Rama Ayash | Medicine and Health Sciences | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Rama Ayash | Medicine and Health Sciences | Best Researcher Award

Damascus University | Syria

Dr. Rama Ayash is a medical advisor, senior lecturer, and scientific researcher specializing in clinical biochemistry, diabetes research, and molecular mechanisms of β-cell apoptosis. Her primary research focuses on the pathophysiological role of cytokines and death receptors in glucose dysregulation and prediabetes, with particular emphasis on the therapeutic effects of DPP4 inhibitors such as sitagliptin. Her recent publications include groundbreaking studies in Scientific Reports, BMC Endocrine Disorders, and the European Journal of Pharmacology, exploring inflammatory cytokine modulation, apoptotic biomarkers (FAS, TNFR1, TRAIL-R2), and their relationship to β-cell dysfunction. Dr. Rama Ayash’s research contributions advance understanding of early diabetic mechanisms, aiding in the development of targeted therapeutic strategies to preserve pancreatic function. She has also supervised diverse clinical and molecular research projects in cardiovascular pharmacology, endocrine biomarkers, and celiac disease diagnostics, demonstrating her interdisciplinary expertise. Her work integrates clinical biochemistry, molecular diagnostics, and translational medicine, contributing to the growing field of preventive and precision diabetology. Dr. Rama Ayash has been an active conference speaker and scientific presenter, sharing insights on cardio-renal pharmacology, metabolic pathways, and biomarker discovery. Her continuing research endeavors aim to bridge laboratory findings with clinical outcomes to enhance diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy in metabolic diseases.

Profiles: Google Scholar | ORCID

Featured Publications

• Ayash, R., Kabalan, Y., & Chamaa, S. (2025). Exploring the predictive potentials of IL-1β and TNFR1 in atherogenic risk in prediabetes. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 37369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-37369

• Ayash, R., Kabalan, Y., & Chamaa, S. (2025). Association of soluble apoptotic biomarkers (FAS, TNFR1 and TRAIL-R2) with β-cell dysfunction in early glucose dysregulation. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 25(1), 218. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-025-0218

• Ayash, R., Kabalan, Y., & Chamaa, S. (2025). Sitagliptin reduces cytokine-induced β-cell apoptosis in prediabetes: A six-month interventional study. European Journal of Pharmacology, 177708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2025.177708

Sercan Karabulut | Health Professions | Best Scholar Award

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sercan Karabulut | Health Professions | Best Scholar Award

Akdeniz University School of Medicine | Turkey

Dr. Sercan Karabulut is an accomplished psychiatrist and academic currently serving at the Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Antalya, Turkey. He earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) and completed his Psychiatry Residency at the İstanbul Medicine Faculty, where his scientific interest in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mental disorders was first cultivated. Over the past decade, he has developed an exceptional academic and clinical career across leading institutions, including Antalya Atatürk State Hospital and Van Bölge Research and Training Hospital, focusing on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of psychiatric and substance use disorders. His primary research interests encompass addiction psychiatry, psychotic and mood disorders, neuroinflammation, and methamphetamine-related psychopathology, with a special focus on cognitive impairment and gender-based differences in substance use. Dr. Sercan Karabulut has authored 18 scientific publications, accumulating 195 citations from 193 documents and maintaining an h-index of 5, as indexed in Scopus (ID: 56073897200). His works have appeared in prominent journals, including Acta Neuropsychiatrica, Turkish Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Drug Issues, and Alpha Psychiatry. Notable studies such as Inflammation and Neurodegeneration in Bipolar Disorder (2019) and Frequency of Methamphetamine Use (2024) have been widely cited and advanced the understanding of neuropsychiatric pathophysiology.

Profile: Scopus | ORCID | ResearchGate

Featured Publications

  1. Karabulut, S., Uzar Uçkun, S., & Genç, H. (2025, October). One year follow-up study of patients with opioid use disorder after inpatient detoxification: Predictors of treatment retention and abstinence. Psychiatry Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116765

  2. Erdoğan, A., Karabulut, S., Coşkun, M. N., & Tosun, O. (2025, October). Clinical factors associated with craving in patients with opioid use disorder receiving buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance therapy. Journal of Substance Use. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2025.2568066

  3. Bilici, R., Ergelen Yalçın, M., Karabulut, S., & Arpacioglu, S. (2025, September). Validity and reliability study of the Turkish version of the Addiction Severity Index. Dusunen Adam: The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, 38, 180–186. https://doi.org/10.14744/DAJPNS.2025.00289

  4. Düzgün, M., Erdoğan, A., Karabulut, S., & Şafak, E. (2025, August). The impact of smartphone addiction and social media addiction on traffic safety. Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-025-02578-y

  5. Karabulut, S., & Uzar Uçkun, S. (2025, June). The association between Theory of Mind, psychopathic traits, borderline personality traits and the severity of substance use disorder in women: A comparative analysis. Alpha Psychiatry, 26(3), 44175. https://doi.org/10.31083/AP44175

 

Zengxin Gao | Medicine and Health Sciences | Innovative Research Award

Dr. Zengxin Gao | Medicine and Health Sciences | Innovative Research Award

Department of Orthopedics, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University School of Medicine | China

Dr. Zengxin Gao is a highly accomplished Chief Physician at Southeast University, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, recognized for his expertise in orthopedics and minimally invasive spinal interventions. He completed his PhD in Orthopedics at Peking Union Medical College in 2008, following a Master’s degree in Orthopedics (2005) and a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Medicine from Nanjing Medical University (1990). Dr. Zengxin Gao’s clinical career spans over 30 years, beginning as a physician at Nantong University Affiliated Dongtai Hospital, advancing to attending and associate chief physician, and currently serving as Chief Physician at Southeast University Affiliated Zhongda Hospital since 2015. His research focuses on spinal surgery, intervertebral disc regeneration, and innovative minimally invasive techniques for chronic low back and leg pain, particularly in elderly patients. He has led notable projects, including the Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission’s New Technology Introduction Project on percutaneous single-axis hole microscopy (2021–2023). Dr. Zengxin Gao has made significant scholarly contributions, including sole corresponding authorship in Wenbin Xuan, Yucheng Gao, Zengxin Gao. Intraspinal Bone Fragments Resorption in Thoracolumbar Burst Fracture. JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(11):1248–1249 [Cited 12]; co-first authorship in Linhui Ye, Zengxin Gao, Saeed Rohani. Intervertebral disk regeneration in a rat model by allopurinol-loaded Chitosan/alginate hydrogel. Biomol Biomed. 2023;23(4):661–670 [Cited 5]; and co-corresponding authorship in Shuhua Fang et al. Circ_0027885 sponges miR-203-3p to regulate RUNX2 expression and alleviates osteoporosis progression. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2024;25:5 [Cited 3]. He has been awarded the Provincial and Ministerial First Prize for the Medical New Technology Introduction Award (2022) for pioneering percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic intervertebral fusion. Dr. Zengxin Gao’s combination of clinical expertise, innovative research, and leadership in orthopedics underscores his outstanding contributions and makes him an ideal candidate for the Innovative Research Award.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

• Xuan, W., Gao, Y., & Gao, Z. (2023). Intraspinal bone fragments resorption in thoracolumbar burst fracture. JAMA Neurology, 80(11), 1248–1249.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.2901

• Ye, L., Gao, Z., & Rohani, S. (2023). Intervertebral disk regeneration in a rat model by allopurinol-loaded chitosan/alginate hydrogel. Biomolecules and Biomedicine, 23(4), 661–670.
https://doi.org/10.17305/bjbms.2023.8535

• Fang, S., Cao, D., Wu, Z., Chen, J., Huang, Y., Shen, Y., & Gao, Z. (2024). Circ_0027885 sponges miR-203-3p to regulate RUNX2 expression and alleviates osteoporosis progression. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 25(1), 5.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-023-07172-0

• Gao, Z., Lin, Y., Wu, Z., Zhang, P., Cheng, Q., Ye, L., Wu, F., Chen, Y., Fu, M., Cheng, C., & Gao, Y. (2020). LncRNA SNHG6 can regulate the proliferation and apoptosis of rat degenerate nucleus pulposus cells via regulating the expression of miR-101-3p. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 24(16), 8251–8262.
https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202008_22592

• Gao, Z., Lin, Y., Zhang, P., Cheng, Q., Ye, L., Wu, F., Chen, Y., Fu, M., Cheng, C., & Gao, Y. (2019). Sinomenine ameliorates intervertebral disc degeneration via inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy in vitro and in vivo. American Journal of Translational Research, 11(9), 5956–5966.
https://www.ajtr.org/files/ajtr0094769.pdf