be more important than inflammation for tumor development in patients with lung cancer

A pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor diagnosed during the management of acute appendicitis

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNET) are increasingly being discovered. A case of PNET diagnosed and treated during the management of acute appendicitis is presented and discussed. The importance of imaging modalities in patients with acute abdominal pain is emphasized. To the best our knowledge, this is the first pediatric report of PNET and acute appendicitis combination.Keywords: acute appendicitis, children, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumo

Clinical and genetic characterization of individuals with predicted deleterious PHIP variants

Heterozygous deleterious variants in PHIP have been associated with behavioral problems, intellectual disability/developmental delay, obesity/overweight, and dysmorphic features (BIDOD syndrome). We report an additional 10 individuals with pleckstrin homology domain-interacting protein (PHIP)-predicted deleterious variants (four frameshift, three missense, two nonsense, and one splice site; six of which are confirmed de novo). The mutation spectrum is diverse, and there is no clustering of mutations across the protein. The clinical phenotype of these individuals is consistent with previous reports and includes behavioral problems, intellectual disability, developmental delay, hypotonia, and dysmorphic features. The additional individuals we report have a lower frequency of obesity than previous reports and a higher frequency of gastrointestinal problems, social deficits, and behavioral challenges. Characterizing additional individuals with diverse mutations longitudinally will provide better natural history data to assist with medical management and educational and behavioral support

GIS based approach to analyze soil liquefaction and amplification: A case study in Eskisehir, Turkey

This study involves gathering the geological and geotechnical data and processing them in 3D structural model for the assessment of the likelihood of liquefaction hazard. A total of 467 borehole logs up to 30 m of depth were analyzed. Based on engineering characteristics of the soil formation, Geographical Information System based subsurface model maps and liquefaction hazard maps were prepared. Also microtremor measurements have been taken on different locations to assess the amplification of the alluvial formation. By obtaining amplification spectrum between the soil layers and response spectra at the top of the bedrock and at ground surface, a thematic map on amplification factor is produced. It is believed such kind of visual models will help engineers and designers on all aspects of future development of the cities especially transportation, infrastructure, and land uses against possible earthquake hazards

Identifying associations between CFH, HIF1A, SKIV2L and MYRIP gene polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Yaşa bağlı makula dejenerasyonu (YBMD), özellikle gelişmiş ülkelerdeki geri dönüşümsüz görme kaybının en önemli nedenidir. YBMD gelişimindeki en önemli risk faktörü ileri yaştır. CFH genindeki rs1061170 polimorfizminin YBMD gelişimi açısından bağımsız bir risk faktörü olduğu gösterilmiştir. Bununla birlikte bu polimorfizme sahip hastalarda hastalığın gelişmemesi sonucunda YBMD ile ilişkili farklı genlerin araştırıldığı çalışmalarda, birçok gende YBMD?ye karşı koruyuculuk yaratabilecek polimorfizmler saptanmakla birlikte, YBMD ile ilişkili olabilecek yeni genler de araştırılmaya devam edilmektedir. Bu olgu-kontrol çalışmamızda, YBMD?ye sahip 87 hasta ve sağlıklı 80 bireyde, CFH genindeki rs1061170 polimorfizmine ek olarak, SKIV2L ve MYRIP genlerindeki rs429608 ve rs2679798 ve HIF1A genindeki rs11549465 ve rs11549467 polimorfizmlerinin dağılımlarını dizi analizi yöntemiyle belirledik. CFH genindeki rs1061170 polimorfizmi açısından en az 1 adet C alleli taşımanın YBMD gelişimini yaştan bağımsız olarak arttırdığını bulduk (OR= 2.42; 95%CI 1.22-4.81). Ek olarak, aynı polimorfizmdeki atasal T allelinin de YBMD?ye karşı koruyucu etkiye sahip olduğu görüldü (OR=0.53; 95%CI 0.34-0.83). Diğer genlerdeki polimorfizmlerin dağılımları açısından ise hasta ve kontrol gruplarımız arasında istatistiksel bir fark saptanmamıştır. Bu çalışma sonucunda CFH geni rs1061170 polimorfizminin ülkemiz popülasyonu için de YBMD ile ilişkili olduğu belirlendi. Araştırma sonucunda diğer genlerde yer alan polimorfizmlerin YBMD ile ilşkisi gösterilememiştir ancak bu konuda daha geniş gruplarla yapılacak çalışmalara gereksinim vardır.Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is, especially in developed countries, one of the most important reasons of irreversible vision loss in advanced age. The most important risk factor is an advanced age. It has been shown that rs1061170 polymorphism in CFH gene is also an independent risk factor for AMD. However, disease-free patients with this polymorphism necessitate the investigation of other possible candidate genes. Thus, several number of polymorphisms both the ones with protective effect and the ones with causative effect have been identified and still being investigated. In this case-control study, we determine the distributions of rs1061170 (CFH), rs429608 (SKIV2L), rs2679798 (MYRIP) and rs11549465 and rs11549467 (HIF1A) polymorphisms via sequencing in 87 AMD patients and 80 healthy subjects. We found that having at least one C allele for rs1061170 polymorphism increases AMD risk independent from age (OR= 2.42; 95%CI 1.22-4.81). Furthermore, the ancestral T allele for rs1061170 polymorphism has protective effect for AMD (OR=0.53; 95%CI 0.34-0.83). There is no statistically significant difference for distributions of the other studied gene polymorphisms between patients and healthy subjects. As a conclusion, it has been identified that rs1061170 polymorphism of CFH gene is also associated with AMD in our population. Although no associations were documented for other polymorphisms, large-scale studies should be designed to clearly identify these associations in our population

Dynamic Behavior of Soft Subgrade Soils Treated with Boron Waste

A series of laboratory tests using resonant column and dynamic torsional shear tests were conducted on kaolinite and montmorillonite clays treated with boron waste. The effect of the boron waste on the dynamic characteristics of two clays was studied considering the effects of the plasticity index. Pulverized boron waste was mixed with the clay soils in different proportions. It has been seen that treatment with boron waste improved the dynamic properties of the two clays. However, increasing the amount of boron waste does not affect the dynamic characteristics of the samples in the same proportions. Increasing the amount of boron waste in the mixture increased the initial shear modulus of the montmorillonite clay up to 300% compared to untreated samples, whereas the reaction of the kaolinite clay with boron waste treatment was moderate. Degradation curves of treated and untreated soils in regard to shear strain are presented. In general treatment, success is dependent on the amount of boron waste and the clay type. The continuous increase with the amount of boron waste in the shear modulus and damping ratio is apparent on both clays

A Study on the Rheological Properties of Recycled Rubber-Modified Asphalt Mixtures

Using waste rubber in asphalt mixes has become a common practice in road construction. This paper presents the results of a study on the rheological characteristics of rubber-modified asphalt (RMA) concrete under static and dynamic loading conditions. A number of static and dynamic creep tests were conducted on RMA mix specimens with different rubber sizes and contents, and a series of resonant column tests were conducted to evaluate the shear modulus and damping values. To simulate the stress-strain response of traffic-induced loading, the measurements were taken for different confining pressures and strain levels. The results of the study indicated that rubber modification increases stiffness and damping ratio, making it a very attractive material for use in road construction. However the grain size of the rubber is very important. Although RMA may cost up to 100% more than regular asphalt, the advantages it brings, such as an increased service life of the road and proper waste utilization contributing to a more sustainable infrastructure, may justify the added cost

Dynamic Properties of Clean Sand Modified with Granulated Rubber

Waste automobile tires are used as additives or replacements instead of traditional materials in civil engineering works. In geotechnical engineering, tires are shredded to certain sizes and mixed with soil, especially used as backfill material behind retaining walls or fill material for roadway embankments. Compared to soil, rubber has high damping capacity and low shear modulus. Therefore, it requires the determination of the dynamic characteristics of rubber/soil mixtures. In this paper, the cyclic behavior of recycled tire rubber and clean sand was studied, considering the effects of the amount and particle size of the rubber and confining stresses. A total of 40 stress-controlled tests were performed on an integrated resonant column and dynamic torsional shear system. The effects of the relative size and proportion of the rubber on the dynamic characteristics of the mixtures are discussed. The dynamic properties, such as the maximum shear modulus, strain-dependent shear modulus, and damping ratio, are examined. For practical purposes, simple empirical relationships were formulated to estimate the maximum shear modulus and the damping ratio. The change in the shear modulus and damping ratio with respect to shear strain with 5% of rubber within the mixture was found to be close to the behavior of clean sand