Enhancing Treatment Decisions for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutations: A Reinforcement Learning Approach.

Background: Although higher-generation TKIs are associated with improved progression-free survival in advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations, the optimal selection of TKI treatment remains uncertain. To address this gap, we developed a web application powered by a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to assist in guiding initial TKI treatment decisions.

Methods: Clinical and mutational data from advanced NSCLC patients were retrospectively collected from 14 medical centers.

The role of non-respiratory arousals in residual daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with positive airway pressure: An analysis of the European Sleep Apnea Database registry.

Study Objectives: To assess the impact of the non-respiratory arousal burden at baseline polysomnography (PSG) on residual daytime sleepiness in positive airway pressure (PAP)-treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included OSA patients from the European Sleep Apnea Database registry with available arousal data who had at least 2 treatment follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score under PAP.

Navigating Hope and Complexity: Turkish Parents' Experiences with Savior Siblings.

Background/aims: Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing represents a significant advancement in treating inherited hematological disorders, particularly thalassemia major. This technology enables the birth of healthy children who can serve as compatible stem cell donors for their affected siblings. Turkey is a world leader in both PGD+HLA typing technology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from savior siblings born through PGD+HLA typing.

Evaluating the prognostic role of glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in first line: a study by the Turkish Oncology Group Kidney Cancer Consortium (TKCC).

Purpose: Identifying prognostic indicators for risk stratification in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies and follow-up plans. This study aims to investigate the prognostic role of the glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio (GLR) in patients with mRCC receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as first-line therapy.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Turkish Oncology Group Kidney Cancer Consortium Database.

Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: the EAS FH Studies Collaboration registry.

Background And Aims: Overweight and obesity are modifiable risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in the general population, but their prevalence in individuals with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and whether they confer additional risk of ASCVD independent of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) remains unclear.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 35 540 patients with HeFH across 50 countries, in the EAS FH Studies Collaboration registry. Prevalence of World Health Organization-defined body mass index categories was investigated in adults (n = 29 265) and children/adolescents (n = 6275); and their association with prevalent ASCVD.

Is There a Role for Hormonal Therapy in Men with Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT)?

Hormonal factors play an essential role as an underlying causative factor of oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT), and these patients can benefit from hormonal medications that modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. This review aims to outline the various medications used as hormonal therapy in treating infertile men with OAT. This manuscript focuses on essential hormonal evaluation, identifying men who would benefit from treatment, selecting the appropriate medication, determining the duration of therapy, and evaluating hormonal treatment outcomes.

Regorafenib Treatment for Recurrent Glioblastoma Beyond Bevacizumab-Based Therapy: A Large, Multicenter, Real-Life Study.

Background/objectives: In the REGOMA trial, regorafenib demonstrated an overall survival advantage over lomustine, and it has become a recommended treatment for recurrent glioblastoma in guidelines. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of regorafenib as a third-line treatment for patients with recurrent glioblastoma who progressed while taking bevacizumab-based therapy.

Methods: This retrospective, multicenter study in Turkey included 65 patients treated between 2021 and 2023 across 19 oncology centers.

Trends in prescribing montelukast in patients with asthma in real-life: Results from the Turkish adult asthma registry.

Montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) approved for the treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis, is widely used, though real-world data on its application in asthma management remain limited. This registry-based study evaluated the use of montelukast in adult asthma patients, examining demographic and disease characteristics, asthma control status, asthma phenotypes, presence of atopy, and treatment regimens. Among 2053 patients analyzed, 61.

Synthesis, characterization, and investigation of photochemical and in vitro properties of novel Zn(II) phthalocyanine.

A new nonperipheral zinc(II) phthalocyanine bearing octa carboxylic acid ethyl ester derivative substituted triazole attached propylmercaptothiobenzylmercapto derivative was synthesized via the tetramerization reaction of phthalonitrile. The photochemical in vitro photodynamic activity of zinc(II) phthalocyanine (), such as human nonsmall cell lung carcinoma cell lines, was investigated in this study. The singlet oxygen generation property of novel zinc(II) phthalocyanine () was also examined due to the significantly high singlet oxygen quantum yield of (F = 0.

Angiogenic factors versus fetomaternal Doppler for fetal growth restriction at term: an open-label, randomized controlled trial.

Small fetuses, with estimated fetal weight (EFW) below the tenth percentile, are classified as fetal growth restriction (FGR) or small for gestational age (SGA) based on prenatal ultrasound. FGR fetuses have a greater risk of stillbirth and perinatal complications and may benefit from serial ultrasound scans to guide early delivery. Abnormal serum angiogenic factors, such as the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1):placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio, have shown potential to more accurately distinguish FGR from SGA, with fewer false positives.

Dystonia caused by ANO3 variants is due to attenuated Ca influx by ORAI1.

Background: Dystonia is a common neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder that can be caused by mutations in anoctamin 3 (ANO3, TMEM16C), a phospholipid scramblase and ion channel. We previously reported patients that were heterozygous for the ANO3 variants S651N, V561L, A599D and S651N, which cause dystonia by unknown mechanisms.

Methods: We applied electrophysiology, Ca measurements and cell biological methods to analyze the molecular mechanisms that lead to aberrant intracellular Ca signals and defective activation of K channels in patients heterozygous for the ANO3 variants.

Diverse Views and Practices on the Handling of Explanted Hardware Highlights the Need for Standardized Management.

Objective: Orthopedic implants may need to be removed for various reasons. There is little data on the appropriate handling of implants after their removal from patients. This study aimed to analyze how orthopedic surgeons handle removed implants and their underlying philosophies, using data collected from a survey.

International consensus on research priorities in hypospadias using a Delphi study approach.

Introduction: Hypospadias is a common congenital anomaly of the male genitalia that poses significant management and treatment challenges. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of priority research questions in hypospadiology will be essential to reach agreement on the optimal approach to assessment, treatment, and outcome prediction for affected patients.

Methods: We employed a consensus-building Delphi method to identify and prioritize research questions in the hypospadias field.

Sex differences in clinical and polysomnographic features of obstructive sleep apnea: The Turkish sleep apnea database (TURKAPNE) cohort.

Background: Previous reports from relatively small clinical cohorts have suggested that the clinical presentation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) differs between men and women.

Objective: We aimed to explore sex differences in clinical and polysomnographic features of OSA in a large nationwide registry.

Methods: Participants from the ongoing Turkish Sleep Apnea Database (TURKAPNE) Study from 34 centers were included in the current analysis.

Treatment Patterns and Attrition in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Real-Life Experience from the Turkish Oncology Group Kidney Cancer Consortium (TKCC) Database.

Introduction: Despite the rapid evolution in management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) over the past decade, challenges remain in accessing new therapies in some parts of the world. Despite therapeutic advancements, attrition rates remain persistently high. This study aims to assess the treatment patterns and attrition rates of patients with mRCC in oncology clinics across Turkey.

Clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with monocarboxylate transporter-8 deficiency: a multicentre retrospective study.

Unlabelled: Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor and intellectual disabilities. Despite its rarity, there has been a rise in interest due to ongoing research and emerging therapy suggestions. In this multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional study, the genetic characteristics and clinical data of twenty-one cases of genetically confirmed MCT8 deficiency were evaluated.

The role of radiotherapy in intracranial hemangiopericytoma/solitary fibrous tumors : A Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology Central Nervous System Tumors Group Study (TROD 07-008).

Objective: Intracranial hemangiopericytomas (HPC) are rare tumors. Radiotherapy (RT) is frequently performed after surgery, depending on tumor size, location, and the type of resection. Moreover, RT is preferred as an effective treatment for local recurrence and metastasis.

Gingival crevicular fluid Bax, Bcl-xl, interleukin-22, and transforming growth factor beta 1 levels in stage III periodontitis.

Background: Intrinsic apoptosis plays a critical role in immune defense and inflammation. Its dysregulation is involved in various chronic diseases. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family primarily mediates this mitochondrial pathway.

Total knee arthroplasty in hemophilic knees requires its own learning phase: Lessons learned from 90 cases.

Background: Intraoperative challenges and complications and their course over experience in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) applications in hemophilic arthropathy have seldom been studied. Our study aimed to analyze the learning dynamics and the evolving perspective of a single arthroplasty surgeon in hemophilic knees.

Methods: The study encompassed all primary TKAs performed on hemophilic patients by a single experienced arthroplasty surgeon from May 2002 to October 2023.

A white paper from the FEBS Education and Training Conference: challenges, opportunities, and action plans for transforming molecular life sciences education.

The inaugural FEBS Education and Training Conference (ETC) was held in Türkiye, in 2024. This first-ever Molecular Life Sciences Education Conference in Europe was organized by the FEBS Education and Training Committee and it was a groundbreaking event that brought together educators and scientists to explore how to enhance education and training in molecular life sciences. The conference explored a wide range of critical themes, for example-digital revolution, active learning and student engagement, multidisciplinary teaching and learning, transitions and inclusivity in education, students' self-assessment, and self-regulated learning.

Multiple life-threatening complications in a patient who received lung transplantation due to cystic fibrosis and their management.

Cystic fibrosis patients may be considered for lung transplantation. Although these patients may experience more successful outcomes and survival rates compared to others, various complications can arise. In particular, infectious complications and septic deaths may be more prevalent in cystic fibrosis patients compared to other lung transplant indications.

Inhibitor development upon switching from plasma-derived to recombinant factor VIII in previously untreated patients with severe hemophilia A: the PUP-SWITCH study.

Background: The SIPPET randomized clinical trial showed that in previously untreated patients (PUPs) with severe hemophilia A, treatment with plasma-derived factor (F)VIII (pdFVIII) within the first 50 exposure days (EDs) was associated with a lower cumulative incidence of inhibitors than with recombinant FVIII (rFVIII). Switching to rFVIII beyond 50 EDs with pdFVIII is a treatment often implemented by many centers. The question is whether or not this switch may induce a risk of inhibitor development.