International Journal of Clinical Pharmaceutics and Public Health

Visualization and Recovery of Latent Cellular DNA Hair on Plastic Packaging Materials

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Latent DNA refers to undetectable traces of biological material deposited onto surfaces through direct contact. While previous forensic research has predominantly focused on latent DNA visualization from touched surfaces, fingerprints, and human hair, the transfer and persistence of latent cellular material deposited by animal and human hair onto commercial plastic packaging materials remains under-explored. In this study, hair samples obtained from domestic cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), and human (Homo sapiens) donors were stored in recyclable transparent plastic packaging bags for seven days under standardized friction conditions, alongside an empty plastic bag serving as a negative control. Visualization of latent DNA was achieved by applying SYBR Safe™ nucleic acid stain and inspecting the surfaces under a gel documentation system with blue (480 nm) and green (510 nm) light excitation. Biological material was recovered via swabbing, extracted using the QIAamp® DNA Mini Kit, and quantified using NanoDrop spectrophotometry. Fluorescence examination revealed a total of 80 distinct fluorescent cellular particles across all packaging surfaces, with blue light providing superior visual resolution (54 particles) compared to green light (26 particles). Cat hair packaging exhibited the highest fluorescence density (55%, n=44), followed by dog hair (26%, n=21) and human hair (19%, n=15), while the negative control displayed zero fluorescence. Extracted DNA concentration averaged 2.56 ± 0.95 ng/µL for human hair, 2.40 ± 0.78 ng/µL for cat hair, and 2.23 ± 0.67 ng/µL for dog hair, falling within target operational ranges for PCR amplification. Mean purity ratios (A260/A280) were highest in dog hair (2.31), followed by human hair (1.57) and cat hair (1.26). These findings prove that animal and human hair transfer recoverable latent DNA onto non-porous packaging, offering crucial investigative applications in combating illegal wildlife fur trade and solving violent human crimes involving plastic packaging.

Relationship Between Stress, Lifestyle, and Unhealthy Eating Behaviours: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Vaseem Ahmad, Nayera Masoodi — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to integrate 20 years of empirical studies (2004–2024) of the relationship between psychological stress and unhealthy eating behaviours. Upon review of the literature, 28 studies (N = 10,207) with correlation coefficients reporting the relationship between stress and unhealthy eating indicators were identified in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus databases. The results of the random effects meta-analysis showed a positive and significant association (r = .286, 95% CI [.258, .314], p < .001), suggesting that unhealthy eating is moderately related to increased stress. Heterogeneity was moderate (I2 = 58.9%, Q = 65.64, df = 27). Subgroup analyses showed greater effects in longitudinal studies (r = .350) than in cross-sectional (r = .261) and experimental design studies (r = .270). This association was slightly more positive with changes over the 20-year period. The detection of publication bias using Egger's regression test showed an intercept of −0.120 (p < .001), which indicated that the pooled effect could be slightly downwards. Trim-and-fill analysis showed no evidence of publication bias. The results highlight the strong association of stress and unhealthy diets and the relevance of public health strategies aiming to improve nutritional health promotion by including stress management.

Beyond the Thyroid: Associations Between Thyroglobulin Antibody Burden and Neuropsychological Symptoms in Euthyroid Adults

Mahmoud Younis — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Many adults with Hashimoto thyroiditis remain symptomatic while thyroid function tests stay within reference limits. Whether the concentration of circulating thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), rather than antibody positivity alone, relates to the severity of neuropsychological symptoms in euthyroid people has not been established.

Objective: To test whether TgAb concentration is independently associated with depressive symptoms, insomnia severity, and apathy in biochemically euthyroid adults.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using records from a private endocrine clinic (January 2022 to December 2024). Two hundred adults (120 men, 80 women; 69 TgAb-positive, 131 TgAb-negative) had TSH and free thyroxine within reference intervals, a same-day TgAb measurement, and complete Arabic-language PHQ-9, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-S) scores obtained during routine intake. Linear regression modeled each symptom score against log-transformed TgAb concentration with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, TSH, FT4, thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) positivity, levothyroxine, psychotropic medication, documented psychiatric history, smoking, and chronic conditions. Six prespecified sensitivity analyses (seven model specifications including the primary model) examined TPOAb burden, medication use, psychiatric history, and influential observations.

Results: Each one-unit increase in log TgAb, equivalent to a 2.72-fold higher antibody concentration, was associated with a 0.93-point higher PHQ-9 score (95% CI 0.50–1.37) and a 0.97-point higher ISI score (95% CI 0.50–1.45), but showed no independent association with apathy (0.69; 95% CI −0.27–1.65). Coefficients were stable across all sensitivity models (PHQ-9 0.79–0.95; ISI 0.83–0.99). Across a ten-fold range of antibody concentration, adjusted predicted differences remained below 3 points on either scale. The full models explained 23.5% of PHQ-9 variance and 21.6% of ISI variance.

Conclusions: In euthyroid adults, higher TgAb concentrations showed modest, log-linear associations with depressive and insomnia symptom severity that persisted after adjustment and sensitivity testing; apathy was not associated. These findings are associational and do not support antibody-directed treatment or the use of TgAb as a diagnostic test.

Reversible Arthritis in Adult Patients: Pathophysiology, Therapeutic Approaches, and Prognostic Factors

Rehan Haider, Zameer Ahmed, Shabana Naz Shah, Geetha Kumari Das, Sambreen Zameer — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reversible arthritis describes inflammatory joint conditions in which pain, swelling, stiffness, and functional impairment may substantially improve when the underlying inflammatory process is recognized and treated at an early stage. Unlike established chronic arthropathies associated with progressive structural damage, some acute inflammatory joint conditions may resolve without permanent functional impairment when appropriate treatment is initiated promptly. The present prospective clinical observational study evaluated the clinical presentation, selected biochemical markers, treatment response, and short-term outcomes among 50 adult female patients with clinical features consistent with reversible inflammatory arthritis. The mean age of the participants was approximately 50 years. Patients presented primarily with joint pain, inflammation, and functional limitation. Daily pain scores were recorded using a 1–10 scale, while C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum uric acid were assessed as laboratory indicators relevant to inflammatory and gout-associated processes. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were used as the principal therapeutic intervention. The findings showed a marked reduction in pain following treatment. The mean baseline pain score was 8.2 ± 1.1 and declined to 3.4 ± 1.0 after treatment, representing a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.001). Forty-five patients (90%) were classified as clinically improved, whereas five patients (10%) did not demonstrate comparable improvement. The clinical response was particularly consistent with acute inflammatory presentations such as early gout-related arthritis and reactive or post-infectious inflammatory arthritis. These observations suggest that early recognition, appropriate laboratory assessment, and timely anti-inflammatory management may provide an important opportunity to prevent persistent symptoms and functional deterioration. However, the findings should be interpreted within the limitations of the observational design, relatively small sample size, female-only population, and short-term assessment. Further studies involving larger and more diverse patient populations are required to determine long-term remission, recurrence, and structural outcomes.