BMC Nutr. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s40795-026-01322-3. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41981659 | DOI:10.1186/s40795-026-01322-3
Category: Statistics
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Syst Rev. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s13643-026-03175-0. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cancers of the oesophagus, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), and proximal stomach share epidemiological, molecular, and therapeutic characteristics. Despite their similarities, treatment guidelines vary, and the classification of GEJ tumours remains debated. While multiple meta-analyses have addressed subsets of these malignancies, a comprehensive synthesis comparing all treatment modalities across this disease spectrum is lacking. This study aims to perform a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the overall survival outcomes of different treatment modalities, including surgery, chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, immunotherapy, and multimodal approaches, in patients with oesophageal, GEJ, and gastric cancers.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a systematic literature search in MEDLINE (PubMed) and The Cochrane Library (CENTRAL) without date restrictions. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing eligible treatments will be included. The primary outcome will be overall survival, defined as time from diagnosis to death from any cause. Secondary outcomes will include progression-free survival, disease-specific survival, dropout rates, treatment-related adverse effects, patterns of relapse, R0 resection rates, surgical morbidity, and mortality. We will look for individual patient data (IPD) from primary studies’ authors and registries. We will assess risk of bias with the Cochrane risk of bias RoB2 tool. We plan to present each pairwise comparison with risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals from random-effects meta-analysis. A random-effects NMA model will simultaneously compare all treatments in the network. We will rank interventions using P-scores. In case we manage to access IPD and we believe the transitivity assumption does not hold for a specific comparison (or we have a disconnected network), we will use population adjustment methods to estimate an indirect treatment comparison. We will apply CINeMA to assess confidence in the findings and we will report results according to PRISMA-NMA.
DISCUSSION: Neoplasms of the oesophagus, the gastroesophageal junction, and the stomach are increasingly being studied together in clinical trials, a trend driven by continuous research on their molecular characteristics and shared therapeutic patterns. This NMA aims to pool evidence employing recent advances in meta-analytic models and critically assess the confidence in the results by implementing the CINeMA approach.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Registered in PROSPERO (CRD42025634169).
PMID:41981647 | DOI:10.1186/s13643-026-03175-0
Arthroplasty. 2026 Apr 14;8(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s42836-026-00384-9.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Conventional robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) relies on rigid limb fixation to suppress intra-operative motion, adding complexity and potential inefficiency. A novel motion-following control system dynamically compensates for limb movement, allowing real-time adjustment of the tool-bone relationship without immobilization. This study evaluated whether motion-following improves efficiency and osteotomy accuracy while preserving alignment and early function.
METHODS: Sixty consecutive primary RA-TKA cases performed with the SkyWalker robotic platform (MicroPort, Shanghai, China) between September 2022 and August 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. Thirty procedures used conventional rigid fixation (control group) and thirty employed motion-following tracking (motion-Following group). Primary endpoints were operative time and resection thickness error, measured intraoperatively with a caliper. Secondary outcomes included coronal alignment assessed by HKA (hip-knee-ankle angle), CFCA (coronal femoral component angle), and CTCA (coronal tibial component angle), as well as functional recovery assessed by WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) at 6 months. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation unless otherwise specified.
RESULTS: Mean operative time was shorter with motion-following (118.8 ± 9.3 min) than with conventional fixation (133.9 ± 11.9 min; p < 0.001). Mean resection-thickness error was lower with motion-following (0.53 mm vs 0.82 mm), with 93.9% versus 68.3% of cuts within ≤ 1 mm. At the plane level, motion-following achieved smaller errors on all six surfaces, with four planes: DF-M (distal femur medial), distal femur lateral (DF-L), posterior femur medial (PF-M), and tibial plateau lateral (TP-L) reaching statistical significance (p < 0.05). Post-operative coronal alignment closely reproduced the pre-operative plan in both groups, with mean deviations of approximately 1° across all parameters and no statistically significant between-group differences. WOMAC scores improved substantially in both groups, with no significant between-group difference (ΔWOMAC 32.8 ± 8.5 vs 30.1 ± 7.9; p = 0.21).
CONCLUSIONS: Motion-following robotic control streamlines TKA by eliminating rigid fixation, improving workflow efficiency, and slightly enhancing osteotomy precision without compromising alignment or recovery. This dynamic, real-time tracking approach refines execution of the surgical plan and may represent a meaningful evolution toward more efficient, surgeon-friendly robotic arthroplasty.
PMID:41981645 | DOI:10.1186/s42836-026-00384-9
BMC Womens Health. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12905-026-04455-6. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41981623 | DOI:10.1186/s12905-026-04455-6
BMC Med Educ. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12909-026-09163-1. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41981561 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-026-09163-1
BMC Health Serv Res. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12913-026-14526-x. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41981551 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-026-14526-x
BMC Public Health. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-27349-6. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41981550 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-026-27349-6
BMC Pulm Med. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12890-026-04296-x. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41981536 | DOI:10.1186/s12890-026-04296-x
BMC Cancer. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12885-026-16027-w. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41981503 | DOI:10.1186/s12885-026-16027-w
Zhongguo Xiu Fu Chong Jian Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2026 Apr 15;40(4):533-539. doi: 10.7507/1002-1892.202512049.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of preoperative lower-limb muscle strength on perioperative blood loss, postoperative pain, and functional recovery in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 380 patients who underwent TKA and met the selection criteria between February 2023 and December 2024. Based on the gender-specific median of standardized preoperative lower-limb extensor isokinetic muscle strength (IMS), the patients were divided into a low-extensor strength group and a high-extensor strength group, with 190 cases in each group. The following data of the two groups were collected and compared, including age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, surgical side, length of hospital stay, Kellgren-Lawrence grade, perioperative parameters [including hematocrit (Hct) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels within 1 week preoperatively and 2-3 days postoperatively, with the calculation of Hct loss and Hb loss (the difference between the pre- and post-operative measurements), and whether intraoperative allogeneic blood transfusion was performed], preoperative knee flexion and extension IMS, 5-time sit-to-stand (5-STS) test within 2 weeks preoperatively, as well as visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain and active range of motion (AROM) within 2 weeks preoperatively and 1 day postoperatively. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between preoperative lower-limb extensor IMS and TBL. Through multiple linear regression analysis, the effect of IMS on TBL was further explored after adjusting for confounding factors such as age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in age, gender, body mass index, surgical side, Kellgren-Lawrence grade, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, preoperative Hct and Hb levels, intraoperative allogeneic blood transfusion rate, and changes in VAS scores ( P>0.05). The high-extensor strength group was superior to the low-extensor strength group in preoperative VAS scores, AROM, 5-STS, as well as postoperative Hct and Hb loss, and the changes of AROM and TBL were less than those in the low-extensor strength group, with all differences being significant ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between preoperative lower-limb extensor IMS and TBL ( r=-0.460, P=0.043). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that after adjustment, a lower TBL was associated with a higher preoperative lower-limb extensor IMS. Specifically, for every 1 N·m increase in preoperative lower-limb extensor IMS, TBL decreased by 9.973 mL. TBL was not significantly affected by other factors such as age, body mass index, and comorbidities.
CONCLUSION: Higher preoperative lower-limb muscle strength is associated with reduced intraoperative blood loss during TKA and improved postoperative pain relief and functional recovery. These findings highlight the critical role of preoperative muscle strength management, providing scientific evidence for designing standardized postoperative rehabilitation protocols and offering guidance for optimizing surgical timing to maximize recovery outcomes.
PMID:41981424 | DOI:10.7507/1002-1892.202512049