Category: Nevin Manimala

Vision Res. 2026 Jun 4;246:108853. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2026.108853. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In the present study, we introduce an image database created with a simple digital line-drawing tool to represent the expected and unexpected action-place relationships. This database consists of 70 drawings. We validated the dataset with 207 participants. They evaluated the actions, places, and the probability of an action taking place in the respective location. The comprehensibility of each drawing was evaluated using three measures: H-statistics (entropy), which is a measure of the uncertainty of the definition; the definition similarity percentages which is a measure of the naming agreement that is consistent among participants; and the mean probability of the depicted action taking place in the depicted location. Each drawing includes different agents and environments, providing researchers with the opportunity to use this dataset in various fields of cognitive neuroscience, including visual recognition memory, predictive coding, and novelty detection.

PMID:42241800 | DOI:10.1016/j.visres.2026.108853

J Nutr Health Aging. 2026 Jun 4;30(7):100888. doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2026.100888. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an Intervention Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP) on the nutritional status and muscle function of middle-aged and older adults at risk of malnutrition.

DESIGN: A multicenter, randomized, active-controlled, parallel-group study.

SETTING: Two clinical centers located in China.

PARTICIPANTS: 135 adults aged 45-80 years at risk of malnutrition (Mini Nutritional Assessment [MNA] score ≤ 23.5).

INTERVENTION AND MEASUREMENTS: Participants were randomized to one of three groups for a 12-week nutritional intervention: Intervention FSMP (one daily sachet of a novel high-protein FSMP plus dietetic counseling); Active Control (one daily sachet of an established FSMP plus dietetic counseling); and Control (dietetic counseling alone). The primary outcome was the change in MNA score. Secondary outcomes were body weight, handgrip strength, calf and mid-upper arm circumferences, and SARC-F score.

RESULTS: Linear mixed-effects models showed significant group-by-time interactions for MNA score, body weight, BMI, handgrip strength, and calf circumference. At week 12, both FSMP groups demonstrated greater improvements in MNA score compared with Control (Intervention FSMP: adjusted difference 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.2; Active Control: adjusted difference 3.1, 95% CI 2.2-4.0; both P < 0.001). The between-FSMP comparison for MNA was not statistically significant (adjusted difference -0.8, 95% CI -1.7 to 0.1; P = 0.087). The Intervention FSMP group showed greater gains in body weight than Control (adjusted difference 1.2 kg, 95% CI 0.8-1.7; P < 0.001). Compared with Control, handgrip strength improved in both FSMP groups (adjusted differences 2.2-3.0 kg for left hand and 2.8 kg for right hand; all P < 0.001). Across groups, no significant differences were noted in adverse events and gastrointestinal tolerability.

CONCLUSION: Targeted 12-week nutritional intervention with a high-protein FSMP was associated with improvements in nutritional status and handgrip strength in adults at risk of malnutrition.

PMID:42241799 | DOI:10.1016/j.jnha.2026.100888

Pediatr Neurol. 2026 May 12;181:76-82. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2026.05.005. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although not routinely recommended, computed tomography (CT) head are frequently performed in children presenting to emergency department (ED) with seizures. Racial and ethnic disparities have been reported in pediatric ED imaging. Our objective was to evaluate the association of demographic factors, including race and ethnicity, with CT head utilization in children presenting to ED with an unprovoked seizure.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2016 to 2022, including ED visits by patients ≤18 years of age whose first three listed reason-for-visit or diagnosis codes indicated epilepsy or unspecified convulsions. We collected patient demographics, CT head utilization and disposition. Complex samples-adjusted analyses included Pearson chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS: A total of 479 visits (weighted N = 3,936,090) met inclusion criteria. Majority was female (52.0%), publicly insured (62.9%), and non-Hispanic White (45.7%). CT head was performed in 23.6% of visits. CT utilization was higher among adolescents (38.8%). Adolescents had significantly higher odds of CT utilization compared with preschool and school-aged children (odds ratio: 3.28; 95% confidence interval: 1.87-5.74). No significant association was found between race/ethnicity and CT utilization in either bivariate or multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: In this nationally representative sample, CT head was performed in 23.6% of ED visits for unprovoked seizures. Age was associated with differences in CT utilization. No racial or ethnic disparities in CT utilization were observed. However, as multivariable estimates for race and ethnicity did not meet National Center for Health Statistics statistical reliability standards, these findings must be interpreted with caution.

PMID:42241796 | DOI:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2026.05.005

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2026 May 26;112:107283. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2026.107283. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairment (CI) is a significant burden for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). However crucial its assessment is, longitudinal measurement of cognitive performance is susceptible to learning effect, making the results of repeated evaluations difficult to interpret. Reliable change index (RCI) and standardized regression based norms (SRB) are accepted statistical methods to assess the reliability of a difference score between two observations. Thus, our aims were to provide RCIs and SRBs for all three subtests of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery and to measure the prevalence of true cognitive worsening and improvement.

METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the first interim analysis data of the longitudinal follow-up or our BICAMS prevalence study-cohort after 1-year. We analyzed the data of 242 MS patients.

RESULTS: We calculated both the RCIs and the SRBs for all three subtests of the BICAMS battery. According to the RCI, 5.4%, 6.9% and 14.6% worsened while 12.3%, 34.3% and 10.6% improved on the SDMT, BVMT-R and CVLT-II respectively. In case of SRB method, 3.8%, 8.3% and 19.7% worsened while 3.8%, 7.6% and 0.0% improved. The κ values revealed a mild-to-moderate agreement (κ=0.391-0.540; p<0.001). In case of the BVMT-R and the CVLT-II assessments the baseline scores influenced this outcome significantly (BVMT-R: OR: 1.068; 90%CI: 1.001-1.138; CVLT-II: OR: 1.096; 90%CI: 1.041-1.153).

CONCLUSION: Comparing the methods, RCI seems to be better in cases with already established CI, while SRB, the more complex method, seemingly detects change better in cognitively intact patients.

PMID:42241785 | DOI:10.1016/j.msard.2026.107283

Poult Sci. 2026 May 20;105(9):107156. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107156. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is an important fitness determinant of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) during host colonization and bacterial competition. Tldi1 has been identified as an immunity protein associated with a T6SS antibacterial toxin-immunity module, but its contribution to avian infection remains unclear. This study investigated whether Tldi1 affects the infection outcome of S. Typhimurium in young chickens. Three-day-old Hy-Line Brown chickens were challenged with the wild-type strain SL1344, a tldi1 deletion mutant, or a complemented strain. Clinical signs, body weight, liver and spleen indices, splenic bacterial loads, tissue pathology, cecal mucin staining, inflammatory cytokine expression, intestinal barrier-related gene expression, and cecal microbiota composition were evaluated. Compared with wild-type infection, the tldi1 deletion mutant caused milder clinical signs, lower liver and spleen indices, reduced splenic bacterial loads, and attenuated histopathological lesions in the liver, spleen, ileum, and cecum. The mutant also induced lower expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokine genes and partially alleviated the downregulation of intestinal barrier-related genes. Complementation of tldi1 largely restored the wild-type infection phenotype. Cecal 16S rRNA sequencing showed that tldi1 deletion was associated with altered microbial community features and reduced inter-individual dispersion; however, overall beta-diversity differences were not statistically significant. These findings indicate that Tldi1 contributes to the in vivo fitness and infection-associated pathology of S. Typhimurium in chickens. The results provide a basis for further investigation of T6SS toxin-immunity modules as potential targets for controlling Salmonella infection in poultry.

PMID:42241763 | DOI:10.1016/j.psj.2026.107156

Poult Sci. 2026 May 25;105(9):107171. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107171. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

As a consequence of the inevitable hatch window and the processing and transporting steps in conventional hatchery practices, broiler chicks may spend up to 20 – 60 h without access to feed and water post-hatch. To assess the immediate and long-term effects of post-hatch feed deprivation, 960 Ross308 broilers were allocated to a randomized complete block design with time of hatch during the hatch window as the blocking factor. Within each block, chicks were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: immediate feed access post-hatch (T0), feed access at 24 h (T1), or 48 h biological age (BA) (T2). Performance parameters were measured at the end of each feeding phase, while relative organ weights, duodenal morphological parameters and fasted nutrient metabolite concentrations were assessed as repeated measures at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, days 7 and 10 BA, and at days 14, 28 and 42. Between hatch and day 11, T2 chicks had a higher average daily feed intake compared with T0 and had the highest feed conversion ratio (FCR). Overall, between hatch and day 42, T2 chicks had the least efficient FCR and tended to have the lowest body weight at the end of each feeding phase. Significant effects of post-hatch feed deprivation on the physiological measurements were limited to the relative bursa (RBW) and liver (RLW) weights and were limited to the first two weeks post-hatch, with T2 chicks having a lower RBW compared with T1 between hatch and day 11. Concurrently T1 chicks had a lower RLW compared with T0, which reversed by day 14 as T1 had higher RLW than T0. No effects of post-hatch feed deprivation were present on duodenal morphology and fasted nutrient metabolites, however the effect of sex was present in several of these and relative organ weight parameters. Due to the frequent sampling schedule, insights were gained into the development of post-hatch nutrient metabolism, which may help to further optimize nutritional composition of starter feeds for on-farm hatched broilers.

PMID:42241752 | DOI:10.1016/j.psj.2026.107171

Heart Lung. 2026 Jun 4;79:102861. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2026.102861. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In South Asia, climate change caused rising urban heat, and rapid urbanisation has become a major public health concern, particularly for cardiovascular health. However, socioeconomic factors (including income, education, and housing quality) have not been comprehensively included in any of the previous studies.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the association between prolonged heat extended exposure and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1300 adults aged ≥ 19 years, recruited from different urban centers. Data was collected from June to August 2025 using a structured questionnaire, assessing cardiovascular health indicators, heat exposure levels, socioeconomic status, and perceptions of public health policies. Multinomial logistic regression and Wilcoxon rank sum test were performed by using the SPSS-26 and R-Studio.

RESULTS: The sample comprised 55.61% males and 44.38% females. Approximately 44.7% of participants reported cardiovascular condition. Prolonged heat exposure was significantly associated with increased cardiovascular risk (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.09-1.79, p = 0.010). Heat related stress in urban areas was strongly associated with adverse outcomes (OR = 3.67, 95% CI: 2.23-6.80, p < 0.001). Awareness of heat related campaigns was associated with lower cardiovascular risk (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31-0.81, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular health is associated with urban heat exposure. Socioeconomic factors may modify this relationship. Improved education, healthcare system and targeted health policies are needed to reduce the impact.

PMID:42241742 | DOI:10.1016/j.hrtlng.2026.102861

Drug Metab Dispos. 2026 May 12;54(6):100322. doi: 10.1016/j.dmd.2026.100322. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) are nonprimate animal species available for use in biomedical studies. Because the molecular and enzymatic properties of their cytochromes P450 (P450s or CYPs) are similar to human P450s, tree shrews are a promising animal model for preclinical studies. However, in tree shrews, the properties of dextromethorphan O-demethylation, a marker reaction for human CYP2D6, have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we characterized dextromethorphan O-demethylation in tree shrews. We observed biphasic Michaelis-Menten kinetics for dextromethorphan O-demethylation mediated by tree shrew liver microsomes. However, in the narrow dextromethorphan concentration range 0.69-17 μM, monophasic kinetics were observed. Of the 11 recombinant tree shrew P450s analyzed, CYP2A13, CYP2Cs (CYP2C18, CYP2C76a, and CYP2C76b), and CYP2D8a showed dextromethorphan O-demethylation activity; of these, tree shrew CYP2D8a showed the highest activity (22 nmol/min per nmol P450). The quantification of tree shrew CYP2D8a protein by immunoblotting showed levels ranging from 2.3 to 9.2 pmol/mg protein in liver microsomes from 5 tree shrews. The intrinsic clearance of the high-affinity component of dextromethorphan O-demethylation was significantly correlated (r = 0.95, P < .01) with the hepatic protein content of tree shrew CYP2D8a. The intrinsic clearance of the low-affinity component of dextromethorphan O-demethylation was tentatively correlated with both tree shrew CYP2A13 and CYP2C activities, although the correlations did not reach statistical significance. These results suggest that CYP2D8a is the primary enzyme responsible for dextromethorphan O-demethylation in tree shrews. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We observed biphasic kinetics of dextromethorphan O-demethylation in tree shrew liver microsomes and the activities of recombinant CYP2A13, CYP2C18, CYP2C76a, CYP2C76b, and CYP2D8a. The intrinsic clearance of the high-affinity component was significantly correlated with CYP2D8a protein content. The intrinsic clearance of the low-affinity component was tentatively correlated with both CYP2A13 and CYP2C activities, but the correlations were not statistically significant. These results suggest that CYP2D8a is the primary enzyme responsible for dextromethorphan O-demethylation in tree shrews.

PMID:42241735 | DOI:10.1016/j.dmd.2026.100322

JACC Adv. 2026 Jun 4;5(7):102858. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2026.102858. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders are common in pediatric heart disease (PHD), including congenital, arrhythmic, and acquired heart disease. The standard screening tool, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), is too lengthy to complete in a busy pediatric cardiology clinic.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the concurrent validity of a briefer tool, Pediatric-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pediatric Anxiety (PROMIS-Anx), relative to SCARED in children with PHD.

METHODS: Children, aged 7.5 to <18 years, with PHD and their caregivers both completed PROMIS-Anx and SCARED between January 2020 and August 2022 during cardiology clinic visits. Association of PROMIS-Anx and SCARED scores were analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficient (r_s), and a cut point was developed for PROMIS-Anx in children and their caregivers using Youden index.

RESULTS: Among 144 child/caregiver pairs, anxiety was present in 36.0% of children by SCARED. Scores on SCARED and PROMIS-Anx were higher in females, adolescents, and those with known behavioral health disorders, but were not associated with cardiac disease severity, race, or ethnicity. SCARED and PROMIS-Anx scores were highly correlated in children (r_s = 0.76, P < 0.001), and slightly less so in caregivers (r_s = 0.58, P < 0.001), both reaching statistical significance. A PROMIS-Anx score of >30 was identified as a threshold for significant anxiety symptoms based on SCARED.

CONCLUSIONS: PROMIS-Anx scores correlate with SCARED across the range of scores, particularly when completed by the child. Routine screening for anxiety in cardiology clinic, with a brief tool such as PROMIS-Anx, can promote earlier identification and treatment of anxiety in children with PHD.

PMID:42241734 | DOI:10.1016/j.jacadv.2026.102858

J Pediatr Urol. 2026 May 20;22(5):106039. doi: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2026.106039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Antibiotic resistance is a challenge in contemporary world. Urethroplasty for hypospadias is one of the most common urological surgeries performed around the world, yet, there is still no consensus on the use of antibiotics pre- and post-operatively. Our objective was to analyze the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis and therapy before, during, and after hypospadias repair in children.

METHODS: A prospective randomized trial was carried out including patients with coronal hypospadias who underwent urethroplasty performed by one surgeon. Urethral catheters were used in all cases for 10 days. Study participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive a single intraoperative administration of antibiotics (Group I); an intraoperative antibiotic prophylaxis and antibiotic therapy for 10 days until the removal of urethral catheter (Group II); no antibiotic administration (Group III). Randomization was performed using computer-generated permuted blocks with randomly varying block sizes, prepared by an independent statistician. The results were analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The following criteria were compared: postoperative functional complications, such as: urethral fistula, stenosis, diverticulum; wound infection symptoms: hyperemia of surgical site, pain during palpation, and symptomatic urinary tract infection.

RESULTS: A total of 300 patients were included in the study. Two patients (2%) in Group I, two patients (2%) in Group II, and four patients (4%) in Group III had urethral fistulas, requiring surgery 6 months after primary repair, yet without statistical difference between groups. We found no significant difference in frequency of symptomatic UTIs between three groups (p = 0.182).

CONCLUSION: There is no effect of antibiotic prophylaxis and therapy on the frequency of postoperative surgical and infectious complications after urethroplasty for coronal hypospadias repair in children.

PMID:42241729 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpurol.2026.106039