Background/Objective: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has emerged as a significant global burden, attributed to its increasing prevalence and strong correlation with metabolic syndrome and related conditions. Timely diagnosis and intervention are essential for minimizing the impact of MASLD. This study sought to analyze the efficacy of advanced anthropometric indices and non-invasive steatosis markers in diagnosing MASLD. Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study evaluated the data from 578 Turkish patients admitted to our gastroenterology clinic. MASLD was diagnosed based on internationally recognized criteria. The evaluated parameters included body mass index (BMI); waist–hip ratio (WHR); waist–height ratio (WHtR); body roundness index (BRI); conicity index (CI); a body shape index (ABSI); visceral adiposity index (VAI); abdominal volume index (AVI); lipid accumulation product (LAP); fatty liver index (FLI); hepatic steatosis index (HSI); and triglyceride–glucose index (TyG) and its variants TyG–waist circumference(WC) and TyG–BMI. Results: Among 215 men, 103 (56.9%) met the criteria for MASLD, while 260 out of 363 women (65.5%) fulfilled the criteria. In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for identifying MASLD, TyG–WC (0.826), TyG–BMI (0.820), and FLI (0.830) achieved the highest area under the curve (AUC) values, with statistically significant differences observed in their pairwise comparisons against the other parameters. Conclusions: TyG–WC and TyG–BMI are comparable to FLI in terms of simplicity of calculation and superior diagnostic accuracy, making them valuable non-invasive alternatives for MASLD screening and diagnosis.

Objective: Binaural beats, or the perceptual auditory illusions created when simultaneously presenting two similar frequencies to each ear separately, have been used to reduce anxiety in various procedures. Unfortunately, no prior study involved preprocedure binaural music exposure among patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and this study sought to investigate its effect on anxiety and tolerance among participants undergoing sedation-free upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Methods: The prospective, controlled, randomized trial included the participation of 96 Turkish patients aged between 18 and 70 years who were scheduled for an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, regardless of sex or illness, and were divided randomly into two different groups to undergo endoscopy, namely, the binaural beats group ( n = 48) and a control group ( n = 48). Patients in the binaural beat music group wore headphones, and music was given 15 mins before endoscopy; however, no particular treatment was given for either group. Anxiety levels were assessed by using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire, in addition to changes before and after endoscopy to measure patient satisfaction based on the physician’s recorded numbers of retches noted by doctors as tolerance was documented and compared among both groups. Results: The results showed that following this procedure, in the music group, state scores remained significantly lower than before them ( p = 0.016), compared with the control group ( p > 0.05). There was no significant difference regarding changes in diastolic or systolic heart rate or blood pressure ( p > 0.05). However, the procedure tolerance and satisfaction scores were significantly higher in the music group than those without music ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: For patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, music with binaural beats was found to significantly reduce anxiety levels and increase patient tolerance, providing an alternative option to sedative medications as a potential sedative treatment option.Clinical trials registration number: NCT06114524.

Background: Specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), such as maresins and resolvins, play a key role in resolving inflammation and repairing tissues. This study aimed to evaluate whether maresin-1 (MaR1) and resolvin-D1 (RvD1) could serve as serum non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 60 UC patients (30 active, 30 remission) and 30 healthy controls. Disease activity was assessed using the Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MES). Inflammatory indices, including the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte–HDL cholesterol ratio (MHR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), CRP–lymphocyte ratio (CLR), CRP–albumin ratio (CAR), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), were calculated. Plasma MaR1 and RvD1 levels were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate biomarker accuracy. Results: CRP, NLR, PLR, CLR, CAR, SIRI, and SII were significantly elevated in active UC, whereas MaR1 and RvD1 were lower compared to remission and controls (p < 0.05). MaR1 levels were lower in the remission group than in controls. ROC analysis demonstrated high area under the curve (AUC) values for RvD1 (0.906), CAR (0.872), CLR (0.861), and CRP (0.858) in distinguishing active UC from remission, and for CRP (0.944), CAR (0.939), CLR (0.939), RvD1 (0.928), and MaR1 (0.889) in distinguishing active UC from controls. The specificity for detecting active UC was 60% for MaR1 and 80% for RvD1. Both RvD1 and MaR1 showed a negative correlation with the MES, with RvD1 demonstrating a stronger correlation (r = −0.754, p < 0.001). Conclusions: RvD1 shows a strong negative correlation with disease severity in ulcerative colitis, while low MaR1 levels in remission may indicate subclinical inflammation. Although MaR1 and RvD1 are not disease-specific, their role in inflammation resolution suggests they may complement conventional inflammatory markers for more comprehensive UC monitoring.

The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is steadily increasing and visceral adiposity plays a pivotal role in its development. The maximum preperitoneal fat thickness (PMFT) and abdominal fat index (AFI), when measured via ultrasound, are practical, cost-effective, and reliable indices that best estimate visceral fat area, as measured by CT. This study aimed to explore the relationship between MASLD and PMFT by using ultrasound, a noninvasive and dependable diagnostic modality. This retrospective study used data from patients consecutively evaluated for MASLD at the Hepatology Clinic of Dr Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Hospital between July and December 2024. PMFT, AFI, and minimum subcutaneous fat thickness (SMFT) values were compared between patients with and without a diagnosis of MASLD. As the PMFT and AFI parameters are interrelated variables, they were analyzed using 2 separate regression models. Independent variables considered risk factors for MASLD (age, sex, exercise, PMFT, and AFI) were included in the binary logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) values for PMFT, AFI, and SMFT to evaluate their ability to distinguish between MASLD and non-MASLD cases. This study included 130 patients, 71 diagnosed with MASLD and 59 without MASLD. In the regression analysis, MASLD was positively associated with PMFT (odds ratio [OR] = 33.626, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.498–98.338, P < .001) after adjusting for confounding and clinical variables. Furthermore, AFI was independently associated with MASLD (OR = 3.492, 95% CI: 1.418–8.599, P < .001). PMFT values showed significant diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing MASLD from non-MASLD (AUC, P < .001) with an optimal cutoff of > 15.9 mm. Similarly, AFI values were significant (AUC, P < .01) with the best cutoff of > 1.18. In contrast, the SMFT values did not demonstrate significant diagnostic accuracy (AUC, P > .05). PMFT and AFI showed significant diagnostic value in distinguishing MASLD, with PMFT being the most strongly associated marker. These findings support their use as practical, noninvasive tools for early MASLD diagnosis and risk assessment, whereas the SMFT lacks diagnostic relevance.

Cholecystectomy generally has no adverse effects on health. Studies demonstrating the association between metabolic diseases and long-term effects of cholecystectomy are increasing. preperitoneal fat thickness (PFT) is an important indicator of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for sarcopenia. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between cholecystectomy and sarcopenia-visceral fat using the ISarcoPRM algorithm, which is an easy, reliable, and inexpensive method based on ultrasound measurement, to evaluate sarcopenia in patients with long-term previous cholecystectomy. This cross-sectional study included participants who had undergone cholecystectomy at least 5 years ago and a control group with similar characteristics. Sarcopenia was assessed using the ISarcoPRM algorithm, incorporating the sonographic thigh adjustment ratio (STAR), grip strength, and chair stand test (CST). Together with low STAR values (<1.0 for females and <1.4 for males), ow grip strength (<19 kg for females or <32 kg for males), and/or prolonged CST duration (≥12 seconds) were used to diagnose sarcopenia. Ultrasound was used to measure the visceral fat thickness. The investigation of sarcopenia and PFT values between individuals with and without cholecystectomy was planned. A total of 158 participants were included, including 89 post-cholecystectomy patients and 69 controls. Binary regression analysis revealed that cholecystectomy was positively associated with sarcopenia (OR = 2.788, 95% CI: 1.054–7.375, P = .039). However, when PFT was included, it was independently associated with sarcopenia (OR = 1.157, 95% CI: 1.067–1.254, P < .001), and the relationship with cholecystectomy disappeared (P > .05). PFT values of 10.0 mm or higher were associated with 5.875 times (95% CI: 2.035–16.961, P = .001) increased odds of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was 2.8 times more frequent in patients who had undergone cholecystectomy than in those who had not, but this relationship was mediated by increased PFT. The risk of sarcopenia increased up to 5.875 times when the PFT exceeded 10 mm.