169 publications from this institution
This paper describes a laboratory investigation of the resistance to freezing and thawing of Expanded Perlite Aggregate (EPA) concrete, compared with that of natural aggregate concrete. The effects of EPA ratios on High Strength Concrete (HSC) properties were studied for 28 days. EPA replacements of fine aggregate (0–2 mm) were used: 10%, 20% and 30%. The properties examined included compressive strength, Ultrasound Pulse Velocity (UPV), porosity, microstructure and the Relative Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity (RDME) of HSC. Results showed that the compressive strength, UPV and RDME of samples were decreased with an increase in EPA ratios. Test results revealed that HSC was still durable after 100, 200 and 300 cycles of freezing and thawing in accordance with the ASTM C666. After 300 cycles, reduction in compressive strength and RDME ranged from 7% to 29% and 5% to 21%, respectively. In this paper, feed-forward Artificial Neural Network (ANNs) techniques were used to model the relative change in compressive strength and UPV in cyclic thermal loading. Genetic algorithms were applied in order to determine optimum mix proportions subjected to 300 thermal cycling. The best performance was obtained from HSC with about 10% EPA.
Efforts to develop new potent and effective antimicrobial compounds with lower side effects are important not only for controlling serious infections but also for cancer, surgical operations, and preventing possible infections which are related to other threats.Therefore, it is getting more important to develop new antibacterial and antifungal compounds with wide spectrum, systemic effect and lower side effects.In this study eight new 3(2H)pyridazinone derivatives were synthesized and their antimicrobial activities were evaluated by using broth microdilution method agains two Gr (+) (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis), two Gr (-) bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) and three yeasts like fungi (Candida albicans, Candida krusei).Compound D2a had the best antibacterial activity among the synthesized compounds.All compounds were more effective against the fungus than the bacteria.In this study, we performed molecular modelling studies to provide in depth understanding of their CYP51 inhibition.Antifungal susceptibility tests against standard Candida spp.including C. albicans revealed D2aas highly active compound.The molecular docking studies showed similarities in binding interactions in active site gorges of the enzymes with known inhibitors, such as VT1, fluconazole.
Abstract Objective Sickle cell anaemia (SCA), an inherited chronic hematological disease affecting hundreds of thousand people worldwide, causes significant morbidity and reduced life expectancy about two or three decades. This study aimed to conduct a meta‐analysis of the efficacy of voxelotor, 900 mg in patients with SCA. Methods The research protocol was registered at the International Register of Prospective Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), under the registration number: CRD42020147796. ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Conference Abstracts, Google Scholar, Ovid Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library from 2015 through July 25, 2019, and bibliographies of review articles and eligible studies. Eleven eligible studies that evaluated the effectiveness of voxelotor, 900 mg in SCA. Based on pre‐specified inclusion and exclusion criteria, 2 randomized, placebo‐controlled studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Results The primary outcome measured was hemoglobin elevation, assessed in a highly similar fashion in both trials. There was a significant difference between voxelotor and placebo in haemoglobin change from baseline (mean difference [MD]: 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67‐1.06). Voxelotor also reduced markers of haemolysis, MD: −36.79, 95% CI: (−75.05) to 1.48 for unconjugated bilirubin that changes from baseline; MD: −19.09, 95% CI: (−44.06) to 5.88 for the percentage of reticulocytes that change from baseline and MD: −23.29, 95% CI: (−65.14) to 18.55 for LDH that change from baseline) but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions As a conclusion, voxelotor, 900 mg use significantly increased hemoglobin levels which of 1 g/dL elevation predicts a reduced risk of stroke (41%), albuminuria (53%), pulmonary arterial hypertension (57%), and mortality (64%) in recent studies. Voxelotor also reduced markers of hemolysis but failed to reach statistically significance in current evidence. Multicenter, randomized, placebo‐controlled studies are on the way and will provide more evidence to see the potential of disease‐modifying effects of voxelotor.
Background/Objectives: The increase in fungal infections, both systemic and invasive, is a major source of morbidity and mortality, particularly among immunocompromised people such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients. Because of their strong therapeutic activity and excellent safety profiles, azole antifungals are currently the most extensively used systemic antifungal drugs. Antibacterial properties of various topical antifungals, such as oxiconazole, which features oxime ether functionality, were discovered, indicating an exciting prospect in antimicrobial chemotherapy. Methods: In this study, eleven new oxime ether derivatives with the azole scaffold (5a–k) were synthesized and tested for their antimicrobial effects using the microdilution method to obtain broad-spectrum hits. Results: Although the title compounds showed limited efficacy against Candida species, they proved highly effective against dermatophytes. Compounds 5c and 5h were the most potent derivatives against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Arthroderma quadrifidum, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values lower than those of the reference drug, griseofulvin. The MIC of 5c and 5h were 0.491 μg/mL and 0.619 μg/mL against T. mentagrophytes (MIC of griseofulvin: 2.52 μg/mL). The compounds were also tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Briefly, 5c was the most active against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with MIC values much better than that of ciprofloxacin (MIC of 5c = 1.56 μg/mL and 1.23 μg/mL, MIC of ciprofloxacin = 31.49 and 125.99 μg/mL, respectively). Molecular docking suggested a good fit in the active site of fungal lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) and bacterial FtsZ (Filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z) protein. Conclusions: As a result, the title compounds emerged as promising entities with broad antifungal and antibacterial effects, highlighting the utility of oxime ether function in the azole scaffold.
Cisplatin (CIS)-induced nephrotoxicity is associated with oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrogenesis. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of ranolazine (RAN), a current antianginal drug known to experimentally reduce oxidative damage in CIS-induced nephrotoxicity. We randomly assigned thirty-two Sprague Dawley rats to one of four groups (Control, CIS, CIS+RAN, and RAN+CIS). We evaluated kidney function parameters including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cre), electrolytes, and albumin, as well as tissue biochemical parameters including malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes. Histopathological parameters were also assessed. We observed a significant increase in BUN and Cre values in the CIS group compared to the control group (p<0.05). However, there was a significant decrease in BUN values (p<0.05) in the CIS+RAN and RAN+CIS groups compared to the CIS group. In contrast, the decrease in Cre values did not reach statistical significance (p>0.05), and serum electrolytes were comparable among groups. Furthermore, a statistically significant increase in albumin levels was observed in the CIS+RAN group compared to the CIS group (p<0.05). MDA levels were significantly decreased in the CIS+RAN group compared to the CIS group, indicating the antioxidant activity of RAN (p<0.05). Histopathological analysis revealed that necrosis and dilatation in epithelial cells of cortical and medullary tubules were more prominent in the CIS group (p<0.0001). However, in the RAN+CIS group, the histopathological changes observed in the CIS group were found to be significantly reduced (p<0.0001). Degenerative changes in tubules were observed in the CIS+RAN group (p>0.05). Our findings suggest that the beneficial effects of RAN on CIS-induced nephrotoxicity may be related to its antioxidant activity.
Abstract Studies investigating the efficacy of β-blocker agents on patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm have produced heterogeneous and conflicting results. This study was aimed to assess protective effects of β-blockers in terms of aortic events (dissection, rupture) and mortality in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm. A systematic literature search was performed through Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Pubmed and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane CENTRAL), all from inception to May 10, 2022. Randomized controlled trials exploring the efficacy of β-blocker agents in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm were considered for inclusion with no population restriction. Two independent reviewers performed the literature search. Two reviewers independently extracted all available prespecified relevant data in accordance with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews protocol. Summary effect measures of the primary outcomes were obtained by pooling the data with an inverse variance–weighted random-effects model. The overall risk of bias assessment was conducted by using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool A sensitivity analysis was performed regarding whether the conclusions reached might differ substantially if a single study was omitted. The primary outcome was aortic events (aortic dissection/rupture). Secondary outcomes were death (all-cause mortality) and aortic dissection. Two independent reviewers identified 4 RCTs presented in 5 reports from 1494 unique studies screened. Three trials involving 129 eligible participants compared β blockers (propranolol and celiprolol) with no treatment. One trial involving 32 eligible participants compared β blocker (atenolol) with placebo. This systematic review and meta-analysis included 161 patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm (mean age, 27.6 years; 80 [49.7%] male, mean follow-up 6.7 years). The pooled risk ratio in the β-blocker arm for aortic events was 0.74 [95% CI (0.20; 2.71), I2: 0%, p=0.64] when comparing to the placebo or no treatment in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm. The pooled risk ratio for death (all-cause mortality) and aortic dissection in the β-blocker arm were 0.45 [95% CI (0.10; 1.98), I2: 0%, p=0.29] and 0.58 [95% CI (0.15; 2.24), I2: 0%, p=0.43], respectively. The risk of aortic dissection, rupture, or death were essentially identical, regardless of treatment group and subgroup analysis. A sensitivity analysis revealed that none of the studies significantly influenced the pooled risk estimate to any great extent. We found no evidence of benefit from β-blocker treatment. More robust data regarding β-blocker use in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms from randomized controlled trials are needed to establish evidence based recommendations and to determine whether current evidence comes from absense of evidence or evidence of absense.Forest plot for death (all-cause)
The aim of this scoping review is to evaluate the impact of smartphone application (SPA) technology in patients undergoing elective colonoscopy to measure compliance with appointments, cost-effectiveness, bowel preparation, and quality of life. The scoping review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and PubMed were screened up to Oct 14, 2020, and bibliographies of the retrieved articles were included. Based on pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 primary studies were included in the final analysis from a total of 3,979 non-duplicate articles. Seven out of eight studies measured the bowel preparation quality. In six of these studies, patients in the smartphone group had a successful bowel preparation when compared with the control arm; on the other hand, one study did not find any differences between groups. Adherence to colonoscopy screening was assessed by one study. Patients in the digital intervention arm were significantly more likely to complete a screening test. Patient satisfaction during the periprocedural period of colonoscopy was assessed by five studies which reported significantly higher patient satisfaction in the intervention arm compared to the control arm. None of the studies measured cost-effectiveness. We came to the conclusion that a well-designed, user-friendly SPA can help and guide patients undergoing colonoscopy through the process of following up on their appointments, adhering to bowel preparation, and better understanding their disease condition. Future trials investigating SPAs should include cost-effectiveness and adherence to appointments as an endpoint.
Ten studies showed some concerns of risk of bias (RoB) and four studies had a high RoB for the change in Hb levels during follow-up. The lack of standardized definitions for hypersensitivity reactions and variability in dosing protocols and follow-up durations across studies may affect the generalizability of our safety findings.
When the existing literature is examined, it can be seen that many studies have been carried out to improve the mechanical properties of concrete by using waste or additive materials with different mechanical and physical properties in various proportions instead of the conventional aggregate used in concrete production. Within the scope of this study, it was aimed to examine the physical and mechanical properties of the samples fabricated using natural perlite aggregate instead of conventional aggregate by exposing them to high temperature effects. In this context, a total of 96 concrete samples will be fabricated, including 48 rectangular prism beams with dimensions of 10x10x40 cm and 48 cube samples with dimensions of 15x15x15 cm, with a concrete compressive strength of 25 and 40 MPa, using perlite and conventional concrete. The samples were planned to be exposed to temperature effects of 200ºC, 400ºC and 600ºC at room temperature. Afterwards, the samples will be examined with destructive/non-destructive methods such as mass loss (ML), ultra sound transmission rate (USTR), compressive strength (CS), elasticity modulus (EM)and pure bending (PB) test, and the mechanical and physical properties of all samples will be compared.
The use of waste materials in concrete design draws the attention of researchers. Studies on the use of these materials both as binders and aggregates accelerate. In this study, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) based geopolymer concrete was produced. 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) was used instead of river aggregate in the mixtures. These samples were exposed to temperatures at 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800 °C. The cooling process of these samples exposed to temperature was in 3 different forms: air, oven and water. Compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), weight loss, sorptivity and water absorption values of the samples were determined. At the same time, the changes in the microstructure of the samples under the elevated temperature were examined. Compressive strengths of the samples decreased with increasing RCA ratio in the mixture. Samples were severely affected due to elevated temperature, properties of the samples decreased. As the temperature degree increased, the weight loss and sorptivity values of the samples increased. As the temperatures to which the samples were exposed increased, there was a decrease in Ca/Si ratio and an increase in Si/Al ratio. The microstructure of the samples deteriorated at elevated temperatures.
