Prevalence of sleep disorders in the Turkish adult population epidemiology of sleep study

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - Sleep disorders constitute an important public health problem. Prevalence of sleep disorders in Turkish adult population was investigated in a nationwide...     

The Non-receptor Tyrosine Kinase Tec Controls Assembly and Activity of the Noncanonical Caspase-8 Inflammasome

Tec family kinases are intracellular non-receptor tyrosine kinases implicated in numerous functions, including T cell and B cell regulation. However, a role in microbial pathogenesis has not been described. Here, we identified Tec kinase as a novel key mediator of the inflammatory immune response in macrophages invaded by the human fungal pathogen C. albicans. Tec is required for both activation and assembly of the noncanonical caspase-8, but not of the caspase-1 inflammasome, during infections with fungal but not bacterial pathogens, triggering the antifungal response through IL-1β. Furthermore, we identify dectin-1 as the pathogen recognition receptor being required for Syk-dependent Tec activation. Hence, Tec is a novel innate-specific inflammatory kinase, whose genetic ablation or inhibition by small molecule drugs strongly protects mice from fungal sepsis. These data demonstrate a therapeutic potential for Tec kinase inhibition to combat invasive microbial infections by attenuating the host inflammatory response.     

An Efficient Solution‐Processed Intermediate Layer for Facilitating Fabrication of Organic Multi‐Junction Solar Cells

Photovoltaic tandem technology has the potential to boost the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices. Here, a reliable and efficient fully solution‐processed intermediate layer (IML) consisting of ZnO and neutralized poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is demonstrated for series‐connected multi‐junction organic solar cells (OSCs). Drying at 80 °C in air is sufficient for this solution‐processed IML to obtain excellent functionality and reliability, which allow the use of most of high performance donor materials in the tandem structure. An open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.56 V is obtained for single‐junction OSCs based on a low band‐gap polymer, while multi‐junction OSCs based on the same absorber material deliver promising fill factor values along with fully additive V_oc as the number of junctions increase. Optical and electrical simulations, which are reliable and promising guidelines for the design and investigation of multi‐junction OSCs, are discussed. The outcome of optical and electrical simulations is in excellent agreement with the experimental data, indicating the outstanding efficiency and functionality of this solution‐processed IML. The demonstration of this efficient, solution‐processed IML represents a convenient way for facilitating fabrication of multi‐junction OSCs to achieve high power conversion efficiency.     

OPTIMIZATION OF SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION FOR PHYTASE PRODUCTION BY Thermomyces lanuginosus USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

A strain of Thermomyces lanuginosus, isolated from hot spring water in Turkey, was studied for optimization of phytase production using solid-state fermentation. Effects on fermentation of different production parameters such as substrate type, moisture, culture time, and inoculum size were investigated using a one-factor-at-a-time approach. Central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology was applied for the optimization of four factors (culture temperature, initial pH, aeration area, age of seeding culture) that were affecting phytase production by Thermomyces lanuginosus in rice bran. Maximum phytase activity was achieved by using rice bran. The optimum levels of variables that supported maximum enzyme activity were moisture 70%, culture time 7 days, inoculum size 40%, culture temperature 55°C, initial pH 7.5, aeration area 30%, age of seeding culture 5 days, sucrose 1%, and ZnSO₄ 2.5 mM. An overall 10.83-fold enhancement in phytase activity (0.30 to 3.248 U) was attained due to the optimization.     

iPBS-Retrotransposons-based genetic diversity and relationship among wild annual Cicer species

Lack of requisite genetic variation in cultivated species has necessitated systematic collection, documentation and evaluation of wild Cicer species for use in chickpea variety improvement programs. Cicer arietinum has very narrow genetic variation, and the use of a wild relative in chickpea breeding could provide a good opportunity for increasing the available genetic variation of cultivated chickpea. Genetic diversity and the relationship of 71 accessions, from the core area of chickpea origin and domestication (Southeastern Turkey), belonging to five wild annual species and one cultivated species (Cicer arietinum) were analysed using iPBS-retrotransposon and ISSR markers. A total of 136 scorable bands were detected using 10 ISSR primers among 71 accessions belonging to 6 species, out of which 135 were polymorphic (99.3 %), with an average of 13.5 polymorphic fragments per primer, whereas iPBS detected 130 bands with 100 % polymorphism with an average of 13.0 bands per primer. C. echinospermum and C. pinnatifidum were the most diverse among species, whereas C. arietinum exhibited lower polymorphism. The average polymorphism information contents (PIC) value for both marker systems was 0.91. The clustering of the accessions and species within groups was almost similar, when iPBS and ISSR NeighborNet (NNet) planar graphs were compared. Further detailed studies are indispensable in order to collect Cicer germplasm, especially C. reticulatum, from southeastern Turkey particularly, from Karacada? Mountain for preservation, management of this species, and to study their genetic diversity at molecular level. This study also demonstrates the utility and role of iPBS-retrotransposons, a dominant and ubiquitous part of eukaryotic genomes, for diversity studies in wild chickpea and in cultivated chickpea.     

Body composition of young laborers: the results of a bioelectrical impedance analysis

The aim of this study was to determine the changes caused by physical stress on the body composition of young males. In order to show these changes, the study was performed with 104 young male laborers who worked through their adolescence and who were currently working in workshops in the industrial sector (Group 1, mean age 18.48 +/- 0.61 years). For the control group, two groups of the same age but having a difference in terms of socioeconomic status were chosen. The first one of these was comprised of individuals who had the same socioeconomic status as the laborers (Group 2, n = 102, mean age 18.39 +/- 0.58 years) but were not laborers. The second control group was composed of individuals from the higher socioeconomic levels of society (Group 3, n = 103, mean age 18.43 +/- 0.67). Measurements of the height of the individuals were taken with a standard portable anthropometer, and their body weight and BIA measurements were taken with Tanita TBF-305 leg-to-leg body composition analysis equipment. The results of the analysis show that the weight, height, BMI and fat mass values of the laborers were significantly lower (P < 0.05-0.001) than those of Group 3, but were not statistically different from those of Group 2. These findings reveal that the effects of socioeconomic conditions on body composition outweigh those of working conditions.     

Lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant status in patients with breast cancer

Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of all cancers. The aim of this study is to examine oxidative stress and antioxidant status in patients with breast cancer by evaluation of the serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation products as malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid hydroperoxide and to investigate the relationship between these parameters, oxidative stress and serum lipids and lipoproteins. In our study, serum TAC, MDA, lipid hydroperoxide, HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol (TAG), albumin and uric acid levels of 56-breast cancer patients in different clinical stages and 18 healthy women were determined. Significantly lower-levels of TAC were detected in patients with breast cancer in comparison to controls (2.01 +/- 0.01 mmol/l and 2.07 +/- 0.03 mmol/l, respectively, p < 0.05). Serum MDA levels of the patients were higher compared to the controls (3.64 +/- 0.25 microM and 2.72 +/- 0.22 microM, respectively, p < 0.05). No significant difference between lipid hydroperoxide levels of patients and controls was found (0.33 +/- 0.05 microM and 0.32 +/- 0.01 microM, respectively, p > 0.05). These data show that lower TAC and higher MDA levels i.e. increased oxidative stress may be related to breast cancer.