Role of liver augmentation prior to hepatic resection - a survey on standards, procedures, and indications in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

PURPOSE: For primary and secondary liver tumors oncological resection remains a chance of cure. Augmentation of functional liver tissue may be necessary to preserve sufficient future liver remnant (FLR). Clinical decision-making on liver augmentation techniques and indications may differ internationally. Thus, this study aims to identify standards of liver augmentation in hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) centers in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. METHODS: Using a web-based survey, 48 hospitals in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria were invited to report their surgical indication, standard procedures, and results of liver augmentation. RESULTS: Forty (83.3%) of the hospitals invited participated. Most of the hospitals were certified liver centers (55%), performing complex surgeries such as liver transplantation (57.5%) and ALPPS (80%). The standard liver augmentation technique in all countries was portal vein embolization (PVE; 56%), followed by ALPPS (32.1%) in Germany or PVE with hepatic vein embolization (33.3%) in Switzerland and Austria. Standard procedure for liver augmentation did not correlate with certification as liver center, performance of liver transplantation or ALPPS. Surgical indication for PVE varied depending on tumor entity. Most hospitals rated the importance of PVE before resection of cholangiocarcinoma or colorectal metastases as high, while PVE for hepatocellular carcinoma was rated as low. CONCLUSION: The survey gives an overview of the clinical routine in HPB centers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. PVE seems to dominate as standard technique to increase the FLR. However, there is a variety in the main indication for liver augmentation. Further studies are necessary evaluating the differing PVE techniques for liver augmentation.

[Management of Injuries to the Parenchymal Abdominal Organs]. / Management von Verletzungen parenchymatöser Abdominalorgane.

The most common organs affected by abdominal trauma are the spleen and the liver, often in combination. Pancreatic injuries are rare. In the case of blunt abdominal trauma, which is much more common, a clinical and laboratory examination as well as sonography should be performed. In the initial assessment, the circulatory situation must be screened. If there is haemodynamic instability and presentation of free fluid, an emergency laparotomy is indicated. If the situation is stable or stabilised and a pathological sonography is present, it is essential to perform triphasic contrast enhanced computed tomography, which is also mandatory in polytraumatised patients. If a renal injury is suspected, a late venous phase should be attached. In addition to the classification of the injury, attention should be paid to possible vascular injury or active bleeding. In this case, angiography with the possibility of intervention should be performed. Endoscopic treatment is possible for injuries of the pancreatic duct. If the imaging does not reveal any intervention target and a circulation is stable, a conservative approach is possible with continuous monitoring using clinical, laboratory and sonographic controls. Most injuries can be successfully treated by non-operative management (NOM).There are various surgical options for treating the injury, such as local and resecting procedures. There is also the option of "damage control surgery" with acute bleeding control and second look. Complex surgical procedures should be performed at centres. Postoperative complications arise out of elective surgery.In the less common case of penetrating abdominal trauma, the actual extent of the injury cannot be estimated from the visible wound. Here again, the circulatory situation determines the next steps. An emergency laparotomy should be carried out in case of instability. If the condition is stable, further diagnostics should be performed using contrast enhanced computed tomography. If penetration through the peritoneum cannot be clearly excluded, diagnostic laparoscopy should be performed.

Influx of T cells into corpus callosum increases axonal injury, but does not change the course of remyelination in toxic demyelination.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a focal inflammatory and demyelinating disease. The inflammatory infiltrates consist of macrophages/microglia, T and B cells. Remyelination (RM) is an endogenous repair process which frequently fails in MS patients. In earlier studies, T cells either promoted or impaired RM. Here, we used the combined cuprizone/MOG-EAE model to further dissect the functional role of T cells for RM. The combination of MOG immunization with cuprizone feeding targeted T cells to the corpus callosum and increased the extent of axonal injury. Global gene expression analyses demonstrated significant changes in the inflammatory environment; however, additional MOG immunization did not alter the course of RM. Our results suggest that the inflammatory environment in the combined model affects axons and oligodendrocytes differently and that oligodendroglial lineage cells might be less susceptible to T cell mediated injury.

N-Propargylic ß-enaminones in breast cancer cells: Cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and cell cycle analyses.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the discovery of new cytotoxic agents is needed. Enaminones are regarded to be a significant structural motif that is found in a variety of pharmacologically active compounds however the number of studies investigating the anticancer activities of N-propargylic ß-enaminones (NPEs) is limited. Herein we investigated the potential cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of 23 different NPEs (1-23) on human breast cancer cells. Cytotoxicity was evaluated via MTT assay. Apoptotic cell death and cell cycle distributions were investigated by flow cytometry. CM-H2DCFDA dye was used to evaluate cellular ROS levels. Expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, p21, and Cyclin D1 were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. ADME properties were calculated using the ADMET 2.0 tool. NPEs 4, 9, 16, and 21 showed selective cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cells with SI values >2. NPEs induced apoptosis and caused significant changes in Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA levels. The cell cycle was arrested at the G0/G1 phase and levels of p21 and Cyclin D1 were upregulated in both breast cancer cells. ROS levels were significantly increased by NPEs, suggesting that the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of NPEs were mediated by ROS. ADME analysis revealed that NPEs showed favorable distributions in both breast cancer cell lines, meaning good lipophilicity values, low unfractionated values, and high bioavailability. Therefore, these potential anticancer compounds should be further validated by in vivo studies for their appropriate function in human health with a safety profile, and a comprehensive drug interaction study should be performed.

The distribution of diatom assemblages with the effects of environmental parameters and ecological status assessment based on diatom indices in the lentic systems of the Akarçay and Asi Basins (Türkiye).

In order to detect the effects of different stressors on the littoral diatom assemblages and biodiversity of the lentic systems in two different basins in Türkiye, 15 lentic systems in the Akarçay and Asi basins were sampled three times (spring, summer, and fall) for littoral diatoms and environmental variables. The biological assessment of these sites was also evaluated using 9 different river and lake diatom indices. Based on the total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity (SAL) values, and dominant diatom species, three lentic systems in Akarçay Basin (Lake Eber, 26 Agustos Pond, and Lake Karamik) were more eutrophic and under the pressure of anthropogenic and climatic (precipitation) stressors. Trophic diatom index for lakes (TDIL) showed a higher correlation with TN and TP and was the most effective index in explaining ecological quality in 15 lentic systems. The species richness of diatoms was also negatively affected by EC and SAL values. The lentic systems of the two basins were separated from each other based on the species composition and the distribution of the dominant species with the effect of altitude (ALT). Considering the distribution of diatom assemblage of the lentic systems in these two basins, anthropogenic, climatic, and geographical factors have become prominent to shape the diatom community structure.

Seminal oxidation-reduction potential as a possible indicator of impaired sperm parameters in Turkish population.

Oxidative stress (OS) has been shown to have a key role in male infertility. Recently, a new measurement method has been developed to measure the overall oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in a semen sample known as the MiOXSYS system. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of sperm parameters with oxidative stress levels determined by ORP and to evaluate whether the current limit is able to distinguish abnormal sperm parameters from normal ones in Turkish population. Semen samples of 121 patients who applied for infertility investigation were divided into two groups as (OS +; n:39) and (OS -; n:82). Semen parameters were compared between groups. Sperm concentration, total motility and progressive motility were found to be significantly lower in OS (+) patients compared to those OS (-), while immotile sperm count was significantly higher in OS (+) patients. Oxidative stress determined by MiOXSYS system was found to be related to reduced sperm parameters in Turkish population, which may be used as an indicator of poor sperm parameters and a support to routine semen analysis. In addition, recommended reference value was found to be reliable in distinguishing normal from impaired semen parameters.

4-Propargyl-substituted 1H-pyrroles induce apoptosis and autophagy via extracellular signal-regulated signaling pathway in breast cancer.

Novel pyrrole derivatives (PDs) with propargyl units (1-7) were investigated for their anticancer activity on breast cancer cells. The MTT assay was used to assess the cell viability. Morphological changes in human breast cancer cells were visualized under a phase-contrast microscope. Apoptosis and autophagy were detected using the DNA fragmentation assay and staining by autophagic vacuoles, respectively. The levels of apoptosis- and autophagy-related proteins such as cytochrome c, Bcl-2, LC3-I/II were investigated by Western blot analysis. The effect of PDs on the ERK1/2 signaling pathway was investigated using specific inhibitors. All the tested PDs were found to be active in the range of 36.7 ± 0.2 to 459.7 ± 4.2 µM. Compounds 3 and 4 showed cytotoxic activity in breast cancer cells, but were found to be safer with lower cytotoxicity on human nontumorigenic epithelial breast cells. Compound 4 induced apoptosis, whereas compound 3 induced autophagy. Both compounds inhibited the ERK signaling pathway in breast cancer cells. The present study revealed that both synthesized PDs induced different programmed cell death types by inhibiting the ERK signaling pathway in two genotypically different breast cancer cells. Therefore, novel PDs might be promising anticancer agents for breast cancer therapy and further structural modifications of PDs may yield promising anticancer agents.

The quality of ECG data acquisition, and diagnostic performance of a novel adhesive patch for ambulatory cardiac rhythm monitoring in arrhythmia detection.

BACKGROUND: Short and long ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring with different systems is a widely used method to detect cardiac arrhythmias. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel monitoring device on cardiac arrhythmia detection. METHODS: We used two different protocols to evaluate device performance. For the first one, 36 healthy subjects were enrolled. The standard 12­lead, 24-h Holter monitoring and the novel single lead electrocardiogram (ECG) Patch Monitor (EPM) device (BeyondCare®, Rooti Labs Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan) were simultaneously applied to all subjects for 24 h. The quality of ECG data acquisition of novel system was compared to that of standard Holter. The second phase included 73 patients that were referred from our outpatient arrhythmia clinic for evaluation of their symptoms relevant to the cardiac arrhythmias. Advanced algorithms, statistical methods (cross-correlation method, Pearson's correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plots) were used to process and verify the acquired data. RESULTS: The overall average beat per minute correlation between BeyondCare® and standard 12­lead Holter was found 98% in 33 healthy subjects. The mean percentage of invalid measurements in BeyondCare® was 1.6% while the Holter's was 1.7%. In the second protocol of the study, prospective data from 67 patients who were referred for evaluation of their symptoms relevant to cardiac arrhythmias, showed that the mean BeyondCare® wear time was 4.7 ±â€¯0.5 days out of five total days per protocol. The mean analyzable wear time was 93.6%. The water-resistant design enabled 73.5% of the participants to take a shower. 7.3% of participants had minor skin irritations related to the electrodes. Among the patients with detected arrhythmia (40.2% of all patients), 29.6% had their first arrhythmia after the initial two days period. A clinically significant pause was detected in one patient, ventricular tachycardia was detected in four patients, and supraventricular tachycardia was detected in 15 patients. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was identified in seven patients. Three of them had their first episodes after the second day of monitoring. CONCLUSION: BeyondCare® Patch was well-tolerated and allowed prolonged time periods for continuous ECG monitoring, may result in an improvement in clinical accuracy and detection of arrhythmias by cloud-based artificial intelligence operating system.

Hepatoprotective Role of Thymol in Drug-Induced Gastric Ulcer Model.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Indo is widely one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and one of the common toxic effects of this drug is hepatic failure. Thymol is a monoterpene phenol with many different pharmacological activities. However, up to now its hepatoprotective effects on Indo-induced gastric ulcer model in rats have not been explored yet. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty five Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into seven groups: control, ulcer control (30 mg/kg Indo), Indo + reference standard (50 mg/kg Rantidine), Indo + Thymol (75, 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg) groups. 10 minutes after the induction of ulcer with Indo; Thymol was orally administered to the rats. Liver function enzymes (AST, ALT and LDH) were measured from serum samples. TOS/TAC, TNF-α and PGE2 levels, eNOS and Caspase-3 activity were assessed from tissue homogenate samples. In addition, histopathologic analysis on liver sections was performed. RESULTS: Indo significantly increased the levels of hepatic enzymes, TNF-α and eNOS, and caspase-3 activation, while decreased PGE2 levels. Furthermore, it induced oxidative stress as evidenced by elevated TOS and decreased TAC levels. However, Thymol treatment induced a significant improvement in these parameters, especially in 250 mg/kg dose. On the other hand, treatment with Thymol 500 mg/kg dramatically affected the parameters much worse than the Indo treated group. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study demonstrated that Thymol administration significantly ameliorated liver injury due to Indo toxicity. This effect of Thymol (250 mg/kg) may be mediated by its anti-oxidative or anti-inflammatory effect, and up-regulation the synthesis of PGE2.

Effects of human sperm cryopreservation on apoptotic markers in normozoospermic and non-normozoospermic patients.

SummaryThe negative effects of cryopreservation on sperm parameters are well documented but little information is known about molecular basis of the process. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible effects of sperm cryopreservation on main apoptotic signs including DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation and to determine if these effects vary according to sperm parameters. Sperm samples of 72 patients were cryopreserved. The patients were sub-grouped as normozoospermic or non-normozoospermic patients according to their semen parameters. DNA fragmentation rates and caspase-3 activation levels were analyzed before and after cryopreservation in both groups. Mean DNA fragmentation rate was increased significantly from 23.98% in neat semen samples to 27.34% after cryopreservation (P = 0.03). DNA fragmentation rates were slightly higher in non-normozoospermic patients compared with the normozoospermic patients in both the neat semen and after cryopreservation (23.25 and 24.71% vs. 26.32 and 28.36%, respectively) although the difference obtained were not statistically significant. An increasing trend for caspase-3 activations (0.093 vs. 0.116) was observed after cryopreservation but the differences were not statistically significant. Caspase-3 activation was found to be slightly higher in non-normozoospermic patients both in the neat semen and after cryopreservation compared with the normozoospermic patients but the differences were not statistically significant. Caspase-3 expression was also shown using immunocytochemistry in both fresh ejaculated sperm and thawed sperm after cryopreservation but at different localizations. The cryopreservation process had detrimental effects on sperm quality but the quality of the sperm samples was not adversely effective for the apoptotic markers including DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation patterns. In fact, it was the cryopreservation process itself that adversely effected the above apoptotic markers and apoptosis. It was concluded therefore that sperm cell cryopreservation triggers apoptosis after thawing and this process adversely affects semen parameters.

Influence of Behçet's disease on first and second trimester serum screening markers.

AIM: Behçet's disease (BD) is a rare and multisystemic vasculitis disease. In this study, we investigated whether BD had any effect on the biochemical components of first and second trimester aneuploidy screening tests. METHODS: A case-control retrospective study was conducted with 32 pregnant women with BD and 60 healthy pregnant women as controls. All pregnant womens' first trimester maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, free ß-human chorionic gonadotropin and second trimester serum alpha-fetoprotein, unconjugated estriol and total human chorionic gonadotropin levels were examined from medical records. First and second serum screening markers were compared between pregnancies with BD and without. RESULTS: There was no difference in age, body mass index and obstetric history between the groups. No significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of first and second trimester serum screening test results in the absence of aneuploidy or neural tube defect. Gestational age at birth, birth weight and neonatal intensive care admission rate were also similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: Both first and second serum screening tests for Down syndrome may be recommended to pregnant women with BD without the need to readjust these markers. Pregnancy with BD was not associated with adverse perinatal outcome with respect to gestational age at birth or birth weight.

Elevated red blood cell distribution width is associated with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is the most common pregnancy specific liver disease and related with adverse maternal and perinatal outcome. Red blood cell distribution width, an anisocytosis marker in a complete blood count, has been used as an inflammation marker in various diseases. However the association of red blood cell distribution width with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between red blood cell distribution width and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and ninety healthy pregnant women were included in the study. Their clinical and laboratory characteristics including red blood cell distribution width, liver function tests, fasting and postprandial bile acid concentrations were analyzed. RESULTS: Serum red blood cell distribution width cell levels were significantly higher in pregnants with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy than healthy pregnants. We also demonstrated that red blood cell distribution Width levels were higher in severe disease than mild disease and was significantly correlated with fasting and postprandial bile acid concentration in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that red blood cell distribution width, an easy and inexpensive marker; were associated with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

The effect of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and ursodeoxycholic acid treatment on Doppler parameters of fetal and maternal circulation.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate feto-maternal blood flow parameters using Doppler ultrasonography (USG) in pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment on these parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study was performed at Dr. Sami Ulus Women's and Children's Health Teaching and Research Hospital, in Turkey between September 2022 and February 2023. Sixty pregnant women, 30 with ICP disease and 30 healthy women were included in the study. Obstetric Doppler parameters were measured by USG at diagnosis and after 48 hours of UDCA treatment for the ICP group. RESULTS: The obstetric Doppler parameters did not significantly differ in the ICP group and the healthy control group. The Doppler findings were similar after UDCA treatment in the ICP group. Gestational week at delivery and birth weight were lower in the ICP group in our study. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that pregnant women with ICP had similar obstetric Doppler parameters when compared with healthy pregnant women and that the UDCA agent used for treatment of ICP disease did not affect these parameters.

Indicator displacement-based colorimetric assay for dibutyl phthalate in pharmaceutical products with titanium(IV)-pyridylazo resorcinol (PAR).

Taking advantage of the competitive binding affinity towards Ti(IV) between 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol (PAR) and phthalate, a simple indicator displacement (ID)-based colorimetric assay was designed for indirect determination of a well-known phthalic acid ester, dibutyl phthalate (DBP). The indicator PAR and Ti(IV) formed a purplish-red-colored Ti(IV)-PAR complex (λmax = 540 nm) at a 1:1 ratio. In the presence of pre-hydrolyzed DBP, colorless complex formation of phthalate ion (emerging from alkaline hydrolysis of DBP) with Ti(IV) resulted in a hypsochromic shift in absorbance maximum, accompanying a color change from purplish-red to yellowish-orange (λmax = 390 nm) by the release of PAR from Ti(IV)-PAR system. Based on this mechanism, the linear response range of the system for DBP was found to lie between 0.16 and 0.37 mmol L-1 with an experimental detection limit of 11.6 µmol L-1. The recommended Ti(IV)-PAR system was successfully applied to DBP-containing pharmaceutical products (as real sample) after a simple clean-up process for removing possible water-soluble interferents. The analytical results obtained from the recommended method (by applying the standard addition approach) and the reference liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method were statistically compared using DBP-extract of the drug samples. Consequently, a simple and selective colorimetric ID strategy was proposed for the analysis of DBP in pharmaceuticals for the first time.

The relationship between chronotype, psychological pain, problematic social media use, and suicidality among university students in Turkey.

Chronotype has been extensively linked to various psychological outcomes, including suicide, which significantly impacts the mortality rate among young adults worldwide. Research on the extent of these links is still ongoing. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the complex relationships between chronotype, internet addiction, problematic social media use (PSMU), psychological pain, and suicidality in a student population. A total of 571 Turkish students (65.3% female, mean age 20.3 ± 1.63 years) completed the following scales: the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), the Mee-Bunney Psychological Pain Assessment Scale (MBPPAS), the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Morningness - Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The results showed that the relationship between chronotype and suicidality was partially mediated by SMDS and MBPPAS but not by anxiety, depression, or IAT. These findings suggest that psychological pain and PSMU may be important factors that contribute to suicidality in evening-type individuals. These findings have significant implications for the development of interventions aimed at reducing suicidality among evening-type individuals. By addressing the underlying factors of psychological pain and PSMU, it may be possible to mitigate the increased risk of suicidality among this population.

Description of Naviculavanseea sp. nov. (Naviculales, Naviculaceae), a new species of diatom from the highly alkaline Lake Van (Republic of Türkiye) with complete characterisation of its organellar genomes and multigene phylogeny.

The current article describes Naviculavanseeasp. nov., a new species of diatom from Lake Van, a highly alkaline lake in Eastern Anatolia (Türkiye). The description is based on light and scanning electron microscopy performed on two monoclonal cultures. The complete nuclear rRNA clusters and plastid genomes have been sequenced for these two strains and the complete mitogenome for one of them. The plastome of both strains shows the probable loss of a functional ycf35 gene. They also exhibit two IB4 group I introns in their rrl, each encoding for a putative LAGLIDADG homing endonuclease, with the first L1917 IB4 intron reported amongst diatoms. The Maximum Likelihood phylogeny inferred from a concatenated alignment of 18S, rbcL and psbC distinguishes N.vanseea sp. nov. from the morphologically similar species Naviculacincta and Naviculamicrodigitoradiata.

Elucidating the visual phenomena in epilepsy: A mini review.

Epilepsy is one of the most recognizable neurological diseases, globally. Epilepsy may be accompanied by various complications, including vision impairments, which may severely impact one's quality of life. These visual phenomena may occur in the preictal, ictal and/or postictal periods of seizures. Examples of epilepsy associated visual phenomena include visual aura, visual hallucinations, transient visual loss and amaurosis (blindness). These ophthalmologic signs/symptoms of epilepsy may be temporary or permanent and may vary depending of the type of epilepsy and location of the seizure foci (occipital or temporal lobe). Some visual phenomena may even be utilized to diagnose the epilepsy type, although solely depending on visual symptoms for diagnosis may lead to mistreatment. Some antiseizure medications (ASMs) may also contribute to certain visual disturbances, thereby impacting its therapeutic efficiency for patients with epilepsy (PWE). Although the development of visual comorbidities has been observed diversely among PWE, there may still be a lack of understanding on their relevance and manifestation in epilepsy, which may contribute to the rate of misdiagnosis and the current scarcity in therapeutic relieve. Therefore, this mini narrative review aimed to discuss the common epilepsy associated visual phenomena, based on the available literature. This review also showcased the relationship between the type of visual complications and the site of seizure onset, as well as compared the visual phenomena between occipital lobe epilepsy and temporal lobe epilepsy. Evaluation of these findings may be crucial in reducing the risk of permanent seizure/epilepsy related vision deficits among PWE.

Biodegradable Polycaprolactone Fibers with Silica Aerogel and Nanosilver Particles Produce a Coagulation Effect.

Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester that can be used in the field of biomaterials. Electrospinning is the name given to the process of producing micro and nanoscale fibers using electrostatically charged polymeric solutions under certain conditions. Almost all synthetic and naturally occurring polymers can undergo electrospinning using suitable solvents or mixtures prepared in certain proportions. In this study, silica aerogels were obtained by the sol-gel method. PCL-silica aerogel fibers were synthesized by adding 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% ratios in the PCL solution. Blood contact analysis was performed on the produced fibers with UV-VIS. According to the results obtained, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% nano-silver were added to the fiber-containing 4% aerogel. Then, SEM-EDS and FTIR analyses were performed on all fibers produced. Antimicrobial tests were performed on fibers containing nano-silver. As a result, high-performance blood coagulation fibers were developed using PCL with aerogel, and an antimicrobial effect was achieved with nano-silver particles. It is thought that the designed surface will be preferred in wound dressing and biomaterial in tissue engineering, as it provides a high amount of cell adhesion with a small amount of blood and contains antimicrobial properties.

Craspedostaurosnazmii sp. nov., a new diatom species (Bacillariophyta) from the Turkish Coast of the Black Sea.

Craspedostauros E.J. Cox is a diatom genus comprising 17 taxa reported from various regions of the world. While many species of Craspedostauros are epibiontic, the taxa have variable ecological preferences. In this study we formally describe Craspedostaurosnazmiisp. nov., an epilithic species discovered along the Turkish Black Sea Coast, based on light and scanning electron microscopy. Craspedostaurosnazmiisp. nov. is characterized by valves that are lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, slightly constricted near the apices with uniseriate, parallel throughout the whole valve, transapical striae and and the presence of an apical silica flap. The areolae are distributed over the valve face and the mantle. The differences and similarities between C.nazmiisp. nov. and established species of Craspedostauros are discussed. Based on shape and morphometrics, the most similar species is Craspedostauroscapensis, but it is easily distinguished from C.nazmiisp. nov. by its lack of an apical silica flap.

Conformal carbon nitride thin film inter-active interphase heterojunction with sustainable carbon enhancing sodium storage performance.

Sustainable, high-performance carbonaceous anode materials are highly required to bring sodium-ion batteries to a more competitive level. Here, we exploit our expertise to control the deposition of a nm-sized conformal coating of carbon nitride with tunable thickness to improve the electrochemical performance of anode material derived from sodium lignosulfonate. In this way, we significantly enhanced the electrochemical performances of the electrode, such as the first cycle efficiency, rate-capability, and specific capacity. In particular, with a 10 nm homogeneous carbon nitride coating, the specific capacity is extended by more than 30% with respect to the bare carbon material with an extended plateau capacity, which we attribute to a heterojunction effect at the materials' interface. Eventually, the design of (inter)active electrochemical interfaces will be a key step to improve the performance of carbonaceous anodes with a negligible increase in the material weight.