X-ray microtomography provides new insights into vacuum impregnation of spinach leaves

Vacuum impregnation is used in the food industry to facilitate the impregnation of porous products with, e.g. firming, antioxidant, antimicrobial or cryoprotective agents. X-ray micro-tomography (CT) was used to study the process of vacuum impregnation in spinach leaves. Low (300 mbar absolute pressure) and mild vacuum (150 mbar absolute pressure) impregnation protocols were used to impregnate an isotonic solution of trehalose in the leaves and CT was used to make observations of the cross section of the impregnated samples and quantify their porosity. Results revealed that the free volume in the spongy mesophyll is easier to impregnate than the spaces around the palisade mesophyll. The low vacuum impregnation protocol provoked less impregnation close to the edge of the leaf than in its centre, probably accounting for an influence of the tissue structure on impregnation. The vacuum impregnation protocols tested in this investigation drastically decreased the proportion of large pores (>100 m) and increased the proportion of small pores (<50 m). The mild vacuum impregnation protocol, which was designed on the basis of measured apparent porosity, did not achieve full impregnation of the tissue.V. Panarese acknowledges the financial support from the Portuguese Foundation of Science (FCT). F. Gomez Galindo acknowledges the financial support from European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 245280, also known under the acronym PRESERF. Financial support of FWO Vlaanderen (project G.0645.13), the Flemish government agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (project IWT SBO120033 TomFood) and the University of Leuven (project OT 12/055) is gratefully acknowledged. Dennis Cantre is an IRO scholar of KU Leuven. We also acknowledge the Hercules foundation for supporting the X-ray CT facility (AKUL001(HER/09/016))

Measurement of university students of depression levels

Depresyon sıkıntı ve keder duygularını bünyesinde barındıran ruhsal bir bunalım halidir. Sıkıntı, keder ve benzeri duygular yaşam içinde sıklıkla tekrarlanan duygulardır. Bireyin yaşadığı her sıkıntı ve keder durumu depresyonu işaret etmemek ve depresyon olarak nitelendirilmemektedir. Bu araştırmada, üniversite öğrencilerinin depresyon düzeylerinin belirlenmesi, ilişkili olabilecek fakülte, bölüm, yaş, cinsiyet gibi değişkenlerin etkenlerinin araştırılarak belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma, İstanbul Beykent Üniversitesinde öğrenim gören toplam 150 üniversite öğrencisi üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmanın örneklemini Beykent Üniversitesinin çeşitli fakültelerinde öğrenim gören öğrenciler arasından seçkisiz yöntemle seçilen bir grup öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada Veri Toplama Aracı olarak "Beck Depresyon Ölçeği" ve "Kişisel Bilgi Formu" kullanılmıştır. Anket form verileri SPSS 21.0 veri analiz programına aktarılarak gerekli analizler yapılmıştır. Araştırma bulgularına göre, üniversite öğrencilerinin depresyon düzeyleri yüksek bulunmuş olup, depresyon düzeyleri, cinsiyetlerine ve yaşlarına göre anlamlı farklılık göstermemiştir. Bunun yanı sıra, öğrencilerin öğrenim gördükleri fakülte ve bölüm ile depresyon düzeyleri arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olduğu bulunmuştur.Depression is a state of mental distress and grief feelings of depression hosting the site. Distress, grief and other emotions are feelings often repeated in life. Every distress and grief situation where individuals have to point to depression and depression is not considered. Determination of the depression level university students in this study may be related to faculty, department, class, aimed to investigate the factors determining such variables as gender. The sample of the study constitutes Beykent University students selected by random method from a group of students from various faculties. Determination of the depression levels of these research university students, faculty may be related, department, age, aimed to investigate the effects of variables such as gender identification. The study was condusted on 150 university students İstanbul Beykent studying at university. The sample of the research university Beykent constitute a group of students chosen by random method among students from various faculties. Data collection as a tool in research, ''Beck Depression Inventory'' and '' Personal İnformation Form'' is used. The questionnaire data, data analysis using SPSS 21.0 program wascarried out by transferring the necessary analyzes. According to the findings, university students were significantly higher levels of depression. Depression levels of students were found to differ significantly according to gender and age. In addition to this, they see students learning with faculty and department were significant differences seen between depression levels

Preparation and in vitro characterization of monoclonal antibody ranibizumab conjugated magnetic nanoparticles for ocular drug delivery

Gold coated magnetite nanoparticles were prepared and coated with ranibizumab as an ocular drug delivery system. The surface morphologies of the nanoparticles were determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The size and surface charge were determined by using the dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. Crystallographic properties of the gold coated Fe3 O4 nanoparticles were recorded on X-ray diffractometer (XRD) the XRD pattern of nanoparticlees were shown to have uniqe Fe3 O4 and gold peaks.Conjugation of ranibizumab onto nanoparticles was achieved using the physical adsorption method. The amount of ranibizumab on the surface of the nanoparticles was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In the in vitro release studies performed using UV spectroscopy; it was found that almost 60% of antibodies were released within the first 30 minutes. Antibody activity after release studies was also proved with ELISA. Non-toxicity of gold coated Fe3 O4 particles were proved with MTT. Results of the studies, showed that the antibody conjugated magnetic nanoparticle system could be a potential treatment system for ocular diseases

Sivil Toplum Kuruluşlarında Halkla İlişkiler ve Sosyal Medya: Türk Kızılayı ve LÖSEV Örneği

Küreselleşme kavramının ortaya çıkması ve teknolojinin gelişmesi ile hızla değişen medya, kurum ve örgütlerin kendilerini ifade ettikleri, faaliyetlerini duyurdukları, yeni hedef kitlelere ulaştıkları bir ortam haline gelmiştir. Geleneksel medya yerini web 2.0 teknolojilerine ve sosyal medyaya bırakmıştır. Sosyal medya olarak adlandırılan bu mecralar, büyük kitleleri bir araya getirmekte ve kullanıcılarına etkileşimli bir alan sunmaktadır. Kurum ve örgütler sosyal medya sayesinde sahip oldukları hedef kitlelerin yanında farklı hedef kitlelere ulaşma imkânını da yakalamıştır. Bu da kurum ve örgütlere zaman ve maliyet açısından büyük faydalar sağlamıştır. Kurum ve örgütler, sosyal medyayı halkla ilişkiler faaliyetlerini yürütebilecekleri ve kişilere aktarabilecekleri bir mecra olarak aktif bir şekilde kullanmaktadırlar. Bu da kurumlara halka kendileri tanıtma yolunda büyük avantajlar sağlamaktadır. Sivil toplum kuruluşları web 2.0 teknolojilerinin ortaya çıkması ve sosyal medya olgusunun gelişmesiyle bu mecraları hedef kitlelerine ulaşmak için kullanmaya başlamışlardır. Bu ise Sivil toplum kuruluşlarına maliyet, zaman ve tanıtım olarak büyük faydalar sağlamaktadır. Çalışmada sivil toplum kuruluşlarının sosyal ağlardan olan Instagram ve Twitter’ı halkla ilişkiler faaliyetleri açısından nasıl kullandıkları incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın evrenini Türkiye Üçüncü Sektör Vakfı’nın yaptığı bir anket sonucu belirlenen Türkiye’de en çok bilinen 15 sivil toplum kuruluşu oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın örneklemi ise yapılan kamuoyu araştırması ile belirlenen 15 sivil toplum kuruluşundan bilinirliği en yüksek olan Türk Kızılayı ve LÖSEV Vakfı seçilmiş ve bu kurumların Instagram ve Twitter hesapları içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın önemi ise yapılan literatür taraması ışığında çalışmada ele alınan kurumların daha önce herhangi bir çalışmada kullanılmamış olmasıdır. Araştırma bulgularında sosyal ağlardan olan Instagram ve Twitter’ı Türk Kızılayı’nın kamuoyu bilgilendirme amaçlı kullandığı, LÖSEV’in ise bilgilendirme ile birlikte etkileşim kurma amacıyla da yararlandığı belirlenmiştir. Bununla birlikte Türk Kızılayı sosyal medya hesaplarının her ikisini de yaptığı paylaşımlar açısından LÖSEV Vakfından daha aktif bir şekilde kullanıldığı saptanmıştır. Kurumların paylaşım yaparlarken daha çok mesai saatlerini ve gün olarak hafta içini tercih ettikleri de ulaşılan diğer bulgulardan bazılarıdı

Repression of the Notch pathway prevents liver damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

Introduction. Sunitinib is an oral inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor that is used to treat a variety of cancer. There are limited data regarding the effect of sunitinib on diabetes. In the liver, Notch signaling plays an important role in liver tissue development and homeostasis and its dysfunction is associated with liver pathol­ogies. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of sunitinib on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic liver in mice models. Material and methods. An experimental diabetes mellitus (DM) model was created in 28 male CD-1 mice. Twenty-eight male CD-1 mice divided in four groups (n = 7 each) were used; control mice (C), control mice treated with sunitinib (C + S), diabetic mice (DM), and diabetic mice treated with sunitinib (DM + S) for four weeks. The histopathological changes in the liver were examined by histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Immunoreactivity of Notch1, Jagged1, DLL-1 and VEGF were evaluated in control and diabetic mice after sunitinib treatment. Results. The significant morphological changes in the liver were mostly seen in hepatocytes that were hyper­trophied in the DM mice, with an increased amount of eosinophilic granules; moreover, some hepatocytes contained empty vacuole-like structures. The livers of the DM mice revealed increased deposition of collagen fibers. After sunitinib treatment the hepatocytes and hepatic lobules had almost similar morphology to control mice. The immunoreactivities of Notch1, Jagged1, DLL-1 and VEGF in hepatocytes were significantly lower in the DM group when compared with the C, DM + S and C + S group treated with sunitinib. Conclusions. These results suggest that sunitinib effectively protects the liver from diabetes-induced damage through the inhibition of the Notch pathway

Bacteremia due to Acinetobacter ursingii in infants: Reports of two cases

Acinetobacter ursingii is an aerobic, gram-negative, opportunistic microorganism which is rarely isolated among Acinetobacter species. We present two immunocompetent infants who developed bacteremia due to A.ursingii. The first patient is a two -month- old boy who had been hospitalized in pediatric surgery unit for suspected tracheo-esophageal fistula because of recurrent aspiration pneumonia unresponsive to antibiotic therapy. The second patient is a fourteen -month- old boy with prolonged vomiting and diarrhea. A. ursingii was isolated from their blood cultures. They were successfully treated with ampicillin-sulbactam. Although A.ursingii has recently been isolated from a clinical specimen; reports of infection with A.ursingii in children are rare. A.ursingii should be kept in mind as an opportunistic microorganism in children.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

Epstein-Barr Virus Encephalitis in an Immunocompetent Child: A Case Report and Management of Epstein-Barr Virus Encephalitis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) usually causes mild, asymptomatic, and self-limited infections in children and adults; however, it may occasionally lead to severe conditions such as neurological diseases, malignant diseases, hepatic failure, and myocarditis. Epstein-Barr virus-related neurological disorders include meningitis, encephalitis, and cranial or peripheral neuritis, which are mostly seen in immunocompromised patients. The therapeutic modalities for EBV-related severe organ damage including central nervous system manifestations are still uncertain. Herein, we describe a seven-year-old boy with EBV encephalitis who presented with prolonged fever, exudative pharyngitis, reduced consciousness, and neck stiffness. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed contrast enhancement in the bilateral insular cortex and the right hypothalamus. The diagnosis was made by EBV-DNA amplification in both the blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples. He was discharged with acyclovir therapy without any sequelae

Cost and length of hospital stay for healthcare facilityonset Clostridioides Difficile infection in pediatric wards: a prospective cohort analysis

Background. Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a well-known causative agent of healthcare associated infection, it increases medical cost besides increasing morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted to determine the incidence, and economic burden of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection (HO-CDI) in children. Methods. Data was acquired with a prospective cohort study conducted in pediatric wards of a tertiary university hospital between August 2015 to August 2016. The HO-CDI was defined as diarrhea that began after 48 hours of admission with a positive cytotoxic stool assay for the presence of toxin A and/or B of C. difficile. Results. In the 3172 admissions in one year, 212 (7%) healthcare associated diarrhea (HAD) episodes were observed, in 25 (12%) of them C. difficile was identified in which 6 (25%) cases < 2-year-old. The incidence of HOCDI was estimated as 8.8/10,000 patient-days. Cases with HO-CDI (n=19) were compared with cases with non- CDI-HAD (n=102); the presence of one of the risk factors for CDI increased the risk for HO-CDI (5,05; 95% Cl: 1.10-23.05; P 0,037), the median length of stay (LOS) attributable HO-CDI was 7 days (IQR,5-10) per admission, whereas for non-CDI-HAD was 2 days (IQR,0-4) (p=0.036). General hospitalization costs in the two groups were similar, specifically estimated costs attributable to HO-CDI and non-CID-HAD were $294.0 and$137.0 per hospitalization respectively (p= < 0.0001). Conclusion. Although in children the incidence of HO-CDI is increasing, its clinical manifestation is still milder and effective infection control measures with antibiotic stewardship can limit related morbidly, mortality, LOS, and cost

Primary Thyroid Disorders in Patients with Endogenous Hypercortisolism: An Observational Study

Cushing’s syndrome (CS) may alter the performance of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-thyroid axis. We searched for a relationship between hypercortisolism and primary thyroid disorders. The medical records of 40 patients with CS were retrospectively examined. Thyroid ultrasonography (USG), basal thyroid function test results (TFT), and antithyroglobulin and antithyroperoxidase antibodies were analyzed. In 80 control subjects, matched by age and gender with CS patients, thyroid USG, TFTs, and autoantibody panel were obtained. Among the CS patients, 17 had nodular goiter, versus 24 controls (42.5% versus 30%, P>0.05). Among the twenty-five patients with an available TFT and autoantibody panel—before and after surgical curative treatment—autoantibody positivity was detected in 2 (8%) patients before and 3 (12%) after surgery (P=0.48). Regarding TFT results, 1 (2.5%) patient had subclinical hyperthyroidism and 1 (2.5%) had subclinical hypothyroidism, whereas 1 (2.5%) control had hyperthyroidism. In total, 21 (52.5%) patients and 32 (40%) controls had ≥1 of the features of thyroid disorder, including goiter, positive thyroid autoantibody, and thyroid function abnormality; the difference was not significant (P>0.05). The prevalence of primary thyroid disorders is not significantly increased in patients with CS