Browsing by Author "Uysal, A"
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Item Effect of Nicotine on RANKL and OPG and Bone Mineral DensityMizrak, S; Turan, V; Inan, S; Uysal, A; Yilmaz, C; Ercan, GAim: The signaling pathway OPG/RANK/RANKL is a key in maintaining the balance between the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts in order to prevent bone loss. In this study, our aim was to assess the effects of long-term nicotine exposure on plasma RANKL and OPG levels, tissue RANKL and OPG immunoreactivities, and bone mineral density (BMD) scores in rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six Swiss Albino rats weighing 70 +/- 10 g were divided into three groups. While the controls (n = 12) were only given normal drinking water, for low-dose nicotine (LDN) group (n = 12) 0.4 mg/kg/day; for high-dose nicotine (HDN) group (n = 12), 6.0 mg/kg/day nicotine was added to drinkingwater for a year. At the end of 12th month, BMD scores were measured using an Xray absorptiometry and bone turnover was assessed by measuring plasma RANKL and OPG levels and RANKL and OPG immunoreactivities in tail vertebrae of the rats. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in BMD scores of lumbar spine and femoral regions of the nicotine groups in comparison to controls. Plasma OPG levels were found to be significantly higher in HDN group, in comparison to the controls and LDN groups (p = .001) unlike plasma RANKL levels. Tissue RANKL and OPG immunoreactivities decreased significantly in the LDN and HDN groups (p < .001, p < .01, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this study show that nicotine is not primarily responsible for the decrease in BMD frequently seen in smokers. Measuring plasma RANKL and OPG levels did not reflect tissue immunoreactivities.Item Experimental investigations of using MWCNTs and graphene nanoplatelets water-based nanofluids as coolants in PVT systemsAlous, S; Kayfeci, M; Uysal, AIn this study, a photovoltaic thermal collector)PVT(has been constructed in Karabuk University, Turkey to investigate the effects of utilizing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene nanoplatelets dispersed in water as a base fluid with a concentration of 0.5 wt% on the performance of PVT systems. Outdoor experiments were run with volume flow rate of 0.5 L/min for the aforementioned nanofluids and distilled water as a reference fluid. The study results, which were analyzed from energetic and exergetic viewpoints, have shown and revealed that the MWCNT-water nanofluid presented a better performance in terms of photovoltaic energetic conversion compared to graphene nanoplatelets-water nanofluid and distilled water, while graphene nanoplatelets-water nanofluid revealed the highest thermal energetic efficiency. Moreover adding thermal unit to photovoltaic module (PV) enhanced the total energetic efficiency by 53.4% for distilled water, 57.2% for MWCNT-water, and 63.1% for graphene-water. From the exergetic viewpoint, the increase in total exergetic efficiency was 11.2%, 12.1%, and 20.6% for PVT collector cooled by distilled water, MWCNT-water nanofluid, and graphene nanoplatelets-water nanofluid respectively.Item Life performance prediction of natural gas combined cycle power plant with intelligent algorithmsKaraçor, M; Uysal, A; Mamur, H; Sen, G; Nil, M; Bilgin, MZ; Dogan, H; Sahin, CThe efficient use of a system is enabled with the life performance estimations. Thus, the effective use of underground resources is realized especially natural gas. Based on this, life performance models were generated to aim of improving the efficient use of energy for a combined cycle power plant (CCPP) of 243 MW installed in Izmir, Turkey by using fuzzy logic (FL) and artificial neural network (ANN) in this study. Therefore, output power estimations were carried out. Depending on the developed models, an estimation of the energy that the CCPP can produce and provide to the interconnected system in the following years has been made. According to the obtained results, the error prediction rates of FL and ANN models were determined. It was found that while the energy relative error estimation value that can be produced between the years calculated in modeling using FL varies between 0.59% and 3.54%, this value was found to vary between 0.001% and 0.84% in modeling using ANN. This result shows that the ANN model is more suitable for the life performance estimations of such a nonlinear system.Item EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ABOUT UTILIZATION OF MWCNT AND GRAPHENE NANOPLATELETS WATER-BASED NANOFLUIDS IN FLAT NON-CONCENTRATING PVT SYSTEMSAlous, S; Kayfeci, M; Uysal, AAlthough the increment the performance of photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems by using the nanofluids as working fluids have gained the attention of researchers during the last two decades, there is still, a lack in the literature study associated to this application. This study contributes to the investigations and researches of applying the nanofluids to increase the performance of PVT collectors. A flat non-concentrating PVT collector has been designed, constructed and, outdoor tested in Karabuk University, Turkey. The considered working fluids in this study are multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), and graphene nanoplatelets dispersed in water as a base fluid with a concentration of 0.5 wt. %. The experiments were run with a volume flow rate of 0.5 L per minute for the aforementioned nanofluids and distilled water (as a reference fluid). The study results have shown and revealed that the MWCNT-water nanofluid presented a better performance in terms of electrical energetic efficiency compared to graphene nanoplatelets-water nanofluid and distilled water, while graphene nanoplatelets-water nanofluid revealed the highest thermal energetic efficiency. Moreover adding thermal unit to photovoltaic module enhanced the total energetic efficiency by 53.4% for distilled water, 57.2% for MWCNT-water, and 63.1% for graphene-water.Item Role of intercellular communications in breast cancer multicellular tumor spheroids after chemotherapyOktem, G; Bilir, A; Ayla, S; Yavasoglu, A; Goksel, G; Saydam, G; Uysal, ATumor heterogeneity is an important feature that is especially involved in tumor aggressiveness. Multicellular tumor spheroids (MTS) may provide some benefits in different steps for investigation of the aggregation, organization, differentiation, and network formation of tumor cells in 3D space. This model offers a unique opportunity for improvements in the capability of a current strategy to detect the effect of an appropriate anticancer agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the cellular interactions and morphological changes following chemotherapy in a 3D breast cancer spheroid model. Distribution of the gap junction protein connexin-43 and the tight junction protein occludin was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Cellular interactions were examined by using transmission and scanning electron microscopies as well as light microscopy with Giemsa staining after treating cells with doxorubicin, docetaxel, and doxorubicin/docetaxel combination. Statistical analyses showed significant changes and various alterations that were observed in all groups; however, the most prominent effect was detected in the doxorubicin/docetaxel combination group. Distinct composition as a vessel-like structure and a pseudoglandular pattern of control spheroids were detected in drug-administered groups. Immunohistochemical results were consistent with the ultrastructural changes. In conclusion, doxorubicin/docetaxel combination may be more effective than the single drug usage as shown in a 3D model. The MTS model has been found to be an appropriate and reliable method for the detection of the changes in the expression of cellular junction proteins as well as other cellular proteins occurring after chemotherapy. The MTS model can be used to validate the effects of various combinations or new chemotherapeutic agents as well as documentation of possible mechanisms of new drugs.Item Effect of apoptosis and response of extracellular matrix proteins after chemotherapy application on human breast cancer cell spheroidsOktem, G; Vatansever, S; Ayla, S; Uysal, A; Aktas, S; Karabulut, B; Bilir, AMulticellular Tumor Spheroid (NITS) represents a three-dimentional structural form of tumors in laboratory conditions, and it has the characteristics of avascular micrometastases or intervascular spaces of big tumors. Recent studies indicate that extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins play a critical role in tumor metastasis, therefore normal and cancer cells require an ECM for survival, proliferation and differentiation. Doxorubicin and Docetaxel are widely used in the therapy of breast cancer, as well as in in vivo and in vitro studies. In this study, we examined the effect of apoptosis and proliferation of cells on the human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, by using p53, bcl-2 and Ki67 gene expression, and the tendency to metastasis with extracellular matrix proteins, laminin and type IV collagen after chemotherapy in the spheroid model. The apoptotic cell death in situ was detected by TUNEL method. TUNEL-positive cells and positive immunoreactivities of laminin, type IV collagen, p53 and, bel-2 were detected in the control group. There was no laminin and type IV collagen immunoreactivities in spheroids of drug groups. While TUNEL-positive cells and p53 immunoreactivity were detected in Docetaxel, Doxorubicin and Docetaxel/Doxorubicin groups, p53 immunoreactivity was not observed in the Docetaxel group. There was no bcl-2 immunoreactivity in either drug group. In addition, we did not detect Ki67 immunoreactivity in both control and drug treatment groups. However, the absence of Ki67 protein in MCF-7 breast multicellular tumor spheroids is possibly related to the cells in GO or S phase. These agents may affect the presence of ECM proteins in this in vitro model of micrometastasis of spheroids. These findings suggest that the possible mechanism of cell death in Doxorubicin and Docetaxel/Doxorubicin treatment groups is related to apoptosis through the p53 pathway. However, we considered the possiblity that there is another control mechanism for the Docetaxel group.Item Fuzzy proportional-integral speed control of switched reluctance motor with MATLAB/Simulink and programmable logic controller communicationUysal, A; Gokay, S; Soylu, E; Soylu, T; Çaska, SIn this study, the auto-tuning proportional-integral controller is used to control the speed of a switched reluctance motor. The control algorithm is executed by the programmable logic controller. The proportional integral gains are determined via fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic is executed on a separate computer via MATLAB/Simulink software. The data exchange between the programmable logic controller and MATLAB/Simulink is done with object linking embedding/component for the process. The fuzzy proportional integral control algorithm is compared with the conventional proportional integral controller. We reduced the load on the programmable logic controller via executing fuzzy logic in a separate computer and at the same time eliminated the disadvantages of the conventional proportional-integral controller. With the proposed method, the engine reached the reference speed value in a short time and the overshoots were eliminated in variable conditions such as different load and different speed conditions.Item Hybrid vibration control of an industrial CFRP composite robot-manipulator system based on reduced order modelIlman, MM; Yavuz, S; Karagülle, H; Uysal, AThis paper introduces a novel hybrid vibration control of an industrial flexible link manipulator (FLM) with carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite material. The hybrid controller consists of a closed-loop direct strain feedback controller (DSFC) and a new open-loop input shaper (OLIS), and its performance is examined and compared by numerical simulation and experiment. Vibration attenuation is also verified by a spare sensor, an accelerometer. Thanks to the design of an analog isolator circuit, data acquisition of the real-time experiments are carried out noise-free from the servo driver. Reduced-order-model (ROM) is generated for the composite link with three different loading conditions and model for servo system is derived via system identification. Impulse force test hammer (IFTH) equipment is used to excite the system with force input and the results of the experiments/simulations confirm that the controller is robust against the impulse disturbances. As a result, a decrease of 88 +/- 6.9 percent in vibration amplitudes and a decrease of 90 +/- 7 percent in vibration duration confirms that the proposed controller is effective for vibration control of the flexible arm even under disturbance. Controller performance also enabled the FLM to work with payloads 16 times of its own weight.Item A New Lithium Polymer Battery Dataset with Different Discharge Levels: SOC Estimation of Lithium Polymer Batteries with Different Convolutional Neural Network ModelsTas, G; Uysal, A; Bal, CIn this study, a new dataset was created for use to estimate the state of charge (SOC) of lithium polymer batteries. A new experimental system was created to obtain the dataset by measuring the current, voltage, and temperature parameters of lithium polymer batteries. A convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning model was used as the SOC prediction method. The effect of both batch size and dense network hyperparameter value on total parameter and deep learning error metric values for CNN-based lithium polymer battery SOC estimation is discussed. The proposed method, unlike deep learning models that require a high processing load in electronic cards, has provided remarkable results by being determined according to four different dense networks and two different batch size values. The proposed model has been obtained by performing experiments on optimizer, learning rate, dense network, and batch size values while determining the appropriate parameters to make successful predictions. The success of the CNN models was compared by conducting deep learning training on a computer with an Nvidia Gtx 1060 graphics card running the Ubuntu operating system. Adadelta optimizer achieved R2 0.977262 prediction success with learning rate 10(-2), batch size 5 x 10(2), dense 10(5) hyperparameter values. According to the results of the experiment, it was concluded that in the CNN deep learning method, large dense layers and small batch size values created less error in SOC estimation.Item Performance comparison of lithium polymer battery SOC estimation using GWO-BiLSTM and cutting-edge deep learning methodsTas, G; Bal, C; Uysal, AIn this study, the GWO-BiLSTM method has been proposed by successfully estimating the SOC with the BiLSTM deep learning method using the hyper-parameter values determined by the GWO method of the lithium polymer battery. EV, HEV, and robots are used more healthily with successful, reliable, and fast SOC estimation, which has an important place in the Battery Management System. In studies using deep learning methods, it is important to solve the problems of underfitting, overfitting, and estimation error by determining the hyper-parameters appropriately. Thus, this study aims to solve an important problem by investigating the problem of determining the hyperparameter values for the deep learning method with metaheuristic optimization methods. This study was designed to compare the prediction success of the BiLSTM method trained with the optimal hyperparameter values obtained by the GWO method with cutting-edge deep learning methods trained with hyperparameter values obtained by trial and error. The success of the proposed method was verified by comparing the cutting-edge data-based deep learning methods and the BiLSTM method with the SOC estimation MAE, MSE, RMSE, and Runtime(s) metrics. According to the findings obtained during the hyperparameter determination studies, it takes longer time to determine the hyperparameters by trial and error than to determine the hyperparameters by metaheuristic optimization method when estimating lithium battery SOC with the deep learning method. Also, the GWO-BiLSTM method was the most successful method with an RMSE of 0.09244% and an R2 of 0.9987 values according to the average results of SOC estimation made with the lithium polymer battery data set, which was created by experiments performed at different discharge levels and is new in the literature.Item An Embedded Controller Application with Regenerative Braking for the Electric VehicleKarabacak, Y; Uysal, ARegenerative braking is very important for increasing the total range of an electric vehicle. In this study, an embedded controller, including regenerative braking, is designed and implemented for an electric vehicle. Experimental studies are carried out on an electric vehicle driven by two in-wheel electric motors. In-wheel electric motors are preferred in light electric vehicles, since they are both highly efficient and supports regenerative braking. In our embedded controller application, the in-wheel electric motor is operated in both the motor mode and the regenerative braking mode. The in-wheel electric motor control embedded software is developed in the Matlab/Simulink environment. The developed software is embedded in the DSP STM32F407 microcontroller, which has ARM Cortex-M4 core. The in-wheel electric motor is controlled by a fuzzy logic controller in the motor mode, the in-wheel electric motor - in the regenerative braking mode. Different PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) ratios are applied to the wheel electric motor in the regenerative braking mode. The experimental data are recorded in real-time by transferring to a PC on the electric vehicle. The performance of the study is proven with experimental tests.Item Comparison of prediction performance of lithium titanate oxide battery discharge capacity with machine learning methodsAndik, I; Arslan, FY; Uysal, ADue to the non-linear characteristics of rechargeable batteries, many studies are carried out on battery life, state of charge and health status monitoring systems, and many models are developed using different methods. Within the scope of this study, lithium titanate oxide (LTO) battery was discharged at room temperature with different discharge currents. Through the experiments, the discharge capacity, current, voltage and temperature values of the LTO battery were recorded and the min-max scaling method was applied to the obtained discharge experiment data. 70% of the experimental data is reserved as training data and 30% as test data. Models have been developed to predict the discharge capacity of LTO batteries using machine learning algorithms. Random forest, K-nearest neighbor, decision tree and linear regression methods were used in the prediction models. By comparing the performance values obtained from the models used, the model that makes the best estimation of the solution of the problem has been determined. In the performance evaluations of machine learning methods explanatory coefficient (R2), mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) values were used. The obtained research findings were compared with the findings of different studies conducted with similar methods. Research findings demonstrate that data-driven prediction methods can effectively predict the charge/discharge state of lithium-based batteries under various cycling conditions. As a result of the study, it was seen that the random forest model gave the most successful result in terms of success rates with a predictive value of % 99,8836.Item Histological Investigation of Experimentally Induced Diabetes Effects on the Distribution of Transforming Growth Factor (TGFβ), Nuclear Factor Kappa B (Nf-κB), Heat Schock 90β (Hsp90β) and E-cadherin Proteins in Testicular TissueToros, P; Oltulu, F; Tuglu, I; Uysal, A; Özçinar, E; Turgan, N; Rouhrazi, H; Aktug, HDiabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels and it causes complications in many systems, including the reproductive system. As a result of diabetic conditions, one of the mechanisms that can cause repression of reproductive activity is testicular oxidant stress. The identification of diabetes on the cell signaling molecules axis is still under discussion. The aim of this study was to detennine the effect of Transfonning Growth Factor (TGF beta), Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-kappa B), Heat-schock 90 beta (HSP90 beta) signal pathways and E-cadherin cell adhesion molecule on infertility in diabetic rat testicular tissue. In our study, includes histological, molecular and biochemical analysis of testicular tissue removed at the end of the 2 weeks experiment period. A total of 14 adult male rats were divided as control and diabetes. No intervention was given to 7 male rats in the control group. For the diabetic group, 7 male rats were injected by intraperitoneal with a single dose of 55 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). TGF beta, NF-kappa B, HSP90 beta and E-cadherin proteins were immunohistochemically studied to investigate possible tissue damage, inflanunatoly process, cell stabilization and integrity due to diabetes. In order to determine oxidant stress, lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) analyzes were performed. Fibrosis, inflammatory changes and loss of spermatogenetic series are prominent findings in the diabetic group. On analysis of all the samples with immunostaining, in the diabetic group, TGF beta and NF-kappa B inununoexpression significantly increased, while Hsp90 beta and E-cadherin immunoexpression significantly decreased compared with control groups. Experimental diabetes was found to cause fibrosis, inflammation, disrupting cell adhesion and stabilization in testicular tissue. These results suggest that cellular therapy studies are needed for possible damage.Item Effects of defibrotide on aorta and brain malondialdehyde and antioxidants in cholesterol-induced atherosclerotic rabbitsAydemir, EO; Duman, C; Çelik, HA; Turgan, N; Uysal, A; Mutaf, I; Habif, S; Özmen, D; Nisli, N; Bayindir, OThe effects of a high-cholesterol diet in the presence and absence of defibrotide, a single-stranded polydeoxyribonucleotide compound, on the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde, endogenous antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and the antioxidant thiol compound GSH were investigated. Forty male New Zeland white rabbits were divided into four groups each consisting of 10 rabbits. Group I received a regular rabbit chow diet and group II 1% cholesterol plus regular chow, group III was given defibrotide (60 mg/kg per day p.o. in water) and was fed with regular chow, and group IV received defibrotide plus 1% cholesterol for 9 weeks. Blood cholesterol and malondialdehyde, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and GSH were determined before starting the experimental diet regimen (basal). After 9 weeks, the same parameters were determined in blood, aorta, and brain tissues (end -experiment). Aortic tissue was examined under a light microscope for morphological alterations indicative of atherosclerosis. The increase in serum total cholesterol was greater in group II than group IV. Plasma malondialdehyde in group II was higher than in group III. Brain malondialdehyde in group II was higher than all other groups, and aortic malondialdehyde in this group was higher than group I and III. Serum catalase activity decreased in group II and increased in group III, compared with basal values. Brain catalase activity in group I was higher than group II, and aorta catalase in group IV was higher than in group I and III. Blood glutathione peroxidase activity in group III and IV was higher than basal. GSH concentrations decreased significantly in the cholesterol-fed groups (group II and IV). Histological alterations in the cholesterol-fed groups were mon pronounced in group II. The increased levels of malondialdehyde in plasma, aorta, and brain tissue of group II suggest a role of oxygen foe radicals in the pathogenesis of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis. The higher malondialdehyde values in the brain tissues of animals in group II compared with group IV suggest a protective role of defibrotide in the brain against lipid peroxidation in the oxidant stress of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis. Increased catalase activities in the blood and aortic tissues and increased glutathione peroxidase activities in the blood of rabbits receiving defibrotide suggest an induction of these antioxidant enzyme activities by defibrotide. These results imply that anti-atherosclerotic, anti-ischemic effects of this drug may be due to the beneficial effects on the oxidant-antioxidant balance of various tissues.Item Chemotherapy influences inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity on 3D breast cancer cell lineÖktem, G; Bilir, A; Selvi, N; Yurtseven, ME; Vatansever, S; Ates, U; Uysal, A; Omay, SBMulticellular tumor spheroids (NITS) are three-dimensional structural forms of tumors grown in vitro in the laboratory. In this study, the aim was to determine the regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expressions on NITS in response to treatment with the commonly used anti-cancer drugs Doxorubicin and Docetaxel. The spheroids were generated using the liquid overlay technique. The distribution of both iNOS and eNOS was detected using indirect immunohistochemistry, while the expression of both iNOS and eNOS was measured using Western blots. Additionally, S-phase analysis using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was done on the MTS after treatment with doxorubicin, docetaxel, and a combination of the two. The Griess method was used to measure nitric oxide (NO) production in the cells. An increase in iNOS immunoreactivity and a decrease in eNOS immunoreactivity were observed after doxorubicin treatment, when compared with the other groups. Furthermore, upregulation of iNOS and downregulation of eNOS were detected in doxorubicin-treated cells using Western blotting. Insignificant iNOS expression was observed in all of the groups, and it was particularly low in the control and drug combination groups. NO production was also found to be significantly high after docetaxel treatment, and cell proliferation decreased after doxorubicin treatment. In conclusion, chemotherapy influences NOS activity differently with the presence of different drugs. The results with iNOS show that doxorubicin is a more effective drug than docetaxel, and a drug combination may play a helpful role in the suppression of tumorigenicity and cancer metastasis. Interestingly, eNOS expression increased after the addition of both docetaxel and the drug combination, and it was found to negatively correlate with the histological grade of the tumor. Therefore, analyzing the expression of both iNOS and eNOS might be very useful for targeting the treatment of breast carcinoma and obtaining better information on prognosis.Item Immunoexpressions of embryonic and nonembryonic stem cell markers (Nanog, Thy-1, c-kit) and cellular connections (connexin 43 and occludin) on testicular tissue in thyrotoxicosis rat modelOltulu, F; Aktug, H; Uysal, A; Turgan, N; Oktem, G; Erbas, O; Yavasoglu, NUK; Yavasoglu, AIn this study, possible thyrotoxicosis-related histological changes in testicular tissues of rats with experimentally induced thyrotoxicosis model were evaluated on cellular connections and stem cell markers. Two experimental groups, thyrotoxicosis and control, each consisting of eight animals were used. Rats in the thyrotoxicosis group were injected intraperitoneally with 3,3,5-triiodo-l-thyronine (50 mu g/100 g body weight/day) for 10 days. At the end of the study, animals in both groups were anesthetized, and blood samples were collected for biochemical analyses. Their testes were dissected out and histological procedure was conducted to perform further histochemical, immunohistochemical analyses and tissue expression analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression of the stem cell markers such as c-kit and Thy-1 significantly decreased in the testes of the thyrotoxicosis group compared with the control group; however, Nanog expression was not detected in any of the groups. Similarly, connexin 43 and occludin expressions were also found to be significantly lower in the thyrotoxicosis group. These results on cellular connections are supported with the tissue expression analysis. Our findings are indicative of supporting microenvironmental tissue decay rather than parenchyma damage, which has been actually ignored in the literature. In conclusion, experimental thyrotoxicosis model may have adverse effects on the cell junctional complexes, cell-cell interactions, and pluripotency capacity.Item Prevalence and predictors of gestational diabetes mellitus: a nationwide multicentre prospective studyAydin, H; Çelik, Ö; Yazici, D; Altunok, Ç; Tarçin, Ö; Deyneli, O; Sancak, S; Kiyici, S; Aydin, K; Yildiz, BO; Çakiroglu, AY; Özer, A; Tuzcu, AK; Kan, A; Çelik, A; Uysal, A; Atmaca, A; Evren, B; Taskiran, B; Bilir, BE; Duran, C; Arpaci, D; Tüzün, D; Kavak, EÇ; Aydeniz, E; Akbas, EM; Üstünyurt, E; Bil, E; Güney, E; Akbaba, E; Gürkan, E; Çagliyan, E; Karakiliç, E; Karakas, E; Kilinç, F; Söylemez, F; Küçükler, FK; Yorulmaz, G; Akbaba, G; Uysal, G; Kurt, G; Yaylali, GF; Selimoglu, H; Sari, H; Piskinpasa, H; Çelik, H; Peynirci, H; Bilal, I; Sahin, I; Gözükara, I; Anaforoglu, I; Senyuva, I; Ugur, K; Dogan, K; Keskin, L; Mert, M; Adas, M; Tonguç, M; Eroglu, M; Kulaksizoglu, M; Özcan, M; Çinar, N; Kutbay, NÖ; Dikbas, O; Bakiner, O; Turhan, ÖT; Tütüncüoglu, P; Sari, R; Melekoglu, R; Ayaz, R; Emral, R; Mumusoglu, S; Görar, S; Keskek, SÖ; Tosun, SA; Çetinkaya, SE; Temizkan, S; Ünsal, S; Demir, T; Yüce, T; Aksoy, Ü; Çinkir, Ü; Simsek, Y; Uyar, Y; Türk, Y; Pekkolay, Z; Hekimsoy, Z; Cantürk, Z; Üç, ZAAim Prevalence rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) show considerable variation among different countries and regions of the world. The primary aim of this study was to determine the nationwide prevalence and predictors of GDM in Turkey. Methods We conducted prospective nationwide screening among pregnant women. Between August 2016 and November 2017, a total of 2643 pregnant women from 51 centres in 12 different regions were enrolled. A two-step screening method and Carpenter and Coustan criteria were used in the diagnosis of GDM. Clinical and biochemical data were obtained using electronic database software. Results The national prevalence of GDM was found to be 16.2% [95% confidence intervals (CI) 15.0% to 17.4%] without a significant difference between urban and rural regions. Women with GDM were older (mean age: 32 +/- 5 vs. 28 +/- 5 years, P < 0.001) and heavier (mean BMI: 27.2 +/- 5.1 vs. 24.7 +/- 4.7 kg/m(2), P < 0.001) than their counterparts without GDM. The prevalence of GDM tended to increase with age (< 25 years, 6.9%; 26-35 years, 15.6%; and 36-45 years, 32.7%; P < 0.001). Maternal age, maternal BMI, history of previous GDM and family history of diabetes mellitus were independent predictors of developing GDM (P < 0.05 for all). Low-risk women (age < 25 years, BMI < 25 kg/m(2), no family history of diabetes) comprised 10.7% of the total population and the prevalence of GDM in these women was 4.5% (95% CI 2.4% to 7.8%). Conclusion The results of this nationwide study indicate that GDM is very common, affecting one in seven pregnancies in Turkey. Implementation of international guidelines on screening and management of this public health problem is required.Item Validity and reliability of Turkish version of St. George's respiratory questionnairePolatli, M; Yorgancioglu, A; Aydemir, Ö; Demirci, NY; Kirkil, G; Nayci, SA; Kokturk, N; Uysal, A; Gunakan, GItem Validity and reliability of Turkish version of St. George's respiratory questionnairePolatli, M; Yorgancioglu, A; Aydemir, O; Demirci, NY; Kirkil, G; Nayci, SA; Köktürk, N; Uysal, A; Akdemir, SE; Özgür, ES; Günakan, GIntroduction: The importance of the evaluation of health status in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recently highlighted in many studies. In this study, we aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in seven centers in Turkey. Three hundred and twenty one COPD patients (40-75 years) were included to the study. Turkish versions of breathlessness, Cough, and Sputum Scale (BCSS), mMRC (Modified Medical Research Council) dyspnea scale, SGRQ, COPD assessment test (CAT) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were carried out to the patients. The statistical analysis of SGRQ was performed by using the coefficient of internal consistency, discriminative analysis for different stages and the correlation with the other scales. Results: The mean age was 62.4 +/- 8.9 years and the mean FEV1 was 51.9 +/- 19.2% pred. The coefficient of internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) was 0.8815. The correlation between the total score measured initially and that obtained two weeks later was found to be highly significant (r= 0.90, p< 0.0001). According the results of validation of both total score and the components of SGRQ, the correlation between the total score of SGRQ and CAT was 0.782 (p< 0.0001), SGRQ and SF36 was between -0.481 ile -0.819 (p< 0.0001). The total and component scores were able to discriminate different disease stages and a significant correlation was found to be with pulmonary function tests. Conclusion: SGRQ Turkish version is a reliable and valid assessment tool for COPD patients in clinical practice.Item Expression profiling of stem cell signaling alters with spheroid formation in CD133high/CD44high prostate cancer stem cellsOktem, G; Bilir, A; Uslu, R; Inan, SV; Demiray, SB; Atmaca, H; Ayla, S; Sercan, O; Uysal, ACancer stem cells (CSC) isolated from multiple tumor types differentiate in vivo and in vitro when cultured in serum; however, the factors responsible for their differentiation have not yet been identified. The first aim of the present study was to identify CD133(high)/CD44(high) DU145 prostate CSCs and compare their profiles with non-CSCs as bulk counterparts of the population. Subsequently, the two populations continued to be three-dimensional multicellular spheroids. Differentiation was then investigated with stem cell-related genomic characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction array analyses of cell cycle regulation, embryonic and mesenchymal cell lineage-related markers, and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and Notch signaling were performed. Immunohistochemistry of CD117, Notch1, Jagged1, Delta1, Sox2, c-Myc, Oct4, KLF4, CD90 and SSEA1 were determined in CSC and non-CSC monolayer and spheroid subcultures. Significant gene alterations were observed in the CD133(high)/CD44(high) population when cultured as a monolayer and continued as spheroid. In this group, marked gene upregulation was determined in collagen type 9 a1, Islet1 and cyclin D2. Jagged1, Delta-like 3 and Notch1 were respectively upregulated genes in the Notch signaling pathway. According to immunoreactivity, the staining density of Jagged1, Sox2, Oct4 and Klf-4 increased significantly in CSC spheroids. Isolated CSCs alter their cellular characterization over the course of time and exhibit a differentiation profile while maintaining their former surface antigens at a level of transcription or translation. The current study suggested that this differentiation process may be a mechanism responsible for the malignant process and tumor growth.