Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a type of digestive system cancer. At the molecular level, some factors, including genetic and epigenetic factors, as well as various signaling pathways such as oxidative stress and inflammation, play an active role in the onset of CRC. Genetic and epigenetic mutations, particularly in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, occur during colorectal adenocarcinoma development as a result of a change in gastrointestinal epithelial cell proliferation and self-renewal rates. This study aimed to determine the genes and molecular mechanisms that play a role in the emergence of this disease by analyzing the CRC data. Microarray data selected for bioinformatics analysis is Gene Expression data stored with the code GSE110224 in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Gene expression analysis, functional clustering analysis, enrichment analysis, and pathway analysis were performed using this data set. Analysis of raw transcriptomic data revealed 1770 common DEGs in CRC. While the expression level of 769 of these genes increased, the expression level of 1001 genes decreased. A Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was created from the first 25 genes with increased expression levels and 11 signature genes were identified. Increased expression of REG1A, MMP3, FOXQ1 and CEMIP genes and decreased expression of AQP8, CA1, CLDN8, PYY, CA4, CEACAM7 and SLC30A10 genes were observed. This approach revealed a CRC-specific molecular profile and may provide some guidance for further investigation of potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis prediction of CRC patients.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil/albumin ratio (NAR), platelet/leukocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune inflammation (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) and Ranson criteria associated with inflammation in acute pancreatitis (AP). Thus, the study aimed to analyze the significance ranking of these parameters in terms of disease severity. Method: The present retrospective study was conducted after the ethics committee approval was obtained. The study included 221 AP patients visited hospital between 01.01.2018 and 31.12.2023. The patients were categorized into two groups based on Ranson criteria: Group 1 (Ranson≤2, n=147) and Group 2 (Ranson≥3, n=74). Basic participant demographics, laboratory reports, CRP, NLR, NAR, PLR, SII, SIRI and hospitalization periods were recorded in a data form, and the findings were analyzed. Results: There was no difference between the groups based on gender (p=0.094). The Group 2 patients were older (p<0.001) than the ones in Group 1. Furthermore, CRP (p=0.001), NLR (p<0.001), NAR (p<0.001), PLR (p<0.001), SII (p<0.001) and SIRI (p<0.001) were higher in Group 2 patients when compared to Group 1. Also, the hospitalization period was significantly longer in Group 2 (p<0.001) compared to Group 1. Conclusion: In the study, it was determined that the CRP, NAR, PLR, NLR, SII and SIRI findings were significantly higher in AP patients with a Ranson criteria ≥ 3, and a positive correlation was found between Ranson criteria and inflammatory parameters.

Mentha pulegium is a medicinally important and well-known plant and used for various purposes such as medicinal, nutritional and spice. We are analyzed to observe the antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of M. pulegium extracts in this study. The antimicrobial activity of M. pulegium was tested using the agar well method. MIC, MBC and antimicrobial activity were tested on Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25322), Bacillus megaterium (DSM32) and Candida albicans (FMC17) microorganisms. Clindamycin (2 µg) and Amoxicillin (30 µg) were used as positive control and Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as negative control. Cytotoxic activity of extracts at different concentrations obtained from solvents such as acetone, chloroform and methanol using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test method; µg/ml cytotoxic activity and cell death patterns after exposure to different concentrations of the extracts on human breast cancer (MDA-MB-231), human pancreatic cancer (PANC1), human ovarian cancer (OVCAR3) and human lung cancer (A549) cell lines determined accordingly. As a result, it was determined that M. pulegium extract has a strong antimicrobial activity spectrum and cytotoxic effect.

Background and Objectives: Human data on obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remain limited and inconsistent, particularly with respect to adiposity-related phenotypes and renal involvement. We aimed to assess PNX-14 across body mass index (BMI) categories and to investigate its associations with BMI, insulin resistance indicators, and proteinuria in adults with T2DM. Materials and Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, participants were classified into four groups according to World Health Organization body mass index (BMI) thresholds: 18.5–24.9, 25.0–29.9, 30.0–34.9, and ≥35.0 kg/m². Serum PNX-14 was measured using a human ELISA kit. Group comparisons, trend analysis, false discovery rate-adjusted Spearman correlations, HC3-robust multivariable regression, and parsimonious structural equation modeling were performed. Results: PNX-14 differed significantly across BMI categories and increased monotonically with increasing BMI (p < 0.001 for both the overall comparison and the trend). PNX-14 showed a positive correlation with BMI (ρ = 0.491; qFDR < 0.001), whereas no significant relationship was observed with insulin or HOMA-IR after FDR correction (qFDR = 0.795 for insulin and qFDR = 0.793 for HOMA-IR). In the model adjusted for age, sex, and BMI, higher PNX-14 was independently associated with lower proteinuria (β = −0.326, 95% CI −0.584 to −0.067; p < 0.05), whereas BMI was positively associated with proteinuria (β = 0.407, 95% CI 0.132 to 0.682; p < 0.01). Structural equation modeling supported positive BMI→PNX-14 and BMI → proteinuria paths, a negative PNX-14→proteinuria path, and a non-significant PNX-14→HOMA-IR path. Conclusions: In adults with T2DM, PNX-14 appears to be more consistently related to adiposity than to glycemic or insulin resistance indicators. However, when evaluated together with proteinuria, it may offer a testable framework for phenotyping based on renal involvement within the obesity spectrum. Nevertheless, this approach needs to be validated in studies from different centers and with repeated measurements.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of nasal steroid use on the loss of smell in patients with Covid-19. Material and Method: 211 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 with positive PCR tests between April 2020 and December 2020 and followed up and treated in the Elazig City Hospital Pandemic Clinic were included in this cross-sectional study. The demographic data, comorbidities and drug use histories of the patients were interviewed face-to-face and recorded. Findings: The average age of the patients was 53.55 ± 17.81 (129 men, 82 women). Regarding the age, gender and comorbidities of the patients, there was no difference between the groups with and without loss of smell in terms of average age and gender. Anosmia developed in 50 patients (23.5%) and hyposmia developed in 84 patients (40%). No decrease or loss of sense of smell was observed in 77 patients. 26 of these patients were using nasal steroids at the time of diagnosis, and none of them had a decrease or loss in sense of smell. Results: With the results of the study, it has presented for the first time to the literature that the use of nasal steroids can prevent the loss of smell, which is one of the common neurological symptoms in Covid-19. The results of our study suggest that the nasal steroid, which plays an immunomodulatory role, can be a shield against loss of smell by creating a local anti-inflammatory effect in the nasal mucosa and around the olfactory nerve.