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Protective effect of curcumin on testicular damage caused by carbon tetrachloride exposure in rats
No full textContext Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a chemical that is still widely used in industry and has been shown to cause structural defects in rat testicles through oxidative stress. Aims In our study, the effect of curcumin on CCl4-mediated testicular damage was investigated. Methods Twenty-four adult Wistar albino male rats weighing 300–350 g were divided into four groups: control group (olive oil was applied by gavage every consecutive day for 3 weeks); curcumin and CCl4 + curcumin groups (200 mg/kg curcumin dissolved in olive oil was given by gavage once a day, every consecutive day for 3 weeks); and CCl4 and CCl4 + curcumin groups (0.5 mL/kg CCl4 was dissolved in olive oil at a ratio of 1/1 and given by i.p. injection every other day for 3 weeks). Tissue samples were examined histopathologically, histomorphometrically, immunohistochemically and biochemically. Key results CCl4 disrupted both testicular morphology and testosterone synthesis, whereas curcumin treatment resulted in an improvement in testicular morphology and biochemical parameters, as well as a decrease in caspase-3 and tumour necrosis factor-α expression. Conclusions Curcumin has a protective effect on testicular tissue damage caused by CCl4 with its anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic and antioxantioxidant properties. Implications Curcumin can prevent testicular damage due to CCl4, an environmental pollutant.</jats:p
Comparative Transcriptomic Analyses of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of COVID-19 Patients without Pneumonia and with Severe Pneumonia in the First Year of Follow-Up
No full textThe multisystemic effects of COVID-19 may continue for a longer time period following the acute phase, depending on the severity of the disease. However, long-term systemic transcriptomic changes associated with COVID-19 disease and the impact of disease severity are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 and its severity on transcriptomic alterations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) following 1 year of the disease. PBMCs were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy control donors who did not have COVID-19 (C; n = 13), from COVID-19 patients without pneumonia (NP; n = 11), and from COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia (SP; n = 10) after 1-year of follow-up. Following RNA isolation from PBMCs, high-quality RNAs were sequenced after creating a library. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DElncRNAs) were identified using Benjamini–Hochberg correction and they were analysed for hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Intergroup comparisons (C vs. NP, C vs. SP, and NP vs. SP) of DEGs and DElncRNAs were performed and hub genes were determined. Functional enrichment analyses of DEGs and DElncRNAs were made using Metascape (v3.5.20240101) and the first version of NCPATH. The RNA sequencing analysis revealed 4843 DEGs and 1056 DElncRNAs in “C vs. NP”, 1651 DEGs and 577 DElncRNAs in “C vs. SP”, and 954 DEGs and 148 DElncRNAs in “NP vs. SP”, with 291 DEGs and 70 DElncRNAs shared across all groups, respectively. We identified 14 hub genes from 291 DEGs, with functional enrichment analysis showing upregulated DEGs mainly linked to inflammation and osteoclast differentiation and downregulated DEGs to viral infections and immune responses. The analysis showed that 291 common and 14 hub genes were associated with pneumonia and that these genes could be regulated by the transcription factors JUN and NFκB1 carrying the NFκB binding site. We also revealed unique immune cell signatures across DEG categories indicating that the upregulated DEGs were associated with neutrophils and monocytes, while downregulated DEGs were associated with CD4 memory effector T cells. The comparative transcriptomic analysis of NP and SP groups with 52 gene signatures suggestive of IPF risk showed a lower risk of IPF in the SP group than the NP patients. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 may cause long term pathologies by modulating the expression of various DEGs, DeLncRNAs, and hub genes at the cellular level.</jats:p
The Effects of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors on Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Shocks in Heart Failure Patients Undergoing Diuretic Therapy
No full textObjective: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are the standard treatment for patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≤35%) to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death. Loop diuretics can cause electrolyte imbalances, leading to an increased incidence of ICD shocks. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) have shown cardiovascular benefits in patients with heart failure (HF), but their effects on ventricular arrhythmias and ICD shocks, particularly in patients receiving different doses of loop diuretics, are not fully understood. This study evaluated the effects of furosemide dose and SGLT2i use on ICD shocks in HF patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). Materials and Methods: HFrEF patients using oral furosemide and undergoing ICD implantation in our clinic were followed for 12 months to monitor ICD shocks for ventricular arrhythmias. They were grouped according to daily oral furosemide dose and SGLT2i use. Results: Out of 175 patients, the use of high-dose furosemide (>80 mg/day) was significantly higher in the ICD shock group compared to the non-shock group (38.8% vs. 16.7%, p = 0.001), while the use of SGLT2i was lower (19.4% vs. 45.4%, p < 0.001). ICD shocks occurred in 67.6% of patients on high-dose furosemide without SGLT2i and 30.0% with SGLT2i (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified the absence of SGLT2i as an independent predictor of ICD shocks. Conclusions: SGLT2i was associated with reduced ventricular arrhythmias and ICD shocks in HF patients, even when high doses of furosemide were used. The absence of SGLT2i in HF treatment was an independent predictor of ICD shocks. </jats:p
School leadership fostering mental health in the times of crisis: synthesis of school principals’ views and PISA 2022
No full textAdministration and governance of schools including many complex processes like bureaucracy, teaching, and school improvement is responsibility school principals. They are like bridges between micro-level dynamics and macro-level policies. Additionally, Turkey has experienced crises like pandemic and natural disasters in the recent years. These crises negatively affect the mental health of school stakeholders. All of these issues require an effective leadership style. In these aspects, the current study aims to investigate school leadership fostering mental health in times of crises. The design of the study is mixed-method research in which both quantitative and qualitative paradigms are followed. The data sources of the study were school principals and PISA 2022 dataset. PISA 2022 data related to mental health were extracted from dataset. Semi-structured interview forms were administered to school principals. Data coming from interviews are analyzed within content analysis while Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) was run for PISA 2022 data. In terms of student-level variables, the PISA 2022 results showed that stress resistance was positively related to sense of belonging, feeling safe, assertiveness, and emotional control whereas it was negatively related to being bullied and empathy. Considering school-level variables, educational leadership and school diversity and multicultural views predicted stress resistance significantly. The results related to qualitative part showed that themes of perception on crisis, the impact of crises, crisis management actions, mental health support, and ways to improve mental health were effective in leadership style. It is concluded that school leadership fostering mental health depends on holistic perspective and taking action
Fdm Yöntemiyle Üretilen Pla Malzemelerde Dolgu Deseninin Mekanik Özelliklere Etkisi
No full textBu çalışmada PLA (poly lactic acid) malzemeler ile %15 doluluk oranlarında üretilen numunelerde farklı baskı desen ve açıların malzemelerin üretim sürelerine, ağırlıklarına ve mekanik özelliklerine olan etkileri incelenmiştir. Bu amaçla tam dolu numune ile toplam 14 adet çekme numunesi ve 12 adet basma numuneleri üretilmiş ve çekme ve basma testlerine tabi tutulmuştur. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre, geometrik desenin karmaşıklığının baskı süresini uzattığı, %15 dolu numunenin tam dolu numuneye oranla çok daha kısa baskı süresi ve malzeme sarfiyatı verdiği tespit edilmiştir. Baskı açısının malzemenin mukavemetine etkisi olduğu görülmüştür. Çekmeye dayanıklı numunelerin basma testlerinde daha zayıf performans sergilediği, basmaya dayanıklı numunelerin ise çekme testlerinde daha zayıf dayanım sergilediği görülmüştür. Her iki testte de benzer dayanımı gösteren numuneler ise bal peteği, jiroid ve grid desenleri olmuştur. Dolgu desen ve açısının uzama ve şekil değiştirme davranışlarında da etkili olduğu görülmüştür.</jats:p
Effects of Alevi-Sunni Marriages on Children’s Religious Education and Family Relations
No full textIn this study, the views of parents in Alevi-Sunni marriages on the phenomenon of religion and their children’s religious education are examined. While there has been a growing body of research on the role and significance of religion in Alevi-Sunni families, limited attention has been paid to their attitudes towards their children’s religious education, particularly within the context of cross-religious marriages. Based on this, this study aims to fill this research gap by examining the perspectives of parents in Alevi-Sunni marriages on their children’s religious education and family dynamics, using qualitative methods to provide in-depth insights. Ten families living in Sivas, Ankara and Tunceli, who were contacted through snowball and purposive sampling, participated in the study, in which qualitative research techniques were used. The data used in the study were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interview forms. The data was analzed with the content analysis. It was determined that the Alevi-Sunni difference did not have a significant impact on the participants’ religious attitudes or their children’s religious education. Almost all parents stated that they wanted their children to choose their own path by acquiring experience and knowledge about both religious interpretations/ understandings. The study identified two primary areas of difficulty in Alevi-Sunni families: familial opposition to the participants' decision to marry and conflicts surrounding the children's religious education. These tensions may stem from societal pressures to conform to sectarian norms and the fear of losing religious identity through cross/mixed (intrafaith) marriages. Such pressures highlight the need for open dialogue and acceptance within families, which many participants reported as key to resolving conflicts. The provision of religious education in the family and the religious identity of children have been discussed in a separate study. Therefore, in this study, participants’ views on “compulsory” religious education activities, which are also a subject of debate in society, were evaluated. In parallel with the findings in the literature, the participants’ opinions were grouped in three categories, namely “abolishing the courses”, “making the courses optional”, and “improving the courses along with preserving their compulsory status”. Following the interviews, it was seen that the participants could have arguments mostly due to external factors, and that their own religious understanding did not have any impact on family life, religious attitudes or child rearing. Attention was drawn to the need for freedom from prejudices, acceptance of the other as he/she is, honesty, trust and a communicative environment of dialogue in order to reduce the tension in these two areas.</jats:p
Stability of a Ro-Ro Ship: An Assessment of the Impact of Electric Vehicle Transportation
No full textIn terms of service lives, ships have the ability to remain operational for extended periods of time, potentially exceeding several decades. Changes in machinery and equipment are dependent on technological improvements. The above change is most noticeable in the components that make up ship systems. Nonetheless, the movement of ships on the water involves research into a variety of topics, including static-dynamic equilibrium and the demands of speed and power. The study focuses on the growing fascination with electric automobiles, which can be ascribed to technology improvements, environmental policies, and the concept's widespread acceptance. As a result, there has been a boom in interest in purchasing electric vehicles and using them for transportation. When conventional internal combustion engine automobiles are considered during the design process of marine vessels that transport land vehicles, it is expected that electric vehicles (EVs) will be primarily transported by Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) ships in the foreseeable future. However, weight discrepancies exist between electric vehicles and other models in the same category. The significant weight attributed to batteries emphasizes the significant possibility for advancement in modern battery technology. The purpose of this research is to look into the variations in the stability of a Ro-Ro vessel when transporting an equal number and weight of EVs and conventional automobiles.</jats:p
Mobil Telefon Yoksunluğu (Nomofobi); Bir Meslek Yüksekokulu Örneği
No full textBu araştırma sağlık hizmetleri meslek yüksekokulu yaşlı bakımı programında eğitim gören birinci sınıf öğrencilerin nomofobi düzeylerini ve etkileyen faktörleri incelemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Tanımlayıcı tipte yürütülen araştırmanın örneklemini, bir üniversitenin yaşlı bakımı programına kayıtlı birinci sınıf (n=59) öğrencileri oluşturmuştur. Veriler “Bireysel Bilgi Formu” ve “Nomofobi Ölçeği (NMP-Q)” kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Araştırmaya katılan öğrencilerin yaş ortalamasının 19,64±1,36 yıl, %69,5’inin (n=41) kadın olduğu bulunmuştur. NMP-Q Toplam Puanının 82,0±35,0 olduğu tespit edilmiş olup çalışmaya katılan öğrencilerin orta seviyede nomofobik olduğu belirlenmiştir. Kadınların, nomofobi puanlarının erkeklere göre daha yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir (P</jats:p
A novel block copolymer containing gadolinium oxide nanoparticles in ultrasound assisted-dispersive solid phase microextraction of total arsenic in human foodstuffs: A multivariate optimization methodology
No full textA new poly(3-hydroxy butyrate)-b-poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) amphiphilic block copolymer containing gadolinium oxide nanoparticles (PHB-PDMAEMA-Gd2O3-NPs) were synthesized and used as composite adsorbent for extraction of total arsenic. Characterization of the composite adsorbent material PHB-PDMAEMA-Gd2O3-NP was studied using spectroscopic techniques. Plackett-Burman design and central composite design were employed to screening and optimization of the experimental parameters. This composite adsorbent was utilized in ultrasound assisted-dispersive solid phase microextraction (UA-dSPµE) for the determination of total inorganic arsenic in foodstuffs through hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS). It demonstrates a linear relationship across arsenic concentration range of 0.07-1.12 µg/L with a correlation coefficient (0.996). It's showed an enrichment factor of 128 and a limit of detection 0.02 µg/L for total inorganic arsenic determination. Accuracy of the developed method was confirmed through the analysis of certified reference materials with 96.0-98.5% recovery. It proved to be significantly useful UA-dSPµE method for determining total inorganic arsenic in different foodstuffs