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OBJECTIVE: Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most important causes of death. MI-related tissue loss and cardiac remodeling may result in heart failure. Intramyocardial injection of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissues, in acute MI animal models, has shown promising regenerative capabilities. This study aimed to investigate the myocardial regenerative capacity of epicardial adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) in a rabbit model of MI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rabbit model of MI was performed in three groups: a sham-operated group, a control group, and a treatment group. MI was induced by coronary artery ligation via thoracotomy in the first operation. Four weeks after the first operation, intramyocardial injections of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; control group) or ADSCs (10×106 in 100 µL; treatment group) were performed in the peri-infarct zone. Four weeks after the second operation, rabbits were sacrificed for further analysis. RESULTS: A significant increase in ejection fraction (p<0.0001) was detected in the treatment group, along with a significant increase in vascular density (p<0.001) and a significant decrease in infarct size (p<0.05) compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Epicardial adipose tissue is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells, which can differentiate into cardiomyocytes, as well as having neoangiogenic properties. Due to its potential to ameliorate chronic ischemic changes in the heart, it may be preferable in cardiac regenerative cell therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate and compare the acute effect of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, foam roller, and dynamic stretchinterventions on vertical jump performancein recreationally active individuals.The study included 42 individuals between18 and 35 years of age. All participants were randomized into groups of 14, and they warmed up by5-minjogging. Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization was applied with Graston Technique®,and foam roller was applied with a Trigger Point Deep Tissue foam roller. On both legs, the hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles, and plantar fascia were treated with instruments in the Graston Technique® group and with myofascial release using the participant's own body weight in the foam roller group for a total of 16 min. The dynamic stretch protocol consisted of 10 dynamic exercises with 10 min of medium and high intensity exercising. Vertical jump performance was evaluated before and immediately after the application using the"Optojump Next" system with the"Countermovement Jump without Arm Swing" test. IBM SPSS (version 22) was used for statistical analysis. The p<0.05 value was considered statistically significant.The mean age of the participants was 23.0±1.6, 22.7±3.8, and 21.5±1.6 years in the Graston Technique®, foam roller, and dynamic stretch groups, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the pre- and post-jump performance values of all 3 groups (p = 0.000). In the evaluation between the groups, there was no statistically significant difference in the jump performance ofGraston Technique® and dynamic stretch (p = 0.840), dynamic stretch and foam roller (p = 0.778), and Graston Technique® and foam roller (p = 0.436) groups.There was a statistically significant increase in the jump performance of all 3 groups, with the biggest change being in the Graston Technique® group. Considering the inter-group comparisons, no statistically significant change was observed between the groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of cross-linkers on cross-linked glycerol plasticized whey protein isolate films was studied. The characteristics taken into account were water solubility, thermal properties, tensile strength, percent elongation, oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability.

A maintenance planning and scheduling system often resembles that of a 'job shop' that is, the orders are one of a kind, and is characterized by having to schedule N orders through M or less tasks. The orders are of two types, e.g., (a) emergency—have to be done now, and (b) non-emergency—can be delayed until later. In this type of 'job shop' the schedule becomes immediately out of date as soon as an emergency order is received. Consequently non-emergency orders are continually moved back in the schedule and forecasted completion dates are not met. Further if the orders entering the system exceed the normal available capacity, the backlog will continue to increase causing more disruption of schedules. The research, which is based on a large petrochemical plant, will deal with the above problems by (a) applying dynamic decision rules for day-to-day scheduling to ensure completion dates are met, (b) a method for controlling backlog, and (c) forecasting future load, and completion dates for orders. The results of the simulation experiments applied to the machine shop will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The effect of vitamin D and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade medications in pathophysiology of contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) is controversial. The effects of paricalcitol (active vitamin D analogue) and losartan treatments in an experimental model of CIN were investigated in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six male Wistar albino rats were examined in five treatment groups. Placebo group (Group A; n = 4) received no active medication; control group (Group B; n = 8) received only contrast media (CM); Group C (n = 8) received paricalcitol; Group D (n = 8) received losartan and Group E (n = 8) received paricalcitol plus losartan. CIN was induced by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester and indomethacin before iohexol injection. Renal histopathological findings were categorized and renal immunohistochemical examinations by caspase-3 rabbit primary antibody were performed. RESULTS: Creatinine and cystatin C levels significantly increased in the treatment groups, compared to Group A. However, creatinine levels were not significantly increased in Groups C, D and E compared to Group B. Compared to Group B, a significant increase of cystatin C levels was observed in Group D (p < 0.01). In Group E, when paricalcitol treatment was added to losartan treatment, cystatin C levels were similar to Group B (p = 1.00). In histopathological and immunohistochemical examination frequency of Grade 2/3 tubular necrosis and renal caspase 3 activity scores were significantly higher in the losartan treatment group compared to the other treatment groups. The histopathological effects related to losartan treatment were found to be reversed when paricalcitol treatment was combined. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that paricalcitol treatment counteracts increased contrast induced nephropathy caused by losartan. These findings warrant further clinical studies to investigate the benefit of paricalcitol in CIN prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The SYNTAX Score was recently developed to characterize the coronary vasculature with respect to the number of lesion's location, complexity, and functional impact and it is a quantitative scoring system to assist with patient selection for optimal revascularization strategy between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery by-pass surgery (CABG). β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI), a plasma protein that binds cardiolipin, acts as a modulator of platelet aggregation and coagulation. Antibodies to β2GPI may have a role in atherosclerosis by inducing endothelial cell activation. We investigated the relationship between anti beta 2 GPI and severity of coronary artery stenosis by calculating the SYNTAX Score among patients undergoing CABG surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively investigate 612 patients who undergo elective coronary angiography between September 2012 and June 2013. Patients were evaluated for blood chemistry and anti-β2GPI IgA, IgM and IgG. Ninety seven patients with complete biochemical analysis including anti Beta 2 GPI antibodies and undergone CABG have been enrolled in this study. We divided patients in to 2 groups according to the SYNTAX scores. Group 1 included 48 patients with low SYNTAX scores (<23) and group 2 included 49 patients with intermediate and high SYNTAX scores (>23). RESULTS: There was significant correlation between elevated anti β2GPI IgG levels and higher SYNTAX score which indicate advanced and complex CAD. In this study, lesion complexity increased progressively with increasing anti-β2GPI-IgG type of antibody levels. According to this findings, anti-β2GPI-IgG is a strong predictor of higher SYNTAX score. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, the proinflammatory and procoagulant activities of antiphospholipid antibodies appear to be important risk factors for atherosclerotic occlusive disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim to achieve in this study is to recover the Cr(III) and process waters used in the wastewaters of chrome tanning operation by membrane process during leather production. In the treatment alternative contains, cartridge filter, nanofiltration (NF(NP10)), nanofiltration NF(XN45) and reverse osmosis RO(ACM2) membranes. The raw chrome wastewater from the cartridge filter was given to NF(NP10) membranes with 3 different pressures (12bar, 16bar, 18bar). In this alternative, the most appropriate pressure is determined as 20 bar and the COD, Cr(III) and SS values were detected as, in order, 65%, 49% and 87% for the removal efficiency. 2,7 times more concentration for Cr(III) was achieved in the NF (XN45) membrane, which was used after NF(NP10) membrane and COD, SS, SO4-2, Na+ and conductivity parameters showed removal efficiencies as, 75%, 89%, 95%, 38% and 16%. The permeate from RO(ACM2) membrane was decreased to the discharge criteria's; (Cr(III):2 mg/L, COD: 200 mg/L). As a result, the investment and the process cost of these membranes are more feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continuously operated, intermittently fed reactor (fermenter) system with a 2-d solids retention time was proposed for supporting biological nutrient removal from liquid dairy manure. The first objective of this study was to select a material with high fermentation potential to be used as the fermenter feed. Primary sludge, liquid separated dairy manure, and flushed dairy manure were investigated for their fermentation potential. Liquid separated dairy manure had the highest fermentation potential, 0.73mg volatile fatty acid as chemical oxygen demand/mg of initial volatile suspended solids (VSS). The second objective was to investigate the performance of a pilot-scale fermenter operated under an average organic loading rate (OLR) of 3 kg-VSS/m3/d. The reactor utilized 18% of the manure fermentation potential. Performance comparison of the pilot-scale fermenter and a lab-scale fermenter with an average OLR of 7kg-VSS/m3/d highlighted the need to increase the OLR of the pilot-scale fermenter so that it can exploit a higher fraction of the manure fermentation potential. A continuously operated, intermittently fed fermenter with 2-d SRT can utilize the majority of the manure fermentation potential and support a downstream BNR reactor provided that it receives a sufficiently high OLR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of different toothbrushes in reducing gingival inflammation and dental biofilm removal in gingivitis patients with fixed orthodontic appliances., Methods: Following baseline clinical assessments, including the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein plaque index (TQHI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and probing pocket depth (PPD), all patients received nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Patients were then randomly assigned to one of three groups: conventional toothbrush (C-TB), orthodontic toothbrush (O-TB), or single-tufted toothbrush (ST-TB). Each group received tailored oral hygiene instructions based on their assigned toothbrush type. Clinical assessments were repeated and recorded in the first week, sixth week, and third month., Results: Thirty-six patients with a mean age of 23.14 ± 3.86 (18-32 years) participated in the study. All groups with twelve patients each demonstrated significant improvements in clinical parameters compared to baseline. In the sixth week, the O-TB and ST-TB groups showed significantly greater improvements in TQHI and BOP scores compared to the C-TB group (p < 0.05). By the third month, the ST-TB group maintained significantly lower TQHI and BOP scores, while the O-TB group's scores became similar to those of the C-TB group. ST-TB and C-TB groups had significantly lower GI scores than the O-TB group in all time points. Although the effectiveness of ST-TB was significantly higher than that of other toothbrushes, all toothbrushes demonstrated lower efficacy in the posterior region., Conclusions: The ST-TB was shown to be more effective in reducing gingival inflammation over three months, while it demonstrated similar efficacy to the O-TB in dental biofilm removal. Further research is necessary to substantiate these findings and to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach in promoting periodontal tissue health in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances., Trial Registration: This study was registered with the National Library of Medicine Clinical Trials Registry Platform on 19/07/2024 as NCT06510179., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Over-consumption of iron-rich red meat and hereditary or genetic iron overload are associated with an increased risk of colorectal carcinogenesis, yet the mechanistic basis of how metal-mediated signaling leads to oncogenesis remains enigmatic. Using fresh colorectal cancer samples we identify Pirin, an iron sensor, that overcomes a rate-limiting step in oncogenesis, by reactivating the dormant human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) subunit of the telomerase holoenzyme in an iron-(Fe3+)-dependent manner and thereby drives colorectal cancers. Chemical genetic screens combined with isothermal dose-response fingerprinting and mass spectrometry identified a small molecule SP2509 that specifically inhibits Pirin-mediated hTERT reactivation in colorectal cancers by competing with iron-(Fe3+) binding. Our findings, first to document how metal ions reactivate telomerase, provide a molecular mechanism for the well-known association between red meat and increased incidence of colorectal cancers. Small molecules like SP2509 represent a novel modality to target telomerase that acts as a driver of 90% of human cancers and is yet to be targeted in clinic. Significance: We show how iron-(Fe3+) in collusion with genetic factors reactivates telomerase, providing a molecular mechanism for the association between iron overload and increased incidence of colorectal cancers. Although no enzymatic inhibitors of telomerase have entered the clinic, we identify SP2509, a small molecule that targets telomerase reactivation and function in colorectal cancers., (©2024 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

In this study, goat milk blends (1.5% fat) fortified with 0%, 0.25%, and 0.50% oat β-glucan were coded as YC, Y1, and Y2 and MFYC, MFY1, and MFY2. Microfluidization was applied at 103.4 MPa pressure in a 100 µm-process chamber at one stage for MFYC, MFY1, and MFY2 prior to yogurt making. Phase separation occurred due to the casein-β-glucan interaction observed at the oat β-glucan ratio (≥0.25%) but was more distinct at 0.50%. Microfluidization solved the textural instability at all ratios of β-glucan; a creamy and less cohesive structure was maintained in all yogurt samples. Among the samples, Y2 and MFY2 were the least viscous ( p < 0.05), and syneresis was the highest and the lowest for Y2 and MFY1, respectively ( p < 0.01). Lightness ( L *) decreased, and yellowness ( b *) and greenness ( a *) increased with oat β-glucan concentration ( p < 0.01) and MFYC. MFY1 and MFY2 were brighter and less green ( p < 0.05). Microfluidization enhanced sensory attributes and oat β-glucan suppressed the goaty and salty taste, but the cereal taste became more obvious with the increase in the oat β-glucan ratio. Y1 and MFY1 were generally acceptable, and Y2 was less ( p < 0.01). A liquid-like structure was observed in Y2 and this affected the sensorial perception in Y2.

Introduction: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) are validated scoring systems for short-term risk estimation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) risk score is originally aimed to estimate mortality in heart failure patients; however, it has showed a similar power to predict mortality after heart valve surgery. In this study, we sought to evaluate whether MAGGIC score may predict short and long-term mortality after CABG and to compare its power with EuroSCORE II and STS scoring systems., Methods: Patients who underwent CABG due to chronic coronary syndrome at our institution were included in this retrospective study. Follow-up data were used to define the predictive ability of MAGGIC and to compare it with STS and EuroSCORE-II for early, one-year, and up to 10-year mortality., Results: MAGGIC, STS, and EuroSCORE-II scores had good prognostic power, moreover MAGGIC was better for predicting 30-day (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.903; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.871-0.935), one-year (AUC: 0.931; 95% CI: 0.907-0.955), and 10-year (AUC: 0.923; 95% CI: 0.893-0.954) mortality. MAGGIC was found to be an independent predictor to sustain statistically significant association with mortality in follow-up., Conclusion: MAGGIC scoring system had a good predictive accuracy for early and long-term mortality in patients undergoing CABG when compared to EuroSCORE-II and STS scores. It requires limited variables for calculation and still yields better prognostic power in determining 30-day, one-year, and up to 10-year mortality.

The share of emissions from materials has dramatically increased over the last decades and is projected to rise in the coming years. Therefore, understanding the environmental effect of materials becomes highly crucial, especially from the climate mitigation perspective. However, its effect on emissions is often overlooked and more attention is heavily paid to the energy-related policies. In this study, to address this shortcoming, we investigate the role of materials on the decoupling of carbon-dioxide emissions (CO 2 ) from economic growth and compare it with the role of energy use in the world's top-19 emitting countries for the 1990-2019 period. Methodologically, using the logarithmic mean divisia index (LMDI) approach, we first decompose CO 2 emissions into four effects based on the two different model specifications (materials and energy models). We secondly determine the impact decoupling status and efforts of countries with two different approaches: Tapio-based decoupling elasticity (TAPIO) and decoupling effort index (DEI). Our LMDI and TAPIO results show that material and energy-related efficiency effects have an inhibitory factor. However, the carbon intensity of materials has not contributed to CO 2 emissions reduction and impact decoupling as much as the carbon intensity of energy has. DEI results indicate that while developed countries make relatively good progress towards decoupling, particularly after the Paris Agreement, developing countries need to further improve their mitigation efforts. Designing and implementing some policies only centering energy/material intensity or carbon intensity of energy might not be sufficient to achieve the decoupling. Both energy- and material-related strategies should be considered in harmony., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: One factor which influences the speech intelligibility of cochlear implant (CI) users is the number and the extent of the functionality of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), referred to as "cochlear health." To explain the interindividual variability in speech perception of CI users, a clinically applicable estimate of cochlear health could be insightful. The change in the slope of the electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAP), amplitude growth function (AGF) as a response to increased interphase gap (IPG) (IPGE slope ) has been introduced as a potential measure of cochlear health. Although this measure has been widely used in research, its relationship to other parameters requires further investigation., Methods: This study investigated the relationship between IPGE slope , demographics and speech intelligibility by (1) considering the relative importance of each frequency band to speech perception, and (2) investigating the effect of the stimulus polarity of the stimulating pulse. The eCAPs were measured in three different conditions: (1) Forward masking with anodic-leading (FMA) pulse, (2) Forward masking with cathodic-leading (FMC) pulse, and (3) with alternating polarity (AP). This allowed the investigation of the effect of polarity on the diagnosis of cochlear health. For an accurate investigation of the correlation between IPGE slope and speech intelligibility, a weighting function was applied to the measured IPGE slopes on each electrode in the array to consider the relative importance of each frequency band for speech perception. A weighted Pearson correlation analysis was also applied to compensate for the effect of missing data by giving higher weights to the ears with more successful IPGE slope measurements., Results: A significant correlation was observed between IPGE slope and speech perception in both quiet and noise for between-subject data especially when the relative importance of frequency bands was considered. A strong and significant correlation was also observed between IPGE slope and age when stimulation was performed with cathodic-leading pulses but not for the anodic-leading pulse condition., Conclusion: Based on the outcome of this study it can be concluded that IPGE slope has potential as a relevant clinical measure indicative of cochlear health and its relationship to speech intelligibility. The polarity of the stimulating pulse could influence the diagnostic potential of IPGE slope ., Competing Interests: LZ, HB, JT, and CG were employed by MED-EL GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zamaninezhad, Mert, Benav, Tillein, Garnham and Baumann.)

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of innominate artery cannulation strategy with side-graft technique in proximal aortic pathologies., Methods: A total of 70 patients underwent innominate artery cannulation with a side graft for surgery on the proximal aorta from 2012 to 2020. There were 46 men and 24 women with an average age of 56±13 years. The indications for surgery were type A aortic dissection in 17 patients (24.3%), aortic aneurysm in 52 patients (74.3%), and ascending aorta pseudoaneurysm in one patient (1.4%). The innominate artery was free of disease in all patients. Hypothermic circulatory arrest with antegrade cerebral perfusion was utilized in 60 patients (85.7%). Three patients had previous sternotomy (4.2%). The most common surgical procedure was ascending aorta with hemiarch replacement in 34 patients (48.5%)., Results: The mean cardiac ischemia and cardiopulmonary bypass times were 116+46 minutes and 164+56 minutes, respectively. Mean antegrade cerebral perfusion time was 27+14 minutes. The patients were cooled between 22°C and 30°C during surgery. Thirty-day mortality rate was 7.1% (five patients). One patient (1.4%) had stroke, one patient (1.4%) had temporary neurologic deficit, and eight patients (11.4%) had confusion and agitation that resolved completely in all cases. There was no local complication or arterial injury., Conclusion: Cannulation of the innominate artery with side graft is safe and effective for both cardiopulmonary bypass and antegrade cerebral perfusion. This technique provides satisfactory neurologic outcomes for proximal aortic surgery.

EUCAST rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (RAST) provides antibiotic susceptibility results after 4 to 8 h of incubation. This study assessed the diagnostic performance and clinical usefulness of EUCAST RAST after 4 h. This was a retrospective clinical study performed on blood cultures with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae complex (K. pneumoniae and Klebsiella variicola) at Karolinska University Laboratory (Stockholm, Sweden). The rate of categorized RAST results and the categorical agreement (CA) of RAST with the standard EUCAST 16-to-20-h disk diffusion (DD) method for piperacillin-tazobactam, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, meropenem, and ciprofloxacin were analyzed, as well as the utility of RAST for adjusting the empirical antibiotic therapy (EAT) and the combination of RAST with a lateral flow assay (LFA) for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) detection. A total of 530 E. coli and 112 K. pneumoniae complex strains were analyzed, generating 2,641 and 558 readable RAST zones, respectively. RAST results categorized according to antimicrobial sensitivity/resistance (S/R) were obtained for 83.1% (2,194/2,641) and 87.5% (488/558) of E. coli and K. pneumoniae complex strains, respectively. The RAST result categorization to S/R for piperacillin-tazobactam was poor (37.2% for E. coli and 66.1% for K. pneumoniae complex). CA with the standard DD method was over 97% for all tested antibiotics. Using RAST, we detected 15/26 and 1/10 of the E. coli and K. pneumoniae complex strains that were resistant to the EAT. For patients treated with cefotaxime, RAST was used to detect 13/14 cefotaxime-resistant E. coli strains and 1/1 cefotaxime-resistant K. pneumoniae complex strain. ESBL positivity was reported the same day as blood culture positivity with RAST and LFA. EUCAST RAST provides accurate and clinically relevant susceptibility results after 4 h of incubation and can accelerate the assessment of resistance patterns. IMPORTANCE Early effective antimicrobial treatment has been shown to be crucial for improving the outcome of bloodstream infections (BSI) and sepsis. In combination with the rise of antibiotic resistance, this calls for accelerated methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) for effective treatment of BSI. This study assesses EUCAST RAST, an AST method that yields results in 4, 6, or 8 h after blood culture positivity. We analyzed a high number of clinical samples of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae complex strains and confirm that the method delivers reliable results after 4 h of incubation for the relevant antibiotics for treating E. coli and K. pneumoniae complex bacteremia. Furthermore, we conclude that it is an important tool for antibiotic treatment decision-making and early detection of ESBL-producing isolates.

Objectives: The main focus of this study is to evaluate the reliability and durability of saphenous vein bypass grafting from common carotid artery to internal carotid artery (CBG) asan alternative treatment of patients with carotid artery stenosis., Methods: 459 patients with carotid artery stenosis underwent initial carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or CBG between 2009 and 2019. Propensity score matching was performed, and outcomes of two different surgical procedures were analyzed., Results: Outcomes of the 142 pairs of matched patients were investigated. There were no significant differences in the preoperative characteristics of these matched groups. Overall mean time of follow-up was 91.364 ± 3.265 months. Mortality rate during the follow-up period was 18.309% (26 patients) in the CEA group, and 11.971% (17 patients) in the CBG group. Stroke was encountered in 8 patients in the CEA group (5.63%), and 3 patients in the CBG group (2.11%) during follow-up. Restenosis was detected in 11 patients in the CEA group (7.75%), and 3 patients in the CBG group (3.52%) during follow-up. There were no significant differences in the survival, stroke - free survival, and restenosis - free survival distributions of both groups., Conclusions: In carotid artery stenosis, it is reasonable to consider CBG as an alternative surgical option when adequate disease-free inflow (common carotid artery) and outflow (distal internal carotid artery) segments are present., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None declared., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

BACKGROUND The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) consists of a combination of serum C-reactive protein and albumin levels as indicators of systematic inflammatory response and nutritional status, respectively. The present retrospective study aimed to evaluate the association between the GPS and atrial fibrillation, stroke, and mortality at 30 days and 1 year after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients with chronic coronary syndromes who underwent CABG surgery between 2012 and 2019 in a single center were included. Preoperative GPS was calculated. Then, patients were grouped according to postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) development. Further, groups were formed to evaluate the relationship between GPS and 30-day and 1-year cardiovascular mortality as well as stroke development. RESULTS Patients who developed POAF had higher GPS, higher European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE II) score, advanced age, lower angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB) use, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and were more likely to be female and to have a history of carotid artery disease (P<0.05, for all). Additionally, GPS, EuroSCORE II, advanced age, and lower left ventricular ejection fraction were detected as independent risk factors for POAF development. When adverse outcomes were assessed, cardiovascular mortality at 30 days or 1 year, and stroke development at 1 year, were more frequent in patients with POAF. Moreover, POAF development was found to be an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes. Also, GPS was established as an independent risk factor both for 30-day and 1-year cardiovascular mortality (P<0.0001 and P=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS GPS is an easy-to-calculate score that has reasonable diagnostic accuracy in determining the risk of POAF and stroke as well as 30-day and 1-year cardiovascular mortality.

Background: Acne is becoming more prevalent in adults, particularly women across the globe. Although previous studies have compared clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of adolescent and adult acne, an adequate understanding of the quality of life (QoL) of adult acne patients and associated comorbidities are still lacking., Objectives: We sought to compare the differences between adolescent and adult patient groups, regarding gender, socio-clinico-demographic factors, and comorbid associations, as well as their relatedness with life quality., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 1013 acne patients. Data on the severity, onset and location of acne, sex, family history of acne, smoking and alcohol habits, medication history, presence of seborrhea, and other comorbidities were collected. We employed the classification used by the American Academy of Dermatology for assessing acne severity. To assess the QoL in the patients, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score was used., Results: Of the 1013 patients included in this study; 380 (female: 333, male: 47) were adult, and 633 (female: 535 and male: 98) were adolescent cases. The median total DLQI scores of adult and adolescent groups were not significantly different. Our results showed that factors such as age, gender, duration, body mass index, family history, and psychiatric disorders exhibited no impact on QoL in both adolescents and adults. Age of onset was correlated with DLQI scores in the adult group. The main influencers of DLQI in the adult group were allergic disorders, hormonal imbalances, and previous treatment history. Besides, major influencers in adolescent patients were acne severity, acne location, hirsutism, hyperseborrhea, premenstrual exacerbation, menstrual irregularities, previous treatment history, and smoking., Conclusions: The findings of our current study have shown that DLQI has been influenced by different factors in adolescents and adults that should be kept in mind., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Indian Journal of Dermatology.)

In this study, Gd x -doped Ni/NiO MNPs (x: 0.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, and 10.0%) with a protective polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) layer have been synthesized via a polyol reduction process. The x-ray diffraction patterns revealed that samples have a cubic structure with Fm3̄m space group and no change in the crystallite structure was observed with doping Gd 3+ ions. The crystallite size (D c ) decreases from 2.70 to 1.27 nm when Gd is doped into Ni/NiO MNPs. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the Ni/NiO MNPs with Gd(5%) concentration are formed as spherical multicore-like shape core/shell MNPs with a protective PVP layer. The magnetic hysteresis measurements taken at 10 and 300 K show that the saturation magnetization (M s ) decreases with increasing Gd 3+ ions in the structure. The highest effective magnetic moment (μ eff ) was obtained as 10.34 μ B in the NG-2 sample. We ascribe that the high μ eff value in this sample is due to the increase in d-f exchange interaction between Ni(3d 7 ) and Gd(4f 7 ) and the contribution of the dipole moment of PVP molecules. The electrochemical measurements showed that the current density values were 0.294 and 0.319 mA/cm 2 at-1.3 V in the absence of Gd (NG-0) and Gd(5%) doped (NG-2) samples, respectively. βc was 159 and 132 mV/dec for NG-0 and NG-2 samples, respectively. The diminishing of βc and the charge resistance (Rct) proved that the Gd doped catalyst enhanced the hydrogen evolution activity and the Gd(5%) doped sample exhibited the highest catalyst performance.

Objective: Irisin is a myokine thought to be involved in the pathophysiological process of atherosclerosis with its' cardiovascular protective effects. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have lower levels of irisin. Therefore, we investigated whether there is a connection between irisin, DM, coronary collateral circulation (CCC), and SYNTAX scores representing coronary artery disease (CAD) severity., Methods: This study evaluated 86 patients who have at least one epicardial coronary artery with chronic total occlusion. We included Rentrop 0-1 into the poor CCC group (n=45) and Rentrop 2-3 into the good CCC group (n=41) and measured serum irisin levels., Results: Irisin levels did not differ (17585 [882-37741] pg/ml and (17504 [813-47683] pg/ml, p=0.772) between the two groups. Irisin levels were lower in patients with diabetes (n=41; 14485 [813-29398] pg/ml) than those without diabetes (n=45; 19724 [865-47683] pg/ml (p=0.002). Irisin was not correlated with SYNTAX scores. In multivariate analysis, DM (OR=0.463; CI: 0.184-0.783; p=0.012) was a negative predictor of good CCC development., Conclusion: Although its level is decreased in patients with diabetes, serum irisin levels have no role in the pathophysiology of collateral development and CAD severity., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors., (Copyright © by by Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health - Available online at www.northclinist.com.)