Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants worldwide, which have been reported to exert potential detrimental effects on bone mineral density and increase the risk of developing fractures. The present study aimed to investigate the pathways underlying the negative effects of fluoxetine on bone using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from rat adipose tissue as a source of osteoprogenitor cells. MSCs were harvested from adipose tissue using a collagenase enzyme digestion method and were allowed to differentiate into osteoprogenitor cells. Various concentrations of fluoxetine were added to the cells, which were harvested and analyzed by flow cytometry to detect apoptotic markers Annexin V and caspase-3, in order to assess the levels of apoptosis. The levels of endogenous serotonin released in the extracellular matrix were measured using a serotonin ELISA kit. The underlying molecular pathways associated with the effects of fluoxetine on bone were investigated with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results of the present study revealed a significant dose-dependent increase in apoptosis in response to increasing doses of fluoxetine, which was independent of serotonin levels in the culture supernatant. These findings indicated that fluoxetine exerted a direct inhibitory effect on bone cells via an apoptosis-dependent pathway. Furthermore, the expression levels of serotonergic genes, including serotonin 1B receptor, serotonin 2A receptor (HTR2A), serotonin 2B receptor and serotonin transporter, were down regulated; of these genes, HTR2A exhibited the highest expression levels. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to verify this association and to determine the molecular pathways involved in fluoxetine-induced bone loss. Fluoxetine-induced apoptosis of osteoprogenitor cells may be the mechanism underlying the increased incidence of bone loss observed in patients treated with fluoxetine.

Fingerprints have been used as an accurate method of personal identification for a long time. The present work was carried out to screen fingerprint patterns in different ABO/Rh blood groups and study their role in sex determination in a selected sample of the Egyptian population. This study was conducted with 200 undergraduate medical students in the Faculty of Medicine at Mansoura University. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for ABO/Rh blood categories. Finger-tip prints on both hands were taken from white A4 paper using black washable ink. A magnifying glass was used to detect the pattern in all fingerprints.A magnifying hand lens was used to detect the pattern in all fingerprints. The most common type of fingerprint patterns was an ulnar loop in both genders with a statistically significant difference between males and females in right index, right middle finger, and left ring finger distribution patterns. Right hand fingerprints can have a more suggestive value for gender determination than the left hand in the Egyptian population. There was a highly statistically significant difference between males and females in "O+ and "B+" blood groups with a highly statistically significant difference in fingerprint patterns distribution in "A+, O-and AB-" blood groups. Moreover, there was an association between fingerprint patterns and the distribution among blood groups "O-. B+, B-, AB+" on gender. Gender prediction in certain blood groups may be possible based on fingerprint patterns. Digital patterns, loops, whorls, and arches remain an important feature for the identification of gender and of possibly determining ethnic groups.