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Setting the age for starting elementary students at 60 months old has been a hotly debated topic in Turkey since the Grand National Assembly passed an education reform bill as Law No. 6287, known to the public as the "4+4+4 regulation." At the outset of its implementation, students who started first grade in school year 2012-2013 had an age distribution in the range of 60 to 84 months. The present research aims to determine the effect of this age difference among students in the same grade level on their subsequent development. Thus, the study is a longitudinal and causal comparative research since comparison of the two age groups on both readiness for the school and the academic development throughout the four assessments within six months intervals was investigated. The results indicate that students younger than 69 months are disadvantaged against their older peers in all the specified fields and subfields during all the periods studied.

Immunodeficiency, centromeric region instability, facial anomalies syndrome (ICF), is a rare disease with autosomal recessive inheritance. ICF syndrome. It has been reported that ICF syndrome is caused by mutations in the DNMT3B (ICF1), ZBTB24 (ICF2), CDCA7 (ICF3), and HELLS (ICF4) genes. As a result of literature research, there are no studies on transcription factor and cytokine expressions of helper T cell subsets in ICF syndrome. In the study; Th1 (TBET, STAT1, STAT4), Th2 (GATA3, STAT6), Th17 (RORgt, STAT3), Treg (FoxP3, STAT5) transcription factors and the major cytokines of these cells (Th1; IFNG, Th2; IL4, Th17; IL17A-21-22, Treg; IL10, TGFβ) expressions were aimed to be evaluated by qRT-PCR. Patients (ICF3: three patients; ICF2: two patients), six heterozygous individual and five healthy controls were included in the study. All patients had hypogammaglobulinemia. Except for the CD19 cells of P2 from patients diagnosed with ICF3, the CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD19 cells in the other ICF3 patients were normal. However, the rates of these cells were low in patients with ICF2 syndrome. Factors belonging to patients’ Th1, Th17 and Treg cells were significantly lower than the control. Additionally, novel mutation was detected in ZBTB24 gene (c.1121–2 A > T). Our study is the first molecular study on Th cell subsets in patients with ICF syndrome and a new mutation that causes ICF2 syndrome has been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Immunodysregulation, Polyendocrinopathy, Enteropathy, and X-linked syndrome (IPEX), caused by pathogenic FOXP3 variants, is a rare autoimmune disorder with diverse clinical features, including early-onset diabetes, eczema, and enteropathy. Atypical cases show milder symptoms and unique signs, requiring different treatments. Therefore, there are ambiguities in the accurate diagnosis and management of IPEX. We sought to present clinical, genetic, and immunological assessments of 12 IPEX patients with long-term follow-up to facilitate the diagnosis and management of the disease. Methods: Clinical findings and treatment options of the patients were collected over time. Lymphocyte subpopulations, protein expressions, regulatory T (Treg) and circulating T follicular helper (cTFH) cells, and T-cell proliferation were analyzed. Results: Predominant presentations included autoimmunity (91.6%), failure to thrive (66.7%), and eczema (58.3%). There were four classical and eight atypical IPEX individuals. Allergic manifestations were more common in atypical patients. Notably, chronic diarrhea demonstrated heightened severity compared to other manifestations. Four patients (33.3%) demonstrated eosinophilia, and nine (75%) showed high serum IgE levels. Most patients exhibited normal percentages of Treg cells with reduced CD25, FOXP3, and CTLA-4 expressions, corrected after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Compared to healthy controls, the TH2-like skewing accompanied by reduced TH17-like responses was observed in cTFH and Treg cells of patients. Overall, nine patients (75%) received immunosuppressants (ISs), and six (50%) underwent HSCT, which was the only treatment revealing sustained control. Sirolimus was used in six patients and showed better control than other ISs. Conclusions: The first cohort from Turkey with long-term follow-up results, comparing typical and atypical cases, provides insights into the outcomes of different therapeutic modalities and T- cell subtype changes in IPEX syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The data of this study, that aims to develop an effective and reliable measuring instrument and to determine the relation between various variables and teachers practicing their profession at elementary schools, are obtained through the contribution of class and subject area teachers who worked during the school year of 2011-2012 in elementary schools located in Hakkari city center. As a result of the study, it is revealed that elementary school teachers, in general, adopt the approach of medium-level control. It is one of the results obtained from the study that female teachers do not establish a strict control over their students and have the tendency to share the responsibility of educational activities with them. As elementary school teachers' practices were analyzed regarding the control approaches they adopted, the results indicate that visual arts teachers along with foreign language teachers and classroom teachers demonstrate an approach of lower control-level in their classes.

Despite limited number of studies, oxysterols are known to contribute to the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) by affecting lipid/cholesterol metabolism and elevating proinflammatory and profibrotic processes. Accordingly, we used a high cholesterol-mediated in vivo NASH model and aimed to determine alterations in fatty acid content and oxysterol levels together with their effects on cholesterol/lipid metabolism during the progression of the disease. We further investigated the beneficial role of α-tocopherol. To this end, in our hypercholesterolemic rabbit model, we determined fatty acid profile by GC–MS while 25-, 27-, 4β-, 7α, and 24(S)-Hydroxycholesterol levels by means of LC–MS/MS. Additionally, lipid (SREBP-1c, PPARα, PPARγ) and cholesterol metabolism-related proteins (LXRα, SREBP2 and ABCA1) were determined by immunoblotting. In conclusion, the present findings provide a complete analysis of the hepatic alterations in lipid and oxysterol profiles mediated by a high-cholesterol diet. In addition, this study explains the protective effect of α-tocopherol on lipogenesis and oxysterol production in hypercholesterolemia-induced NASH. We believe that present study will guide to novel theories in the progression and therapeutic targeting of fatty liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we aimed to report long‐term follow‐up of our pediatric and adult patients with DCLRE1C (DNA cross‐link repair 1C) hypomorphic mutation who were diagnosed leaky severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Methods: Eighteen patients (13 children and five adults), aged between 6 and 29 years were included. Clinical and immunological features, including immunoglobulin levels, T and B cells, natural killer cell subsets, regulator T (Treg) cell ratios/markers, and cytokines, were assessed before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and compared with healthy controls. Results: Recurrent infections (78%) and skin manifestations (61%) such as granulomatous skin lesions, warts, and vitiligo were the most common clinical findings. Autoimmune diseases were observed in 33% and malignancy in 17%. Most patients had low serum IgA and B‐ and T‐cell lymphopenia at the first admission. Recent thymic emigrants (RTE), Tnaive, Bnaive, CD56dimCD16+ cell ratios were significantly lower in the patients than in control; however, follicular helper T TFH and Th1 [interferon gamma (IFN‐γ)] cell ratios were significantly higher than the control. Although, Treg ratio and its functional receptors tend to be high but not significant. Eleven patients (61.1%) were treated with HSCT. Median follow‐up times of transplant patients was 56 (9–67) months. Conclusion: Patients with hypomorphic DCLRE1C mutations may present with variable clinical and laboratory findings at different ages. Our study showed a helper T (Th)1‐dominant immune response before and after HSCT. Increased IFN‐γ and TFH cells ratio could be a reason of chronic inflammation and autoimmunity developing before and after HSCT. Long‐term follow‐up of these patients after HSCT will help to better understand the disease and its pathophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the evolutionary pathway of IgG4, a unique and less abundant subclass of human IgG, and its role in immune tolerance and regulation, particularly in allergies, autoimmune diseases, and chronic infections. IgG4's distinct features, such as Fab-arm exchange, reduced complement activation, and decreased affinity for Fc receptors, contribute to its association with immune tolerance. The study delves into the amino acid-level modifications in IgG4 proteins across great apes, highlighting species-specific adaptations and evolutionary pressures. Further research on IgG4 and its immune regulatory mechanisms may offer insights into related diseases and therapeutic approaches. [Extracted from the article]