Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting tissues around the teeth, causes significant inflammatory and oxidative changes in cardiac tissue. Crocin is the active constituent of Crocus sativus (saffron) which has antioxidant properties and is protective against cardiovascular disturbances. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of crocin on periodontitis-induced oxidative/inflammatory cardiac degeneration in rats in vivo. Thirty female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group, periodontitis group (PD) and periodonditis plus crocin group (PD+Cr). Experimental periodontitis was induced by placing silk ligatures on the maxillary second molar teeth for 30 days. Afterward, crocin (100 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered to the PD+Cr group and saline was administered to the PD group and the control group for 15 days. The subjects were sacrificed on the 45th day. Histological and biochemical analyses demonstrated that inducing periodontitis caused obvious damage to cardiac tissues which was significantly ameliorated by crocin (p < 0.05). Significant improvements in bone resorption parameters (cross-linked C-telopeptide of type I collagen and bone alkaline phosphatase) were also observed in the PD+Cr group (p < 0.05). In addition, crocin caused significant reductions of malondialdehyde levels and total oxidant score while antioxidant levels (glutathione, superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant score, and catalase) were significantly higher in PD+Cr group (p < 0.05). This study reveals that periodontitis may cause oxidative damage in cardiac tissue and crocin improves periodontitis-induced degenerative changes in heart tissue, which is associated with its antioxidant properties.

Objective: Non-cavity-distorting intramural fibroids have been linked to poorer reproductive outcomes in assisted reproduction, yet strategies to counteract this effect remain underexplored. This study examined whether a hyaluronan-enriched transfer medium (EmbryoGlue^®) is associated with clinical pregnancy and live birth in women with such fibroids undergoing frozen-thawed single blastocyst transfer, and whether any such association depends on fibroid size. Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort analysis of 515 women, aged 20–37 years, carrying the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) type 3–5 non-cavity-distorting intramural fibroids, who underwent frozen-thawed single blastocyst transfer between January 2021 and December 2025. Of these, 232 received a hyaluronan-enriched transfer medium and 283 received a standard medium. Clinical pregnancy served as the primary endpoint; positive pregnancy test, live birth, and early pregnancy loss were secondary endpoints. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of clinical pregnancy and live birth and to test for an interaction between EmbryoGlue use and fibroid size. Results: Women who received EmbryoGlue had higher rates of positive pregnancy test (50.0% vs. 32.9%; p < 0.001), clinical pregnancy (40.5% vs. 26.9%; p = 0.001), and live birth (30.2% vs. 19.1%; p = 0.003) than those in the control group. After adjustment, and taking a fibroid size of 3 cm as the reference point, EmbryoGlue use remained associated with greater odds of clinical pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.05, 95% CI 1.20–3.50; p = 0.008). A significant interaction between EmbryoGlue use and fibroid size emerged for both clinical pregnancy (aOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.13–2.68; p = 0.011) and live birth (aOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.06–2.67; p = 0.028): the association between EmbryoGlue and reproductive outcomes was not uniform but depended on fibroid size, with the widest gap between groups seen among women with fibroids exceeding 4 cm. Conclusions: Among women with non-cavity-distorting intramural fibroids undergoing frozen-thawed single blastocyst transfer, EmbryoGlue use was linked to more favorable reproductive outcomes overall, an association that varied by fibroid size and was most pronounced above 4 cm. These findings warrant confirmation through prospective randomized trials before influencing clinical practice.

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the biochemical, histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural hepatic phenotypes associated with carbohydrate-, fat- and protein-enriched diets initiated during post-weaning growth. Methods: Forty 21-day-old male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: a control group and three experimental groups (carbohydrate, protein, and fat). The respective diets were fed for 13 weeks. Hepatic oxidant–antioxidant parameters, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), histopathological scores; interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) immunoreactivity and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) findings were evaluated. Results: The carbohydrate group showed higher thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI), together with lower reduced glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant status (TAS). Histology showed hydropic change, vacuolization and inflammatory cell infiltration, while TEM showed mitochondrial swelling, loss of cristae and nuclear alterations. The fat group showed prominent vacuolization, TEM-observed lipid droplets, inflammatory cell infiltration and TNF-α immunoreactivity. Most findings in the protein group were closer to control values. Thus, the carbohydrate-enriched diet was associated with the most pronounced redox and ultrastructural injury profile, whereas the fat-enriched diet was associated with a morphological and inflammatory injury profile compatible with lipid accumulation. Conclusions: These findings identify distinct hepatic phenotypes associated with the dietary formulations administered during post-weaning growth. The carbohydrate- and fat-enriched formulations were associated with more pronounced biochemical and morphological changes; inference is made at the level of the complete dietary formulation.

Aim: The aim of this study is to compare infertility-related knowledge and attitudes among students from the Faculty of Medicine (basic and clinical phases) and the Faculty of Health Sciences (midwifery and nursing programs), and to investigate the association between embryology education and students' knowledge and attitudes toward infertility.Method: This cross-sectional study included 228 undergraduate students from the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. The sample size was determined by power analysis and participants were recruited using the snowball sampling method. Data were collected through an online questionnaire consisting of a sociodemographic information form, infertility knowledge questions and the “Attitude Scale Toward Infertility”. Statistical analyses were performed using R version 4.3.1. Chi-square, independent samples t-test, Mann Whitney U, and Kruskal Wallis tests were applied as appropriate.Results: Students' responses to the infertility knowledge questions differed significantly according to gender, academic program, year of study, and receipt of embryology education (p<0.05). Medical students had significantly higher attitude scores toward infertility than health sciences students (47.81±7.58 vs. 36.72±3.62; t=−14.089, p<0.001). Likewise, students who had received embryology education demonstrated significantly higher attitude scores than those who had not (44.76±8.31 vs. 37.64±5.28; t=6.947, p<0.001).Conclusion: Medical students and students who had received embryology education exhibited greater infertility-related knowledge and more positive attitudes toward infertility than their counterparts. These findings suggest that strengthening embryology education may improve clinical awareness of infertility, support future healthcare professionals in the accurate management of infertility, facilitate psychosocial care, and contribute to reducing infertility-related social stigma.