Editorial

Abstract

It is with great pleasure that we present the seventh volume of Biomedicine & Healthcare Research, which once again reflects the richness and diversity of biomedical research being conducted in Tunisia and the broader region. This issue brings together eight original articles and three case reports, spanning a wide range of disciplines — from psychiatric genetics to ENT surgery, pharmacology, fundamental oncology, medical imaging, and nursing sciences.

Genetics and Psychiatry. The volume opens with the work of Aflouk and colleagues, who investigate the association between MYD88 gene polymorphism and schizophrenia in a Tunisian cohort, shedding further light on the neuro-immune underpinnings of this complex disorder.

Cancer Biology. Jemaa and his team present an elegant mechanistic study on Mps1 inhibition, demonstrating how this approach preferentially induces DNA damage in tetraploid cancer cells — a promising strategy for selectively targeting tumor cells with chromosomal abnormalities.

Renal Protection and Oxidative Stress. The study by Nasrallah et al. highlights the role of AMPK activation in mediating the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of oleuropein during renal ischemia–reperfusion injury, opening interesting therapeutic avenues in transplantation and vascular surgery.

Nursing Science and Palliative Care. Hamdi and colleagues offer a valuable qualitative study on nurses' experiences facing terminally ill patients in Tunisian intensive care units, underscoring the critical importance of human and psychological support for healthcare staff confronting these emotionally demanding situations.

Dermatopathology. The team led by Mokni contributes a clinicopathologic study on the diagnostic value of TCRγ rearrangement analysis by PCR in early mycosis fungoides, reinforcing the molecular tools available for early diagnosis of this cutaneous lymphoma.

Imaging and ENT Pathology. Two studies by El Omri and colleagues enrich this issue: the first evaluates the contribution of multiparametric MRI (DWI and DCE-MRI) in differentiating parotid tumors, while the second presents a retrospective review of esophageal foreign bodies managed at a Tunisian tertiary care center.

Pharmacology and Experimental Models. Sassi et al. describe the development of an innovative ex vivo model simulating the human urethra, designed for studying drug diffusion — a useful methodological tool for urological and pharmaceutical research.

On the clinical case front, this volume features three rare and instructive reports: a uterine endometrioid carcinoma

with shadow cell differentiation (Guesmi et al.), torsion of a wandering spleen as an uncommon cause of acute abdomen (Touarhi et al.), and a possible overlap syndrome linking autoimmune pancreatitis with allergic disorders (Bacha et al.).

This seventh volume once again illustrates the sustained commitment of the Tunisian scientific and medical community to rigorous, diverse research firmly grounded in clinical realities. We warmly thank all the authors for their valuable contributions, as well as the reviewers for their thorough evaluation work, which upholds the scientific integrity of our journal.

We wish you an enriching read of this issue and look forward to sharing our next volume with you.

The Editorial Board

Biomedicine & Healthcare Research

Faculty of Medicine of Sousse,

University of Sousse,

Tunisia