Evaluation of apoptosis along with bcl-2 and ki-67 expression in patients with intestinal metaplasia

The primary aim is to compare individuals with intestinal metaplasia (IM), chronic active gastritis (CAG), and normal gastric mucosa (NGM) in terms of apoptosis, proliferation, and Bcl-2 expression. The secondary aim is to determine whether these parameters are different between patients with and without gastric cancer in first-degree relatives. We enrolled 106 patients whose histopathological results were consistent with IM (n: 42), CAG (n: 51), or NGM (n: 13). Antral biopsies were immunohistochemically stained for Bcl-2 and Ki-67 expression. Apoptosis was detected using TUNEL assay. While no significant difference was determined between three groups with regard to apoptosis and Bcl-2 expression (p > 0.05), Ki-67 expression was significantly higher in the IM group when compared with the CAG and NGM groups (29.90 ± 22.87 vs. 18.18 ± 16.22 vs. 18.54 ± 20, respectively; p = 0.012). Helicobacter pylori was determined to increase apoptosis (49.3% vs. 25.7%, p < 0.05), nevertheless, it had no significant effect on proliferation and Bcl-2 expression. Bcl-2 and Ki-67 expression and apoptosis were not different among patients with and without a history of gastric cancer in first degree relatives. Although intestinal metaplasia cases demonstrate an increase in proliferation, no elevation is observed in apoptosis. This can be an important factor in the progression to gastric cancer

Utjecaj nanočestica cinkova oksida na vatrootpornost drvno-plastičnih kompozita

The interest in wood plastic composites (WPCs) has increased in recent years. The utilization of environmentally friendly materials has been of great significance due to the overwhelming pressure on nature. As a widely used material, plastic is, however, easily combustible due to its structure. In this study, WPCs were reinforced with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. The effect of higher content of ZnO nanoparticles (1, 3, 5, 10 %) on WPCs thermal stability and fire performance was investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) clearly demonstrated that nanoparticles acted as a shield, which inhibited heat transfer and increased the degradation temperature thanks to covering the surface of materials. Free radicals accelerated the thermal degradation of neat-HDPE (high-density polyethylene) by oxidative reactions, while ZnO nanoparticles reduced the degradation velocity. Moreover, the increase in nanoparticle content significantly affected the residue. The fire performance of WPCs was also investigated by the limit oxygen index (LOI) test. While neat-HDPE flamed with dripping, ZnO nanoparticles made flaming difficult for WPCs. Therefore, the LOI values increased with increasing nanoparticle content up to 28.5 %, which indicated the need for more oxygen. The improvement reached up to 54 % compared to neat HDPE. Moreover, the char forming was also improved, which helped enhance the fire resistance. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigation indicated that nanoparticles were well dispersed in the matrix. However, the tendency to agglomerate increased with the increase of concentration. The ability of carbonization of wood fiber surface during the combustion also contributed to improving thermal stability and fire performance.Zanimanje za drvno-plastične kompozite (WPC) posljednjih je godina poraslo. Upotreba ekološki prihvatljivih materijala ima veliko značenje zbog golemog pritiska na okoliš. Plastika je široko rasprostranjen i vrlo često upotrebljavan materijal, ali je zbog svoje strukture lako zapaljiva. U ovom su istraživanju drvno-plastični kompoziti ojačani nanočesticama ZnO. Istraživan je utjecaj većeg udjela nanočestica cinkova oksida (ZnO) (1, 3, 5 i 10 %) na toplinsku stabilnost i vatrootpornost WPC-a. Termogravimetrijska analiza (TGA) jasno je pokazala da nanočestice djeluju kao štit koji inhibira prijenos topline i povećava temperaturu razgradnje. Nadalje, slobodni radikali u reakcijama oksidacije ubrzali su toplinsku razgradnju čistog HDPE-a (polietilena visoke gustoće), dok su nanočestice ZnO smanjile brzinu razgradnje. Štoviše, povećanje udjela nanočestica znatno je utjecalo na ostatak nakon razgradnje. Vatrootpornost WPC-a također je ispitana mjerenjem graničnog indeksa kisika (LOI). Dok je čisti HDPE gorio uz kapanje, nanočestice ZnO otežale su gorenje WPC-a. LOI vrijednosti rasle su s povećanjem udjela nanočestica do 28,5 %, što je upućivalo na veću potrebu za kisikom. Poboljšanje je iznosilo do 54 % u usporedbi s čistim HDPE-om. Štoviše, poboljšano je i stvaranje pougljenjenog sloja koji je pridonio povećanju vatrootpornosti. Istraživanje pretražnim elektronskim mikroskopom (SEM) pokazalo je da su se nanočestice dobro dispergirale u matrici. Međutim, tendencija aglomeraciji povećala se s povećanjem koncentracije nanočestica. Sposobnost karbonizacije površine drvnih vlakanaca tijekom gorenja također je pridonijela poboljšanju toplinske stabilnosti i vatrootpornosti WPC-a

Sector selection for ERP implementation to achieve most impact on supply chain performance by using AHP-TOPSIS hybrid method

U zadnje se vrijeme povećao broj radova o planiranju resursa poduzeća (ERP) te je to područje istraživanja privuklo više pažnje. Naročito, kad se radi o svjetskoj konkurenciji, poduzeća se moraju usmjeriti na rad svojih informatičkih sustava (IS) ako žele steći prednost, a jedini način za to je primjena ERP sustava i povećanje njegove učinkovitosti. Međutim svaki pojedini sektor drugačije reagira na primjenu ERP-a. Cilj je ovoga rada rangirati sektore prema porastu učinkovitosti nakon uspješne primjene ERP-a, korištenjem AHP-TOPSIS hibridne metode. Kao rezultat, dobit će se slika opće strukture turskih kompanija i definirat će se sektori koji imaju najbolje izglede za poboljšanje radne učinkovitosti primjenom ERP sustava. Ti će rezultati pomoći kompanijama u preciznijem planiranju procesa implementacije i rukovodećim ljudima u jasnijem definiranju njihovih očekivanja. Daje se numerički primjer u svrhu razjašnjenja glavnog dobivenog rezultata u radu.Recently, studies about the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) have been increased and this research area has attracted more attention. Especially, in the global competition environment, enterprises have to focus on their Information Systems (IS) performance to have a competitive advantage; implementing an ERP system and improving the effectiveness of the system is the only way. However every sector reacts to ERP implementation differently. Purpose of this study is to rank the sectors according to their performance increments after successful ERP implementations by using AHP-TOPSIS hybrid method. As a result, general structure of Turkish companies will be pictured and the sectors which have the most chance to improve their performance by utilizing an ERP system will be defined. These findings will help the companies to plan the implementation process more precisely and help the managers of these companies to define their expectations more clearly. A numerical example is given to clarify the main developed result in this paper

Sector selection for ERP implementation to achieve most impact on supply chain performance by using AHP-TOPSIS hybrid method

U zadnje se vrijeme povećao broj radova o planiranju resursa poduzeća (ERP) te je to područje istraživanja privuklo više pažnje. Naročito, kad se radi o svjetskoj konkurenciji, poduzeća se moraju usmjeriti na rad svojih informatičkih sustava (IS) ako žele steći prednost, a jedini način za to je primjena ERP sustava i povećanje njegove učinkovitosti. Međutim svaki pojedini sektor drugačije reagira na primjenu ERP-a. Cilj je ovoga rada rangirati sektore prema porastu učinkovitosti nakon uspješne primjene ERP-a, korištenjem AHP-TOPSIS hibridne metode. Kao rezultat, dobit će se slika opće strukture turskih kompanija i definirat će se sektori koji imaju najbolje izglede za poboljšanje radne učinkovitosti primjenom ERP sustava. Ti će rezultati pomoći kompanijama u preciznijem planiranju procesa implementacije i rukovodećim ljudima u jasnijem definiranju njihovih očekivanja. Daje se numerički primjer u svrhu razjašnjenja glavnog dobivenog rezultata u radu.Recently, studies about the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) have been increased and this research area has attracted more attention. Especially, in the global competition environment, enterprises have to focus on their Information Systems (IS) performance to have a competitive advantage; implementing an ERP system and improving the effectiveness of the system is the only way. However every sector reacts to ERP implementation differently. Purpose of this study is to rank the sectors according to their performance increments after successful ERP implementations by using AHP-TOPSIS hybrid method. As a result, general structure of Turkish companies will be pictured and the sectors which have the most chance to improve their performance by utilizing an ERP system will be defined. These findings will help the companies to plan the implementation process more precisely and help the managers of these companies to define their expectations more clearly. A numerical example is given to clarify the main developed result in this paper

THE USE OF SPECTRAL ENTROPY OF EEG TO PREDICT ANESTHESIA DEPTH ON THE DSPIC BASED SYSTEM

Anestezi derinliği ölçmek için birçok EEG (Elektroensaflogram) analiz yöntemi kullanılmaktadır. Bu yöntemlerin tümü çevrim dışı tabanlı olduğundan, gerçek zaman tabanlı yöntemlerin geliştirilmesine hala gereksinim vardır. Çalışmadaki amaç, derin anestezi ve uyanıklık durumlarının değerlendirilmesi için gerçek zaman dsPIC tabanlı EEG analiz sistemi geliştirmektir. Gerçek hipnogram değerleri ve hesaplanmış EEG tabanlı ölçümler arasında benzerlikler olduğu gösterilmiştir. Sonuç olarak bu çalışmanın anestezi izleme aygıtı geliştirmek için yeterli birikime sahip olduğu söylenebilir. Many of the EEG analysis methods are used to monitor the depth of anesthesia. All of these methods are off-line based; therefore, the real-time based methods still need to be developed. Our aim is to develop a real-time dsPIC based EEG analysis system for evaluating of deep anesthesia and of awake states. It was shown that there were quite similarities between the actual hypnogram values and the calculated EEG based measures. Consequently, we could say that this study has enough potential application to develop an anesthesia monitoring device

Clinicopatologic evaluation of pelvic masses with very high serum levels of CA 125

AMAÇ: Benign overian hastalıklarda, CA 125 nadir olarak 1000 U/mL üzerinde saptanır. CA 125 düzeyinin 1500 U/ml'un üzerinde saptandığı durumlarda bu değerin over kanseri için spesifitesi %99.1'e yükselir. Genel olarak, premenopozal ve postmenopozal kadınlarda, CA 125'in maligniteyi saptamada sensitivitesi ve spesifitesi yaklaşık olarak %78'dir. Bu nedenle yüksek CA 125 düzeyleri günümüzde hala overian kitlelerin malign ve benign ayırımında çelişkili sonuçlar ortaya çıkarmaktadır. Preoperatif CA 125 seviyesinin çok yüksek saptandığı durumlarda adneksiyel kitlelere yaklaşım nasıl olmalı ve benign patolojilerin de CA 125'i çok yüksek seviyelere çıkarabileceğini vurgulamak amaçlanmıştır YÖNTEMLER: Ocak 2005 yılından Ocak 2013'e kadar Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Biyokimya Anabilimdalı tarafından CA 125 değeri 450 U/ml'nin üzerinde saptanan 236 hastanın dosyası geriye dönük olarak incelenmiştir. 236 hastanın 67'sinde jinekolojik patoloji saptanmıştır. 67 hastanın 7'si endometrium kanseri, 4'ü serviks kanseri, 21'i peritonitis karsinomatoza ve 1 hasta myoma uteri nedeniyle dışlandıktan sonra çalışmaya 34 hasta dahil edilmiştir. 34 hastanın, operasyon öncesi CA 125 düzeyleri kaydedilmiş, yaş, menopoz durumu, menopoz süresi, tespit edilen kitlenin boyutu, yerleşim yeri, muayene bulguları, görüntüleme yöntemleri dosyalarından ve veri tabanlarından incelenerek kaydedilmiştir. BULGULAR: Analize alınan 34 hastadan, histopatolojik tanılarına göre10'unda (%29.4) benign over kisti, 24'inde (%70.6) malign over tümörü saptanmıştır. Benign olguların 8'inde (%80) endometriozis, 1 olguda (%10) dermoid kist ve 1 olguda (%10) seröz kist adenofibrom saptanmıştır. Benign over kisti saptanan hastaların ortalama serum CA 125 değeri 830.80±395 saptanırken( en düşük 877 ve en yüksek 1565), malign olgularda bu değer 2027.04±1649 ( en düşük 471 ve en yüksek 6702) olarak bulundu. Benign olgular, malign olgularla karşılaştırıldığında anlamlı olarak daha genç ve premenopozal dönemde saptandı. Vücut kitle indeksi de malign epitelyal over tümörü saptanan hastalarda anlamlı olarak yüksek bulundu. SONUÇ: Pelvik kitlelerin preoperatif olarak benign/malign ayrımının yapılması için bir çok tümör belirteci içeren bir çok skorlama sisteminin geliştirildiğinin, ancak tek başına over kanseri ile özdeş bir tümör belirtecinin bulunamadığını, bunların içinde en özgün ve duyarlı olanının CA 125 olduğunu, bunun pelvik muayene, pelvik ultrasonografi, menopoz durumu ile birleştirildiğinde doğruluk oranlarının daha da arttığı vurgulanmaktadır. Bu nedenle, pelvik kitlelerin ayırıcı tanısında preoperatif CA 125 seviyesi, hastanın özgeçmişi, ultrason bulguları, menopoz durumu ile birlikte değerlendirilmelidir. OBJECTIVE: In benign ovarian diseases, CA 125 is rarely over 1000 U/mL. When CA 125 level is over 1500 U/mL, the spesitificity for ovarian cancer rises to %99.1. In general, for both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, the sensitivity and specificity of CA 125 in predicting malignity is %78. In differentiating benign from malignant pelvic masses, CA 125 has limited specificity, so CA 125 has left room for improvement. In this study, our aim is to discuss the management of pelvic masses when preoperative CA 125 is extremely high and to show that CA 125 level can be elevated in benign diseases. METHODS: From January 2005 to January 2013, 236 patients who had serum CA 125 levels over 450 U/mL in Dokuz Eylul University Biochemistry Department were recorded retrospectively. 67 patients had gynecological disease. From these 67 patients,33 patients were excluded becasue 7 had endometrium cancer, 4 had cervix cancer, 21 had peritonitis carsinomatosa and 1 had myoma uteri. 34 patients were found eligible for the study. Preoperative serum CA 125 levels, age, menopausal status, menopause time, the size and the location of the pelvic mass, pelvic examinations, imaging records were conducted from patient files. RESULTS: : 34 patients were analyzed and according to hystopatological diagnosis, 10 women(%29.4) had benign ovarien cyst and 24 patients (%70.6)had malignant ovarian tumour. In benign cases, 8 (%80) patients had endometriosis, 1 (%10) patient had dermoid cyst and 1(%10) patient had serous cyst adenofibroma. In patients who had benign ovarian cysts, mean serum CA 125 level was 830.80±395( lowest 877, highest 1565), and in malignancy group, serum CA 125 level was değer 2027.04±1649 ( lowest 471, highest 6702). When benign cases were compared with malignant cases, women who had benign cysts were younger and mostly premenopausal. In addition, body mass index were found to be higher in malignant cases. CONCLUSION: In differantiating benign and malignant pelvic masses, there are several scoring systems which includes different tumour markers. CA 125 is the most sensitive and specific tumour marker for ovarian cancer, but still the predictive value is low. In conclusion, in the diagnosis of pelvic masses, preoperative CA 125 levels should be interpreted with patients'age, menopausal status, ultrasonography findings to improve the prediction value of CA 125 in malignant cases