Nevin Manimala

Res Q Exerc Sport. 2025 May 12:1-13. doi: 10.1080/02701367.2025.2478870. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The objective of the present study was to ascertain whether the association between moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) levels and individual, interpersonal, organizational, and environmental factors among school children is influenced by their attitudes toward emerging sports participants (ESP). To this end, machine learning (ML) was employed to analyze the data. This cross-sectional study, involved 655 child-parent pairs in Changsha City to assess children’s MVPA. Data were collected via self-administered questionnaires, evaluating MVPA levels and attitudes from children and caregivers. Various statistical models, including random forest and LASSO regression, were utilized for analysis. The study revealed that boys engaged in more MVPA than girls. Most participants liked ESP, with significant teacher support noted. Random forest and LASSO regression models identified key factors influencing MVPA, with notable variability among non-achievers. The gradient boosting machine and K-nearest neighbors models demonstrated similar predictive performance. The final model, comprising 37 parameters, indicated significant relationships between variables, particularly highlighting the importance of school offerings ESP and living near sports field. This study concludes that offering ESP in schools, along with positive modeling and encouragement from caregivers and peers, effectively enhances children’s participation in MVPA. Living near sports field also positively impacts MVPA levels.

PMID:40354575 | DOI:10.1080/02701367.2025.2478870

J Occup Environ Hyg. 2025 May 12:1-11. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2025.2496492. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the performance of the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) and Gesamtstaubprobenahme (GSP) personal inhalable aerosol samplers in measuring aerosol and soluble protein (SP) concentrations across 12 food industry environments. A total of 193 sampling pairs (GSP and IOM) were analyzed for inhalable aerosols, and 185 sampling pairs for SP. Median aerosol concentrations ranged from 0.2 mg/m³ in snacks, nuts, and chips production to 5.6 mg/m³ in spreads production. The IOM sample had a median aerosol concentration of 1.8 mg/m³, while the GSP had a slightly lower median of 1.4 mg/m³, generally collecting 17% less inhalable aerosol than the IOM in most environments. The IOM also included wall deposits in its gravimetric determinations, contributing an additional 10-30% to the overall aerosol concentrations. For SP concentrations, the IOM measured higher aerosol concentrations in environments with a particle size distribution dominated by larger particles, while the GSP showed higher SP concentrations in environments dominated by smaller, respirable particles. The Tobit mixed-effect models showed that the IOM had statistically significantly higher aerosol concentrations compared to the GSP, but significantly lower SP concentrations than the GSP. However, these differences between the samplers were relatively small, suggesting that in occupational hygiene practices, both samplers can be used.

PMID:40354574 | DOI:10.1080/15459624.2025.2496492

Scand J Work Environ Health. 2025 May 12:4230. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.4230. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to (i) examine variance in the prevalence of workplace violence and fear of violence in the United Kingdom by industrial sector and (ii) determine the mental health effects thereof using longitudinal data.

METHODS: We used the United Kingdom Household Panel Study (UKHLS), a nationally representative survey with mental health indicators collected annually allowing us to determine common mental disorders (CMD) at baseline, one year prior and one year later. Using weighted logistic regression and lagged dependent variable regression, we examined prevalence of violence and fear of violence by sector and the effect of violence on CMD risk. We supplemented our analyses with the views of those with lived experience.

RESULTS: Workers employed in public administration and facilities had the highest risks of workplace violence, with predicted probabilities (PP) of 0.138 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.116-0.160], and these were not statistically different from the second highest sector of health, residential care, and social work (PP 0.118, 95% CI 0.103-0.133). Workplace violence increased CMD risk [adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) 1.400, 95% CI 1.182-1.658] as did fear of violence at work (ORadj 2.103, 95% CI 1.779-2.487), adjusting for prior CMD. Moreover, the effect of violence and fear of violence on CMD remained when we investigated CMD one year later.

CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of workplace violence and fear of workplace violence was found in multiple different industrial sectors – >1 in 10 workers were exposed to violence in the last 12 months in 30% of sectors and >1 in 20 workers were exposed in 70% of sectors. Both violence and fear of violence were associated with enhanced CMD risk at baseline and one year later.

PMID:40354568 | DOI:10.5271/sjweh.4230

Age Ageing. 2025 May 3;54(5):afaf116. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afaf116.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Time to surgery (TTS) increases mortality risk in old patients with proximal femur fractures (PFFs). Orthogeriatric care pathways reduce mortality and length of stay, but the interaction between TTS and geriatric intervention remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE: To identify organisational variables-including geriatric intervention-that are predictive of 90-day mortality and explore their interactions with TTS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 7756 PFFs aged over 60 who underwent surgery between 2005 and 2017. Organisational factors influencing 90-day mortality (main outcome) were identified in an administrative database using log-rank tests. Variables such as a mobile geriatric team (MGT) intervening in the emergency department were screened. Selected variables were included in a Cox model alongside TTS and the AtoG score, a validated multidimensional prognostic tool (from 0 no comorbidity to ≥5). Statistical interactions between TTS and organisational variables were calculated.

RESULTS: MGT was one of the rare organisational variables with a protective effect: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.81, CI 95% [0.68-0.98], P = 0.03. MGT’s strongest effect was for TTS up to 1 day (HR = 0.70, CI95% [0.53-0.92], P = 0.01) and then decreased beyond 2 days (HR = 0.97, CI95% [0.73-1.3], P = 0.08). In patients with an AtoG score ≤ 2, MGT was the strongest parameter: HR = 0.76, CI95% [0.60-0.93], P = 0.03, while the HR for TTS was 1.01 CI 95% [0.99; 1.02], P = 0.15. In patients with an AtoG>2, there was a synergic interaction between MGT and reduced TTS (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Geriatric intervention modulated the effect of TTS on 90-day mortality up to a TTS of 2 days. MGT had a positive impact on both vulnerable and earthier patients.

PMID:40354561 | DOI:10.1093/ageing/afaf116

Annu Rev Nutr. 2025 May 12. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-111124-092627. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The US Department of Agriculture’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) funds produce prescription (PPR) programs that allow healthcare to support patients in accessing fruits and vegetables. This hybrid systematic narrative review identified 16 studies of PPR programs associated with GusNIP funding in some way that examined health outcomes, including clinical measures and healthcare utilization. Program designs were heterogeneous, sample sizes were generally small, and methodological rigor was often low, with most studies using a prepost design and none using a randomized control group. Fewer than half of the studies examining clinical values showed an association between PPR participation and improved health outcomes (for example, three of eight studies measuring weight or body mass index showed a statistically significant reduction, as well as two of the six studies measuring glycosylated hemoglobin). Only three studies examined healthcare utilization, two of which showed improvements in hospitalization and/or emergency department utilization. Overall, evidence for the health impact of PPRs is nascent but growing. PPRs with capacity should engage in rigorous study designs and examine a variety of downstream health and utilization outcomes.

PMID:40354556 | DOI:10.1146/annurev-nutr-111124-092627

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 May 20;122(20):e2409426122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2409426122. Epub 2025 May 12.

ABSTRACT

Intermolecular interactions underlie all cellular functions, yet visualizing these interactions at the single-molecule level remains challenging. Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) offers a potential solution. Given a nanoscale map of two putative interaction partners, it should be possible to assign molecules either to the class of coupled pairs or to the class of noncoupled bystanders. Here, we developed a probabilistic algorithm that allows accurate determination of both the absolute number and the proportion of molecules that form coupled pairs. The algorithm calculates interaction probabilities for all possible pairs of localized molecules, selects the most likely interaction set, and corrects for any spurious colocalizations. Benchmarking this approach across a set of simulated molecular localization maps with varying densities (up to ∼55 molecules μm^-2) and localization precisions (1 to 50 nm) showed typical errors in the identification of correct pairs of only a few percent. At molecular densities of ∼5 to 10 molecules μm^-2 and localization precisions of 20 to 30 nm, which are typical parameters for SMLM imaging, the recall was ∼90%. The algorithm was effective at differentiating between noninteracting and coupled molecules both in simulations and experiments. Finally, it correctly inferred the number of coupled pairs over time in a simulated reaction-diffusion system, enabling determination of the underlying rate constants. The proposed approach promises to enable direct visualization and quantification of intermolecular interactions using SMLM.

PMID:40354526 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2409426122

PLoS One. 2025 May 12;20(5):e0319784. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319784. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Many datasets in medicine and other branches of science are incomplete. In this article we compare various imputation algorithms for missing data.

OBJECTIVES: We take the point of view that it has already been decided that the imputation should be carried out using multiple imputation by chained equation and the only decision left is that of a subroutine for the one-dimensional imputations. The subroutines to be compared are predictive mean matching, weighted predictive mean matching, sampling, classification or regression trees and random forests.

METHODS: We compare these subroutines on real data and on simulated data. We consider the estimation of expected values, variances and coefficients of linear regression models, logistic regression models and Cox regression models. As real data we use data of the survival times after the diagnosis of an obstructive coronary artery disease with systolic blood pressure, LDL, diabetes, smoking behavior and family history of premature heart diseases as variables for which values have to be imputed. While we are mainly interested in statistical properties like biases, mean squared errors or coverage probabilities of confidence intervals, we also have an eye on the computation time.

RESULTS: Weighted predictive mean matching had to be excluded from the statistical comparison due to its enormous computation time. Among the remaining algorithms, in most situations we tested, predictive mean matching performed best.

NOVELTY: This is by far the largest comparison study for subroutines of multiple imputation by chained equations that has been performed up to now.

PMID:40354495 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0319784

PLoS Comput Biol. 2025 May 12;21(5):e1013098. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013098. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) is the process of systematically determining and characterizing the degree of confidence in computational model predictions. In systems biology, and particularly with dynamic models, UQ is critical due to the nonlinearities and parameter sensitivities that influence the behavior of complex biological systems. Addressing these issues through robust UQ enables a deeper understanding of system dynamics and more reliable extrapolation beyond observed conditions. Many state-of-the-art UQ approaches in this field are grounded in Bayesian statistical methods. While these frameworks naturally incorporate uncertainty quantification, they often require the specification of parameter distributions as priors and may impose parametric assumptions that do not always reflect biological reality. Additionally, Bayesian methods can be computationally expensive, posing significant challenges when dealing with large-scale models and seeking rapid, reliable uncertainty calibration. As an alternative, we propose using conformal predictions methods and introduce two novel algorithms designed for dynamic biological systems. These approaches can provide non-asymptotic guarantees, improving robustness and scalability across various applications, even when the predictive models are misspecified. Through several illustrative scenarios, we demonstrate that these conformal algorithms can serve as powerful complements-or even alternatives-to conventional Bayesian methods, delivering effective uncertainty quantification for predictive tasks in systems biology.

PMID:40354480 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013098

PLoS One. 2025 May 12;20(5):e0323618. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323618. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Kidney disease is prevalent among people living with HIV (PLHIV), especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), due to complications of HIV infection, co-morbidities, and antiretroviral therapy (ART). Despite SSA shouldering a disproportionate burden of HIV, there is limited data on the effect of clinical and demographic factors on the kidney with the introduction of the Test and Treat policy. This study aimed to determine the incidence and factors associated with kidney impairment among PLHIV on ART in the Southern Province of Zambia.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among 1216 adult individuals living with HIV who initiated ART between January 1, 2014, and July 31, 2016 [before test-and-treat cohort (BTT), n = 814] and August 1, 2016, and October 1, 2020 [after test-and-treat cohort (ATT), n = 402] without kidney function impairment at baseline, followed for 6 months in 12 districts of the Southern Province. The primary outcome was kidney function impairment, defined by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of < 60 ml/min/1.73m² estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. We used multivariable logistic regression (xtlogit model) to identify factors associated with kidney function impairment. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: The median age was 36.4 years (interquartile range (IQR): 29.9, 43.3), and the majority of participants were women (57.2%, n = 695). Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) and XTC exposure was noted among 1,173/1216 (96.5%) enrolled participants and 92.9% (26/28)of those with renal impairment. The overall cumulative incidence of kidney impairment was 2.3% (n = 28/1216: 95% confidence interval (CI) 3%, 5%), and it was higher BTT compared to the ATT (2.8% vs. 1.2%). Every unit increase in age was associated with an increased odds of having kidney function impairment (adjusted odds ratio (AOR):1.05, 95% CI: 1.01-1.09, p = 0.008).. Participants from urban facilities also had a higher risk (AOR: 5.14, 95% CI: 1.95-13.55, p < 0.001). In contrast, being enrolled after the implementation of the “test-and-treat” policy was associated with lower odds of having kidney function impairment (AOR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.12-0.97, p = 0.042).

CONCLUSIONS: This study found a 2.3% incidence of kidney function impairment among PLHIV within 6 months of initiating ART. An increase in age and receiving care at an urban facility were positively associated with kidney function impairment, whereas ART enrollment following the implementation of the “test-and-treat” policy was negatively associated. This study highlights the benefits of early ART initiation on kidney function, reinforcing the need to maintain the universal test-and-treat policy.

PMID:40354477 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0323618

Elife. 2025 May 12;13:RP100840. doi: 10.7554/eLife.100840.

ABSTRACT

Understanding brain function relies on the collective work of many labs generating reproducible results. However, reproducibility has not been systematically assessed within the context of electrophysiological recordings during cognitive behaviors. To address this, we formed a multi-lab collaboration using a shared, open-source behavioral task and experimental apparatus. Experimenters in 10 laboratories repeatedly targeted Neuropixels probes to the same location (spanning secondary visual areas, hippocampus, and thalamus) in mice making decisions; this generated a total of 121 experimental replicates, a unique dataset for evaluating reproducibility of electrophysiology experiments. Despite standardizing both behavioral and electrophysiological procedures, some experimental outcomes were highly variable. A closer analysis uncovered that variability in electrode targeting hindered reproducibility, as did the limited statistical power of some routinely used electrophysiological analyses, such as single-neuron tests of modulation by individual task parameters. Reproducibility was enhanced by histological and electrophysiological quality-control criteria. Our observations suggest that data from systems neuroscience is vulnerable to a lack of reproducibility, but that across-lab standardization, including metrics we propose, can serve to mitigate this.

PMID:40354112 | DOI:10.7554/eLife.100840