The effect of health insurance coverage on antenatal care utilization in Cambodia: A secondary analysis of Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2021-2022.

Health insurance is essential in reducing or eliminating the financial constraint to accessing maternal health services caused by out-of-pocket payments. Also, it has a beneficial effect in minimizing maternal and child mortality. However, limited studies in Cambodia examined the association between health insurance coverage on antenatal care (ANC) utilization.

Targeting Base Excision Repair in Cancer: NQO1-Bioactivatable Drugs Improve Tumor Selectivity and Reduce Treatment Toxicity Through Radiosensitization of Human Cancer.

Ionizing radiation (IR) creates lethal DNA damage that can effectively kill tumor cells. However, the high dose required for a therapeutic outcome also damages healthy tissue. Thus, a therapeutic strategy with predictive biomarkers to enhance the beneficial effects of IR allowing a dose reduction without losing efficacy is highly desirable.

Therapeutic Strategies and Biomarkers to Modulate PARP Activity for Targeted Cancer Therapy.

Poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is commonly known for its vital role in DNA damage response and repair. However, its enzymatic activity has been linked to a plethora of physiological and pathophysiological transactions ranging from cellular proliferation, survival and death. For instance, malignancies with mutations heavily rely on PARP activity for survival.

The archaeal Dps nanocage targets kidney proximal tubules via glomerular filtration.

Nature exploits cage-like proteins for a variety of biological purposes, from molecular packaging and cargo delivery to catalysis. These cage-like proteins are of immense importance in nanomedicine due to their propensity to self-assemble from simple identical building blocks to highly ordered architecture and the design flexibility afforded by protein engineering. However, delivery of protein nanocages to the renal tubules remains a major challenge because of the glomerular filtration barrier, which effectively excludes conventional size nanocages.

Improving the Transduction of Bone Marrow-Derived Cells with an Integrase-Defective Lentiviral Vector.

In lentiviral vector (LV) applications where transient transgene expression is sufficient, integrase-defective lentiviral vectors (IDLVs) are beneficial for reducing the potential for off-target effects associated with insertional mutagenesis. It was previously demonstrated that human RPE65 mRNA expression from an integrating lentiviral vector (ILV) induces endogenous Rpe65 and Cralbp mRNA expression in murine bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs), initiating programming of the cells to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-like cells. These cells regenerate RPE in retinal degeneration models when injected systemically.

Endotoxin Preconditioning Reprograms S1 Tubules and Macrophages to Protect the Kidney.

Preconditioning with a low dose of endotoxin confers unparalleled protection against otherwise lethal models of sepsis. The mechanisms of preconditioning have been investigated extensively in isolated immune cells such as macrophages. However, the role of tissue in mediating the protective response generated by preconditioning remains unknown.

Systemic Injection of RPE65-Programmed Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Prevents Progression of Chronic Retinal Degeneration.

Bone marrow stem and progenitor cells can differentiate into a range of non-hematopoietic cell types, including retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-like cells. In this study, we programmed bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) ex vivo by inserting a stable RPE65 transgene using a lentiviral vector. We tested the efficacy of systemically administered RPE65-programmed BMDCs to prevent visual loss in the superoxide dismutase 2 knockdown (Sod2 KD) mouse model of age-related macular degeneration.

Which joints and why do rheumatologists scan in rheumatoid arthritis by ultrasonography? A real life experience.

Objectives: Ultrasonography (US) has been demonstrated to improve assessment of synovitis and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the utility and feasibility of US in RA in clinical practice in real life is not known. We aimed to investigate: i) the indications for performing US in RA in daily practice; and ii) whether the number of scanned joints varies according to the purpose.

Direct and indirect healthcare costs of rheumatoid arthritis patients in Turkey.

Objectives: To estimate the annual cost of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Turkey by obtaining real-world data directly from patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, RA patients from the rheumatology outpatient clinics of 10 university hospitals were interviewed with a standardised questionnaire on RA-related healthcare care costs.

Results: The study included 689 RA patients (565 females) with a mean age of 51.

Response rate of initial conventional treatments, disease course, and related factors of patients with adult-onset Still's disease: Data from a large multicenter cohort.

Background: Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare condition, and treatment choices are frequently dependent on expert opinions. The objectives of the present study were to assess treatment modalities, disease course, and the factors influencing the outcome of patients with AOSD.

Methods: A multicenter study was used to reach sufficient patient numbers.

Living with pain in ankylosing spondylitis: a qualitative study.

Background: Despite various quantitative studies reporting that pain is among the most serious problem in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), no detailed qualitative studies address how pain affects the life of patients with AS.

Aim: To explore AS patients' experiences with pain and its effect on their lives.

Design: Descriptive qualitative study.

Characteristics Predicting Tuberculosis Risk under Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitors: Report from a Large Multicenter Cohort with High Background Prevalence.

Objective: Screening strategies for latent tuberculosis (TB) before starting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors have decreased the prevalence of TB among patients who are treated with these agents. However, despite vigilant screening, TB continues to be an important problem, especially in parts of the world with a high background TB prevalence. The aim of this study was to determine the factors related to TB among a large multicenter cohort of patients who were treated with anti-TNF.

A relationship between spinal new bone formation in ankylosing spondylitis and the sonographically determined Achilles tendon enthesophytes.

Spinal new bone formation is a major but incompletely understood manifestation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We explored the relationship between spinal new bone formation and ultrasound (US)-determined Achilles enthesophytes to test the hypothesis that spinal new bone formation is part of a generalized enthesis bone-forming phenotype. A multicenter, case control study of 225 consecutive AS patients and 95 age/body mass index (BMI) matched healthy controls (HC) was performed.

A Non-Canonical Role for β-Secretase in the Retina.

It has long been established that β-Secretase (BACE) plays a critical role in the formation of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's Disease patients, but it is only recently that the importance of β-secretases in retinal pathophysiology has been recognized. BACE expression is elevated in response to stress, and downregulation results in lysosomal abnormalities and mitochondrial changes. Inhibition of BACE can lead to reduced retinal function, retinal thinning, lipofuscin accumulation and vascular dysfunction in mice.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology in Patients With Behçet's Disease.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish versionof the Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR-T) for patients with Behçet's disease (BD).

Method: A sample of 105 Turkish patients with BD participated in this study. The scale was cross-culturally adapted through a process including translation, comparison with versions in other languages, back translation, and pretesting.

A patient-reported outcome measures-based composite index (RAPID3) for the assessment of disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis.

A single questionnaire regarding to disease activity for all rheumatic diseases may present advantages to introduce quantitative measurement into routine care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of routine assessment of patient index data 3 (RAPID3) with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS). A total of 341 consecutive AS patients who met the modified New York classification criteria were included.

Behçet disease with vascular involvement: effects of different therapeutic regimens on the incidence of new relapses.

Vascular involvement is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in Behçet disease (BD). There are no controlled studies for the management of vascular BD (VBD), and according to the EULAR recommendations, only immunosuppressive (IS) agents are recommended. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic approaches chosen by Turkish physicians during the initial event and relapses of VBD and the association of different treatment options with the relapses retrospectively.

[Is there a relationship between gouty arthritis and Mediterranean fever gene mutations?].

Objective: Gouty arthritis and familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) share some clinical and pathological features such as being classified as auto inflammatory disease, association with inflammasome, short-lived intermittent arthritis, and good response to colchicine and anti-interleukin-1 treatments. As Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene is the causative factor of FMF, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of MEFV gene mutations and their effect on disease manifestations in Turkish gouty arthritis patients.

Methods: Ninety-seven patients diagnosed with primary gouty arthritis (93M and 4 F, 54 [37-84] years) and 100 healthy controls (94M and 6 F, 57 [37-86] years) included in the study.

Retro-orbital granuloma associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis: a series of nine cases.

Retro-orbital granuloma is a rare and devastating component of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Current medical treatment protocols are falling short, and outcomes are poor. The aim of the study was to investigate the frequency, clinical features, and treatment outcomes of retro-orbital granuloma in patients with GPA.

Impact of rheumatoid arthritis in Turkey: a questionnaire study.

Objectives: Unmet needs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients regarding physician/patient communication, treatment preferences and quality of life issues were investigated in a Turkish survey study.

Methods: The study was conducted with the contribution of 33 rheumatologists, and included 519 RA patients. The study population included patients who had been on biologic therapy for >6 months and were still receiving biologic therapy (BT group), and those who were biologic naive, but found eligible for biologic treatment (NBT group).

Familial Mediterranean fever gene mutations as a risk factor for early coronary artery disease.

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are very common in the general population. Atherosclerosis is the main pathogenesis. Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease.

Autonomic functions in acrocyanosis assessed by heart rate variability.

Objective: To evaluate the autonomic activity of patients with acrocyanosis by using heart rate variability indices.

Material And Methods: The study group consisted of 24 patients with acrocyanosis and the control group contained 22 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects. All subjects underwent 24-hour Holter monitoring.