Marine turtles as bio-indicators of plastic pollution in the eastern Mediterranean.

The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) has been suggested as a bio-indicator species for plastic pollution. However, detailed investigations in the eastern Mediterranean are limited. Here, we present data from loggerhead turtles (2012-2022; n = 131) of which 42.

Adaptation of sea turtles to climate warming: Will phenological responses be sufficient to counteract changes in reproductive output?

Sea turtles are vulnerable to climate change since their reproductive output is influenced by incubating temperatures, with warmer temperatures causing lower hatching success and increased feminization of embryos. Their ability to cope with projected increases in ambient temperatures will depend on their capacity to adapt to shifts in climatic regimes. Here, we assessed the extent to which phenological shifts could mitigate impacts from increases in ambient temperatures (from 1.

Metal accumulation in juvenile and sub-adult loggerhead and green turtles in northern Cyprus.

Sea turtles are considered pollution bioindicators due to their tendency to accumulate high metal levels in their tissues during their long lifespans. In this context, we aimed to analyse the concentrations of 12 elements in liver, kidney, heart and muscle samples from green turtles (Chelonia mydas; n = 41) and loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta; n = 14) found stranded in Northern Cyprus. The samples were collected between 2019 and 2021, stored in sterile Eppendorf tubes at -20 °C until metal analysis, and analysed with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.

Influence of Foam Morphology on Flow and Heat Transport in a Random Packed Bed with Metallic Foam Pellets-An Investigation Using CFD.

Open-cell metallic foams used as catalyst supports exhibit excellent transport properties. In this work, a unique application of metallic foam, as pelletized catalyst in a packed bed reactor, is examined. By using a wall-segment Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) setup, parametric analyses are carried out to investigate the influence of foam morphologies (cell size ϕ=0.

Half-Barrels Derived from a (β/α)8 Barrel β-Glycosidase Undergo an Activation Process.

The evolution of (β/α)8 barrel proteins is currently thought to have involved the fusion of two (β/α)4 half-barrels, thereby conferring stability on the protein structure. After the formation of a whole (β/α)8 barrel, this structure could evolve and diverge to form fully active enzymes. Interestingly, we show here that isolated (β/α)4 half-barrels derived from the N- and C-terminal domains of the β-glucosidase Sfβgly (Sfβgly-N: residues 1 to 265; Sfβgly-C: residues 266 to 509) undergo an activation process, which renders them catalytically active.

The 3D structure and function of digestive cathepsin L-like proteinases of Tenebrio molitor larval midgut.

Cathepsin L-like proteinases (CAL) are major digestive proteinases in the beetle Tenebrio molitor. Procathepsin Ls 2 (pCAL2) and 3 (pCAL3) were expressed as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli, purified and activated under acidic conditions. Immunoblot analyses of different T.

Heterologous expression in Escherichia coli of Neurospora crassa neutral trehalase as an active enzyme.

Neutral trehalase from Neurospora crassa was expressed in Escherichia coli as a polypeptide of approximately 84 kDa in agreement with the theoretical size calculated from the corresponding cDNA. The recombinant neutral trehalase, purified by affinity chromatography exhibited a specific activity of 80-150 mU/mg protein. Optima of pH and temperature were 7.

Identification and domain mapping of Dictyostelium discoideum type-1 protein phosphatase inhibitor-2.

The protein phosphatase type-1 catalytic subunit (PP1c) does not exist freely in the cell and its activity must be very strictly controlled. Several protein inhibitors of PP1c have been described including the classical mammalian inhibitor-1 (I-1) and inhibitor-2 (I-2). Association of these inhibitors with PP1c appears to involve multiple contacts and in the case of I-2 no less than five I-2 interaction subdomains have been proposed.

Effects of antiplatelet therapy with indobufen or aspirin-dipyridamole on graft patency one year after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Saphenous vein coronary artery bypass graft patency can be increased by antiplatelet therapy. Aspirin plus dipyridamole are effective but are associated with tolerability problems. Indobufen is a possible alternative antiplatelet agent that may be better tolerated.

Early pulmonary vein thrombosis after single lung transplantation.

Pulmonary venous obstruction after single lung transplantation may be mistaken for reperfusion injury or myocardial dysfunction. Complete obstruction of one of the major pulmonary veins will result in hemorrhagic infarction of the affected lobe within 4 to 6 hours, limiting the option of treatment to resection (lobectomy) or retransplantation. Early diagnosis is therefore essential.

Coronary ostial stenosis: surgical considerations.

To investigate the clinical significance of coronary ostial stenosis, we reviewed eight patients with such lesions, including three with isolated stenosis at the orifice of the coronary artery. There were five male and three female patients, with an average age of 46.25 years (range 32-69 years).

Surgical implications of anomalous aortic origin of the left coronary artery.

We report a patient with exertional chest pain and anomalous aortic origin of the left coronary artery from the right coronary sinus. This patient also had circumflex coronary and right coronary artery stenoses. Following coronary bypass grafting of the circumflex and right coronary arteries in this patient, angina persisted and there was abnormal septal perfusion shown on the exercise thallium imaging despite patent grafts.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of quadricuspid aortic valve.

Isolated quadricuspid aortic valve is very rare. The identification of this malformation can be made by cross-sectional echocardiography. Two cases of quadricuspid aortic valve diagnosed by cross-sectional echocardiography are described.

Internal mammary artery conduit: an additional surgical procedure in difficult coarctation of the aorta.

Between October 1986 and February 1987 two young men with coarctation of the aorta and a hypoplastic isthmus were treated by a combined resection and isthmusplasty with implantation of the left internal mammary artery to the distal aorta. An appreciable drop in the systolic gradient was seen in both patients after the mammary artery anastomosis and haemodynamic variables across the repair continued to improve postoperatively. Digital transvenous subtraction angiography five months after operation showed a satisfactory mammary artery conduit across the repaired coarctation.

Smoking and coronary artery disease assessed by routine coronary arteriography.

The association between extent and duration of smoking habit and severity of coronary atheroma was examined in 387 patients undergoing routine coronary ateriography before valve replacement surgery. Total number of cigarettes smoked in life correlated significantly with severity of coronary artery disease (p less than 0.001) and number of coronary arteries with stenoses of 50% or more (p less than 0.

Angina, coronary risk factors and coronary artery disease in patients with valvular disease. A prospective study.

The relationship between coronary risk factors and coronary artery disease in patients with valvular heart disease was studied prospectively in 387 consecutive patients undergoing routine coronary arteriography prior to valve replacement. Coronary artery disease was as common in patients with mitral valve disease (31.9%) as in those with aortic valve disease (26.

Aneurysm of the mitral valve complicating Streptococcus milleri endocarditis.

A case of endocarditis which caused an aneurysm of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve is reported. There is only one previous report of a mitral valve aneurysm secondary to infective endocarditis demonstrated by angiography. normally causes endocarditis in an older age group than the patient we describe.

Mitral valve prolapse: an assessment of clinical features, associated conditions and prognosis.

One hundred and eighty-two patients (100 females, 82 males) with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) confirmed by echocardiography are described. Their ages range from 12 to 87 years (mean 48 years). The symptoms of breathlessness, pain in the chest and palpitations were analysed.

Preoperative prediction of significant coronary artery disease in patients with valvular heart disease.

A prognostic index for predicting significant coronary artery disease was established using multiple logistic regression analysis of clinical data from 643 patients with valvular heart disease who had undergone routine coronary arteriography before valve replacement. The index or equation obtained incorporated the presence of angina, a family history of ischaemic heart disease, age, cigarette smoking habits, mitral valve disease, sex, and electrocardiographic evidence of myocardial infarction. The equation was validated using prospective data from 387 patients with valvular disease and shown to enable almost a third of routine coronary arteriograms to be omitted while maintaining 95% sensitivity for patients with coronary artery disease.

Incidence of thyroid disease in cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The investigative findings of patients considered to have possible hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were examined, and 31 of these fulfilling defined criteria for the disease were reviewed in detail, with emphasis on thyroid abnormalities. Four patients had a history of thyroid disease (13%). Explanations considered for the apparent association were the effects of hyperthyroidism on normal, or more probably, incipiently abnormal myocardium.