Category: Nevin Manimala

Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 20;15(1):30502. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-16364-z.

ABSTRACT

Accurate estimation of the evaporation is of great significance for the management of limited agricultural water resources. However, developing highly accurate and universal data- driven models using time-series analysis methods to achieve precise evaporation estimation remains a challenging. Specifically, integrating meta-heuristic algorithms, ensemble deep learning models, and data preprocessing techniques for evaporation prediction is notably scarce. The aim of this paper was to employ time series analysis methods to develop data-driven model with high accuracy and universality to realize accurate estimation of evaporation. To achieve this purpose, the Convolutional neural network (CNN) was integrated with Bidirectional long short-term memory network (BiLSTM) as main estimating module, and the Sparrow search algorithm (SSA) was employed to search the optimal hyperparameters of CNN-BiLSTM. To overcome the drawback that directly using measured evaporation time series to predict evaporation may lead to large error, the Variational mode decomposition (VMD) was used to extract multiscale traits of evaporation time series, and Whale optimization algorithm (WOA) was adopted to find the optimal parameters of VMD, and a novel hybrid deep learning model WOA-VMD-CNN-SSA-BiLSTM was proposed to estimate the evaporation in the Linze County, China. The estimating performance was evaluated by using the statistical accuracy metrics, including R², the mean squared error (MSE), the mean absolute error (MAE), the root mean squared error (RMSE), and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The results show that the Sample entropy (SEn) remains 0.0832 when the optimal values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of VMD are 6 and 0.1773, suggesting that VMD optimized by using WOA effectively overcomes the subjectivity in traditional VMD parameter setting and realizes amplitude-dependent feature extraction of evaporation time series in the study area. In addition, the model performance of CNN-SSA-BiLSTM can be significantly improved by coupling CNN-SSA-BiLSTM with WOA-VMD, and the hybrid model WOA-VMD-SSA-CNN-BiLSTM with MSE = 0.1258, RMSE = 0.3547, MAE = 0.2833, and MAPE = 6.17% in testing stage is superior than other hybrid models and ensemble models, which could be highly recommended for estimating evaporation in study area.

PMID:40836003 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-16364-z

Burns. 2025 Aug 6;51(8):107644. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2025.107644. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: For many burn survivors, the symptomatic burn scarring can limit the functionality and compromise the quality of life. Various modalities have been in use over the years to minimize the scar-related distress of the patients but none effective in totality. Due to availability of sparse data on efficacy of a most potent combination therapy, we used split-scar technique to compare Er:YAG and triamcinolone versus triamcinolone alone.

METHODS: The study was a prospective, interventional, double blind, parallel, two-arm, randomized controlled trial including 34 patients from November 2022 to April 2024. Scars were divided into two halves using lottery system; one half was given Er:YAG laser along with intralesional triamcinolone (group A) while the other half was given Er:YAG laser alone (group B). Results were compared objectively by measuring the decrease in thickness and subjectively on UNC4P scar scale and patient satisfaction index.

RESULTS: In group A, 52.9 % (n = 18) achieved > 75 % reduction in thickness as compared to 26.5 % (n = 9) in group B (p < .05). UNC4P scar scale revealed better symptomatic relief in the scars of group A and the difference was found statistically significant for pruritus, paraesthesia, and pliability; and comparable for pain. Patient satisfaction index was also higher in group A.

CONCLUSION: A combination treatment of Er:YAG laser along with intralesional corticosteroid is more efficacious in improving the scar thickness and providing symptomatic relief, better safety profile and improved patient satisfaction–thereby establishing it as a better modality of treatment compared to laser monotherapy of scars.

PMID:40834485 | DOI:10.1016/j.burns.2025.107644

Burns. 2025 Aug 5;51(8):107650. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2025.107650. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Burn injuries significantly impact quality of life and physical functionality. Early, accurate evaluation of burn wounds is essential, yet assessing burns remains a challenge, especially for non-specialists. This pilot study examines the efficacy of an AI-powered diagnostic tool using multispectral imaging (MSI) to help medical teams determine whether conservative or surgical management is required for burn wounds.

METHODS: Thirty-one acute burn wounds in adult patients (within 7 days of injury) were assessed at a super-regional burn center. Clinical examinations were performed by an experienced burn doctor, with two adjunct devices used: the AI-driven MSI DeepView SnapShot Imaging (Version 1.0.1) and the Moor Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) device, as per NICE recommendations. Wounds on the face, hands, feet, and genitals were excluded. Predictive outcomes from MSI and LDI were compared to final clinical management decisions.

RESULTS: MSI predicted clinical outcomes in 58 % of cases, while LDI achieved 90 % accuracy. Concordance between MSI and LDI was observed in 52 % of cases, with a statistically significant difference between their outcomes (McNemar’s test p = 0.012).

CONCLUSION: This study highlights the potential of AI in burn wound management. However, the binary classification of current AI models may not fully address the complexities of burn healing. The observed accuracy suggests limitations in AI’s ability to capture the multifactorial nature of burn wounds, indicating the need for further refinement and collaboration with clinical expertise.

PMID:40834474 | DOI:10.1016/j.burns.2025.107650

Burns. 2025 Jul 21;51(8):107626. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2025.107626. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are frequently observed following perineal burn injuries, but their long-term clinical implications and predictors of prognosis remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of newly developed LUTS in patients with perineal burns and to identify factors associated with persistent symptoms.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 172 patients who were admitted to a burn center with perineal burns and subsequently referred to the urology department for evaluation of new-onset LUTS between August 2010 and December 2023. LUTS were evaluated at the time of urologic referral using available clinical data. Patients were categorized into transient and persistent symptom groups based on whether pharmacologic treatment was required beyond 3 months. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors.

RESULTS: The most common LUTS were urinary frequency (44.2 %), nocturia (28.5 %), and incomplete bladder emptying (25.6 %). Storage symptoms were observed in 64.5 % of patients, while voiding symptoms were noted in 58.1 %. Most patients showed symptom resolution with short-term standard treatment. However, 30 % experienced persistent LUTS beyond 3 months, requiring continued pharmacologic therapy. Eleven patients (6.4 %) ultimately needed catheter-based management. Among burn-related factors, electrical burns were independently associated with persistent LUTS (OR 7.7, 95 % CI 2.3-26.0, p = 0.001), whereas other variables were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: LUTS following perineal burns generally resolve with short-term treatment, but a substantial proportion of patients experience persistent symptoms requiring long-term care. Early identification and management are particularly important in patients with electrical burns.

PMID:40834473 | DOI:10.1016/j.burns.2025.107626

Geriatr Nurs. 2025 Aug 19;66(Pt A):103581. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.103581. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study applied MICT, EFT and their combination (MICT and EFT) to COPD patients with fatigue through factorial design analysis method, aiming to explore non-drug management strategies that are more conducive to relieving fatigue in COPD patients. This study had a total of 112 participants. Patients were randomly divided into Control group, MICT group, EFT group and Combination group (MICT-plus-EFT group) by random number table method. The intervention duration was 8 weeks. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in fatigue scores, anxiety and depression scores, sleep quality scores, and 6MWT scores among the four groups at T₁, T₂, and T₃(P<0.05). The results of factorial analysis showed that there was no significant interaction between MICT and EFT on fatigue score, HADS score, PSQI score and 6WMT.The overall effect of the combined intervention was better than that of the single intervention, but the effect of the combined intervention may simply be the superposition of the effects of the two measures.

PMID:40834442 | DOI:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.103581

Geriatr Nurs. 2025 Aug 19;66(Pt A):103556. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.103556. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Evidence-based development and empirical application of a discharge preparation service program for cataract day surgery patients.

METHODS: Evidence-based construction of a discharge preparation service programme for cataract day surgery patients. Using the convenience sampling method, 84 patients undergoing cataract day surgery in July-August 2024 were divided into a control group and an intervention group; Comparing the level of readiness for hospital discharge, quality of discharge teaching, caregiver preparedness, patients’ ability to self-care, complication rate and unplanned readmission rate 1 month post-discharge between the two groups.

RESULTS: The intervention group scored higher than the control group in terms of readiness for hospital discharge, quality of discharge teaching, caregiver readiness, and patient self-care ability (P < 0.05), but the differences in post-discharge complications and unplanned readmissions were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Evidence-based construction of a discharge preparation service programme for cataract day surgery patients has good practical value.

PMID:40834438 | DOI:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2025.103556

Epilepsia Open. 2025 Aug 20. doi: 10.1002/epi4.70119. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to predict the side of epilepsy as well as the pre- and postoperative verbal and nonverbal memory performance in a cohort of left and right temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients based on hippocampal activations during three different memory fMRI tasks (verbal, nonverbal and combined verbal and nonverbal) using support vector machines (SVM).

METHODS: Thirty-five patients with unilateral TLE (20 left) were investigated before mesial temporal resection using a verbal, a nonverbal, and a face-name (combined verbal and nonverbal) memory fMRI paradigm. SVM was used to test whether voxel-by-voxel activation patterns within the bilateral hippocampus during each of the three paradigms can be used to classify TLE patients according to their side of epilepsy, preoperative and postoperative verbal and nonverbal memory outcome.

RESULTS: Classification accuracy regarding the side of epilepsy was best for the face-name paradigm closely followed by the verbal paradigm. Classification accuracy of the preoperative verbal memory performance was formally statistically significant for all three paradigms, but specificities were low. Regarding the preoperative nonverbal memory performance, activations during the nonverbal and the verbal paradigm provided high prediction accuracies. The results regarding the postoperative memory outcome revealed that activations during the verbal paradigm can be used to predict postoperative verbal memory outcome, whereas activations during the nonverbal paradigm can be used for the prediction of the nonverbal memory outcome. Preoperative activations during the face-name paradigm were able to predict both the verbal and the nonverbal postoperative memory outcome.

SIGNIFICANCE: It is possible to classify TLE patients according to their side of epilepsy as well as their postoperative memory performance using SVM based on hippocampal activations during task-based memory fMRI. The highest classification accuracies were obtained for the face-name paradigm, suggesting this combined verbal and nonverbal paradigm to be most suitable to address these clinical questions. However, further validation in a larger cohort would be necessary.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: This study aims to investigate whether it is possible to predict the side of epilepsy as well as the preoperative and postoperative verbal and nonverbal memory performance in left and right temporal lobe epilepsy patients using support vector machines (a machine learning technique) based on hippocampal activations during three different memory fMRI tasks. Results showed that classification of patients according to their side of epilepsy and their postoperative memory performance is possible, with the highest classification accuracies being obtained using a face-name association task.

PMID:40834432 | DOI:10.1002/epi4.70119

JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2025 Aug 20;11:e76465. doi: 10.2196/76465.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations have diverse cultural, immigration, and sociodemographic characteristics. Aggregated data could mask substantial differences in substance use between cultural subgroups in this population. Yet, studies examining substance use among the AANHPI population are limited.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe cigarette, cannabis, and alcohol use among AANHPI adults by cultural subgroup and sex.

METHODS: We analyzed data from 3411 AANHPI respondents of a multilingual national survey “COMPASS” during December 2021-May 2022. Primary outcomes were self-report current (every day or some days) use of cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol. Cultural subgroups included Asian Indian, Ethnic Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Vietnamese, other cultural groups, and multicultural groups. Other covariates include sex, other sociodemographics, experiences of discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale), and mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire 4). Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine correlates of each substance use among AANHPI adults.

RESULTS: The prevalence of current cigarette, cannabis, and alcohol use was 4.2% (142/3359), 5.5% (184/3235) and 37.6% (1265/3361), respectively. Cigarette use ranged from 1.0% (1/100) in Asian Indian females to 14.8% (10/71) in multicultural males. Cannabis use ranged from 1.9% among Asian Indian (1/53) and Vietnamese males (4/211) to 15.7% (11/70) in multicultural females. Alcohol use varied from 6.6% (4/61) in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander females to 56.3% (40/71) among multicultural males. Male participants with elevated depression and anxiety symptoms were more likely to report using all 3 substances than males with minimal symptoms. However, depression and anxiety symptoms were only associated with cannabis and alcohol use among female participants. US-born female participants were more likely to report using all 3 substances compared to foreign-born females, while being US-born was only associated with higher odds of alcohol use among males. Perceived discriminatory experience was associated with higher odds of smoking in both sexes and alcohol drinking in males.

CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking, cannabis, and alcohol use varied widely across AANHPI cultural groups, between and within each sex. These findings underscore the necessity to disaggregate data for substance use behaviors to guide health policy and intervention programs for AANHPI adults.

PMID:40834431 | DOI:10.2196/76465

JMIR Biomed Eng. 2025 Aug 20;10:e70938. doi: 10.2196/70938.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Accurately assessing pain severity is essential for effective pain treatment and desirable patient outcomes. In clinical settings, pain intensity assessment relies on self-reporting methods, which are subjective to individuals and impractical for noncommunicative or critically ill patients. Previous studies have attempted to measure pain objectively using physiological responses to an external pain stimulus, assuming that the participant is free of internal body pain. However, this approach does not reflect the situation in a clinical setting, where a patient subjected to an external pain stimulus may already be experiencing internal body pain.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the hypothesis that an individual’s physiological response to external pain varies in the presence of preexisting pain.

METHODS: We recruited 39 healthy participants aged 22-37 years, including 23 female and 16 male participants. Physiological signals, electrodermal activity, and electromyography were recorded while participants were subject to a combination of preexisting heat pain and cold pain stimuli. Feature engineering methods were applied to extract time-series features, and statistical analysis using ANOVA was conducted to assess significance.

RESULTS: We found that the preexisting pain influences the body’s physiological responses to an external pain stimulus. Several features-particularly those related to temporal statistics, successive differences, and distributions-showed statistically significant variation across varying preexisting pain conditions, with P values <.05 depending on the feature and stimulus.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that preexisting pain alters the body’s physiological response to new pain stimuli, highlighting the importance of considering pain history in objective pain assessment models.

PMID:40834427 | DOI:10.2196/70938

JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2025 Aug 20;11:e71494. doi: 10.2196/71494.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs have been implemented in multiple countries. Evidence from clinical trials and cohort studies has proven the safety and effectiveness of PrEP. However, minimizing drug-related adverse effects and cost should be primarily considered in PrEP. Most trials used tenofovir combined with emtricitabine as the intervention; yet, the use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) (ie, Tenofovir) alone has not been thoroughly evaluated. Furthermore, the medication regimen in most trials was used every day, with a few studies proposing an optimal medication regimen for PrEP.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to systematically evaluate the preventive efficacy and safety profile of TDF-based PrEP in the Chinese population. We also aimed to explore medication compliance, changes in sexual behavior, and hazard factors of HIV infection.

METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TDF for HIV PrEP. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to a time-driven group (TDF 300 mg administered orally once daily), an event-driven group (TDF 300 mg administered orally 24 to 48 h before sexual activity and 2 hours after sexual activity, not exceeding 300 mg within 24 h), or an untreated control group. The primary outcomes were the effectiveness and safety of TDF during periods of PrEP use. Secondary outcomes focused on the effectiveness of TDF among participants with good compliance during PrEP use. Tertiary outcomes included the risk factors of HIV infection and behavioral changes from PrEP initiation to the last visit. For ethical reasons, all participants received condoms and health education. This study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-TRC-13003849).

RESULTS: A total of 1914 participants underwent randomization. During the follow-up of 3513.5 person-years from June 2013 to May 2016, HIV seroconversion was observed in 30 persons (2.02 per 100 person-years) in the time-driven group (time-driven vs control group: hazard ratio [HR] 0.93, 95% CI 058-1.51; P=.78), 35 (1.73 per 100 person-years) in the event-driven group (event-driven group vs control group: HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.52-1.31; P=.42), and 37 (2.06 per 100 person-years) in the control group. Post hoc analysis showed that participants with good medication compliance reduced their HIV infection risk by 53% (P=.01) and event-driven medication with good compliance reduced the risk by 62% (P=.009). We recorded no severe adverse events during the trial. For tertiary outcomes, low medication compliance, sexual role, no condom use, and more number of sexual partners remained significantly associated with HIV risk.

CONCLUSIONS: The TDF-based PrEP is ineffective without good adherence. However, when medication compliance is achieved, event-driven dosing is recommended as an optimal PrEP regimen.

PMID:40834420 | DOI:10.2196/71494