Enhanced lion swarm optimization and elliptic curve cryptography scheme for secure cluster head selection and malware detection in IoT-WSN.

Wireless Sensor Networks present a significant issue for data routing because of the potential use of obtaining data from far locations with greater energy efficiency. Networks have become essential to modern concepts of the Internet of Things. The primary foundation for supporting diverse service-centric applications has continued to be the sensor node activity of both sensing phenomena in their local environs and relaying their results to centralized Base Stations.

A Monte Carlo based scatter removal method for non-isocentric cone-beam CT acquisitions using a deep convolutional autoencoder.

The primary cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging beam scatters inside the patient and produces a contaminating photon fluence that is registered by the detector. Scattered photons cause artifacts in the image reconstruction, and are partially responsible for the inferior image quality compared to diagnostic fan-beam CT. In this work, a deep convolutional autoencoder (DCAE) and projection-based scatter removal algorithm were constructed for the ImagingRing system on rails (IRr), which allows for non-isocentric acquisitions around virtual rotation centers with its independently rotatable source and detector arms.

Combining dual-tree complex wavelets and multiresolution in iterative CT reconstruction with application to metal artifact reduction.

Background: This paper investigates the benefits of data filtering via complex dual wavelet transform for metal artifact reduction (MAR). The advantage of using complex dual wavelet basis for MAR was studied on simulated dental computed tomography (CT) data for its efficiency in terms of noise suppression and removal of secondary artifacts. Dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) was selected due to its enhanced directional analysis of image details compared to the ordinary wavelet transform.

A realistic, accurate and fast source modeling approach for the EEG forward problem.

The aim of this paper is to advance electroencephalography (EEG) source analysis using finite element method (FEM) head volume conductor models that go beyond the standard three compartment (skin, skull, brain) approach and take brain tissue inhomogeneity (gray and white matter and cerebrospinal fluid) into account. The new approach should enable accurate EEG forward modeling in the thin human cortical structures and, more specifically, in the especially thin cortices in children brain research or in pathological applications. The source model should thus be focal enough to be usable in the thin cortices, but should on the other side be more realistic than the current standard mathematical point dipole.

[Viral superantigens].

Superantigens (SAgs) are microbial proteins produced by various microorganisms that elicit excessive and strong stimulation of T cells via an unconventional mechanism. They cause polyclonal activation of T cells in a non-specific manner, by binding to a particular variable-beta (Vβ) chain of T-cell receptor (TCR) and MHC class II molecule, in unprocessed form and outside of peptide-binding cleft, forming a bridge between the antigen presenting cell and the T cell. SAgs are classified into three groups, namely 1) exogenous (soluble proteins and exotoxins secreted by microorganisms), 2) endogenous (transmembrane proteins encoded by viruses which are integrated into the genome) and 3) B-cell SAgs (proteins which stimulate predominantly B cells).

[Investigation of the hepatitis E virus seroprevalence in cases admitted to Hacettepe University Medical Faculty Hospital].

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), classified in Hepeviridae family, Hepevirus genus, is a non-enveloped virus with icosahedral capsid containing single-stranded positive sense RNA genome. HEV infections may be asymptomatic especially in children, however it may present as fulminant hepatitis in pregnant women, as well as chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised patients. There are four well-known genotypes of HEV that infect humans and many mammalian species.

The effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on plasma TAT and F 1+2 levels in patients with breast cancer.

Introduction: Increased thromboembolic disorders and chemotherapy-induced thromboembolic events are well known phenomena in patients with breast cancer. Antithrombin III (AT III) inactivates thrombin, resulting in increased thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) levels. Activated factor X cleaves prothrombin and thrombin, resulting in increased levels of prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F 1+2).

Prospective investigation of the impact of West Nile Virus infections in renal diseases.

An increased incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) after West Nile Virus (WNV) infections has been suggested but the association of WNV infections with renal damage remain inconclusive. This study was undertaken to characterize WNV infections in individuals with acute kidney injury (AKI) and CKD, and to evaluate hemodialysis as a probable transmission route. A total of 463 plasma and urine samples were collected from 45 AKI and 77 CKD patients.

Ongoing activity of Toscana virus genotype A and West Nile virus lineage 1 strains in Turkey: a clinical and field survey.

Toscana virus (TOSV), West Nile virus (WNV) and tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV) are among major viral pathogens causing febrile disease and meningitis/encephalitis. The impact of these viruses was investigated at a referral centre in Ankara Province, Central Anatolia in 2012, where previous reports suggested virus circulation but with scarce information on clinical cases and vector activity. Serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid samples from 94 individuals were evaluated, in addition to field-collected arthropod specimens that included 767 sandflies and 239 mosquitoes.

[Investigation of baseline antiviral resistance in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B cases].

Naturally-occurring mutations associated with resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NA) can be detected in a group of treatment-naive individuals chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Genotypic resistance testing prior to the initiation of NA therapy may facilitate the selection of optimal drug regime and help to prevent early emergence of clinical resistance. In this study, presence of resistance mutations in treatment-naive individuals with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) was investigated in Hacettepe University Hospital, a referral center in Ankara province, Turkey.

Investigation of tyrphostin AG 556 for testicular torsion-induced ischemia reperfusion injury in rat.

Objective: To investigate the effects of tyrphostin AG 556, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in an experimental model of testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury.

Material And Methods: Twenty-four adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6): sham, torsion/detorsion (T/D), T/D + dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (vehicle group), and T/D + DMSO + tyrphostin AG 556. Testicular torsion was achieved by rotating the left testis 720° clockwise for 4 h.

[Detection of resistance mutations in chronic hepatitis B patients receiving antiviral therapy for over one year].

Primary mutations conferring hepatitis B virus (HBV) antiviral resistance and associated secondary/compensatory mutations were investigated in this study by DNA sequencing (SEQ) and two commercial Line Probe Assays (LiPAs) (Inno-Lipa HBV DRv2 and Inno-Lipa HBV DRv3, Innogenetics, Belgium). A total of 71 subjects under follow-up for chronic hepatitis B and receiving lamivudine (LVD) therapy for one year or longer at the Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology Unit were included in the study with informed consent. Male to female ratio and mean age was noted as 47/24 and 43 ± 15.

[New, newer, newest human polyomaviruses: how far?].

Polyomaviruses, classified in Polyomaviridae family, are non-enveloped small (40-45 nm) viruses with icosahedral symmetry and circular double-stranded DNA genome. Polyomaviruses can infect a variety of vertebrates including birds, rodents, cattle, monkeys and humans. The characteristics such as establishment of latent infections, reactivations during immunosuppression and oncogenic potencies render the human polyomaviruses (HPyVs) of considerable importance for public health.

Concurrent occurrence of human and equine West Nile virus infections in Central Anatolia, Turkey: the first evidence for circulation of lineage 1 viruses.

Background: West Nile fever is an important zoonotic infection caused by West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae. Previous serological data from Turkey suggest widespread WNV circulation. This report includes cases of human and equine WNV infections occurring concurrently, and manifesting as central nervous system infections, in two neighboring provinces of Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Multicentre evaluation of central nervous system infections due to Flavi and Phleboviruses in Turkey.

Objectives: Flavi- and Phleboviruses associated with central nervous system (CNS) infections including West Nile Virus (WNV), Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV) and Toscana Virus (TOSV) cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans. In this study, the impact of these agents have been investigated in CNS infections at referral hospitals in two provinces in Turkey, where circulation of these viruses have previously been recognized.

Methods: In the study, 258 samples from 126 individuals from Ankara and 113 samples from 108 individuals from Izmir provinces collected in 2010 were included.

A case of central nervous system infection due to a novel Sandfly Fever Virus (SFV) variant: Sandfly Fever Turkey Virus (SFTV).

We present a case of viral encephalitis due to Sandfly Fever Turkey Virus (SFTV), a novel phlebovirus genetically related to but distinct from Sandfly Fever Sicilian Virus (SFSV), recently identified in a 63-year-old female, via consensus PCR and sequencing. SFTV was initially characterized in 2010 in samples from outbreaks of febrile diseases occurred during 2007-2008 and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an SFTV-related central nervous system (CNS) infection.

Toscana virus (TOSV) exposure is confirmed in blood donors from Central, North and South/Southeast Anatolia, Turkey.

Toscana virus (TOSV), a sandfly fever virus serotype of medical and public health importance, is a major pathogen involved in aseptic meningtis occurring in Mediterranean countries and poses a threat to the residents as well as travellers. Limited data on TOSV activity are present from Turkey despite being located in the endemic zone. We aimed to identify TOSV exposure in 1115 healthy blood donors at the Hacettepe University Hospital Blood Bank in Ankara, Turkey, using commercial indirect fluorescence assays (IFAs) and virus neutralization test (VNT) for antibody detection and specificity confirmation.

Performance of various commercial assays for the detection of Toscana virus antibodies.

Introduction: Sandfly fever virus (SFV) serotypes sandfly fever Naples virus, sandfly fever Sicilian virus, and sandfly fever Cyprus virus cause febrile diseases, whereas Toscana virus (TOSV) is responsible for aseptic meningoencephalitis. Diagnosis and surveillance of TOSV depend heavily on virus serology, and various commercial assays utilizing various antigen sources and formats have been available. The aim of this study was to perform comparative evaluation of commercially available serological assays for anti-TOSV immunoglobulins.

[Investigation of West Nile virus seroprevalence in Hacettepe University Hospital blood donors and confirmation of the positive results by plaque reduction neutralization test].

West Nile virus (WNV), a member of Flaviviridae family, is an enveloped, icosahedral, single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. WNV is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoe (especially Culex spp.) bites and cause a variety of clinical outcomes, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe meningoencephalitis.

[Investigation of dengue virus and yellow fever virus seropositivities in blood donors from Central/Northern Anatolia, Turkey].

Dengue virus (DENV) and yellow fever virus (YFV) are two of the globally prevalent vector-borne flaviviruses. Data on these viruses from Turkey is limited to a single study originating from the western, Aegean region of Turkey, where evidence for DENV exposure had been confirmed in residents and presence of hemagglutination inhibiting antibodies against YFV had been revealed. The aim of this study was to investigate the rates of seropositivity of DENV and YFV in blood donors from Central/Northern Anatolia, Turkey, for the demonstration of possible human exposure.

Sandfly fever virus activity in central/northern Anatolia, Turkey: first report of Toscana virus infections.

Sandfly fever viruses (SFVs) cause febrile diseases as well as aseptic meningitis/encephalitis and include serotypes sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV) and Toscana virus (TOSV). Infections are endemic in the Mediterranean basin and data on SFV activity in Turkey are limited. In this study, sera from 1533 blood donors from the Ankara, Konya, Eskisehir and Zonguldak provinces of Turkey were evaluated for SFV exposure by indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) and confirmed by virus neutralization test (VNT).

Confirmed exposure to tick-borne encephalitis virus and probable human cases of tick-borne encephalitis in Central/Northern Anatolia, Turkey.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the aetiological agent of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), a potentially fatal central nervous system infection of humans. TBE is endemic in many areas of Europe and Asia; however, very scarce data on TBEV activity are available from Turkey. We aimed to identify TBEV exposure in healthy blood donors and the impact of TBEV in central nervous system infections in Central/Northern Anatolia.

[Investigation of West Nile virus in central nervous system infections of unknown etiology in Ankara, Turkey].

Arthropod-borne viral infections have recently gained considerable attention and importance as re-emerging infections in a global scale. West Nile Virus (WNV), a member of Flaviviridae, is an enveloped positive strand RNA virus that is usually transmitted to humans by the bite of Culicine mosquitoes. Although the majority of the human infections are asymptomatic, WNV may also cause febrile and neuro-invasive diseases.

West Nile virus seroprevalence in blood donors from Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Introduction: West Nile virus (WNV) is a reemerging flavivirus that has displayed a drastic change in epidemiology in the last decade. Data on WNV activity in Turkey are currently limited. This study investigated WNV exposure in blood donors from Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Lactoferrin in Gingival Crevicular Fluid and Peripheral Blood during Experimental Gingivitis.

Objectives: Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron binding protein and stored in the specific granules of granulocytes. It is released by degranulation following granulocyte activation. A positive correlation was previously reported between periodontitis and LF titers of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and blood.