A new approach for artificial pollination in walnut trees: AirPoll.

Pollination is the first step in the plant's fruit development. Therefore, fruit setting does not occur without pollination. Some problems encountered in natural pollination cause pollination not to be achieved as desired and cause significant losses in yield and fruit quality.

Antioxidant effect of Rosa pimpinellifolia L. fruit extract on cholestatic liver injury: an experimental study.

Background: Antioxidants have been considered a rational curative strategy to prevent and cure liver diseases involving oxidative stress. An acute obstructive jaundice rat model was established to investigate the in vivo hepatoprotective efficacy of Rosa pimpinellifolia L.

Methods: The experimental jaundice model was performed by binding the main bile duct in 25 male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Relationship Between Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Level and Aggressive Pathological Features of Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Objectives: Thyroid-stimulating hormones (TSHs) are associated with the risk of differentiated thyroid cancer. The relationship between pre-operative TSH levels and aggressive features is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between pathological features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and high TSH levels.

Gallbladder Uptake Mimicking Liver Metastasis on 177Lu-DOTATATE Posttherapy Scan Gallbladder Uptake on 177Lu-DOTATATE Scan.

We represent the case of a 61-year-old man with atypical carcinoid tumor of the lung. On posttherapy 177Lu-DOTATATE whole-body scan, focal intense uptake in the inferomedial side of the liver was detected. Pretherapy 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT showed no sign of liver metastasis, and posttherapy diagnostic dynamic liver MRI is used to exclude metastatic liver disease.

A new approach to monitor and assess the damage caused by two-spotted spider mite.

This study uses an image-processing technique to determine the damage level caused by two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) to cucumber plants and changes in the number of mites in a greenhouse. Firstly, a new agricultural platform was developed to ensure camera stability for capturing quality images. The images of 50 leaves infested with T.

The Relationship of Clinicopathological Factors of the Tumor with Preoperative TSH Level in Papillary Thyroid Cancers.

Objective: Thyroid-stimulating hormone/thyrotropin (TSH) is known to induce malignancies and tissue growth of the thyroid gland. While the relationship of higher levels of TSH with advanced stages of cancer had been published in previous studies, the relationship of the tumor with the clinicopathological factors had not been completely evaluated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between highly risky clinicopathological factors with preoperative high levels of TSH.

Environmental Influences on the Growing Season Duration and Ripening of Diverse Germplasm Grown in Six Countries.

The development of models to predict yield potential and quality of a Miscanthus crop must consider climatic limitations and the duration of growing season. As a biomass crop, yield and quality are impacted by the timing of plant developmental transitions such as flowering and senescence. Growth models are available for the commercially grown clone (), but breeding programs have been working to expand the germplasm available, including development of interspecies hybrids.

Extending Cultivation with Novel Germplasm at Six Contrasting Sites.

Miscanthus is a genus of perennial rhizomatous grasses with C4 photosynthesis which is indigenous in a wide geographic range of Asian climates. The sterile clone, × . × , is a naturally occurring interspecific hybrid that has been used commercially in Europe for biomass production for over a decade.

Site-Specific Management of Miscanthus Genotypes for Combustion and Anaerobic Digestion: A Comparison of Energy Yields.

In Europe, the perennial C grass miscanthus is currently mainly cultivated for energy generation via combustion. In recent years, anaerobic digestion has been identified as a promising alternative utilization pathway. Anaerobic digestion produces a higher-value intermediate (biogas), which can be upgraded to biomethane, stored in the existing natural gas infrastructure and further utilized as a transport fuel or in combined heat and power plants.

Progress on Optimizing Miscanthus Biomass Production for the European Bioeconomy: Results of the EU FP7 Project OPTIMISC.

This paper describes the complete findings of the EU-funded research project OPTIMISC, which investigated methods to optimize the production and use of miscanthus biomass. Miscanthus bioenergy and bioproduct chains were investigated by trialing 15 diverse germplasm types in a range of climatic and soil environments across central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, and China. The abiotic stress tolerances of a wider panel of 100 germplasm types to drought, salinity, and low temperatures were measured in the laboratory and a field trial in Belgium.

Increased Plasma Levels of Asymmetric Dimethylarginine in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Relation With Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Liver Histology.

Background And Aim: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most frequent cause of death in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Insulin resistance, hepatic dysfunction, and chronic inflammation are factors interacting in explaining the increased CVD incidence in NAFLD. We aimed to evaluate the effects of insulin resistance and inflammatory biomarkers on asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels, a predictor of CVD.

Holotranscobalamin Levels in Children with Helicobacter pylori Infection.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between vitamin B12 levels and Helicobacter Pylori infection and to examine the clinical usefulness of holotranscobalamin (holoTC) measurement in children.

Materials And Methods: Thirty patients between 6 and 15 years of age, who were diagnosed as H. pylori infected by C(14) urea breath test, and 26 controls were enrolled in the study.

Anticardiolipin Antibodies in Children with Helicobacter pylori Infection.

Background: Anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies are associated with thrombosis and have an important role in the etiology of diseases such as stroke and myocardial infarction whose etiologies were based on thrombosis. H. pylori has been proposed to be responsible for the pathophysiology of some diseases including stroke, myocardial infarction, thrombosis, and autoimmune diseases.

Altered biodistribution of FDG in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) imaging of patients with diabetes can be problematic because elevated glucose levels may cause competitive inhibition of [F-18]-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake in different tissues. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the biodistribution of FDG in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Two hundred forty patients were retrospectively enrolled to the study.

Olive mill wastewater treatment in single-chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cells.

Olive mill wastewaters create significant environmental issues in olive-processing countries. One of the most hazardous groups of pollutants in these wastewaters is phenolic compounds. Here, olive mill wastewater was used as substrate and treated in single-chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cells.

Phase analysis in patients with reversible perfusion defects and normal coronary arteries at angiography.

Objective: A count-based new technique from gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission tomography (gMPS) was developed to allow the phase analysis providing information about the left ventricular (LV) regional discordance in contractility which is a measure of LV dyssynchrony. Since the phase analysis provides data for evaluating the dyssynchronous LV contraction, it has an important role in diagnosis and management of patients with left ventricular dysfunction. The aim of the study was to assess the presence of left ventricular dyssynchrony in patients with reversible perfusion defects on gMPS scans and normal or near normal coronary arteries at angiography.

A study of yield and yield components of different ornamental pepper (Capsicum sp.) species and lines in cukurova ecological conditions.

This study examined some phenological, morphological and pomological features of different ornamental pepper (Capsicum sp.) species and lines under the conditions of Cukurova Region, Turkey. The field trials used a randomized complete block design with three replications.

Wound complications and clinical results of electrocautery versus a scalpel to create a cutaneous flap in thyroidectomy: a prospective randomized trial.

Purpose: The use of electrocautery for tissue dissection is becoming increasingly popular, despite the associated risk of poor wound healing and excessive scarring. We conducted this study to compare the wound complications and early and late clinical results resulting from electrocautery versus the scalpel to create a cutaneous flap during thyroidectomy.

Methods: The subjects of this study were 100 patients, randomized prospectively to either a scalpel group (group S, n = 50) or an electrocautery group (group E, n = 50).

Selective intraarterial radionuclide therapy with Yttrium-90 (Y-90) microspheres for hepatic neuroendocrine metastases: initial experience at a single center.

Background/aim: Selective intraarterial radionuclide therapy (SIRT) with Yttrium-90 (Y-90) microspheres is also known as radioembolization and delivers high doses of radiation to hepatic tumors with minimum healthy liver exposure. The aim of this study was to present our preliminary experience in the role of liver directed radiotherapy with Y-90 microspheres for the treatment of unresectable hepatic metastases from neuroendocrine tumors (NET).

Methods: The results of SIRT in 10 patients (5 males, 5 females; mean age 48.

The effect of about one third craniectomy on the cerebrospinal fluid flow rate as estimated by radionuclide cisternography in normal rabbits.

Since, the effect of a large cranial defect on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate is still not clear, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of craniectomy in rabbits by using a radionuclide technique, under in vivo physiologic conditions. Eleven male New Zealand white rabbits were examined. After the injection of technetium-99m-diethylene-triaminepenta-acetic acid into the fourth ventricle of each rabbit, dynamic acquisition for 60 min (1 min per frame) was performed pre-op followed by about one third craniectomy to each animal.

Evaluation of outcome prediction and disease extension by quantitative 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D-glucose with positron emission tomography in patients with small cell lung cancer.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine whether 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D: -glucose with positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging and quantitative PET parameters can predict outcome and differentiate patients with limited disease (LD) from extensive disease (ED) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated data from 25 patients who underwent either initial staging (Group A, n 12) or restaging (Group B, n 13) by conventional imaging methods and FDG-PET according to the simplified staging scheme developed by the Veterans Administration Lung Cancer Study Group-2. FDG-PET images were both visually and quantitatively evaluated with SUV(max), SUV(ave), total metabolic tumor volume (with SUV(max) > %50 and SUV(max) > 2.

Combination of preoperative ultrasonographic mapping and radioguided occult lesion localization in patients with locally recurrent/persistent papillary thyroid carcinoma: a practical method for central compartment reoperations.

Purpose: To improve the surgical success and reduce the complication rates, we combine our routine preoperative ultrasound (US) mapping technique with radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) in patients with papillary thyroid cancer recurrences in central compartment.

Materials And Methods: In the morning of surgery, biopsy proven recurrent/persistent tumoral lesions were plotted on a sketch and injected with Tc-99m labeled macroaggregated albumin under US guidance. Thyroid bed exploration was carried out based on the location of biopsy proven lesion with the guidance of intraoperative gamma probe and neck map.

Abnormal 18F-FDG Uptake Detected with Positron Emission Tomography in a Patient with Breast Cancer: A Case of Sarcoidosis and Review of the Literature.

18F-FDG PET is a useful and sensitive imaging method for a variety of malignancies, however, the specificity is low in active infections and inflammatory diseases. We describe a female patient with stage IIIA breast cancer in first complete remission with combination chemotherapy who developed nodular formations in the lung and axilla 12 years later. Imaging studies as well as FDG PET showed nodular lesions and increased metabolic activity which was interpreted as the progression of the primary disease.