Comparison of activated carbon and bottom ash for removal of reactive dye from aqueous solution

The adsorption of reactive dye from synthetic aqueous solution onto granular activated carbon (GAC) and coal-based bottom ash (CBBA) were studied under the same experimental conditions. As an alternative to GAC, CBBA was used as adsorbent for dye removal from aqueous solution. The amount of Vertigo Navy Marine (VNM) adsorbed onto CBBA was lower compared with GAC at equilibrium and dye adsorption capacity increased from 0.71 to 3.82 mg g(-1), and 0.73 to 6.35 mg g(-1) with the initial concentration of dye from 25 to 300 mg l(-1), respectively. The initial dye uptake of CBBA was not so rapid as in the case of GAC and the dye uptake was slow and gradually attained equilibrium.     

A Proteomic Screen of Neuronal Cell-Surface Molecules Reveals IgLONs as Structurally Conserved Interaction Modules at the Synapse

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Why is grouper larval rearing difficult?: an approach from the development of the feeding apparatus in early stage larvae of the grouper,Epinephelus coioides

The osteological development of elements forming the oral cavity was examined in early stage larvae of the grouper,Epinephelus coioides, from hatching to 242.5 hours after hatching. By the time of initial mouth opening, at 54 hours after hatching, the fundamental elements, composed of the trabecula, some components of the lower branchial and hyoid arches, the quadrate and symplectic-hyomandibular cartilages, maxilla and Meckel's cartilage, had appeared. No further elements were observed until 165 hours after initial mouth opening, except some components in the lower branchial arch and head region. The appearance of new elements and initial ossification of existing cartilage occurred thereafter, but all elements related to feeding either had not appeared or had not started ossifying until 188.5 hours after initial mouth opening. Based on the morphology and developmental modes of these elements, the feeding mode of grouper larvae was considered to be “sucking/grasping.” However, the appearance and ossification of elements occurred slowly, with no transitional phase from sucking to grasping modes of feeding being observed during the study; such delayed development of the feeding-related bony elements was considered to be a cause of the difficulty in rearing early stage grouper larvae.     

Postmitotic tissue selenium and manganese levels in alpha-lipoic acid-supplemented aged rats

Redistribution of selenium and manganese in postmitotic tissues of alpha-lipoic acid-supplemented aged rats has been proposed to contribute to metal-catalyzed protein oxidation. DL-Alpha-lipoic acid (LA) (100 mg/[kg body wt.day]) was administered intraperitoneally to the Sprague-Dawley rats for 14 days. Serum selenium levels were lowered in the aged rats with LA supplementation compared with those of the rats without LA supplementation. Similarly, the selenium levels of the heart, brain and muscle were found to be significantly lower in LA-supplemented rats when compared to control rats. On the other hand, serum manganese levels were not changed in the aged rats with LA supplementation compared with those of the rats without LA supplementation. The heart manganese levels detected in LA-supplemented rats were significantly lower than controls. Manganese levels of the brain and muscle tissues were increased in the aged rats with LA supplementation compared with those of the rats without LA supplementation. Based on the findings of our study, we conclude that LA may exhibit pro-oxidant effect depending on the altered selenium and manganese homeostasis. Thus, our results stress the importance of monitoring the dose of LA supplementation and serum selenium levels, duration of treatment and its potential harmful pro-oxidant effects in the postmitotic tissues of aged rats.     

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism and osteoporosis in the Turkish population

Osteoporosis is one of the most important medical problems facing the aging population. It is defined as a decrease in the bone mass leading to an unacceptably high risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disease. It is well established that genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene has been reported to play a major role in variations for genetic regulation of bone mass. Its role within various ethnic populations is not clear. The purpose of this project was to determine the frequencies of VDR genotypes in Turkey. Three polymorphisms of the VDR gene were analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. The sample for our study was comprised of postmenopausal women in Turkey, 100 of whom were diagnosed with osteoporosis. They were compared with 146 healthy controls. BsmI genotype frequencies in Turks resemble Caucasians rather than Asians, and Taq genotype frequencies in Turks neither resemble Caucasians nor Asians. The genotype frequencies of VDR were not statistically different between patients with osteoporosis and the control group. Among VDR haplotypes, bbAATT and bbTtAa are more frequent in the osteoporosis group than the control group.     

Colonization and vertical transmission of Streptococcus mutans in Turkish children

The aim of the study was to establish the colonization of Streptococcus mutans and to determine the possibility of intra-familial transmission in a group of Turkish children and their parents. A total of 56 children participated in the study together with their parents (20 fathers and 49 mothers). Saliva samples were collected from the individuals and cultivated on S. mutans selective TYCSB agar. The typical isolates of S. mutans were identified by using classical microbiological methods, as well as molecular typing of S. mutans clones which was performed by using AP PCR with OPA5 primer for the detection of transmission. The vertical transmission of salivary S. mutans was detected among 14 mother-father-child, 35 mother-child (one twins) and 6 father-child combinations. The homologies of strain types were recorded as 24% and 16.6% for mother-child and father-child combinations, respectively. A significant positive correlation (p<0.001) was found between the infected children and their parents with high S. mutans counts.     

Spread of a single clone Acinetobacter baumannii strain in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Turkey

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen, especially in immunocomprimised patients and those hospitalized in intensive care units. After the first isolation of A. baumannii strains from the bronchial aspirates of two patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital as a pure culture, screening studies were performed to define possible source(s). A. baumannii strains isolated from bronchial aspirates and blood cultures of the patients in ICU were collected as a possible part of the outbreak. A total of 23 screening samples collected from equipment (7), hands (4) and gloves (2) of the staff, and from ten different body regions of the patients in the ICU were cultured. Antimicrobial susceptibility test of the isolates was performed by the standardized disk-diffusion method. All isolates were subtyped by antibiogram, arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing methods. A total of 26 A. baumannii strains including eight clinical and 18 screening isolates were identified. All isolates were susceptible only to meropenem, tobramycin, and imipenem. There was at least a 96% resistance rate to the other antibiotics tested. Antibiogram typing showed that 24 of the 26 isolates were epidemiologically related, two were unique. AP-PCR yielded two types, one of which had 21 isolates, the other had five. PFGE fingerprinting revealed that all isolates were clonally related, including four closely related and 22 indistinguishable strains. Based on the results of PFGE which has been accepted as a reference method it can be concluded that A. baumannii strains isolated from our intensive care unit originated from a single type of strain.     

Clinical and molecular analysis of common MEFV gene mutations in familial Mediterranean fever in Sivas population

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most frequent hereditary inflammatory disease characterized by self-limited recurrent attacks of fever and serositis. The aim of the current study is to determine the frequency of the mutations in 365 suspected FMF patients and to reveal whether there is a correlation between genotype and phenotype of these patients. All patients were clinically examined according to Tell-Hashomer FMF criteria and were screened genetically in terms of common 12 Mediterranean fever gene (MEFV) mutations. Various point mutations were detected in 270 (74%) patients. The most frequent mutation was M694V (26.85% of the alleles) and was followed by E148Q (15.55%), M680I (G/C) (9.62%) and V726A (7.96%). Patients who bear M694V homozygous mutation had most severe disease phenotype and high risk for amyloidosis (P = 0.04). Our results indicate that Sivas population has a wide range of heterozygous mutated carriers of MEFV gene and there is a high frequency of E148Q allele when compared to the other Mediterranean groups.     

Sperm fatty acid composition in subfertile men

INTRODUCTION: The lipid composition of spermatozoa plays an important role for successful fertilization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the present study, we analyzed the fatty acid (FA) composition of spermatozoa of normozoospermic, asthenozoospermic, oligozoospermic and oligoasthenozoospermic men. RESULTS: Spermatozoa from asthenozoospermic (P<0.01), oligozoospermic (P<0.05) and oligoasthenozoospermic men (P<0.05) had lower levels of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6w3, DHA) than those from normozoospermic men. In oligozoospermic and asthenozoospermic men, spermatozoa 18:0 content was higher than that of normozoospermics (P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). 18:1w9 was higher in oligoasthenozoospermic and oligozoospermic samples when compared with normozoospermic samples (P<0.05 for both). While from the point of view of total w6 FAs there was no significant difference among the groups, the w6/w3 ratio was significantly higher in asthenozoospermic samples than in normozoospermic samples (P<0.05). Monounsaturated fatty acids (MFA) were higher in oligozoospermic samples (P<0.05) than in normozoospermic samples, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were lower in asthenozoospermic (P<0.01), oligoasthenozoospermic (P<0.05) and oligozoospermic samples (P<0.05) than in normozoospermic samples. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) were significantly higher in asthenozoospermic (P<0.01) and oligozoospermic samples (P<0.05) compared with normozoospermic samples. In correlation analysis, there were significant positive correlations between DHA with sperm motility (r=0.53), sperm concentration (r=0.36) and normal sperm morphology (r=0.30). In addition, there were significant correlations between PUFA with sperm motility (r=0.50), sperm concentration (r=0.35), and normal sperm morphology (r=0.28), and between w6/w3 with sperm motility (r=-0.47), sperm concentration (r=-0.27), and normal sperm morphology(r=-0.24). DISCUSSION: These suggest that decreased DHA and PUFA, and increased w6/w3 in spermatozoa may be related to infertility in oligo- and/or asthenozoospermic men.