Background/Objectives: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, pathologically defined by the accumulation of amyloid-β plaques and tau-related neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. It represents a principal driver of cognitive deterioration in middle-aged and elderly populations. Early diagnosis and pharmacological management of the disease markedly improve both the quality and duration of life. Methods: Electroencephalography (EEG) is critical in detecting and analyzing Alzheimer’s disease. The widespread use of mobile EEG devices in recent years has necessitated real-time and effective data processing. However, extracting disease-specific features from EEG data still poses a significant challenge, especially in cases that must be completed quickly. This study aims to determine the frequency bands associated with Alzheimer’s disease in EEG data obtained from multiple channels and to accelerate the detection methods. An accurate classification that requires little computation is the primary goal. Results: EEG recordings of 48 individuals (24 AD and 24 healthy controls (HC)) obtained from Florida State University were divided into Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Theta frequency bands; scalograms and spectrograms were generated for each frequency band. The effectiveness of these bands was evaluated using the MobileNetV2 architecture. The results showed that Delta and Beta frequency bands were the most significant for Alzheimer’s detection. By analyzing the features obtained from the Delta and Beta bands using the MobileNetV2 model integrated with the Dual-Attention Mechanism, it was determined that the attention mechanisms improved model performance by 2%. In addition, the use of an SVM classifier with hyperparameters optimized via Optuna resulted in approximately 3% performance improvement, suggesting that hyperparameter tuning may contribute positively to classification accuracy. Furthermore, combining features obtained from these frequency bands increased the detection performance when evaluated with larger datasets. Conclusions: The study demonstrates the potential of frequency band-based analyses and feature fusion methods to increase the accuracy and efficiency of Alzheimer’s diagnosis using EEG data. The results are promising; however, they should be interpreted with caution regarding their generalizability.

Background: As BMP15, GDF9, and kisspeptin all play critical roles in folliculogenesis and fertilization, investigating the possible relationship between obesity and these three factors could prove crucial in relation to understanding the role of obesity in infertility. Thus, the present study sought to determine the effects of obesity on the serum BMP15, GDF9, and kisspeptin concentrations in women of reproductive age. Methods: Ninety female participants were equally divided into three groups: class-1 obese (n=30), class-2 obese (n=30), and normal weight (control; n=30). The participants’ serum BMP15, GDF9, and AMH concentrations were measured. Moreover, the serum kisspeptin concentrations were evaluated in the class-1 obese and control groups by means the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method while the participants were in the menstrual period. Results: The serum BMP15 and kisspeptin concentrations were found to be much higher in the control group than in both obese groups (p=0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). While the GDF9 concentration exhibited statistically significantly positive correlation with age, the BMP15 concentration exhibited positive correlation with both the kisspeptin and LH concentrations in the control group. In addition, positive correlation was identified between the BMP15 concentration and both age and the glucose level, as well as negative correlation with the insulin level, in both the obese groups. Conclusions: Obesity appears to reduce the serum BMP15 and kisspeptin concentrations in obese women of reproductive age. This reduction may represent a milestone in terms of reproductive dysfunction, and it may be used to predict the success of infertility treatment in obese women.

Introduction: Prolactin (PRL) is primarily recognized for its role in lactation, yet its antioxidant function remains incompletely elucidated. The purpose of the present study was to examine the antioxidative role of prolactin.Methods: Seventy female volunteers were equally divided into hyperprolactinemia and control groups in this case–control study. Total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), native thiol (NT), total thiol (TT), prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4) analyses were performed using the serum samples with the relevant kits based on the colorimetric or spectrophotometric methods. In addition, oxidative stress index (OSI), disulfide (DS), and the percent ratios of disulfide/native thiol (DS/NT), disulfide/total thiol (DS/TT), and native thiol/total thiol (NT/TT) were also determined.Results: TAS, NT, and TT concentrations and NT/TT percent ratio were found to be higher in patients than in the control group (p < 0.05). OSI and TOS levels, along with DS/NT and DS/TT percent ratios, were significantly lower in the hyperprolactinemia group than in the control group (p < 0.001 for all). FT4 was also lower in the hyperprolactinemia group (p < 0.05). Prolactin demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation with TAS, NT, TT, and NT/TT and a significant negative correlation with TOS, OSI, and FT4 (p < 0.05). The TOS exhibits a statistically significant negative regression with prolactin, while NT has a statistically significant positive regression (p = 0.002 for both).Discussion/Conclusion: Hyperprolactinemia elevated total antioxidant and thiol levels while suppressing total oxidants, oxidative stress, and disulfide/thiol ratios. These findings indicate that prolactin plays a pivotal role in maintaining thiol–disulfide homeostasis and oxidative balance, functioning as a crucial endogenous antioxidant hormone. Moreover, the elevated prolactin levels during gestation and lactation may reflect its essential contribution to maternal–infant antioxidant defense, thereby supporting optimal fetal development.

Amaç: Kızamık hava yoluyla bulaşan ve ciddi komplikasyonlara ve ölüme yol açabilen oldukça bulaşıcı bir hastalıktır. Hepatit B ise, infekte kan ve vücut sıvılarına temasla bulaşan Hepatit B virüsünün neden olduğu bulaşıcı bir enfeksiyondur. Bu çalışmada bulaşıcı hastalıklar açısından en riskli gruplardan olan diş hekimliği stajyer öğrencilerinin kızamık ve hepatit B hakkındaki farkındalık ve aşı durumlarının değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu kesitsel anket çalışmasında, stajyer öğrencilere (n=157) kızamık ve hepatit B aşılanma oranları ile bilgi ve eğitim durumlarını içeren kapsamlı bir anket uygulandı. Veriler ki-kare testi kullanılarak analiz edildi. Bulgular: Öğrencilerin %22.9’unun kızamık hakkında yeterli bilgiye, %58.6’sının ise kızamık aşısına sahip olduğu belirlenmiştir. Kız öğrencilerin kızamık aşılanma oranı erkeklerden anlamlı derecede yüksek bulunmuştur (p=0.011). Öğrencilerin %77.1’i tereddütsüz kızamık aşısı yaptıracağını, %80.9’u kızamık aşısının zararlı olmadığını düşünmektedir. Kızamık aşısını zararlı bulanların bilgi düzeylerinin düşük olduğu tespit edilmiştir (p=0.04). Öğrencilerin %62.4’ü kızamık hakkında ders alırken, %37.6’sı almamıştır ve ders alanların %26.5’i aldıkları eğitimi yetersiz bulmuştur. Öğrencilerin %65.6’sının hepatit B için yeterli bilgi düzeyine sahip olduğu belirlenmiştir. Hepatit B aşılanma oranı beşinci sınıflarda istatistiksel olarak daha yüksek tespit edilmiştir (p=0.001). Öğrencilerin %92.4’ünün hepatit B aşısının zararlı olmadığını düşündüğü, %97.5’inin ise tereddütsüz hepatit B aşısı yaptıracağı belirlenmiştir. Hepatit B bilgi düzeyi yüksek olanların aşılanma oranlarının daha yüksek olduğu tespit edilmiştir (p=0.004). Hepatit B hakkında ders aldınız mı sorusuna %92.4 evet, %7.6 hayır cevabı vermiştir. Ders alanların %15.3’ü verilen dersi yetersiz bulmuştur. Öğrencilerin kızamık bilgi düzeylerinin ve aşılanma oranlarının hepatit B’ye göre çok daha düşük olduğu belirlenmiştir. Sonuç: Aşıların zararlı olduğunu düşünenlerin ve tereddütsüz aşı yaptırmayanların aşılar hakkında yeterli bilgiye sahip olmadıkları tespit edilmiştir. Bu nedenle mukozal sekresyonlar ve kanla sürekli temas halinde olan diş hekimliği stajyer öğrencilerine başta kızamık olmak üzere bulaşıcı hastalıklar ve korunma yolları hakkında genel bilgiler ve aşılanma ile ilgili daha kapsamlı eğitim verilmesi gerektiği görülmektedir.

Objectives: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by a complicated and incompletely understood pathophysiology. This study investigates the role of inflammation in its pathophysiology, compares the diagnostic performance of inflammatory indices, and assesses the clinical utility of novel biomarkers. Material and Methods: This retrospective study included 30 patients with PCOS and 32 healthy controls. Inflammatory indices including neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil to monocyte ratio (NMR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), platelet large cell ratio (PLCR), mean platelet volume to lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR), systemic immune inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), multi-inflammatory index (MII), and monocyte to high density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated their diagnostic performance. Biochemical, hormonal, hematological, and inflammatory parameters were measured using ELISA and an automated analyzer. Results: Inflammatory indices SII (p=0.006), SIRI (p=0.022), MII (p=0.013), and MHR (p=0.003) were significantly higher in patients, while PLCR was lower (p=0.024). Biochemical parameters CRP (p=0.027), insulin (p=0.021), and LDL (p=0.027) were elevated, HDL decreased (p=0.035). ROC analysis identified MHR as the most accurate biomarker (AUC=0.747, 100% specificity), followed by CRP (AUC=0.726) and MII (AUC=0.713). SII and SIRI showed moderate but relevant accuracy. All were statistically significant (p< 0.05). Conclusion: The present study highlights the potential of inflammation-based indices particularly MHR, MII, SII, SIRI, and CRP as valuable biomarkers in PCOS diagnosis. MHR showed the strongest diagnostic performance (100% specificity), while CRP and MII also demonstrated good accuracy. SIRI’s high sensitivity supports its role in early detection, and both SII and SIRI may serve as complementary markers. Overall, the results underscore the significance of inflammation in PCOS and support the clinical utility of these markers. PCOS influences hematological and biochemical parameters as well as inflammatory indices.

Objectives: The present study sought to examine the relationship of betatrophin with certain key enzymes, namely lactate dehydrogenase-5 (LDH5), citrate synthase (CS), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 (ACC1), in insulin-resistant mice. Methods: Eight-week-old male C57BL6/J mice were used in this study (experimental group n=10 and control group n=10). S961 was administered using an osmotic pump to induce insulin resistance in the mice. The betatrophin, LDH5, CS, and ACC1 expression levels were determined from the livers of the mice using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Moreover, biochemical parameters such as the serum betatrophin, fasting glucose, insulin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were analyzed. Results: The betatrophin expression and serum betatrophin (p=0.000), fasting glucose, insulin, triglyceride (p≤0.001), and total cholesterol (p=0.013) levels were increased in the experimental group. In addition, the CS gene expression level was statistically significantly decreased in the experimental group (p=0.01). Although strong correlation was found between the expression and serum betatrophin and triglyceride levels, no correlation was found between the betatrophin gene expression and the LDH5, ACC1, and CS gene expression levels. Conclusions: The betatrophin level appears to play an important role in the regulation of triglyceride metabolism, while insulin resistance increases both the betatrophin gene expression and serum levels and decreases the CS expression level. The findings suggest that betatrophin may not regulate carbohydrate metabolism through CS and LDH5 or lipid metabolism directly through the ACC1 enzyme.