Monitoring of acid mine lakes by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on Geographic Information System (GIS) around Can Region, Biga Peninsula, NW Turkey

The 8th International Symposium on Eastern Mediterranean Geology, 13-17 October 2014 / Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, TurkeyIn the past three decades, a few small scale private enterprises have been operating around Can Region, Biga Peninsula, NW Turkey which is rich in lignite reserves. They have abandoned the operation land without providing any working of rehabilitation. during the operation of high sulfur content lignite, the topography have been damaged and this caused the large holes and deterioration in these areas. As a result of discharge of surface water the artificial lakes have been formed. In the course of the time, these lakes gain acidic character due to acid generation from pyrite oxidation. Significantly high acidity with low pH values ranging from 2.53 to 3.05 is recorded from AMLs

Geological, petrographic and mineralogical characteristics of volcanic rocks in the north of Istanbul

İnceleme alanı bölgesel tektonik birliklerden Pontidler’in batı bölümünde (Batı Pontidler) içinde yeralır İstanbul’un kuzeyinde boğazın her iki yakasında, doğu-batı uzanımlı olan inceleme alanında stratigrafik olarak tabanda Paleozoyik ve Triyas yaşlı sedimanter kökenli temel kayaları (alt çökel istif) bulunur. İnceleme konusu olan Üst Kretase yaşlı volkanik topluluk temel kayalarıyla tektonik dokanaklı olup, batıda Kısırkaya (Sarıyer)’den doğuda Şile’ye kadar olan alanda ve genellikle Karadeniz’e kıyı alanlarda yüzlekler verir. Temel kayaları ve volkanitler üzerinde diskordan olarak bulunan Tersiyer yaşlı kayalar ise bölgedeki üst çökel istifi oluşturur. Volkanitler İntra Pontid zonu veya muhtemelen İzmir-Ankara zonu boyunca gelişmiş olan okyanusal litosferin Üst Kretase’de kuzeye doğru İstanbul zonu altına dalmasıyla oluşan Pontid magmatik yayı olarak gelişmiştir. Volkanitler alttan üste Bozhane, Sarıyer, Garipçe ve Kısırkaya formasyonlarından oluşur. Volkanitler; bazalt, bazaltik andezit, andezit, dasit ve riyodasit bileşiminde volkanoklastikler, lavlar, epiklastik çökeller ve bu birimleri değişik açılarda kesen aynı bileşimli dayklardan oluşur. Garipçe formasyonu içinde yaygın bulunan blok-kül akıntıları, matriks destekli veya tane destekli, kütle akıntıları şeklinde izlenir. Bu özellikleriyle volkanik ürünlerin tek bir volkanik bacadan değil de çoklu bacalardan ve dayk/dom sistemlerinden türedikleri söylenebilir. Volkanitlerde kuzeye, istifin üstüne doğru gittikçe bazik karakter artar. Volkanitlerde genellikle hyaloplitik, hyaloporfirik ve mikrolitik porfirik dokular izlenir. Volkanitlerin baskın mineralleri plajioklas ve piroksen (ortopiroksen+klinopiroksen)’dir. Bunların yanında bazı kaya örneklerinde, biyotit, amfibol, olivin, birincil kuvars ve opak (manyetit+ilmenit) minerallerine de rastlanır. İkincil mineral olarak kalsit, epidot, klorit, kuvars, kil mineralleri ve hematit gelişmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Volkanoklastik, üst kretase, Garipçe, Şile.The study area is located approximately 10 km to the north of İstanbul. This region forms part of the Istanbul Zone in the western Pondides. The basement rocks in the region are represented by Paleozoic to Early Carboniferous sandstone – shale succession, discordantly overlain by Triassic sedimentary rocks. During the Upper Cretaceous the northern branch of Neotethys was subducting beneath the Istanbul zone and gave rise to magmatic arc volcanism. This volcanism produced different type of volcanic rocks such as basalt, basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite and rhyodacite and less rhyolite. Volcanic seguences exposed especially along the east and west coasts of the Black Sea in the North of Istanbul. The basement rocks are overlain by Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks unconformably. The uppermost sedimentary facies composed of gravel, sand, silt and clay deposits Neogene in age overlay the basement rocks and Upper Cretaceous volcanic association. Volcanic association in the region have been stratigraphically differentiated four different formations from the bottom to the top. These are: Bozhane, Sarıyer, Garipçe and Kısırkaya formations. Bozhane formation comprises of turbidites siliciclastic sedimentary rocks and lava blocks on the top of it. It is 280 m. in thickness. This formation is seen only the east part of study area. Sarıyer formation comprises felsic and intermediate lava, flow breccias and layered tuffs. It has outcrops both  in the west and east part of the study area. It passes Garipçe formation to the top conformably. Garipçe formation consists of mostly volcaniclastics flow units, less lava and dyke systems cutting all these rocks. Garipçe formation is followed by Kısırkaya formation in the uppermost of the volcanites. Lithologically, volcanic rocks are composed of piroklastik breccia, flow breccia, hyloclastite, pyroclastic flow deposits, felsic tuff and volcanic originated sandstone with limestone interbedded in accordance with their facial features and field characteristics. Flow deposits comprise of grain supported mass flows and matrix supported mass flows. These flow units are commonly poorly sorted and sometimes ununiformly bedded. They are deposited as a mixture of blocks and fine grained matrix. Each flow unit represents an individual pyroclastic flow deposit travelled downslope flowing from side of dome or from the side vents and filled mostly valleys. In this study, the stratigraphic facial features have been identified according to the field characteristics of lavas, dykes, volcanoclastics and volcanogenic sedimentary deposits. Lava flows are less than volcaniclastics in the study area. Volcanic sequence represents different thickness in different localities in response to the paleotopography, the type of volcanism, and its effusive characteristics. Lavas have different texture and mineralogical characteristics. The variety of texture is related to the pressure and temperature conditions during the crystallisation of magma and its composition. Volcanics show hyaloplitic, hyaloporphyritic, microlitic porphyritic textures. Most of them are highly hydrothermally altered according to the alteration degree, texture and mineralogical composition and lost their original textures. Most of the mineralogical composition of basalts are characterized by calcic plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene (orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene) + olivine + Fe-oxides. The most common phenocryst assemblage of andesitic and basaltic andesitic lavas are: plagioclase + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + Fe-Ti oxides. Some andesites contain amphibole and/or biotite. In the dacites, the predominant phenocryst assemblage is plagioclase + amphibole + biotite + quartz + Fe-Ti oxides. Plagioclase phenocrysts are usually clouded by alteration and show resorbed cores, secondary overgrowths and normal or reverse zoning, indicating disequilibrium processes. Biotite and quartz have undergone magmatic corrosion.in some rock types.In some rock samples biotite is covered by opaque minerals espcially rim of biotite phenocrysts. Most samples have a fine-grained glassy groundmass including small grains of plagioclase and pyroxene microlitesand some magnetit. Epidote, calcite, serisite, chlorite, quartz and hematite some clay minerals are the secondary minerals. Alterationproducts have been developed in response to the infiltrating hydrothermal solutions. Alteration type is mostly related to the textural and mineralogical character of the parent rock. The volcanic rocks served as the parent rock where the residual kaolin and sedimentary clay deposits were formed.  Keywords: Volcanoclastics, upper cretaceous, Garipçe-Sarıyer, Şile

COVID-19 and urology: A bibliometric analysis of the literature

Aim The aims of this research were to analyse the urological literature published during the COVID-19 pandemic and to guide future research. Material and methods Between 2019 and 2021, the Web of Science (WoS) All Databases collection was searched for publications related to COVID-19 and Urology. The keywords used during this search were coronavirus-19, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, pandemic and/or urology. The top 50 cited (T50) publications were also identified and summarized. Exported Microsoft Excel files, Visualization of Similarities viewer (VOSviewer) software and descriptive assessment were used for bibliometric and statistical analyses of the publications. Results In total, 582 publications related to COVID-19 and urology were identified. In these publications, the most active author, journal, country and organisation were Francesco Porpiglia, European Urology, the United States of America (USA) and La Paz University Hospital, respectively. The most commonly used keywords were telemedicine-telehealth, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, pandemic, residency, testicle, semen, kidney transplantation, endourology and surgery. The most worrying issues in the articles are the negative impact of COVID-19 on resident training and permanent damage to urological organs. Conclusions We analysed all the articles related to COVID-19 and urology published to date in the WoS All Databases collection. The most commonly published articles were based on clinical and outpatient practice, telemedicine, residency training, transplantation, and testicles. The long-term adverse effects of the pandemic on urology practice and especially urological organs will need to be assessed further in future research

Impact of ligating gonadal or adrenal collateral veins with the left renal vein on renal function and histology in right-nephrectomized rats

Background: In cases of trauma to the left renal vein (LRV), its ligation near the inferior vena cava (IVC) is considered, but the consequences are not always good. We investigated the role of collateral venous drainage after ligation of the LRV by studying the renal function and histology after ligation of the LRV near the IVC alone or with ligation of the gonadal or adrenal collaterals, in right-nephrectomized (RN) rats. Material and methods: Ligation of the LRV near the IVC alone (group 1) or with ligation of the adrenal (group 2) or gonadal (group 3) collaterals was studied in RN Wistar rats (n = 18 per group). The renal histopathology (ischemic cortical necrosis) and functional status (urea, creatinine, sodium, and potassium) were compared. Results: In RN rats, the results were better when ligating the LRV near the IVC alone or with the adrenal collaterals [mortality 4/18 (22.2%) and 3/18 (16.7%), respectively] than when ligating the LRV near the IVC plus the gonadal collaterals [mortality 15/18 (83.3%)] (p < 0.0001). All early deaths occurred within three days and resulted from serious histopathological (ischemic cortical necrosis) and functional (increased urea, creatinine, and potassium; decreased sodium) renal damage. Conclusion: In right-nephrectomized rats, the LRV near the IVC and the adrenal collateral can be ligated, while the gonadal collateral should be preserved. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Surgical Associates Ltd

The relationship between the low Apgar scores of the newborns and hematologic parameters which are inflammatory markers

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the 5-minute Apgar scores of the newborns checked in the cases induced due to prolonged pregnancy and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and to investigate the contributions of these parameters as prognostic markers in the low Apgar scores. Methods: A total of 169 primigravida cases for which delivery by induction was decided due to prolonged pregnancy after they completed 41 weeks of gestation between 2017 and 2018 were included in the study. The detailed previous histories of all cases were obtained at admission and they underwent cervicovaginal examination, obstetric ultrasonography for the assessment of fetal biometry and amniotic fluid, and complete blood count including hemoglobin level, total white blood cell count, differential leukocyte number and platelet count. NLR and PLR were calculated as the ratio of neutrophil number to lymphocyte number and the ratio of platelet number to lymphocyte number, respectively. The Apgar scores in the newborn assessment were determined according to the usual criteria 1 and 5 minutes after the birth. The independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used for the analysis of the data. Results: The mean NLR and PLR values of the cases were calculated 4.8±2.8 and 148.8±74.9, respectively. While 108 (64%) patients delivered vaginally, 61 (36%) patients delivered by cesarean section. The Apgar score was >7 in 142 (84%) patients and <7 in 27 (16%) patients. NLR and PLR values were significantly higher in the group with Apgar score <7 than the group with Apgar score ≥7 (p<0.05). Conclusion: The elevations in NLR and PLR is the usual part of a health pregnancy; however, excessively elevated inflammation has been associated with poor prenatal and developmental outcomes in various populations. In conclusion, these markers can be used as the parameters helping clinicians to predict poor obstetric outcomes

Mask-Related Headache Among Health Workers During COVID-19 Pandemics: Study from Somalia

Aim: After the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), new headaches have been reported to develop or worsen among healthcare workers who regularly wear personal protective equipments. In this study, we investigated the possible relationship between de-novo (new-onset) headache features associated with the mask used and pre-existing and exacerbated headaches. It is the first study on this subject on behalf of Somalia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Mogadishu COVID-19 pandemic hospital, Somalia, with volunteer healthcare workers. Data were collected through a questionnaire. Participants were asked 15 questions in the survey and Pearson-chi-square test was used as statistics. Results: This study was conducted with 200 healthcare workers working in the hospital, 114 (57%) were male, 86 (43%) were female, and the mean age was 28. Participants 90 (45%) used surgical masks, 32 (16%) filtered masks (N95), 78 (39%) both; majority of 109 (54.5%) wore masks for more than 6 hours a day. Pre-existing headache was reported by78(39%) of the subjects. 55(70%) of those with pre-existing headache reported aggravation of their headache. Statistically significant relationship was found between duration of mask use and aggravation of pre-existing headache. De-novo headache characteristics were throbbing 21(20%), pressing 31(29%), unilateral 19(18%), and 35(33%) bilateral. A statistically significant relationship was also found between the duration of use of face mask and the development of de-novo headache, regardless of mask type. Conclusion: As per our study, prolonged use of face masks during COVID-19 pandemics was associated with de-novo headaches and exacerbation of pre-existing headache. This situation, which has caused complaints as healthcare professionals and some patients continue to wear masks, will continue to be investigated

Clinical outcomes and treatment patterns of primary central nervous system lymphoma: Multicenter retrospective analysis

Objectives: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare malignant disease with poor prognosis. Its low incidence leads to challenges in decision-making for treatment. As a matter of fact, there is still no consensus on the appropriate treatment modalities. In this context, the objective of this study is to investigate and comparatively assess the efficacies of several treatment modalities in the treatment of PCNSL. Methods: Thirty-four patients diagnosed with PCNSL at 5 different hematology centers between 2007 and 2021 were included in the study. Patients’ data from all five centers were collected retrospectively. Since ibrutinib is not approved for this indication in Turkey, consent for off-label use of ibrutinib is obtained from each patient. Ethics committee ap-proval was obtained on June 9, 2021 with decision number 2021/18-05. Results: The median age of the patients was 59 (min.: 22, max.: 78) years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.26/1. Nineteen (55.9%) patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score of ≥2. Fifteen (44.1%) patients had normal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and only 14.7% of the patients had B symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a single mass lesion in 14 (41.2%) patients. As an induction therapy, meth-otrexate-based regimen was administered in 29 (85.3%) patients. Only 14 of the 34 patients received 4 or more cycles of high-dose methotrexate (MTX). About 32.4% of the patients received radiation therapy (RT) during follow-up as a part of induction therapy. Five patients received only RT due to poor performance status. Ibrutinib was administered in 5 patients for refractory disease. It was determined that four or more cycles of MTX treatment increased progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.031) and overall survival (OS) (p=0.012). Moreover, RT improved PFS (p=0.023). Considering that the complete response achieved by induction therapy influences long-term survival, achievement of the best response to the treatment regimens administered in combination with new agents may prolong survival (PFS: p=0.01, OS: p=0.023). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the initial response to treatment is crucial. Additionally, it was found that high-dose MTX treatment should be administered for 4 cycles or more in order to achieve the best results. Furthermore, it was determined that ibrutinib monotherapy was well-tolerated in our patients with relapsed/refractory disease, with excellent clinical benefits. In conclusion, a combination therapy consisting of high-dose MTX, ibrutinib, and rituximab appears to be a promising initial treatment approach in appropriate patients

Dobrava Hantavirus Infection Complicated by Panhypopituitarism, Istanbul, Turkey, 2010

We identified Dobrava-Belgrade virus infection in Turkey (from a strain related to hantavirus strains from nearby countries) in a patient who had severe symptoms leading to panhypopituitarism, but no known risk for hantavirus. Our findings emphasize the need for increased awareness of hantaviruses in the region and assessment of symptomatic persons without known risk factors for infection

Safety and efficacy of transdermal fentanyl in patients with cancer pain: phase IV, Turkish oncology group trial

We have performed a prospective evaluation of the efficacy, safety and convenience of the transdermal therapeutic system - fentanyl (TTS-F) in Turkish cancer patients when it was newly available in Turkey. Ninety-nine patients with historically confirmed malignancy and pain entered the study; the mean age was 55.1 (16-58) years. The study duration was 28 days. Transdermal therapeutic system - fentanyl was used in opioid-naive or pre-treated patients. Most patients reported a decrease in pain severity. Use of rescue medication decreased from day 4 to day 28. The majority of patients rated patch convenience of use as excellent. A total of 22.2% of patients experienced adverse events that were either probably related or very likely to be related to the study drug. The majority of the adverse events mentioned were related to the digestive system. Eighteen serious adverse events were reported by 13 patients. Six events were doubtfully related, and 12 events were not related to the study drug. Four patients died during the trial. None of these deaths was attributed to the study drug. In conclusion, the trial showed that TTS-F is easily managed, effective and will help to enable the appropriate opioid administration to patients who are suffering from cancer pain in Turkey