Clinical Evaluation of Low-shrinkage Bioactive Material Giomer Versus Nanohybrid Resin Composite Restorations: A Two-year Prospective Controlled Clinical Trial.

This study evaluated the clinical performance of low-shrinkage bioactive resin composite compared with a conventional nanohybrid resin composite. A total of 35 patients (18 males, 17 females; mean age: 29±9 years old) received, randomly, 35 pairs of fillings restored with either low-shrinkage bioactive material employing Giomer filler technology (Beautifil II LS, Shofu Inc, Kyoto, Japan) or conventional nanohybrid resin composite (Clearfil Majesty Posterior, Kuraray, Japan) in Class I and Class II cavities. Two operators made all the restorations using the corresponding adhesive resins: FL-Bond II (Shofu Inc) and Clearfil SE Bond (Kuraray), according to each manufacturer's instructions. Two calibrated operators evaluated the restorations two weeks after placement (baseline), at six months, and at one and two years using FDI criteria (Scores 1-5). Data were analyzed using the McNemar test (α=0.05). Mean observation time was 27.4 ± 4.1 months (min=20.8; max=33.7). In both groups, according to FDI criteria, the restorations were mostly rated with best scores (Score 1 or 2) for biological, functional, and optical parameters. For one filling in the group restored with nanohybrid resin composite, a small and localized secondary caries lesion was observed and monitored at the one- and two-year follow-ups. One restoration in the low-shrinkage Giomer restorative group was accepted as a failure due to retention loss. Over the two-year follow-up, both the Giomer and the nanohybrid resin composite restorations' performance was clinically acceptable.

Identification of fungi found on desiccated human remains in an arid outdoor environment.

Three fungi not previously reported on desiccated human remains were identified on cadavers at the Forensic Investigation Research Station (FIRS) in Whitewater, Colorado. The location of the FIRS provides the unique opportunity to observe the stages of decomposition in a high desert environment. The two cadavers used in the study were in the late stages of decomposition (PMI of approximately 1520 and 1820 days) to the point of desiccation and had developed an extensive black crust on the skin that remained. Skin samples of the two cadavers were taken and plated onto potato dextrose agar to determine whether fungi were present on the desiccated tissues. Three different fungi consistently dominated cultures grown from numerous samples taken from each cadaver. Based on morphological observations, nuclear rDNA sequence data, and phylogenetic analyses, two fungi were identified to species (Aureobasidium melanogenum and Didymella glomerata) and one fungus was identified to the genus level (Alternaria). These results will contribute to the understanding of the role that fungi might play in late-stage decomposition and the extended postmortem period.

Retrospective evaluation of peripartum hysterectomy patients: 8 years' experience of tertiary health care.

Background: Peripartum hysterectomy (PPH), which means surgical removal of the uterus during pregnancy or postpartum period, is a life-saving procedure performed as a last resort to stop obstetric serious bleeding. Aim: Evaluation of the prevalence, risk factors, indications, associated complications, and neonatal outcomes of PPH performed in our clinic. Patients and Methods: A total of 35 patients who underwent PPH in our clinic between 2013 and 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical and demographic characteristics of patients, age, gestational week, delivery type, type of hysterectomy performed, length of hospital stay, PPH indications, additional procedures and complications during PPH, maternal and fetal mortality, neonatal characteristics, intensive care unit (ICU) need after PPH, and blood transfusion amount and time were recorded. Patients with PPH were subdivided and studied in subgroups: Emergency - elective surgery, total - subtotal hysterectomy. Results: PPH was performed in 35 (3.2/1000) patients who gave birth during the study period. The most common indication for hysterectomy was placental invasion anomaly (57.1%, n = 20), and the most performed operation was total hysterectomy (68.6%, n = 24). Bilateral hypogastric artery ligation (14.3%, n = 5) was the most common alternative procedure performed before hysterectomy, and the most common complication was bladder injury (22.9%, n = 8). Blood transfusion was performed in 94.3% (n = 33) of the patients due to acute blood loss. The mean newborn weight was 2788.79 ± 913.37 g, and the 1st and 5th-minute APGAR scores were 6.71 ± 2.25 and 7.56 ± 2.35, respectively. Conclusion: Before PPH, uterine integrity should be preserved using medical and surgical methods, but if success is not achieved, hysterectomy is the last life-saving step. It should be kept in mind that in patients with anemia and increased gravidity, the risk of bleeding may be high in the first 24 h after birth and therefore PPH may be required. It would be more appropriate for patients with placentation anomalies to be operated in experienced centers due to possible complications, increased blood transfusion, and intensive care requirement.

Does fetuin-A mediate the association between pro-inflammatory diet and type-2 diabetes mellitus risk? / ¿Fetuína-A media en la asociación entre la dieta proinflamatoria y el riesgo de diabetes mellitus tipo 2?

Introduction: recent studies indicate that diet increases T2DM risk via inflammation. Fetuin-A, identified as an acute-phase protein, plays a role in insulin resistance and is an independent predictor of type-2 diabetes. Objectives: the present study aimed to examine the association between diet and T2DM risk, and whether said association is mediated by fetuin-A, and to determine the effect of fetuin-A on T2DM risk. Methods: the case group included 40 individuals with T2DM, whereas 40 individuals without T2DM comprised the control group. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), was used to determine the inflammatory potential of diet. A simple mediation analysis was used to investigate whether diet was associated with T2DM risk and whether the association was mediated by fetuin-A. Results: subjects who consumed a high pro-inflammatory diet had 2.0 times higher risk of developing T2DM (OR = 2.043; 95 % CI: 0.955 to 4.371, p = 0.066). In addition, subjects who had higher levels of fetuin-A had a 1,2 times higher risk of developing T2DM (OR = 1.155; 95 % CI: 1.030 to 1.296, p = 0.014). Both fetuin-A and hs-CRP had a significant full mediator role on the association between DII and HOMA-IR [respectively; β = 0.371 (95 % CI: -0.029-0.770), β = 0.424 (95 % CI: -0.007-0.856)]. Conclusion: these findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory diet, by creating an environment of increased inflammatory markers, affects in particular insulin resistance through these markers and ultimately causes T2DM. In addition, fetuin-A also acts as an important novel mediator between diet and T2DM by inducing insulin resistance (AU)

Introducción: estudios recientes indican que la dieta aumenta el riesgo de T2DM mediante la inflamación. La fetuína-A,identificada como proteína de fase aguda, desempeña un papel en la resistencia a la insulina y es un predictor independiente de la diabetes de tipo 2. Objetivos: el presente estudio pretende examinar la asociación entre la dieta y el riesgo de DMT2 y si la asociación está mediada por la fetuína-A y determinar el efecto de la fetuína-A sobre el riesgo de DMT2. Métodos: en el grupo de casos se incluyeron 40 individuos con DMT2, mientras que 40 individuos sin DMT2 se incluyeron en el grupo de control. El índice de inflamación de la dieta (DII) se usó para determinar el potencial inflamatorio de la dieta. El análisis de mediación simple se usó para investigar si la dieta estaba asociada con el riesgo de DMT2 y si la asociación estaba mediada por la fetuína-A. Resultados: los sujetos que consumieron una dieta más proinflamatoria tuvieron 2 veces más riesgo de desarrollar DMT2. Además, los sujetos que tenían niveles más altos de fetuína-A tuvieron 1,2 veces más riesgo de desarrollar DMT2. Tanto la fetuína-Acomo la hs-CRP tuvieron un papel significativo como mediadores completos sobre la asociación entre DII y HOMA-IR. Conclusión: estos hallazgos sugieren que la dieta proinflamatoria, al crear un ambiente con marcadores inflamatorios aumentados, afecta en particular a la resistencia a la insulina a través de estos marcadores y, finalmente, causa DMT2. Además, la fetuína-A también actúa como mediador novedoso importante entre la dieta y la DMT2 al inducir la resistencia a la insulina (AU)

Biology of an Adventive Population of the Armored Scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis, a Biological Control Agent of Arundo donax in California.

Arundo donax (giant reed) is invasive in Mediterranean, sub-, and tropical riparian systems worldwide. The armored scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis is approved for biocontrol in North America, but an adventive population was recently discovered in southern California. We documented this population's distribution, phylogeny, phenology, potential host spillover to Phragmites spp., and potential for parasitism by a common biocontrol parasitoid of citrus scale. The adventive scale was found within a single watershed and is genetically closest to Iberian scale genotypes. Rhizaspidiotus donacis developed on Phragmites haplotypes but at much lower densities than Arundo. The adventive population is univoltine, producing crawlers from March-June. Aphytis melinus parasitoids exhibited sustained interest in R. donacis during choice and no-choice trials and oviposition resulted in a small second generation. Rhizaspidiotus donacis appears limited in distribution by its univoltinism and sessile adult females. This presents challenges for broad biocontrol implementation but allows for targeted application. The genetic differentiation between imported biocontrol samples and adventive populations presents an opportunity for exploring benefits of hybrids and/or alternative genotypes where establishment has been difficult. While unlikely to occur in situ, spillover to vulnerable endemic Phragmites or deleterious parasitoid effects on scale biocontrol agents warrants consideration when planning use of R. donacis.

The impact of dysmenorrhea on pulmonary functions.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is characterized by symptoms including sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tremulousness, usually begins adolescence, those can be associated with autonomic dysfunction affecting pulmonary functions. AIM: The aim of the present study is to investigate the impacts of PD on pulmonary function tests. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional design was selected. All subjects were invited to admit to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology outpatient unit for venous blood test detecting the levels of estrogen and progesterone during the follicular and luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. After drawing blood, women were taken to the pulmonary function tests laboratory to perform the test. The comparisons between Group PD and Group Control were performed by the independent samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Intragroup comparisons were completed by paired samples t-test. Results: The comparisons between Group PD and Group Control among estrogen and progesterone in follicular and luteal phase, pulmonary function test results did not show any significance (P > 0.05). The intragroup comparisons of estrogen and progesterone levels, and pulmonary functions test results revealed no significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that PD does not influence the spirometric measurements and also respiratory functions are not impaired by the different phases of menstrual cycle.

Mitochondrial Genome Sequences of Diorhabda carinata and Diorhabda carinulata, Two Beetle Species Introduced to North America for Biological Control.

We announce the complete circularized mitochondrial genome assemblies of Diorhabda carinata and Diorhabda carinulata, beetle species introduced to North America for the biological control of invasive shrubs of the genus Tamarix L. (Tamaricaceae). The assemblies (16,232 and 16,298 bp, respectively) each comprise 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs, and a noncoding region.

Clinical Evaluation of Sonic-Activated High Viscosity Bulk-Fill Nanohybrid Resin Composite Restorations in Class II Cavities: A Prospective Clinical Study up to 2 Years.

This study evaluated the clinical performance of a bulk-fill resin composite in class II cavities for up to 2 years. Class II restorations (N=111) were made using a nanohybrid bulk-fill resin composite (SonicFill, Kerr Corp.) and evaluated following 1 week after placement, at 6 months, and thereafter annually up to 2 years using the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. The changes were analyzed using the McNemar test and the Kaplan-Meier method. No secondary caries was observed until the final recall. One restoration underwent endodontic treatment after 2 months following the restorative procedure and was deemed a failure. The overall success rate was 99.1%. Colour match deteriorated from a score of 0 to 1 in eight restorations from baseline to 6 months and six restorations showed marginal staining at final recall. Bulk-fill resin composite (SonicFill) showed acceptable clinical performance through 2 years of service but colour match to the tooth started to show some deterioration within the first 6 months.

Influence of the MIF polymorphism -173G > C on Turkish postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND: MIF, a proinflammatory cytokine, contributes to the pathogenesis of acute, chronic, and autoimmune inflammatory disorders and balances the suppressive effect of glucocorticoids on the immune system. There is an interaction between bone metabolism and the immune system via the production of cytokines. We aimed to analyze the relationship between the MIF gene -173G > C promoter polymorphism and osteoporosis. METHODS: In this case-control study performed in a university hospital, 286 samples (136 women with osteoporosis and 150 healthy age-matched controls) participated. The polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay was used to genotype the MIF gene polymorphism. The alleles and genotypes frequencies of patients and controls were compared using the χ2 test. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of MIF gene -173G > C polymorphism showed statistically significant differences between patients and controls (p = 0.038). Also, the subjects carrying the variant C allele in the MIF -173 position were at significantly higher risk of osteoporosis than subjects carrying the wild-type G allele (p = 0.009, odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.6). CONCLUSION: Our study suggested a strong association between MIF gene -173G > C polymorphism and osteoporosis in a Turkish population.

Added value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of perianal fistula.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the added value of diffusion-weighted (DWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by comparison with T2-weighted images alone in the diagnosis of perianal fistula. MATERIAL AND METHODS: MRI examinations of 123 patients (97 men, 26 women; mean age, 41.9 years) with suspected perianal fistula were retrospectively evaluated by two radiologists. Fat-suppressed T2-weighted fast spin echo images, DWI (b values, 0 and 1000s/mm2) and fat-suppressed gadolinium chelate-enhanced T1-weighted images were evaluated for each patient by using a four-point scale. Confidence scores and sensitivities were calculated for T2-weighted images alone, the combination of DWI and T2-weighted images and the combination of gadolinium chelate-enhanced T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images. The combination of gadolinium chelate-enhanced and T2-weighted images was used as reference standard. RESULTS: Perianal fistulas were present in 92/123 patients (74.8%). An almost perfect interobserver agreement was found for T2-weighted images (kappa=0.868), the combination of gadolinium chelate-enhanced T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images (kappa=0.96) and the combination of DWI and T2-weighted images (kappa=0.90). The confidence scores for the diagnosis of perianal fistula for the combination of gadolinium chelate-enhanced T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images were greater than those of T2-weighted images alone for observer 1 (P<0.001) and observer 2 (P=0.009). The confidence scores of the combination of DWI and T2-weighted images were greater than those of T2-weighted images alone for observer 1 (P<0.001) and observer 2 (P=0.032). Sensitivity and specificity of the combination of DWI and T2-weighted images were greater than those of T2-weighted images alone for both observers. CONCLUSION: DWI has a significant added value compared to T2-weighted imaging alone in the diagnosis of perianal fistula.

Protective effect of intravenous lipid emulsion treatment on malathion-induced ovarian toxicity in female rats.

OBJECTIVE: Malathion (MLT) is an organophosphate (OP) pesticide widely used in agriculture and for domestic purposes for several years. Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) has been reported to reduce toxicity caused by some lipid soluble agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of ILE treatment on acute malathion toxicity in ovarian tissue of female rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one adult female Wistar rats (weighted 200-250 g) were divided into three groups; control (corn oil, gavage), MLT (one administration of 100 mg/kg/ by gavage), 20% ILE (one intravenous administration of 3 ml/kg) plus the MLT group. Blood samples were collected for biochemical tests. The ovaries were removed and fixed for histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were investigated in ovarian tissues. Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations were performed through scoring ovarian tissue damage and bax/caspase-3 immunoreactivity, respectively. RESULTS: SOD activity decreased in MLT group compared to the control group in tissue samples (p = 0.012). ILE treatment significantly increased SOD activity in MLT+ILE group compared to MLT group in tissue samples (p = 0.017). MLT treatment increased significantly caspase-3 and bax immunoreactivity while ILE decreased bax and caspase-3 immunoreactivity. However, no significant difference was found for MDA levels and GSH-Px activity in both blood and tissue samples and for histopathological results. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that acute oral MLT administration increased oxidative stress and apoptosis in the rats. ILE treatment partially decreased deleterious effects of MLT. Further controlled animal studies are required to define the role of ILE in acute OP poisonings.

Diagnostic performance of real-time strain sonoelastography in BI-RADS 4 and 5 breast masses.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of sonoelastography by using real-time strain ratio and qualitative 5-stage elasticity score in breast lesions for which ultrasonographic evaluation suggested malignancy (BI-RADS 4 and 5 lesions). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2012 to October 2012, 168 solid breast lesions were investigated using sonoelastography. The strain ratios and the elasticity scores were calculated. Final diagnosis was made by histopathological analysis. Areas under the curve and cut-off points were used to assess diagnostic performance of sonoelastography. The sensitivity, and specificity of these two imaging tests were compared using McNemar test. RESULTS: The strain ratios of malignant lesions (mean value=9.3) and benign lesions (mean value=3.75) were significantly different (P<0.00001). Using a cut-off value of 4.79, strain ratio had 78.8% sensitivity, 78.3% specificity, 86.7% positive predictive value (PPV) and 67% negative predictive value (NPV). Using a 5-stage elasticity score system, a 83.3% sensitivity, 74.6% specificity, 85.7% PPV and 71.0% NPV were obtained. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that sonoelastography has good clinical value to discriminate between benign and malignant breast lesions. There are no differences in terms of diagnostic performance in differentiating malignant from benign lesions when strain ratio or color scoring are used alone. However the diagnostic performance is increased when strain ratio and color scoring evaluations are used in combination.

Temporal bone MRI with 3D-FIESTA in the evaluation of facial and audiovestibular dysfunction.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the temporal bone using three-dimensional fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (3D-FIESTA) sequences in patients with facial and audiovestibular dysfunction. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the MR images of 1263 patients who presented with hearing loss (n=429), peripheral facial palsy (n=96), tinnitus (n=341) or vertigo (n=397). There were 605 men and 658 women, with a mean age of 46.97±16.95 (SD) years (range: 2-83 years). Positive MRI findings that were responsible for clinical manifestations in individual patients were categorized according to the anatomic sites and etiologies of the lesions. RESULTS: Positive MRI findings possibly responsible for clinical manifestations were found in 232/1263 (18.37%) patients, including 86/429 (20.05%) patients with hearing loss, 21/96 (21.88%) patients with facial palsy, 62/341 (18.18%) patients with tinnitus, and 63/397 (15.87%) patients with vertigo. CONCLUSION: Although the use of MRI of the temporal bone using 3D-FIESTA shows positive findings in only 18.37% of patients, it provides important information in those with facial and audiovestibular dysfunction. However, for patients with normal MRI of the temporal bone, other etiological factors should be investigated in order to clarify or elucidate the cause of clinical manifestations.

The availability of vaginal hysterectomy in benign gynecologic diseases: a prospective, non-randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether vaginal hysterectomy can be performed in patients with benign gynecologic diseases regardless of uterine size, uterine mobility and previous pelvic surgery and to compare with abdominal hysterectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Between 2003 and 2008, we compared 47 vaginal hysterectomies (VH) with 61 abdominal hysterectomies (AH). We excluded from the study the clinical conditions that mandate abdominal exploration and standard indications for VH such as uterovaginal prolapse. Large, immobile uterus and previous pelvic surgery were not accepted as a contraindication for VH. Demographic characteristics, primary diagnosis, uterine weight, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, complications, and hospital stay and cost in both groups were compared. RESULTS: Groups were similar with respect to demographic features and primary indications. Mean uterine weight and mean operation time were similar in VH and AH groups (258.0 g vs 293.9 g and 93.7 min vs 101.4 min, respectively). Oopherectomy was performed in 44.7% of VH and in 83.6% of AH. Colporrhaphies and/or anti-incontinence surgery were performed in 15 patients in the VH group (31.9%). The intraoperative blood loss was lower in the VH group than the AH group (245.0 mL vs 408.6 mL, P < 0.001). Perioperative complications were increased with AHs. The mean hospital stay and operation cost in the VH group were significantly less than the AH group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that vaginal hysterectomy could be performed with less morbidity in patients with benign gynecologic diseases even in large, immobile uterus and previous pelvic surgery.

Human exonuclease 1 and BLM helicase interact to resect DNA and initiate DNA repair.

The error-free repair of double-stranded DNA breaks by homologous recombination requires processing of broken ends. These processed ends are substrates for assembly of DNA strand exchange proteins that mediate DNA strand invasion. Here, we establish that human BLM helicase, a member of the RecQ family, stimulates the nucleolytic activity of human exonuclease 1 (hExo1), a 5'-->3' double-stranded DNA exonuclease. The stimulation is specific because other RecQ homologs fail to stimulate hExo1. Stimulation of DNA resection by hExo1 is independent of BLM helicase activity and is, instead, mediated by an interaction between the 2 proteins. Finally, we show that DNA ends resected by hExo1 and BLM are used by human Rad51, but not its yeast or bacterial counterparts, to promote homologous DNA pairing. This in vitro system recapitulates initial steps of homologous recombination and provides biochemical evidence for a role of BLM and Exo1 in the initiation of recombinational DNA repair.

Analysis of helicase activity and substrate specificity of Drosophila RECQ5.

RecQ5 is one of five RecQ helicase homologs identified in humans. Three of the human RecQ homologs (BLM, WRN and RTS) have been linked to autosomal recessive human genetic disorders (Bloom syndrome, Werner syndrome and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome, respectively) that display increased genomic instability and cause elevated levels of cancers in addition to other symptoms. To understand the role of RecQ helicases in maintaining genomic stability, the WRN, BLM and Escherichia coli RecQ helicases have been characterized in terms of their DNA substrate specificity. However, little is known about other members of the RecQ family. Here we show that Drosophila RECQ5 helicase is a structure-specific DNA helicase like the other RecQ helicases biochemically characterized so far, although the substrate specificity is not identical to that of WRN and BLM helicases. Drosophila RECQ5 helicase is capable of unwinding 3' Flap, three-way junction, fork and three-strand junction substrates at lower protein concentrations compared to 5' Flap, 12 nt bubble and synthetic Holliday junction structures, which can be unwound efficiently by WRN and BLM.

Biochemical characterization of the small isoform of Drosophila melanogaster RECQ5 helicase.

Recently the gene encoding a member of the RecQ helicase family, RecQ5, was cloned from the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster [J.J.Sekelsky, M.H.Brodsky, G.M. Rubin and R.S. Hawley (1999) Nucleic Acids Res., 27, 3762-3769]. The Drosophila RecQ5 transcript is alternatively spliced, like its human counterpart, to yield three protein isoforms. Two of these isoforms are almost identical and have a predicted molecular weight of 54 kDa. The third isoform is larger and contains, in addition to the helicase domain shared by all three isoforms, a long highly charged C-terminal region. A small isoform of the Drosophila RecQ5 protein (RECQ5) has been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The purified protein is a single-stranded DNA-stimulated ATPase (dATPase) and a 3'-->5' DNA helicase. Hydrolysis of the nucleotide cofactor is required for unwinding activity and dATP supported the unwinding reaction better than other NTPs. The turnover number for the single-stranded DNA-stimulated dATPase activity was 1380 min(-1), approximately 1.5-fold higher than that observed for the ATPase activity (900 min(-1)). The purified protein catalyzed unwinding of partial duplex substrates up to at least 93 bp, however, unwinding of an 89 bp blunt duplex substrate was not detected.

Site-directed mutations in motif VI of Escherichia coli DNA helicase II result in multiple biochemical defects: evidence for the involvement of motif VI in the coupling of ATPase and DNA binding activities via conformational changes.

Two site-directed mutants of Escherichia coli DNA helicase II (UvrD) were constructed to examine the functional significance of motif VI in a superfamily I helicase. Threonine 604 and arginine 605, representing two of the most highly conserved residues in motif VI, were replaced with alanine, generating the mutant alleles uvrD-T604A and uvrD-R605A. Genetic complementation studies indicated that UvrD-T604A, but not UvrD-R605A, functioned in methyl-directed mismatch repair and UvrABC-mediated nucleotide excision repair. Both mutant enzymes were purified and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-stimulated ATP hydrolysis, duplex DNA unwinding, and ssDNA binding were studied in the steady-state and compared to wild-type UvrD. UvrD-T604A exhibited a serious defect in ssDNA binding in the absence of nucleotide. However, in the presence of a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog, DNA binding was only slightly compromised. Limited proteolysis experiments suggested that UvrD-T604A had a "looser" conformation and could not undergo conformational changes normally associated with ATP binding/hydrolysis and DNA binding. UvrD-R605A, on the other hand, exhibited nearly normal DNA binding but had a severe defect in ATP hydrolysis (kcat=0.063 s-1 compared to 162 s-1 for UvrD). UvrD-T604A exhibited a much less severe decrease in ATPase activity (kcat=8.8 s-1). The Km for ATP for both mutants was not significantly changed. The results suggest that residues within motif VI of helicase II are essential for multiple biochemical properties associated with the enzyme and that motif VI is potentially involved in conformational changes related to the coupling of ATPase and DNA binding activities.

[Sex ratios in Turkey]. / Turkiye'de cinsiyet oranlarinin belirlenmesi.

"The article [provides] examples of error in the censuses and surveys and questions the reliability of age specific sex ratios in the 1990 Census of Turkey...[and derives] sex ratio at birth from census and survey results as well as from hospital records. Finally the 1990 population is reconstructed by surviving birth cohorts [from] 1900 until 1990 using historical trends of birth rates and cohort, age and time specific survival rates using the East Family of Coale-Demeny Model Life Tables." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

[Ethnic structure in Turkey as implied by the analysis of census data on mother tongue]. / Turkiye' nin etnik yapisinin ana dil sorularina gore analizi.

The authors examine data on language from population censuses conducted in Turkey from 1927 until 1971. "The main objective of this paper is to draw some implications about the ethnic structure of Turkish citizens to the extent permitted by the available 'mother tongue' data. Turkish is the most commonly used language followed by Kurdish and Arabic. Census data carry evidence of differential mortality (as well as fertility) on growth rates of different sub-groups in Turkey. The paper sets 'reasonable' low and high estimates of major groups under different growth rate assumptions in Turkey." (SUMMARY IN ENG)