Category: Nevin Manimala

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s13034-026-01026-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adolescent loneliness and mental health have become escalating public health concerns. However, despite previous findings, research on how the school environment influences the relationship between loneliness and mental health remains scarce.

OBJECTIVES: Therefore, the objectives of this study are to identify key socio-ecological factors associated with adolescent mental health, examine the gender differences in socio-ecological factors and investigate whether the association between loneliness and mental health varies across individual schools.

METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2021/22 Czech dataset of the HBSC study, comprising 14,588 Czech adolescents aged 11-15 years old. Descriptive statistics and gender comparisons were conducted, followed by multilevel linear regression analyses accounting for the hierarchical structure of the data (students nested within schools). The nested models examined associations between mental health and key predictors using random intercepts and random slopes.

RESULTS: Boys reported better mental health, higher life satisfaction, stronger self-rated health and lower loneliness than girls. Boys also experienced better family support, communication and more frequent family meals. Girls reported more peer support, stronger preferences for online communication and greater academic pressure. Mental health was positively associated with family and health-related variables, and negatively with loneliness, bullying and academic stress. The relationship between loneliness and mental health was consistent across schools, with minimal variation attributable to school-level factors.

CONCLUSIONS: While gender-based differences were observed, loneliness consistently showed a strong negative association with mental health for boys and girls. These findings emphasise the central role of individual and family-related factors in adolescent mental health. They also suggest that in more structurally and culturally homogeneous educational systems, school-level differences in mental health may be limited, with wider socioeconomic and cultural influences operating relatively uniformly across schools. This underscores the importance of system-wide and family-focused approaches as well as national school-based programmes.

PMID:41572343 | DOI:10.1186/s13034-026-01026-3

Syst Rev. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s13643-026-03073-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders, particularly anxiety and mood disorders, significantly impair individuals’ ability to perform daily activities, potentially leading to sedentary behavior and increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Physical activity plays a crucial role in supporting mental health, and team sports represent a promising intervention strategy. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the impact of team sports practice on anxiety and mood disorders. Furthermore, it will analyze how different modalities of team sports contribute to mental health improvements and identify gaps in the current literature to guide future research directions.

METHODS: This systematic review will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines and is registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251121611). A comprehensive search will be carried out across four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus) with no restrictions on language or publication date. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts using predefined eligibility criteria and extract data with standardized tables. A third independent reviewer will resolve any disagreements. Extracted data will include publication title, authors, year, assessment tools for anxiety and mood disorders, type of intervention, and primary outcomes related to the effects of team sports on these disorders. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2.0). Data will be synthesized using a random-effects meta-analysis (DerSimonian-Laird) when at least two sufficiently homogeneous studies report the same outcome. Continuous outcomes will be pooled as mean differences (same scale) or standardized mean differences (different instruments). Statistical heterogeneity will be assessed using Cochran’s Q and the I² statistic. If heterogeneity is high (I² > 75%) or if pooling is not feasible, findings will be summarized narratively, with planned subgroup and sensitivity analyses. The certainty of evidence will be assessed using GRADE.

DISCUSSION: This systematic review is expected to provide comprehensive evidence on the potential effects of team sports participation on anxiety and mood disorders. By synthesizing findings from randomized controlled trial, the review aims to clarify the extent to which engaging in team sports may contribute to mental health promotion and symptom reduction. The results may inform clinical practice, guide the design of community-based interventions, and support policymakers in developing evidence-based strategies that use team sports as a non-pharmacological approach to improve psychological well-being.

TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD420251121611.

PMID:41572328 | DOI:10.1186/s13643-026-03073-5

BMC Res Notes. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s13104-025-07323-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Participant retention is a significant challenge in ageing and dementia research. This analysis investigated (a) factors associated with retention in Insight 46, a neuroscience sub-study of the 1946 British birth cohort, and (b) clinical and cognitive changes over 2.5 years of follow-up.

RESULTS: Of 502 participants assessed at baseline (mean[SD] age: 70.5[0.7] years), 442 returned for follow-up (mean[SD] interval: 2.5[0.3] years), representing a retention rate of 88%. Being β-amyloid positive (measures using positron emission tomography), female sex, and older age at baseline associated with lower odds of retention, while completion of neuroimaging and better cognitive performance at baseline- particularly on memory testing- related to higher odds of retention. By the time of follow-up, 14 participants were deceased, 12 of whom were female. Over follow-up, improvements were noted in certain cognitive tests (face-name test, logical memory delayed recall) with declines seen in others (mini-mental state examination, digit-symbol substitution test). Increases in self- and informant-reported cognitive complaints, cognitive disorder diagnoses, and motor abnormalities were also observed, alongside declines in blood pressure. These results have implications for the interpretation and generalisability of Insight 46 data and may be relevant to the planning of other longitudinal studies in this field.

PMID:41572318 | DOI:10.1186/s13104-025-07323-y

Trials. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s13063-026-09441-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A proportion of clinical trials terminate prematurely, due to logistical or conduct issues and emerging scientific data. Due to a paucity of literature and non-standardised reporting, the rate for all trials is unknown, and little is known about the number and experience of healthcare professionals managing this situation. This study aimed to identify how many UK healthcare professionals delivering clinical research have experienced premature trial termination, the challenges experienced and resources available for managing this situation.

METHODS: Following ethics approval, a national e-survey of self-identifying healthcare professionals delivering clinical research was conducted (April-September 2022). Analysis included descriptive statistics and content analysis for categorization of challenges.

RESULTS: A total of 65% (n = 89) of healthcare professionals had experienced ≥ 1 premature trial termination. Challenges included communicating with research participants and/or families (n = 20) and emotional distress for participants and/or families (n = 21). Forty-eight healthcare professionals identified resources; of those available for review, one resource provided guidance relating to research participants.

CONCLUSION: Premature clinical trial termination creates challenges for care delivery and impacts on participants and/or families. Healthcare professionals need preparation and training to ensure participants are appropriately supported if their trial prematurely terminates.

PMID:41572311 | DOI:10.1186/s13063-026-09441-9

Hum Resour Health. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s12960-026-01046-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A sense of calling-defined as viewing work as a meaningful contribution to society-has been linked to job satisfaction and overall well-being. In medicine, this intrinsic motivation may interact with systemic challenges and influence physicians’ career trajectories, including their desire to work abroad.

AIM: To examine the relationship between medical students’ sense of calling and their willingness to work abroad, comparing first- and final-year students.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a Turkish medical school in 2024. A total of 278 students (140 first-year, 138 final-year) completed a structured online questionnaire. The survey included socio-demographic characteristics, perceptions of the medical profession, intention to work abroad, and the Turkish version of the Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ). Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were conducted, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: More than half (56.8%) of students expressed a desire to work abroad, primarily citing a higher quality of life and income. First-year students reported significantly higher interest in working abroad and marginally higher “presence of calling” scores than final-year students. Dissatisfaction with the healthcare system and anticipated income were significantly associated with the intention to migrate. The presence of calling was slightly, though not significantly, higher among students intending to relocate.

CONCLUSION: Medical students’ vocational ideals decline over time, influenced by systemic dissatisfaction and perceived limitations within the national healthcare system. Addressing structural barriers in medical education and professional practice is essential to preserving professional motivation and mitigating physician migration.

PMID:41572296 | DOI:10.1186/s12960-026-01046-2

Nutr J. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s12937-025-01279-2. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41572290 | DOI:10.1186/s12937-025-01279-2

Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s12933-025-03073-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The COLCOT trial showed that patients with diabetes may benefit from low-dose colchicine, suggesting a potential interplay between insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation. Whether their combined assessment improves mortality risk stratification in the general population remains unclear.

METHODS: We analyzed 50,654 adults from NHANES 1999-2018 linked to the National Death Index. IR and inflammation were assessed using estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) and the log₂-transformed aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI), respectively. Survey-weighted Cox proportional hazards models were used for all-cause mortality. For cardiovascular (CVD) mortality, cumulative incidence functions (CIFs) were estimated with Gray’s test for between-group comparisons, and Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models were fitted treating non-CVD death as a competing event. Discrimination was assessed using time-dependent ROC curves at 5 and 10 years. Robustness was evaluated through sensitivity analyses excluding immune-modifying conditions/treatments, applying a 24-month lag, and excluding extreme absolute lymphocyte counts.

RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 120 months, 6,936 all-cause deaths and 2,170 CVD deaths occurred. Higher eGDR was inversely associated with mortality (all-cause HR per 1-unit increase 0.90, 95% CI 0.88-0.92; CVD sHR 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.91), whereas higher log₂(AISI) was positively associated (all-cause HR per doubling 1.10, 95% CI 1.06-1.15; CVD sHR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06-1.20). In joint analyses, participants with low eGDR (≤ 8.40) and high log₂(AISI) (> 7.98) had the highest risks of all-cause mortality (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.38-1.81) and CVD mortality (cause-specific HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.58-2.77; Fine-Gray sHR 2.13, 95% CI 1.66-2.74), with graded separation of CIFs (Gray’s test P < 0.001). The combined model showed improved discrimination (AUCs at 5/10 years: all-cause 0.705/0.723; CVD 0.754/0.769). Results were consistent across sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSION: In a nationally representative U.S. cohort, eGDR and log₂(AISI) were independently and jointly associated with all-cause and CVD mortality. Their combined assessment improves risk stratification and may help identify individuals most likely to benefit from targeted preventive and anti-inflammatory strategies.

PMID:41572288 | DOI:10.1186/s12933-025-03073-0

J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2026 Jan 22;23(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s12984-025-01829-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Digital health technologies (DHTs) can quantify movements in daily routines but rely heavily on participant adherence over prolonged wear times.

METHODS: We analyzed accelerometry data from wrist-worn devices during short at-home episodes of prescribed exercises performed by 329 individuals living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a longitudinal study. We developed an automated and interpretable signal processing method to estimate four metrics describing exercise repetitions, i.e., their count, duration, intensity, and similarity. We examined their associations with time elapsed from enrollment and ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) using linear mixed effect models. We also compared them with previously validated free-living metrics that require substantial sensor wear-time. Finally, we studied how many repetitions are sufficient to determine participants’ upper limb functioning.

RESULTS: Three out of four exercise metrics (all but count) demonstrated significant association with ALSFRS-R outcomes. The duration of exercise repetitions increased, while intensity and similarity of movement decreased over time (all p-value < 0.001), indicating longer but less vigorous and less consistent upper limb movements over time. Exercise intensity was determined as the most robust exercise-based predictor of changes in upper limb function, and it was comparable to free-living metrics, which required at 21 h of sensor wear time (R-squared 0.899 vs. 0.860, respectively). Sensitivity analysis indicated that as few as five exercise repetitions were sufficient to yield statistically significant associations with ALSFRS-R.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that prescribed exercise can effectively quantify upper limb function and track longitudinal decline comparably to free-living observation. The proposed method may serve as an alternative that decreases participation burden, increases study adherence, and extends diagnostic accessibility.

PMID:41572285 | DOI:10.1186/s12984-025-01829-z

BMC Vet Res. 2026 Jan 23. doi: 10.1186/s12917-026-05303-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) induces immunosuppression in affected cats, increasing susceptibility to chronic and secondary infections. Rapid and accurate detection of FIV-specific antibodies is essential for effective clinical management and epidemiological monitoring. This study conducted a comparative evaluation of nine commercially available lateral flow assays (LFAs) for detecting FIV antibodies in whole blood, serum, or plasma, using a newly developed in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a reference method. All tested LFAs demonstrated 100% specificity. While Vet Expert new and VetFor achieved 100% across all metrics indicating the best performance, formal statistical comparison did not reveal significant differences between the evaluated kits. Overall, the results confirm that all tested LFAs offer comparable reliability. Importantly, our in-house ELISA exhibited 100% concordance for positive samples with the commercial ELISA treated as the reference standard, confirming its reliability as a comparator. These findings emphasize the importance of selecting high-performing diagnostic tools to ensure reliable FIV detection and effective disease control strategies.

PMID:41572271 | DOI:10.1186/s12917-026-05303-3

BMC Med. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1186/s12916-026-04649-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The anatomical and pathophysiological characteristics of coronary artery disease vary between the sexes. This study investigated the impact of sex on outcomes in patients with de novo coronary artery lesions treated with drug-coated balloons (DCB) or drug-eluting stents (DES).

METHODS: REC-CAGEFREE I was an investigator-initiated, non-inferiority trial conducted at 43 sites in China from Feb 5, 2021, to May 1, 2022, which randomized 2,272 patients for treating de novo coronary lesions, regardless of vessel diameter. After successful lesion pre-dilatation, eligible patients were randomized (1:1) to either DCB angioplasty with the option of rescue stenting or intended DES deployment. In this prespecified subgroup analysis, patients were analyzed by sex based on their medical records. The primary endpoint was device-oriented composite endpoint (DoCE), including cardiovascular death, target-vessel myocardial infarction, and clinically and physiologically indicated target lesion revascularization at 2 years. Between-group differences were compared by Cox proportional-hazards models, and imbalances in baseline characteristics were adjusted with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). The analyses were conducted in the intention-to-treat population.

RESULTS: A total of 2,272 participants underwent randomization, of which 698 (30.7%) were female and 1,574 (69.3%) were male. At 2 years, no statistically significant differences in the incidence of DoCE were observed between sexes (36 [5.2%] for females and 74 [4.7%] for males, HR_IPTW:1.04, 95%CI:0.67 to 1.61, P = 0.877). Compared with DES, DCB was associated with a numerically higher risk of DoCE in females (6.3% versus 3.9%, HR_IPTW:1.55, 95%CI:0.78 to 3.11, P = 0.210) and a statistically significant higher risk in males (6.4% versus 3.1%, HR_IPTW:2.28, 95%CI:1.40 to 3.70, P = 0.001), respectively, with no significant sex-by-treatment (DCB/DES) interaction observed (P_interaction = 0.575). The prognosis of DCB and DES differed significantly between small vessel disease (SVD) and non-SVD among females (P_interaction = 0.007), but not among males (P_interaction = 0.408).

CONCLUSIONS: For patients with de novo, non-complex coronary artery disease, DCB was associated with a significantly higher risk of 2-year DoCE compared with DES in males, whereas a consistent but non-significant trend was observed in females.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04561739.

PMID:41572254 | DOI:10.1186/s12916-026-04649-7