The effect of chronic peripheral nesfatin-1 application on blood pressure in normal and chronic restraint stressed rats: Related with circulating level of blood pressure regulators

Nesfatin is a peptide secreted by peripheral tissues, central and peripheral nervous system. It is involved in the regulation of homeostasis. Although the effects of nesfatin-1 on nutrition have been studied widely in the literature, the mechanisms of nesfatin-1 action and also relations with other physiological parameters are still not clarified well. We aimed to investigate the effect of peripheral chronic nesfatin-1 application on blood pressure regulation in normal and in rats exposed to restraint immobilization stress. In our study, three month-old male Wistar rats were used. Rats were divided into 4 groups as Control, Stress, Control+Nesfatin-1, Nesfatin-1+Stress. Angiotensinogen, angiotensin converting enzyme 2, angiotensin II, endothelin-1, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, aldosterone, cortisol, nesfatin-1 levels were determined in plasma samples by ELISA. Our results have shown that chronic peripheral nesfatin-1 administration increases blood pressure in normal and in rats exposed to chronic restraint stress. Effect of nesfatin-1 on circulating level of angiotensinogen, angiotensin converting enzyme 2, angiotensin II, endothelin-1, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, aldosterone and cortisol has been identified. We can conclude that elevated high blood pressure after chronic peripheral nesfatin-1 administration in rats exposed to chronic restraint stress may be related to decreased plasma level of endothelial nitric oxide synthase concentration

Composite membranes and applications thereof

In one aspect, a composite membrane comprises a polymeric host comprising polybenzimidazole or polybenzimidazole derivative and graphene oxide dispersed in the polymeric host, the graphene oxide at least partially functionalized with phosphonic acid moieties, phosphonate moieties or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the functionalized graphene oxide is homogeneously dispersed in the polymeric host and/or is not agglomerated in the polymeric host

Multivalent cation crosslinking suppresses highly energetic graphene oxide’s flammability

The authors acknowledges National Science Foundation- Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF-EPSCoR) for partial support, Prof. S. Yu’s lab for the micro-Raman experiments, and Dr. Jingyi Chen’s lab for the TGA study.Graphene oxide (GO), a common intermediate for making graphene-like materials from graphite, was recently found to possess an explosive fire-hazard that can jeopardize the GO’s large-scale production and wide applications. This work reports a simple and facile method to cross-link the GO with Al3+ cations, in one step, into a freestanding flexible membrane. This inorganic membrane resists in-air burning on an open-flame, at which non-cross-linked GO was burnt out within ~5 seconds. All characterization data suggested that the in-situ “epoxy ring opening” reactions on GO surface facilitated the cross-linking, which elucidated a new mechanism for the generalized inorganic polymerization. With the much improved thermal- and water-stabilities, the cross-linked GO-film can help to advance high-temperature fuel-cells, electronic packaging, etc. as one of the long-sought inorganic polymers known to date.PostprintPeer reviewe

Magnetic and vibrational properties of high-entropy alloys

The magnetic properties of high-entropy alloys based on equimolar FeCoCrNi were investigated using vibrating sample magnetometry to determine their usefulness in high-temperature magnetic applications. Nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements were performed to evaluate the vibrational entropy of the ^(57)Fe atoms and to infer chemical order. The configurational and vibrational entropy of alloying are discussed as they apply to these high-entropy alloys

Kentsel yenileme ve dönüşüm: deneyimler

Bir kamusal müdahale eylemi olarak kentsel alanların sosyo-mekânsal dönüşümü, sanayi kentlerindeki “sefalet mahallelerini temizleme” programları ile 19. yüzyıla kadar uzanmaktadır. Kent merkezlerindeki köhneleşmiş alanların "kentsel yenileme" yoluyla dönüştürülmesi girişimleri ile de bu eylem, 1960 ve 1970’lerin kentsel politikaları haline gelmiştir. 1980'lerle birlikte, “kentsel yeniden canlandırma" başlığı altında farklı bir yaklaşım egemen olmaya başlamış, kentsel dönüşüm salt fizik mekân odaklı bir eylem alanı olmaktan çıkarak sosyal, ekonomik ve çevresel sorunları da kapsayan daha bütünleşik bir yaklaşıma doğru evrilmiştir.publisher versio

Effects of chemical composition and B2 order on phonons in bcc Fe–Co alloys

The phonon density of states (DOS) gives insight into interatomic forces and provides the vibrational entropy, making it a key thermodynamic function for understanding alloy phase transformations. Nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering and inelastic neutron scattering were used to measure the chemical dependence of the DOS of bcc Fe–Co alloys. For the equiatomic alloy, the A2→B2 (chemically disordered→chemically ordered) phase transformation caused measurable changes in the phonon spectrum. The measured change in vibrational entropy upon ordering was −0.02±0.02 k_B/atom, suggesting that vibrational entropy results in a reduction in the order–disorder transition temperature by 60±60 K. The Connolly–Williams cluster inversion method was used to obtain interaction DOS (IDOS) curves that show how point and pair variables altered the phonon DOS of disordered bcc Fe–Co alloys. These IDOS curves accurately captured the change in the phonon DOS and vibrational entropy of the B2 ordering transition

Diagnostic value of combined serum biomarkers for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C infection: A multicenter, noninterventional, observational study

Background/Aims: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is important cause of chronic hepatitis. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for assessment of fibrosis but this procedure is an invasive procedure. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of non-invasive serum biomarkers, separately and in combinations, on liver fibrosis in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and sixteen treatment-naive CHC patients were enrolled from 32 locations across Turkey in this open-labelled, non-interventional prospective observational study. FibroTest®, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI), aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4), Age-platelet(AP) index and Forns index were measured and compared with Metavir scores got from liver biopsies. Results: Data from 182 patients with baseline liver biopsy were suitable for analysis. One hundred and twenty patients (65.9%) had F0-F1 fibrosis and 62 patients (34.1%) had F2-F4 fibrosis. APRI 0.732 area under the curve(AUC) indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% sensitivity and 77% specificity. FIB-4 0.732 AUC and FibroTest 0.715 AUC indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% and 78.4% sensitivity, and 75% and 71.4% specificity, respectively. The combined use of tests also led to an increase in AUC and specificity. Combinations of FibroTest with APRI and/or FIB-4, and FIB-4 with APRI were optimal for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. Conclusion: Fibrotest, FIB-4, APRI, AP index and Forns index exhibit good diagnostic performance for determining liver fibrosis in CHC patients, and the use of at least two tests together will increase their diagnostic value still further. © Copyright 2018 by The Turkish Society of Gastroenterology

The walls of gated communities in Brazil and Turkey: security, separation or status?

Gated communities are common types of housing estates found in many countries. They are based on strictly controlled access of people. Houses, and at times high-rise apartment blocks, are built behind a common wall, along private internal streets. Both in Brazil and in Turkey these types of residential neighborhoods can be found mainly on the outskirts of large urban areas. This paper investigates the reasons for the increase of such residential areas, in relation to the two countries urban problems. In Brazil the dominant reason for the proliferation of gated communities, found in the literature and in advertisement of such estates, is security, in view of the countries high crime rates. In Turkey the main reason for a family to choose to live in such residential areas is status and privacy. Although Brazil and Turkey have very different cultural backgrounds, in both countries gated communities are increasingly popular. The attraction of these so-called communities must therefore be analyzed. Are people more vulnerable in large mega-cities? Also, the impact on urban prospects as a whole must be discussed. Socio-cultural and psychological concepts such as territoriality, security, privacy, which can be represented by a pattern of behavior of an individual or group, as based on control of space, are thus touched on in the paper. Conclusions confirm that the reasons for preferences for gated communities are the feeling of belonging to a special place, fear of crime and a sense security and determine decision making of families in their homeownership choices

Common variable immunodeficiency syndrome with right aortic arch: a case report

BACKGROUND: Common variable immunodificiency syndrome predominantly affects adults. It is characterized by low production of all the major classes of immunoglobulins. We report a case of common variable immunodeficiency syndrome with right aortic arch. An association of right-sided arch and common variable immunodificiency syndrome has not been previously reported. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old female patient presented with a history of recurrent pneumonia, sinusitis, otitis media, diarrhoea, cystitis since childhood. Biochemical and immunocytochemical analysis revealed common variable immunodeficiency syndrome and radiological evaluation confirmed right aortic arch and aberrant left subclavian artery. CONCLUSION: Common variable immunodeficiency syndrome syndrome is a clinical entity that should be kept in mind in patients with recurrent infections of different sites