Anticancer effect of the fruit and seed extracts of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) on human cancer cell lines

Purpose: To investigate anticancer effects of Momordica charantia L. (M. charantia) fruit and seed extracts on some cancer cell lines. Methods: Human cancer cell lines, including lung cancer (A549), breast cancer (MCF-7), chronic myeloid leukemia (K562) and T cell leukemia (Jurkat) were incubated with the extracts (0 - 0.8 mg/mL) for 72 h. The cytotoxic effects of the extracts were determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- dipenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. A549 and MCF-7 cells were treated with the ethanol fruit extract (FE) for 24 h and stained with propidium iodide (PI) for the analysis of cell cycle arrest using flow cytometry. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining along with flow cytometry analysis and caspase-3 assays were carried out to determine the apoptosis of the cells treated with FE extract for 24 h. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion of the cells exposed to FE extract for 1 h was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cell invasion assay was applied to detect cell migration after treatment with FE extract for 48 h. Results: Ethanol fruit extract (FE) resulted in 90, 92, 85 and 87 % cytotoxicity against K562, A549, MCF-7 and Jurkat cell lines, respectively. However, ethanol seed extract of seed (SE) was less effective (≤42 %) on cytotoxicity against cancer cells. Acetone fruit extract (FA) caused 82, 75 and 59 % cytotoxicity on MCF-7, Jurkat and K562 cells, respectively, whereas 20 % cytotoxicity was observed on A549 cells. Dose analyses of FE extract indicated that K562 cells had the lowest IC50 value (0.082 mg/mL). In addition, FE extract treatment caused accumulation of A549 and MCF-7 cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. Moreover, apoptotic cell death was observed in A549 or MCF-7 cells treated with the FE extract. While the treatment of A549 cells with LPS for 24 h resulted in 19-fold increase in VEGF secretion, combination of FE with LPS caused 9.6-fold decrease in VEGF secretion, indicating the antiangiogenic activity of FE extract. Furthermore, FE extract treatment led to a significant decrease in the invasive properties of A549 and PC-3 cells when compared to untreated cells. Conclusion: Among the M. charantia extracts, FE extract displayed the highest anticancer potency against cancer cell lines, indicating that M. charantia FE extract may be a potential source for development of anticancer compounds in future

Isolation and characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis strains from different grain habitats in Turkey

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium and it produces insecticidal crystal (cry) proteins during sporulation. Because the genetic diversity and toxic potential of Bt strains differ from region to region, strains have been collected and characterized all over the world. The aim of this study is to isolate Bt strains in grain-related habitats in Turkey and to characterize them on the basis of crystal morphology, cry gene content, and chromosomal and plasmid DNA profiles. Four approaches were taken analysis with phase contrast (PC) microscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and plasmid isolation. Ninety-six samples were collected from Central Anatolia and the Aegean region. Bt was isolated from 61 of 96 samples (63.5) and 500 Bt-like colonies were obtained. One hundred and sixty three of the colonies were identified as Bt based on cry protein formation using PC microscopy. Among the examined colonies, the overall proportion identified (as Bt index) was 0.33. We found that 103 isolates were positive for the five different cry genes (cry1, cry2, cry3, cry4 and cry9) examined with PCR. In addition, plasmid profiling of 37 cry gene-positive isolates indicated that the 15 kb plasmid band was present in all isolates; however, 11 of 37 isolates had more than one plasmid band at different sizes. Finally, chromosomal DNA profiling by PFGE gave rise to different DNA patterns for isolates containing the same cry gene which suggests a high level of diversity among the Bt strains isolated.İYTE: 2002 IYTE43; DPT: 2002K-120739

Waste Biomass Based Energy Supply Chain Network Design

Reducing dependence on fossil fuels, alleviating environmental impacts and ensuring sustainable economic growth are among the most promising aspects of utilizing renewable energy resources. Biomass is a major renewable energy resource that has the potential for creating sustainable energy systems that are critical in terms of social welfare. Utilization of biomass for bioenergy production is an efficient alternative for meeting rising energy demands, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus alleviating climate change. A supply chain for such an energy source is crucial for assisting deliverance of a competitive end product to end-user markets. Considering the existing constraints, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model for waste biomass based supply chain was proposed in this study for economic performance optimization. Performance of the proposed modelling approach was demonstrated with a real life application study realized in İstanbul. Moreover, sensitivity analyses were conducted which would serve as a foresight for efficient management of the supply chain as a whol

Sustainability assessment of biomass-based energy supply chain using multi-objective optimization model

In recent years, population growth and lifestyle changes have led to an increase in energy consumption worldwide. Providing energy from fossil fuels has negative consequences, such as energy supply constraints and overall greenhouse gas emissions. As the world continues to evolve, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and finding alternative energy sources becomes increasingly urgent. Renewable energy sources are the best way for all countries to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while reducing pollution. Biomass as a renewable energy source is an alternative energy source that can meet energy needs and contribute to global warming and climate change reduction. Among the many renewable energy options, biomass energy has found a wide range of application areas due to its resource diversity and easy availability from various sources all year round. The supply assurance of such energy sources is based on a sustainable and effective supply chain. Simultaneous improvement of the biomass-based supply chain's economic, environmental and social performance is a key factor for optimum network design. This study has suggested a multi-objective goal programming (MOGP) model to optimize a multi-stage biomass-based sustainable renewable energy supply chain network design. The proposed MOGP model represents decisions regarding the optimal number, locations, size of processing facilities and warehouses, and amounts of biomass and final products transported between the locations. The proposed model has been applied to a real-world case study in Istanbul. In addition, sensitivity analysis has been conducted to analyze the effects of biomass availability, processing capacity, storage capacity, electricity generation capacity, and the weight of the goals on the solutions. To realize sensitivity analysis related to the importance of goals, for the first time in the literature, this study employed a spherical fuzzy set-based analytic hierarchy method to determine the weights of goals

RFLP of 16S-ITS rDNA region to differentiate Lactobacilli at species level

The 16S-ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region of the rrn operon was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The amplification products were analysed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using a set of restriction enzymes, AluI, HaeIII, and TaqI. Restriction pattern analyses revealed that TaqI restriction enzyme could clearly differentiate the nine reference strains of Lactobacillus used in the study.IYTE (2001FEN20; 2002IYTE43), TUBITAK (TBAG-1982/100T088), DPT (2002K-120/390

Identification of extracellular enzyme producing alkalophilic bacilli from Izmir province by 16S-ITS rDNA RFLP

Aims: To screen industrially important extracellular enzymes from the newly isolated alkalophilic bacilli and to characterize them by phenotypic and 16S-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA restriction pattern analysis. Methods and Results: Three different environmental samples, soil, leather and horse faeces, were collected within the province of Izmir. Isolates grown on Horikoshi-I medium for 24 h at 37°C were screened for extracellular enzyme activity by using eight different substrates: birchwood xylan, carboxymethylcellulose, casein, citrus pectin, polygalacturonic acid, soluble starch, and Tween 20 and 80. In total, 115 extracellular enzyme-producing bacilli were obtained. Casein was hydrolysed by 78%, soluble starch by 67%, citrus pectin by 63%, polygalacturonic acid by 62%, Tween 20 by 34%, birchwood xylan by 16%, Tween 80 by 12%, and carboxymethylcellulose by 3% of the isolates. The isolates were differentiated into 19 distinct homology groups by the 16S-ITS rDNA restriction pattern analysis. Conclusions: Eight different extracellular enzyme activities were determined in 115 endospore forming bacilli. The largest 16S-ITS rDNA homology group (HT1) included 36% of the isolates, 98% of which degraded casein, polygalacturonic acid, pectin and starch. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study is the first report on the characterization of the industrial enzyme-producing alkalophilic bacilli by 16S-ITS rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Restriction profiles of 64% of the isolates were found to be different from those of five reference strains used

Histološka i imunohistokemijska svojstva metastatskog karcinosarkoma mliječne žlijezde u kuje - prikaz slučaja

A carcinosarcoma is a tumor composed of cells morphologically resembling both malignant epithelial and mesenchymal components. An 11-year-old, female, mixed-breed terrier was referred to the clinic with complaints of anorexia, vomiting and exercise intolerance. Clinically, tumoral masses were seen in the mammary glands. During necropsy, multilobulated calcified masses were observed in several visceral organs (the liver, kidneys, lungs, small intestines, lymph nodes and thyroid) and both right and left (3rd and 4th) mammary glands. Immunohistochemically, Thyroglobulin, SMA, TTF-1, S100, CD34, and p53 were negative in both epithelial and mesenchymal areas, however, Ki-67 showed high proliferation, especially in the mesenchymal areas. While the positivity of vimentin expression was high in the mesenchymal component of the tumor, the positivity of cytokeratin (CK7 and CK19) expressions was high in the epithelial component of the tumor. In the case of a carcinosarcoma, there is a probability that not only the carcinomatous part, but also the sarcomatous part will metastasize. Despite being uncommon, canine carcinosarcomas should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of mixed mammary tumors, if they include both components. There have not been many previous studies dealing with the metastasis of a mammary carcinosarcoma in dogs as an aggressive tumor. Therefore, we consider this report a worthy contribution and have defined the multiple organ metastasis of a mammary carcinosarcoma.Karcinosarkom je tumor sastavljen od stanica koje morfološki nalikuju i na maligne epitelne i na mezenhimne komponente. Ženka stara 11 godina, mješanka u tipu terijera, primljena je na pregled zbog anoreksije, povraćanja i nepodnošenja tjelesnog napora. Klinički, uočena je tumorska masa u mliječnim žlijezdama. Pri obdukciji su uočene multilobulirane kalcificirane tvrobe u nekoliko visceralnih organa (jetra, bubreg, pluća, tanko crijevo, limfni čvorovi, štitnjača) te u desnoj i lijevoj (trećoj i četvrtoj) mliječnoj žlijezdi. Imunohistokemijski su tireoglobulin, SMA, TTF-1, S100, CD34 i p53 bili negativni i u epitelnim i mezenhimnim tkivima, međutim Ki-67 pokazao je visoku proliferaciju, osobito u mezenhimnom području. Dok je pozitivnost ekspresije vimentina bila visoka u mezenhimnoj komponenti tumora, pozitivnost ekspresije citokeratina (CK7 i CK19) bila je visoka u epitelnoj komponenti tumora. U slučaju karcinosarkoma moguće je da ne metastaziraju samo karcinomatozni dijelovi nego također i sarkomatozni. Premda je neuobičajen, pseći karcinosarkom trebalo bi uzeti u obzir kao diferencijalnu dijagnozu kod miješanih tumora mliječne žlijezde, ako sadržavaju obje komponente. U dosadašnjim istraživanjima nema mnogo radova o metastazama karcinosarkoma mliječne žlijezde kuja, posebno u slučajevima gdje je to agresivan tumor. Stoga smatramo da je ovaj prikaz slučaja vrijedan doprinos kojim su utvrđene višestruke metastaze karcinosarkoma mliječne žlijezde na različitim organima

A retrospective evaluation of bifid mandibular canal prevalence of Southeastern Anatolia population by cone-beam computed tomography

Introduction: Bifid mandibular canal (BMC) is often detected incidentally on radiological examination and can be observed in unilateral or bilateral forms. The correct localization of the BMC plays an important role in the prevention of complications such as paresthesia, anesthesia, bleeding, traumatic neuroma, which may occur during or after surgical operations on the mandible such as sagittal split ramus osteotomy, impacted third molar tooth extraction, and dental implant surgery. Objective: This study aims to retrospectively evaluate the prevalence of bifid mandibular canal (BMC) in the Southeastern Anatolian population via Conical Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). Material and Method: In this retrospective study, CBCT images of 615 patients, who applied to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the Faculty of Dentistry at Dicle University, Turkey, for various reasons from 2015 to 2020, is evaluated and cases with bifid mandibular canals are examined. The prevalence evaluation is conducted by statistical analyses in terms of sex and laterality. Results: According to the analyses, the BMC prevalence did not constitute a significant difference in terms of the age variable (p>0.05). The incidence of unilateral BMC was higher than bilateral BMC (p<0.05; p=0.016). Additionally, the prevalence of BMC was higher in males compared to females (p<0.05; p=0.008). Conclusion: BMC, which can be detected more easily and frequently via CBCT technology, is an anatomical formation that should be taken into account during oral and maxillofacial practices

Investigation of the Relationship between Empathy and Burnout Levels of Nursing Students

Amaç: Bu araştırma, hemşirelik öğrencilerinin empati ve tükenmişlik düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkiyibelirlemek amacı ile planlandı.Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı ve kesitsel türde gerçekleştirilen araştırmanın evrenini bir Hemşirelik Fakültesi’nde2016-2017 eğitim-öğretim yılında öğrenim gören 1294 öğrenci; örneklemini ise; tabakalı rastgeleörnekleme yöntemi ile belirlenen 290 hemşirelik öğrencisi oluşturdu. Veriler, “Yapılandırılmış SoruFormu”, “Empatik Beceri Ölçeği B-Formu” ve “Maslach Tükenmişlik Envanteri-Öğrenci Formu” kullanılaraktoplandı. Araştırmanın yürütüleceği fakülteden yazılı izin ve Etik Kurul’dan etik onay sağlandı. Veri analizi,SPSS 21.00 programında, tanımlayıcı ve önemlilik analizi kullanılarak yapıldı.Bulgular: Öğrencilerin %84.1’i kız, yaş ortalaması 20.28±1.47 yıldır. Empatik Beceri Ölçeği B-Formu puanortalaması 143.86±23.93; Maslach Tükenmişlik Envanteri-Öğrenci Formu alt boyutları puan ortalamalarıise tükenmede 15.11±4,69, duyarsızlaşmada 9.34±3.62, yetkinlikte ise 12.78±2.67 olduğu saptandı.Öğrencilerin Empatik Beceri Ölçeği puanı ile Maslach Tükenmişlik Envanteri Duyarsızlaşma alt boyutupuanları arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı düzeyde negatif bir ilişki bulunmaktadır (p<0.05).Sonuç: Hemşirelik öğrencilerinin tükenmişlik ve empati becerilerinin orta düzeyde olduğu ve bazı sosyodemografiközelliklerin empati ve tükenmişlik düzeylerini etkilediği belirlendi.Aim: This research was designed to determine the relationship between empathy and burnout levels of nursing students. Method: The population of this descriptive and cross-sectional research consisted of 1294 students studying at a Nursing Faculty in the 2016-2017 academic year and the sampling consisted of 290 nursing students who were selected by the stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using the “Structured Question Form”, the “Empathic Skill Scale B-Form” and the “Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Form”. Written permission and ethical approval were obtained from the faculty where the research would be conducted. Data analysis was performed using the descriptive and significance analysis in the SPSS 21.00 program. Results: 84.1% of the students were female, and the average age was 20.28±1.47. It was determined that the mean score of the Empathic Skill Scale B-Form was 143.86±23.93, and that the mean scores of the sub-dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Form were 15.11±4,69 in burnout, 9.34±3.62 in depersonalization, and 12.78±2.67 in competency. There is a statistically significant relationship between the Empathic Skill Scale score of nursing students and the Depersonalization sub-dimension score of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was determined that the burnout and empathy skills of nursing students were at a moderate level and that some socio-demographic characteristics affected their empathy and burnout levels

Skin manifestations following anti-COVID-19 vaccination: A multicentricstudy from Turkey

Purpose: After the emergence of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, vaccination with various vaccines has started to be implemented across the world. To identify dermatological reactions developing after the COVID-19 vaccines administered in Turkey and determine their clinical features and risk factors that may play a role in their development. Materials and Methods: The study included patients aged ≥18 years, who presented to 13 different dermatology clinics in Turkey between July 2021 and September 2021 after developing dermatological reactions following the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. After providing written consent, the patients were asked to complete a standard survey including questions related to age, gender, occupation, comorbidities, the regular medication used, the onset of cutaneous reactions after vaccination, and localization of reactions. Dermatological reactions were categorized according to whether they developed after the first or second dose of the vaccine or whether they occurred after the inactivated or messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine. The relationship between dermatological reactions and some variables such as gender and comorbidities was also evaluated. Results: A total of 269 patients [116 women (43.1%), 153 men (56.9%)] were included in the study. It was observed that the dermatological diseases and reactions that most frequently developed after vaccination were urticaria (25.7%), herpes zoster (24.9%), maculopapular eruption (12.3%), and pityriasis rosea (4.5%). The rate of dermatological reactions was 60.6% after the administration of the mRNA vaccine and 39.4% after that of the inactivated vaccine. There was a statistically significantly higher number of reactions among the patients that received the mRNA vaccine (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The most common reactions in our sample were urticaria, herpes zoster, and maculopapular eruption. Physicians should know the dermatological side effects of COVID-19 vaccines and their clinical features