To determine the frequency of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms BsmI, ApaI, TaqI and FokI and their associations with bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal Turkish women. One hundred and thirty healthy postmenopausal women and 130 premenopausal healthy women acting as controls were included in the study. The BsmI, FokI, ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms in the VDR gene were studied by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The BMD of the lumbar vertebrae and femur neck were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Comparisons between the groups were performed using the paired t-test and ANOVA. χ (2) or contingency tables were used to analyze qualitative results. Genotypes BB, Bb and bb occurred in premenopausal women with frequencies of 16.92%, 50% and 33.08% and in postmenopausal women with frequencies of 16.92%, 56.15% and 26.92%, respectively. Genotypes FF, Ff, ff occurred in premenopausal women with frequencies of 47.69%, 42.31% and 10% and in postmenopausal women with frequencies of 50.77%, 42.31% and 6.92%, respectively. Genotypes AA, Aa, aa occurred in premenopausal women with frequencies of 23.85%, 56.15% and 20% and in postmenopausal women with frequencies of 26.15%, 46.15% and 27.70%, respectively. Genotypes TT, Tt and tt occurred in premenopausal women with frequencies of 37.69%, 45.38% and 16.92% and in postmenopausal women with frequencies of 39.23%, 45% and 15.38%, respectively. There was no difference in the frequencies of VDR gene polymorphisms between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. BMD measurements were not different between genotypes in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The VDR gene BsmI, FokI, ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms have no major influence on bone mineral density in our group of postmenopausal women.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disease of pregnancy complicating 2-8% of all pregnancies. The exact pathophysiology still remains unknown. Growth arrest-specific 6 (Gas6) is a member of the vitamin K-dependent protein family and it has been suggested as a novel atherothrombotic risk factor with anti-angiogenic and pro-atherogenic properties. The goal of the our study was to investigate the relationships between the c.834 + 7G > A polymorphism of GAS6, plasma Gas6 levels and PE. A total of 150 women, including 82 preeclamptic pregnant women and 68 normotensive pregnant (NP) women, were recruited in the current study. Blood samples were taken from all participants. Plasma Gas6 levels measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. GAS6 polymorphism was determined using a PCR-RFLP method. The plasma Gas6 levels of preeclamptic patients were significantly lower than those of NP women (8.65 ± 3.70 ng/ml and 10.89 ± 4.23 ng/ml respectively, p < 0.001). The GG genotype was the most prevalent, and the risk of PE was 3.5-fold higher in pregnant women with GG genotype compared to woman with AA genotype (p < 0.01). The A allele was less frequent in preeclamptic patients than in control subjects (OR = 2.118, 95% CI = 1.330-3.371, p < 0.001). Our results suggest that GAS6 c.834 + 7G > A polymorphism may have a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PE suggesting that the A allele has a protective role for PE.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted considerable interest as emerging CT contrast agents; however, the influence of reconstruction parameters on their quantitative detectability remains insufficiently characterized, limiting the optimization of quantitative CT imaging. This study quantitatively compared the CT imaging performance of citrate-stabilized AuNPs, PEGylated AuNPs (PEG-AuNPs), and a conventional iodinated contrast agent (BMX) under different reconstruction conditions. AuNPs were synthesized by citrate reduction and PEGylated with SH-PEG5K-COOH, followed by physicochemical characterization using dynamic light scattering, zeta potential analysis, and ICP-OES. Contrast samples (≤10 mg/mL) were imaged using a micro-CT system (50 kV, 0.43 mA) with two angular sampling intervals (0.750° and 0.500°), Gaussian and Hann reconstruction kernels, and voxel sizes of 100, 160, and 200 µm. Quantitative performance was evaluated using sensitivity, coefficient of determination (R²), background noise, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). PEG-AuNPs exhibited the highest sensitivity (80.55 HU/mg/mL) and the lowest detection limits (LOD: 0.53 mg/mL; LOQ: 1.61 mg/mL), outperforming bare AuNPs and BMX. Voxel size was the dominant reconstruction parameter, with optimal detectability achieved at 160 µm due to an optimal balance between spatial resolution and image noise, whereas reconstruction kernel and angular sampling had comparatively minor effects. These findings provide a quantitative framework for optimizing reconstruction parameters in nanoparticle-enhanced quantitative CT imaging.

PurposeTo quantitatively evaluate the CT performance of gold nanoparticles (AuNP), polyethylene glycol-coated AuNP (PEG-AuNP), and an iodinated contrast agent (Biemexol, BMX) under varying reconstruction conditions, with emphasis on sensitivity and detectability metrics.MethodsAuNPs were synthesized via citrate reduction and PEGylated using SH-PEG5K-COOH. Physicochemical properties were characterized by DLS and zeta potential measurements, and gold concentration was determined by ICP-OES. Contrast samples (≤10 mg/mL) were scanned using a micro-CT system (50 kV, 0.43 mA) with angular sampling of 0.750° and 0.500°. Images were reconstructed using filtered back projection with Gaussian and Hann kernels at voxel sizes of 100, 160, and 200 µm. Quantitative analysis was performed by extracting mean Hounsfield Unit (HU) values, and sensitivity (HU per mg/mL), coefficient of determination (R²), background noise (σ), limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ) were calculated.ResultsPEG-AuNP demonstrated the highest sensitivity (75.65 HU per mg/mL) and lowest detection limits (LOD: 0.40 mg/mL; LOQ: 1.23 mg/mL), outperforming both AuNP (12.02 HU per mg/mL; LOD: 2.55 mg/mL) and BMX (50.86 HU per mg/mL; LOD: 0.60 mg/mL). All agents exhibited strong linearity (R² ≥ 0.93). Voxel size was identified as the dominant factor influencing detectability, with optimal performance consistently observed at 160 µm. In contrast, reconstruction kernel (Gaussian vs. Hann) and angular sampling showed comparatively minor effects.ConclusionCT detectability is governed by the combined effects of contrast agent properties and reconstruction parameters. PEG-AuNP provides superior quantitative performance and may enable improved detectability at lower concentrations. Optimization of voxel size is critical for maximizing contrast performance, and further validation in clinical CT systems is warranted.