Category: Nevin Manimala

Brain Imaging Behav. 2025 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/s11682-025-01006-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Cognitive dysmetria suggests a disorganization of cognitive processes, particularly in relation to the cerebellum’s role in coordinating thoughts and actions. This phenomenon has been extensively studied in various psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SCHZ), bipolar disorder II (BIPOL), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Understanding the relationship between cognitive dysmetria and functional connectivity in these disorders would reveal significant insights into their neurobiological underpinnings. This study explores how distinct and similar functional network connectivity (FNC) patterns between brain regions are associated with clinical symptoms and trait assessments across SCHZ, BIPOL, and ADHD patients by examining both working memory and task-free conditions compared to healthy volunteers (HC). Leveraging an open-source fMRI dataset from the UCLA Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics, we analyzed FNC patterns across 115 default mode and salience network regions, including cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar regions of interest in 135 participants (39 HC, 27 SCHZ patients, 38 BIPOL patients, and 31 ADHD patients). Abnormal FNC patterns compared to HC were localized to the cerebellar, thalamic, striatal, hippocampal, medial prefrontal and anterior insular cortices. Post-hoc multiple comparison analysis showed abnormal network connectivity predominantly in SCHZ and ADHD patients during rest, while the task condition demonstrated differential effects across all three disorders. Statistical analysis using a factor-by-covariance approach (GLM MANCOVA) suggested that regional functional connectivity was associated with select symptoms and traits pointing to neural signatures underlying psychiatric conditions. Our study suggests that examining and harnessing dysfunctional relationships in subcortical and cerebellar regions could provide a new perspective on the neurobiological basis of psychoses and help improve available treatment strategies.

PMID:40266512 | DOI:10.1007/s11682-025-01006-9

J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2025 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/s11239-025-03087-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Although prior research has investigated the link between fibrinogen and mortality risk, there is a notable lack of long-term cohort studies. This study seeks to examine the relationship between plasma fibrinogen levels and all-cause mortality. Fibrinogen levels were divided into low and high groups based on the median and further categorized into quartiles. Kaplan-Meier analysis was employed for survival analysis, and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Our study included 5,690 participants, divided into a lower fibrinogen group (fibrinogen ≤ 370 mg/dL, N = 2,851) and a higher fibrinogen group (fibrinogen > 370 mg/dL, N = 2,839). The survival probability of the lower fibrinogen group was higher than that of the higher group (70.98% vs. 47.98%, P < 0.0001). All-cause mortality was higher in the higher fibrinogen group compared to the low fibrinogen group (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.09-1.45, P = 0.002). Compared to Q1, mortality risk increased in Q2 (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.00-1.59, P = 0.05), Q3 (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.15-1.69, P < 0.001), and Q4 (HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.23-1.87, P < 0.001). Higher fibrinogen levels correlate with an elevated risk of all-cause mortality, suggesting fibrinogen is a potential biomarker for mortality risk.

PMID:40266502 | DOI:10.1007/s11239-025-03087-1

Intern Emerg Med. 2025 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/s11739-025-03947-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aims to investigate the effects of virtual reality (VR) interventions on the state anxiety levels of residents working 24-h shifts in an emergency department. This study utilizes a single-center, simulation-based, quasi-experimental design. In the study’s first phase, participants’ anxiety levels were measured using the STAI-I scale during their shifts, between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM (Pre-Rest) and after a 10-min rest, a second measurement was performed (Post-Rest). In the second phase, anxiety levels were measured during the same time interval in their next shift (pre-VR), followed by another evaluation after 10 min of using a VR headset (Post-VR). The effects of rest and VR use on state anxiety levels compared. A total of 26 emergency medicine residents participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 29 ± 2.6 years, with an equal gender distribution. The median pre-rest anxiety score was 46 (28-68), while the post-rest median was 43 (22-62), with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.02). The median anxiety score before VR use was 47 (25-73), and after VR use, it decreased to 30 (20-73), which was significant (p = 0.001). When comparing the changes in anxiety levels after rest and VR use, the median Δanxiety rest was 4.5 (- 17-25), whereas the median Δanxiety VR was 11.5 (- 21-47) (p = 0.017). Based on our study’s results, a 10-min VR session during a 24-h shift reduces emergency physicians’ state anxiety levels and is more effective than a rest break.

PMID:40266498 | DOI:10.1007/s11739-025-03947-x

Integr Psychol Behav Sci. 2025 Apr 23;59(2):43. doi: 10.1007/s12124-025-09908-5.

ABSTRACT

In this article, a new approach to outlier analysis in categorical data is proposed. Standard outlier analysis defines outliers in terms of such data characteristics as mutual distances or correlations among data points. This applies to the analysis of continuous and categorical data, and to univariate and multivariate outlier analysis as well as to data mining. In this article, a new specification of outlying data points is proposed, specifically, it is proposed to define outliers as data points that are extreme with respect to substantive hypotheses. It is also proposed to perform two forms of outlier analysis of the same data. The first is standard outlier analysis that inspects data characteristics. The second is Configural Frequency Analysis (CFA). This method defines outliers as extreme cells that contradict a substantive null hypothesis, the CFA base model. A data example is given, in which, first, outliers are identified using cluster analysis (unsupervised classification). Subsequently, the data are analyzed with CFA (supervised classification). Results show that outliers that were identified under unsupervised classification have the potential of distorting results of supervised classification. The mutual relations of unsupervised and supervised classification, both performed on the same data, are discussed. Configural Frequency Analysis and outlier analysis.

PMID:40266496 | DOI:10.1007/s12124-025-09908-5

Am J Mens Health. 2025 Mar-Apr;19(2):15579883251332732. doi: 10.1177/15579883251332732. Epub 2025 Apr 23.

ABSTRACT

Physical activity is associated with cancer of the male genitalia. However, the genetic causality of this association remains unclear. In this study, Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to explore the potential causal relationship between different intensities of physical activity and cancer of the male genitalia. This study utilized single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with vigorous exercise obtained from published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and summary genetic data associated with male genital cancer from published GWAS. The main analysis method used was the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method for two-sample MR analysis. The heterogeneity of the results was assessed using Cochran’s Q statistic, while horizontal pleiotropy was assessed using MR-Egger. Sensitivity analysis included a “leave-one-out” test. The results showed that light DIY activity was a risk factor for male genital cancer (OR = 1.045, 95% confidence interval [1.004, 1.089], p = .033). The result passed the sensitivity test. This study found the effect of light DIY activities on male genital cancer. Future studies should further explore the impact of different types of physical activity on specific types of male genital cancer to improve relevant prevention strategies.

PMID:40265237 | DOI:10.1177/15579883251332732

J Health Psychol. 2025 Apr 23:13591053251333950. doi: 10.1177/13591053251333950. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that imposes significant life impairment. Smoking is an addictive and potentially exacerbating behavior that may be important to IBS, but the psychological factors linking IBS and smoking remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate gastrointestinal-specific anxiety (GI-specific anxiety) in relation to smoking processes among adults with IBS who smoke. The sample consisted of 263 adults who met the criteria for IBS and reported smoking at least 5 cigarettes per day for the past year (Mean age = 44.1 years, SD = 12.71, 52.1% female). Hierarchical regression results indicated that higher GI-specific anxiety was statistically significantly associated with greater perceived barriers for smoking cessation, increased negative affect reduction smoking expectancies, and stronger urges to smoke for relief of negative affect. The present investigation found that GI-specific anxiety is an important construct informing smoking among individuals with IBS. Future research considerations are explored.

PMID:40265221 | DOI:10.1177/13591053251333950

Int Wound J. 2025 Apr;22(4):e70670. doi: 10.1111/iwj.70670.

ABSTRACT

Q. Guo, W. Li, R. Xie, Y. Wang, Y. Xie, K. Cheng, and Z. Sun, “Visualization of the Relationship Between Macrophage and Wound Healing From the Perspective of Bibliometric Analysis,” International Wound Journal 21, no. 4 (2024): e14597, https://doi.org/10.1111/iwj.14597. The above article, published online on 20 December 2023, in Wiley Online Library (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor in Chief, Professor Keith Harding; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Following an investigation by the publisher, all parties have concluded that this article was accepted on the basis of a compromised peer review process. In addition, further investigation by the publisher found that this article is missing the underlying dataset, which contradicts the Data Availability Statement. The investigation found that the Methods and Results included irrelevant citations or otherwise lacked proper citations, which leaves large sections of the statements made unsubstantiated by the academic literature. Lastly, the investigation found that the statistical analysis was incomplete. The editors have therefore decided to retract the article. The authors did not respond to our notice regarding the retraction.

PMID:40265216 | DOI:10.1111/iwj.70670

Exp Psychol. 2025 Apr 23. doi: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000642. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Across two experiments (N = 303), we examined the effect of physical fatigue on moral decision-making. Participants were subjected to acute physical exercise. Half of the participants were presented with moral dilemmas before the physical exercise and the other half after the exercise. We measured moral judgement using a shortened version of the Process Dissociation procedure, allowing us to investigate (1) decisions in the traditional sacrificial dilemmas and (2) deontological and utilitarian moral inclinations. The results showed no significant differences in moral judgments between fatigued and nonfatigued participants in nine out of 10 statistical tests. This suggests a unique resilience of moral judgments to physical fatigue, in contrast to what is known about cognitive fatigue.

PMID:40265197 | DOI:10.1027/1618-3169/a000642

Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Apr 3;12:1491960. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1491960. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Previous studies have demonstrated that nodule volumetry allows for the deduction of imaging-based biomarkers such as volume doubling time, enabling superior discrimination between benign and malignant lesions compared to 2D-based morphological characteristics. The study aimed to assess the feasibility and accuracy of in-vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based volumetric assessment of lung nodules larger than 6 mm, in comparison to the current gold standard, CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study involved a subgroup analysis of 233 participants from a prospective, single-center lung cancer screening program using CT and MRI. Patients were included if foci ≥6 mm were detected in CT during the initial screening round, resulting in 23 participants with 47 pulmonary nodules. MRI was performed using a 1.5 Tesla unit with a transverse T2-weighted MultiVane XD imaging technique, while low-dose CT (LDCT) was performed on a 128-slice spiral CT scanner. Volumetric nodule assessment was conducted using a computer-aided diagnosis system, with images reviewed by two experienced radiologists. Statistical analysis included regression analysis, Bland-Altman analysis, and calculation of the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to assess correlation and reproducibility.

RESULTS: Comparison of MRI-based volumetric assessment with LDCT as the reference standard revealed a mean nodule volume of 1.1343 ± 3.1204 cm³ for MRI versus 1.2197 ± 3.496 cm³ for LDCT (p = 0.203). Regression analysis demonstrated a strong linear relationship between the modalities (r ² = 0.981, p < 0.001), consistently observed even for nodules <5 cm³ (r ² = 0.755, p < 0.001). Bland-Altman analysis indicated no significant systematic bias in nodule volume measurements between MRI and CT, with a mean difference of 0.12 cm³ and narrow 95% confidence intervals (-6.852 to 6.854 cm³). Intra-reader reproducibility for CT-based volumetry was excellent (ICC = 0.9984), while MRI-based measurements showed good reproducibility (ICC = 0.7737). Inter-reader reproducibility was high for CT (ICC = 0.995) and moderate for MRI (ICC = 0.7135).

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that MRI-based volumetry of lung nodules ≥6 mm is feasible and accurate, showing comparable precision to CT with minimal bias in volume measurements, and highlights the potential of MRI as a radiation-free alternative for lung nodule follow-up and screening.

PMID:40265184 | PMC:PMC12013721 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2025.1491960