Association of gallstone disease with risk of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Numerous studies have assessed the association of gallstones or cholecystectomy (CE) with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the findings are mixed.

Objective: To systematically review and meta-analyse the association between the presence of gallstone disease (GD), or CE and the incidence of CRC.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on knowledge, perceptions, and effects of telemedicine among the general population of Pakistan: A national survey.

Background: Telemedicine is the provision of healthcare services through information and communication technology with the potential to mobilize all facets of the health sector to prevent the spread of COVID-19, provide quality healthcare, protect patients, doctors, and the public from exposure to disease, and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. This study aims to identify knowledge, perceptions, willingness to use, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telemedicine awareness.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 27 May 2020 to 17 June 2020 using the convenient sampling technique in the general population of Pakistan.

COVID-19 pandemic: Direct effects on the medical education in Pakistan.

• To date, the medical education literature has focused on strategies for high-income countries to optimize online education. • Low- and middle-income countries' students face additional challenges in providing virtual education. • The main challenges LMIC students face are frequent internet and electricity outages and limited technology skills.

Pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), one of the most common metabolic disorders, is caused by a combination of two primary factors: defective insulin secretion by pancreatic β-cells and the inability of insulin-sensitive tissues to respond appropriately to insulin. Because insulin release and activity are essential processes for glucose homeostasis, the molecular mechanisms involved in the synthesis and release of insulin, as well as in its detection are tightly regulated. Defects in any of the mechanisms involved in these processes can lead to a metabolic imbalance responsible for the development of the disease.

Statin Treatment-Induced Development of Type 2 Diabetes: From Clinical Evidence to Mechanistic Insights.

Statins are the gold-standard treatment for the prevention of primary and secondary cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Despite the safety and relative tolerability of statins, observational studies, clinical trials and meta-analyses indicate an increased risk of developing new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after long-term statin treatment. It has been shown that statins can impair insulin sensitivity and secretion by pancreatic β-cells and increase insulin resistance in peripheral tissues.

Research Techniques Made Simple: CAR T-Cell Therapy.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and chimeric autoantibody receptor T-cell therapy hold great promise in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease, respectively. This powerful technique involves genetically engineering T lymphocytes to enable selective destruction of disease-causing cells. In the current approach, a patient's T cells are genetically engineered to express an antigen-specific antibody fragment fused to activating cytoplasmic T-cell signaling domains.

Natural variation in stochastic photoreceptor specification and color preference in .

Each individual perceives the world in a unique way, but little is known about the genetic basis of variation in sensory perception. In the fly eye, the random mosaic of color-detecting R7 photoreceptor subtypes is determined by stochastic on/off expression of the transcription factor Spineless (Ss). In a genome-wide association study, we identified a naturally occurring insertion in a regulatory DNA element in that lowers the ratio of Ss to Ss cells.