Prevalence of Transmitted Drug Resistance among HIV-1 Patients in the Aegean Region: Results from the Western Part of Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the antiretroviral drug resistance in antiretroviral treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients in the Aegean Region of Turkey from 2012 to 2019. METHODS: The study included 814 plasma samples from treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients. Drug resistance analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing (SS) between 2012-2017 and by next-generation sequencing sequencing (NGS) between 2018-2019. SS was used to analyze resistance mutations in the protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) gene regions using a ViroSeq HIV-1 Genotyping System. PCR products were analyzed with an ABI3500 GeneticAnalyzer (Applied Biosystems). The sequencing of the HIV genome in the PR, RT, and integrase gene regions was carried out using MiSeq NGS technology. Drug resistance mutations and subtypes were interpreted using the Stanford University HIV-1 drug resistance database. RESULTS: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) mutation was detected in 34/814 (4.1 %) samples. Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), and protease inhibitor (PI) mutations were identified in 1.4 % (n =12), 2.4 % (n =20), and 0.3 % (n = 3) of samples, respectively. The most common subtypes were B (53.1 %), A (10.9%), CRF29_BF (10.6%), and B + CRF02_AG (8,2%). The most common TDR mutations were E138A (3.4%), T215 revertants (1.7%), M41L (1.5%), and K103N (1.1%). CONCLUSION: Transmitted drug resistance rate in the Aegean Region is compatible with national and regional data. Routine surveillance of resistance mutations may guide the safe and correct selection of initial drug combinations for antiretroviral therapy. The identification of HIV-1 subtypes and recombinant forms in Turkey may contribute to international molecular epidemiological data.

Concentration levels, spatial variations and exchanges of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in ambient air, surface water and sediment in Bursa, Türkiye.

In this study, ambient air, surface water and sediment samples were simultaneously collected and analyzed for PCBs to investigate their levels, spatial variations and exchanges between these three compartments at different sampling sites for 12 months in Bursa, Türkiye. During the sampling period, a total of 41 PCB concentrations were determined in the ambient air, surface water (dissolved and particle phase) and sediment. Thus, 945.9 ± 491.6 pg/m3 (average ± STD), 53.8 ± 54.7 ng/L, 92.8 ± 59.3 ng/L and 71.4 ± 38.7 ng/g, respectively. The highest concentrations of PCBs in the ambient air and in water particulate phase were measured at the industrial/agricultural sampling site (1308.6 ± 252.1 pg/m3 and 168.7 ± 21.2 ng/L, respectively), ∼ 4-10 times higher than background sites; while the highest concentrations in the sediment and dissolved phase were measured at the urban/agricultural sampling sites (163.8 ± 27.0 ng/L and 145.7 ± 15.3 ng/g, respectively), ∼ 5-20 times higher than background sites. PCB transitions between ambient air-surface water (fA/fW) and surface water-sediment (fW/fS) were investigated by fugacity ratio calculations. According to the fugacity ratios obtained, volatilization from the surface water to the ambient air was observed at all sampling sites (98.7 % of fA/fW ratios are <1.0). Additionally, it has been determined that there is a transport from the surface water to the sediment (100.0 % of fW/fS ratios are higher than 1.0). The flux values in ambient air-surface water and surface water-sediment environments ranged from -1.2 to 1770.6 pg/m2-day and from -225.9 to 0.001 pg/m2-day, respectively. The highest flux values were measured for PCBs with low chlorine content (Mono-, Di-Cl PCBs), while the lowest flux values were measured for the high chlorine content PCBs (Octa-, Nona- and Deca-Cl PCBs). As it was determined in this study that surface waters contaminated by PCBs have the potential to pollute both air and sediments, it will be important to take measures to protect surface waters.

Evaluation of levels and sources of microplastics and phthalic acid esters and their relationships in the atmosphere of highly industrialized and urbanized Gebze, Türkiye.

The presence of microplastics (MPs) in the atmosphere and their relationship with other pollutants have been gaining attention due to both their ubiquity and threatening human health. As well phthalic acid esters (PAEs) regarding as plasticizers for being added in plastic materials are key role for plastic pollution. In this study, the concentrations and sources of airborne MPs together with major PAEs and their relationships were investigated for four seasons. MP particles <20 µm, constituting the majority of the samples, were successfully revealed by NR fluorescent analysis. As a result of the µATR-FTIR analyzes, it was seen that besides different polymer derivatives, dye-pigment types, some minerals and compounds, and abundant semi-synthetic fibers and natural fibers were also present. MPs concentration were found in the range of 7207-21,042 MP/m3 in summer, 7245-32,950 MP/m3 in autumn, 4035-58,270 MP/m3 in winter and 7275-37,094 MP/m3 in spring. For the same period, the concentrations of PAEs ranged from 9.24 to 115.21 ng/m3 with an average value of 38.08 ± 7.92 ng/m3. PMF was also applied and four factors were extracted. Factor 1, accounts 52.26 % and 23.27 % of the total PAEs and MPs variances, was attributed to PVC sources. Factor 2, explaining 64.98 % of the total MPs variance had the highest loading of MPs and moderate loadings of relatively low molecular weight of PAEs, was attributed to plastics and personal care products. Factor 3, explaining the 28.31 % of the total PAEs variance was laden with BBP, DnBP, DiBP and DEP and was attributed to various plastic input during the sampling campaign coming from the industrial activities. The last factor accounts for 11.65 % of the total PAEs variance and was dominated by DMEP and it was linked to a source of the activities performed in the laboratories of the university.

The effect of the presence of water on sulfur removal capacity during H2S removal from syngas using ZnO adsorbent.

Compared to extensive studies on affecting parameters in sulfur removal with ZnO adsorbents from coal gasification syngas, similar studies conducted for biomass gasification syngas (BGS) are quite rare. Thus, considering the BGSs with high water content, this study was performed to investigate the effect of H2O presence in syngas on sulfur removal capacity (SRC) of ZnO adsorbents. Initially, the effect of gas composition and temperature on SRC in binary gas mixture was investigated. While H2O decreased the SRC, as expected, the highest reduction in the capacity occurred in the CO-H2S gas mixture due to observed COS formation. Second, the SRCs and resulting COS formation were compared for synthetic syngas mixtures having different water contents and for different amounts of adsorbents. Finally, the separate and combined effects of temperature and H2O on SRC and COS formation in synthetic syngas were investigated by comparing SRCs of typical syngas under wet and dry conditions. The results showed that increasing the amount of adsorbent and temperature results in higher SRC due to a reduction in COS formation through the reactions of COS with H2 and H2O. This indicates that it is critical to control the residence time of syngas and temperature to reduce COS formation during ZnO adsorption.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) pollution in soil of a highly industrialized region (Dilovasi) in Turkey: concentrations, spatial and temporal variations and possible sources.

In this study, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) levels in soil were studied for a whole year in highly industrialized region of Turkey (Dilovasi) at 23 sampling sites. Σ8PBDE concentrations were between 0.15 and 286 µg kg-1 and the overall average concentration was 14.45 ± 25.07 µg kg-1 (average ± SD). BDE-209 was the most abundant compound. PBDEs concentrations decreased spatially as follows: industrial/urban > urban > suburban > rural. However, there was not any significant seasonal trend except for some industrial/urban sites. In the region, calm weather conditions prevailed during the sampling periods, enhancing the impact of the industrial emissions on nearby soil concentrations by atmospheric deposition without being diluted by winds. All congeners had significant but weak correlations with soil organic matter content indicating the impact of nearby sources rather than soil properties on soil PBDEs concentrations at the sampling sites. Positive matrix factorization method was also used for the apportionment of the PBDEs sources in Dilovasi soil. Industrial activities (i.e., iron-steel production, metallurgical processes, and recycling of plastics), traffic, and residential areas were found to be the primary sources of the measured PBDEs in the soil.

Spatio-temporal variations of atmospheric and soil polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in highly industrialized region of Dilovasi.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were investigated in ambient air of a highly industrialized region at 23 different sampling sites for 12 months. Total concentrations of 8 PBDE congeners (Σ8PBDE) were found to be between 5.73 and 520 pg m-3 (94.7 ±â€¯78.9; average ±â€¯SD) and BDE-209 was the predominant congener, followed by BDE-47 and/or BDE-99. Their contributions to Σ8PBDE were 71 ±â€¯13, 9 ±â€¯4% and 8 ±â€¯4%; respectively. Compared to previous studies around the world, high concentrations detected in Dilovasi demonstrated the severity of atmospheric PBDE pollution in the area. For all sampling sites, average PBDE concentration obtained in summer (118.5 ±â€¯98.7 pg m-3) was higher than one found in winter period (79.7 ±â€¯59.1 pg m-3) and this seasonal difference was more obvious in industrial/urban sites (p < 0.05), probably due to enhanced volatilization from ongoing PBDE sources such as waste incineration and iron-steel plants. The soil-air exchange tendencies of PBDEs did not show substantial differences between the sampling periods with small variations for each congener. All congeners either tend to deposit to soil or to be within the equilibrium range for all seasons. This reflects the impact of local ongoing sources rather than temperature on the direction of soil-air exchange of PBDEs in this region. Specific congener ratios such as BDE-47/-99 and -99/-100 confirmed the impact of local sources rather than long-range transport on PBDE congeners in the study area. According to the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) results, the BDE-209 content of the first factor was found to be 91.7% and this factor was attributed to the deca-BDE technical formulations. The second factor was highly rich with both BDE-183 (%61) and BDE-28 (%52) and identified as octa-BDE technical products. The last factor was highly loaded with BDE-99, BDE-47, BDE-100, BDE-154 and BDE-153 and has been determined as the penta-BDE commercial formulations.

Source apportionment and carcinogenic risk assessment of passive air sampler-derived PAHs and PCBs in a heavily industrialized region.

Cancer has become the primary reason of deaths in Dilovasi probably due to its location with unique topography under the influence of heavy industrialization and traffic. In this study, possible sources and carcinogenic health risks of PAHs and PCBs were investigated in Dilovasi region by Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and the USEPA approach, respectively. PAHs and PCBs were measured monthly for a whole year at 23 sampling sites using PUF disk passive samplers. Average ambient air concentrations were found as 285±431ng/m3 and 4152±6072pg/m3, for Σ15PAH and Σ41PCB, respectively. PAH concentrations increased with decreasing temperature especially at urban sites, indicating the impact of residential heating in addition to industrial activities and traffic. On the other hand, PCB concentrations mostly increased with temperature probably due to enhanced volatilization from their sources. Possible sources of PAHs were found as emissions of diesel and gasoline vehicles, biomass and coal combustion, iron and steel industry, and unburned petroleum/petroleum products, whereas iron-steel production, coal and biomass burning, technical PCB mixtures, and industrial emissions were identified for PCBs. The mean carcinogenic risk associated with inhalation exposure to PAHs and PCBs were estimated to be >10-6 and >10-5, respectively, at all sampling points, while the 95th percentile was >10-5 at 15 of 23 and >10-4 at 8 of 23 sampling locations, respectively. Probabilistic assessment showed, especially for PCBs, that a majority of Dilovasi population face significant health risks. The higher risks due to PCBs further indicated that PCBs and possibly other pollutants originating from the same sources such as PBDEs and PCNs may be an important issue for the region.

Atmospheric concentrations, distributions and air-soil exchange tendencies of PAHs and PCBs in a heavily industrialized area in Kocaeli, Turkey.

Dilovasi is one of the heavily industrialized areas in Turkey with serious environmental problems. In this study, the atmospheric concentration of PAHs and PCBs were measured for a whole year at 23 sites. The average ambient air Σ15PAH and Σ41PCB concentrations were found as 285 ± 431 ng m-3 and 4152 ± 6072 pg m-3, respectively. PAH concentrations increased with decreasing temperature especially in urban areas, indicating the impact of residential heating. However, PCB concentrations mostly increased with temperature probably due to enhanced volatilization from their sources. The gradient obtained for PCBs, rural < suburban < urban < industrial/urban, is more clear than those obtained for PAHs. The average Σ15PAH and Σ41PCB soil concentrations were found as 992 ± 1323 and 18.8 ± 32.0 µg kg-1, respectively. PCB soil concentrations did not show significant temporal variations while PAH concentrations were variable especially for urban areas. The volatilization tendencies of low and medium molecular weight PAHs from soil to air were higher in industrial-urban areas than rural sites, showing that soil was a secondary source for PAHs. Fugacity ratios of PCBs were mostly <1.0 for the whole sampling period. Although the source/sink tendency of soil for some PCBs depends on their volatility, considering the whole data, PCBs were generally deposited to soil.

PAHs and PCBs in an Eastern Mediterranean megacity, Istanbul: Their spatial and temporal distributions, air-soil exchange and toxicological effects.

Istanbul, one of the mega cities in the world located between Asia and Europe, has suffered from severe air pollution problems due to rapid population growth, traffic and industry. Atmospheric levels of PAHs and PCBs were investigated in Istanbul at 22 sampling sites during four different sampling periods using PUF disk passive air samplers and spatial and temporal variations of these chemicals were determined. Soil samples were also taken at the air sampling sites. At all sites, the average ambient air Σ15PAH and Σ41PCB concentrations were found as 85.6 ± 68.3 ng m-3 and 246 ± 122 pg m-3, respectively. Phenanthrene and anthracene were the predominant PAHs and low molecular weight congeners dominated the PCBs. The PAH concentrations were higher especially at urban sites close to highways. However, the PCBs showed moderately uniform spatial variations. Except four sites, the PAH concentrations were increased with decreasing temperatures during the sampling period, indicating the contributions of combustion sources for residential heating, while PCB concentrations were mostly increased with the temperature, probably due to enhanced volatilization at higher temperatures from their sources. The results of the Factor Analysis represented the impact of traffic, petroleum, coal/biomass and natural gas combustion and medical waste incineration plants on ambient air concentrations. A similar spatial distribution trend was observed in the soil samples. Fugacity ratio results indicated that the source/sink tendency of soil for PAHs and PCBs depends on their volatility and temperature; soil generally acts as a source for lighter PAHs and PCBs particularly in higher temperatures while atmospheric deposition is a main source for higher molecular weight compounds in local soils. Toxicological effect studies also revealed the severity of air and soil pollution especially in terms of PAHs in Istanbul.

Investigation of PAHs, PCBs and PCNs in soils around a Heavily Industrialized Area in Kocaeli, Turkey: Concentrations, distributions, sources and toxicological effects.

Soil is an important environmental medium reflecting the level and the spatial distribution of air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). Soil concentrations of PCNs measured in the present study were generally higher and PCBs concentrations were considerably higher than those reported in the literature, while PAHs concentrations were comparable. Combustion related PCNs congener ratios to their total concentrations and PAHs diagnostic ratios suggested the substantial contribution of combustion sources and the statistically significant correlation between PCBs and PCNs (r=0.88) indicated that these POPs were emitted from the common sources. Principal Component Analysis was also performed to further assess the possible sources of individual POPs. The results showed the contribution of traffic, petroleum and coal/biomass combustion and iron-steel production. Toxicological effects of POPs in soil were investigated. BaP was used as the marker of carcinogenic PAHs. Seven carcinogenic PAHs concentrations (Σ7cPAH) including BaA, CHR, BbF, BkF, BaP, IcdP and DahA were also used as a parameter to evaluate carcinogenic potency of PAHs. As PCBs and PCNs show dioxin-like toxicities, their toxicological implication were estimated using TCDD equivalence. The results show that the study area faced with severe environmental problems even though the data sets without the complete set of dioxin like PCBs and PCNs would show only a part of the whole toxicological picture.

Wet deposition of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Izmir, Turkey.

Concentrations of several polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in precipitation (n = 33) at a suburban site in Izmir, Turkey. Total (dissolved + particle) volume weighted mean (VWM) concentrations for Σ16PAHs, Σ18PCBs, Σ17OCPs, and Σ7PBDEs were 785, 19.2, 50.5, and 29.6 ng l(-1), respectively. Low molecular weight (LMW) compounds (acenaphthylene, fluorene, phenanthrene) and congeners (PCB-18, 28, and 31) dominated the PAH and PCB concentrations, respectively. For PBDEs, BDE-209, and for OCPs, chlorpyrifos, a currently used pesticide, were the predominant compounds. Annual Σ7PBDEs flux was 18.74 µg m(-2) year(-1). PBDE fluxes were mainly in dissolved phase for all congeners except BDE-209 which had comparable proportions in both phases. Annual flux for Σ16PAHs was 497.4 µg m(-2) year(-1); higher molecular weight (MW) PAH fluxes had comparable amounts in both phases while lower MW ones were mostly in dissolved phase. Wet deposition fluxes for Σ18PCBs and Σ17OCPs were 9.40 and 31.94 µg m(-2) year(-1), respectively, and they were predominantly in dissolved phase. Wet deposition fluxes were compared to previously measured annual dry deposition fluxes at the study site to determine their relative contributions to annual total (dry particle + wet) deposition. Dry deposition was the major removal mechanism for most of the PAHs and PCBs contributing >80 % to total (wet + dry) deposition. However, both processes were comparable for PBDEs. Wet deposition was the predominant process for some OCPs such as α-chlordane, γ-chlordane, and trans-nonachlor while both processes were comparable for chlorpyrifos and heptachlor epoxide.

Soil concentrations and source apportionment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and trace elements around a heavily industrialized area in Kocaeli, Turkey.

Air pollutants are transported by dry deposition, wet deposition, and gas exchange accumulated in soil. Therefore, soil is an important environmental medium reflecting the level and the spatial distribution of air pollutants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and heavy metals. Soil concentrations of seven PBDE congeners and 21 trace elements were determined in a heavily industrialized region (Dilovasi) in Kocaeli, Turkey. At all sites, Σ7PBDE concentrations ranged from 0.70 to 203 with a mean value of 26.3 µg kg(-1) (dry weight). The congener profiles and mass inventories of PBDEs and their interactions with soil organic matter (SOM) were also investigated. BDE-209 was the dominant congener at all sites, followed by BDE-99 and/or -47. The estimated inventory of PBDEs for the Dilovasi district was 310 kg. However, there are several additional industrial regions in Kocaeli city. Considering the total land area, the potential inventory would be much larger for this city. The relationship between the PBDE concentrations in soil and SOM content indicated that factors other than soil properties have a greater influence on soil concentrations. Crustal enrichment factors (EFs) were determined; correlation analysis and factor analysis (FA) were also applied to generated data set to identify and apportion the sources polluting the soil. Sn, Mn, Ca, As, Zn, Pb, and Cd had significantly high average EF values, indicating that their soil concentrations were mainly influenced by anthropogenic activities. In FA, six factors were extracted with a cumulative variance of 84.4 % and industrial activities and traffic were found to be the main factors affecting the soil profile.

Determination of octanol-air partition coefficients of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) as a function of temperature: application to air-soil exchange.

Octanol-air partition coefficients (K(OA)) for 7 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were determined as a function of temperature using the GC retention time method. Log K(OA) values at 25 °C ranged over two orders of magnitude, between 8.32 (chlorpyrifos) and 10.48 (methoxychlor). The determined K(OA) values were within a factor of 0.5 (endosulfan sulfate) to 7.9 (endrin aldehyde) for values calculated as the ratio of octanol-water partition coefficient to dimensionless Henry's law constant. The internal energies of phase transfer between octanol and air (ΔU(OA)) ranged between 71.8 and 95.4 kJ mol(-1) and they were within the reported range for OCPs (55.8-105 kJ mol(-1)). Atmospheric and soil OCP concentrations were also measured in Izmir, Turkey, and data used to investigate the soil-air gas exchange. Net soil-air gas exchange fluxes of OCPs ranged from -0.01 (volatilization, cis-nonachlor) to 56.4 ng m(-2) day(-1) (deposition, chlorpyrifos) in winter, while in summer they ranged from -0.03 (trans-nonachlor) to 329 ng m(-2) day(-1) (endosulfan I). In both sampling periods, endosulfan I and II, trans-nonachlor, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDT were generally deposited to the soil while γ-HCH and heptachlor epoxide mostly volatilized. Fluxes of other OCPs were variable (volatilization or absorption) due to their largely fluctuating ambient air concentrations. Calculated dry deposition and recently measured wet deposition fluxes were used to estimate the relative importance of different mechanisms (i.e., dry deposition, wet deposition, gas absorption, and volatilization) to the local soil pollutant inventory. Generally, all mechanisms contributed significantly to the soil OCP inventory. Volatilization fluxes were generally much lower than the sum of input fluxes (dry deposition, wet deposition and gas absorption) for most of the OCPs indicating a net deposition to the soil.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in indoor and outdoor window organic films in Izmir, Turkey.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations of outdoor and indoor organic films on window glasses were measured at different locations (offices, laboratories, and homes in urban, suburban, rural, and industrial sites) in Izmir, Turkey. ∑(7)PBDE concentrations were dominated by technical penta and deca-BDE mixture components. Average total outdoor PBDE (∑(7)PBDE) concentrations for suburban, urban, and industrial sites were 43.5, 45.5, and 206 ng m(-2), respectively. This spatial gradient (industrial>urban>suburban concentrations) was similar to one observed for ambient air concentrations recently in Izmir, Turkey. The highest concentrations measured in the industrial area were attributed to the significant PBDE emissions from several steel plants located in the area. Air-organic film partitioning modeling results have suggested that organic films can be used in conjunction with the dynamic uptake model to approximate the gas-phase ambient air concentrations. Modeling results have also indicated that congeners in the gas-phase with very large octanol-air partition coefficients (i.e., BDE-154, -153, and -209) will require several months to approach equilibrium with the surface films. This finding may have important implications for gas-particle and gas-film partitioning, transport, and photolytic degradation of atmospheric PBDEs.

Evaluation of species distribution and risk factors of candidemia: a multicenter case-control study.

This study was planned to determine the risk factors of candidemia, and the most common Candida species causing bloodstream infections. A case-control study which included adult patients was conducted over a 1-year period at tertiary-care educational hospitals in Turkey. A total of 83 candidemia episodes were identified during the study period. Candida albicans was the most common species recovered (45.8%) followed by Candida tropicalis (24.1%) Candida parapsilosis (14.5%) and Candida glabrata which was isolated from only four (4.8%) patients. Presence of a urethral catheter (odds ratio [OR] 2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-5.19; P = 0.02), previous use of antibiotics (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.05-6.46; P = 0.03), RBC transfusions (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.16-3.94; P = 0.01) and parenteral nutrition (OR 4.44; 95% CI 2.43-8.11; P < 0.01) were found as independent risk factors for candidemia. TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) was an independent risk factor for both C. albicans and non-Candida albicans Candida species (P < 0.001). Most of the risk factors were invasive procedures and former medications. We conclude that a great number of candidemia cases are preventable by means of reduction of unnecessary invasive procedures and the use of antimicrobials.

Electric arc furnaces for steel-making: hot spots for persistent organic pollutants.

Persistent organic pollutant (POP) concentrations were measured in stack-gases of ferrous scrap processing steel plants with electric arc furnaces (EAFs) (n = 5) in Aliaga, Izmir, Turkey and in air (n = 11) at a site near those plants. Measured stack-gas concentrations for the four plants without scrap preheating (611 +/- 311, 165,000 +/- 285,000, and 33 +/- 3 ng m(-3), average +/- SD for sigma41PCBs, sigma16PAHs, and sigma7PBDEs, respectively) indicated that they are significant sources for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). POP emissions from the plant with scrap preheating were significantly higher (13 500, 445 000, and 91 ng m(-3) for sigma41PCBs, sigma16PAHs, and sigma7PBDEs, respectively). It was also shown that the steel plants emit considerable amounts of fugitive POPs in particle-phase. Estimated emissions using the emission factors generated in this study and the production amounts suggested that the steel plants with EAFs may significantly contribute to local and global PAH, PCB, and PBDE emissions. Several other compounds (aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and chlorine-containing organic compounds, n = 49) were identified and determined semiquantitatively in the stack-gas and ambient air samples. Ambient air concentrations (62 +/- 35, 320 +/- 134 ng m(-3), 1451 +/- 954 pg m(-3), for sigma41PCBs, sigma16PAHs, and sigma7PBDEs, respectively) were significantly higher than those measured previously around the world and in the region, further confirming that the steel plants with EAFs are "hot spots" for POPs.

Comparison of the efficacy of combination and monotherapy with caspofungin and liposomal amphotericin B against invasive candidiasis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if combination therapy with liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB), and caspofungin (CAS) is superior to monotherapies in an experimental model with azole-resistant Candida albicans. METHODS: This study was carried out between October 2006 and August 2007 in Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey. A total of 144 mice were included in the study, and divided into 4 groups as: control (n=36), CAS treatment group n=36, LAmB treatment group (n=36), and combination therapy group (n=36). Treatment efficacy was assessed by determining survival, as well as, the decrease in tissue fungal densities. RESULTS: The fungal densities in tissues were significantly reduced, and the survival rates were prolonged with either CAS only, or LAmB only, or with combination therapy compared to those of controls (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between monotherapy groups. Decrease in tissue fungal densities were significant in CAS and LAmB (1mg/kg) combination group, compared to CAS (1mg/kg) and LAmB (1mg/kg) groups (p=0.004 for CAS, p=0.009 for LAmB). Survival rates were similar in both treatment groups. CONCLUSION: The combination treatment was superior with 1mg/kg of doses of LAmB and CAS in terms of reducing the tissue fungal burden. Although with combination therapy the survival rates prolonged in all subgroups, no significant difference between the combination and monotherapies could be shown. Additional studies with a large number of cases are warranted to investigate the superiority of combination therapy.

Atmospheric concentrations and phase partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Izmir, Turkey.

Atmospheric concentrations of 7 PBDE congeners (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154 and -209) were determined at four sites (i.e. Suburban, Urban 1, Urban 2, Industrial) in Izmir, Turkey and their gas/particle partitioning was investigated. Total PBDE ( summation operator(7)PBDE) concentrations ranged between 11 (Urban 1) and 149pgm(-3) (Industrial) in summer, while in winter, they ranged from 6 (Suburban) to 81pgm(-3) (Industrial). BDE-209 was the dominant congener at all sites, followed by BDE-99 and -47. Investigation of source profiles indicated that the air samples were dominated by congeners of the penta and deca-technical BDE mixtures. The measured PBDE particle fractions were compared to the predictions of the K(OA) (octanol-air partition coefficient)-based equilibrium partitioning model and to the dynamic uptake model developed by others for passive samplers, which was adapted to model gas-particle partitioning in this study. For BDE-28, good agreement was observed between the experimental particle fractions and those predicted by the equilibrium partitioning model. However, this model overestimated the particle fractions of other congeners. The predictions of the dynamic uptake model supported the hypothesis that the unexpectedly high partitioning of BDEs (except BDE-28) to the gas-phase is due to their departure from equilibrium partitioning. When congeners with very large octanol-air partition coefficients (i.e. BDE-100, -99, -154, -153, and -209) are emitted from their sources in the gas-phase, they may remain in that phase for several months before reaching equilibrium with atmospheric particles. This may also have important implications for the transport of atmospheric PBDEs. For example, in addition to particle-bound transport, the gas-phase transport of highly brominated congeners (i.e. BDE-209) may also be important.

Particle-phase dry deposition and air-soil gas-exchange of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Izmir, Turkey.

The particle-phase dry deposition and soil-air gas-exchange of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in Izmir, Turkey. Relative contributions of different deposition mechanisms (dry particle, dry gas, and wet deposition) were also determined. BDE-209 was the dominating congener in all types of samples (air, deposition, and soil). Average dry deposition fluxes of total PBDEs (sigma7PBDE) for suburban and urban sites were 67.6 and 128.8 ng m(-2) day(-1), respectively. Particulate dry deposition velocities ranged from 11.5 (BDE-28) to 3.9 cm s(-1) (BDE-209) for suburban sites and 7.8 (BDE-28) to 2.8 cm s(-1) (BDE-154) for urban sites with an overall average of 5.8 +/- 3.7 cm s(-1). The highest sigma7PBDE concentration (2.84 x 10(6) ng kg(-1) dry wt) was found around an electronic factory among the 13 soil samples collected from different sites. The concentration in a bag filter dust from a steel plant was also high (2.05 x 10(5) ng kg(-1)), indicating that these industries are significant PBDE sources. Calculated net soil-air gas exchange flux of sigma7PBDE ranged from 11.8 (urban) to 23.4 (industrial) ng m(-2) day(-1) in summer, while in winter it ranged from 3.2 (urban) to 11.6 (suburban) ng m(-2) day(-1). All congeners were deposited at all three sites in winter and summer. It was estimated that the wet deposition also contributes significantly to the total PBDE deposition to soil. Dry particle, wet, and gas deposition contribute 60, 32, and 8%, respectively, to annual PBDE flux to the suburban soil.

Ambient concentrations and source apportionment of PCBs and trace elements around an industrial area in Izmir, Turkey.

Atmospheric concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and trace elements were measured at two sites (Industrial and Urban) located around the Aliaga industrial region, Izmir, Turkey. Average sigma 36PCB concentrations were 3136+/-824 and 1371+/-642 pg m(-3) for summer and winter periods, respectively in the Industrial site and they were 314+/-129 and 847+/-610 pg m(-3) in the Urban site. The elemental content showed that the PM(10) measured at the Industrial site was dominated by terrestrial elements and trace elements emitted by the iron-steel plants (Fe, Zn and Pb). The elemental profile at the Urban site was typical for Aegean Region that was dominated by terrestrial elements (Ca, Al, Mg) and sea salt (Na). Sources of particle-phase PCBs and trace elements were identified using factor analysis (FA) and were apportioned by chemical mass balance (CMB) model. FA suggested that the steel industry, fuel oil combustion, or the nearby vinyl chloride process in the petrochemical plant, and soil were significant PCB sources. CMB results showed that at the Industrial site, the contribution of steel industry and soil to particle-phase PCBs were 71% and 22%, respectively, while at the Urban site, the contributions were 33% and 49%, respectively. Steel industry was also the dominant contributor for trace elements around the site. Fugacity calculations in air and soil showed that the soil acts as a secondary source to the atmosphere for low molecular weight PCBs especially in summer and as a sink for the higher molecular weight ones.