In the last few decades, statistical methods and machine learning (ML) algorithms have become efficient in medical decision-making. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common type of cardiovascular disease that causes many deaths each year. In this study, two CAD datasets from different countries (TRNC and Iran) are tested to understand the classification efficiency of different supervised machine learning algorithms. The Z-Alizadeh Sani dataset contained 303 individuals (216 patient, 87 control), while the Near East University (NEU) Hospital dataset contained 475 individuals (305 patients, 170 control). This study was conducted in three stages: (1) Each dataset, as well as their merged version, was subject to review separately with a random sampling method to obtain train-test subsets. (2) The NEU Hospital dataset was assigned as the training data, while the Z-Alizadeh Sani dataset was the test data. (3) The Z-Alizadeh Sani dataset was assigned as the training data, while the NEU hospital dataset was the test data. Among all ML algorithms, the Random Forest showed successful results for its classification performance at each stage. The least successful ML method was kNN which underperformed at all pitches. Other methods, including logistic regression, have varying classification performances at every step.

Background and Objectives: Today, oral diseases are well-known for their effects, not only on daily life but also on quality of life (QoL). Dental caries, especially early childhood caries (ECC), are considered a public health concern as regards their impact on the life quality of children and parents from multiple aspects. The present research was conducted to assess the effect of anemia on oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in terms of children and parents. Materials and Methods: The current study was performed in two independent stages. In the first stage, the Turkish version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), and in the second stage, the Turkish version of the Parental-Caregivers Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) were used to measure the effect of anemia-related dental caries among children and parents. SPSS and Jamovi software were used for all calculations, graphs and comparisons. Results: A total of 204 participants (child–parent pairs) were incorporated in the present study. A considerable number of children (81.5%) reported occasional or more frequent oral/dental pain. Secondly, the subscale scores were determined for child symptoms (2.25 ± 0.067), child function (6.8 ± 0.22), child psychology (3.87 ± 0.128), self-image and social interaction (1.74 ± 0.063), parental distress (3.82 ± 0.143), and family function (3.5 ± 0.121). Additionally, more than half of the parents (56.3%) responded “fair” for the health of their children’s teeth, lips, jaws and mouth. Similarly, the child’s overall well-being was stated as being affected “a lot” by the condition of their child’s teeth, lips, jaws or mouth by half of the parents (49.5%). Conclusions: Anemia-related dental caries has a highly negative impact on the quality of life of children and parents according to both of the questionnaires. Therefore, children with high scores should be prioritized for preventive procedures and timely dental treatments.

A substantial proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors continue to suffer from long-COVID-19 (LC) symptoms. Our study aimed to determine the risk factors for LC by using a patient population from Northern Cyprus. Subjects who were diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in our university hospital were invited and asked to fill in an online questionnaire. Data from 296 survivors who had recovered from COVID-19 infection at least 28 days prior the study was used in the statistical analysis. For determination of risk factors for “ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (OSC)” and “Post-COVID-19 (PSC)” syndromes, the patient population was further divided into group 1 (Gr1) and group 2 (Gr2), that included survivors who were diagnosed with COVID-19 within 4-12 weeks and at least three months prior the study, respectively. The number of people with post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection was 266 (89.9%). B.1.617.2 (Delta) (41.9%) was the most common SARS-CoV-2 variant responsible for the infections, followed by BA.1 (Omicron) (34.8%), B.1.1.7 (Alpha) (15.5%), and wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (7.8%). One-hundred-and-nineteen volunteers (40.2%) stated an increased frequency of COVID-19-related symptoms and experienced the symptoms in the week prior to the study. Of those, 81 (38.8%) and 38 (43.7%) were from Gr1 and Gr2 groups, respectively. Female gender, chronic illness, and symptomatic status at PCR testing were identified as risk factors for developing OSC syndrome, while only the latter showed a similar association with PSC symptoms. Our results also suggested that ongoing and persistent COVID-19-related symptoms are not influenced by the initial viral cycle threshold (Ct) values of the SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2 variant as well as vaccination status and type prior to COVID-19. Therefore, strategies other than vaccination are needed to combat the long-term effect of COVID-19, especially after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their possible economic burden on healthcare settings.

Objective: Allergic asthma is the most frequently observed subtype of individuals with asthma. The effects of serotonin plays in the pathophysiology of asthma has not been clearly determined. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association between the 5HTR2C gene rs 6318 G>C polymorphism and allergic asthma in pediatric patients in Cyprus. Methods: This study included total number of 177 individuals with 118 control and 59 pediatric patients (43 atopic and 16 non-atopic asthma patient). A skin prick test was performed for each patient to confirm asthma diagnosis and to evaluate atopic status. Genotyping for the 5HTR2C was completed by Real Time-PCR analysis. Results: The genotype distribution frequencies were not in agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium in the patients’ group (p<0.00001). The frequency of the risk allele (allele C) was not significantly different between the patient and control groups (p=0.255). The genotypic distribution between atopic asthma and non-atopic asthma within the patientsts groups was not in agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (p=0.006). However, risk allele presence showed a statistically significant association with atopy-related asthma (p=0.037). Discussion & Conclusion: Overall, despite the finding of no association between the 5HTR2C rs6318 C allele and childhood asthma, the current results indicated that there is a strong association between the 5HTR2C rs6318 C variant and childhood atopic asthma.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe human infection which can lead to fatal consequences. Acute CCHF patients were previously shown to exhibit frequencies of regulatory T-cell (T reg ) but lower T reg -mediated suppressive activities than the healthy counterparts. This study aims is to investigate the phosphorylation levels of Foxp3 protein (master regulator of T reg cells) in CCHF patients. Blood samples collected from 18 CCHF patients and nine healthy volunteers were used to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Total and phosphorylated Foxp3 expression levels in the isolated PBMC samples were monitored by western blot and quantified using ImageJ software. Total Foxp3 expression levels in CCHF patients displayed decreasing trend, but not significantly. In contrast, significantly lower expression levels of phosphorylated Foxp3 were reported in CCHF patients. Our results suggest a possible association between Foxp3 dephosphorylation and CCHF pathogenesis. Nevertheless, more studies are required to evaluate the effect of Foxp3 dephosphorylation on T reg function, which would not only help to enlighten the CCHF pathogenesis but also contribute to the development of effective treatment strategies.