The Reticulon-4 3-bp Deletion/Insertion Polymorphism Is Associated with Structural mRNA Changes and the Risk of Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study with Bioinformatics Analysis.

Breast cancer (BC) is a complex disease caused by molecular events that disrupt cellular survival and death. Discovering novel biomarkers is still required to better understand and treat BC. The reticulon-4 (RTN4) gene, encoding Nogo proteins, plays a critical role in apoptosis and cancer development, with genetic variations affecting its function. We investigated the rs34917480 in RTN4 and its association with BC risk in an Iranian population sample. We also predicted the rs34917480 effect on RTN4 mRNA structure and explored the RTN4's protein-protein interaction network (PPIN) and related pathways. In this case-control study, 437 women (212 BC and 225 healthy) were recruited. The rs34917480 was genotyped using AS-PCR, mRNA secondary structure was predicted with RNAfold, and PPIN was constructed using the STRING database. Our findings revealed that this variant was associated with a decreased risk of BC in heterozygous (p = 0.012), dominant (p = 0.015), over-dominant (p = 0.017), and allelic (p = 0.035) models. Our prediction model showed that this variant could modify RTN4's mRNA thermodynamics and potentially its translation. RTN4's PPIN also revealed a strong association with apoptosis regulation and key signaling pathways highly implicated in BC. Consequently, our findings, for the first time, demonstrate that rs34917480 could be a protective factor against BC in our cohort, probably via preceding mechanisms.

Non-contiguous multilevel spinal tuberculosis: A case report of unusual spinal tuberculosis resembling spinal metastasis.

Spinal tuberculosis (TB) is diagnostically challenging, particularly in atypical forms. Non-contiguous multilevel spinal TB (NMLST) is a rare presentation of spinal TB, mimicking spinal malignancies. We reported an unusual NMLST case with a paraspinal and epidural abscess in a young patient with misleading clinical and imaging presentations.

Parenting styles, maladaptive coping styles, and disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors: a multiple mediation analysis in patients with feeding and eating disorders.

Background: Although preliminary studies support the roles of unhealthy parenting styles and maladaptive coping styles in increasing rates of disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors (EAB) and clinically significant feeding and eating disorders (FED), underlying mechanisms have not been well-recognized. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with disturbed EAB and the mediating roles of overcompensation and avoidance coping styles in the relationship between different types of parenting styles and disturbed EAB among patients with FED. Methods: A total of 102 patients with FED in Zahedan, Iran, participating in this cross-sectional study (from April to March 2022) completed a sociodemographic information form and self-report measures of parenting styles, maladaptive coping styles, and EAB. Model 4 of Hayes' PROCESS macro in SPSS was employed to identify and explain the mechanism or process that underlies an observed relationship between study variables. Results: The results showed that authoritarian parenting style, overcompensation and avoidance coping styles, and female gender might be related to disturbed EAB. The overall hypothesis that overcompensation and avoidance coping styles mediated the effect of fathers' and mothers' authoritarian parenting styles on disturbed EAB was also supported. Conclusions: Our findings highlighted the necessity of evaluating particular unhealthy parenting styles and maladaptive coping styles as the important possible risk factors in the development and maintenance of higher level of disturbance in EAB among patients with FED. However, more research is needed to explore individual, family, and peer risk factors for disturbed EAB among these patients.