Animal models have been a crucial tool in neuroscience research for decades, providing insights into the biomedical and evolutionary mechanisms of the nervous system, disease, and behavior. However, their use has raised concerns on several ethical, clinical, and scientific considerations. The welfare of animals and the 3R principles (replacement, reduction, refinement) are the focus of the ethical concerns, targeting the importance of reducing the stress and suffering of these models. Several laws and guidelines are applied and developed to protect animal rights during experimenting. Concurrently, in the clinic and biomedical fields, discussions on the relevance of animal model findings on human organisms have increased. Latest data suggest that in a considerable amount of time the animal model results are not translatable in humans, costing time and money. Alternative methods, such as in vitro (cell culture, microscopy, organoids, and micro physiological systems) techniques and in silico (computational) modeling, have emerged as potential replacements for animal models, providing more accurate data in a minimized cost. By adopting alternative methods and promoting ethical considerations in research practices, we can achieve the 3R goals while upholding our responsibility to both humans and other animals. Our goal is to present a thorough review of animal models used in neuroscience from the biomedical, evolutionary, and ethical perspectives. The novelty of this research lies in integrating diverse points of views to provide an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of animal models in neuroscience and in discussing potential alternative methods.

Olive (Olea europaeaL.) is an important source of edible oil which was originated in Near-East region. In this study, two cDNA libraries were constructed from young olive leaves and immature olive fruits for generation of ESTs to discover the novel genes and search the function of unknown genes of olive. The randomly selected 3840 colonies were sequenced for EST collection from both libraries. Readable 2228 sequences for olive leaf and 1506 sequences for olive fruit were assembled into 205 and 69 contigs, respectively, whereas 2478 were singletons. Putative functions of all 2752 differentially expressed unique sequences were designated by gene homology based on BLAST and annotated using BLAST2GO. While 1339 ESTs show no homology to the database, 2024 ESTs have homology (under 80%) with hypothetical proteins, putative proteins, expressed proteins, and unknown proteins in NCBI-GenBank. 635 EST's unique genes sequence have been identified by over 80% homology to known function in other species which were not previously described in Olea family. Only 3.1% of total EST's was shown similarity with olive database existing in NCBI. This generated EST's data and consensus sequences were submitted to NCBI as valuable source for functional genome studies of olive.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in dopamine deficiency and motor dysfunction. While levodopa (L‐DOPA) remains the gold standard for symptomatic treatment, its long‐term administration is associated with complications such as motor fluctuations, dyskinesia, and oxidative stress. Given these limitations, interest has grown in plant‐derived bioactive compounds for their potential neuroprotective and disease‐modifying effects.Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, focusing on peer‐reviewed studies published between 2023 and March 2025. The inclusion criteria targeted in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies as well as clinical trials that directly compared levodopa with plant‐derived compounds in the context of PD. Key search terms included “Parkinson's disease,” “levodopa,” “phytochemicals,” and “plant‐based neuroprotection”.Results: Recent studies have highlighted several classes of plant‐based compounds—including polyphenols (resveratrol, curcumin, EGCG), flavonoids (quercetin, apigenin, naringenin), alkaloids (berberine, caffeine, L‐DOPA derived from Mucuna pruriens), and terpenoids (ginkgolide B, celastrol)—as potential neuroprotective agents. These compounds exert multiple actions, such as reducing oxidative stress, blocking neuroinflammation, preventing α‐synuclein aggregation, and protecting mitochondria. Although levodopa effectively addresses motor symptoms, these phytochemicals may complement conventional therapy by targeting underlying disease processes.Conclusions: Although levodopa is indispensable for the symptomatic management of PD, emerging evidence supports the integration of plant‐derived bioactive compounds as adjunct therapies with disease‐modifying potential. Future research should prioritize improving bioavailability, developing standardized formulations, and conducting long‐term clinical trials to evaluate the translational applicability of these natural agents in Parkinson's disease therapy.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains one of the major common health problems, and the number of people affected by the disease is progressively increasing in Turkey and worldwide. This study aimed to investigate molecular defects in Alport syndrome (AS) and other genes in patients with clinically suspected CKD using whole-exome sequencing (WES). Patients with clinical suspicion of CKD were included in the study. Molecular genetic analyses were performed on genomic DNA by using WES. A total of 15 with 5 different pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were identified in CKD patients, with a diagnostic rate of 30%. Eight variants of uncertain significance were also detected. In this study, 10 variants were described for the first time. As a result, we detected variants associated with CKD in our study population and found AS as the most common CKD after other related kidney diseases. Our results suggest that in heterogeneous diseases such as CKD, WES analysis enables accurate identification of underlying molecular defects promptly. Although CKD accounts for 10–14% of all renal dysfunction, molecular genetic diagnosis is necessary for optimal long-term treatment, prognosis, and effective genetic counseling.