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Turkey is an important country in terms of plant species diversity due to its geographical location, geomorphological structure, micro-climate diversity, plant geography and its combination with three different flora regions. Habitat fragmentation and loss of habitat are the leading factors that threaten biological diversity. Habitat fragmentation may occur naturally or anthropogenic origin (wrong land use, road construction, forestry activities, etc.). This factor, which threatens biodiversity, causes alien species to settle in natural habitats. With 11,707 taxa in Turkey, there are also alien plant species that enter Turkey's flora in different ways such as introducing or naturalizing. It has been determined that there are 340 of alien plant species which are not included in the natural flora of our country. The Eastern Black Sea Region is a place where alien plant species can easily settle because of reasons such as climate characteristics and misuse of lands. In this study, field observations were made between 2015-2016 years in Espiye Forest Planning Unit. 19 invasive alien plant species were identified in the Espiye Forest Planning Unit. In addition to these invasive plants species, we have determined new spreading areas for the species; Tradescantia fluminensis and Oenothera glazioviana. Of the 19 invasive alien species identified, 6 are woody, 13 are herbaceous species. One of the invasive alien plants belongs to Pinidae sub-class and the other 18 belongs to the Magnoliidae sub-class. 12 of the plant species identified were recorded for the first time in Giresun province.

Abstract Background Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is widely used in patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Still, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is recommended for patients with any axillary residual disease after NAC. The necessity of ALND in patients with minimal axillary disease is unclear. We aim to investigate regional recurrence rates in patients with limited axillary residual disease after NAC underwent SLNB + image-tailored axillary surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). Methods Patients with clinical stages were T1-3 and N1 at the time of diagnosis, clinically good or complete axillary response after NAC, and limited axillary residue (≤ 3 pathological lymph nodes) with favorable response to NAC in the final pathological examination were included in the study. All patients underwent SLNB + image-tailored axillary surgery. Peripheral lymphatic radiotherapy was applied, and no further surgery was performed in patients with compatible radiology and pathology results. Results Our study, which evaluated 139 patients with a median age of 47 years, found that the median number of excised lymph nodes was 4. Notably, 46% of patients had between 1 and 3 lymph nodes excised, while 45% had between 4 and 6. Only 9% of patients had ≥ 7 lymph nodes. 83(60%) of the patients underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and 56(40%) underwent mastectomy. The study’s median follow-up period was 44 months. During this duration, one breast recurrence (0.7%), one supraclavicular recurrence (0.7%), and six systemic recurrences (4.3%) were observed. No axillary recurrence occurred within the follow-up period. Conclusions Patients presenting with pathological-suspicious ≤ 3 lymph nodes on imaging and showing a good response to NAC can be considered suitable candidates for SLNB + image-tailored axillary surgery, followed by adjuvant RT instead of ALND.

This study focuses on Turkish immigrants living in Germany for over 60 years and their incorporation into the local religious system. Germany’s history of religious conflicts has contributed to the evaluation of a society where confessions coexist. This historical situation resulted in the developing of a religious recognition system that tried to provide equal rights to all religious groups. Turks in Germany have institutionalized chiefly based on their religion, recognizing the advantages of this system. However, among those groups, only the Alevi Community in Germany (AABF) has achieved full recognition in this system. The situation of other Turkish religious groups in Germany is not even close to that position. They are not even recognized as a religious community in many parts of the country. Taking this situation as a starting point, this article aims to understand how Alevis achieved full recognition while others still face enormous challenges. As an answer to that, our study offers a new theoretical framework. This approach combines political opportunity structures, path dependence, and transnational linkages in an eclectic frame and claims to explain the situation in the diaspora in a generalizable way. Accordingly, the institutionalization of Turks in Germany was framed by four vital factors: the projection of permanency, political opportunity structures, transnational linkages, and path dependency developed by the latter two. As it became clear that they would be permanent in Germany, Turks established and improved religious organizations. As said, they used the advantages of political opportunity structures available to them from the beginning. However, they were also transnational organizations, and those transnational linkages and initiatives resulted in delays in localization and organizational transformations for recognition. Especially those dependent on those transnational linkages due to human resources and funding, which have created path dependencies that cannot be changed even today. Those religious organizations have oscillated between political opportunities and resources provided by transnational linkages. AABF had distinct transnational linkages that did not result in creating a dependency, unlike other organizations. This allowed the organization to make necessary changes in its structure and follow a successful strategy for recognition.

Fear; throughout history, it has been a powerful tool used by authorities, governments and leaders to shape social reactions, manipulate public opinion, influence the masses and shape the political environment. Today, the common feature of the politics of fear on a global scale is that it is directed at immigrants. Leaders and political parties are instrumentalizing the fear of immigrants in order to gain legitimacy and support for their policies and to gain the support of the voters in the election processes. Fear on immigration is used in ways that reflect immigrants as a threat to economic stability, national security, nation-state and cultural identity through a process that emphasizes political communication methods. As a result of the manipulation of the public with the fear of immigrants, travel bans, border walls, mass deportation and restrictions that make citizenship processes difficult are accepted by the societies; political attitudes and preferences of individuals and masses are shaped. Therefore, fear as an effective emotion in political decision-making processes and politics towards this emotion can shape the political conjuncture of countries. In this study, the feeling of fear; it has been tried to determine the psychosocial factors in the channeling of immigrants to immigrants, and how it is instrumentalized in order to shape political policies and elections in a psychopolitical framework is embodied with examples. In this context, the study analyzes the effect of fear on political policy and elections by revealing the historical and current situation of fear of immigrants in the United States, European countries and Türkiye.

In search of selective cytotoxic compounds from Ferula species as potential leads for the treatment of various cancer diseases, a bioactivity-guided isolation study was performed on the roots of Ferula caspica M. Bieb. COLO 205 (colon), K-562 (leukemia), and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cell lines were used to monitor the cytotoxic activity of column fractions and determine the IC50 value of the active compounds. In addition to the seven known (5–11) compounds, four previously unknown compounds: kayserin A (1), kayserin B (2), 8′-epi-kayserin B angelate (3), and 3-epi-ferulin D (4) were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of the roots of F. caspica. Structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was carried out by extensive spectroscopic analyses such as 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, High-Resolution Mass Spectroscopy (HRMS), IR spectroscopy, and UV spectroscopy. Although all of the isolated compounds showed various degrees of cytotoxic activity on COLO 205, K-562, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, the most potent compounds were identified in the following order: 1-Hydroxy-1-(1′-farnesyl)-4,6-dihydroxyacetophenone (HFDHAP, 11), 3-epi-ferulin D (3EFD, 4), and 7-desmethylferulin D (7DMFD, 6). The cytotoxic activities of all three compounds were more potent than that of the reference compound cisplatin (Cis) against all tested cancer cell lines. Still, only HFDHAP (11) was more potent than the reference compound doxorubicin (Dox) against the MCF-7 cancer cell line. The mechanism of action of these three compounds was investigated on the COLO 205 cell line. The results indicated that compounds 4, 6, and 11 trigger caspase-3/8/9 activation and suppress the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-xL. Molecular docking studies confirmed the interactions of the three cytotoxic molecules with the active site of the Bcl-xL protein.

The fuel injectors of diesel engines and other components of fuel supply systems require diagnostic and repair during operation. The actual technical condition and the quality of the fuel injectors' repair are mainly determined by the accuracy of the Test Plan control values, usually provided by manufacturing plant. For various reasons, the factory Test Plans do not meet the requirements of new and operating fuel injectors, which narrows the deviations of their control parameters during testing. Five diagnostic indicators identified during the research were used to assess the technical condition of various fuel injector types. These indicators depend significantly on twenty-four structural parameters. Evaluation criteria for each identified parameter were established. Experimentally confirmed computational and numerical studies allowed determining their permitted deviations from the control values, which kept the final fuel injector operating results within limits specified by the manufacturer. Thus, the Bosch fuel injector testing proved that the factory Test Plan values could be significantly widened without changing the output fuel injector operating results. The study allowed compiling a table summarizing the wide tolerances of the Bosch fuel injector control parameters. The table contains information on the operating mode of this fuel injector during testing. The data obtained make it possible to develop softer recommendations for fuel injector repair and refuse using unreasonable rigid test plans provided by manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to look into a numerical approximation for the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Turkey. From March 11th to November 30th, all data is examined one by one for this purpose. The Lagrange interpolation method does not require evenly spaced x values. On the other hand, it is usually preferable to look for the closest value in the table and then use the lowest-order interpolation that is consistent with the functional form of the data. Using this method, a function for monthly and general data on the number of COVID-19 disease deaths and cases infected with the disease is obtained. Matlab programming is used to obtain Lagrange interpolation polynomials. Simulations for month by month and general data are obtained using Lagrange interpolation polynomial. The rate of spread of disease and death numbers is obtained by taking the first derivative of this function. Monthly and general tables are constructed for this propagation rate data. Peak point of the disease and different change values ​​are determined from the information in these simulations. The rates of death and spread of the disease by months are compared. As a result of this comparison, it can be seen in which months the rate of spread of disease and death increases and decreases. Monthly increase and decrease values ​​can be seen from the Figure 3-Figure 6. For example, a relative decrease can be observed in April and May

After the industrial revolution, technological developments, unbalanced population growth and excessive consumption have become threatening to the earth. Parallel to the world population, the increasing energy consumption is also increasing rapidly. Increasing energy consumption increases CO2 emissions more and more every day. Considering the temperature increase caused by greenhouse gases, global climate change has become an important problem that concerns the whole world today. Climate change will affect forest resources and the continuity of ecosystem services more in the future. It is necessary to protect forests, which are beneficial in preventing global climate change, and to prevent deforestation. In this study, using the data between 2001 and 2020, data on carbon emissions, per capita national income, annual population growth rate, forest area, exports and imports of European Union countries were used. The data used in the study were obtained from the world bank data, food and agriculture data, and cover the 2001-2020 periods. In the study, the stationarity of the data sets of the variables was tested with the Dickey-Fuller unit root test (ADF). With the help of the model created, predictions for the forests' future were made by using the variables used in the model for the years 2021-2040. The values obtained were compared with the values of the previous years. When the current data and the estimated values are compared, the population growth rate in EU countries is quite low and sometimes it takes negative values. It has been determined that the CO2 emission and forest area variables of EU countries are close to each other. It is seen that the forest existence of EU countries has increased and CO2 emission has decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a fractional model in the Caputo sense is used to characterize the dynamics of HPV with cervical cancer. Generalized mean value theorem has been used to examine whether the infection model has a unique positive solution. The model has two equilibrium points: the disease-free point and the endemic point. The examination of the system’s local and global stability is provided in terms of the basic reproductive number Rp°. The global stability analysis has been carried out using an appropriate Lyapunov function and the LaSalle invariant principle. The results demonstrate that in the infection model, if Rp°1, the endemic equilibrium is considered to exist. Simulations are implemented via a finite difference method with Grünwald-Letnikov discretization approach for Caputo derivative operator to define how changes in parameters impact the dynamic behavior of the system using Matlab.

Abstract Background The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is one of the most important tomato pests that causes irreversible economic losses. Due to lack of effective control methods, chemical control is still the most preferred approach for management of the pest all over the world. Therefore, researches are mainly focused on implementing a sustainable pest control program against this pest through finding out effective natural enemies. For this purpose, a survey study was conducted to determine the larval parasitoids of T. absoluta in field-grown tomatoes in Adana, Turkey, in 2021–2022. Results Two larval parasitoids, Bracon (Habrobracon) didemie Beyarslan and Dolichogenidea appellator (Telenga) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), were identified morphologically and molecularly. The first parasitoid populations were observed in tomato fields at the end of June and were maintained until the tomato plants were cleared (Middle of July). Throughout the survey, B. didemie was determined to be the more prevalent species than D. appellator. The highest percentage of D. appellator was found in the last week of June in 2021, at 42.8%. When the parasitoid species densities were compared, B. didemie accounted for 93.2% of the total parasitoids. Despite the intensive use of insecticides, the highest parasitoid density was achieved by B. didemie as 28 individuals per 100 leaves. Conclusions Based on these results, it was concluded that B. didemie can be candidate as a successful biological control agent against T. absoluta in tomato field as a part of IPM programs.

In this research paper, the third-order fractional partial differential equation (FPDE) in the sense of the Caputo fractional derivative and the Atangana-Baleanu Caputo (ABC) fractional derivative is investigated for the first time. The importance of the proposed problem is more general than the third-order linear time-varying systems model. This fractional partial differential equation is converted to the abstract form of the ordinary differential equation at β = 1. A first-order finite difference scheme is created for the converted problem. The stability inequality of the (FDS) is demonstrated for this abstract form problem using Cardano's relation method in Hilbert space. The explicit finite difference method (EFDM) is used to obtain an approximate solution of the third-order fractional partial differential equation (FPDE) based on the Caputo fractional derivative and the (ABC) fractional derivative of order β∈(0,1]. Concerning these equations, the obtained approximate solutions using the proposed method are contrasted with the exact solution. Finally, the simulation for the third-order (FPDE) based on the fractional derivatives of Caputo and (ABC) for both the exact and approximate solutions is given.

Objective:A radial scar (RS) is a benign breast lesion (BBL) that has an obscure etiology. RS is easily confused with breast carcinoma and therefore correct identification radiologically and pathologically is important. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of atypical lesions by evaluating RS detected with BBL and to investigate whether atypia and RS are related to their characteristics.Materials and Methods:A total of 1.370 patients with a diagnosis of BBL postoperatively in a single department were analyzed retrospectively. Forty-six confirmed RS/complex sclerosing lesion (CSL) cases were selected. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients and the relationship between RS and other BBL were evaluated. In addition, the relationship between RS/CSL and the presence of atypia was interpreted.Results:The mean age was 45.17±8.72 years. Spiculated lesion (34.8%) on mammography and microcalcification (37%) on histopathological examination were the most common features. The most common BBL accompanying RS/CSL was adenosis. Atypical epithelial hyperplasia (AEH) was presented in 15 (32.6%) of those diagnosed with RS. Although all patients were benign, the frequency of AEH accompanying RS was found to be significantly higher. The mean size of RS was 10.8±8.4 mm (2-30 mm). The size of RS/CSL was not significantly associated with atypia.Conclusion:RS/CSLs usually present as suspicious lesions that must be distinguished radiologically from malignancy. However RS, which can be present with malign breast lesions, can be also seen with all BBL. Therefore, core biopsy and/or excisional biopsy continue to be important for definitive histopathological diagnosis.

Objective:Tubular breast carcinoma (TBC) is a rare subtype of breast carcinoma (BC) with a good prognosis. In this study, we aimed to assess the clinicopathological characteristics of pure TBC (PTBC), analyze factors that may influence long-term prognosis, examine the frequency of axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM), and discuss the need for axillary surgery in PTBC.Materials and Methods:Fifty-four Patients diagnosed with PTBC between January 2003 and December 2020 at Istanbul Faculty of Medicine were included. Clinicopathological, surgical, treatment, and overall survival (OS) data were analyzed.Results:A total of 54 patients with a mean age of 52.2 years were assessed. The mean size of the tumor was 10.6 mm. Four (7.4%) patients had not undergone axillary surgery, while thirty-eight (70.4%) had undergone sentinel lymph node biopsy and twelve (22.2%) had undergone axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Significantly, four (33.3%) of those who had undergone ALND had tumor grade 2 (p = 0.020) and eight of them (66.7%) had ALNM. Fifty percent (50%) of patients who were treated with chemotherapy had grade 2 and multifocal tumors and ALNM. Moreover, the frequency of ALNM was higher in patients with tumor diameters greater than 10 mm. Median follow-up time was 80 months (12–220). None of the patients had locoregional recurrence, but one patient had systemic metastasis. Furthermore, five-year OS was 97.9%, while ten-year OS was 93.6%.Conclusion:PTBC is associated with favorable prognosis, good clinical outcomes and high survival rate, with rare recurrences and metastases.

BackgroundIntralesional steroid injection has recently evolved as a novel treatment modality for localized idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (= IGM). We aimed to explore the therapeutic efficacy of local steroid injections (LSI) in patients with severe IGM.MethodsFifty-one patients diagnosed with severe IGM were included in the study and treated with either local steroid injection (LSI) alone (n = 25) or combined LSI with systemic oral steroid treatment (OST) (n = 26). The local steroid injection protocol included an intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection into the palpable granulomas every 4-week, and topical administration of steroid-containing pomades twice a day on the affected surface of the breast. Patients with a combined LSI and OST received low-dose oral methylprednisolone (

The genus Gundelia is currently represented with 18 species, of which 16 are in Turkey. In genus Gundelia, the chromosomal data were reported from 12 species. In the present study, it is aimed to eliminate the deficiencies in the knowledge about chromosomal data of Gundelia species. In Genus Gundelia, only a single chromosome number had been detected as 2n=18 so far. The chromosome numbers of four species were reported here for the first time: G. armeniaca, G. cappadocica, G. siirtica, and G. tehranica. In addition, the polyploidy in the genus was rare and G. anatolica was identified as the first polyploid species. All karyotypes except G. tehranica were symmetrical, consisting of metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes. Secondary constrictions were observed in the distal regions of the long arms of the longest metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes. Thus, the chromosomal data of all Turkish Gundelia species were completed. In conclusion, the present study presented new data into the karyological records relating the karyotype evolution and interspecific relations of genus Gundelia.

Stroke as the leading cause of adult long-term disability and has a significant impact on patients, society and socio-economics. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) approaches such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) are considered as potential therapeutic options to enhance functional reorganization and augment the effects of neurorehabilitation. However, non-invasive electrical and magnetic stimulation paradigms are limited by their depth focality trade-off function that does not allow to target deep key brain structures critically important for recovery processes. Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is an emerging approach for non-invasive deep brain neuromodulation. Using non-ionizing, ultrasonic waves with millimeter-accuracy spatial resolution, excellent steering capacity and long penetration depth, TUS has the potential to serve as a novel non-invasive deep brain stimulation method to establish unprecedented neuromodulation and novel neurorehabilitation protocols. The purpose of the present review is to provide an overview on the current knowledge about the neuromodulatory effects of TUS while discussing the potential of TUS in the field of stroke recovery, with respect to existing NIBS methods. We will address and discuss critically crucial open questions and remaining challenges that need to be addressed before establishing TUS as a new clinical neurorehabilitation approach for motor stroke recovery.

Hyperbolic partial differential equations are frequently referenced in modeling real-world problems in mathematics and engineering. Therefore, in this study, an initial-boundary value issue is proposed for the pseudo-hyperbolic telegraph equation. By operator method, converting the PDE to an ODE provides an exact answer to this problem. After that, the finite difference method is applied to construct first-order finite difference schemes to calculate approximate numerical solutions. The stability estimations of finite difference schemes are shown, as well as some numerical tests to check the correctness in comparison to the precise solution. The numerical solution is subjected to error analysis. As a result of the error analysis, the maximum norm errors tend to decrease as we increase the grid points. It can be drawn that the established scheme is accurate and effective

In this study, the explicit finite difference method is used to solve the fractional-order pseudo-hyperbolic telegraph partial differential equation by means of Caputo fractional derivative. A first-order finite difference approach is constructed for fractional order pseudo-hyperbolic telegraph partial differential equations. The difference scheme technique's stability estimate for the presented problem is given. The test problem is provided as an application. A comparison of the exact and approximate solutions is offered to determine the correctness and effectiveness of the suggested method. Finally, a graphical representation of the exact and approximate solutions in various cases is presented. The simulation of the obtained results are displayed in both the figures and the error analysis table.

Abstract High expression of immune checkpoint receptors (ICRs) in the tumor microenvironment regulates the anti-tumor response. In this study, the differential expressions of ICRs on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients with early-stage breast cancer were investigated. The study included 32 patients who underwent surgery with a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer between September 2018 and March 2020. TIL isolation was performed using a MACS tumor separation device and tumor separation kit. PD-1, CTLA-4, LAG-3, TIM-3, and TIGIT expression of cytotoxic T and natural killer (NK) cells on TILs and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were determined by flow cytometry. Patients with a high Ki-67 index, high TIL density, and HER-2 positivity were more likely to have increased CD16+CD56dim NK cells on TILs. Patients with T2 tumors were more likely to have increased expression of PD-1, LAG-3, and TIGIT on tumor-infiltrating CD8+ cytotoxic T cells than those with T1 tumors. PD-1, CTLA-4, TIGIT, LAG-3, and TIM-3 expression of CD8+ T and CD16-CD56bright NK cells in TILs showed significant positive correlations with each other. PD1+CD8+, TIGIT+CD16+, and CTLA-4+CD56+ cells in PBLs and TILs were found to be negatively correlated, whereas only TIM-3+ expression of CD8+ T and CD16+CD56dim cells in PBLs and TILs showed positive correlations. Our results suggest that CD16+CD56dim NK cells on TILs may play a major role in the immune response against HER2-positive or highly proliferating breast tumors in patients with early-stage breast cancer. Furthermore, various ICRs were found to be highly co-expressed with each other on TILs, including PD-1, CTLA-4, LAG-3, TIM-3, and TIGIT. These receptors may synergistically suppress the response to the tumor, which may trigger immune escape mechanisms in the early stage of carcinogenesis. However, ICR expressions other than TIM3 on PBLs were not found to accompany their counterparts on TILs.

Objective:A few studies suggest that mucinous breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare breast carcinoma with good prognostic features. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate biological features and clinicopathological characteristics of pure mucinous breast carcinoma (PMBC) to determine clinical outcome in PMBC.Materials and Methods:The data of 87 patients diagnosed with PMBC between November 2004 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed in terms of clinicopathological and demographic characteristics, management, and outcome.Results:The majority of the patients in this study were female, with a median (range) age of 63 (28–90) years. Out of 87 patients, 60 had breast conserving surgery, 27 had a mastectomy, 58 had sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), and 24 had axillary dissection due to a positive SLNB or clinical axilla. Due to age and comorbidities, five patients were not suitable for axillary surgery. The median largest tumor diameter was 23 (5–100) mm. Only 23 patients (26.4%) received adjuvant chemotherapy, whereas almost all patients received hormone therapy. The median duration of follow-up was 53 (6–207) months. There was no local or systemic recurrence in any of the patients. Only 10 patients (11.5%) died from non-cancer causes during the follow-up and treatment period. In this study, tumor diameter was significantly higher in grade II/III tumors (p = 0.039) and in patients under the age of 50 (p = 0.027). Furthermore, lymph node metastasis was statistically significantly more likely in patients under the age of 50 (60% versus 40%, p = 0.013). Patients who had not received chemotherapy or radiotherapy tended to be older than 50 years (p = 0.002).Conclusion:In this study, the majority of patients were in the luminal subgroups with excellent prognosis and low incidences of lymph node metastasis. As a result, PMBC has favorable tumor biology. We believe that minimal axillary surgery would be the most appropriate approach during patient treatment, due to the low rate of lymph node involvement and favorable prognosis in PMBC patients.

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibition, combined with novel biomarkers, may provide alternative pathways for treating chemotherapy-resistant triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study investigates the expression of new immune checkpoint receptors, including CD155 and CD73, which play a role in T and natural killer (NK) cell activities, in patients with residual TNBC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).MethodsThe expression of biomarkers was immunohistochemically examined by staining archival tissue from surgical specimens (n = 53) using specific monoclonal antibodies for PD-L1, CD155, and CD73.ResultsOf those, 59.2% (29/49) were found to be positive (>1%) for PD-L1 on the tumour and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), while CD155 (30/53, 56.6%) and CD73 (24/53, 45.3%) were detected on tumours. Tumour expressions of CD155 and CD73 significantly correlated with PD-L1 expression on the tumour (p = 0.004 for CD155, p = 0.001 for CD73). Patients with CD155 positivity ≥10% were more likely to have a poor chemotherapy response, as evidenced by higher MDACC Residual Cancer Burden Index scores and Class II/III than those without CD155 expression (100% vs 82.6%, p = 0.03). At a median follow-up time of 80 months (range, 24–239), patients with high CD73 expression showed improved 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates compared to those with low CD73 expression. In contrast, patients with CD155 (≥10%) expression exhibited a decreasing trend in 10-year DFS and DSS compared to cases with lower expression, although statistical significance was not reached. However, patients with coexpression of CD155 (≥10%) and low CD73 were significantly more likely to have decreased 10-year DFS and DSS rates compared to others (p = 0.005).ConclusionThese results demonstrate high expression of CD73 and CD155 in patients with residual tumours following NAC. CD155 expression was associated with a poor response to NAC and poor prognosis in this chemotherapy-resistant TNBC cohort, supporting the use of additional immune checkpoint receptor inhibitor therapy. Interestingly, the interaction between CD155 and CD73 at lower levels resulted in a worse outcome than either marker alone, which calls for further investigation in future studies.

BackgroundAutoimmunity may play a major role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM). The therapeutic potential of ozone therapy has recently been shown in rheumatological diseases, and this study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of ozone therapy (OT) in refractory IGM.MethodsPatients with biopsy-verified IGM and incomplete response after steroid therapy (n = 47) between 2018 and 2021 were enrolled. Of these, 23 cases in cohort A had standard treatment with further steroid therapy (ST), and 24 were treated with systemic OT via autohemotherapy (AHT) in addition to steroid therapy (cohort B).ResultsThe median age was 33 years (range, 24–45). Patients in cohort B had a higher complete response rate after completion of a four-month ozone therapy than those in the ST-group (OT-group, 37.5% vs. ST-group, 0%; p = 0.002). At a median follow-up of 12 months (range, 12–35), the patients treated with OT had a lower one-year recurrence in the affected breast than cases in cohort A treated with ST (OT-group, 21% vs. ST-group, 70%; p = 0.001). No significant side effects were observed in patients in cohort B related to AHT. Furthermore, OT significantly decreased the total steroid treatment duration (median week of steroid use; 26 weeks in cohort A vs. 12 weeks in cohort B; p = 0.001).ConclusionSystemic OT increases the complete response rate and decreases the duration of steroid treatment in patients with refractory IGM. Therefore, ozone therapy is an effective, well-tolerated, and safe novel complementary therapeutic modality.

This study aims to analyse intra-industry trade in the manufacturing industry sector with the EU countries, where Turkey has the most trade. The period of the study is 2000-2020. The countries examined are Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Belgium-Luxembourg, Sweden, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, and the UK. In the analysis, the Grubel Lloyd index was used, which is one of the widely applied static measurement methods in the literature. The study discusses intra-industry trade of manufacturing industry products according to the 3rd revision of the Standard International Trade Classification. According to the analysis results, when Turkey’s foreign trade is evaluated on a sectoral basis, it has been observed that high intra-industry trade is realized in product groups with low added value. Another result obtained is that intra-industry trade with the UK, Germany, France, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania reached high values.