J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 Jun 11:djag180. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djag180. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:42283081 | DOI:10.1093/jnci/djag180
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Int Health. 2026 Jun 12:ihag056. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihag056. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Micronutrient deficiencies in vitamin A, iron and zinc continue to threaten the growth, immunity and cognitive development of school-age children (SAC) in low- and middle-income countries. However, infection-related distortion of micronutrient biomarkers and limited evidence leave the burden and determinants in Malawi insufficiently understood. This study investigated the relationships between infection, inflammation and indicators of micronutrient status including retinol-binding protein (RBP), ferritin and zinc among SAC in Malawi.
METHODS: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2015-2016 Malawi Micronutrient Survey was conducted. Infection and inflammation were assessed using caregiver-reported illness, malaria testing, haematuria, C-reactive protein (CRP) and α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed. Multivariable generalized linear models were used to examine associations between infection and inflammation indicators and micronutrient biomarkers (RBP, inflammation-adjusted ferritin and serum zinc) while controlling for demographic, nutritional and household covariates. All analyses were conducted using R version 4.3.0.
RESULTS: Elevated CRP and AGP were significantly associated with lower RBP and zinc concentrations and with higher ferritin levels. Recent fever and malaria positivity were also associated with alterations in micronutrient biomarker concentrations. Older children (11-14 y) had higher RBP levels. Regional differences were observed, with children in the Central and Southern regions showing lower RBP and ferritin compared with those in the Northern region.
CONCLUSIONS: Infection and inflammation are important determinants of micronutrient biomarker concentrations among SAC in Malawi. These findings highlight the importance of adjusting micronutrient assessments for inflammation and strengthening integrated public health strategies that combine micronutrient interventions with infection prevention and control to improve child nutritional status.
PMID:42283074 | DOI:10.1093/inthealth/ihag056
Pract Lab Med. 2026 Jun 1;50:e00542. doi: 10.1016/j.plabm.2026.e00542. eCollection 2026 Jul.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution characteristics of potential high-risk pathogens for early-onset neonatal infection in maternal vaginal secretions, and to perform a head-to-head comparative evaluation of detection performance for target pathogens between metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), with conventional bacterial culture as the reference standard.
METHODS: A total of 294 valid maternal vaginal secretion samples were prospectively collected and tested in parallel using qPCR, mNGS, and conventional bacterial culture. The Chi-square test was used to compare the differences in pathogen detection rates among the three methods. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (CI), to systematically evaluate the detection performance of the two methods for target pathogens.
RESULTS: The spectrum of potential early-onset neonatal pathogens in maternal vaginal secretions, ranked by detection rate, was as follows: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter fetus. The detection rates of these target pathogens by qPCR, mNGS, and bacterial culture showed high consistency, with no statistically significant difference in detection rates among the three methods (all P > 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC values of both qPCR and mNGS for the above major pathogens were all above 0.90, which were significantly different from the null hypothesis of AUC = 0.5 (all P < 0.05), indicating good detection performance; while there was no significant difference in AUC values between qPCR and mNGS (all P > 0.05). In addition, Listeria monocytogenes (3 cases) and Campylobacter fetus (1 case) were only detected by qPCR and mNGS, while not isolated by conventional culture.
CONCLUSION: This head-to-head comparative study confirms that both mNGS and targeted qPCR have high accuracy and consistency for detecting potential early-onset neonatal pathogens in maternal vaginal secretions. We propose a tiered antenatal screening strategy for maternal vaginal pathogenic colonization: qPCR is recommended as the first-line tool for routine antenatal screening due to its high cost-effectiveness and rapid turnaround time, while mNGS is reserved for high-risk pregnant women (e.g., preterm premature rupture of membranes, clinical chorioamnionitis), culture-negative suspected infection cases, or scenarios requiring comprehensive pathogen profiling, to take full advantage of its unbiased, broad-spectrum detection capability. This integrated screening strategy requires further prospective validation with paired neonatal clinical outcome data to confirm its value in the prevention and early intervention of early-onset neonatal infection.
PMID:42283066 | PMC:PMC13251199 | DOI:10.1016/j.plabm.2026.e00542
Patient Prefer Adherence. 2026 Jun 8;20:595537. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S595537. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This pilot study examined whether patients who had experienced medical care in both urban and rural areas perceived differences in healthcare service experiences, negative emotions, and unvoiced concerns. The study focused on comparative perception and silent dissatisfaction that may not be captured by conventional patient satisfaction surveys.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, anonymous, self-administered paper questionnaire was conducted at a cooperating dental clinic in Tokyo. The questionnaire addressed hospital visit experiences in urban and rural areas by the same healthcare recipient. The dental clinic was used as a pragmatic field site; the survey asked about medical care experiences rather than dental satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were calculated for 90 respondents.
RESULTS: Among 90 respondents, 38 (42.2%) reported that they strongly or somewhat perceived differences between urban and rural care experiences, whereas 48 (53.3%) reported little or no difference and 4 (4.4%) were missing. Among the 38 respondents who perceived differences, 17 (44.7%) reported negative emotions such as inconvenience, discomfort, dissatisfaction, or endurance. Among the 20 respondents for whom expression of concerns was applicable, 7 (35.0%) communicated their concerns to the facility, whereas 13 (65.0%) did not. Among respondents with perceived differences who answered the comparison item, 8 of 32 (25.0%) reported that they recognized the feelings because they compared facilities across regions.
CONCLUSION: High satisfaction scores and low complaint rates should not be interpreted as evidence that dissatisfaction is absent. These pilot findings are consistent with, but do not directly test, a reference-point interpretation. Larger multi-site studies using validated instruments are needed to examine the proposed mechanism and its implications for patient feedback systems.
PMID:42283055 | PMC:PMC13251057 | DOI:10.2147/PPA.S595537
Ann Neurosci. 2026 Jun 9:09727531261445199. doi: 10.1177/09727531261445199. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a major cause of acute and subacute neuropsychiatric syndromes.
PURPOSE: While neuronal autoantibody testing aids diagnosis, results are often delayed or negative in seronegative cases. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokine profiling may provide a rapid diagnostic adjunct.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we analysed CSF from 43 AE patients (29 seronegative, 9 N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antibody-positive, 3 leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1)-positive, and 2 with rare antibodies) and 34 controls (33 idiopathic intracranial hypertension and 1 viral encephalitis). Cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-7, IL-13, IL-21, CXCL10 and CXCL13) were quantified using a multiplex immunoassay.
RESULTS: All measured cytokines were significantly elevated in AE compared with controls (p < .001). CXCL10 and CXCL13 showed the largest differences between AE and controls, with CXCL13 particularly high in LGI1-positive cases. IL-6 correlated positively with IL-13 (r = 0.47, p = .0013) and CXCL13 (r = 0.41, p = .0064), while IL-7 correlated with IL-21 (r = 0.33, p = .029). Cytokine profiles in seronegative AE were comparable to antibody-positive AE, with no statistically significant differences.
CONCLUSIONS: CSF cytokines-particularly CXCL10, CXCL13, IL-6 and IL-13-are consistently elevated in AE and reflect shared intrathecal immune activation across antibody-positive and seronegative cases. These findings are exploratory, and cytokines are proposed as adjunctive immunological markers rather than standalone diagnostic tools.
PMID:42283050 | PMC:PMC13249606 | DOI:10.1177/09727531261445199
Pan Afr Med J. 2026 Jan 29;53:45. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2026.53.45.46297. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: with the aim of guiding the strategic response to major viral infections, this study aimed to determine the epidemiological profile of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the Far North region of Cameroon.
METHODS: we conducted a cross-sectional epidemiological surveillance study in the Mayo-Tsanaga Division and surrounding localities in the Far North region of Cameroon from August 1 to September 20, 2024. After obtaining informed consent, each participant was given a standard questionnaire and tested for the three infections (HIV, HBV, and HCV) in accordance with the national testing algorithm. The collected data were analyzed using Excel 2019 and Power BI software, with a statistical significance threshold set at p < 0.05.
RESULTS: a total of 3,188 participants were tested (60% female, median age 34 years [IQR 20-46]), of whom 396 tested positive overall, including 13 who were HIV-positive, 373 who were HBV-positive, and 10 who were HCV-positive. According to each type of infection, HIV, HBV and HCV seropositivity rates were 0.41% (13/3,170), 11.7% (373/3,188) and 0.31% (10/3,188), respectively. Despite the high endemicity of HBV (>8%), no statistically significant differences were observed by age or sex (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: the low prevalence rates (<1%) of HIV and HCV suggest that their elimination is effectively underway among populations in the Far North region of Cameroon. However, the high endemicity of HBV indicates ongoing transmission and underscores the urgent need to prioritize vaccination as the primary preventive intervention toward elimination.
PMID:42283047 | PMC:PMC13252071 | DOI:10.11604/pamj.2026.53.45.46297
Pan Afr Med J. 2026 Feb 3;53:48. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2026.53.48.45564. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) accounts for over 90% of all diabetes cases and results from the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. However, the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms and T2D risk shows considerable variation across different populations. This meta-analysis aims to clarify the association between APOE genotypes and alleles (E2E2, E2E3, E2E4, E3E4, E4E4) and the risk of T2D. Additionally, it examines the association of demographic, clinical, and biochemical parameters with T2D risk in cases and controls. Relevant articles providing genotypic and allelic frequencies of APOE polymorphisms were sourced from Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, and PubMed databases. These articles focus on peer-reviewed human case-control studies published in English until February 27, 2024. Data on APOE polymorphisms, biochemical, and clinical parameters were extracted. Statistical tests were performed using Review Manager 4.3.1 with results expressed using ORs and 95% CIs. Publication bias and heterogeneity were assessed using the Q test and Egger regression analysis. Thirty-two studies involving 19644 participants. The statistical analysis showed that BMI, SBP, DBP, TC, and LDL-C could potentially indicate a higher risk of T2D in cases compared to controls. Significant associations with T2D were found for the APOE E4E4 genotype (OR =1.94, 95% CI= [1.16, 3.23], P = 0.01, I2=75%), and the E4 allele (OR=1.26, 95% CI= [1.11, 1.43], P = 0.0005, I2=55%). No significant associations were observed for the E2E2, E2E3, E2E4, and E3E4 genotypes, or the E2 allele (P > 0.05 for all). A significant association between APOE genotype E4E4 and allele E4 with T2D was confirmed in this meta-analysis.
PMID:42283046 | PMC:PMC13252076 | DOI:10.11604/pamj.2026.53.48.45564
J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2026 Jul-Aug;16(4):101465. doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2026.101465. Epub 2026 Jun 4.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the regenerative effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) combined with 3% low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (HA) gel in treating ligature-induced periodontitis in rats.
METHODS: •40 male albino rats divided into 5 groups: Control (no treatment), Periodontitis only, Periodontitis + HA, Periodontitis + PRP, Periodontitis + HA + PRP.•After 2 weeks, histological (light microscopy and SEM) and biochemical (TNF-α, IL-1β) evaluations were performed.
RESULTS: Histological and SEM examinations showed structural damage in the periodontitis group, including pocket formation and disorganized bone. Inflammatory markers (TNF-α and IL-1β) were significantly higher in this group than in the control group. Treatment with HA, PRP, and especially their combination significantly reduced these markers. The combined therapy (Group V) showed the most effective recovery, while HA (Group III) and PRP (Group IV) alone led to partial improvement.
CONCLUSION: Treatment modalities that include HA or PRP administration could improve periodontal healing. However, the combined administration of HA and PRP yielded superior histological and statistical outcomes. This might be due to the intensifying collection of the adjunctives’ anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties. However, additional studies are needed to evaluate this combination.
PMID:42283037 | PMC:PMC13251205 | DOI:10.1016/j.jobcr.2026.101465
J Shoulder Elb Arthroplast. 2026 May 7;10(3):100035. doi: 10.1016/j.jsea.2026.100035. eCollection 2026 Sep.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) provides reliable outcomes in cuff tear arthropathy, but the impact of prior breast cancer treatment on safety and functional outcomes remains unclear.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 15 women with prior ipsilateral breast cancer treatment (mastectomy, lymph node dissection, and/or radiotherapy) who underwent rTSA for cuff tear arthropathy. These results were compared with 50 female patients who underwent rTSA for cuff tear arthropathy without breast cancer history. Outcomes included patient-reported scores (Oxford Shoulder Score, Constant Murley score, and satisfaction), range of motion, pain, and complications, with a minimum follow-up of 2 years.
RESULTS: Oxford Shoulder Score and Constant Murley score were similar between groups (41.5 vs. 41.0; 69.4 vs. 71.8). Satisfaction was high in both cohorts (8.8/10). The breast cancer group showed lower abduction (139° vs. 166°, P = .003) and forward flexion (141° vs. 173°, P = .003), while internal and external rotation were comparable. Complications were numerically higher in the breast cancer cohort, with revision surgery showing a borderline difference (2/15 vs. 0/50, P = .050).
CONCLUSION: rTSA demonstrated comparable functional outcomes and satisfaction in patients with prior breast cancer treatment. Lower post-operative abduction, forward flexion and a numerically higher complication burden were observed, although complication differences were not statistically significant. Prior breast cancer treatment should not be considered an absolute contraindication, but appropriate pre-operative counseling remains important.
PMID:42283030 | PMC:PMC13253066 | DOI:10.1016/j.jsea.2026.100035
Front Vet Sci. 2026 May 27;13:1834338. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1834338. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
Non-absorbed inorganic iron in the digestive tract can be directly utilized by microorganisms, particularly pathogens. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of substituting ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄) with lower doses of ferrous glycinate (Fe-Gly) in weaned piglets. A total of 30 weaned piglets were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments (n = 10): a Control group, a Gly-Fe-50 group (50 mg/kg Fe-Gly), and a Gly-Fe-75 group (75 mg/kg Fe-Gly). Compared with 100 mg/kg FeSO₄, supplementation with 50 or 75 mg/kg Fe-Gly did not significantly affect growth performance parameters, indicating that Fe-Gly maintained comparable growth performance at a 25-50% lower inclusion level. Numerically, 50 mg/kg Fe-Gly showed higher ADFI and ADG, although these differences were not statistically significant. Fe-Gly supplementation was associated with improvements in intestinal barrier function in weaned piglets. Furthermore, Fe-Gly supplementation significantly elevated serum total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) (p < 0.05), indicating enhanced iron transport efficiency. Gene expression and microbial sequencing analyses revealed that Fe-Gly upregulated antioxidant genes (SLC7A11, P62) in the jejunum. Additionally, it significantly augmented the proportion of beneficial microbes, such as Lactobacillus and Akkermansia, while reducing the proportion of Proteobacteria and Escherichia-Shigella. In summary, because of its high bioavailability, 50 mg/kg Fe-Gly does more than meet the growth and metabolic demands of piglets; it also reduces iron accumulation in the hindgut lumen. This mechanism restricts iron availability for intestinal pathogens, inhibiting their proliferation and thereby improving intestinal health in piglets.
PMID:42283015 | PMC:PMC13251694 | DOI:10.3389/fvets.2026.1834338