Browsing by Publisher "Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences"
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Item Effects of adenosine A1 receptor agonist CCPA and antagonist DPCPX on ischemia/reperfusion-induced arrhythmias in rats; [Sıçanlarda, adenozin agonisti, CCPA, ve antagonisti DPCPX'in iskemi/reperfüzyon ile uyarılan aritmiler üzerine etkisi](Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2010) Bozdoǧan O.; Gonca E.; Ekerbiçer N.Aim: Adenosine has been commonly used to treat supraventricular tachycardia in clinics. However, there are only a few studies on the effects of adenosine on ischemia or reperfusion induced arrhythmia and they conflict with the results of the present study. During this study, we aimed to clarify the effect of adenosine on ischemia-reperfusion induced arrhythmia. Materials and methods: Left coronary artery was ligated for 6 min and it was released for 15 min to produce reperfusion. A1 adenosine agonist CCPA (2 Chloro-N6 - Cyclopentyl-adenosine), and A1 selective antagonist DPCPX (8 - Cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine) in 5 μg/kg dose alone and in combination were given intravenously before ligation, at the second minute of the ligation and just following the reperfusion. Results: Adenosine given only at the second minute of the ligation is found to decrease the total duration of arrhythmia observed in the reperfusion stage. DPCPX given in this period is found to block the antiarrhythmic effect of adenosine. Adenosine given after reperfusion and before ligation was not effective in decreasing reperfusion induced arrhythmia. Conclusion: The time dependent effect of the administration during ischemia and reperfusion was important for the effect of adenosine. The present study showed that antiarrhythmia produced by adenosine is related to the activation of A1 adenosine receptor. © TÜBİTAK.Item The comparison of MRI findings with severity score of incontinence after pubovaginal sling surgery; [Pubovajinal sling operasyonu sonrası inkontinans şiddet indeksi ile MRG bulgularının karşılaştırılması](Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2010) Tarhan S.; Gümüş B.; Temeltaş G.; Yilmaz Ovali G.; Serter S.; Göktan C.Aim: To investigate the relationship between postoperative MRI findings and the severity score of incontinence in patients treated with pubovaginal sling surgery. & Materials and methods: Fifty-two female patients treated with pubovaginal slings were included in the study. These patients' severity scores of incontinence were evaluated in the postoperative 6th month. All the patients were examined using MRI on the same day. A T2-weighted sagittal image of the midline structures, including the symphysis, urethra, and coccyx, was obtained at rest and at maximal strain. The mobility of the bladder floor and change in the posterior urethrovesical angle were calculated for each patient. Relationships between the severity score of incontinence and mobility of the bladder floor and change in the posterior urethrovesical angle were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients by means of SPSS.& Results: A positive correlation was found between the severity score of incontinence and the mobility of the bladder neck and also between the score and the degree of posterior urethrovesical angle (r = 0.797, P = 0.000; r = 0.62, P = 0.000, respectively). There was also a positive correlation between the severity score of incontinence and the increase in posterior urethrovesical angle during Valsalva's maneuver (r = 0.47, P = 0.02). & Conclusion: MRI is a non-invasive diagnostic method for the evaluation of bladder floor position, mobility of the bladder neck, and posterior urethrovesical angle in patients with stress urinary incontinence. It can play a major role in the postoperative follow up of stress urinary incontinence. MRI can also be used for the assessment of success in pubovaginal sling surgery. © TÜBİTAK.Item Underestimated role of alcohol at skin disinfection: Lipid dissolving property when used in association with conventional antiseptic agents; [Alkolün cilt dezenfeksiyonunda önemsenmeyen rolü: Klasik antiseptik ajanlarla birlikte kullanıldıǧında lipit çözücü özelliǧi](Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2010) Yentür A.; Topçu I.; Işik R.; Deǧerli K.; Sürücüoǧlu S.Aim: After conventional aqueous disinfectant solutions, it was shown that microorganisms were still protected in hair follicles. We hypothesized that those aqueous disinfectant solutions when used in combination with alcohol may be more effective on the inhibition of recolonization of skin and therefore catheter tip colonization. & Materials and methods: Skin surface samples were taken from epidural catheter insertion sites prior to catheterization, and before and after disinfection with different combinations of povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine, and alcohol. Before catheter removal, cultures were taken once more and tips of the catheters were cultured. & Results: Catheter tip colonization and skin culture results of 10% povidone-iodine + 70% alcohol group were significantly lower than those of other groups after disinfection. & Conclusion: Sequential use of alcohol and povidone-iodine is the most effective combination for limiting re-colonization of skin flora. Contamination of catheters appears to take place at removal or via the spread of these re-colonized bacteria along the catheter tract. © TÜBİTAK.Item Effects of winter green manuring on organic cucumber production in unheated greenhouse conditions(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2013) Tüzel Y.; Duyar H.; Öztek G.B.; Gürbüz Kiliç Ö.; Anaç D.; Madanlar N.; Yoldaş Z.The effects of winter green manure crops on organic cucumber production were determined in unheated greenhouse conditions in order to integrate soil building and conservation practices, which are critically important in greenhouse production without crop rotation. The study was conducted between 2006 and 2008 to compare (1) pea (Pisum sativum L.), (2) Italian rye-grass (Lolium multiflorum L.), and (3) common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) as winter green manure plants. These treatments were compared with a control without green manuring (4). All of the plots were divided into halves, and poultry manure was applied as 0 (-PM) and 0.75 kg m-2 (+PM) to each. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus 'Sardes') was grown as a spring cycle production after winter green manure plants were incorporated into the soil. Treatments were evaluated in terms of yield, fruit quality parameters such as electrical conductivity, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and dry weight. Soil fertility and pest/disease incidence were also determined. It was found that cucumber yield varied between 9.7 and 16.3 kg m-2 and between 10.0 and 13.6 kg m-2 in the first and second spring growing seasons, respectively. Green manuring improved the organic matter and nitrogen contents of the soils. Other available nutrients in the soil were also analyzed and found to be sufficient. Additionally, the nutrient status of the cucumber plants was found to be sufficient. Pea and vetch proved to be efficient as winter green manure crops for vegetable production in greenhouses. Poultry manure also produced positive effects, in particular on soil total N content. Therefore, it could be used with green manure crops according to the N content of the soil. © TÜBİTAK.Item Evaluation of patients with zygomycosis(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2014) Kaya O.; Alp Çavuş S.; Turhan Ö.; Işikgöz Taşbakan M.; Pullukçu H.; Ertuǧrul M.B.; Şenol Ş.; Çetin Ç.B.; Özhak Baysan B.; Sayin Kutlu S.; Metin D.Y.; Avci M.; Mermut G.; Avkan Oǧuz V.; Yapar N.Aim: Zygomycosis is a severe angioinvasive infection caused by Zygomycetes. We retrospectively investigated 16 cases of zygomycosis. Materials and methods: The data of patients, who had been followed between 2004 and 2010 in 8 tertiary-care teaching hospitals, were reviewed. Demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, and clinical signs and symptoms of the patients, as well as diagnostic methods, data obtained by radiological imaging methods, and the therapies, were recorded. Therapeutic approaches, antifungal agents and duration of use, and the characteristics of the cases were identified. Results: The study included 11 female and 5 male subjects. The most common symptoms and clinical signs were fever (n = 9) and retro-orbital pain (n = 7). Rhinocerebral zygomycosis was the most common form. The mean time elapsed for diagnosis was 14.26 ± 13.96 (range: 2-52) days. Antifungal therapy was given to 15 patients (94%). In addition to antifungal therapy, 12 patients underwent surgical intervention 1 to 4 times. The mean duration of receiving antifungal therapy was 61.4 ± 58.02 (range: 1-180) days. The median duration of treatment was 62.5 (range: 42-180) days in survivors. Conclusion: Zygomycosis is an infectious disease with high mortality despite antifungal therapy and surgical interventions. © TÜBİTAK.Item Quality characteristics of Trabzon persimmon dried at several temperatures and pretreated by different methods(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2014) Bölek S.; Obuz E.Although Trabzon persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) is a beneficial fruit for both human health and industrial use, it is generally used seasonally, and inadequate attention has been given to its off-season use. This study was designed to determine the best drying method for optimizing the quality of dried Trabzon persimmon (Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu'). Samples treated with sodium metabisulfite prior to drying and dried at 65 °C had the highest L* value (P < 0.05). Rehydration value and ascorbic acid content of samples dried at 50 °C were the highest. Nevertheless, these samples had lower total phenolic content than samples dried at 65 °C and 90 °C. Samples treated with sodium metabisulfite before drying had the highest appearance score; however, these samples were the least liked and had the lowest flavor score. Control samples were the most popular samples in terms of flavor (P < 0.05). During storage, control group samples had the highest increase in total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, while samples treated with sodium metabisulfite prior to drying had the lowest increase in total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, owing largely to the antimicrobial effect of sodium metabisulfite. Although sodium metabisulfite treatment gave the best physical, chemical, and microbiological results, these dried persimmons were given the lowest sensory scores. © TÜBİTAK.Item Marine benthic Cyanobacteria in Northern Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea)(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2015) Ulcay S.; Taşkin E.; Kurt O.; Öztürk M.In this paper, 47 taxa (15 Chroococcales, 20 Oscillatoriales, and 12 Nostocales) of Cyanobacteria that were collected along the coasts of Northern Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) are reported. Aphanocapsa litoralis (Hansgirg) Komarek & Anagnostidis, Coelosphaerium minutissimum Lemmermann, Chroococcus cf. turicensis (Nageli) Hansgirg, Chroococcus varius A.Braun, Spirulina tenerrima Kutzing ex Gomont, Calothrix fuscoviolacea P.L.Crouan & H.M.Crouan ex Bornet & Flahault, Rivularia nitida C.Agardh ex Bornet & Flahault, and Scytonematopsis pilosa (Harvey ex Bornet & Flahault) I.Umezaki & M.Watanabe are recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea, and 35 taxa are also recorded for the first time from Northern Cyprus. Data are also provided concerning the geographical, morphological, and ecological distribution of each species. Sampling was based on 4 different localities (Korucam, Girne, Dip Karpaz, and Gazimağusa) in the Northern Cyprus marine ecosystem supralittoral zone at a depth of 30-35 m in the infralittoral zone between 2006 and 2008. © TÜBİTAK.Item Seed morphology of some Silene L. (Caryophyllaceae) species collected from Turkey(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2015) Dadandi M.Y.; Yildiz K.The seed micro- and macromorphology of 39 Silene taxa were studied by stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope. Quantitative (9) and qualitative (11) values of seed characters vary greatly both within and between taxa. The tree topology of UPGMA based on quantitative values does not supported the traditional relationship. Therefore, we concluded that seed characters of Silene alone cannot be used to describe taxa without detecting the full range of intra- and intertaxon variation of those characters. © TÜBİTAK.Item Diagnostic and prognostic value of procalcitonin and sTREM-1 levels in sepsis(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2015) Bayram H.; Tünger Ö.; Çivi M.; Yüceyar M.H.; Ulman C.; Dinç Horasan G.; Çetin Ç.B.Background/aim: Sepsis is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite the improvements in diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the values of procalcitonin and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in the diferential diagnosis of patients with sepsis and noninfectious systemic infammatory response syndrome (NI-SIRS) and measure their importance in the prognosis of patients with sepsis. Materials and methods: This prospective study included 41 NI-SIRS and 33 sepsis patients hospitalized in Celal Bayar University Hospital, Manisa, Turkey. Blood samples were taken from NI-SIRS patients on days 0 and 3 and from sepsis patients on days 0, 3, 4, 7, and 14. Clinical status of the patients was determined with the SOFA scoring system. Results: The SOFA scoring system and procalcitonin and sTREM-1 measurements were significant in the differential diagnosis of sepsis and NI-SIRS patients. The SOFA scoring system was considered the most important indicator in determining the prognosis of sepsis patients. Procalcitonin and sTREM-1 levels increased progressively in nonsurvivors and decreased in survivors, but changes were statistically in significant. Conclusion: In the differentiation of sepsis and NI-SIRS, and evaluation of the prognosis of sepsis, combined measurements of procalcitonin and sTREM-1 levels are important. © TÜBİTAK.Item The examinations of achene ultrastructural features of section Acrolophus (Centaurea, Asteraceae) via scanning electron microscopy(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Candan F.; Uysal T.; Tugay O.; Bozkurt M.; Ertuğrul K.; Demirelma H.In this study, the achene surfaces of 31 taxa belonging to the genus Centaurea L. were examined in detail by means of electron microscopy. The main aim of this study was to characterize the microsculpture of the achene surface of the Turkish species of Centaurea sect. Acrolophus (Cass.) DC. (Asteraceae). Detailed descriptions of the achene surface were given for each taxon and a fruitful dendrogram was established by numerical analyses derived from the determined micromorphological features. The relationships among the taxa studied were briefly assessed using this generated dendrogram. The results indicated that the examined taxa had very high variations regarding their achene surfaces and these variations have great importance in determining the taxonomic relationships of the discussed taxa. According to the results, pericarp texture and color could be used for taxonomical diagnosis of the Acrolophus species because they contain differences over a broad spectrum. The fruit coat was usually roguish and its ornamentation was fairly variable; therefore, this taxonomical microcharacter might also be useful in distinguishing closely related taxa. The hairiness of the surface of the pericarp was characteristic in all Acrolophus species and it would be evaluated as a decisive micromorphological character of the section within the genus. © TÜBİTAK.Item Significance of using a nonlinear analysis technique, the lyapunov exponent, on the understanding of the dynamics of the cardiorespiratory system in rats(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Zeren T.; Özbek M.; Kutlu N.; Akilli M.Background/aim: Pneumocardiography (PNCG) is the recording method of cardiac-induced tracheal air flow and pressure pulsations in the respiratory airways. PNCG signals reflect both the lung and heart actions and could be accurately recorded in spontaneously breathing anesthetized rats. Nonlinear analysis methods, including the Lyapunov exponent, can be used to explain the biological dynamics of systems such as the cardiorespiratory system. Materials and methods: In this study, we recorded tracheal air flow signals, including PNCG signals, from 3 representative anesthetized rats and analyzed the nonlinear behavior of these complex signals using Lyapunov exponents. Results: Lyapunov exponents may also be used to determine the normal and pathological structure of biological systems. If the signals have at least one positive Lyapunov exponent, the signals reflect chaotic activity, as seen in PNCG signals in rats; the largest Lyapunov exponents of the signals of the healthy rats were greater than zero in this study. Conclusion: A method was proposed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic values of the cardiorespiratory system of rats using the arrangement of the PNCG and Lyapunov exponents, which may be monitored as vitality indicators. © TÜBITAK.Item Untitled(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Karabay O.; Hoşoğlu S.; Güçlü E.; Akalin Ş.; Altay F.A.; Aydin E.; Ceylan B.; Çelik A.; Çelik İ.; Demirdal T.; Demirli K.; Erben N.; Erkorkmaz Ü.; Erol S.; Evirgen Ö.; Gönen İ.; Güner A.E.; Güven T.; Kadanali A.; Koçoğlu M.E.; Kökoğlu Ö.F.; Küçükbayrak A.; Sargin F.; Sünnetçioğlu M.; Şenol Ş.; Taşbakan M.I.; Tekin R.; Turhan V.; Yilmaz G.; Dede B.Background/aim: Broad-spectrum antibiotics have become available for use only with the approval of infectious disease specialists (IDSs) since 2003 in Turkey. This study aimed to analyze the tendencies of doctors who are not disease specialists (non-IDSs) towards the restriction of antibiotics. Materials and methods: A questionnaire form was prepared, which included a total of 22 questions about the impact of antibiotic restriction (AR) policy, the role of IDSs in the restriction, and the perception of this change in antibiotic consumption. The questionnaire was completed by each participating physician. Results: A total of 1906 specialists from 20 cities in Turkey participated in the study. Of those who participated, 1271 (67.5%) had ≤5 years of occupational experience (junior specialists = JSs) and 942 (49.4%) of them were physicians. Specialists having >5 years of occupational experience in their branch expressed that they followed the antibiotic guidelines more strictly than the JSs (P < 0.05) and 755 of physicians (88%) and 720 of surgeons (84.6%) thought that the AR policy was necessary and useful (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study indicated that the AR policy was supported by most of the specialists. Physicians supported this restriction policy more so than surgeons did. © TÜBITAK.Item Do patients with neurogenic bladder treated with clean intermittent catheterization need antibacterial prophylaxis?(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Akil İ.; Özen Ç.; Cengiz B.Background/aim: In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis (ABP) with respect to the incidence of symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) and evaluated the development of renal scarring in patients treated with clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). Materials and methods: A total of 22 patients were included in the study. The patients were administered ABP in the first year (the ABP-received period) but not in the second year (the ABP-discontinued period). Results: Twenty-eight of all cultures taken in the ABP-received period (18.2%) and 25 (16.2%) of the ABP-discontinued cultures were considered to be indicative of symptomatic UTIs (P = 0.65). The multiple antibiotic resistance rate of microorganisms in cultures taken during the ABP-discontinued period (47; 30.5%) was lower than that in those taken in the ABP-received period (62; 40.3%), (P = 0.07). There was no difference between the ABP-received and ABP-discontinued periods with respect to the development of new lesions according to dimercaptosuccinic acid results (P = 0.14). Conclusion: Routine ABP usage is not protective against the development of symptomatic UTIs and new lesions in neurogenic bladder patients receiving CIC. Furthermore, the growth of resistant microorganisms increased in the ABP-received period. © TÜBİTAK.Item Heart sound signal classification using fast independent component analysis(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Koçyiǧit Y.The analysis of heart sound signals is a basic method for heart examination. It may indicate the presence of heart disorders and provide clinical information in the diagnostic process. In this study, a novel feature dimension reduction method based on independent component analysis (ICA) has been proposed for the classification of fourteen different heart sound types; the method was compared with principal component analysis. The feature vectors are classified by support vector machines, linear discriminant analysis, and naive Bayes (NB) classifiers using 10-fold cross validation. The ICA combined with NB achieves the highest average performance with a sensitivity of 98.53%, specificity of 99.89%, g-means of 99.21%, and accuracy of 99.79%. © 2016 Tübitak.Item Neurological outcome after cardiac arrest: A prospective study of the predictive ability of prognostic biomarkers neuron-specific enolase, glial fibrillary acidic protein, S-100B, and procalcitonin(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Ok G.; Aydin D.; Erbüyün K.; Gürsoy C.; Taneli F.; Bilge S.; Dinç Horasan G.Background/aim: Factors affecting neurological outcome and the usefulness of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S-100B, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and procalcitonin (PCT) in predicting neurological outcomes were assessed in patients who survived at least 24 h after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Materials and methods: Thirty successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest patients were included in this prospective clinical study. The initial cardiac arrest rhythm, duration of CPR, return of spontaneous circulation time, administered doses of adrenaline, base excess, blood sugar, and hemodynamic parameters were recorded. Patients with Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores of 1–3 were defined as Group I and patients with GOS scores of 4–5 were defined as Group II. Serum NSE, GFAP, S-100B, and PCT levels were compared between the two groups shortly after CPR (hour 0) and at hours 12 and 24 of the postresuscitation period. Results: Serum S-100B was significantly higher (P = 0.009) in Group II immediately after CPR. Serum S-100B and NSE after CPR at hours 0, 12, and 24 were significantly lower in patients who survived to hospital discharge. Serum PCT at hours 12 and 24 and serum S-100B after CPR at 0, 12, and 24 h reached 94.7% sensitivity. Serum NSE, GFAP, S-100B, and PCT specificities were lower than 50%. Conclusion: In predicting neurological outcomes, serum S-100B has high sensitivity and low specificity immediately after CPR. © TÜBİTAK.Item Some properties of digital H-spaces(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Ege O.; Karaca I.In this paper, we study certain properties of digital H-spaces. We prove that a digital image that has the same digital homotopy type with any digital H-space is also a digital H-space. We show that the digital fundamental group of a digital H-space is abelian. We give examples that are related to a digital homotopy associative H-space and a κ -contractible digital H-space. Several important applications of digital H-spaces are given in computer vision and image processing. Finally, we deal with the importance of digital H-space in digital topology and image processing. We conclude that any κ-contractible digital image is a digital H-space. © TÜBİTAK.Item Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein kinetics as indicators of treatment outcome in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Taşbakan M.S.; Gündüz C.; Sayiner A.; Çilli A.; Çelenk Karaboğa B.; Şakar Çoşkun A.; Durmaz Yaman F.; Kilinç O.; Kiliç Soylar Ö.Background/aim: There has been growing interest in the use of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The aim of this study was to investigate whether an assessment of fever, leukocyte count, and serum CRP and PCT levels on admission and during follow-up (day 3) provides any information about the clinical outcome in hospitalized patients with CAP. Materials and methods: Patients with a diagnosis of CAP who were admitted to and followed at four university hospitals were evaluated retrospectively using the Turkish Thoracic Society Pneumonia Database. Results: A total of 103 hospitalized CAP patients (57 males, mean age: 61.5 ± 16.7 years) were enrolled in the study. Treatment failure (TF) was observed in 20 patients (19.4%). Pneumonia Severity Index scores, serum CRP levels, and PCT levels on admission were significantly higher in the TF group. There were significant decreases in CRP and PCT levels between admission day and day 3 in the treatment success group. Conclusion: In patients with CAP, the body temperature and leukocyte count on admission do not predict outcome. Monitoring levels of CRP and PCT may be useful as a predictor of treatment outcome. © TÜBİTAK.Item Mediostoma izmirica sp. nov.: A new harvestman species (Arachnida, Opiliones, Nemastomatidae) from Turkey(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Snegovaya N.Y.; Kurt K.; Yağmur E.A.A new harvestman species of the genus Mediostoma Kratochvil, 1958, Mediostoma izmirica sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on males and females from İzmir Province, Turkey. Differences between the new species and other species of the genus Mediostoma are indicated. Scanning electron microscope photographs of its characteristic structures are also given. © TÜBİTAK.Item Artificial bee colony algorithm based optimal reactive power flow of two-terminal HVDC systems(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Kiliç U.; Ayan K.This paper presents a solution technique for the optimal reactive power flow (ORPF) of alternating current- direct current (AC-DC) power systems using the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm. A high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link is one of the most important network components in AC-DC power systems. In recent years there has been an increasing number of studies related to power systems with HVDC transmission links. One of them is the reactive power flow (RPF) optimization. The aim of ORPF in alternating current (AC) or AC-DC power systems is to minimize transmission line power loss under equality and inequality constraints. The relationships related to the HVDC link are incorporated into AC power system equations considering its power transfer characteristics. This paper contributes to the solution of the problem by using the ABC algorithm for the first time. The proposed method is examined on three test systems and its effectiveness in these kinds of applications is shown by the comparative results. © TÜBİTAK.Item Neuroprotective effects of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and conditioned medium in mechanically injured neuroblastoma cells(Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016) Mete M.; Aydemir I.; Ünlü Ünsal Ü.; Duransoy Y.K.; Tuğlu İ.M.; Selçuki M.Background/aim: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) possess self-renewal characteristics that distinguish them from other cell types. Recent studies have focused on the effects of conditioned medium (CM) that includes the extracellular matrix. Here we examined the neuroprotective effects of BMSCs and CM on damaged neuroblastoma cells. Materials and methods: The cells were divided into five groups: 1) healthy controls, 2) damaged cells alone, 3) damaged cells treated with BMSCs, 4) damaged cells treated with CM, and 5) damaged cells treated with both BMSCs and CM. Neuroprotective effects were then evaluated based upon the levels of oxidative stress, antitransforming growth factor β1 (anti-TGFβ1) production, and apoptosis. Results: Significant differences were observed between healthy controls and damaged cells (P < 0.001), as well as between damaged cells and those treated with BMSCs alone (P < 0.05), CM alone (P < 0.05), and both BMSCs and CM in combination (P < 0.01). Among the treated groups, the strongest neuroprotective effects were seen in cells treated with both BMSCs and CM. Conclusion: These results show that both BMSCs and CM exhibit neuroprotective effects in damaged neuroblastoma cells. The strongest benefits were seen following treatment with both BMSCs and CM. © TÜBİTAK.