Future Science OA最新文献

Background: Body shape concerns (BSC) and body dissatisfaction represent emerging public health issues, yet evidence from Middle Eastern contexts, including Jordan, remains limited. These concerns adversely affect psychological health and are shaped by sociocultural pressures and digital media exposure.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 418 undergraduate university students in Northern Jordan. Participants completed the Body Shape Questionnaire-8D (BSQ-8D) to assess BSC. Demographic, behavioral, and media use variables were analyzed to identify correlations.

Results: Among 418 respondents (96% aged 17-24; 53% female), 73% reported no BSC. Higher levels of BSC were significantly associated with increased body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001). Compared to normal-weight peers, overweight students had higher odds of reporting mild [adjusted odds ratio (AOR: 3.7)]and moderate to marked (AOR: 2.56) BSC. Parental education and social media use were also significant factors. Students who did not use Snapchat (AOR = 2.05), did not use TikTok (AOR = 2.15), and cigarette smokers (AOR = 2.75) had higher odds of reporting elevated BSC levels.

Conclusions: BSC among Jordanian university students is shaped by multiple psychosocial and behavioral factors, with BMI emerging as the strongest predictor. Findings underscore the need for culturally informed strategies addressing weight stigma, smoking, parental influences, and media engagement. Integrating BSC screening into routine healthcare may support early detection of at-risk groups.

Aims: This study aimed to examine surgical trainees' perceptions of perceived objectivity across clinical competency assessment methods and to integrate these findings into the design of a digital assessment platform.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 154 participants (47 senior medical students, 107 residents in postgraduate years 1-3). A validated questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81) assessed perceived objectivity for four formats: multiple-choice testing (MCQ), oral examinations, Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX), and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, non-parametric criteria, regression models, and thematic review of open responses.

Results: Mini-CEX (Median = 1.35, IQR = 1-2) and OSCE (Median = 1.51, IQR = 1-2) were rated most objective, while multiple-choice testing (MCQ) was least (Median = 2, IQR = 2-3). No significant differences were found between 6th- and 7th-year students (p > 0.05). Third-year residents, however, reported lower perceived objectivity for multiple-choice testing (MCQ) (p = 0.001). Regression showed gender predicted perceptions of multiple-choice testing (MCQ) (B = 0.377, p = 0.005), whereas age and training level were not significant.

Conclusions: Practice-oriented assessments, particularly OSCE and Mini-CEX, were viewed as most objective. Findings support digital platforms that integrate varied, practice-based formats to ensure equitable and comprehensive evaluation of clinical competence.

Background: The use of computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies in diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of prosthetic restoration is changing how prosthodontic treatment is offered to patients. This study compares the precision of three-dimensional (3D) printed casts produced from optical scanners using the stereolithographic 3D printing technique, their digital replicas, and conventional stone casts.

Materials and methods: Impressions were taken from 13 patients. Inter-arch widths (intercanine/premolar/molar) were made for digital and prototyped models and compared with the original stone casts. The measurements on printed and conventional casts were taken using a digital caliper, whereas those on digital casts were measured directly.

Results: Digital casts showed significantly higher maxillary and mandibular intercanine width measurements than 3D-printed and Stone (Gypsum) measurements counterparts (p < 0.001). Additionally, digital casts exhibited significantly lower maxillary and mandibular inter-1st molar and inter-2nd molar widths than their 3D printed and gypsum counterparts (p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between measurements obtained with gypsum and 3D-printed casts.

Conclusion: The 3D-printed casts may be considered a viable alternative to gypsum casts, offering clinically acceptable precision for diagnosis, treatment planning, and the fabrication of prosthetic restorations. On the other hand, digital cast measurements exhibit significant variations from gypsum and 3D-printed casts.

Aims: This study aimed to assess healthcare professionals' attitudes toward accreditation and compare perceptions between staff working in Joint Commission International (JCI)-accredited and nationally accredited medical institutions in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey conducted among health professionals at a JCI-accredited hospital and two nationally accredited city polyclinics. The questionnaire comprised 38 items assessing employee satisfaction, teamwork cohesion, and perceived service quality.

Results: A total of 191 healthcare workers participated in the study with a response rate of more than 95%. Overall, 54.4% of respondents reported positive attitudes toward JCI accreditation, and 4.1% expressed very positive views. Perceptions of JCI's impact on patient safety were more favorable, with 63.3% rating it positively. Respondents with more than five years of work experience expressed satisfaction that JCI accreditation enhanced patient safety. In addition, participants with postgraduate education (β = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.53-0.65; p < .001) and younger than 34 years (β = 0.555, 95% CI: 0.35-0.76; p < .001) were likely to recommend JCI accreditation.

Conclusion: Healthcare professionals perceive JCI accreditation as a positive driver of patient safety, teamwork, and institutional quality culture. Implementing JCI measures may improve patient outcomes, strengthen staff engagement, and facilitate alignment with international standards.

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative joint disease that leads to pain, stiffness, and disability. While established risk factors such as age, obesity, and joint injury are well-documented, the role of cultural practices remains underexplored. This study investigates the association between traditional cultural practices and KOA prevalence in Central Asia.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted between January and March 2025 in Turkestan, Kazakhstan, involving 337 KOA cases and 685 matched controls. Participants completed structured questionnaires assessing demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, and cultural practices. Unconditional logistic regression analyses identified associations between cultural factors and KOA, adjusting for age, sex, BMI, education level, physical workload, and type of residence.

Results: Frequent floor sitting (OR = 4.25, 95% CI: 3.02-5.99), squat toilet use (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.66-3.23), and rural residence (OR = 7.57, 95% CI: 4.99-11.48) were strongly associated with KOA. Daily prayer postures did not significantly differ between cases and controls.

Conclusions: Traditional cultural practices involving prolonged knee flexion were associated with KOA. Public health initiatives should consider culturally appropriate strategies that may help mitigate knee strain. Further longitudinal research is needed to establish causality.

Objective: To examine the role of relaxed natural selection, measured using the Henneberg Index (I_bs), in influencing adolescent obesity prevalence across 191 countries.

Methods: Population-level variables, including adolescent obesity prevalence, I_bs (Henneberg Index), GDP PPP, urbanization, and calorie intake, were obtained from United Nations sources. The relationship between the Henneberg Index and adolescent obesity was analyzed using curvilinear and linear regression models with raw and log-transformed data to address non-homoscedasticity. Regional correlations were explored by grouping countries.

Results: A significant correlation (r∼0.5) between the Henneberg Index and adolescent obesity was found and remained consistent through third-order polynomial regression and partial correlations after adjusting for GDP PPP, urbanization, and calorie intake. The correlation was stronger in developing countries compared to developed ones. Stepwise multiple regression analysis identified the Henneberg Index as the second most significant predictor of adolescent obesity, following GDP PPP. Calorie intake did not significantly predict adolescent obesity in the models.

Conclusions: Reduced natural selection, facilitated by medical practices allowing individuals with obesity-linked traits to reproduce, may contribute to the population-level accumulation of these traits, increasing adolescent obesity. These findings underscore the need to consider evolutionary and genetic factors alongside environmental and socioeconomic determinants in developing obesity prevention strategies.

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common adult kidney malignancy, yet regional data from the Middle East are limited. This study characterized the clinicopathological, immunohistochemical, and survival features of RCC in a Jordanian cohort.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 295 RCC cases (2020-2024) from Yarmouk University affiliated hospitals was conducted. Clinical and pathological parameters, immunohistochemical markers, and survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests.

Results: Clear-cell RCC was the predominant subtype (72.2%), followed by papillary (10.5%), chromophobe (9.1%), and others (8.1%). The mean age was 62.1 years, with male predominance (66.4%). Clear-cell RCC showed higher rates of high-grade histology, sarcomatoid and rhabdoid differentiation, capsule invasion, renal vein involvement, and metastasis (p < 0.05), while chromophobe RCC was indolent with no metastases. CK7, Hale's iron, and c-kit characterized chromophobe RCC, vimentin was typical of clear-cell, and AMACR of papillary RCC. Survival was significantly worse with older age, higher T stage, sarcomatoid features, and higher ISUP grade, while nephrectomy type had no effect.

Conclusions: Clear-cell RCC demonstrated aggressive pathology, whereas chromophobe RCC was indolent. Age, subtype, stage, and sarcomatoid features were key prognostic factors, highlighting the need for early detection and expanded nephron-sparing surgery in the region.

Objective: Transcriptome and proteome analyses may yield inconsistent predictions regarding tumor prognosis. The clinical and pathological significance of ASPM expression in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear. This study investigates the expression and prognostic value of ASPM, focusing on its role in chemotherapy outcomes.

Methods: We analyzed the prognostic relevance of ASPM using bioinformatics, immunohistochemical staining of LUAD tissue microarrays, and proteomics data. Further, in vitro experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of ASPM overexpression on cell proliferation and sensitivity to cisplatin.

Results: Bioinformatics analysis revealed that ASPM's prognostic significance differed between transcriptomic and proteomic datasets. Immunohistochemistry showed that high ASPM expression predicted improved overall survival only in LUAD patients undergoing chemotherapy, not in those without. Proteomics analysis identified ASPM-related signatures enriched in cell cycle and mitosis pathways. In vitro, ASPM overexpression promoted tumor cell proliferation and enhanced cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity.

Conclusion: ASPM exhibits a dual role in LUAD prognosis, acting as a marker for improved chemotherapy outcomes while promoting tumor proliferation. These findings underscore ASPM's potential as a therapeutic target and predictive marker for personalized treatment in LUAD.

Protein kinases are vital drug targets, yet designing selective inhibitors is challenging, compounded by resistance and kinome complexity. This review explores Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) modeling for kinase drug discovery, focusing on integrating traditional QSAR with machine learning (ML)-CNNs, RNNs-and structural data. Methods include structural databases, docking, and deep learning QSAR. Key findings show ML-integrated QSAR significantly improves selective inhibitor design for CDKs, JAKs, PIM kinases. The IDG-DREAM challenge exemplifies ML's potential for accurate kinase-inhibitor interaction prediction, outperforming traditional methods and enabling inhibitors with enhanced selectivity, efficacy, and resistance mitigation. QSAR combined with advanced computation and experimental data accelerates kinase drug discovery, offering transformative precision medicine potential. This review highlights deep learning-enhanced QSAR's novelty in automating feature extraction and capturing complex relationships, surpassing traditional QSAR, while emphasizing interpretability and experimental validation for clinical translation.