BMC Pediatr. 2026 Feb 10. doi: 10.1186/s12887-026-06596-x. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41668075 | DOI:10.1186/s12887-026-06596-x
Category: Nevin Manimala
BMC Pediatr. 2026 Feb 10. doi: 10.1186/s12887-026-06561-8. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41668069 | DOI:10.1186/s12887-026-06561-8
BMC Public Health. 2026 Feb 10. doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-26464-8. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Premarital screening (PMS) programs are a crucial measure to prevent hereditary and sexually transmitted diseases, particularly in communities with high consanguinity levels and genetic disorder prevalence. Premarital training is not well-researched in Bangladesh, where thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies are endemic. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) regarding PMS among undergraduate students in southeastern Bangladesh.
METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 844 undergraduate students from four universities in Chattogram, Bangladesh. A multistage cluster sampling method was used to recruit participants from science, business, and humanities disciplines. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire, which assessed sociodemographic characteristics and KAP towards PMS. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using STATA SE 18. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: Out of 844 students, only 22.5% students had a good knowledge, while attitudes (89.2%) and perceptions (95.7%) toward PMS were highly positive. In multivariate analysis, science students were significantly more likely to have good knowledge than humanities students (AOR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.14-2.45; p = 0.009). Conversely, females (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.43-0.87; p = 0.006) and those with consanguineous parents (AOR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.42-0.99; p = 0.043) were less likely to demonstrate good knowledge. No significant associations were observed between age group, academic year, family history of hereditary disease, and attitudes after adjustment for factors.
CONCLUSION: Undergraduate students in southeastern Bangladesh exhibited poor knowledge but positive attitudes and perceptions toward PMS. Incorporation of premarital training modules into university curricula, as well as media- and community-based programs, may increase knowledge and promote preventive health behaviors.
PMID:41668059 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-026-26464-8
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2026 Feb 10. doi: 10.1186/s12884-026-08750-w. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41668055 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-026-08750-w
BMC Oral Health. 2026 Feb 10. doi: 10.1186/s12903-026-07787-9. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Apexification in immature teeth represents a clinical challenge due to the difficulty of achieving an effective apical seal and sufficient mechanical resistance. Bioceramic materials such as MTA Repair HP, Bio-C Repair, Biodentine, and PBS Cimmo HP have been developed to improve sealing ability and bond strength. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare, in vitro, the apical marginal adaptation by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and bond strength through the push-out test of these four calcium silicate- based cements used as an apical barrier.
METHODS: Forty simulated models of immature teeth with open apex were created. The specimens were divided into four groups to create an apical plug: G1 (MTA Repair HP), G2 (Bio-C Repair), G3 (Biodentine) and G4 (Cimmo HP). The apical portion of the specimens was sectioned, into2.5 mm slices. The adaptation of the apical barrier was assessed using SEM and the bond strength was evaluated by the push-out test. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test (p < 0.05).
RESULTS: MTA Repair HP showed significantly better marginal adaptation compared to Cimmo HP (p < 0.05), while no statistical difference were found among the other materials. In contrast, PBS Cimmo HP exhibited the highest bond strength, significantly superior to Bio-C Repair (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found among the other materials. Both MTA Repair HP and Biodentine demonstrated consistent performance in both tests. Adhesive fracture was the most frequent type of failure observed across all materials.
CONCLUSION: MTA Repair HP, provided superior marginal adaptation, favoring its indication for apical sealing and prevention of leakage. Conversely, Cimmo HP, with its higher compressive strength, may be better suited for cases requiring greater mechanical resistance. Understanding the distinct properties of these materials assists clinicians in selecting the most appropriate bioceramic cement for apexification procedures.
PMID:41668039 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-026-07787-9
J Endourol. 2026 Feb 10:8927790251394635. doi: 10.1177/08927790251394635. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Robotic-assisted urologic stone removal and any potential histopathological effects of this approach have not been well studied. Here we assess safety and user experience of the novel MONARCH™ Platform, Urology, in performing both robotic-assisted ureteroscopy (URS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) within a preclinical setting, alongside conventional devices.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two endourologists conducted six simulated robotic-assisted URS and six robotic-assisted PCNL in a porcine model, comparing these with conventional approaches. The primary objectives were (1) perceived ease of completion as rated by the endourologists using a numerical 1-4 rating scale; (2) occurrence of adverse safety events as determined by the operating endourologists; (3) assessment of contrast extravasation seen on post-operative retrograde pyelogram; and (4) histopathological evaluation of the porcine models’ urinary tracts. Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test was used, with p < 0.05 considered significant.
RESULTS: Tasks within URS and PCNL exhibited comparable ease of completion score means (median of all scores 4 in conventional URS and 4 in robot-assisted URS, p = 0.131; 3.17 in conventional PCNL and 4 in robot-assisted PCNL, p = 0.258). No safety events were observed by the endourologist during URS or PCNL procedures for either the robotic-assisted or conventional devices. In post-procedure pyelograms, none of the robotic-assisted cohort had more than minimal contrast extravasation, statistically similar to conventional devices (URS: median [range]; conventional, 0 [0-2] vs. robotic-assisted, 0 [0-1], p = 0.337; and PCNL: conventional, 0 [0-2] vs. robotic-assisted, 0 [0-1], p = 0.379). Blinded pathology assessment demonstrated no biologically significant nor clinically relevant differences between robotic-assisted and conventional devices in any category.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the MONARCH™ Platform in Urology has a safety profile comparable with conventional devices and a trend of easier completion of some tasks. This foundational study establishes the feasibility of a single platform to complete both robotic-assisted URS and PCNL, as a new treatment paradigm for urologic stone management.
PMID:41667941 | DOI:10.1177/08927790251394635
Psychol Med. 2026 Feb 11;56:e44. doi: 10.1017/S0033291726103286.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Seeking to clarify the parent-offspring transmission of Major Depression (MD) and type I Bipolar Disorder (BD), we examined offspring MD and BD risk in five informative parental pairs: Unaffected x MD, Unaffected x BD, MDxMD, MDxBD and BDxBD.
METHODS: We identified 289,637 individuals born in Sweden 1970-1990, followed through 2018, from parents with MD and/or BD identified from Swedish medical registers. We quantified the MD→MD, BD→BD, MD→BD and BD→MD parent-offspring transmission and explored effects of parental illness on MD→BD conversions.
RESULTS: The risk for MD was modestly and similarly increased in offspring of Unaffected x MD (HR=1.64) and Unaffected x BD parents (HR=1.53), higher in MDxMD and MDxBD pairings (HRs=2.39 and 2.47) and slightly lower in BDxBD matings (HR=2.29). By contrast, risk for BD was much higher in Unaffected x BD versus Unaffected x MD matings (HRs = 5.59 vs. 1.70), further elevated modestly in MDxBD matings (HR=6.26) and very high in BDxBD matings (HR=13.61). The rate of offspring MD→BD conversions was substantially increased by parental BD but not parental MD. Offspring BD was equally predicted by paternal and maternal affective illness while offspring MD was more strongly predicted by maternal than paternal affective illness.
CONCLUSIONS: Examining risk for MD and BD in offspring of different parental mating types of MD and BD is an informative strategy for further clarifying the cross-generational transmission of these two partially related and partially distinct mood disorders.
PMID:41667937 | DOI:10.1017/S0033291726103286
Stress Health. 2026 Feb;42(1):e70146. doi: 10.1002/smi.70146.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected healthcare workers, increasing vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Psychological distress may be shaped by resilience, coping behaviours, and immune dysregulation. We investigated psychological distress symptoms, resilience, alcohol use, and cytokine profiles in 1440 workers from four hospitals in Fortaleza, Brazil. Participants were classified as frontline or second-line workers and assessed with the SRQ-20, CD-RISC, and AUDIT. Blood samples were analysed for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and cytokines. Data were collected at two time points (August-October 2021; March-April 2022). Frontline workers reported higher distress, with decreased vital energy and somatic symptoms most prominent. Lower resilience scores correlated with all SRQ-20 domains, while higher alcohol use was linked to decreased energy and depressive thoughts. Reduced anti-spike antibody levels were also associated with greater distress. COVID-19 infection and symptom severity were associated with more persistent mental distress symptoms. Sex-specific immune signatures emerged: in women, lower interleukin (IL)-7 and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL-9) and higher IL-27 correlated with depressive-anxious mood and energy depletion; in men, IL-18, IL-9, and tumour necrosis factor beta (TNF-β) were positively associated with distress. This study demonstrates that psychological distress among healthcare workers during COVID-19 was shaped by resilience, alcohol use, infection severity, and sex-dependent immune alterations. Strengthening resilience and targeting inflammatory pathways may help mitigate the long-term mental health burden in this workforce during future public health crises.
PMID:41667934 | DOI:10.1002/smi.70146
Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2026 Feb 1;64(2):182-190. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112139-20250814-00402.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the performance of large language model (LLM) in diagnosing clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), and the improvement in diagnostic performance of open-source LLM after low-rank adaptation (LoRA) fine-tuning. Methods: This is a retrospective case series study. Data from 1 077 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided systematic prostate biopsy at Department of Urology,Peking University Third Hospital from January 2018 to December 2024 were collected, aged (M(IQR)) 69(13) years (range:38 to 90 years) including 391 patients in the gray zone (prostate-specific antigen 4 to 10 μg/L). The collected data included patients’ clinical characteristics, prostate MRI reports, and biopsy histopathological results. Four LLM (GPT 4.1, DeepSeek R1, Qwen3-235B-A22B, Qwen3-32B) were used to diagnose csPCa based on patient information, and the performance of the LLM was evaluated using biopsy histopathological results as the gold standard. Subsequently, the data from 1 077 patients were divided into training and test sets at an 8∶2 ratio, and LoRA fine-tuning was performed on Qwen3-32B. The fine-tuned model was named PCD-Qwen3, and its diagnostic efficacy in the test set was evaluated. The receiver operating characteristics curve was plotted and the area under the curve (AUC) and 95%CI were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of LLM. The Delong test was used to compare the differences in AUC between groups. Results: Among all patients, DeepSeek R1 had the highest AUC for diagnosing csPCa at 0.848 (95%CI: 0.826 to 0.871), with statistically significant differences compared to Qwen3-235B-A22B (0.827 (95%CI: 0.803 to 0.851)) and Qwen3-32B (0.753 (95%CI: 0.724 to 0.781))(Z=2.34, P=0.020; Z=7.35, P<0.01), but no difference compared to GPT 4.1(0.842 (95%CI: 0.819 to 0.865))(P>0.05). The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of DeepSeek R1 for diagnosing csPCa were 77.3%, 70.2%, and 84.1%, respectively. In the gray zone patient population with total prostate specific antigen of 4 to 10 μg/L, DeepSeek R1 had an AUC of 0.765 (95%CI: 0.715 to 0.816) for diagnosing csPCa. Using DeepSeek R1 to diagnose gray zone patients could avoid 46.3% (181/391) of unnecessary biopsies while missing 5.9% (23/391) of csPCa patients. Except for Qwen3-32B, the PI-RADS scores evaluated by the three LLM achieved moderate agreement with those of radiologists. After LoRA fine-tuning, the diagnostic performance of PCD-Qwen3 was significantly improved compared to Qwen3-32B. In the test set of 216 patients, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 77.3%, 75.5%, 79.1%, and 0.831 (95%CI: 0.776 to 0.885), respectively, comparable to the performance of DeepSeek R1 (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Among the four LLM, DeepSeek R1 had the best performance in diagnosing csPCa. After LoRA fine-tuning, PCD-Qwen3 achieved performance comparable to DeepSeek R1. LLM demonstrated promising application value in diagnosing csPCa.
PMID:41667933 | DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112139-20250814-00402
Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2026 Feb 1;64(2):176-181. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112139-20250920-00450.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the perioperative blood loss characteristics of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in high-altitude residents and identify the relative factors of blood loss. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing 400 patients with varus knee osteoarthritis who underwent unilateral TKA from January 2022 to May 2024 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University (Chongqing) and the 953 Hospital of People’s Liberation Army (Shigatse). There were 117 male cases and 283 female cases, with an age of (65.9±7.0) years (range:50 to 80 years). Based on the patients’ altitude of residence, they were divided into a high-altitude group (altitude of 3 800 meters, 200 cases) and a plain group (altitude of 360 meters, 200 cases). The perioperative bleeding conditions (total blood loss, intraoperative overt blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, and hidden blood loss) of the two groups of patients were compared. Through independent sample t test, χ2 test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression model, the influencing factors of perioperative blood loss in the plateau group were screened. Results: The intraoperative dominant blood loss of the plateau group was (219.7±108.4) ml, and the postoperative drainage volume was (378.8±144.8) ml. The corresponding values for the plainland group were (150.6±82.3) ml and (171.7±94.7) ml, respectively. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant(t=7.17, P=0.002; t=16.93, P<0.01). The GROSS equation calculated that the total perioperative blood loss of the plateau group was (1 144.9±367.4) ml, and the hidden blood loss was (545.5±299.2) ml, which were significantly higher than those of the plainland group (total blood loss (713.7±257.6) ml, hidden blood loss (387.6±257.4) ml), and the differences were statistically significant (t=13.59, P<0.01; t=5.66, P<0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that gender, preoperative activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, and bone density T value (all P<0.01) were independent influencing factors for perioperative blood loss in TKA in the plateau group. Conclusions: Perioperative blood loss in TKA for high-altitude residents is significantly higher than in plain areas. Gender, preoperative APTT, CRP, ALB, and bone density T value serve as independent relative factors.
PMID:41667932 | DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112139-20250920-00450