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Abstract Background The Obstetric Comorbidity Index (OBCMI) is an internationally validated scoring system for maternal risk factors intended to reliably predict the occurrence of severe maternal morbidity (SMM). This retrospective cohort study applied the OBCMI to pregnant women in Qatar to validate its performance in predicting SMM and cumulative fetal morbidity. Methods Data from 1000 women who delivered in July 2021 in a large tertiary centre was extracted from medical records. The OBCMI index included maternal demographics, pre-existing comorbidities, and various current pregnancy risk factors such as hypertension, including preeclampsia, intrauterine fetal death, prolonged rupture of membranes and unbooked pregnancies. SMM was based on the ACOG consensus definition, and the cumulative fetal morbidity (CFM) included fetal distress in labour, low APGAR and umbilical artery (UA) pH, admission to neonatal intensive care (NICU), and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). A c-statistic or area under curve (AUC) was calculated to determine the ability of OBCMI to predict SMM and CFM. Results The median OBCMI score for the cohort was 1 (interquartile range- 0 to 2); 50% of women scored 0, while 85% (n = 842) had a score ranging from 0 to 2. Ten women (1%) scored ≥ 7; the highest score was 10. The incidence of SMM was 13%. According to the modified scoring system, the mean OBCMI score in those who developed SMM was 2.18 (± 2.20) compared to a mean of 1.04 (± 1.40) in those who did not (median 1, IQR:1–3 versus median 0, IQR: 0–2; p 90%); 1 in 4 and 1 in 6 women with OBCMI score ≥ 4 developed SMM and CFM, respectively. Conclusion The OBCMI performed moderately well in predicting SMM in pregnant women of Qatar and can be effectively used as a risk assessment tool to red-flag high-risk cases so that appropriate and timely multidisciplinary care can be initiated to reduce SMM and maternal mortality. The index is also helpful in predicting fetal morbidity; however, further prospective studies are required to validate OBCMI for CFM.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the general characteristics of geriatric cases aged ≥65 years, who presented at the Forensic Medicine Clinic due to trauma, and the severity of injury using trauma scoring systems. Methods: The study included all trauma cases over 65 years with a forensic report prepared in the Forensic Medicine Clinic between 2015 and 2021. Evaluations were made using the chi-square, Mann- Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis (post-hoc: Dunn-Bonferroni) tests. A value of p75 years were higher than in those aged ≤75 years (p

This study examines the Green Vision of Saudi Arabia and its efforts towards achieving sustainability in various domains such as energy, economy, tourism, and carbon emissions. The research uses time-series data from 2002 to 2020 to analyze the dynamic impacts of these variables. To achieve this, it employs a co-integration regression test, Granger causality relationships, and one-way and two-way causal effects between carbon emissions, tourism, economic growth, and energy use. The findings of the study provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities for sustainability in the kingdom, considering the goals of SDGs 8 and 13. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainable development in Saudi Arabia and offers significant insights for lawmakers, entrepreneurs, and researchers to influence the country's future direction. The research aims to guide strategic decision-making in line with Saudi Arabia's commitment to achieving a sustainable and resilient future by examining the interconnections between energy, economic growth, tourism, and carbon emissions.

Nanomedicines for drug delivery and imaging-guided cancer therapy is a rapidly growing research area. The unique properties of nanomedicines have a massive potential in solving longstanding challenges of existing cancer drugs, such as poor localization at the tumor site, high drug doses and toxicity, recurrence, and poor immune response. However, inadequate biocompatibility restricts their potential in clinical translation. Therefore, advanced nanomaterials with high biocompatibility and enhanced therapeutic efficiency are highly desired to fast-track the clinical translation of nanomedicines. Intrinsic properties of nanoscale covalent organic frameworks (nCOFs), such as suitable size, modular pore geometry and porosity, and straightforward post-synthetic modification via simple organic transformations, make them incredibly attractive for future nanomedicines. The ability of COFs to disintegrate in a slightly acidic tumor microenvironment also gives them a competitive advantage in targeted delivery. This review summarizes recently published applications of COFs in drug delivery, photo-immuno therapy, sonodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, chemotherapy, pyroptosis, and combination therapy. Herein we mainly focused on modifications of COFs to enhance their biocompatibility, efficacy and potential clinical translation. This review will provide the fundamental knowledge in designing biocompatible nCOFs-based nanomedicines and will help in the rapid development of cancer drug carriers and theranostics.

Objective:Evaluation of children and adolescents pushed to crime should be different from adult offenders. In this study, it is aimed to analyze the qualities of children and adolescents pushed to crime and to discuss them in the light of the literature.Methods:Children who were evaluated in terms of criminal liability at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Faculty of Medicine Department of Forensic Medicine and Bolu Forensic Medicine Branch Office between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018 were included in the study.Results:A total of 237 children and adolescents were included in the study. Of the cases, 76.8% (n=182) were male and 23.2% (n=55) were female. The mean age was 13.38±0.83. Of the cases, 80.6% were living in the nuclear family. Twenty-two cases (9.3%) were working in any job and sixty-four (27%) of the cases had one or more substance use history. Of the cases, 47.7% committed deliberate wounding crimes whereas 20.3% of cases committed burglary crimes. One hundred and fifty two cases (64.1%) committed a crime for the first time. One hundred and ten (46.4%) cases committed the crime together with a group of friends. Forty-seven cases (19.8%) had a psychiatric disorder. In 60.8% of the cases (n=144), it was reported that they had criminal responsibility.Conclusion:It is necessary to increase the number of child support centers and to develop effective intervention methods for juveniles pushed to crime in these centers, and more studies should be conducted on these issues.

Fluorescence imaging of amyloid beta (Aβ) polypeptide using a small‐molecule fluorophore is a practical system for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis in clinical and research fields. Herein, a molecular designing strategy for a new fluorogenic probe that equips bathochromic emission shift and enhanced binding affinity toward Aβ fibril through structural optimization is suggested. Thioflavin T (ThT)‐derived fluorescent dyes are developed by adjusting the hydrophobicity of electron donor moiety in D–π–A structures with biannulated ring expansion. Indeed, probes are tuned to have redshifted fluorescence emission wavelength and optimized binding affinities for Aβ fibrils in vitro and cortical imaging. Detection of background signal is minimized by maintaining the photophysical properties of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT), resulting in significantly sensitive fluorogenic probes for outstanding bioimaging in AD.

The Dirichlet distribution as a multivariate generalization of the beta distribution is especially important for modeling categorical distributions. Hence, its applications vary within a wide range from modeling cell probabilities of contingency tables to modeling income inequalities. Thus, it is commonly used as the conjugate prior of the multinomial distribution in Bayesian statistics. In this study, the parameters of a bivariate Dirichlet distribution are estimated by entropy formalism. As an alternative to maximum likelihood and the method of moments, two methods based on the principle of maximum entropy are used, namely the ordinary entropy method and the parameter space expansion method. It is shown that in estimating the parameters of the bivariate Dirichlet distribution, the ordinary entropy method and the parameter space expansion method give the same results as the method of maximum likelihood. Thus, we emphasize that these two methods can be used alternatively in modeling bivariate and multinomial Dirichlet distributions.

Pica is the continuous consumption of non-nutritive and non-food items for at least one month. In this study, a 17-year-old boy pica case diagnosed with motor-mental retardation due to cerebral palsy was presented. It was learned that the case was exhibiting object swallowing behaviour. He was found dead in the field by his relatives. At the autopsy, a 3.5x3.0x2.5 cm foreign body (stone) that completely obstructed the upper part of the larynx lumen was removed. In addition, three foreign bodies were removed from the cecum region. The death was caused by mechanical asphyxia due to foreign body aspiration.

Background: The impact of high-risk surgery on tissue perfusion can be indirectly assessed by measuring lactate levels during surgery and intensive care unit (ICU) stay. While consistently high values are associated with poor prognosis, transient elevations do not mean poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, intraoperative and early postoperative blood lactate monitoring is essential for cancer patients. Aims and Objective: This study aimed to determine the risk factors of persistently elevated lactate levels in the intraoperative and postoperative period in patients with elective gastric cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 293 patients who underwent curative resection for gastric cancer. Lactate values of all patients were examined during surgery and ICU-stay at 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 18th hours. All lactate values above 2 mmol/L were considered elevated. The patients were divided into two groups as those with perioperative persistently increased lactate levels and those without. Results: Of the 293 patients, 60 (20.5%) had higher lactate levels in the perioperative period. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, the operative time had the highest significance rate (p = 0.020) out of two significant variables, followed by the BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (p = 0.048). Besides, patients with perioperative hyperlactatemia had prolonged hospital stays (p = 0.034). Conclusions: Operative time and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) were independent risk factors for persistent lactate elevation in the perioperative period. Also, perioperative hyperlactatemia extended the length of hospital stay.

The nature of dependence between random variables has always been the subject of many statistical problems for over a century. Yet today, there is a great deal of research on this topic, especially focusing on the analysis of nonlinearity. Shannon mutual information has been considered to be the most comprehensive measure of dependence for evaluating total dependence, and several methods have been suggested for discerning the linear and nonlinear components of dependence between two variables. We, in this study, propose employing the Rényi and Tsallis mutual information measures for measuring total dependence because of their parametric nature. We first use a residual analysis in order to remove linear dependence between the variables, and then we compare the Rényi and Tsallis mutual information measures of the original data with that the lacking linear component to determine the degree of nonlinearity. A comparison against the values of the Shannon mutual information measure is also provided. Finally, we apply our method to the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and demonstrate the validity of the EKC hypothesis for Eastern Asian and Asia-Pacific countries.

In this study; a case about three brothers exposed to long-lasting severe neglect and abuse up to cachexia and severe depression will be presented and discussed in the light of the literature data. It was learned from the statements of the suspect, mother and child victims that father worked at night shift, that a distant relative who began to live at their home to help with the expenses of the house for the last three years, had sexual and emotional relationship with the mother during the day, that although this person act well in the beginning but in time he left the three children hungry for several days in order to punish, hang them to the ceiling from their hands and feet, used physical violence like punch, beatings, extinguished illuminated cigarettes in their bodies, made skin burns by using a lighter and that father and mother turned a blind eye even knowing all that for a long time. It was reported that one day a second suspect who was brought by this suspect and stayed at home with them for two months, took the children into the bathroom with the purpose to wash them and that he applied anal sexual abuse to the younger child at the age of three years. In the examination it was determined that the four years old youngest brother was highly cachectic, unable to stand, unable to sit, lied constantly, had difficulties in talking, had decreased skin turgor and tone, was cachectic, had bruises, burns, scars in different parts of the body at different ages and an old fracture in the mandible was seen in the radiography. The 9-year-old middle brother testified likewise and strained and swollen appearance of abdomen, growth retardation, extensive bruising also on both cheeks and at the rear of the right thigh were determined in the examination. Ecchymosis and hematoma in both cheeks and left auricula was detected on the 11-year-old oldest brother. After a detailed evaluation it was found that the child was admitted to the hospital due to a fall, four years ago, due to activity and attention disorders six and four months ago. It is remarkable that child abuse and neglect incident was not detected in the examinations done at the hospital before. [Med-Science 2017; 6(4.000): 760-763]

Novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a health emergency that is having an ever-growing impact on the global economy. COVID-19 has caused economic disruption at an unprecedented speed and scale. The economic costs it will bring to society can only be measured in times to come. Millions of people across the globe have already become unemployed, and similarly, millions of businesses have either shut down or are on the verge of collapse. It is a great challenge for policymakers to minimize the economic impact of COVID-19 and put the economy on a growth trajectory once again. Unfortunately, there is so far no country in the world that can be viewed as a role model for its economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study proposes Islamic finance as a potential tool to help affected economies safely pass through the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic. This study identifies a four-stage COVID-19 model and proposes ten innovative Islamic financial services for each stage of the pandemic. In addition, it analyzes how these services can be effectively utilized at different stages to overcome the economic damage caused by the pandemic.

Objective: In recent years, it has been known that the melatonin hormone, secreted from the pineal gland, possesses significant antioxidant activity. This study explores the therapeutic effect of melatonin on the deleterious effects of deltamethrin, a pyrethroid pesticide extensively used worldwide, including in Türkiye, on mouse liver cells., Methods: Hepatocytes from Balb/C mice were isolated using a two-stage perfusion method, resulting in over 85% live hepatocytes. The isolated cells were cultured with different doses of deltamethrin (1 and 10 µM) and melatonin (100 µM) for 24 and 48 hours. At the conclusion of the culture period, hepatocytes were extracted at the 24th and 48th hours, and Malondialdehyde (MDA), Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Total Oxidation Status (TOS), and DNA damages (8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)) were examined., Results: While an increase in MDA, TOS, and DNA damage was observed in the deltamethrin-administered groups of hepatocytes, a decrease in TAC level was noted. It was determined that the applied deltamethrin had no effect on cell viability throughout the application period., Conclusion: Furthermore, it was observed that melatonin, when administered concurrently with deltamethrin, reduced the toxic effect of deltamethrin. This study suggests that melatonin has a protective effect against deltamethrin-induced damage in mouse hepatocyte cells.

Background: It is essential to develop future nurses' privacy consciousness and attitudes toward patient privacy to recognise threats to patient privacy and take the necessary precautions., Objectives: To determine the effect of digital storytelling and case studies teaching methods on nursing students' privacy consciousness and attitudes toward patient privacy., Research Design: Pretest-posttest, factorial group randomised controlled study., Participants and Research Context: Eligible 113 nursing students were randomised to the intervention I ( n = 38), intervention II ( n = 38), and control group ( n = 37) by stratified block randomisation method. The education program consisted of two theoretical sessions and three practical sessions. Data were collected using questionnaires pre-, post-, 4 weeks, and 16 weeks after the intervention between November 2020 and May 2021 in Türkiye., Ethical Considerations: Written approval was obtained from the university's Ethics Board. Informed written and verbal consent were obtained from the participants., Findings: The results showed a significant time effect on nursing students' privacy consciousness and attitudes toward patient privacy ( p < .05), no significant difference between the groups ( p > .05), and a significant, positive, and strong relationship between the privacy consciousness and the attitudes toward patient privacy. Students stated that digital storytelling was beneficial in focusing on the subject, memorability, interest, curiosity, and attention., Conclusions: Besides the ethics course, the privacy education program with digital storytelling and case studies develops nursing students' privacy consciousness and attitudes toward patient privacy. It is recommended to integrate privacy education into ethics courses and popularise digital storytelling and ethical case studies in ethics education., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

It is well known that sensory information driven from whiskers serves as an example of tactile perception in rodents, and plays an important role in social behavior, environmental exploration, and decision-making processes, the influence of manipulations performed during the development of whiskers, on learning has been received little attention in the literature. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of tactile stimulation (TS) on spatial memory performance and neuronal density in the hippocampus during adulthood in early sensory-deprived rats. Wistar albino male rats were divided into four groups: control (CTL), bilateral whisker trimming (BWT), tactile stimulation (TS), and bilateral whisker trimming+tactile stimulation (BWT + TS). All whiskers were trimmed between P0-10, a critical period for whisker development. TS was applied from P3 to P21 using a soft brush. In this study, the 8-arm radial maze test was conducted from postnatal days 77 to 81 to assess spatial memory Animals sacrificed by intracardial perfusion and neuronal density in CA1, CA3, vDG, and dDG regions of the hippocampus were evaluated by Nissl staining. TS exposure negatively affected spatial memory performance and hippocampal neuronal density compared to BWT. We conclude that TS in healthy offspring can cause stress by interrupting maternal care, given the vulnerability of early development. On the contrary, the sensory deprivation protocol in this study was terminated at a time of high homeostatic plasticity and did not produce complete whisker deprivation, have triggered learning by inducing moderate stress early in development., (© 2024 International Society for Developmental Neuroscience.)

Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, share key characteristics, notably cognitive impairment and significant cell death in specific brain regions. Cognition, a complex mental process allowing individuals to perceive time and place, is disrupted in these conditions. This consistent disruption suggests the possibility of a shared underlying mechanism across all neurodegenerative diseases. One potential common factor is the activation of pathways leading to cell death. Despite significant progress in understanding cell death pathways, no definitive treatments have emerged. This has shifted focus towards less-explored mechanisms like ferroptosis, which holds potential due to its involvement in oxidative stress and iron metabolism. Unlike apoptosis or necrosis, ferroptosis offers a novel therapeutic avenue due to its distinct biochemical and genetic underpinnings, making it a promising target in neurodegenerative disease treatment. Ferroptosis is distinguished from other cellular death mechanisms, by distinctive characteristics such as an imbalance of iron hemostasis, peroxidation of lipids in the plasma membrane, and dysregulated glutathione metabolism. In this review, we discuss the potential role of ferroptosis in cognitive impairment. We then summarize the evidence linking ferroptosis biomarkers to cognitive impairment brought on by neurodegeneration while highlighting recent advancements in our understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms behind the condition. Finally, we discuss the prospective therapeutic implications of targeting ferroptosis for the treatment of cognitive abnormalities associated with neurodegeneration, including natural and synthetic substances that suppress ferroptosis via a variety of mechanisms. Promising therapeutic candidates, including antioxidants and iron chelators, are being explored to inhibit ferroptosis and mitigate cognitive decline., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Screening and quantifying antioxidants from food samples, their antioxidant activity, as well as the assessment of food oxidation is critical, not only for ensuring food quality and safety, but also to understand and relate these parameters to the shelf life, sensory attributes, and health aspects of food products. For this purpose, several methods have been developed and used for decades, which regardless of their effectiveness, present a certain number of drawbacks mainly related to extensive sample preparation and technical complexity, time requirements, and the use of hazardous chemicals. Electrochemical sensors and biosensors are gaining popularity in food analysis due to their high sensitivity, specificity, rapid response times, and potential for miniaturisation and portability. Furthermore, other modern methods using whole living cells such as the cellular antioxidant activity assay, the antioxidant power 1 assay, and the catalase-like assays, may interpret more realistic antioxidant results rather than just reporting the ability to scavenge free radicals in isolated systems with extrapolation to reality. This paper provides an overview of electrochemical sensors, biosensors, and cellular antioxidant assays, and reviews the latest advancements and emerging trends in these techniques for determining oxidants and antioxidants in complex food matrices. The performances of different strategies are described for each of these approaches to provide insights into the extent to which these methods can be exploited in the field and inspire new research to fill the current gaps., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The negative effects of global warming also directly affect aquatic populations. Consequences such as evaporation due to chronic temperature increase, increase in salinity, and increase in stock density per unit volume are potential stress factors. While creating the trial design, an attempt was made to simulate the effects of global warming, especially on species living in salty and brackish water biotopes. In this study, changes in the gills of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) acclimated to 0, 20, and 38 ‰ of saline in the laboratory were examined histologically and immunohistochemically and blood serum osmolarity. In addition, the water temperature was changed, and experiments were carried out at 16, 19, and 22 °C for each salinity group in parallel with the increase in salinity. However, to simulate the decrease in water volume and intensive stocking due to the potential impact of climate change, the study was carried out using 15 fishes in low-volume aquariums (45 L). Tap water that had been kept for at least 3 days was used in the aquariums. To protect the water quality, independent aquariums with sponge filters were used, and since the aim was to keep dissolved oxygen low, no ventilation system other than the sponge filter was used. In order to minimize the deterioration in water quality during the trial, a 15% water change was performed by performing a bottom flush every 4 days and water of the same temperature and salinity was added as much as the reduced volume. In addition, since increasing stock density due to temperature increase and water decrease will cause the amount of dissolved oxygen to decrease, pure oxygen was not entered into any tank throughout the experiment, and the concentration was requested to be at a low level (7 ± 0.13 mg/L) in all groups. The trials were terminated at the end of the 71st day. Increased serum osmolarity values were observed due to the increase in salinity, and the highest serum osmolarity value was measured at 644 mOsm/kg in the 38 ‰ salinity group. Differences between the groups were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). It was observed that the number of cells containing Na + /K + -ATPase increased depending on salinity. Also, the number of chloride cells reached the maximum level in the 38 ‰ salinity group. Due to increasing salt levels, an increase in mucus cells, limited onset hyperplasia, aneurysm, lamellar separation, and necrosis were observed in the gill tissue., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: All procedures performed on fish were carried out in accordance with the protocols approved by Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Animal Research Local Ethics Committee (protocol no. 2023/08–06). Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Objective: Knee-adjacent subcutaneous fat (kaSCF) has emerged as a potential biomarker and risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) progression. This study aims to develop an AI-based tool for the automatic segmentation of kaSCF thickness and evaluate the cross-sectional associations between kaSCF, cartilage thickness, MRI-based cartilage T 2 relaxation time, knee pain, and muscle strength independent of BMI., Design: Baseline 3.0T MR images of the right knee from the entire Osteoarthritis Initiative cohort (n=4796) were used to quantify average values of kaSCF, cartilage thickness, and T 2 using deep learning algorithms. Regression models (adjusted for age, gender, BMI, and race) were used to evaluate the associations between standardized kaSCF and outcomes of cartilage thickness, T 2 , pain, and knee extension strength., Results: Model prediction CVs for kaSCF thickness ranged from 3.57% to 9.87% across femoral and tibial regions. Greater average kaSCF was associated with thinner cartilage in men (std. β= -0.029, 95% CI: -0.050 to -0.007, p=0.010) and higher T 2 in women (std. β=0.169, 95% CI: 0.072 to 0.265, p=0.001). Greater kaSCF was also associated with lower knee extension force (std. β= -15.36, 95% CI: -20.39 to -10.33, p<0.001) and higher odds of frequent knee pain (std. odds ratio=1.156, 95% CI: 1.046 to 1.278, p=0.005) across all participants., Conclusions: Greater kaSCF was associated with thinner cartilage in men, higher T 2 in women, reduced knee strength, and greater knee pain, independent of BMI. These findings suggest a potential role of kaSCF as a predictor for KOA-related structural, functional, and clinical outcomes independent of the effects of BMI., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Accurate and timely diagnosis of t(9;22)-positive leukemias is vital to improving survival in pediatric patients. In low-resource settings, where healthcare disparities are exacerbated by limited resources, cost-effective and efficient diagnostic methods are essential for bridging these gaps and ensuring better outcomes. Among the diagnostic tools evaluated among 23 patients sample, RT-PCR demonstrated superior sensitivity (100%) and the shortest turnaround time (7 days), significantly outperforming FISH and karyotyping in both accuracy and timeliness. This capability of RT-PCR to provide reliable and rapid results enables earlier treatment initiation, which is critical in managing these aggressive leukemias. Simplified statistical reporting underscores RT-PCR's unmatched sensitivity, while FISH and karyotyping, though useful, showed moderate performance with longer delays. By adopting RT-PCR as the primary diagnostic tool in LMICs, healthcare systems can make faster and more accurate treatment decisions, reduce overall treatment costs by avoiding diagnostic delays, and ultimately improve survival rates in pediatric leukemia patients.

This study was conducted with a total of 273 women who had at least one vaginal birth in order to examine women's perceptions of traumatic births and the factors affecting these perceptions. This is a descriptive and correlational study. Womens Traumatic Birth Perception Scale (TBPS) mean score was 59.92 ± 35.73(Min = 0; Max = 130). It was determined that factors such as previous pregnancy complications, telling about the last birth, fear of birth, use of painkillers during birth, episiotomy, fundal compression at birth, and length of stay at birth affected the TBPS score ( p  < 0.05). These variables accounted for 48% of the variance in traumatic birth experiences.

Botanicals have long been used to promote health and treat diseases, but the safety of many currently marketed botanicals has not been adequately evaluated. Given the chemical complexity of botanicals, which often contain numerous unknown constituents, and their widespread use, comprehensive toxicity assessments are needed. The Botanical Safety Consortium was established to address this challenge. This international group of experts in toxicology, chemistry, bioinformatics, and pharmacognosy is developing a toolkit of assays to generate reliable toxicological profiles for botanicals. Genotoxicity assessment is especially critical, because, unlike other toxicities, genotoxicity is not adequately identified by adverse event and history-of-use reports, and genotoxicity is directly linked to health consequences such as cancer and birth defects. The Consortium's Genotoxicity Technical Working Group is exploring a genotoxicity testing strategy based on the use of in silico modeling and the bacterial reverse mutation and in vitro micronucleus assays and including several options for additional tests to further characterize genotoxicity and mode of action when indicated. The effectiveness of this testing strategy is being evaluated using 13 well-characterized botanicals with existing toxicological data as case studies. A brief overview of each of these 13 botanicals is provided. The final strategy for developing comprehensive genotoxicity profiles of botanicals will incorporate published genotoxicity data, chemical composition information, in silico and in vitro test data, and human exposure data, reducing the need for animal testing., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest: This article reflects the views of the authors and does not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The following authors are employed in the personal care industries (at the time of article submission): OK, ZSK, SP, (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Buspirone, a commonly prescribed medication for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), is gaining attention for its narrow window of side effects such as lack of physical dependence, non-sedative properties as compared to other anxiolytic drugs. Its dose-specific therapeutic effects beyond anxiety highlights its clinical significance. Pharmacologically, buspirone activates serotonin-1A pre-synaptic autoreceptors and post-synaptic heteroreceptors which modulate serotonergic neurotransmission induced behavioral changes such as anxiolytic and nootropic effects. This study explored change in neural activity associated serotonin-1A receptors, induced by repeated administration of buspirone at specific doses (0.1 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg). Buspirone induced behavioral changes were assessed by Morris Water Maze (MWM) for cognitive functions, Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) for anxiety, RT-PCR (Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) for 5-HT 1A receptor expression levels, and EEG (electroencephalography) analysis of neuronal electrical activity in the frontal cortex. Our findings revealed that a low dose of buspirone (0.1 mg/kg) significantly enhanced spatial learning and memory compared to high dose (3 mg/kg). Low-dose treatment elevated mRNA expression levels of serotonin-1A receptors in hippocampus and decreased in midbrain raphe nuclei, with the opposite patterns observed in the high dose. In addition, EEG spectral analysis have revealed dose specific cross coupling frequency of theta-gamma and delta-beta brain waves. At low dose (0.1 mg/kg) positive correlation of theta-gamma coupling effect and negative correlation of delta beta as decoupling effect were observed. Conversely, at high dose (3 mg/kg), results showed opposite pattern with weak correlation of theta gamma coupling effect and positive correlation of delta-beta as coupling effect. These results suggest that buspirone enhances learning and memory with differential activation of pre and postsynaptic serotonin-1A receptors, altering its expression levels which influence neural activity associated with theta-gamma and delta-beta coupling effects. It provides valuable molecular insights on clinical significance of buspirone in mitigating neuropathological disorders such as behavioral disorders and neurocognitive decline associated with disrupted regulation of serotonin-1A neurotransmission at specific doses. Our findings provide molecular insights of dose dependent therapeutic potential of buspirone against neuropathological symptoms of behavioral disorders, neurocognitive decline associated with dysregulated serotonin-1A neurotransmission., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the research work submitted for publication. We confirm that there are no conflicts of interest or external sources of influence related to this research., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Context: Artificial intelligence research in the field of neuroendocrinology has accelerated. It is possible to develop noninvasive, easy-to-use and cost-effective procedures that can replace invasive procedures for the differential diagnosis of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-dependent Cushing syndrome (CS) by artificial intelligence., Objective: This study aimed to develop machine-learning (ML) algorithms for the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent CS based on biochemical and radiological features., Methods: Logistic regression algorithms were used for ML, and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was used to measure performance. We used Shapley contributed comments (SHAP) values, which help explain the results of the ML models to identify the meaning of each feature and facilitate interpretation., Results: A total of 106 patients, 80 with Cushing disease (CD) and 26 with ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS), were enrolled in the study. The ML task was created to classify patients with ACTH-dependent CS into CD and EAS. The average AUROC value obtained in the cross-validation of the logistic regression model created for the classification task was 0.850. The diagnostic accuracy of the algorithm was 86%. The SHAP values indicated that the most important determinants for the model were the 2-day 2-mg dexamethasone suppression test, greater than 50% suppression in the 8-mg high-dose dexamethasone test, late-night salivary cortisol, and the diameter of the pituitary adenoma. We have also made our algorithm available to all clinicians via a user-friendly interface., Conclusion: ML algorithms have the potential to serve as an alternative decision-support tool to invasive procedures in the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent CS., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Chemokines and their receptors, which regulate lymphoid organ development and immune cell trafficking, are integral to the mechanisms underlying viral control, hepatic inflammation, and liver damage in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. This study explores the potential relationship between serum chemokine levels/polymorphisms and hepatitis C infection in affected individuals, with a particular focus on their utility as biomarkers across different stages of fibrosis., Methods and Results: Serum levels of the chemokines CXCL11, CXCL12, and CXCL16 were measured in patients with mild/moderate and advanced fibrosis due to CHC, as well as in healthy controls, using the ELISA method. The CXCL12 rs1801157 and CXCL16 rs2277680 polymorphisms were analyzed in blood samples from patients and healthy controls through RT-qPCR. Serum levels of CXCL11, CXCL12, and CXCL16 were significantly elevated in patients with advanced fibrosis compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, CXCL11 levels were markedly higher in patients with advanced fibrosis than in those with mild/moderate fibrosis. The frequency of the CXCL12 rs1801157 AA genotype was significantly higher in the advanced fibrosis group compared to the healthy control group. Similarly, the CXCL16 rs2277680 GA genotype was significantly more prevalent in the advanced fibrosis group than in the mild/moderate fibrosis group., Conclusions: The current study highlights that, in addition to the potential association between chemokine levels/polymorphisms and an increased risk of disease complications and pathological progression in CHC infection, serum CXCL11 levels and the CXCL16 rs2277680 allel polymorphism may be important factors in determining the fibrosis stage of hepatitis C infection., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: The whole study was conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethical Committee of Mersin University Clinical Research (approval number 2017/88). Consent for publication: All authors have read and give the Journal permission to publish the version of the manuscript. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background and Objectives : Bone and mineral disease (BMD) is a prevalent complication of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). The risk of fractures can be assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two imaging modalities in identifying bone mineral status in individuals with pre-dialysis chronic renal disease and to assess their correlation with bone turnover markers. Materials and Methods : This controlled cross-sectional study, conducted at a single center from 2019 to 2022, assessed two groups of individuals aged 18 to 50. The patient cohort consisted of individuals with stage 4-5 chronic kidney disease, whereas the control cohort consisted of healthy participants. The participants' bone and mineral status was evaluated using both QCT and DXA methods. Diagnostic measurements of the lumbar spine and femoral neck, obtained using DXA and QCT, were compared. Z-scores were utilized to evaluate low bone mineral density, with low Z-scores identified in either lumbar spine or femoral neck measures being seen as indicative of low bone mineral density. Results : Data from 38 participants (patient group: 18; control group: 20) who underwent QCT and/or DXA were evaluated. Thirty-three subjects were assessed using both QCT and DXA (patient group: 14; control group: 19). The median age of the patient cohort was 44 (range: 22-50), whereas the median age of the control cohort was 42 (range: 27-48) ( p = 0.72). Women constituted 33% of the patient cohort and 50% of the control cohort ( p = 0.23). In the patient cohort, low bone mineral density was detected in four individuals (28%) through QCT, and in just two patients (14%) through DXA. Compared to DXA, QCT identified a higher number of cases of low bone mineral density in the CKD cohort; however, no statistically significant difference was observed ( p = 0.06). In addition, our study found that TRACP5b had a strong negative correlation with the DXA L1-L4 Z-score. Conclusions : This study revealed that QCT may be more sensitive than DXA for detecting low bone density in pre-dialysis CKD patients. Additionally, DXA may overestimate lumbar spine BMD in this population, and the strong negative correlation between TRACP5b levels and the DXA L1-L4 Z-score highlights the potential role of biochemical markers in assessing bone status in CKD.

This study examines Blastocystis dynamics in 15 individuals undergoing sleeve gastrectomy. Molecular detection involved DNA extraction, RT-PCR, and sequencing, while 16S rRNA sequencing via Illumina MiSeq analyzed the intestinal microbiome. Statistical analysis through SPSS considered a significance level of p < 0.05. Postoperative colonization of Blastocystis was observed in previously negative individuals, revealing subtypes and shifts in microbial taxa. Blastocystis-positive participants post-bariatric surgery showed a significant increase in Lachnospira, alongside higher abundances of Bacteroides, Oscillospira, Barnesiellaceae, and Rikenellaceae, with reduced Lactobacillus levels compared to Blastocystis-negative individuals. Collective analysis highlighted higher Clostridiales and RF32 in Blastocystis-positive post-surgery individuals, coupled with decreased Enterobacteriaceae. The study challenges previous notions, suggesting a complex interplay between Blastocystis, morbid obesity, and bariatric surgery. Despite limitations, including small sample sizes and absent gut microbiome diversity comparisons, this pioneering research calls for further investigation into the intricate mechanisms and implications for metabolic health. This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05085769)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this conceptual article, the authors provide a narrative review of literature on bullying and sexual harassment in K-12 schools framed through a comparative analysis of risk and protective factors for both forms of violence across the social-ecological spectrum. We find that a greater number of studies of both forms of violence focus on student and microsystem-level factors rather than on higher levels of the ecosystem including school boards, neighborhoods, and broader cultural norms. In addition, the research overwhelmingly identifies more risk factors than protective factors. Finally, we find more similarities than differences in risk and protective factors between the two forms of school-based violence. We identify implications of the findings for theory, research, and policy and suggest that preventing any form of harassment at school will benefit not only students but the entire school community. We argue that the causes of school-based harassment are complex and require comprehensive prevention, intervention, and response approaches that address shared risk and protective factors, particularly those at the community and mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels. Ultimately, we argue that all community stakeholders must be committed to and engaged in these endeavors for them to be successful.

Objectives: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) affects 1 in 10,000 children, with its molecular causes largely unknown. Adult studies suggest that low androgen levels induce ovarian insufficiency, but data on about this in children is limited. This study aims to assess the prevalence of low androgen levels in childhood POI and its relationship with adrenal insufficiency., Materials and Methods: Idiopathic POI adolescents were categorized into two groups based on DHEAS and total testosterone (TT) measured by chemiluminescence. Low androgen group (LAG) was defined using cut-offs according to Tanner pubarche staging. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were compared. Morning cortisol <7 mcg/dL and/or ACTH >96 or <5 pg/mL were planned to undergo ACTH stimulation testing, with a peak cortisol response <18 mcg/dL considered insufficient., Results: Forty-three adolescents, mean age 15.5 ± 1.3 years with a 46, XX karyotype, normal FMR1 mutation, FSH levels >40 mIU/mL, and low AMH levels were included. In 14 cases (37.8 %), DHEAS and TT were low. In the LAG, pubarche was absent in seven patients, and initial height SDS was significantly lower. Morning cortisol ranged from 7.9 to 23.5 mcg/dL, with an ACTH of 29.4 ± 9.7 pg/mL. No differences in adrenal steroids or correlations between DHEAS and ACTH were observed., Conclusions: Diminished androgen levels are prevalent in children with idiopathic POI. The potential for this condition to increase the risk of adrenal insufficiency and its impact on secondary ovarian insufficiency remains unclear. This study, the first of its kind in children, underscores the potential role of genetic factors in zona reticularis and ovarian development., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Exposure of the developing brain to androgens during fetal life is known to affect sexual development, including postnatal sex and sexual orientation. However, these relationships are both multifactorial and unpredictable. It is generally assumed that congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) has greater effects in women than in men due to non-physiological adrenal androgen excess. Outcome information on patients with CAH often indicates poor quality of life, general maladjustment, problems with sexuality, and decreased fertility. With advances in medical treatment and surgery and changes in societal perspectives on gender and sexuality, there is a need for greater consideration of quality of life factors, including socialization and sexuality., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared, (©Copyright 2025 by Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes / The Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology published by Galenos Publishing House.)

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency accounts for approximately 95% of all CAH cases and is one of the most common inborn errors of metabolism. While glucocorticoid therapy has significantly improved patient outcomes, the focus has shifted towards managing the long-term effects. Numerous adverse outcomes have been associated with CAH, including those resulting from supraphysiological doses of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement, excessive adrenal androgen secretion, and elevated levels of steroid precursors and adrenocorticotropic hormone. Despite advances in treatment, long-term complications persist due to the inability to replicate physiological hormone secretion fully. In this review, we explore critical aspects of managing CAH, focusing on cardiometabolic health, bone integrity, fertility, and other significant long-term consequences, informed by the latest literature., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared, (©Copyright 2025 by Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes / The Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology published by Galenos Publishing House.)

Signs of virilization, such as clitoromegaly, labio-scrotal fusion, and urogenital sinus may be observed in females with 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) and other rare virilizing forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). This makes sex determination difficult, and multiple reconstructive surgeries in the postnatal period may be required. As 21-OHD is an autosomal recessive disease, the chance of any child being affected is one in four and so only one in eight will be an affected female. The primary objective of antenatal diagnosis is to identify only the affected fetus in the early gestational weeks before the onset of genital organogenesis and to treat that case. Therefore, studies aimed at antenatal diagnosis and preventing adrenal androgen exposure in the female fetus with CAH have long been of interest. Antenatal steroid treatment is considered experimental and controversial for safety reasons in recent clinical guidelines. If antenatal treatment is to be used, it is recommended that it should be performed in experienced centers that can collect data on a large number of cases which will help to define the benefits and harms of treatment better. In the postnatal period, a severe deficiency of the 21-hydroxylase enzyme leads to life-threatening adrenocortical insufficiency in both sexes and varying degrees of pathology of the external genitalia in females. This condition is also associated with high mortality in the first days of life and an increased risk of incorrect sex assignment. Neonatal screening for 21-OHD CAH effectively detects the severe forms and reduces mortality, and it is instrumental in the correct sex assignment of female cases., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared, (©Copyright 2025 by Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes / The Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology published by Galenos Publishing House.)

Background: The coexistence of primary glomerulonephritis and autoimmune thyroid disease has not been investigated., Objective: This study aimed to assess thyroid morphology using sonography, determine the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disorders, and evaluate thyroid function status in patients diagnosed with primary glomerulonephritis., Materials and Methods: This single-center cross-sectional and observational study included 58 consecutive patients with primary glomerulonephritis and 58 healthy controls (HC). All participants underwent thyroid examination through laboratory tests and thyroid ultrasonography. The findings were subsequently compared between the two groups., Results: Among the patients, 17.2% (n = 10) exhibited subclinical hypothyroidism, while 8.6% (n = 5) had overt hypothyroidism. None of the HCs showed overt hypothyroidism, whereas 3.4% (n = 2) of them exhibited subclinical hypothyroidism. Patients displayed significantly lower free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels than HCs (p < 0.001). A linear correlation was observed between patients' thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and the degree of proteinuria (p = 0.044). Furthermore, thyroid volume (p < 0.001), hypoechogenicity (p < 0.001), heterogeneous structure (p < 0.001), pseudonodular hypoechoic infiltration (p = 0.05), and the presence of nodules (p < 0.001) were notably higher in patients compared to HCs., Conclusion: The prevalence of both overt and subclinical hypothyroidism, along with the frequency of nodular goiter, was found to be elevated in patients with primary glomerulonephritis. Considering that primary glomerulonephritis predominantly afflicts young individuals, and these patients bear the lifelong burden of chronic kidney disease, we underscore the significance of routine thyroid function tests and sonographic examinations for the early detection of thyroid disorders., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Novel denovo variants of exome sequences are major cause of pathogenic neurodevelopmental disorders with a dominant genetic mechanism that emphasize their heterogeneity and complex phenotypes. White Sutton syndrome and Gabriele-de-Vries syndrome are congenital neuro-impairments with overlap of severe intellectual disability, microcephaly, convulsions, seizures, delayed development, dysmorphism of faces, retinal diseases, movement disorders and autistic traits. POGZ gene codes for pogo transposable element-derived zinc-finger protein and YY1 gene regulates transcription, chromatin, and RNA-binding proteins that have been associated with White Sutton and Gabriele-de-Vries syndromes, in recent data. We present probands of two unrelated consanguineous families with complicated, unexplained neurocognitive syndromic characteristics clinically undiagnosed. Objectives of the study were to identify altered genetics and protein characteristics underlying molecular pathological pathways in both the patients. Whole exome sequencing identifies novel, denovo missense variant NM&#95;015100.4: c.776 C>T (p. Pro259Leu) in exons 19 of POGZ gene and non-frameshift variant NM&#95;003403.5: c.141&#95;143delGGA (p. Glu47del) in exon 1 of YY1 gene for White Sutton syndrome in eight years five-month-old girl and Gabriele-de-Vries syndrome in seven years eight months old boy residing in Rawalpindi and Chakwal districts of Punjab, Pakistan respectively. Protein modelling for identified variants predicts size and conformation modifications in mutated amino acid residues that lead to damaging effects in the conserved domains expressed as neurological pathophysiology. The present study widens the diversely ethnic and highly inbred gene pool of Punjab, Pakistan population for spontaneously originated deleterious mutations and contributes to the continuously expanding phenotypic canvas. Molecular genetic identification and personalized diagnosis for the patients suffering from complicated neurodevelopmental phenotypes, for better care, management of day-to-day activities and prolonged life span are the utmost hopes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests or relationships that could influence the work presented in the study., (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.)

This study aimed to examine the relationship between eating behavior, nutritional status and mental health. It is a cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 360 healthy individuals aged 19-64 years. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to evaluate mental health and the Three-Factor Eating Scale (TFEQ-R21) was used to assess eating behavior. The Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) score was calculated from participants' 24 h food recalls as an indicator of diet quality. The mean age of the participants was 26.0 ± 8.40 years, and 50.6 % were female. Multivariate logistic regression model was performed. A statistically significant relationship was found between the participants' GHQ-12 score and both their emotional eating and uncontrolled eating scores (p < 0.001 for each). It was determined that individuals who had high levels of emotional eating and uncontrolled eating behaviors, along with higher dietary protein and lipid intake, and lower intake of long-chain fatty acids, were at a higher risk of mental health deterioration, according to the established model (R2 = 0.214). Dietary energy and nutrient intakes such as niacin, vitamin B12, folic acid, phosphorus, iron, sodium and carotene, as well as diet quality and BMI were not associated with mental health according to the model in this study. Eating behavior is associated with mental well-being, and nutritional status may be one of the underlying factors contributing to this association., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pancreatopleural fistulas, rare complications of chronic pancreatitis, are often overlooked in the initial differential diagnoses of pleural effusions, resulting in delayed diagnosis and management. We present the case of an elderly male with recurrent pleural effusion and a history of chronic pancreatitis. Diagnostic challenges arose, with the initial misdiagnosis as pneumonia. Elevated pleural fluid amylase levels (11,370U/L) along with imaging findings led to the diagnosis of a pancreatopleural fistula. This case underscores the importance of considering uncommon etiologies in pleural effusions and highlights the significance of high pleural fluid amylase levels in diagnosing pancreatopleural fistulas., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Contrary to short-lived plasma cells, which survive only 3-5 days, long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs) contribute to the humoral memory of the body and thus also to many antibody-related diseases. The ability of plasma cells to persist over months, years, and even a lifetime has been demonstrated in vivo. Yet, the in vitro culture of human primary bone marrow-derived plasma cells has been limited to a few days. Here, we establish culture conditions for human primary bone marrow-derived plasma cells for 21 days. Plasma cells and stromal cells are isolated from human bone marrow and cultured in 2D or a 3D ceramic scaffold. The plasma cells' survival and antibody secretion depend on direct contact with stromal cells. The culture promotes CD19-negative PCs. Inhibition of the PI3K or NF-kappaB pathways using chemical inhibitors reduced the survival of the plasma cells. These results underline the supportive role of the stromal cells for the survival of the LLPC and confirm mechanisms that were identified in mouse LLPCs also for human LLPCs. The culture described here will promote further studies to deepen our understanding of the human LLPC., (© 2025 The Author(s). European Journal of Immunology published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Although the gluten-free market is expanding and offers a variety of products, there are still some deficiencies in the nutritional and sensory quality of these products. Therefore, this study explores the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds, nutritional quality, and textural properties of gluten-free muffins enriched with artichoke leaves and green lentil protein (GLP) isolate, two novel ingredients introduced together for the first time in this context. The incorporation of GLP isolate aims to enhance the protein content, while artichoke leaves are evaluated for its potential to improve phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The muffins were also subjected to in vitro digestion to assess the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds. The results demonstrated that the addition of GLP isolate increased the protein content 1.4 times, while artichoke leaves contributed to enhance the total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity (TAA), and ash content by 2.1, 5.4, 3.2-3.5, and 1.3 times, respectively. Nevertheless, the addition of artichoke leaves increased the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of gluten-free muffins (p < 0.05). The bioaccessibility values of gluten-free muffins varied between 138% and 220%, 142% and 206%, and 40% and 160% for TAA, TPC, and TFC, respectively. Chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, and quercetin derivatives were found as main phenolic compounds in gluten-free muffins enriched with artichoke leaves in undigested and all phase of digestion. This study provides valuable insights into the development of functional gluten-free muffins, highlighting the potential of artichoke leaves and GLP isolate as innovative ingredients in gluten-free food products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study shows how adding green lentil protein and artichoke leaves to gluten-free muffins can make them healthier by boosting their protein, antioxidants, and other nutrients. However, while muffins became more nutritious, their texture changes. Food companies could use this information to improve gluten-free products, but they may need to adjust the recipe to improve the sensory properties., (© 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Food Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Institute of Food Technologists.)

Purpose: It was aimed to investigate the effects of Ayres Sensory Integration based intervention on balance, speech, and sensory processing skills of a 4-years and 11-month-old child with bilateral incomplete partition type 1 inner ear anomaly and using bilateral cochlear implant., Method: The child received the Ayres sensory integration-based intervention program for 2 months in 45-minute sessions twice a week. Before and after the intervention, Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, Categories of Auditory Performance-II for auditory perception evaluation, Test of Early Language Development -Third Edition, Speech intelligibility rating test for evaluating language-speech skills, Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration® (EASI), and Dunn Sensory Profile for sensory processing skills were used., Results: In the Dunn Sensory Profile Scale, while a definite difference was found in the areas of vestibular processing, multisensory processing, modulation of sensory inputs affecting emotional responses, low endurance/tonus, inattention/distraction, and avoidance before therapy, scores in the areas of vestibular processing, low endurance/tonus and avoidance approached typical scores after therapy. According to the EASI, all subtests except Somatosensory Based Praxis Positions, Visual Perceptual Search, and Visual Based Praxis Designs are outside the normalization. The data revealed that the case had sensory perception and vestibular bilateral integration problems. After the therapy, there was an improvement in the scores of idea generation, postural control, bilateral integration, following direction, Vestibular Nystagmus, Auditory Localization, and Sensory Reactivity, although they did not reach the normalization limits., Conclusion: This is the first case report investigating the effects of a sensory integration intervention program on balance-speech and sensory integration skills in children with hearing loss and showing positive effects on both sensory processing and other areas affecting social participation.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) and early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) during the first- episode psychosis and the stable period, to examine psychopharmacological treatment approaches, and to investigate potential predictive factors for prognosis., Methods: Demographic, clinical, and psychopharmacological therapy data for 31 patients diagnosed with COS and 66 with EOS were retrieved from the file records in this multicenter study. Symptom distribution and disease severity and course were evaluated twice, in the acute psychotic stage and in the latest stable phase, during follow-up using the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) and clinical global impression (CGI) scales., Results: A statistically significant difference was observed between the groups' CGI improvement rates and median last stable stage PANSS positive, negative, and general psychopathology symptom scores (p = .005, p = .031, p = .005, and p = .012, respectively). Premorbid neurodevelopmental disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder and comorbidities were more common in the COS group (p = .025 and p = .030, respectively), and treatment required greater multiple antipsychotic use in that group (p = .013). When the independent variables affecting the difference between pre- and post-treatment PANSS scores were examined using linear regression analysis, the model established was found to be statistically significant (F = 5.393; p = .001), and the group variable (p = .024), initial disease severity (p = .001), and socioeconomic level (p = .022; p = .007) emerged as predictive factors for the disease course., Conclusion: Although early diagnosis and treatment is an important factor in improving prognosis in schizophrenia, more specific predictors for schizophrenia need to be identified. Additionally, preventive programs and pharmacological methods need to be developed in children with neurodevelopmental problems, particularly those from low socioeconomic status families., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: This study was carried out to reveal the relationship between contraceptive intents, religious attitudes, and spiritual resources of married Muslim women., Methods: The study was conducted using a descriptive-correlational design. The study was conducted with 273 participants between July and November 2023. To collect data, the Personal Information Form, Trait Sources of Spirituality Scale, Ok-Religious Attitude Scale, and Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire were used. The data were evaluated using Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation tests., Results: No significant relationship was found between the total and sub-scales of the Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire, Trait Sources of Spirituality Scale, and Ok-Religious Attitude Scale (p > 0.05). A positive and high correlation was detected between the total, emotion, relationship, and behavior sub-scales of the Trait Sources of Spirituality Scale and Ok-Religious Attitude Scale (p < 0.05). The contraceptive intent levels of women were found to be associated with some of their socio-demographic and obstetric variables (age, previous delivery method, sex of existing children, and contraceptive method used). The only variable that showed a significant relationship with all three scales was found to be the sex of the existing children of women., Conclusion: Some socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics of married Muslim women are related to the sex of the child they have, their contraceptive intents, spiritual resources, and religious attitudes. In contraceptive counseling services provided to Muslim women, their religious attitudes and spiritual resources should be taken into consideration., (© 2024 The Author(s). Public Health Nursing published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer with a high recurrence rate. A new therapeutic intervention is urgently needed to combat this lethal subtype. The identification of biomarkers is also crucial for improving outcomes in TNBC., Method: The cell cytotoxicity of ML364 (2-(4-Methylphenylsulfonamido)-N-(4-phenylthiazol- 2-yl)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzamide) was measured at different concentrations of ML364 in TNBC-treated and untreated cells. The 2DE and LC-MS/MS analysis were used for protein identification of differentially expressed proteins. Furthermore, the quantitation of gene expression was demonstrated using RT-qPCR. TIMER, HPA, and UALCAN databases were utilized for further analysis., Results: Differentially expressed proteins and genes after ML364 treatment in TNBC were found to be linked with the USP2 (ubiquitin specific peptidase 2)-mediated pathway. Our results demonstrate that differentially identified proteins, including PPA1, TRIM68, and FBXO46, could be a potential prognostic biomarker for TNBC. Further analysis through the UALCAN and HPA databasess showsthe high expression of these proteins in primary breast tumors, which is in contrast to normal. The induction of ML364 significantly reduced the expression of PPA1, TRIM68, and FBXO46 proteins and induced cell cytotoxicity in TNBC cells., Conclusion: This study provides an understanding of the USP2-mediated signaling pathway in TNBC, emphasizing the role of USP2 and its substrates with apoptotic genes. Our results offer insight into the USP2-mediated cellular mechanism after ML364 treatment in TNBC that could be a potential therapeutic candidate., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

In the high-stakes arena of drug discovery, the journey from bench to bedside is hindered by a daunting 92% failure rate, primarily due to unpredicted toxicities and inadequate therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials. The FDA Modernization Act 2.0 heralds a transformative approach, advocating for the integration of alternative methods to conventional animal testing, including cell-based assays that employ human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived organoids, and organ-on-a-chip technologies, in conjunction with sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies. Our review explores the innovative capacity of iPSC-derived clinical trial in a dish models designed for cardiovascular disease research. We also highlight how integrating iPSC technology with AI can accelerate the identification of viable therapeutic candidates, streamline drug screening, and pave the way toward more personalized medicine. Through this, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and future implications of iPSC and AI applications being navigated by the research community and pharmaceutical industry.

The influence of plasticizer glycerol (GLY) on the mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of silk fibroin (SF)/sodium alginate (SA) biocomposite films was investigated in detail. As the SF/SA ratio increased up to 65%, the SF content significantly improved the Tensile strength (σ T ), Young's modulus (E y ) but reduced the elongation at break (ε b ). To modify and enhance the elasticity and flexibility of the biocomposite films, the GLY as a plasticizer was used at different ratio from 20 to 50% for each SF/SA biocomposite films. Although the extensibility of the films was improved greatly with increasing GLY ratio, σ T and E y reduced significantly. The effect was observed more apparently for the GLY ratio starting from 35%. It was also shown that crystallinity index in the Amide I region increased as the SF/SA ratio increased to 65%. Increasing SF content improved the thermal stability of the SF/SA biocomposites. The XRD results showed that crystallinity was increased as SF/SA ratio increased. Stress-relaxation of SF/SA (30%) biocomposite films plasticized with GLY revealed that each kind of plasticized films showed a viscoelastic behavior and a fast relaxation in the first stage (1-2 min) of the processes and then continued slowly. The GLY increased the extensibility and elasticity limit of the SF/SA (30%) composite films. During the strain recovery processes, the plasticized composite films recovered completely in a quite shorter time than that of unplasticized films. It was observed higher the GLY content, the recovery times became shorter., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Scholars have asserted and provided evidence on the developmental benefits of prosocial behaviors on later academic performance and well-being. However, research directly examining these links in US Latine early adolescents and work that explains the positive link between prosocial behaviors and academic outcomes is scarce. The present study investigated whether social skills and self-efficacy mediate the positive relations between prosocial behaviors and US Latine early adolescents' educational performance., Method: Participants were 543 low-income, US Latine middle school students (M age  = 11.7, SD = 0.73; 275 girls) attending after-school programs. Measures of prosocial behaviors, social skills, self-efficacy, and academic performance were administered at three-time points., Results: Findings showed that prosocial behaviors were significantly and positively linked to later self-efficacy, which in turn, was subsequently positively linked to academic performance. In contrast, the paths among prosocial behaviors, social skills, and academic performance were not significant., Conclusion: The discussion focuses on the central role of self-efficacy in understanding the relations between prosocial behaviors and educational performance in US Latine early adolescents., (© 2024 Foundation for Professionals in Services to Adolescents.)

Background/Objectives: Renal cell carcinoma is an aggressive form of kidney cancer, contributing to an estimated 138,000 deaths globally in 2017. Traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are generally considered ineffective. Additionally, CD47 has been identified as a crucial tumor antigen involved in the development and progression of various cancers, including renal cell carcinoma. The interaction of CD47 with SIRPα triggers a "don't eat me" signal to the macrophages, inhibiting phagocytosis. Much progress has been made in targeting CD47 for cancer immunotherapy in solid tumors (STs) and hematological malignancies. This study aimed to evaluate CD47 expression in malignant and benign renal cell tumors and compare it with prognostic histopathological parameters. Methods: We included 160 malignant and 26 benign tumors. The malignant tumors consisted of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes including 37 clear cell, 30 chromophobe, 30 papillary type 1, 29 papillary type 2, and 34 unclassified RCC cases. As for the benign tumors, we included 26 oncocytoma cases. All samples were stained with anti-CD47 antibodies by immunohistochemistry methods. Results: The statistical analysis yielded a significant correlation between CD47 expression and survival, metastasis, and capsule invasion for the unclassified RCC cases. We did not find any further significant correlation between CD47 expression and the studied parameters. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to research CD47 expression in benign and malignant renal carcinoma subtypes. Further large-scale studies are needed to determine the expression profile of CD47 in renal cell tumors.

This two-phase study aims to develop the Turkish version of the German Eating Behavior Scale (SEV-Tr), and to investigate the potential associations of health-conscious and weight-controlling eating behaviors with nutritional and health status. In the first phase, the original scale was adapted to the Turkish language and its validity and reliability were assessed in 299 healthy individuals aged 19-64 years. In the second phase, the SEV-Tr was retested in a study population of 110 healthy individuals, aged 19-64 years, and the potential associations between the SEV-Tr score, anthropometrical and biochemical measurements, and other eating behaviors assessed by the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-Tr21) were examined. Statistical analyses were performed using AMOS 20.00 and SPSS 22.0 software packages. A two-dimensional structure was identified for the SEV-Tr, and named 'health-conscious eating behavior' and 'weight- controlling eating behavior'. In the second phase, participants were clustered based on their weight-controlling and health-conscious eating behaviors (F = 59.46, p  = 0.01). Participants with lower health-conscious and weight-controlling eating behaviors had higher lean body mass ( p  = 0.03), serum triglyceride levels ( p  = 0.01), emotional eating behavior ( p  = 0.03), and lower cognitive restraint behavior ( p  = 0.01, p  < 0.05). Furthermore, participants with high levels of health-conscious eating behavior had higher serum HDL cholesterol ( r  = 0.23, p  = 0.02). Regression models suggested that lower levels of emotional eating and higher levels of cognitive restraint were associated with increased weight-controlling and health-conscious eating behaviors. This study provided a valid and reliable version of the SEV to assess the health-conscious and weight-controlling eating patterns in people from Turkish culture.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between behavioral emotion regulation strategies and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among Turkish university students. Participants consisted of 633 students continuing their university education in two different universities in Türkiye. Participants completed a data collection tool comprising a Sociodemographic Information Form, the Behavioral Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient analysis, and multivariate multiple regression analysis. The results of this study revealed that seeking distraction was negatively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas withdrawal, seeking social support, and ignoring were positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students. Additionally, actively approaching was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Overall, the findings demonstrate that university students who use maladaptive behavioral emotion regulation strategies (e.g., withdrawal, ignoring) tend to have higher levels of psychological distress, whereas university students who use adaptive emotion regulation strategies (e.g., distraction) tend to have lower levels of psychological distress. However, contrary to expectations, seeking social support was positively associated with symptoms of psychological distress. Given the paucity of research on the relationship between behavioral emotion regulation strategies and psychological distress in the Turkish cultural context, this study may contribute to identifying both universal and culturally specific strategies associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms among Turkish university students.