The prevalence of cardiovascular disease, oxidative stress-related complications, and chronic age-related illnesses is gradually increasing worldwide. Several causes include the ineffectiveness of medicinal treatment therapies, their toxicity, their inability to provide radical solutions in some diseases, and the necessity of multiple drug therapy in certain chronic diseases. It is therefore necessary for alternative treatment methods to be sought. In this review, polyphenols were identified and classified according to their chemical structure, and the sources of these polyphenol molecules are indicated. The cardioprotective, ROS scavenging, anti-aging, anticancer properties of polyphenolic compounds have been demonstrated by the results of many studies, and these natural antioxidant molecules are potential alternative therapeutic agents.

Neurodegenerative diseases occur due to progressive and sometimes irreversible loss of function and death of nerve cells. A great deal of effort is being made to understand the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is quite high, and only symptomatic therapy is available due to the absence of radical treatment. The aim of this review is to try to elucidate the general pathogenesis of AD, to provide information about the limit points of symptomatic treatment approaches, and to emphasize the potential neurologic effects of phytocompounds as new tools as therapeutic agents for disease prevention, retardation, and therapy. This survey also covers the notable properties of herbal compounds such as their effects on the inhibition of an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase, which has significant value in the treatment of AD. It has been proven that phytopharmaceuticals have long-term effects that could protect nervous system health, eliminate inflammatory responses, improve cognitive damage, provide anti-aging effects in the natural aging process, and alleviate dementia sequelae. Herbal-based therapeutic agents can afford many advantages and can be used as potentially as new-generation therapeutics or complementary agents with high compliance, fewer adverse effects, and lower cost in comparison to the traditional pharmaceutical agents in the fight against AD.

Background: The detection of hepatitis B surface antigen positivity in pregnant women before delivery is crucial to preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the status and rate of testing for hepatitis B surface antigen, rate of hepatitis B surface antigen positivity, hepatitis B surface antigen positivity distribution rate by age, and changes in hepatitis B surface antigen positivity rate in pregnant women over the study period. Methods: We conducted a multicentre, cross-sectional, descriptive study covering the period January 2005 to June 2019 for 2 145 668 pregnant women from 27 provinces in all 7 regions of Turkey, collected using Microsoft Excel before statistical analysis. Results: We found that 1 012 593 (47.1%) pregnant women were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen over the 15-year period, out of which 11 471 (1.1%) were hepatitis B surface antigen-positive. Overall, 97% of the hepatitis B surface antigen positive women were born before 1998, the year that national HBV vaccination was launched in Turkey. The rate of hepatitis B surface antigen positivity in that group was 1.1%, compared with 0.3% among women born after 1998. Conclusion: There was a downward trend in the hepatitis B surface antigen positivity rate among pregnant women in the younger age groups, especially among those born after universal hepatitis B vaccination was inaugurated, and low rate of HBsAg testing during pregnancy.

Pharmacology is a cornerstone of medical education, essential for rational prescribing and patient safety. However, students often perceive it as abstract and overwhelming due to its memorization-heavy nature and limited clinical relevance. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a role-play-based clinical pharmacology internship on medical students’ attitudes towards learning the pharmacology course. A mixed-methods interventional design was employed. In the quantitative phase, a one-group pretest-posttest design was used with 97 fifth-year medical students. Participants completed the “Attitude Scale Toward the Pharmacology Course for Medical School Students” before and after a one-week internship focused on rational drug use and structured around role-play activities. Paired sample t-tests were used to assess attitudinal change. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with eight students selected based on pre-post changes in attitude scores. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. There was a statistically significant improvement in students’ attitudes following the role-play-based internship (pretest mean = 37.24, posttest mean = 41.15; p < .001), with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.959). Qualitative findings revealed three major themes: (1) pharmacology as difficult but essential, (2) burden of memorization, and (3) the need for clinically relevant, functional learning. Students appreciated the realism and interactivity of role-play, which enhanced their understanding of drug interactions and rational prescribing. However, some still viewed pharmacology as anxiety-provoking and overly burdensome, indicating a need for longitudinal curricular integration. Role-play-based clinical pharmacology education significantly improves medical students’ attitudes toward learning pharmacology. Embedding realistic, scenario-based learning within pharmacology curricula may enhance student engagement, promote rational prescribing, and contribute to safer clinical practice. This positive change was supported by a high effect size of Cohen’s d = 0.96, demonstrating the significant educational impact of the intervention.

Background: Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is a well-known experimental model of hypertension (HT). It was shown that oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of HT. Resveratrol is a potent anti-oxidant that is found in red grapes, peanuts and red wine. It improves the NO response and increases endothelial NOS expression, which causes endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation as well as renal vasodilation. We aimed to explore the effects of resveratrol on blood pressure, the water-salt balance and sodium excretion as a reflection of renal function in NOS-inhibited rat models. Methods: Thirty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were used in this study. In order to obtain hypertension models, an NOS inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginin (L-NNA) was used. The rats were randomly divided into five groups: controls (given water and 0.8% salty diet) and four groups [given L-NNA, resveratrol (RSV) eluent, RSV, and L-NNA + RSV]. Blood pressures were measured indirectly by the tail-cuff method on the first, seventh and 10th days. At the end of the study protocol (10th day), fluid balance, glomerular filtration rate, fractional sodium excretion, and blood and urine sodium and creatinine levels were measured. Results: At the end of the study protocol, blood pressures were higher in only the L-NNA group (117.8 +/- 3.5 vs 149.5 +/- 2.1 mmHg; p < 0.05), as expected. Additional applications of RSV with L-NNA could not prevent the increase in blood pressure (122.8 +/- 7.3 vs 155.4 +/- 4.4 mmHg; p < 0.05). There were no remarkable changes in water-salt balance and renal function with the application of resveratrol. Conclusion: Resveratrol was unable to prevent or reverse blood pressure increase in NOS-inhibited rats.