A comparison of the performance of conventional and eco-friendly extraction methods in the evaluation of total phenolics, antioxidant activity, and chemical composition of anise.

In this work, the essential oil of seeds was obtained by six different extraction methods. In the chemical composition analysis, 4, 6, 4, 1, 20, and 8 compounds were detected in the extracts obtained by Soxhlet, Ultrasonic-assisted (UAE), hydrodistillation using Clevenger apparatus (HDC), subcritical water extraction (SWE), supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (ScCO) using three solvents (methanol (ScCO-Met), ethanol (ScCO-Et), and hexane (ScCO-H)) and supercritical 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (ScR134a) methods, respectively. Also, the performances of the applied methods were compared by analysing the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of the extracts.

Effective antibacterial and antioxidant properties of methanolic extract of Laurus nobilis seed oil.

This study was carried out to determine the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil, seed oil, and methanolic extract of seed oil obtained from Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae). The methanolic extract of seed oil exhibited more effective antibacterial activity comparing to essential oil and seed oil, GC-MS analyses of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 25 compounds.

Accumulation of some heavy metals in Hysterothylacium aduncum (Nematoda) and its host sea bream, Sparus aurata (Sparidae) from North-Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Iskenderun Bay).

The sea bream's nematode and Sparus aurata, sampled from the Iskenderun Bay, Mediterranean, in March 2008 were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry for their some heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mg, Pb, and Zn) levels. The metal concentrations of the parasites were compared to different organs (liver, muscle, gill, intestine, and skin) of the fish hosts. There were significant differences in Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Hg, Mg, and Pb concentrations in tissues of fish and its parasite.

Quantifying long-term changes in water quality and quantity of Euphrates and Tigris rivers, Turkey.

The Euphrates and Tigris watersheds originating from Turkey and passing through Syria and Iraq are one of the most important transboundary watersheds in the Middle East. Long-term data (1971 to 2002) from 14 stations over the Euphrates river and seven stations over the Tigris river were analyzed and compared using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Kendall trend tests, and box-and-whisker plots. The upper Euphrates river had significantly lower values of flow rate (FR), water temperature (WT), electrical conductivity (EC), Cl, and SO4 than did the lower Euphrates river.

Comparison of chemical composition of the essential oil of Laurus nobilis L. leaves and fruits from different regions of Hatay, Turkey.

The essential oils of the leaves and fruits from bay (Laurus nobilis L.) grown in Antakya, Yayladagi and Samandagi were isolated by solvent extraction and analysed by capillary gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In Antakya, Yayladagi and Samandagi the chemical compositions of the fruits and leaves were similar according to qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Serum levels of zinc, copper, iron, cobalt, magnesium, and selenium elements in children diagnosed with Giardia intestinalis and Enterobiosis vermicularis in Hatay, Turkey.

The intestinal parasites are noted to be an important health problem in Turkey as similarly reported in the globe. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in total content of essential elements, namely, zinc, iron, copper, cobalt, magnesium, and selenium, in children infected with intestinal parasites aged between 6 and 12 years inhabiting in Hatay Province, Turkey. These essential elements were measured in the children/patient who was positive for intestinal parasites, Giardia intestinalis and Enterobius vermicularis.

Element concentrations in the swimbladder parasite Anguillicola crassus (nematoda) and its host the European eel, Anguilla anguilla from Asi River (Hatay-Turkey).

The European eel's swimbladder nematode, Anguillicola crassus, sampled from the Asi River (Orontes River) in Antakya (Hatay, Turkey) in May 2006 were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) for their some heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb and Zn) levels. The metal concentrations of the parasites were compared to different organs (swimbladder, liver, muscle and skin) of the fish hosts. The parasite contained statistically highly significantly amounts of Fe (P < 0.