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Nanobiosensors have several advantages such as fast response, easy use, high sensitivity, specificity, real-time analysis, and portability. Over the last decade, the nanobiosensor realm has extended, and they have already showed a wide range of fields including biomedical applications, environmental analysis, food safety, and so on. A molecular imprinting method is one of the enthralling modification methods that uses molecules as templates to create cavities for recognition of targets in the polymer. It provides a large range of variability to imprint target molecules with different molecular sizes, structure, and physical and chemical properties. Owing to their unique features such as selectivity, robustness, low cost, stability, and reusability of this method, molecularly imprinted polymers have become inviting and been applied in a wide range of applications in various fields. Herein, this chapter is prepared according to the fundamentals of molecular imprinting methods, nanobiosensors, the recent applications of molecularly imprinted nanobiosensors for biomedical applications, and also conclusion and future perspectives.

WOS:000612823000013 PubMed: 33383498 Boronic acids are important ligands used to selectively recognize and enrich compounds containing cis-diol groups such as nucleosides. In the present study, organic-inorganic hybrid [POSS-MAH-BPA] monolithic column was prepared for the first time in the literature as a new boronate affinity system for the recognition of nucleosides. The selectivity of the [POSS-MAH-PBA] boronate affinity monolithic column for the recognition of cis-diol containing adenosine nucleoside from its analogue molecule of deoxyadenosine triphosphate, dATP, noncis-diol containing compound was investigated both by UV and HPLC studies. When the relative selectivity coefficients are compared, the [POSS-MAH-PBA] boronate affinity monolithic column is 4.25 times more selective for adenosine than [POSS-MAH] monolithic column. Besides, to determine endogenous nucleosides in biological fluids, which may serve as non-invasive cancer biomarkers, nucleosides were spiked into the urine solutions and passed through the [POSS-MAH-PBA] boronate affinity monolithic column, and the nucleosides were confirmed by HPLC. The adenosine recognition capability of the [POSS-MAH-PBA] boronate affinity monolithic column with an average enrichment factor of 48.9-fold was apparently superior to that of the [POSSMAH] monolithic column. Methacryl Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS-MA) with nano-sized stable 3-dimensional architectures provided the advantage of being used as an adsorbent for the monolithic structure by providing high surface area, 507.60 m(2)/g, and enabling vinyl groups to function with amino acid-based MAH monomers capable of providing electrons to coordinate PBA. Recovery results of more than 90% for adenosine showed that the [POSS-MAH-PBA] boronate affinity monolithic column could be a promising adsorbent for selective adsorption of cis-diol containing compounds such as nucleosides.

Recognition mechanism and enantiomerically separations of the chiral compounds are subjects that always stimulate the great interest of researchers in pharmacology and natural sciences, who are interested in finding solutions for both analytical purity and preparative purposes. Capillary Electrophoresis has become one of the most important analytical approaches for enantiomeric separations due to its superior properties, such as high resolution and high efficiency of chiral selectors. In this field, where researchers continue to be interested, the distinctions continue to develop day by day, with the introduction of new techniques developed on the basis of Capillary Electrophoresis philosophy in parallel with the development process of technology, as well as the chiral selectors of many different forms. In this review, besides some descriptive theoretical information about capillary electrophoresis and the techniques associated with it, studies on chiral separations using different chiral selectors or different chiral additives, such as molecularly imprinted polymers, cyclodextrins, Metal-organic frameworks, ionic liquids, nanoparticles and monoliths in the last nearly 10 years (2010-2020) were examined.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the ocular findings observed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and to present the relationship between ocular involvement, systemic findings, and laboratory results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out between 1 May and 30 June 2020. The study included 359 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and assessed by clinical evaluation, nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction, and lung computed tomography. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-seven (54.9%) of the patients were male and 162 (45.1%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 58.5 years (20-91). Two hundred ninety-four (81.9%) patients were treated in the inpatient clinic and 65 (18.1%) patients were treated in the intensive care unit. Various ocular diseases were observed in 16 (4.5%) of the patients. Although the rate of ocular disease was 12 out of 294 (4.1%) in patients followed up in the inpatient clinic, this rate was 4 out of 65 (6.2%) in intensive care patients. There was no systemic problem in one patient, in whom conjunctival hyperemia was the first and only reason for admission to the hospital. Four patients followed up in the inpatient clinic had conjunctivitis at the time of admission, and conjunctivitis occurred in three patients during hospitalization. Subconjunctival hemorrhage occurred in five patients and vitreous hemorrhage in one patient. CONCLUSION: Ocular diseases are uncommon in COVID-19 patients but may occur during the first period of the disease or during follow-up. Ocular diseases may be the initial or only sign of COVID-19 infection.

Introduction: Though there is currently no approved treatment for COVID-19, potential medications include lopinavir and doxycycline. Lopinavir is a broad-spectrum protease inhibitor successfully used during the SARS outbreak. Doxycycline is an antibiotic with immunomodulatory effects, which successfully treats dengue hemorrhagic fever. Comparing lopinavir combined with doxycycline with other commonly implemented COVID-19 treatment regimens is of medical significance. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study comparing two cohorts. One cohort strictly adhered to a treatment protocol of lopinavir combined with doxycycline (Lop/Dox), while the other cohort (Others) applied protocols based on combinations of favipiravir, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin. The outcomes evaluated were death from coronavirus and intubation. Results: During the study period, 161 and 114 patients were followed in the Lop/Dox cohort and the Others cohort, respectively. The Lop/Dox cohort was older and had lower O2 saturation at admission. The proportion of patients needing intubation did not differ between the cohorts (Lop/Dox, 15∙5%; Others, 16∙7%). The overall fatality rate likewise did not differ (12∙4%) in Lop/Dox and 8∙7% in the Others cohort). Older age and elapsed time between the onset of symptoms and hospitalization, O2 saturation at admission, and the lymphocyte to white blood cell ratio were independent risk factors for poor outcomes of the illness. Conclusion: This study showed that lopinavir plus doxycycline therapy is an effective treatment amongst moderate to severe COVID-19 patients.

Background and Aims Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) may be caused by disturbances in the complement system. Hypocomplementemia is a characteristic of MPGN. Among these patients frequency of hypocomplementemia and their relation with clinical and histopathological findings are still not clearly known. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hypocomplementemia frequency among the primary MPGN patients in Turkey and its relation with histopathological subtypes, findings and demographic characteristics. Method The data was obtained from national multicentered (47 centers) records of primary glomerular diseases in Glomerulonephritis Study Group of the Turkish Society of Nephrology database from May 2009 to June 2019. Primary MPGN cases were evaluated and divided into 2 groups with and without hypocomplementemia. Results In total, 193 cases were included in the study. The indications for renal biopsy were isolated nephrotic syndrome (55.4%), nephritic syndrome (21.2%), nephrotic syndrome with a nephritic component (6.2%) and asymptomatic urinary findings (17.2%). 34.2% of the cases were reported as immune complex type, another 34.2% of the cases were reported as C3 glomerulopathy. 31.6% of patients were not specified. 82 (42.4%) of the cases presented hypocomplementemia. Hypocomplementemic patients were younger (34±14 vs 41±15, p=0.002) and most frequently female (56% vs 41%, p=0.03). At same time, serum albumin and hemoglobin levels were lower and anemic patient rates were higher (p Conclusion This multicenter study provided important data about the epidemiology of MPGN with importance of hypocomplementemia in Turkey. Hypocomplementemia is associated with both subtypes of MPGN patern, anemia and nephrotic syndrome. At the same time, hypocomplementemia is a valuable parameter for active MPGN pattern in the histopathological evaluation. This may be important in determining the treatment.

In this study, chlorpyrifos (Cps) imprinted nanoparticles based QCM sensor were prepared for the detection of chlorpyrifos pesticide. Cps imprinted poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate- N- metacryloyl- (L)- tryptophan) (PEDMATrp) nanoparticles were prepared and then these nanoparticles were attached to the surface of QCM sensor chip. Also, nonimprinted PEDMATrp QCM sensor was prepared without using Cps molecule to evaluate the imprinting efficiency. Cps imprinted and non-imprinted nanoparticles were characterized by zeta-sizer and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) spectrophotometer. Cps imprinted and non-imprinted QCM sensors were also characterized by atomic force microscopy, ellipsometer, and contact angle measurements. The prepared sensors were applied for selective Cps detection in aqueous solution for the range of 0.015-2.9 nM. The selectivity studies of the QCM sensor were examined by using competitive pesticide molecules such as diazinon and parathion (2.9 nM), which are similar to Cps in size and shape. The reusability studies of the prepared sensors were investigated by applying the same pesticide concentration (1.45 nM), four times consecutively. Bu çalışmada, kloropirifos (Cps) baskılanmış nanopartikül temelli QCM sensörü, kloropirifos pestisit tayini için hazırlanmıştır. Cps baskılanmış poli(etilen glikol dimetakrilat-N- metakriloil- (L)- triptofan) (PEDMATrp) nanopartikülleri hazırlandıktan sonra nanopartiküller QCM sensör çipinin yüzeyine tutturuldu. Ayrıca, baskılama etkinliğini değerlendirmek için Cps molekülü kullanılmadan baskılanmamış PEDMATrp QCM sensörü hazırlanmıştır. Cps baskılanmış ve baskılanmamış nanopartiküller zeta-boyut ve FTIR-ATR spektrofotometresi ile karakterize edilmiştir. Cps baskılanmış ve baskılanmamış QCM sensörleri atomik kuvvet mikroskobu, elipsometre ve temas açısı ölçümleri ile karakterize edilmiştir. Hazırlanan QCM sensörler, sulu çözeltide seçici olarak Cps tayini için 0.015-2.9 nM aralığında sinyal vermiştir. Hazırlanan PEDMATrp kuvartz kristal mikroterazi sensörün seçiciliği, Diazinon ve Parathion (2.9 nM) gibi boyut ve şekil bakımından kloropirifosa benzer yarışmacı pestisit molekülleri kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Hazırlanan sensörlerin tekrar kullanılabilirlik çalışmaları aynı pestisit derişiminde (1.45 nM) dört kez art arda uygulanmasıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir.

Increased urine albumin excretion is suggested to be an early marker of glomerular damage. Evaluation of a tests performance characteristics such as diagnostic sensitivity and specifictiy is a necessity before application into routine practice. To our knowledge up to now there is no study evaluating Dirui test strips for albuminuria determination. Therefore the objective of this study was to test these strips for agreement with the established method used in our routine laboratory. Freshly collected 177 urine specimens were included in the study. Strips were read on instruments Dirui H-500 and Dirui H-800 using reflectance photometry. For DiruiH13-Cr strip albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) and for DiruiH12-800MA strip albumin determinations were compared with the analyses performed using immunoturbidimetry and kinetic Jaffe method. Sensitivity values for estimated ACR using DiruiH13-Cr strip and albumin concentration using DiruiH12-800MA strip were calculated as 80%, 72%, respectively. Specificity values were as; 71% for Dirui H13-Cr strip and 78% for Dirui H12-800MA strip. Screening tests using urine test strips should be validated before acceptance in the routine use. Dirui strips evaluated in this study seem to have a lower sensitivity than suggested and excess number of false negatives seems to limit utility of these strips. [Med-Science 2018; 7(3.000): 532-5]

WOS:000503065300011 In this study, D,L-ampicillin separation was carried out by ligand exchange-micellar electrokinetic chromatography method using L-Lysine monohydrochloride as a ligand and copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate is a central ion supplier. Isomeric separations were performed using capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument, in which SDS-L-Lys-Cu+2 micelle complex was used as a pseudostationary phase. The effect of pH, SDS amount, applied electrical field, pressure, organic solvent ratio and ampicillin D,L-ratios were investigated. Fast,inexpensive and sensitive approach for the simultaneous separation of D,L-ampicillin in both aqueous and real antibiotic sample was performed using CE coupled with UV detector. The separation was achieved in a short period of 7 minutes with high-sensitivity andlow-detection limit of 1.25 mu M by the developed SDS-L-Lys-Cu+2 micelle-chiral selector complexes without using any extra process such as imprinting or spacer arms for the immobilization of the ligands.

Aim: This meta-analysis aimed to pool available data regarding the efficacy of ganciclovir treatment among cytomegalovirus-detected ulcerative colitis patients.Methods: We screened PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science and Cochrane databases for relevant studies, and four investigators independently evaluated the studies for eligibility. The primary outcome was surgical resection or death from ulcerative colitis. The data were then pooled via DerSimonian-Laird estimator and Mantel-Haenszel (MH) method, two points added for continuity correction and random-effects model fitted in the Bayesian framework. We first constructed a Bugs model with Student t-distribution as prior for between-study heterogeneity. The model was fitted by Gibbs sampler (JAGS) to produce a marginal posterior distribution.Results: Our screening identified 15 eligible studies for final data synthesis and combined data from 191 ganciclovir-treated and 166 non-treated patients. Effect estimates from the fixed-effects meta-analysis model did not encourage ganciclovir treatment (OR, 1.43; 95% CIs [0-95, 2.16]), with a negligible unaccounted heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). The Bayesian random-effects model generated high-density credible intervals, suggesting a high probability, that future studies will also not encourage ganciclovir treatment (mu, 1.028; 95% credible intervals [0.054, 2.238]; 80% credible intervals [0.401, 1.703]) which indicates that future studies will favor non-treatment of ulcerative colitis with ganciclovir.Conclusions: Data produced in this study do not encourage ganciclovir treatment for UC patients. However, studies included in this analysis were observational, and thus, inherited severe selection bias. We suggest randomized controlled studies be conducted to make firm recommendations in this context.

Amac: Bu calismada kronik bobrek hastaligi olan hastalarda dinamik tiyol/disulfid dengesinin arastirilmasi amaclandi. Gerec ve Yontem: Calismaya evre 1-5 (non diyaliz) 150 ( 57 erkek, 93 kadin) kronik bobrek hastasi ve (76 ( 30 erkek, 46 kadin ) saglikli kontrol grubu alindi. Kan tiyol/disulfid dengesi yeni gelistirilen otomatik ve kalorimetrik bir yontemle olculdu. Bulgular: Tum populasyonun serum thiol duzeyi ortalamasi 320.8±57.8 µmol/L , total thiol duzeyi ortalamasi 352.0±61.5 µmol/L , ortalama disulfid duzeyi 15.6±5.3 µmol/L idi. Kronik bobrek hastalarinda ortalama serum thiol ( p

Glucometers are widely used in the diagnosis of blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes mellitus. EN ISO 15197 suggests that glucometer comparison studies should have 100 capillary blood samples be worked on at least twice. In this study, we planned on comparing the glucose results measured in a routine biochemistry analyzer from two different glucometers, capillary and venous blood samples, and aimed to discuss the effects of blood taking systems on the glucometer validation studies. Capillary and venous blood samples were taken from 101 individuals and their glucose concentrations measured simultaneously using two different glucometers (Accu-chek and GlucoMax). Capillary and venous blood samples were centrifuged after clotting and analyzed in the Roche P modular system. In the fasting condition, the equations for regression analysis that were found y=0,873x+24,32 (r=0,857) in between Accu-chek and venous blood glucose, y=0,9x+16,15 (r=0,920) in between Accu-chek and capillary blood glucose, y=0,811x+20,94 (r=0,776) in between GlucoMax and venous blood glucose, and y=0,851x+12,28 (r=0,863) in between GlucoMax and capillary blood glucose.In the postprandial state, the equations were y=0,713x+48,46 (r=0,258) in between Accu-chek and venous blood glucose, y=0,981x+11,77 (r=0,718) in between Accu-chek and capillary blood glucose, y=0,706x+39,12 (r=0,453) in between GlucoMax and venous blood glucose, and y=0,790+22,35 (r=0,787) in between GlucoMax and capillary blood glucose. In the fasting and postprandial state, the capillary glucose levels showed better correlation with glucometer measurements than venous blood glucose levels. In glucometer verification studies, capillary blood obtained with capillary blood sampling systems and used instead of venous blood should be the preferred sample. [Med-Science 2018; 7(1.000): 218-221]

We aimed to investigate the effects of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis and progression of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT).Forty euthyroid and 40 subclinical hypothyroid patients older than 18 years and not yet had received treatment were enrolled in the study.In the 9 months follow-up, 14 of the HT patients developed overt hypothyroidism. The mean total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were higher in patients who developed overt hypothyroidism than those who did not (p .001). And no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of paraoxanase-1 and arylesterase (p .05). Multivariable Cox regression model showed thyroid stimulating hormone level (HR = 1.348, p .001), free-thyroxine level (HR = 0.481, p = .017) and OSI ratio (HR = 2.349, p .001) to be independent predictors of development of overt hypothyroidism. OSI level, being over 2.96 with 92.9% sensitivity and 62.5% specificity, predicts the risk of hypothyroidism.Oxidative stress may be an effective risk factor in the development of overt hypothyroidism in HT.

This study aims to investigate the role of the blood pressure index (BPI), which is a new index that we developed, in detection of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in acute pulmonary embolism (APE).A total of 539 patients, (253 males and 286 females), diagnosed with APE using computer tomography pulmonary angiography were included in the study. The BPI was obtained by dividing systolic blood pressure (SBP) by diastolic blood pressure (DBP).Mean DBP (75±11mmHg vs 63±15mmHg; p0.001, respectively) was found to be higher in RVD patients compared to those without RVD, whereas BPI (1.5±0.1 vs 1.9±0.2; p0.001, respectively) was lower. Examining the performance of BPI in prediction of RVD using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under curve±SE=0.975±0.006; p0.001), it was found that BPI could predict RVD with very high sensitivity (92.8%) and specificity (100%) and had a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 42.1%. According to the analysis, the highest youden index for the optimal prediction value was found to be 0.478 and the BPI≤1.4 was found to predict mortality 68.6% sensitivity and 80.8% specificity (Area under curve±SE=0.777±0.051; p0.001).We found that BPI was an index with high positive predictive value and low negative predictive value in detection of RVD.

In this study, it was aimed to show the cannabinoid receptor-2 (CB2) role, which is a part of neuroprotective endocannabinoidal system, against increasing nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS, eNOS) levels and the apoptotic activity (caspase-3, caspase-9, and DNA in situ fragmentation) within the postnatal critical period in pups of pregnant rats with artificially induced maternal thyroid hormone (TH) deficiency. Each of the three groups established comprised one male and two female rats, and they were coupled. Their pups were used. In the first two groups, the mothers were treated with 0.025% MMI during the critical period of the pregnancy. In the third group, as the control group, the mothers and pups were not treated. Euthanasia was applied to the pups in Group I on Day 10, and to the pups in Groups II and III on Day 21. In the biochemical analyses, total T4 levels of both mothers and pups in Group I and II were found to be lower than those of the control group. Histopathologically, karyopyknosis in migrating neurons and demyelinization were observed in both groups. Caspase-3 and -9 expressions and TUNEL reactions showed parallelism to these findings. eNOS and iNOS activities were also increased in Groups I and II. CB2 receptor activity was observed in the fore and mid brain in Group I, and in the whole brain in Group II. In conclusion, apoptosis was triggered via oxidative stress in hypothyroid pups. Accordingly, neuroprotective activity of CB2 receptors were motivated spontaneously to resist to CNS lesions during the first 3 weeks of postnatal period. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 1334-1347, 2017.

Objective:Automated urine analysis is usually preferred for laboratories with intensive workload. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the automated urine analyser H-800/FUS-100 and detect the error sources.Materials and methods:One thousand four hundred fifty nine fresh urine samples were analyzed with H-800/FUS-100 automated systems. The urine sediment of the samples with discrepant strip and microscopy results were confirmed by manual microscopy. Precision and carry over studies were performed.Results:The discrepancy is detected in a ratio of 5.89% between chemical analysis (H-800) and microscopic analysis (FUS-100) of the device. A total of 86 discrepant samples were detected. Fifty six of 86 were erythrocyte discrepancies (65.1%) and 30 of 86 were leukocyte discrepancies (34.9%). The results of carry over analysis for erythrocyte and leukocyte were 21.85% and 13.64%, respectively.Conclusions:Sixteen (1.09%) of 1459 patients’ results in FUS-100 were discrepant with manual microscopy. Commonly, yeasts and crystals affected erythrocyte counts and calcium oxalate and amorphous crystals affected the leukocyte counts. Images should be reviewed for every sample when automated systems are used for urine analysis. Especially if discrepancy is detected between chemical and microscobic analysis, the results should also be confirmed with manual microscopy.

Introduction: We aimed to investigate the role of sTWEAK in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. Material and methods: A total of 80 patients were included in the study, 60 of whom were newly diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (20 patients in each of the euthyroid, subclinical hypothyroid, and overt hypothyroid subgroups), and 20 of whom were healthy volunteers. Thyroid function tests and autoantibodies were measured using the electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay method, and sTWEAK, IL-17A, IL-12, and TGF-beta1 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: The Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis group had lower levels of sTWEAK and TGF-beta1, but had higher levels of IL-12 and IL-17A as compared to the control group. Of these, only the difference between IL-17A levels reached statistical significance (2.1 pg/mL vs. 1.8 pg/mL, respectively; p l 0.001). While the levels of sTWEAK were similar in the control, euthyroid, and subclinical groups, the overt hypothyroidism group had lower level of sTWEAK than that of subclinical hypothyroidism (687.6 ± 153.3 pg/mL vs. 888.2 ± 374.4 pg/mL, respectively; p = 0.03). A negative correlation was determined between sTWEAK level and anti-TPO (r = –0.533, p = 0.028) and IL-17A (r = –0.600, p = 0.005) levels in the overt hypothyroidism group. Conclusions: The reduced levels of sTWEAK with progression of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and the significant correlation between the sTWEAK levels and anti-TPO found in this study suggest that sTWEAK plays an active role in chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and in the progression of autoimmunity. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (6): 562–566)

We aimed to examine the value of NT-proBNP, pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), blood pressure index (BPI), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the determination of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE). A total of 547 patients diagnosed with APE were included in the study. Demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions of patients were recorded in patient files. For blood pressure measurement, a calibrated digital blood pressure monitor was used at regular intervals. Blood samples were taken from patients at the time of admission for hemogram, biochemical, and hemostasis blood tests. Echocardiography was performed on all patients to detect RVD and evaluate pulmonary artery pressure. PASP (p < 0.001), MAP (p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), D‑dimer (p = 0.001), NT-proBNP (p = 0.001), white blood cell (p < 0.001), and platelet (p = 0.001) counts were higher in APE patients with RVD compared with those without RVD, whereas the mean BPI level (p < 0.001) was lower. BPI had a negative correlation with PASP, NT-proBNP, platelet count, and triglyceride levels in patients with RVD. In regression analysis, BPI and PASP were found to be independent predictors of RVD. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, BPI (AUC ± SE = 0.975 ± 0.006; p < 0.001) was found to be the best predictor of RVD with a higher sensitivity (92.8%) and specificity (100%). We found that BPI had a better diagnostic discrimination for RVD compared with PASP and NT-proBNP.

Women with a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt are now surviving to child-bearing age.Pregnant women with a VP shunt need careful management and a close monitoring in the preconception, antenatal and...

Increasing of the world population and food demand has led to the development of new agricultural practices to improve food production using more effective pesticides. The controlled release formulations of pesticides are used to delay the release of the biologically active components into their environment for a defined period of time. In these formulations, compounds are incorporated in a polymer matrix by different chemical or physical incorporation techniques. Reducing the toxicity of the compounds and unwanted side effects on non-target organisms are prominent characteristics of these formulations. The development of an ideal controlled release pesticide formulation is just as difficult as developing the ideal pesticide. For these reasons, further research works are needed. In this chapter, the recent applications of sensor systems to detect pesticides in environmental studies with particular attention to the fate of pesticides once introduced in water and soil, and also the advantages of their use are discussed. Current trends in the development of sensor technology for rapid assessment of the environment, as well as challenges for practical implementation and future research directions, are discussed. Findings show that the use of sensors to detect pesticides can improve the quality of the environment and help detect polluted sites.

In this study, copper (II) ion (Cu+2) imprinted poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-metacryloyl-(L)-cysteine methyl ester [PHEMAC-Cu+2] nanoparticles were synthesized by two-phase mini-emulsion polymerization method and applied to the SPR sensor chip surface for the selective determination of the Cu+2 ions in both aqueous solution, Cu+2-spiked artificial urine and physiological serum samples to investigate the effects of metabolite residues during the analysis. The non-imprinted [PHEMAC] nanoparticles were synthesized by applying the same procedure for the [PHEMAC-Cu+2] nanoparticle synthesis except the addition of Cu+2 ions as a control experiment to evaluate the selectivity of the [PHEMAC-Cu+2] nanoparticles. Roughness differences between [PHEMAC-Cu+2] and [PHEMAC] nanoparticles showed that the imprinting process of Cu+2 ions was performed successfully. [PHEMAC-Cu+2] and [PHEMAC] SPR biosensors prepared by attaching nanoparticles onto the surface of sensor chips, were characterized by atomic force microscope, ellipsometer, contact angle measurements. Langmuir adsorption model was found the most applicable model for this affinity system. Results showed that Cu+2 affinity regions on the surface of [PHEMAC-Cu+2] SPR biosensor were homogeneously distributed and have a monolayer structure. Having the high imprinting efficiency with the imprinting factor of 4.74, the [PHEMAC-Cu+2] SPR biosensor was found to show more selectivity towards the target Cu+2 than the non-imprinted [PHEMAC] SPR biosensor. The selectivity studies of [PHEMAC-Cu+2] SPR biosensors for Cu+2 detection were investigated by using Zn+2 and Ni+2 solutions selected as competitor molecules. The results of intraday and interday precision studies were carried out to ascertain the reproducibility of the proposed method and reported as percent relative standard deviation (%RSD) value.

In this study, we have reported a novel wastewater treatment technique by phenol imprinted bacterial cellulose (BC-MIP) nanofibres with high specificity and adsorption capacity. N-methacryloyl-(L) phenylalanine methyl ester (MAPA) functional monomer was used to create specific binding sites for the template molecule phenol via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. BC-MIP nanofibres were synthesized by surface imprinting approach in the presence of different amounts of total monomer (% weight), monomer/template ratio and polymerization time. Then, the nanofibres were characterized by FTIR-ATR, surface area analysis (BET), elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle measurements. Adsorption studies were performed with respect to pH, temperature and ionic strength, and the adsorption capacity was calculated by using the spectrophotometer. In order to desorb the adsorbed phenol from BC-MIP nanofibres, 0.1 M NaCl solution was used. Besides, BC-MIP nanofibres were applied to real wastewater samples from Ergene basin in Turkey. The suitable equilibrium isotherm was determined as Langmuir isotherm. To evaluate the selectivity of the BC-MIP nanofibres, similar molecules were utilized as competitor molecules, which were 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol. Electrostatic interactions were found to contribute to the generation of specific recognition binding sites. The results have shown that imprinting of phenol was achieved successfully with high adsorption capacity. The phenol removal efficiency was reported up to 97%. BC-MIP nanofibres were used 10 times with a negligible decrease in adsorption capacity. [GRAPHICS] . WOS:000471539100001 2-s2.0-85065257535 PubMed: 30919740

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and knowledge levels of all physicians administering immunosuppressive treatment concerning hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, and draw attention to the importance of the subject through evaluation. Methods: The study was carried out by infectious diseases and clinical microbiology specialists in 37 health centers, and it was performed in Turkey between January and March 2017. All specialists providing a written consent and working in the departments of Medical Oncology, Hematology, Dermatology and Venereology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Rheumatology of each study center were included in the study. Results: A total of 430 physicians participated in the study. Their mean age was 39.87±7.42 years, and 47.9% of them were males. During their career, 39.3% of these physicians had encountered patients developing HBV reactivation while receiving immunosuppressive treatment. The rate of encountering patients who died due to HBV reactivation was 6.5%. 97% of physicians who participated, considered the risk of HBV reactivation to be important. 70.2% of physicians stated that guidelines related to HBV reactivation and antiviral treatment for these patients were discussed in the congresses they participated, regarding their specialties. The rate of performing hepatitis screening among physicians whose patients developed HBV reactivation was statistically significantly higher than those physicians who had no patients with HBV reactivation (p

WOS: 000471359400002, Molecular imprinting technique is used to design artificial creatinine receptor on the gold surface of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) chip using N-methacryloyl-(L)-histidine methyl ester (MAH), as a functional monomer. Surface characterization of SPR sensor chip is performed with atomic force microscope (AFM), ellipsometry and contact angle measurements. Creatinine imprinted SPR sensor is characterized with a linear range between 1 and 100 mM and limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of creatinine are found 57 mu M and 190 mu M, respectively. N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and creatine molecules are selected to examine the selectivity of creatinine imprinted SPR sensor. Reusability studies of SPR sensor is determined in urine mimic samples., Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology [0505_TGSD.2015_2], This study was funded and supported by Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology (Grand No. 0505_TGSD.2015_2).

This study aims to develop molecularly imprinted based quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors for highly sensitive and selective detection of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and to determine their accuracy and precision by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as a reference technique. Here, we synthesized non-imprinted (NIP) and 2,4-D-imprinted (MIP) [ethylene glycol dimetacrylate-N-metacryloyl-( l )-tryptophan methyl ester-p(EGDMA-MATrp)] polymeric nanofilms by using molecular imprinting technique. MIP and NIP nanofilms were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), atomic force microscope (AFM), contact angle and ellipsometer measurements. The molecular imprinting procedures were successfully carried out and it was found that the prepared polymeric surfaces were highly desirable for sensitive recognition by QCM and SPR sensors. Competitive experiments for the sensors revealed that MIP nanofilms were found to show more sensitivity and selectivity than NIP ones. The sensor responses have a good linear relationship with 2,4-D concentrations in the range of 0.23–8.0 nM with a limit of detection at 20.17 ng/L for QCM and 24.57 ng/L for SPR sensors. In conclusion, both QCM and SPR sensor systems showed good accuracy and precision, with recovery percentages between 90 and 92% and 87–93%, respectively. Furthermore, they have a fast response time, reusability, high selectivity and sensitivity and low limit of detection.

Objective: this study aimed to evaluate the awareness and knowledge levels of all physicians administering immunosuppressive treatment concerning hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, and draw attention to the importance of the subject through evaluation. Methods: the study was carried out by infectious diseases and clinical microbiology specialists in 37 health centers, and it was performed in Turkey between January and March 2017. All specialists providing a written consent and working in the departments of Medical Oncology, Hematology, Dermatology and Venereology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Rheumatology of each study center were included in the study. Results: a total of 430 physicians participated in the study. Their mean age was 39.87 +/- 7.42 years, and 47.9% of them were males. During their career, 39.3% of these physicians had encountered patients developing HBV reactivation while receiving immunosuppressive treatment. The rate of encountering patients who died due to HBV reactivation was 6.5%. 97% of physicians who participated, considered the risk of HBV reactivation to be important. 70.2% of physicians stated that guidelines related to HBV reactivation and antiviral treatment for these patients were discussed in the congresses they participated, regarding their specialties. The rate of performing hepatitis screening among physicians whose patients developed HBV reactivation was statistically significantly higher than those physicians who had no patients with HBV reactivation (p, NA

Aim: To determine the risk factors of patients followed with recurrent lower extremity cellulitis and to find out the effect of clinical and laboratory findings on treatment response.Material and Method: This retrospective study was conducted between September 2011 and June 2016 at Infectious Disease clinic of Istanbul Medeniyet University Education and Research Hospital and all hospitalized patients diagnosed as lower extremity cellulitis, aged between 18-91, were involved. Data of all patients was determined by searching patients files and epicrisis. Demographic features, accompanying disease, predisposing factors, last cellulitis attack and its features, patients symptoms at hospitalization day, physical examination findings, laboratory values, given antibiotics and control laboratory values at 72 h were investigated.Results: Totally 93 patients with a diagnosis of lower extremity cellulitis, 40 (43%) of whom had recurrent cellulitis were included in the study, Patients with a history of recurrent cellulitis compared with patients with first attack. Patients having tinea pedis (p=0.038) and diagnosed as coronary artery disease (0.015) were found statistically significant for recurrent cellulitis. Patients white blood cell (WBC), c-reactive protein (CRP) value at hospitalization day and control laboratory values at 72 h were compared and no statistically significant data obtained. Treatment change has done after 48-72 hours on 28 of patients whom receiving antibiotherapy with the idea of treatment failure. Between patients considering unresponsiveness to antibiotic therapy and undergone treatment change, statistically significant differences were detected for WBC (p=0.016) and CRP (0.024) value at the day of hospitalization, control WBC (0.01) and CRP (0.001) value at 72 h. Similarly, statistically significant results for the patients had severe pain in lower extremity at the day of hospitalization were obtained (p=0.019).Conclusion: Patients having tinea pedis and accompanying coronary artery disease are more probable to new cellulitis attack whose had a history of recurrent lower extremity cellulitis. The risk would be more through nonresponder patients whom WBC and CRP value were high at hospitalization day and the continuation of high WBC and CRP values at 72 h were detected. In patients undergone treatment change, statistically significant differences were detected between patients have severe pain in lower extremity at the day of hospitalization and patients not., Amaç: Bu çalışmada rekürren alt ekstremite selüliti nedeniyle takip edilen hastalarda risk faktörlerinin değerlendirilmesi ve laboratuvar bulguları ile klinik bulguların tedavi yanıtı üzerine etkisinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Eylül 2011 ve Ekim 2015 tarihleri arasında Sağlık Bakanlığı İstanbul Medeniyet Üniversitesi Göztepe Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları kliniğinde yatırılarak takip edilen alt ekstremite selüliti tanısı almış 18 ile 91 yaş arası tüm hastalar çalışmaya alınmıştır. Hasta dosyaları ve epikrizleri taranarak hasta bilgilerine ulaşılmıştır. Hastaların demografik özellikleri, eşlik eden hastalıkları, predispozan faktörleri, en son geçirdiği selülit atağı ve özellikleri, başvuru semptomları, fizik muayene bulguları, laboratuvar değerleri, verilen antibiyotik tedavisi, 72.saatteki kontrol laboratuvar değerleri incelenmiştir.Bulgular: Bu çalışmaya 93 hasta dâhil edilmiştir ve 40’ında (%43) rekürrens saptanmıştır. Rekürrens öyküsü olan ve olmayan hastalar karşılaştırılmış; hastalarda risk faktörü olarak tinea pedisin (p=0.038) olması ve eşlik eden koroner arter hastalığının (p=0,015) olması rekürrens yönünden istatistiksel olarak anlamlı saptanmıştır. Rekürrens öyküsü olan ve olmayan hastaların başvuru lökosit sayısı (BK), CRP değerleri ile 72. saatteki laboratuvar değerleri karşılaştırıldığında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark saptanmamıştır. Antibiyoterapi başlanan hastaların 28’inde tedavi yanıtsızlığı düşünülerek 48-72 saat sonra antibiyoterapi değişimi yapılmıştır. Antibiyoterapi değişimi ile laboratuvar bulguları karşılaştırıldığında; yatış BK (p=0,016), yatış CRP (p=0,024), 72. saatteki BK (p=0,01) ve 72. saatteki CRP (p=0,001) değerlerinde istatistiksel anlamlılık tespit edilmiştir. Aynı zamanda başvuru esnasında alt ekstremitede şiddetli ağrı yakınması olan hastalar ile antibiyotik tedavi değişim gerekliliği arasında ilişki olduğu gözlenmiştir (p=0,019).Sonuç: Rekürren alt ekstremite selüliti öyküsü olan hastalarda eşlik eden tinea pedis ve koroner arter hastalığının olması yeni bir selülit atağı için risk faktörü olarak değerlendirilebilir. Başvuru esnasında yüksek BK ve CRP değeri olan ve 72. saatteki kontrol değerlerinin halen yüksek seyrettiği hastalarda tedavi yanıtsızlık riskinin daha fazla olacağı düşünülebilir. Başvuru esnasında şiddetli ağrı öyküsü olan hastalarda olmayanlara göre tedavi değişikliği ihtiyacı olma ihtimali daha fazladır.

Aim To investigate the expression of Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) protein in endometrial adenocarcinoma (EC) and endometrial intra-epithelial neoplasia (EIN). Methods WT1 protein expression was determined on immunohistochemistry in 30 EC patients and in 20 EIN patients. WT1 protein expression in proliferative (n = 7), secretory (n = 9) and atrophic endometrium (n = 9) and benign endometrial polyps (n = 28) was used as the control group. Cellular and vascular WT1 staining was scored semiquantitatively. Results Cellular WT1 staining was 67% and vascular positivity was 73% in the EC group. In the EIN group the cellular staining was 100% and vascular staining was 85%. Although all EIN samples were positive for cellular WT1 staining, median cellular staining score was similar to that of EC (median, 2; range, 1–3; IQR, 1.75 vs 2, 0–3, 0.75, respectively). Increasing EC grade and stage were not associated with cellular or vascular WT1 staining score. Conclusion WT1 is expressed in EIN.

A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor was developed to detect highly metastatic breast cancer cells by functionalizing the gold sensor surface with transferrin attachment. MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells with high and MCF 7 cells with low metastatic potential and transferrin expression were used. Serum starved MDA-MB-231 cells were used as control cells. First, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) nanoparticles were prepared by mini-emulsion polymerization of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). Nanoparticles were characterized with a zeta-sizer and then their suspension is dropped on the surface of the QCM and the dried QCM surface was modified further by activation with carbodiimide and transferrin attachment. The QCM biosensor was analyzed by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) and contact angle measurements. The cells were applied to the derivatized QCM sensor to investigate the affinity and binding kinetics. The nanoparticles and transferrin were found to form a monolayer on the QCM surface. Binding kinetics were best fitted to the Langmuir–Freundlich adsorption model. The QCM signal was correlated well with the number of transferrin receptors on cells. It is concluded that the QCM biosensor functioning via transferrin receptor interactions may be used to detect breast cancer cells with high metastatic potential.