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Food insecurity indicators of 14 OECD countries in a health economics aspect: A comparative analysis
No full textIntroductionFood insecurity is a critical issue that refers to a lack of access to adequate food to support a healthy and active lifestyle. This problem has wide-reaching effects and can negatively impact health, education, and overall well-being. Addressing food insecurity requires a multifaceted approach that involves the efforts of governments, organizations, and individuals to ensure access to a balanced and nutritious diet for all. MethodsThe aim of this study is to shed light on macro-level models and evaluate food insecurity risk in international comparisons. We considered six criteria to evaluate food insecurity risk in terms of health expenditure, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and GDP growth rate among 14 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. We developed a modeling approach in three stages to compare food insecurity risk and discussed the reasons for the rankings of the countries based on the model results. ResultsAccording to our findings, the United States has the lowest food insecurity risk, while Colombia has the highest. The results suggest that economic factors, such as GDP per capita and GDP growth rate, play a significant role in food insecurity risk. The study highlights the importance of addressing economic disparities and promoting economic growth to reduce food insecurity. DiscussionThis study provides insights into the relationship between food insecurity and economic factors, indicating that addressing economic disparities and promoting economic growth can reduce food insecurity. Future research using similar models to link economic outcomes with important health components such as nutrition and physical activity could provide a foundation for policy development
Pandemi döneminde diyalektik davranış terapisi-çevimiçi grup beceri eğitimi etkililiği: Pilot bir çalışma
No full textDiyalektik Davranış Terapisi (DDT), Linehan tarafından sınırda kişilik bozukluğu danışanlar için
geliştirilmiştir. Temelinde davranışçı yaklaşım, Zen Budizmi ve diyalektik felsefe bulunmaktadır.
Bireysel seans, grup beceri eğitimi, telefonla danışmanlık ve konsültasyon ekibi olmak üzere dört
bileşen vardır. DDT grup beceri eğitimi de bilinçli farkındalık, kişilerarası etkililik, sıkıntıya dayanma ve duygu düzenleme becerileri olmak üzere toplamda dört modülden oluşmaktadır.
DDT’nin ve DDT grup beceri eğitiminin etkililiğine dair birçok çalışma yürütülmüştür. Bu çalışmada ise haftalık DDT grup beceri eğitiminin üniversite öğrencilerinde pandemi dönemindeki depresyon, kaygı ve stres düzeylerindeki etkililiği incelenmiştir. Ayrıca katılımcılarda duygu düzenleme, bilinçli farkındalık, kişilerarası etkililik becerilerindeki gelişmeler de gözlenmiştir. Çalışmaya 18-24 yaş arasında lisans öğrencisi olan toplamda 17 kadın katılmıştır. Katılımcılara çevrimiçi öz değerlendirme formu gönderilmiş ve telefon görüşmesi ile başvuruda bulunanlara geri bildirim yapılmıştır. Seçilen katılımcılara Sosyodemografik Bilgi Formu, Beş Faktörlü Bilgece Farkındalık Ölçeği-Kısa Form, Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü Ölçeği-Kısa Form, Kişilerarası Yetkinlik
Ölçeği-Kısa Formu, Depresyon Kaygı Stres Ölçeği, grup beceri eğitimine katılmadan önce, 4. oturumdan sonra ve 8. haftanın sonunda çevrimiçi olarak gönderilmiştir. Sonuçlara göre, DDT grup
beceri eğitiminin depresyon, kaygı ve stres düzeylerinin azalmasında yardımcı olduğu saptanmıştır.
Ayrıca, duygu düzenleme ve kişilerarası etkililik becerilerinde de artış gözlenmiştir
Bacteriophage genome engineering for phage therapy to combat bacterial antimicrobial resistance as an alternative to antibiotics
No full textBacteriophages (phages) are viruses that mainly infect bacteria and are ubiquitously distributed in nature, especially to their host. Phage engineering involves nucleic acids manipulation of phage genome for antimicrobial activity directed against pathogens through the applications of molecular biology techniques such as synthetic biology methods, homologous recombination, CRISPY-BRED and CRISPY-BRIP recombineering, rebooting phage-based engineering, and targeted nucleases including CRISPR/Cas9, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs). Management of bacteria is widely achieved using antibiotics whose mechanism of action has been shown to target both the genetic dogma and the metabolism of pathogens. However, the overuse of antibiotics has caused the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria which account for nearly 5 million deaths as of 2019 thereby posing threats to the public health sector, particularly by 2050. Lytic phages have drawn attention as a strong alternative to antibiotics owing to the promising efficacy and safety of phage therapy in various models in vivo and human studies. Therefore, harnessing phage genome engineering methods, particularly CRISPR/Cas9 to overcome the limitations such as phage narrow host range, phage resistance or any potential eukaryotic immune response for phage-based enzymes/proteins therapy may designate phage therapy as a strong alternative to antibiotics for combatting bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Here, the current trends and progress in phage genome engineering techniques and phage therapy are reviewed
A theoretical model test of emotional and cognitive reactions to sexual trauma
No full textPeri- and post-trauma emotional and cognitive reactions play a pivotal role in PTSD. Illuminating the complex relationship among them necessitates a sound theoretical and statistical approach that ensures valid measurement and theory testing. Taking such an approach this study examined the relationships among peri-trauma sense of control and emotional reactions, post-trauma fear, helplessness, shame and guilt responses, and PTSD in 601 women with a history of perceived sexual trauma exposure. Participants completed an online survey involving reliable and valid measures of perceived severity of sexual trauma, post-trauma fear due to a sense of ongoing threat to safety, and sense of helplessness in life, trauma-related shame, and guilt cognitions. A theoretical model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling. The measurement and structural models provided a good fit to the data. Levels of sense of control during trauma predicted peri-trauma distress levels. Peri-trauma emotions had direct effects on post-trauma fear, helplessness, and shame, but not on guilt cognitions. Fear, sense of helplessness, and shame had direct effects on PTSD and mediated the association between peri-trauma emotions and PTSD. Although guilt cognitions had direct effects on PTSD, they were not mediators. These findings suggested that peri-trauma emotions play a role in PTSD as long as they induce chronic fear for safety, a sense of helplessness in life, and shame. Trauma-focused psychological interventions designed to overcome fear and shame, reduce helplessness, and restore a sense of control over one’s life would be effective in improving PTSD in survivors of sexual violence. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Comparative Study on the Chemical Profile, Antioxidant Activity, and Enzyme Inhibition Capacity of Red and White Hibiscus sabdariffa Variety Calyces
No full textHibiscus sabdariffa L. (Family: Malvaceae) is believed to be domesticated by the people of western Sudan sometime before 4000 BC for their nutritional and medicinal properties. This study aimed to investigate the chemical profile, antioxidant activity, and enzyme inhibition property of extracts from red roselle (RR) and white roselle (WR) varieties grown in Sudan. Three aqueous extracts obtained by maceration, infusion, and decoction, in addition to the methanolic one, were prepared from the two roselle varieties. Results showed that the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents of RR were obtained from the extracts prepared by infusion (28.40 mg GAE/g) and decoction (7.94 mg RE/g) respectively, while those from the WR were recorded from the methanolic extract (49.59 mg GAE/g and 5.81 mg RE/g respectively). Extracts of RR were mainly characterized by high accumulation of chlorogenic acid (6502.34-9634.96 mg kg(-1)), neochlorogenic acid (937.57-8949.61 mg kg(-1)), and gallic acid (190-4573.55 mg kg(-1)). On the other hand, neochlorogenic acid (1777.05-6946.39 mg kg(-1)) and rutin (439.29-2806.01 mg kg(-1)) were the dominant compounds in WR. All extracts from RR had significant (p < 0.05) higher antioxidant activity than their respective WR except in their metal chelating power, where the methanolic extract of the latter showed the highest activity (3.87 mg EDTAE/g). RR extracts prepared by infusion recorded the highest antioxidant values (35.09, 52.17, 65.62, and 44.92 mg TE/g) in the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2 '-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), CUPRAC (cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays, respectively. All aqueous extracts from the WR exerted significant (p < 0.05) acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity (3.42-4.77 mg GALAE/g; GALAE = galantamine equivalents), while only one extract, obtained by maceration, from RR exerted AChE inhibitory activity (4.79 mg GALAE/g). All extracts of the RR showed relatively higher BChE (butyrylcholinesterase) inhibitory activity (3.71-4.23 mg GALAE/g) than the WR ones. Methanolic extracts of the two roselle varieties displayed the highest Tyr (tyrosinase) inhibitory activity (RR = 48.25 mg KAE/g; WR = 42.71 mg KAE/g). The methanolic extract of RR exhibited the highest amylase (0.59 mmol ACAE/g) and glucosidase (1.46 mmol ACAE/g) inhibitory activity. Molecular docking analysis showed that delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside, rutin, isoquercitrin, hyperoside, and chlorogenic acid exerted the most promising enzyme inhibitory effect. In conclusion, these findings indicated that the chemical profiles and biological activity of roselle varied according to the variety, extraction solvent, and technique used. These two roselle varieties can serve as a valuable source for the development of multiple formulations in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries
A large-scale multicenter study in turkey
No full textThe natural history study of hidradenitis suppurativa: A large-scale multicenter study in turkey
IDENTIFICATION OF DEFECTIVE CONSTRUCTION WORKS DURING BUILDING INSPECTIONS
No full textMeeting the quality requirements in construction works is critical for structural safety of the buildings, particularly in seismically active regions with old building stocks. Code compliance through strict inspections is essential not only for reliable structures, but also for prevention of cost and time overruns causing financial losses. In Turkey, building inspections are mandatory during the construction phase of the projects and building inspectors are responsible from the inspection of the construction works to ensure code compliance. Building inspectors are frequently subjected to different type of problems due several defects during inspections. This study aims to identify the frequently encountered defective construction works based on a quantitative study. A questionnaire was administered to 57 building inspectors by using 1-5 Likert scale to evaluate 20 critical construction work items. The results, which were ranked according to the Relative Importance Index (RII) showed that concrete works, reinforcement works, and HVAC are the top three works where problems were frequently observed during inspections. On the other hand, less problems were observed in painting, landscaping works and prefabricated construction works. © 2023 ISEC Press
Rapid and efficient ambient temperature X-ray crystal structure determination at Turkish Light Source
No full textHigh-resolution biomacromolecular structure determination is essential to better understand protein function and dynamics. Serial crystallography is an emerging structural biology technique which has fundamental limitations due to either sample volume requirements or immediate access to the competitive X-ray beamtime. Obtaining a high volume of well-diffracting, sufficient-size crystals while mitigating radiation damage remains a critical bottleneck of serial crystallography. As an alternative, we introduce the plate-reader module adapted for using a 72-well Terasaki plate for biomacromolecule structure determination at a convenience of a home X-ray source. We also present the first ambient temperature lysozyme structure determined at the Turkish light source (Turkish DeLight). The complete dataset was collected in 18.5 min with resolution extending to 2.39 Å and 100% completeness. Combined with our previous cryogenic structure (PDB ID: 7Y6A), the ambient temperature structure provides invaluable information about the structural dynamics of the lysozyme. Turkish DeLight provides robust and rapid ambient temperature biomacromolecular structure determination with limited radiation damage. © 2023, The Author(s)
Effect of Treadmill Backward Walking Training on Motor Capacity in Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Study
No full textObjective To evaluate treadmill backward walking training (BWT) effects on walking speed, balance, mobility, and walking endurance in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods The study evaluated 41 children with CP (age, 6–18; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I and II). They were randomly allocated into control and BWT groups. BWT was applied (two sessions/week, 15 min/session for 8-week) to BWT group after the neurodevelopmental-based physiotherapy program routinely followed by all participants while the control group did not receive BWT. 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), and Two-Minute Walk Test (2MWT) were selected as outcome measures for assessing walking speed, balance, mobility and endurance respectively. Results In BWG, 2MWT distance (3.5%), PBS (3.5%) increased significantly, and TUG decreased by 5.1% (all p<0.001) after training, 10MWT was shorter by 6.1% for BWG, corresponding to 7.4% faster walking speed (p[removed
Computational analysis of drug resistance of taxanes bound to human β-tubulin mutant (D26E)
No full textThe single-point mutation D26E in human β-tubulin is associated with drug resistance seen with two anti-mitotic taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) when used to treat cancers. The molecular mechanism of this resistance remains elusive. However, docetaxel and a third-generation taxane, cabazitaxel, are thought to overcome this resistance. Here, structural models of both the wildtype (WT) and D26E mutant (MT) human β-tubulin were constructed based on the crystal structure of pig β-tubulin in complex with docetaxel (PDB ID: 1TUB). The three taxanes were docked into the WT and MT β-tubulin, and the resulting complexes were submitted to three independent runs of 200 ns molecular dynamic simulations, which were then averaged. MM/GBSA calculations revealed the binding energy of paclitaxel with WT and MT β-Tubulin to be −101.5 ± 8.4 and −90.4 ± 8.9 kcal/mol, respectively. The binding energy of docetaxel was estimated to be −104.7 ± 7.0 kcal/mol with the WT and −103.8 ± 5.5 kcal/mol with the MT β-tubulin. Interestingly, cabazitaxel was found to have a binding energy of −122.8 ± 10.8 kcal/mol against the WT and −106.2 ± 7.0 kcal/mol against the MT β-tubulin. These results show that paclitaxel and docetaxel bound to the MT less strongly than the WT, suggesting possible drug resistance. Similarly, cabazitaxel displayed a greater binding propensity against WT and MT β-tubulin than the other two taxanes. Furthermore, the dynamic cross-correlation matrices (DCCM) analysis suggests that the single-point mutation D26E induces a subtle dynamical difference in the ligand-binding domain. Overall, the present study revealed how the single-point mutation D26E may reduce the binding affinity of the taxanes, however, the effect of the mutation does not significantly affect the binding of cabazitaxel. © 2023 Elsevier Inc