Publications by authors named "Merve Ay"

Background: Previous studies indicate an increasing prevalence of depression among university students worldwide. Besides, university students are more likely to excessively use smartphones, making them more susceptible to smartphone addiction. Pandemic conditions can also have negative effects on mental health.

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An ability to monitor cell cycle progression in real time has numerous applications in pluripotent stem cell-based models and therapeutics development. Fluorescence Ubiquitination-based Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI) systems enable live monitoring of the cell cycle in stem cells and their differentiated progenies in a non-invasive manner. We describe the generation and characterisation of a cell line with a doxycycline-inducible reporter system, iFUCCI, in the human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line MEL-1.

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Phenylketonuria is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder mainly due to a significant reduction in the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase, resulting in elevation of phenylalanine in the blood. Here, we have established two fibroblast-derived induced pluripotent stem cell lines using Sendai virus-based reprogramming. The established induced pluripotent stem cell lines exhibited a normal karyotype and expressed markers of pluripotency assessed through quantitative PCR, flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry.

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We employed a Sendai virus-based reprogramming method to transform human lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) derived from two individuals diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU) into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). This reprogramming process involved the expression of the four Yamanaka factors: KLF4, OCT4, SOX2, and C-MYC. The resulting patient-specific iPSCs exhibited a normal karyotype and expressed endogenous pluripotent markers NANOG and OCT-4.

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Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of childhood psychopathologies in Turkey.

Method: A nation-wide, randomly selected, representative population of 5830 children (6-13 years-old) enrolled as a 2nd,3rd or 4th grade student in 30 cities were evaluated for presence of a psychiatric or mental disorder by a Sociodemographic Form, Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), and DSM-IV-Based Screening Scale for Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children and Adolescents scales. Impairment criterion was assessed via a 3 point-Likert scale by the parent and the teacher independently.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the prevalence of affective disorders in a representative sample of Turkish students from second to fourth grades.
  • A total of 5,842 participants were analyzed, revealing a 2.5% prevalence of affective disorders, with major depressive disorder (MDD) being the most common at 1.06%.
  • The findings suggest the need for early interventions, particularly for children with family risk factors like maternal psychopathology and paternal illness.
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The aims of this study were to identify the most needed health care services, accessibility of various health care services, and barriers to access as perceived by a group of Syrian refugees living in non-camp settings in Jordan and to compare accessibility among different groups. The study was conducted in the Amman, Irbid, Karak, and Maan governorates of Jordan. This is a cross-sectional, analytical, observational study using convenience and snowball sampling for data collection.

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