Category: Nevin Manimala

Qual Life Res. 2026 Jul 23;35(9):232. doi: 10.1007/s11136-026-04339-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Maternal mental health has been linked to a range of offspring outcomes; however, population-based evidence examining intergenerational associations across multiple health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains over the life course remains limited. This study examines associations between maternal mental health and offspring HRQoL using nationally representative longitudinal data from Australia.

METHODS: We used data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. The analytic sample comprised 8,737 offspring linked to 4,966 mothers. Three offspring’s HRQoL outcomes were examined: mental health and general health domain of the SF-36 instrument and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Maternal mental health was measured using the SF-36 mental health domain. Associations were estimated using weighted linear regression models with standard errors clustered at the maternal level, adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Gender differences were examined using interaction terms.

RESULTS: Higher maternal mental health was significantly associated with better offspring mental health in fully adjusted models (β = 0.485 SD, p < 0.001). Higher maternal mental health was also associated with better offspring general health (β = 0.458 SD, p < 0.001). For psychological distress, higher maternal psychological distress was associated with higher offspring psychological distress (β = 0.419 SD, p < 0.001). Higher maternal mental health was also positively associated with offspring psychological distress (β = 0.216 SD, p < 0.001); however, this reflects differences in measurement constructs (higher distress scores indicate worse outcomes) and should be interpreted cautiously. Associations remained statistically significant after covariate adjustment and did not differ by offspring gender.

CONCLUSIONS: Maternal mental health is associated with multiple dimensions of offspring HRQoL across the life course. These findings highlight maternal mental health as an important correlate of offspring health and underscore the relevance of family-centred, preventive strategies aimed at reducing intergenerational inequalities in mental health.

PMID:42493691 | DOI:10.1007/s11136-026-04339-0

Pediatr Int. 2026 Jan-Dec;68(1):e70491. doi: 10.1111/ped.70491.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Since the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, changes in the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection have been reported in Japan. However, few studies have compared the severity of RSV infection before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to compare the severity of RSV infection before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in two pediatric hospitals in Hanshin in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

METHODS: This retrospective study included patients aged ≤ 15 years hospitalized with RSV infection in Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki General Medical Center and Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children’s Hospital between January 1, 2019, and July 31, 2023. Patient characteristics during the pre-pandemic (January to December 2019), pandemic (January 2020 to December 2022), and post-pandemic (January to July 2023) periods were compared.

RESULTS: The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission rate was significantly higher during the post-pandemic period (26.1%) than during the pre-pandemic period (13.6%) (p < 0.001). The proportion of patients who received any form of respiratory support (tracheal intubation, noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation, or high-flow nasal cannula) was significantly higher during the post-pandemic period (26.9%) than during the pre-pandemic period (16.1%) (unadjusted odds ratio: 1.92, 95% confidence interval: 1.23-3.04; p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS: In children hospitalized with RSV infection, the PICU admission rate and respiratory support requirements were significantly higher during the post-pandemic period than during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Ongoing monitoring of clinical severity is needed to ensure effective prevention of RSV infection and optimal medical resource allocation.

PMID:42493684 | DOI:10.1111/ped.70491

J Neurooncol. 2026 Jul 23;179(1):13. doi: 10.1007/s11060-026-05717-x.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The prognosis for patients with glioblastoma after failure of first-line therapy is poor. Despite this, the standard of care for patients with recurrent disease is not well-defined. Here we report on the use of salvage therapies in glioblastoma using real-world data.

METHODS: Data were extracted from the BRAIN Registry for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma (Grade 4, IDH wild-type) between 09/2019 and 01/2024. Only patients who received salvage therapies following a documented date of recurrence/progression were included. Relevant descriptive and intergroup statistics were used, with survival calculated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression used for multivariate analyses.

RESULTS: 275 patients were identified. Median age was 61 (range:23-88) years, with 56% being ECOG 0-1 at recurrence. Median time to progression was 7.6 months with 65% recurring/progressing during first-line therapy. Systemic therapy (85%) was most utilised with 67% receiving single-agent bevacizumab. Outcomes in this subgroup were similar to clinical trial data. 29% patients underwent re-resection with 58% of these then receiving systemic treatment. Compared with no surgery, patients who underwent re-resection were younger (p = 0.02), of better performance status (p = 0.006) and more likely to have recurred post completing first-line therapy (p = 0.001). Few patients (n = 9) received re-irradiation with median of 15 months between radiation events. Median post-progression survival (PPS) was 9.5 months. After adjustment for confounders, there was no difference in PPS for patients who underwent re-resection versus systemic therapy alone (p = 0.242). The survival differences observed between treatment modalities likely reflect patient factors influencing treatment selection and were impacted by small subgroup sizes.

CONCLUSION: Systemic therapy is most utilised in the salvage setting, predominantly bevacizumab. Certain patient characteristics were associated with re-resection. Re-irradiation was rarely used.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: ACTRN12618001959268.

PMID:42493681 | DOI:10.1007/s11060-026-05717-x

Metabolomics. 2026 Jul 23;22(4):131. doi: 10.1007/s11306-026-02453-1.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Assessing batch correction methods remains a major challenge in metabolomics, as no consensus currently exists for a generic and reliable evaluation strategy. Given the strong influence of batch effects on downstream statistical analyses, establishing a robust framework for their assessment is crucial to ensure result reproducibility and validity.

METHODS: This study presents a comprehensive workflow that combines innovative numerical indicators and diagnostic plots to assess multiple dimensions of batch correction performance. It relies on a newly developed indicator, the Batch Conformity Index (BCI), a multivariate, covariance-aware metric quantifying within- and between-batch variability. Complementary visualization tools, including single and multiblock factorization methods, hierarchical clustering and convex hull representations, provide interpretable global diagnostics. These are complemented by compound-level analyses employing classical univariate metrics such as the coefficient of variation, and intra/inter-batch dispersion indices. The workflow also integrates chemistry-based validation via isotopic ratio consistency to ensure that corrections preserve true biochemical information, enabling the detection of potential overfitting or overcorrection.

RESULTS: The benefits offered by the proposed strategy were illustrated by comparing two widely used correction methods, i.e. LOESS and ComBat, applied to a large-scale serum metabolomics dataset. The results highlighted the complementary strengths and limitations of each method, successfully captured by the proposed workflow, thus providing an objective and interpretable basis for method evaluation.

CONCLUSION: The developed framework offers a unified strategy for evaluating batch correction reliability across multivariate, univariate, and chemical dimensions, representing a significant step toward standardized and reproducible metabolomics data harmonization.

PMID:42493665 | DOI:10.1007/s11306-026-02453-1

Environ Monit Assess. 2026 Jul 24;198(8):871. doi: 10.1007/s10661-026-15715-1.

ABSTRACT

The presence of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in US drinking water has generated concerns about their toxicity and ability to be monitored. In 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for six PFAS compounds and introduced a Hazard Index (HI) for four others under the Safe Drinking Water Act. In May 2026, the USEPA proposed revisions to several of these parameters. However, these revisions had not been approved at the time of publication of this manuscript. The main objective of this study was to examine PFAS occurrence in US. public water systems (PWSs), focusing on identifying monitoring limitations and challenges in meeting MCL regulations. This study analyzed 1.98 million records from 10,777 PWSs through February 2026 and examined how PFAS monitoring unfolds across public water systems nationwide. The focus was on exceedances, the quality of the data, frequency, locations, types of water sources, and the environmental risk impact assessments of the size of the population served. Results show that 8838 exceedances were recorded based on the 2026 proposed MCL, impacting between 37.2 to 81.3 million users and 11.54 to 25.22 million cubic meters/day of water supply. The proposed 2026 MCL revisions result in only marginal reductions in the number of affected PWS (1.4 to 1.7%) and population served (0.5 to 0.7%) relative to the 2024 standards. About 38% of samples for several PFAS compounds collected between 2013 and 2016 had Minimum Reporting Levels (MRL) above current MCLs, limiting their regulatory value. The analysis, based on the environmental quality standards, created accurate HI assessments for PWSs. That said, many exceedances remain undetected due to low sample quality and frequency. Larger PWSs exhibit higher exceedance rates relative to current MCL thresholds, likely due to greater urban contamination and the increased complexity of their water supply systems. Groundwater influenced by surface water shows higher exceedance rates for PFOA and PFOS MCLs.

PMID:42493659 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-026-15715-1

Cerebellum. 2026 Jul 24;25(4):116. doi: 10.1007/s12311-026-02062-7.

ABSTRACT

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease primarily affecting the axial skeleton and is frequently associated with postural instability, impaired balance, and altered motor control. The cerebellum plays a central role in sensorimotor integration; however, cerebellar volumetric alterations in AS remain insufficiently elucidated. This study aimed to investigate cerebellar and cerebellar lobular volumetric changes in individuals with AS using a fully automated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) segmentation method. This retrospective study included 15 patients with AS and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Brain MRI data were analyzed using the automated CERES pipeline of the volBrain platform. All cerebellar volumetric measures were normalized to intracranial volume (ICV). Group comparisons were performed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests, and multiple comparisons were controlled using the false discovery rate (FDR) method. Compared with the control group, nominal differences (p < 0.05) were observed in several cerebellar regions, including Lobule V, Lobule VI, and Lobule VIIIA. Similarly, nominal differences were identified in the gray matter volumes of Lobule I-II and Lobule VIIIA. However, none of these findings remained statistically significant after FDR correction (all q > 0.05). Cerebellar volumetric differences in AS appear to be subtle and do not remain significant after correction for multiple comparisons. These findings suggest that previously reported differences may reflect inter-individual variability rather than robust disease-specific structural alterations. Further studies with larger cohorts and multimodal approaches are warranted.

PMID:42493658 | DOI:10.1007/s12311-026-02062-7

Bull Math Biol. 2026 Jul 23;88(8):142. doi: 10.1007/s11538-026-01709-0.

ABSTRACT

The mitochondrial dicarboxylate carrier SLC25A10 mediates reversible exchange among succinate, malate, and phosphate, contributing to mitochondrial metabolic regulation. Structural studies establish a ping-pong mechanism, but most mathematical models still assume sequential binding, lacking mechanistic justification and overlooking the alternation of a single binding site. Here, we present the first mechanistically derived and thermodynamically consistent model of SLC25A10 based on a ping-pong framework. The model incorporates competitive binding of succinate, malate, and phosphate, heteroexchange, reversibility, and electroneutrality, and is calibrated using experimental datasets from intact mitochondria and reconstituted proteoliposomes. To estimate kinetic parameters and quantify their uncertainty, we employed Bayesian inference, enabling statistically rigorous calibration to uptake and competition assays. The model introduces new terms that quantify which substrate and from which side of the membrane is most likely to start the transport cycle. Beyond reproducing experimentally observed exchange kinetics, the model resolves non-equilibrium transport dynamics that are difficult to access directly in classical uptake assays. In particular, the simulations reveal a two-phase response in which an initial phosphate-driven high-flux uptake regime for malate and succinate is followed by a slower redistribution phase in which the two dicarboxylates continue to readjust primarily against each other. The model also predicts that mitochondrial morphology modulates early transport behaviour, with matrix swelling increasing and matrix condensation decreasing the initial SLC25A10 flux magnitude. More broadly, the framework provides a quantitative basis for studying how substrate competition, thermodynamic driving forces, and compartment geometry shape SLC25A10-mediated exchange, and it offers a transferable modelling strategy for other carriers in the SLC25 family.

PMID:42493647 | DOI:10.1007/s11538-026-01709-0

J Math Biol. 2026 Jul 24;93(2):21. doi: 10.1007/s00285-026-02422-1.

ABSTRACT

Oropouche virus (OROV) is a vector-borne arbovirus that has caused more than 500,000 infections across South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Its primary vector, the midge species Culicoides paraensis, acquires the virus from wild reservoir hosts and transmits it to humans during blood feeding. As outbreaks within the Amazon basin continue to occur and confirmed cases steadily increase, a proper understanding of the interplay between climatic variables, vector behavior, and OROV transmission is needed to develop effective public health interventions. In this paper, we develop a novel mathematical model of Oropouche virus spread in Amazonas, Brazil using ordinary differential equations (ODEs). First, we derive the basic reproductive number at baseline to assess the potential for disease persistence. We then incorporate seasonal forcing and fit the model to weekly incidence data from the 2023-2024 outbreak using least squares optimization. With our model structure, we evaluated multiple candidate seasonality functions and implementations, including precipitation-based forcing functions and others intended to model general seasonality or the right-skewed incidence curve. Among these, quantitative results show that the seasonal variation in OROV transmission is best explained (in the sense of minimum $l^2$ error) by an exponentially decaying pulse applied to midge recruitment, which captures the incidence data with a relative $l^2$ error of 11.94%. While moderate levels of observational noise can affect the relative ranking of seasonal mechanisms, the exponential pulse remained the best-performing forcing function to describe the observed incidence data.

PMID:42493628 | DOI:10.1007/s00285-026-02422-1

Br J Cancer. 2026 Jul 23. doi: 10.1038/s41416-026-03560-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Limited knowledge exists on the association between hospital contacts before a childhood cancer diagnosis and the risk of early mortality.

METHODS: We conducted a register-based cohort study including 14,089 children with cancer diagnosed in 1989 – 2014 in Denmark and Sweden. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of early mortality (deaths within 0-90 days) were estimated by nights in hospital up to two years prior cancer diagnosis and diagnoses within specific main diagnostic categories using logistic regression.

RESULTS: Children hospitalized ≥14 nights within 2 years-14 days and 3 months-14 days before cancer diagnosis faced elevated ORs of early mortality (4.6, 95% CI 3.2-6.4; 4.4, 2.9-6.7). The association was not explained by maternal education. Early mortality was associated with diagnoses within several diagnostic categories prior to cancer diagnosis, including infectious (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.0) and endocrine diseases (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.02-2.5), blood (OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.1-5.1) and digestive disorders (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4-2.6), and symptoms with no specific diagnosis (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-8).

CONCLUSION: Children with increased time in hospital before cancer diagnosis had a higher risk for early mortality, which indicates underlying health vulnerabilities or pre-existing fragility in this population.

PMID:42493601 | DOI:10.1038/s41416-026-03560-5

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2026 Jul 23. doi: 10.1038/s41370-026-00950-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of organofluorine compounds used in industrial and consumer applications. The primary route of human exposure to PFAS is ingestion of contaminated food and drinking water, representing a significant and sometimes unavoidable exposure for many populations. Ecotoxicological and epidemiological studies have established associations between PFAS exposures and adverse health effects. Fetal and childhood development is a particularly susceptible window of exposure.

OBJECTIVE: We characterized PFAS exposures for pregnant women in Suriname who identified as Indigenous or Tribal Peoples, and we examined regional variations in exposure patterns between urban, rural, and remote populations.

METHODS: We measured 24 PFAS analytes in the blood serum of 100 pregnant Tribal and Indigenous women living in Suriname. Samples were collected from December 2016 to July 2019 and were purposively selected for laboratory analysis. We assessed differences in serum concentrations visually and statistically by location and ethnicity.

RESULTS: Ten unique PFAS were detected in at least one sample. The median total PFAS across all participants was 1.05 ng/mL (IQR: 0.73-1.45 ng/mL). The most frequently detected PFAS were PFOS (DF = 100%, median concentration ( $\tilde{x}$ ) = 0.59 ng/mL), PFOA (DF = 86%, $\tilde{x}$ = 0.15 ng/mL), PFNA (DF = 84%, $\tilde{x}$ = 0.09 ng/mL), PFUnDA (DF = 72%, $\tilde{x}$ = 0.09 ng/mL), and PFHxS (DF = 71%, $\tilde{x}$ = 0.06 ng/mL). Median total PFAS concentrations were highest for participants in the remote interior district, although differences among the districts were not statistically significant (p = 0.37) and should be interpreted cautiously due to limited statistical power. Indigenous Peoples tended to have higher total PFAS in their blood serum ( $\tilde{x}$ = 1.25 ng/mL) compared to Tribal Peoples ( $\tilde{x}$ = 0.84 ng/mL, p < 0.01), although we did not assess potential confounding variables.

SIGNIFICANCE: Our analysis revealed mostly long-chain legacy PFAS with possibly different exposure risks for secluded interior communities compared to urban-coastal populations, indicating a need for contaminant source assessments.

IMPACT: Our study adds to the growing literature around PFAS exposures for people living in remote areas. Suriname aims to reduce environmental contamination from persistent organic pollutants through the Stockholm Treaty. Our study provides data needed for policymakers and communities to make informed decisions about their environmental health.

PMID:42493588 | DOI:10.1038/s41370-026-00950-y