The () Genetic Variant Is Associated with Muscle Fiber Size and Strength Athlete Status.

Background: Data on the genetic factors contributing to inter-individual variability in muscle fiber size are limited. Recent research has demonstrated that mice lacking the Arkadia (RNF111) N-terminal-like PKA signaling regulator 2N (; also known as ) gene exhibit reduced muscle fiber size, contraction force, and exercise capacity, along with defects in calcium handling within fast-twitch muscle fibers. However, the role of the gene in human muscle physiology, and particularly in athletic populations, remains poorly understood.

Endothelial Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disease: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as an Emerging Therapeutic Modality?

Maintaining the physiological function of the vascular endothelium and endothelial glycocalyx is crucial for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, which is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Damage to these structures can lead to atherosclerosis, hypertension, and other cardiovascular problems, especially in individuals with risk factors such as diabetes and obesity. Endothelial dysfunction is associated with ischemic disease and has a negative impact on overall cardiovascular health.

Enhancing Adolescent Physical Fitness and Well-Being: A School-Based High-Intensity Interval Training Program.

: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a school-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program on quality of life and physical fitness in adolescents. : The study included 60 male adolescents (16.2 ± 0.

Advice on Regulating Body Mass in Wrestling from the Most Cited Combat Sport Literature-A Systematic Review.

: Since studies on the subject of weight reduction in wrestlers vary in opinions regarding health, performance, and legal regulations, a review of the most cited literature in other combat sports was carried out. : By searching the WOS and Scopus scientific databases, the top 60 cited papers were identified, and ultimately, 13 articles that met the inclusion criteria for this review were selected. : Apart from the advantages gained in strength and mass through weight reduction, a mental advantage is also obtained.

Indicators of Obesity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Croatian Children.

Background/objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between CRF (cardiorespiratory fitness) and body composition, specifically obesity indicators, in a sample of schoolchildren from the continental and Adriatic regions of the Republic of Croatia. Given that Croatia ranks among the leading countries in Europe in terms of obesity, it is believed that there is a need to combat this condition starting from school age. The usefulness of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) lies in the fact that it is one of the indicators of children's overall health and is considered a measure of general health status.

Predicting Mortality in Severe Burns: A Comparison of Four Mortality Prediction Scores and the Role of Organizational Changes in the Croatian Burn Center.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of four burn prognostic scores-Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI), Ryan, Belgium Outcome Burn Injury (BOBI), and revised Baux score (rBaux) in a Croatian burn center. A secondary aim was to compare patient outcomes before and after the organizational and protocol changes.

Methods: A retrospective study and comparison of four prediction scores was conducted over a nine-year period in burn patients with ≥20% total body surface area (TBSA) burned.

Artificial Intelligence and Modern Technology in Dentistry: Attitudes, Knowledge, Use, and Barriers Among Dentists in Croatia-A Survey-Based Study.

Aim: This study aims to assess Croatian dentists' knowledge, attitudes, and use of artificial intelligence (AI) and modern technology, while also identifying perceived barriers to AI and modern technology adoption and evaluating the need for further education and training.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in February 2024 among general dentists in Croatia using a self-structured questionnaire. A total of 200 respondents filled out the questionnaire.

Personalized Ultra-Fractionated Stereotactic Adaptive Radiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Varian Ethos Therapy System.

We present a patient treated with personalized ultra-fractionated stereotactic adaptive radiotherapy (PULSAR) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using the adaptive Varian Ethos™ system equipped with the novel HyperSight imaging platform. Three pulses of 12 Gy were separated by a pause of four weeks during which the tumor was given enough time to respond to treatment. Only initial planning computed tomography (CT) was acquired on a CT simulator (Siemens Somatom Definition Edge), whereas other pulses were adapted using online cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images (iCBCT Acuros reconstruction) acquired while the patient was lying on the treatment couch and delivered immediately.

Secondary Primary Carcinoma Arising on the Flap Skin in the Oral Cavity-Case Series.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) causes considerable morbidity and mortality rates, posing a major global health burden. The management of the OSCC is multidisciplinary, but still the gold standard is surgical resection and reconstruction of the postablative defect. The appearance of secondary primary OSCC is not uncommon; however, it is quite rare that it appears on the skin of the flap that was used for reconstruction during the previous surgical therapy.

Salivary Cortisol Concentration Is an Objective Measure of the Physiological Response to Loud Music.

: This study examines the potential associations between salivary cortisol concentrations and subjective stress test scores in healthy individuals subjected to sound-related, psychological, and physical stressors. : This study employed a single-center observational cross-sectional design, with a sample size of 36 subjects recruited from a tertiary referral audiology center. Between 2023 and 2024, the study recruited subjects with normal hearing, baseline salivary cortisol levels, and subjective stress levels.

Voluntary Blood Donation in Modern Healthcare: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities.

Voluntary blood donation plays a crucial role in public health by ensuring a stable supply of blood and its components, essential for medical treatments including surgeries, trauma care, and chronic disease management. Voluntary donors, often healthier individuals, enhance the safety of the blood supply and play a vital role in emergency preparedness. Beyond its societal benefits, regular blood donation may offer health advantages for donors, including improved cardiovascular health due to reduced iron levels and psychological benefits stemming from altruism and a sense of social responsibility.

Proactive Management of Lactation in the Birth Hospital to Ensure Long-Term Milk Production and Sustainable Breastfeeding.

Individuals who are at risk of not achieving a full milk supply are often overlooked in scientific literature. There is available guidance to help establish an adequate milk supply for healthy individuals experiencing a physiologic labor and birth, and there are robust recommendations for the lactating parents of small, sick, and preterm newborns to ensure that these newborns can receive human milk. Missing from the literature are clinical practice guidelines that address the preexisting health, pregnancy, birth, or newborn-related risk factors for suboptimal lactation.

Magnesium sulfate for fetal neuroprotection in preterm labor: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: Antenatal magnesium sulfate has been reported to reduce the risk of neurological impairment in fetuses born to women at risk of preterm labor. However, the evidence to support its use is conflicting. We conducted this meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of magnesium sulfate in women at risk of preterm labor as new research is available from RCTs giving insights into MgSO4 treatment among differing gestational age groups.

INFLUENCE OF ATTACHMENT DIMENSIONS AND PERCEIVED PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION IN ADOLESCENT PATIENTS ON CONDUCT DISORDER.

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in attachment dimensions and the perceived parental acceptance / rejection among adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) in comparison to the control group, and the contribution of the attachment dimensions and parental acceptance /rejection to the CD. The group of male and female adolescents with CD (N=97) and a control group of male and female adolescents with no signs of CD (N=97) participated in this study. Attachment and parental acceptance/rejection were determined in the relationship between adolescents and their mothers and fathers by using self-evaluation questionnaires.

THE ROLE OF PSYCHODYNAMIC AND PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT IN LONELINESS.

This review article explores the relationship between psychodynamic factors, personality organization, and loneliness. It focuses on extensive research into attachment styles, shame, pathological narcissism, and personality disorders. Insecure attachment styles, both anxious and avoidant, emerge as significant predictors of loneliness.

GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH ENLIGHTENMENT AND CULTURE OF EMPATHY: HOW TO NAVIGATE A WORLD IN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS AND WARS?

A global culture of empathy appears crucial for the survival of humankind and life on our planet. There is no health without mental health and no mental health without a culture of empathy at all levels: individual, family, national, and global. Similarly, there is no global security without peace, and no peace without a culture of empathy.

Benefits of yoga in pregnancy: a randomised controlled clinical trial.

Objectives: Modern obstetrics confronts a rise in caesarean sections (CS). Prevention of unnecessary primary CS is a global priority. Women face intense psychological and physiological challenges during childbirth.

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Revisiting the Evidence of Validity and Measurement Invariance Using the Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling.

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) assesses two distinct dimensions of meaning in life: presence of meaning and search for meaning. The MLQ is the most widely used instrument for measuring meaning in life, yet there is a limited variety of validity evidence on the originally proposed two-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) solution. In this light, the present research examined, across five studies (total = 3,205), several aspects of the MLQ's validity and tested cross-gender and cross-national measurement invariance.

The role of sphingolipid rheostat in the adult-type diffuse glioma pathogenesis.

Gliomas are highly aggressive primary brain tumors, with glioblastoma multiforme being the most severe and the most common one. Aberrations in sphingolipid metabolism are a hallmark of glioma cells. The sphingolipid rheostat represents the balance between the pro-apoptotic ceramide and pro-survival sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and in gliomas it is shifted toward cell survival and proliferation, promoting gliomas' aggressiveness, cellular migration, metastasis, and invasiveness.

Family Medicine Practice as Learning Environment: A Medical Student Evaluation in Switzerland.

Introduction: Improving the quality of teaching placements in family medicine practice (FMP) could help to address the shortage of primary care physicians. This study aims to investigate students' evaluations of first-exposure FMP placements, to identify clusters of FMPs that might need to improve their placement quality, and to analyze students' perceptions of the FMP as a learning environment.

Methods: The design was a cross-sectional survey study, including all fourth-year undergraduate medical students at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, who completed a mandatory placement in FMP during 2019-2022.

Diagnosis of West Nile virus infections: Evaluation of different laboratory methods.

Background: The diagnosis of West Nile virus (WNV) is challenging due to short-term and low-level viremia, flavivirus cross-reactivity, and long immunoglobulin M (IgM) persistence.

Aim: To evaluate different methods for WNV detection [reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), IgM/IgG antibodies, IgG avidity] in serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and urine samples of patients with confirmed WNV infection.

Methods: The study included patients with confirmed WNV neuroinvasive infection ( = 62), asymptomatic WNV seropositive individuals ( = 22), and individuals with false-positive WNV IgM antibodies ( = 30).

An update on access to novel treatment for metastatic melanoma in Europe - A 2024 survey of the European melanoma registry and the European association of dermato-oncology.

Advances in cancer treatments have significantly improved their effectiveness, yet access to first-line therapies remains limited. A 2017 survey revealed that over 25 % of metastatic melanoma patients in Europe lacked access to recommended therapies. To address this, the European Association of Dermato-Oncology and the European Melanoma Registry conducted a follow-up study on the registration and reimbursement of first-line treatments.