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A novel risk factor for dementia: chronic microplastic exposure
No full textRecent advances in dementia research have expanded our understanding of modifiable risk factors, with air pollution being a well-established contributor. However, microplastics—plastic particles smaller than 5 mm—represent an understudied component of environmental pollution that may significantly impact neurological health. This review examines emerging evidence linking chronic microplastic exposure to increased dementia risk. Microplastics enter the human body through multiple routes, including ingestion of contaminated food and water, inhalation, and dermal absorption, with demonstrated ability to cross the blood–brain barrier and initiate several pathogenic pathways. Four primary mechanisms appear to mediate microplastic-induced neurodegeneration: increased oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production; neuroinflammation via microglial activation and chronic inflammatory responses; neurotoxicity from transported persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals; and accelerated amyloid-beta pathology through enhanced Aβ40 and Aβ42 nucleation. Recent bioaccumulation studies have revealed significantly elevated microplastic concentrations in the brains of dementia patients compared to non-dementia controls, supporting a potential dose-dependent relationship. Sources of environmental microplastics include industrial waste, synthetic textiles, plastic degradation products, and tire wear particles, creating a ubiquitous exposure risk through contaminated air, food, and water. While preliminary evidence supports a mechanistic link between microplastics and neurodegeneration, comprehensive epidemiological studies with larger datasets are needed to quantify this relationship and establish dose–response patterns. Future research should focus on identifying which microplastic types pose the greatest neurological risks, determining threshold exposure levels, and developing interventions to mitigate exposure.</jats:p
Examination of occupational therapists' encounters with violence
No full textIntroduction: We aimed to investigate whether occupational therapists are exposed to violence in their professional lives and to identify the types of violence they encounter.Method: This descriptive online-survey study was conducted with 158 female and 43 male occupational therapists, with a mean age of 23.92 years. The survey comprised three sections. The first section included questions pertaining to personal information and workplace details. The second section addressed experiences of violence under the following headings: overall violence, physical violence, psychological violence, and sexual violence. The third section comprised two questions regarding witnessing violence and exposure to the code white protocol.Results: A total of 49% (n = 100) of the occupational therapists surveyed reported experiencing violence at least once in their professional lives. Of these, 63 individuals faced psychological violence exclusively, 14 experienced only physical violence, 20 encountered both physical and psychological violence, and 3 reported a combination of psychological and sexual violence.Conclusion: Nearly half of the occupational therapists experienced violence, with psychological violence being the most common type. Addressing violence at the worker, patient, and system levels may help reduce its prevalence
Management of sustainable urban green spaces through machine learning-supported MCDM and GIS integration.
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Mukozal ıslaklık(wetness), diş eti oluğu sıvısı hacmi ve pH ile periodontal fenotip ilişkisinin incelenmesi
No full textSleep-related problems and sleep disorders in ataxia telangiectasia
No full textObjective: Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder and sleep-related problems may be expected. We investigated sleep-related problems in children with AT in relation to their clinical status. Methods: We administered Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children to patients with AT (n = 46) and a matched healthy control (HC) (n = 92). We defined clinical subgroups of AT as mild (n = 10) and moderate/severe (n = 36) according to patients' clinical scores. We compared the results between the groups. Results: The median age was 130.5 (104.8-175.0) months in AT patients and 125.5 (85.0-177.0) months in HC. The frequency (6.5 % in AT, 0 % in HC), risk of sleep disturbance (60 % in AT, 25 % in HC), and sleep problems (80 % in AT, 50 % in HC) were higher in AT than in HC. As the male/female ratio differed between AT and HC in our study, we applied further analyses adjusting for gender and age; AT patients were almost 4.5 times more likely to develop sleep disturbances and 6 times more likely to have sleep problems than HC. Sleep-related problems decreased with increasing age in HC; sleep problems partially decreased in AT, but sleep disturbances did not decrease in AT. Conclusion: Sleep architecture, behavior, and habits may be disturbed in AT, justifying the inclusion of sleep screening tools in the clinical follow-up of these patients even if no symptoms are reported in the medical history. Further clinical studies in large cohorts are needed to develop sleep screening tools specific to AT and similar neurodegenerative diseases
Emerging West Nile virus infections in Türkiye
No full textPurpose Turkiye experienced its largest West Nile virus (WNV) infection outbreak in 2024. We described the clinical and laboratory features of human cases with WNV infection collected from eleven tertiary hospitals in Turkiye in 2024. Methods The clinical characteristics of the patients were gathered using a structured form in the retrospective study. According to the ECDC case definition of WNV infections, the patients were classified as 'confirmed' or 'probable' cases. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for possible mortality predictors in WNV infections were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The mean age of the 51 patients was 63.3 +/- 13.6 years, and 37 (72.5%) were male. Twenty-six cases (51%) were confirmed, and 49% were probable WNV infection. Forty-eight patients (94.1%) had WNV neuroinvasive disease: 24 (47%) were diagnosed with meningoencephalitis, 20 (39.2%) with encephalitis, one (2%) with meningitis, and seven (13.7%) with acute flaccid paralysis. Twenty patients (39.2%) had movement disorders (tremor, myoclonus, bradykinesia, or rigidity). The case fatality rate was 17.6%. In multivariate analysis, older age (OR: 1.09, CI: 1.03-1.19, p = 0.042) and secondary bacterial infection during hospitalization (OR: 10, CI: 1.55-64.95, p = 0.015) were associated with fatality. Conclusion We highlighted the increasing number of cases and diagnostic challenges by describing the highest number of the patients with WNV infections in Turkiye. Raising awareness among healthcare professionals, facilitating access to diagnostic tests, and developing rapid, reliable, and easily applicable tests would enable early diagnosis and help improve outcomes
