The Bax gene was overexpressed in preterm delivery, whereas expression of the Bcl-2 gene remained unchanged. After the 28(th) gestational week, apoptosis appears to be a key factor in the pathogenesis of preterm delivery.

ICT has gained a vital role within education, helping to facilitate the teaching-learning process. This paper examines the efficacy of the Edmodo interface within biology education in high schools. Two 10th grade classes were studied for a one semester period. Both classes followed the same curriculum, however Edmodo usage was compulsory for the experimental class. Anonymous pre-and post-test questionnaires were filled out by the students and statistically analyzed. The research included 58 students; 34 females and 24 males. Over the course of the semester, the experimental group developed increased feelings of importance towards Biology, whereas no change was observed in the control group. At the end of the semester, the experimental group scores leant favorable towards the positive impact of Edmodo use in the classroom, in comparison to the control group. These results show a positive impact of using Edmodo in the classroom, as a facilitative tool, to improve student comprehension in the participating Hungarian students. Keywords: ICT in education, biology teaching, biology learning, Edmodo, ICT in biology teaching.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death in the developed countries. Elevated homocysteine level is as an independent risk factor of CVDs. The C677T and A1298C variants of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR) have been shown to influence folate and homocysteine metabolisms. However, the relationship between MTHFR polymorphisms and hyperhomocysteinemia has not been well established yet. The gene variants were also reported to be associated with CVDs. In addition, the C677T polymorphisms may play a role in the development of hypertension. Recent research evidence has suggested that MTHFR variants might be independently linked to CVDs and hypertension, because of the involvement of the MTHFR enzyme product (5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate /5-MTHF) in the regulation of endothelial functions. Further research is required to investigate the association between gene polymorphisms of folate-metabolizing enzymes and CVDs, and to identify the possible role of the relevant gene variants in the molecular pathogenesis of hyperhomocysteinemia. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 445–453.

No abstract

When treating clubfoot, doctors prefer objective measurements, while knowing the subjective quality of life of a patient is secondary rather than observing the two in parallel. The aim was to highlight the significance of patient reporting in the quality of life questionnaires. This retrospective study included 75 patients with clubfoot (44 boys and 28 girls, mean age 12.45 (range 2-30 years; 3 missing). The treatment was typical in 55 patients (posteromedial release), while Ponseti method was used in 20 patients. The following questionnaires were used: EQ-5D-3L and Clubfoot Disease Specific Instrument for Health Science, Rosenberg Scale for Psychological Sapiens, and our own sociological questionnaire. The mean EQ-5D index was 0.86 and mean EQ-VAS was 79.92, scoring lower than the Hungarian population data. According to the results of the special quality of life questionnaire, foot pain and finding shoes that fit caused the biggest problems for the study patients. The quality of life questionnaire results showed that finding shoes that fit without exacerbating pain was the biggest problem for study participants. The mean Rosenberg scale score was 22.2 (maximum 30) points. There were no significant findings in individual cases, however, correlations were found when examining low-self-evaluation participants in the group. Internal consistency of the instruments employed was appropriate (Cronbach alpha: 0.831-0.939), and combined questionnaires used to identify each aspect as indicated by the medium and high Spearman correlation values (rs=0.539-0.916).