10696 research outputs found
Sort by
Assessing the Acute Toxicological Effects of Annona muricata Leaf Ethanol Extract on Rats: Biochemical, Histopathological, and Metabolomics Analyses
No full textAnnona muricata is a common plant used in Africa and South America to manage various types of disease. However, there is insufficient toxicological information or published standard available regarding repeated dose animal toxicity data. As part of the safety assessment, we exposed Sprague Dawley rats to an acute oral toxicity of A. muricata. The intent of the current study was to use advanced proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) in serum and urinary metabolomics evaluation techniques to provide the in vivo acute toxicological profile of A. muricata leaf ethanol extract in accordance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) 423 guidelines. A single 2000 mg/kg dose of A. muricata leaf ethanol extract was administered to Sprague Dawley rats over an observational period of 14 days. The toxicity evaluation (physical and behavior observation, body weight, renal function test, liver function test and H-1 NMR analysis) showed no abnormal toxicity. Histopathological analysis manifested mild changes, i.e., the treated kidney manifested mild hypercellularity of mesangial cells and mild red blood cell congestion. In addition, there was mild hemorrhage into tissue with scattered inflammatory cells and mild dilated central vein with fibrosis in the liver. However, the changes were very mild and not significant which correlate with other analyses conducted in this study (biochemical test and H-1 NMR metabolomic analysis). On the other hand, urinary H-1 NMR analysis collected on day 15 revealed high similarity on the metabolite variations for both untreated and treated groups. Importantly, the outcomes suggest that A. muricata leaf ethanol extract can be safely consumed at a dose of 2000 mg/kg and the LD50 must be more than 2000 mg/kg
Effects of Salicylic Acid Application on Germination, Growth and Development of Rough Lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) Under Salt Stress
No full textRough lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) - RL, is used as a rootstock for citrus plants in saline conditions. NaCl causes an osmotic stress on plants mainly preventing the water uptake by the roots and thus reducing the plant growth. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of salicylic acid (SA) on germination of seeds and the growth and development of seedlings of RL rootstock under salt stress. For seed germination, a study was conducted in a completely randomized design in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme (SA at 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, or 1.00 mM and NaCl at 0, 50, 100, or 200 mM) with 4 repetitions, totaling 64 plots, of 25 seeds per plot. RL seeds were incubated in SA solutions for 24 h. Then, they were treated with NaCl-containing water in Petri dishes and incubated in the growth chamber at 25 degrees C. For greenhouse experiment, a study was conducted in a randomized complete block in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme (SA at 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mM and NaCl at 0, 50, 100, or 150 mM) with 3 repetitions, totaling 48 plots, of 2 plants per plot. Some morphological and physiological characteristics were determined. While germination time was extended, germination ratio and radicle extension were decreased in seeds under salt stress compared to control. Moreover, in these conditions the leaf membrane permeability and leaf falling were increased. In turn, plant height, diameter, root and shoot dry weight, leaf relative water content, and leaf chlorophyll were decreased in seedlings. Salt stress had negatively affected seed germination from 97.5% in control to 23.5% in 200 mM NaCl. However, SA treatments significantly decreased plant height to 67.8 cm in 2.0 mM compared to 80.1 cm in control in RL rootstock
Paleo Environmental Pollution Assessment of Erdek and Bandırma Bays in the Sea of Marmara, Türkiye
No full textGeochemical and sedimentological analyses and C-14 dating of four cores from Erdek and Bandırma Bays were performed to evaluate the metal pollution, history and sources, and content in the southern Sea of Marmara (SoM) caused by industrial, agricultural and domestic activities during the sediment deposition. The selected elements’ pollution (Al, Fe, Mn, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) data were evaluated using contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI). The sedimentary succession in all cores consists mainly of clay (9–96%), silt (1–78%) and sand (0.1–20%) with small amounts of gravel (0.1–7%). The results of CF and PLI reveal that the upper 20 cm core sediments in Erdek Bay were contaminated with Hg (0.07–1.1 mg/kg), Pb (4–72 mg/kg) and Zn (12–255 mg/kg) by both anthropogenic and lithogenic input via the Biga and Gönen streams. Furthermore, the upper 20 cm of MD72 and BK1 core sediments were moderately polluted with As, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn caused by the discharge of untreated industrial wastewater and domestic sewage from the surrounding area of Bandırma Bay. Moreover, lithogenic Pb-Zn was transported to Erdek Bay by Biga and Gönen streams from the Pb-Zn mineralized zones in the southern SoM drainage area. C-14 dating reveals that As, Hg, Pb and Zn contamination in the study area was started about 400–500 years before the present based on preliminary sedimentation rate estimates and has increased intensely in the last century. Our work is a significant effort to help the environment protection agency or other stakeholders draw a framework to solve this emerging challenge from sewage and wastewater treatment plants
Studies on the 'Nativity of Jesus' Scene in a Rock Mass in Cine
No full textThe village of Dinecik in the cine district of Turkiye's Aydin province has a single scene depicting the birth of Jesus among the Byzantine wall paintings on the mass rock. This depiction of the Nativity of Jesus is the only surviving Nativity scene among paintings of Latmos, Yatagan, and the southern Carian coasts close to cine. Because the Cappadocian wall paintings have the widest range of subjects among the paintings in Anatolia, they were influential in this study's iconographic analysis of the Nativity painting. The scene consists of many episodes covering a large surface, and while a significant portion has survived, especially the hands and faces of the figures, the fact that some of the depictions have been largely destroyed makes it difficult to make a sound evaluation. Still, a detailed examination of the work was able to be made with what remained of some of the scenes that provide period clues. The center of the depiction shows the baby Jesus and Mary. To the right of Mary on a square cradle with long legs is the baby Jesus with a halo on his head, wrapped in white swaddling cloth. Behind the cradle are figures of oxen and donkeys. Joseph is in the lower right corner of the scene seated on a chair with his back to Mary. The first bathing scene in the lower left corner of the stage shows the midwives who will wash Jesus. The upper left section of the scene is understood from the remaining fragments to involve shepherds; however, most of them have been destroyed. The upper right corner has the figure of an angel and the three soothsayers. The scene contains a crowded compositional arrangement that brings together episodes such as the Prophet Kings, the Adoration of the Shepherds, and the First Bath, each being depicted as a separate scene after the depiction of the Nativity in the early period as a style that had become widespread in the paintings of the Cappadocia region toward the end of the 10th century. The fact that Mary didn't begin being depicted in a semi-sitting position in nativity scenes with her head aimed at Jesus in the cradle until after the 10th century and that the technical and stylistic features commonly applied to 11th-century buildings had also been used in the depiction at Dinecik indicates the painting to have bene painted by local craftsmen in the late 10th and mid-11th centuries with regional characteristics
Experimental investigation of a double-flow photovoltaic/thermal air collector with natural dolomite powder-embedded thermal energy storage unit
No full textPhotovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems have ability the produce both electrical and thermal energy in a same surface area. Additionally, utilizing PV/T systems help to reduce the solar panel temperature and therefore, improving the electrical output of the system. In this survey, it is aimed to improve the electrical and thermal effectiveness of a double-flow PV/T (DPV/T) system by using natural dolomite power-embedded thermal energy storage unit (TES). In this regard, three various types of DPV/Ts have been modelled, fabricated and experimented in the same test conditions. The first DPV/T structured as a conventional system. Second (DPV/T-TES) and third (DPV/T-DTES) systems have been upgraded with only paraffin-based and natural dolomite powder-embedded TESs, respectively. The experimentally obtained results indicated that utilizing dolomite particle-enhanced TES in the DPV/T system improved the electrical, thermal and total exergetic efficiencies as 10.83 %, 32.62 % and 54.07 %, respectively when compared to the conventional PV/T. Additionally, mean performance ratios of the tested systems were acquired between 0.62 and 0.69. The experimentally obtained findings showed the positive effect of utilizing natural dolomite particles-embedded TES in the DPV/T system on both electrical and thermal efficiencies
Unveiling the hidden economic toll of biological invasions in the European Union
No full textBackground: Biological invasions threaten the functioning of ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being by degrading ecosystem services and eliciting massive economic costs. The European Union has historically been a hub for cultural development and global trade, and thus, has extensive opportunities for the introduction and spread of alien species. While reported costs of biological invasions to some member states have been recently assessed, ongoing knowledge gaps in taxonomic and spatio-temporal data suggest that these costs were considerably underestimated. Results: We used the latest available cost data in InvaCost (v4.1)—the most comprehensive database on the costs of biological invasions—to assess the magnitude of this underestimation within the European Union via projections of current and future invasion costs. We used macroeconomic scaling and temporal modelling approaches to project available cost information over gaps in taxa, space, and time, thereby producing a more complete estimate for the European Union economy. We identified that only 259 out of 13,331 (~ 1%) known invasive alien species have reported costs in the European Union. Using a conservative subset of highly reliable, observed, country-level cost entries from 49 species (totalling US28.0 billion) than currently recorded. Using future projections of current estimates, we also identified a substantial increase in costs and costly species (US$148.2 billion) by 2040. We urge that cost reporting be improved to clarify the economic impacts of greatest concern, concomitant with coordinated international action to prevent and mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species in the European Union and globally
Psychological Determinants of Turkish Farmers' Health and Safety Behaviors: An Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior
No full textBackground: Structural and behavioral factors are among the causes of occupational accidents in agriculture. The SACURIMA Cost network developed a questionnaire to measure the determinants of farmers' safety behavior based on the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB). Extended TPB adds subjective norms, subjective control, physical barriers and safety culture to TPB. Objective: The aim of this study is to test the psychometric properties of the "Farmers Safety Behaviors questionnaire" developed by the SACURIMA Cost network. Methods: A Turkish version of the questionnaire was applied to 305 farmers producing six different agricultural products in Turkey. The tool consists of 64 items measuring the determinants of four risk-related behaviors (fall prevention, machine handling, chemical-pesticide use, and animal handling) in a single extended TPB model. Results: The alpha values for the six dimensions ranged from 0.69 to 0.89. The confirmatory factor analysis results for all dimensions were at acceptable levels (CFI range = 0.93-0.99; RMSEA range = 0.03-0.09). Four path models were used to test the behaviors and their predictors, and the results were found to be predictive. The criterion and known groups' validity analyses results were sufficient. Conclusion: The "Farmers Safety Behaviors Questionnaire" is a valid and reliable tool to measure the determinants of occupational safety behaviors in Turkish farmers
Investigation of Human Capital Index Value and Income Distrubution in European and Central Asian Countries: The Case of Turkey
No full textEducational indicators offer a straightforward means of gauging a country's education. Besides, evaluation based on these indicators is of great significance and value. Nonetheless, education does not take place in a vacuum, and thus these indicators are results of the conditions in a country. Particularly, time and money spent on education, the family's share in economic distribution play a role in determining the current state of education. So, this study aims to evaluate the current state of education in Turkey by examining human capital indices and income distribution in countries in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. For this purpose, the study uses data from the World Bank. The results of the study indicate that children born in developed countries can access near 80% of their potential upon reaching their productive age, compared to only 65% in Turkey. Additionally, Turkey has the greatest degree of income inequality, as indicated by its GINI coefficients, among other countries in the ECA region. Moreover, there are vast disparities between the income of the top 20% and the bottom 20% of Turkey’s population
The effectiveness of dual task exercise training on balance, mobility, physical performance, and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy: a single-blind randomized controlled trial
No full textBackground: Most activities of daily living require more than one activity, including motor-motor or motor-cognitive task. Few studies have investigated the effects of dual-task training in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Aims: This study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of motor-cognitive dual-task exercise training in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with thirty children with CP. Participants were randomized into dual group training group (DTG) and control group (CG). Children were evaluated before the intervention and after 12 weeks of treatment with Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS), Pediatric Berg Balance Test (PBBS), Single Leg Stance Test (SLST), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), 3 Meter Backwards Walk Test (3-MBWT), 6 Meter Walk Test (6-MWT), and General Children’s Quality of Life Measure (KINDL). Results: DTG demonstrated significantly improved all KINDL scores (p < 0.01). In comparisons between groups adjusted analysis, results showed a better improvement of all KINDL scores in-favor-of DTG (p < 0.01). Significant improvements were found in all SLST scores and PBS in DTG (p < 0.01). Adjusted analysis results proved there was a significant improvement in all balance scores on behalf of DTG (p < 0.01). Significant improvement was observed in DTG for TUG, 3MBWT, and 6MWT scores (p = 0.001). An improvement in-favor-of DTG was found for all performance tests in the adjusted analysis (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this randomized controlled trial highlighted the advantage of dual-task training on balance, physical performance, and quality of life in children with CP
The Effect of Lavandula stoechas on Wound Healing in an Experimental Diabetes Model
No full textIntroduction: Diabetic foot is a consequential and dangerous complication of diabetes, contributing to decreased quality of life, escalated hospitalizations, and increased mortality rates. Using an experimental model of diabetes, this study aims to investigate the effect of Lavandula stoechas on wound healing.
Methods: A total of 35 albino Wistar rats, 250-350 grams in weight, were used. The rats were divided into five groups, seven rats in each group. Of these, 21 rats were induced with 50 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) to mimic the diabetic condition. Additionally, 14 rats remained non-diabetic and served as the control group. The diabetic rats were further divided into three subgroups. The non-diabetic group was split into two subgroups based on the dressing materials used (allicin, physiological serum, and control). Wound dimensions were assessed on Days 0, 7, 14, and 21. Biopsies were taken from the wound sites at the same time.
Results: There were significant differences between groups on Days 7, 14, and 21. The percentage of healing was highest in the Lavandula Stoechas group on Days 7, 14, and 21. Microscopic examination of the biopsies supported accelerated wound healing on Days 7 and 14. Reduced mononuclear cell density and increased hair follicle and adipose tissue development were observed in the DM (diabetes mellitus)-Lavandula Stoechas group on Day 7. On Day 14, the DM-Lavandula Stoechas group increased collagen levels and hair follicles. Similarly, the non-DM-Lavandula Stoechas group showed reduced bullae, dermal edema, and intraepithelial edema on Day 7. This was followed by increased fibroblast levels on Day 14.
Conclusions: In conclusion, this study provides compelling evidence for the potential of Lavandula stoechas extract in the enhancement of diabetic wound healing. The multiple interactions revealed here highlight the need for further investigation into the underlying mechanisms. A cost-effective use of Lavandula stoechas opens up promising prospects in managing diabetic foot healing. This warrants additional research and clinical translation