Urinary trehalase activitiy in contrast-associated acute kidney injury.

OBJECTIVE: Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) is the third most common cause of hospital-acquired AKI. Sensitive biomarkers can detect kidney injury early on because kidney damage begins immediately after the administration of a contrast medium. Due to its proximal tubule specificity, urinary trehalase can be a useful and early marker for detecting tubular damage. This study aimed to reveal the power of urinary trehalase activity in diagnosing CA-AKI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, observational, and diagnostic validity study. The study was performed in an academic research hospital's emergency department. Patients aged 18 years and over who underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography in the emergency department were included in the study. Urinary trehalase activities were measured before and 12, 24, and 48 hours after the administration of a contrast medium. The primary outcome was the occurrence of CA-AKI, while the secondary outcomes were risk factors for CA-AKI, duration of hospital stay after contrast use, and the mortality rate in the hospital. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference between the CA-AKI group and the non-AKI group was found in the activities measured 12 hours after the administration of the contrast medium. Notably, the mean age of the patient group with CA-AKI was considerably higher than that of the non-AKI group. The risk of mortality was found to be remarkably more elevated in patients with CA-AKI. Further, there was a positive correlation between trehalase activity and HbA1c. In addition, a crucial correlation was found between trehalase activity and poor glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary trehalase activity can be useful as a marker of acute kidney injuries due to proximal tubule damage. In the diagnosis of CA-AKI, especially the activity of trehalase in the 12th hour might be useful.

Effect of altitude on seasonal flight activity of Rhagoletis cerasi flies (Diptera: Tephritidae).

The effect of altitudinal variation on the seasonal flight activity of Rhagoletis cerasi (Linnaeus) flies was evaluated along an altitudinal gradient from 150 to 1170 m in Mount Uludag, northwestern Turkey. The predicted dates of fly emergence, flight duration and dates of 5%, 50% and 95% cumulative fly catches at various altitudes were estimated from a degree-day model. Degree-day predictions were compared with those obtained from observations made with yellow sticky traps. The observed and predicted dates of appearance of adults were delayed by 1.4 and 2.0 days for every 100 m increase in altitude, respectively. The delay in phenology events was less at high altitudes than postulated by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, whether observed or predicted. The average absolute difference in predicted and observed dates of cumulative percentage catch of adults was 4.9 and 3.0 days in 1997 and 1998, respectively, but these differences were not significant. Prolonged flight activity was predicted and observed at higher altitudes, but the flight period lasted significantly longer than predicted. The observed flight period varied from 29 to 43 days in 1997 and from 36 to 52 days in 1998 between the lowest and highest altitude on the transect. Altitudinal variation between geographically close locations should be taken into account to properly time monitoring activities and hence to manage R. cerasi populations more effectively.

Reduced-risk management of Rhagoletis cerasi flies (host race Prunus) in combination with a preliminary phenological model.

Seasonal flight activity of Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) adults was monitored using yellow sticky traps at sweet cherry orchards under different management regimes in Bursa, northwestern Turkey, during 1997-1998. In the reduced-risk backyard orchards, soil ploughing in the fall or spring to destroy the pupae was combined with a single application of an insecticide, while conventionally managed orchards received six to seven insecticide applications for controlling adults. Traps in commercial orchards caught significantly fewer adults than those in reduced-risk backyard orchards. Levels of cherry fruit fly fruit damage were very low (0.1%) in commercial orchards, whereas infestation rates averaged 2.2% in reduced-risk orchards. A preliminary phenology model was developed for optimal timing of insecticide applications based on air temperature summations since 1 February. In the reduced-risk backyard orchards, the first flies were captured between 25 May and 2 June, corresponding to an average degree-day (DD) accumulation of 582.50 +/- 10.50 DD at an altitude of 150 m. However, first adult emergence at 1170 m was recorded between 6 and 14 June, averaging 667.50 +/- 14.50 DD. Adult emergence exhibited bimodal peaks in a single flight at low altitude but there was a single peak at high altitude sites. Total adult flight period averaged 459 +/- 29.50 and 649 +/- 25.50 DD at low and high altitude sites, respectively. Our prediction model suggests that the optimum spray-window for a single insecticide application occurs between 577.70 and 639.40 DD at 150 m and between 780.90 and 848.60 DD at 1170 m.