Category: Nevin Manimala

Macromol Rapid Commun. 2026 Mar 19:e70260. doi: 10.1002/marc.70260. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We study the impact of polymer composition on the self-assembly and optical properties in water of amphiphilic copolymers containing perylene imides (PIs) as pendant groups. To achieve this, a new perylene imide acrylate monomer is synthesized, in only four synthetic steps, and copolymerized with various comonomers to produce amphiphilic copolymers with block, statistical or block-statistical architectures. We observe that the assembly in water is affected by changes in the macromolecular architecture or by the comonomer used, resulting not only in spherical, but also in vesicular nanoparticles. We found differences in the copolymer architecture also influence the perylene’s intramolecular aggregation within the chain, with the formation of H-type aggregates. The generally observed red-shifted emission was attributed to the formation of excimer-like species, which might be interesting for electron transport applications. Finally, we demonstrate that by employing Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (PISA), fluorescent nanoparticles can readily be obtained in a water/ethanol (50/50) mixture at high solids (20 wt%).

PMID:41856943 | DOI:10.1002/marc.70260

Cancer Med. 2026 Mar;15(3):e71711. doi: 10.1002/cam4.71711.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Microsatellite instability (MSI), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity are emerging biomarkers in gastric cancer prognosis and treatment selection, particularly in immunotherapy. This review evaluates their prognostic significance through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS: Relevant studies from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (January 2010 to December 2024) were analyzed. Studies included assessing MSI, PD-L1, and EBV status in gastric cancer using immunohistochemistry, PCR, or in situ hybridization, and reported outcomes such as overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), or progression-free survival. Data extraction adhered to PRISMA guidelines, and pooled analyses were conducted using a random-effects model (DerSimonian-Laird method). Heterogeneity was assessed using I² statistics and Cochran’s Q test.

RESULTS: A total of 25 studies involving 6494 patients were reviewed. In localized gastric cancer, MSI-high status was associated with significantly improved DFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23-0.75; p = 0.004) but showed no significant impact on OS (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.48-1.28; p = 0.33) compared to microsatellite stable/PD-L1-negative tumors. EBV-positive/PD-L1-positive cancers demonstrated a prognosis similar to EBV-negative/PD-L1-negative cases (OS: HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.81-1.45; p = 0.59).

CONCLUSIONS: In metastatic disease, MSI and EBV status were not associated with significant prognostic effects. MSI and EBV status have minimal prognostic value in gastric cancer, particularly for OS, but are essential for selecting candidates for immune checkpoint inhibitors. Standardizing biomarker evaluation is critical to enhancing their clinical relevance.

PMID:41856928 | DOI:10.1002/cam4.71711

Cancer Rep (Hoboken). 2026 Mar;9(3):e70518. doi: 10.1002/cnr2.70518.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are increasingly recognized as critical contributors to cancer outcomes. Understanding SDoH among patients undergoing cancer surgery may reveal disparities that influence care and recovery. This study assessed the prevalence and variation of SDoH among patients undergoing gastrointestinal (GI) cancer surgery using a national dataset.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program. Adults with GI cancer were identified using diagnosis codes, and surgery was confirmed using procedure codes. Participants who completed the SDoH survey were included. Descriptive statistics summarize demographics and SDoH domains: economic stability, healthcare access, neighborhood environment, and social context.

RESULTS: Of 6620 participants with GI cancer, 1747 underwent surgery; 470 (26.9%) completed the SDoH survey. Mean age was 69.4 years; 82.1% were White and 61.3% had college degrees. Most had health insurance (96.6%) and stable housing (88.7%), though 25.5% reported poor housing quality and 7.6% reported food insecurity. PROMIS T-scores for physical and mental health were below average at 37.0 and 38.4, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Despite favorable SDoH profiles, GI cancer surgery patients reported below average physical and mental health. These findings highlight the need to integrate multidomain SDoH data in cancer care research.

PMID:41856922 | DOI:10.1002/cnr2.70518

J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2026 Mar 19:15409996261434153. doi: 10.1177/15409996261434153. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Reducing suicide risk among Veterans is a national priority. Although firearms are the leading method of suicide among women Veterans, involved in nearly half of such deaths, firearm suicide prevention interventions tailored to women Veterans remain understudied.

OBJECTIVE: To assess women Veterans’ perceptions of and satisfaction with an online decision aid to reduce firearm suicide risk in women Veterans: Supporting Suicide prevention through Awareness, Firearm Safety, Education and Resources (eSAFER).

METHODS: This quality improvement project used mixed methods, including online surveys (n = 90) and telephone interviews (n = 35) with women Veterans between September 18 and 30, 2024.

RESULTS: Women Veterans reported high satisfaction with eSAFER, finding important its focus on: statistics specific to women Veterans, prevention, nonlethal safety considerations, empowerment with personalized options, engagement of trusted individuals, and inclusion of resources. Most (94%, n = 81) reported that it encouraged them to engage others with their safety plan. All interviewed participants reported equal or greater comfort using the online version relative to receiving a paper version in clinic or by postal mail, preferring its ease of completion, accessibility, confidentiality, and the ability to keep/share their plan.

CONCLUSIONS: An online decision aid tailored to women Veterans may reduce firearm suicide risk by increasing risk recognition, guiding personalized safety choices, and facilitating completion and support from others. eSAFER is a scalable tool to reach high-risk populations tailored to their needs.

PMID:41856920 | DOI:10.1177/15409996261434153

Laryngoscope. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1002/lary.70493. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) is a promising surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for patients intolerant to positive airway pressure (PAP). Nonetheless, more than one-third of patients have suboptimal outcomes, demonstrating the need for improved understanding of factors associated with treatment effectiveness. This study examined the relationship between anatomy measures from computed tomography (CT) and HGNS outcomes.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study of consecutively enrolled adults with moderate or severe OSA (AHI > 15 events/h) who underwent HGNS implantation between February 2020 and June 2024. Preoperative CT scans were obtained following a standardized protocol. Anatomic traits, including the size of the tongue and the surrounding craniofacial structures, were quantified. HGNS response was defined by the Sher criteria (≥ 50% reduction in apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] and postoperative AHI < 20 events/h).

RESULTS: A total of 65 patients were included: 31 HGNS responders and 34 nonresponders. On average, patients were 63.3 ± 11.7 years old, overweight (BMI of 29.5 ± 4.0 kg/m²), about half were male (50.8%) and most were White (89.2%); the average AHI was 28.6 ± 13.3 events/h. No statistically significant associations with HGNS response were observed for relative tongue volume (tongue volume/total oral cavity volume; OR: 0.82 [0.48-1.40]; p = 0.46), absolute tongue volume (OR: 1.27 [0.62-2.61]; p = 0.52), or total oral cavity volume (OR: 1.81 [0.82, 3.99]; p = 0.14). Exploratory analysis showed hyoid position and transverse maxillary dimensions were associated with response status.

CONCLUSION: Our study did not find a significant association between relative tongue volume and HGNS response. Further investigations in larger samples may elucidate links between HGNS response and upper airway anatomy.

PMID:41856910 | DOI:10.1002/lary.70493

ISA Trans. 2026 Mar 10:S0019-0578(26)00112-6. doi: 10.1016/j.isatra.2026.03.003. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This paper adopts a supervisory radial basis function neural network (SRBF-NN) that integrates a fractional-order proportional-integral (FOPI) controller within a hybrid feedforward-feedback system. To address saturation issues, i.e., in the Hammerstein system, the FOPI controller incorporates an anti-windup strategy (FOAWPI). This SRBF-FOAWPI controller effectively tracks desired inputs for both linear and nonlinear plants in MATLAB. The Lyapunov stability study provides the range of learning rate that influence the hidden layers. Additionally, it presents a statistical estimator with a fractional parameter, FraSU shrinkage, within the framework of discrete wavelet and packet filters. This approach effectively removes noise from the output of both simulated and real-time plants. Finally, it shows superiority in both transient and denoised performance over the VISU method by controlling its fractional wings.

PMID:41856878 | DOI:10.1016/j.isatra.2026.03.003

Lancet Digit Health. 2026 Mar 18:100962. doi: 10.1016/j.landig.2025.100962. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Early detection of individuals at high risk of disease onset is crucial for health-care systems to cope with changing demographics and an ever-increasing patient population. Images of the retinal fundus are a non-invasive, low-cost examination routinely collected and potentially scalable beyond ophthalmology. Previous work showed the potential of retinal images for risk assessment for some diseases, but it remains unclear whether this potential extends to a broader range of human diseases. We aimed to systematically assess the extent to which retinal fundus photographs can predict incident disease onset across the human phenome, and to benchmark their added value beyond readily available patient characteristics.

METHODS: In this modelling study using data from population-based cohorts, we extended a retinal foundation model (RETFound) to systematically explore the predictive potential of retinal images as a screening strategy for disease onset across 752 incident diseases in 61 256 individuals (33 285 [54%] females and 27 971 [46%] males; median age 58 years [IQR 50-63]) from the UK Biobank cohort. Participants had retinal images collected at baseline (Dec 7, 2009, to July 21, 2010) and were linked to routinely collected hospital and death records in the UK. External validation was performed in 7248 individuals (median age 67 years [IQR 62-73]) from the EPIC-Norfolk Eye Study. Predictive improvements were investigated by extracting image attributions from risk models and performing genome-wide association studies.

FINDINGS: We showed improved discriminative performance compared with readily available patient characteristics for 306 (41%) of the 752 investigated disease endpoints, including 280 outside of ophthalmology. Retinal information did not improve the prediction for the onset of cardiovascular diseases compared with established primary prevention scores. Predictive improvements were attributable to retinal vascularisation patterns and less obvious features, such as eye colour or lens morphology. Genetic findings highlighted commonalities between eye-derived risk estimates and complex disorders: across 84 retinal risk phenotypes, we identified 1385 genome-wide statistically significant variant associations across 178 loci, including a low-frequency missense variant in IMPA1 (rs204781; minor allele frequency 2·0%) associated with decreased risk estimates across 48 diseases, with the strongest association observed for iron deficiency anaemia (β=-0·16; p<7·2 × 10-16).

INTERPRETATION: We present one of the first comprehensive evaluations of predictive information derived from retinal fundus photographs, illustrating the potential and limitations of readily accessible and low-cost retinal images for risk assessment across common and rare diseases. Our findings show the potential of retinal images to complement screening strategies more widely, but also demonstrate the need for rigorous benchmarking and disease-agnostic efforts to design cost-efficient screening strategies to improve population health.

FUNDING: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

PMID:41856874 | DOI:10.1016/j.landig.2025.100962

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2026 Feb 11:104618. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104618. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Steatotic liver disease (SLD) affects over 30% of adults and is classified into metabolic dysfunction-associated (MASLD), alcohol-related (ALD), and metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-associated (MetALD) subtypes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in SLD, yet the differential atherosclerotic risk across subtypes remains uncertain.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 7820 participants from the population-based Paracelsus 10,000 cohort. SLD was defined by the Fatty Liver Index according to international consensus criteria. Atherosclerosis was assessed by carotid ultrasonography (n = 7820), coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring by computed tomography (n = 1434), and polygenic risk scores (PGS, n = 1652). Primary outcomes were carotid plaque presence and CAC burden (Agatston score). Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, and SCORE2 cardiovascular risk. We identified 5448 controls (69.7%), 2098 MASLD (26.8%), 201 ALD (2.6%), and 73 MetALD (0.9%). Carotid plaque prevalence increased stepwise: 30% in controls, 47% in MASLD, 53% in MetALD, and 62% in ALD (p<0.001). High-risk CAC (Agatston >300) was present in 4% of controls, 7% of MASLD, and 18% of both MetALD and ALD (p<0.001). Unadjusted odds ratios for plaque were 2.10 (95% CI, 1.89-2.33) for MASLD, 2.69 (1.69-4.28) for MetALD, and 3.86 (2.89-5.16) for ALD. After SCORE2 adjustment, associations attenuated and lost statistical significance. CAD-PGS differed modestly across subtypes (p=0.019) and inclusion further attenuated associations.

CONCLUSIONS: All SLD subtypes were associated with increased atherosclerotic burden, with ALD showing the highest risk. Associations were attenuated after adjustment for established cardiovascular risk factors, indicating shared cardiometabolic rather than liver-specific pathways.

PMID:41856834 | DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104618

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2026 Feb 14:104616. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104616. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global cause of mortality. Capsaicinoids, the active compounds in red pepper, act as agonists of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and may offer cardioprotective benefits by modulating lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and vascular function. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of red pepper/capsaicin supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors.

DATA SYNTHESIS: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE/PubMed, and Scopus was conducted from inception until May 2025, following PRISMA guidelines. The conducted systematic review and meta-analysis adhered to the pre-specified protocol registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251119445). In order to avoid missing an article, a manual search was finally conducted in Google Scholar. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adults supplementing with capsaicin, red pepper, or related compounds versus a placebo were included. Outcomes of interest included lipid profile (total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], low-density lipoprotein [LDL], high-density lipoprotein [HDL]), blood pressure (systolic [SBP] and diastolic [DBP]), and glycemic indices (glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, HbA1c). Data were pooled using a random-effects model and expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Thirteen RCTs (n = 821 participants) were included. However, the findings were marked by substantial heterogeneity and a limited total sample size, which necessitate cautious interpretation. Red pepper/capsaicin supplementation was associated with small, statistically unstable reductions in total cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure; however, these effects were not robust to sensitivity analyses and should be interpreted as low-confidence estimates. However, no significant effects were observed on TG, LDL, HDL, SBP, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, or HbA1c. Significant heterogeneity was observed for most outcomes (I² > 50%). Subgroup analyses suggested that longer intervention durations (≥8 weeks) might be more effective for improving TC and HDL. The overall certainty of evidence, assessed by Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), was low to very low for most outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: Red pepper/capsaicin supplementation may yield modest benefits in reducing total cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure. However, sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the significant results for TC and DBP were dependent on a single study; their exclusion rendered the results non-significant. Due to significant heterogeneity, the limited number of studies, low sample sizes, and the instability of results upon sensitivity analysis, these findings must be interpreted with caution. Larger, well-designed, long-term RCTs are necessary to confirm these potential cardiometabolic benefits. PROSPERO registration number: (CRD420251119445).

PMID:41856833 | DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104616

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2026 Feb 5:104610. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104610. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The association between cumulative exposure to METS-VF and the risk of stroke at cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome stages 0-3 remains inadequately understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between cumulative METS-VF and incident stroke in this population.

METHODS AND RESULTS: This analysis was based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), focusing on participants assigned to CKM syndrome stages 0-3. An optimal cut-off for time-averaged cumulative METS-VF in relation to stroke was identified through the survival-time method incorporating maximally selected rank statistics. We applied Cox proportional hazards regression models to examine the association between cumulative METS-VF and stroke risk. Over a five-year follow-up period, 235 of the 3227 participants experienced stroke. In participants with CKM syndrome stages 0-3, cumulative METS-VF showed a positive association with stroke risk. After adjustment for confounding variables in model 3, participants classified into Q2, Q3, and Q4 showed a significantly higher risk of stroke than those in Q1. These were 1.664 (1.070-2.588), 1.765 (1.145-2.719), and 2.261 (1.478-3.459) for the corresponding hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A cumulative average METS-VF level greater than 6.53 was associated with a significantly elevated risk of stroke relative to participants with values below 6.53 (HR = 1.781, 95% CI: 1.296-2.448).

CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative METS-VF is significantly associated with an increased risk of stroke. Among individuals with CKM stages 0-3, time-averaged assessment of longer-term METS-VF burden may help identify individuals at elevated risk of stroke, thereby providing supportive evidence for early preventive strategies.

PMID:41856830 | DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104610