Understanding the correlation between genes and diet holds significance in formulating tailored nutritional guidance and enhancing public health initiatives. Consequently, a thorough examination is undertaken to clarify the interplay between varying nutrient intake, glutathione S-transferases Mu1 and Theta 1 (GSTM1 & T1) gene variants and susceptibility to cancer development. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive search on MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases up to 30 April 2023. The review included observational studies that explored the relationship between dietary consumption of acrylamide, fruits, vegetables, plant-based foods, total meat, red meat, coffee and green tea, as well as the presence of GSTM1 and T1 gene polymorphisms, and the risk of cancer in adult populations. The review findings indicated that high levels of risk factors, particularly red meat, have been linked to a higher chance of developing colorectal cancer risk among individuals with the GSTM1 null genotype. In contrast, heightened levels of protective factors, such as cruciferous vegetables, green tea, coffee and fruit, have been associated with a decreased risk of lung cancer, adult leukaemia, cutaneous melanoma and lung cancer in individuals exhibiting GST polymorphisms. There is a scarcity of comprehensive studies examining different types of cancer due to various dietary patterns and genetic variations. Research has illuminated the complex interplay among dietary factors, gene polymorphisms and cancer risk, further comprehensive studies are needed to understand and validate these findings fully. More robust investigations across diverse populations are crucial to developing personalised nutritional interventions and strengthening public health strategies.

Pulmonary valve replacement in small children is rarely needed; when performed, it is usually done surgically. Herein, we describe a hybrid technique for pulmonary valve replacement through a small subxiphoid incision in a Toddler without utilising the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. The procedural technique is thoroughly explained. Collaboration between paediatric cardiology and cardiovascular surgery teams achieved optimal outcome with minimised invasiveness.

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is one of the oldest and most economically important edible nut species due to its high nutritional value. Iran is known as one of the most important centres of the origin and diversity of walnuts worldwide. This research was carried out to determine the genetic relationships of some old walnut genotypes in Iran in order to select superior genotypes and better conserve them. The results of morphological evaluation of the fruits showed that the highest coefficients of variation were related to nut weight, kernel weight, percentage kernel, thickness and weight of the shell, and thickness and weight of the packing tissue in both years. The average morphological traits among the studied genotypes were different, such that the highest nut weights in the first and second years were 15.59 and 14.79 g and the corresponding lowest values were 7.37 and 7.79 g, respectively. The highest and lowest kernel weights were observed in the first years to be 8.09 and 3.80 g and in the second years were 6.94 and 2.65 g, respectively. The highest kernel percentages in the first and second years were 64.97 and 59.79% and the lowest percentages were 39.52 and 27.80% in the first and second years, respectively. Molecular evaluation results showed that the 16 start codon of target (SCoT) primers amplified a total of 166 bands with an average of 10.44 bands per primer. The number of polymorphic bands was changed from 2 to 19 in primers SCoT-19 and SCoT-15. The average polymorphism information content value was 0.30 and the highest amount of this index (0.36) was observed in SCoT-14 and SCoT-19 primers. The results of principal component analysis and analysis of molecular variance indicated the presence of relatively high diversity within the investigated genotypes. The amount of genetic diversity within the investigated regions was 84% and that between areas was 16%. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that SCoT markers could provide helpful information on the genetic relationships among walnut genotypes, which can be used in future walnut breeding and conservation programmes.

Tree architecture is an important factor in increasing performance and better garden management of pistachios. In a pistachio breeding programme, the genotypes obtained from five open pollinated populations were evaluated in terms of growth characteristics. Among the evaluated genotypes, ‘Apatiye’ was identified. This genotype has shoots with crouch angle more than 90° and a height of 110 cm. In previous year's shoots, the terminal buds abort and fall in early spring, stimulating more lateral buds to grow (6–7) than other genotypes (3–4). The growth characteristics of ‘Apatiye’ create a valuable potential resource for breeding pistachio cultivars with low alternate bearing, suitable for manual harvesting and pruning management. In addition, ‘Apatiye’ can be used as a suitable genetic marker in the study of heritability of growth habit in pistachio trees for future studies.

We define a knot to be half ribbon if it is the cross-section of a ribbon 2-knot, and observe that ribbon implies half ribbon implies slice. We introduce the half ribbon genus of a knot K, the minimum genus of a ribbon knotted surface of which K is a cross-section. We compute this genus for all prime knots up to 12 crossings, and many 13-crossing knots. The same approach yields new computations of the double slice genus. We also introduce the half fusion number of a knot K, that measures the complexity of ribbon 2-knots of which K is a cross-section. We show that it is bounded below by the Levine–Tristram signatures, and differs from the standard fusion number by an arbitrarily large amount.

Mental health challenges are common following cancer diagnosis, negatively impacting treatment and quality of life for breast cancer (BC) patients. This pilot study provides an understanding of the impacts of BC diagnosis and care experiences on the mental health of patients seen at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. We conducted 40 in-depth interviews, including 10 women with newly diagnosed BC, 10 women with metastatic BC, 10 family members and 10 healthcare professionals. Data were transcribed, translated into English as needed and coded using Dedoose software. Following BC diagnosis, it was reported that patients faced various physical, social, psychological and spiritual factors affecting their mental health and quality of life. Our interviews with each group indicated that BC patients experienced feelings of stress, anxiety and depression related to treatments and accompanying side effects. Disclosure concerns, financial impacts, relationship strain and negative outlooks on life were common among BC patients. The findings indicate that BC diagnosis and care experiences influence mental health in this population. With this basis, understanding and addressing the mental health challenges of BC patients is crucial to improve mental health and quality of life.

Transcatheter pulmonary vein recanalisation is challenging. Herein, we described a novel technique facilitating the recanalisation of occluded three pulmonary veins in two small children. This technique enhances the catheter’s alignment and stability during the recanalisation process. Referred to as the “anchoring guide catheter” technique, it can be applied only when the ipsilateral vein is patent.

Multidisciplinary One Health (OH) collaboration coupled with information communication and technology provides an avenue for combating and avoiding emerging and reemerging diseases. In 2020, AFROHUN-Kenya organized a OH App development hackathon to build an application for frontline community health workers to respond to OH challenges. This article describes the purpose, process, benefits and challenges of this hackathon. Forty-nine participants, divided into eight groups took part in the hackathon. The teams ranged from four to eight members, with 55% female. A total of eight applications were developed during the hackathon all of which are in the process of patenting, before deployment as open-source applications. In the post-hackathon survey, 95% of participants indicated that they had a better grasp of the topic because of the team members’ diverse perspectives and that working in multidisciplinary teams had resulted in new friendships and partnerships. In total, 72% of respondents indicated they would be interested in participating in another hackathon. However, 65% of the respondents suggested that the training time be lengthened. This study demonstrates that multidisciplinary hackathons effectively enhance learning, significantly impact communities and improve students’ soft skills, including project and time management, interpersonal communication, motivational strategies and problem-solving.

Dietary carotenoids are associated with lower risk of CHD. Assessment of dietary carotenoid intake using questionnaires can be susceptible to measurement error. Consequently, there is a need to validate data collected from FFQs which measure carotenoid intake. This study aimed to assess the performance of the Cardio-Med Survey Tool (CMST)-FFQ-version 2 (v2) as a measure of dietary carotenoid intake over 12-months against plasma carotenoids biomarkers and 7-Day Food Records (7DFR) in an Australian cardiology cohort. Dietary carotenoid intakes (β- and α-carotene, lycopene, β-cryptoxanthin and lutein/zeaxanthin) were assessed using the 105-item CMST-FFQ-v2 and compared to intakes measured by 7DFR and plasma carotenoid concentrations. Correlation coefficients were calculated between each dietary method, and validity coefficients (VCs) were calculated between each dietary method and theoretical true intake using the ‘methods of triads’. Thirty-nine participants aged 37–77 years with CHD participated in the cross-sectional study. The correlation between FFQ and plasma carotenoids were largest and significant for β-carotene (0.39, p=0.01), total carotenoids (0.37, p=0.02) and β-cryptoxanthin (0.33, p=0.04), with weakest correlations observed for α-carotene (0.21, p=0.21) and lycopene (0.21, p=0.21). The FFQ VCs were moderate (0.3–0.6) or larger for all measured carotenoids. The strongest were observed for total carotenoids (0.61) and β-carotene (0.59), while the weakest were observed for α-carotene (0.33) and lycopene (0.37). In conclusion, the CMST-FFQ-v2 measured dietary carotenoids intakes with moderate confidence for most carotenoids, however, there was less confidence in ability to measure α-carotene and lycopene intake, thus further research is warranted using a larger sample.

Nutritional education is pivotal in the medical nutritional therapy of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The extended parallel process model (EPPM) is a health education method for inducing desirable health behaviours. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of nutritional education based on the EPPM in T2DM patients on knowledge, attitude, practice, anthropometric indices, glycaemic factors, lipid profile and adherence to the diabetic diet. A randomised, double-blind, controlled, factorial field trial was designed for T2DM patients aged 30–59 years (n 88). Participants were randomly allocated into four groups to receive EPPM-based nutritional education through gain framed message (GFM), loss framed message (LFM), their combination (G\LFM) or usual diabetic education in the control group (CG). Participants were assessed before and after the study duration. After 3 months of intervention, eighty participants finished the study. The EPPM-based intervention increased participants’ knowledge, behavioural intention, perceived sensitivity, severity, self-efficacy (P < 0·001 for all) and response efficacy (P = 0·029) in comparison with CG. GFM (P = 0·004) and G\FLM (P = 0·034) reduced carbohydrate intake and LFM (P = 0·034) and G\LFM (P = 0·047) decreased fat intake. Between-group analysis indicated interventions reduced weight (P = 0·046), BMI (P = 0·038), fasting blood sugar (P = 0·030), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (P = 0·027) and TAG (P = 0·002) in comparison with the CG. Results were NS for protein intake, waist and hip circumference, waist:hip ratio, HbA1c, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL. Nutritional education based on EPPM could increase the knowledge and awareness of T2DM patients. Also, it could be beneficial for blood glucose amendment. Further investigations are recommended.

Men with diabetes frequently experience spermatogenic dysfunction, which is the most significant sign that diabetes has harmed their ability to reproduce. The effect of various doses of the hydro-alcoholic extract of Nerium oleander leaves on the pituitary–gonadal axis, sperm motility and number, antioxidant system, changes in testicular tissue structure, and spermatogenesis in healthy and diabetic rats has been examined in the current study. Eighty male rats that had been streptozotocin-induced diabetic and healthy were divided into eight groups: (1) control, (2) Nerium (50 mg/kg), (3) Nerium (100 mg/kg), (4) Nerium (200 mg/kg), (5) DM (6) DM+Nerium (50 mg/kg), (7) DM+Nerium (100 mg/kg) and (8) DM+Nerium (200 mg/kg) and were administered orally for 48 days consecutive. Following the studies, analysis of the testicular tissues’ antioxidant capacity as well as sperm parameters, Johnsen’s scoring and morphometric evaluation, histology, biochemical and stereology studies were performed.

The outcomes showed that Nerium 50 and 100 mg/kg considerably enhanced the testicular morphology, sperm parameters, and reproductive organs to varying degrees in diabetic rats. After Nerium 50 mg/kg administration, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) levels in the testicular tissue were increased whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were markedly decreased. Nerium may help protect against diabetic-induced spermatogenic dysfunction in male rats by enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes in lower dosages.

Freezing damage is a major limiting factor to Pistachio cultivation in cold climates. Assessment of pistachio genotypes to freezing stress is important for the selection of tolerance cultivars in these regions. In this study, nine genotypes belong to six Pistacia species (P. terebinthus L., P. atlantica Desf., P. atlantica subsp. kurdica P. atlantica subsp. mutica, P. khinjuk Stocks., P. vera var. Sarakhs, P. vera cv. Badami-Riz-Zarand I, P. vera cv. Badami-Riz-Zarand II) and an interspecies hybrid named UCB1 (P. atlantica × P. integrrima) were evaluated to freezing stress at temperatures of −4, −8, −12 and, −16°C in the months of December, January and February. Results showed that electrolyte leakage (EL) percentage and means of eco-physiological parameters varied among genotypes with the highest soluble carbohydrates and phenolic compounds observed in species of P. atlantica subsp. kurdica and P. vera var. Sarakhs respectively. In February, the highest calcium and potassium concentrations of shoot were observed in P. terebinths and P. vera var. Sarakhs genotypes respectively. The highest EL percentage was observed at −16°C in P. atlantica and P. khinjuk and the lowest in P. terebinthus and P. vera var. Sarakhs.

Genetic diversity and genetic relatedness among 50 genotypes from eight countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Lebanon, India, Yemen, and the United States located in two continents of Asia and the America, were assessed using SCoT markers. A total of 213 bands were produced; 100% of them were polymorphic; the average polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.39. The mean Nei's gene diversity and Shannon's index were 0.33 and 0.49, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance suggested significant genetic differences within pomegranate populations. 99% of variance occurs within the populations, whereas 1% of the variation was recorded among the populations of pomegranate. Cluster analysis using SCoT markers able to group genotypes based on their geographical origins. Based on cluster analysis, the genotypes studied were divided into two main groups. The first group included most Asian genotypes, while American genotypes along with some Asian genotypes were in the second group. In the first group, Iranian genotypes were grouped with genotypes from Afghanistan and India. In the second group, the genotypes belonging to the America were in the same group as most of the genotypes of Turkmenistan. According to the present study, SCoT markers can be used to evaluate genetic diversity, identification and DNA fingerprinting pomegranate genotypes of different origins. This information can be used in breeding programs and the management of pomegranate collections.

The world's first encounter with the tragic murder of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by Iran's “morality police” was through her image. As millions around the world browsed through news and social media, they were shocked by the image of the unconscious Amini hooked up to ventilators—her punishment for showing some hair through a loosely worn scarf (Fig. 1). The photograph was so influential that a week after its release, its brave photographer, journalist Niloofar Hamedi, was imprisoned. Despite government pressure, artists began reproducing this horrific image. In stylized reiterations, the portrait of Amini was at times coupled with mourning songs or counterrevolutionary music, as in the colorful animation by Belgium-based Iranian artist Niknaz Khalouzadeh that went viral overnight.