Nevin Manimala

Genetics. 2026 Mar 27:iyag074. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyag074. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Ancestral recombination graphs (ARGs) are an attractive means for quantitative genetic analysis of complex traits because they encode the realized genetic relatedness between a sample of individuals in the presence of genetic drift, recombination, and mutation. Data structures for efficiently storing ARGs can also be used to rapidly process millions of genomes and are thus promising for fitting linear mixed models to large phenotype and genome datasets. Here, we study the problems of variance component estimation and prediction of genetic values with ARGs, by describing a generative model of complex traits with additive effects on an ARG and then developing algorithms that use the ARG to solve these problems efficiently on biobank-scale datasets. We observe nearly linear scaling of runtime with sample size, which is achieved by using the succinct tree sequence representation of the ARG for implicit matrix-vector products, along with modern randomized linear algebra algorithms. We estimate variance components using restricted maximum likelihood, which we find performs substantially better than the Haseman–Elston method. In simulation tests, both variance component estimation and prediction of genetic values (using the best linear unbiased predictor) perform nearly as well with inferred ARGs as with true ARGs. We also discuss interpretations of the variance component estimates as mutational variance and additive genetic variance. We provide an implementation of the algorithms as a Python package tslmm, which leverages the tree sequence library tskit.

PMID:41904656 | DOI:10.1093/genetics/iyag074

Int J Pharm Pract. 2026 Mar 29:riag037. doi: 10.1093/ijpp/riag037. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore pharmacists’ attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions regarding the supply of Mifepristone and Misoprostol (MS-2 Step), in order to identify potential barriers and enablers to providing this service.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 29th of August 2024 to the 10th of February 2025. Registered community pharmacists were recruited through convenience sampling via direct email to pharmacies and professional social media platforms to complete a 19-item online survey. Data were analysed in SPSS to using descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and logistic regression to examine factors associated with willingness to dispense MS-2 Step.

KEY FINDINGS: Two hundred thirty-four registered community pharmacists were recruited from all states/territories in Australia with the majority working full-time (47.9%) and practicing for 1-5 years (30.8%). The main perceived benefit to the service was increased accessibility to medical abortion for women (69.5%), while a key barrier to the provision of the service was the lack of sufficient training/education for pharmacists (29.5%). Participants also expressed wanting to expand their scope of practice but being restricted by work constraints/pressures. Cultural and religious beliefs were also identified as a barrier to providing the service (26.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that most pharmacists are willing to provide medical abortion to reduce burden on the healthcare system and increase accessibility. However, they are restricted by lack of training, and conscientious objection as well as religious or moral beliefs.

PMID:41904653 | DOI:10.1093/ijpp/riag037

Postgrad Med J. 2026 Mar 29:qgag033. doi: 10.1093/postmj/qgag033. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41904652 | DOI:10.1093/postmj/qgag033

J Interpers Violence. 2026 Mar 28:8862605261432577. doi: 10.1177/08862605261432577. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Adolescent dating violence represents a critical issue in mental health research. This study examined a structural model in which romantic love myths and the acceptance of dating violence were specified as attitudinal variables associated with dating violence victimization, and dating violence victimization was, in turn, statistically associated with adolescents’ mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress). A total of 1,123 Chilean high school students aged 13 to 18 participated. Participants completed validated measures assessing romantic love myths (idealization and love-abuse link), acceptance of dating violence, face-to-face dating violence victimization (psychological, physical, and sexual), and cyber dating violence victimization (control and direct aggression), as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Structural equation modeling showed an excellent model fit for the total sample (χ² = 22.97, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.999, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.992, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.037) and for multigroup analyses by gender (χ² = 29.76, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.993, RMSEA = 0.034). Acceptance of dating violence showed the most consistent associations with both cyber and face-to-face victimization across genders, and cyber dating violence showed no direct association with mental health indicators. However, the pattern of the remaining associations differed by gender. Among girls, myths linking love with abuse were positively associated with psychological, sexual, and physical victimization, and psychological violence was statistically associated with higher depression, anxiety, and stress. Among boys, romantic love myths were not significantly related to any form of dating violence, and victimization showed no significant associations with mental health indicators. These findings emphasize the role of gendered beliefs in shaping adolescents’ dating experiences and call for prevention programs that challenge romantic myths and the acceptance of dating violence from a gender-sensitive perspective.

PMID:41904630 | DOI:10.1177/08862605261432577

J Interpers Violence. 2026 Mar 28:8862605261429552. doi: 10.1177/08862605261429552. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Children may experience harm in diverse family contexts, including circumstances in which other young household members engage in harmful behaviors toward them. Despite child-initiated harm being prevalent and causing significant developmental impacts, these cases present unique challenges for recognition in current legal frameworks designed for adult perpetrators. This study examined patterns in substantiated reports involving children who harmed other children (CHOC) using National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System administrative data from 2018 to 2019. We documented state statutory and policy variations in recognizing minors as perpetrators and corresponding identification rates; compared report and perpetrator characteristics between CHOC reports versus adult-perpetrated cases using descriptive statistics; and examined differences in CHOC cases by the presence of sexual abuse allegations. Among more than 885,000 substantiated reports, 2.4% involved CHOC, with state rates ranging from 0.2% to 9.7%, corresponding to state definitional frameworks. Reports involving CHOC differed significantly from adult-perpetrated cases: Victims were typically older and without siblings, reports more often originated from parents and mental health personnel, and foster care placement occurred less frequently. When CHOC had adult coperpetrators, these adults were younger and showed elevated sexual abuse rates compared with adult-only perpetrator cases, yet they primarily committed neglect whereas their CHOC predominantly committed sexual abuse. Among CHOC reports, those with sexual abuse allegations disproportionately involved White families, older victims, and CHOC who were younger, male, and often related to the victim. Findings show substantial cross-state policy variation and distinct report characteristics requiring targeted responses, highlighting opportunities for developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, and family-centered interventions addressing the needs of both CHOC and victims.

PMID:41904607 | DOI:10.1177/08862605261429552

BMC Res Notes. 2026 Mar 28. doi: 10.1186/s13104-026-07788-5. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41904592 | DOI:10.1186/s13104-026-07788-5

Arch Public Health. 2026 Mar 28. doi: 10.1186/s13690-026-01905-3. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41904573 | DOI:10.1186/s13690-026-01905-3

BMC Public Health. 2026 Mar 29. doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-27160-3. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41904555 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-026-27160-3

Genome Med. 2026 Mar 28. doi: 10.1186/s13073-026-01629-7. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41904542 | DOI:10.1186/s13073-026-01629-7

Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2026 Mar 28. doi: 10.1186/s12933-026-03149-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance is a central pathophysiological feature of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome and has been implicated in adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, the association between triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index-related indicators and heart failure (HF)-related mortality in individuals with early-stage CKM syndrome remains unclear.

METHODS: This research conducted a prospective analysis using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2018. Participants with CKM stages 0-2 and without clinical cardiovascular disease at baseline were included. TyG and related indices (TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, and TyG-WHtR) were analyzed as continuous and quartile-based variables. The primary outcome was HF-related mortality, ascertained via linkage to the National Death Index. Associations were assessed using Cox proportional hazards and Fine-Gray competing risk models with hierarchical adjustment, including additional adjustment for CKM stage in extended models. Machine learning approaches (Boruta and SHAP) were applied for covariate selection. Nonlinear associations, predictive performance, mediation by HbA1c, and subgroup effects were further evaluated.

RESULTS: Among 14,830 participants, higher TyG-related indices were associated with increased HF-related mortality during follow-up. After full adjustment, each 1-SD increase in TyG-WC and TyG-WHtR was associated with a 2.27-fold and 2.94-fold higher risk of HF-related mortality, respectively (all P < 0.05). The associations remained consistent after additional adjustment for CKM stage. Restricted cubic spline analyses demonstrated predominantly linear dose-response relationships. TyG-WHtR exhibited the strongest discriminatory ability (AUC = 0.641, 95% CI 0.601-0.680). Mediation analyses indicated that HbA1c accounted for approximately 15%-30% of the observed associations. Associations were generally consistent across clinically relevant subgroups and remained robust in competing risk analyses and sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS: In individuals with early-stage CKM syndrome, TyG-related indices-particularly those incorporating central adiposity-are independently associated with HF-related mortality. These findings highlight the prognostic relevance of insulin resistance-related metabolic burden in the early stages of CKM syndrome.

PMID:41904528 | DOI:10.1186/s12933-026-03149-5