Nevin Manimala

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Apr 16;25(1):580. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05979-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Edentulism is a devastating condition that is often irreversible and considered a marker of a diseased state of oral health. The prevalence of edentulism globally is 22%, which is quite high. The long-term absence of complete dentures is thought to cause joint problems.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and categorize the effect of complete dentures on signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) analyzed by the Craniomandibular Index (CMI) in completely edentulous patients.

METHODS: This interventional and prospective study was conducted. Preliminary screening of completely edentulous patients with the Anamnestic component of the Helkimos Index was done. 110 subjects with severe TMD, as per the preliminary screening, were included in the study. Secondary Screening for the Dysfunction and Palpation components of the CMI was done to obtain baseline measures. The complete denture was delivered. After three months, the CMI Score was re-evaluated. Descriptive and analytical statistics were done.

RESULTS: The mean CMI score before denture insertion was 1.50 ± 0.12, and after denture insertion, it was 0.45 ± 0.25. The test used for the analysis of the values was the student’s paired t-test. A statistically significant difference in CMI at pre- and post-treatment with complete dentures (t = 57.90, p = 0.0001) was found.

CONCLUSION: The study results showed abate in the severity of the signs and symptoms of TMD among the complete denture wearers over 3 months. The result of current study established the remedial effect of complete dentures on TMD and also gave a new parameter to contemplate the line of treatment by categorizing the severity of TMD on the basis of the score obtained.

PMID:40241104 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-05979-3

BMC Med Educ. 2025 Apr 16;25(1):554. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07109-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Empathy plays a pivotal role in healthcare professions, influencing patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. Understanding the determinants of empathy in medical students is essential. However, findings from previous studies have been inconsistent. We hypothesized that part of this variability may be attributed to the influence of the geo-sociocultural context. In this study, we aimed to compare the longitudinal determinants of empathy in four cohorts of medical students from two distinct geo-sociocultural backgrounds.

METHODS: This study included 199 medical students from Porto Alegre, Brazil and Geneva, Switzerland who were in their 1 st and 4 th years of training and agreed to participate on both occasions. The outcome variable was empathy scores (total and subdimensions) assessed through the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Medical Students (JSE-S). Independent variables included gender, personality, motives for studying medicine, specialty preferences, and the level of motivation for medical studies. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between independent variables and empathy at each site in years 1 and 4.

RESULTS: In year 1, the personality trait openness to experience was associated with higher empathy (total score) in both Porto Alegre (b = 0.503, p ≤ 0.01) and Geneva (b = 0.592, p ≤ 0.001), with this association persisting over time. However, the relationships between empathy and the other independent variables varied significantly depending on the site.

CONCLUSIONS: The determinants of empathy were significantly modulated by the geo-sociocultural context. The personality trait openness to experience was the only consistent determinant of empathy across both sites over time. Associations between empathy and gender, motives for studying medicine, and specialty preferences were site specific. Our findings underscore the importance of considering students’ backgrounds when assessing empathy teaching and learning.

PMID:40241100 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-025-07109-7

BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2025 Apr 16;26(1):372. doi: 10.1186/s12891-025-08494-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As a leading cause of disability, chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a musculoskeletal condition often associated with impaired physical and cognitive functions. Due to its multi-factorial facets, the application of multimodal interventions is recommended. MultiMove is a multimodal intervention designed for CLBP patients, which combines motor-cognitive and dancing exercises. This study aimed to assess the effects of an additional MultiMove intervention to a standard inpatient rehabilitation on clinical and functional outcomes in CLBP patients.

METHODS: For this prospective, two-arm, controlled pilot trial, 27 CLBP patients (17 females, 10 males) undergoing a 3-week inpatient rehabilitation, in a rehabilitation clinic in Germany, were recruited. The intervention group (IG, n = 15, 61.6 ± 1.8 years) received a daily MultiMove session in addition to the standard rehabilitation, while the control group (CG, n = 12, 63.8 ± 2.2 years) followed the standard rehabilitation. Physical (Timed Up and Go (TUG) [primary outcome], Five-Repetition Sit-to-Stand (FRSTS), and Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), trunk range of motion, single and dual task walking)), clinical (acute/chronic pain intensity, Oswestry Disability Index, EQ-5D-5 L), cognitive (Stroop Color Word Test, Trail Making Test), and psychosocial outcomes (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Coping Strategies Questionnaire) were assessed during the first (pre-test) and last day (post-test) of the inpatient rehabilitation.

RESULTS: The statistical analyses revealed improvements in trunk range of motion (sagittal plane: p = 0.018, d = 1.00; transversal plane: p = 0.006, d = 1.18) and 6MWT performance (p = 0.003, d = 1.30) in the IG compared to the CG. Moreover, lower dual task costs for a gait variability measure (p = 0.034, d = 0.97) as well as reduced chronic pain intensity (p = 0.004, d = 1.33), kinesiophobia (p = 0.035, d = 1.15), and depression (p = 0.034, d = 1.08) were found in favour of the IG.

CONCLUSION: Data indicate that the multimodal intervention MultiMove improved clinical and functional outcomes in CLBP patients during inpatient rehabilitation. Therefore, conducting a randomized controlled trial with a large sample size is recommended to verify and extent these results.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: MultiMove project (German Clinical Trial Register, ID: DRKS00021696 / 10.07.2020, https://drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML26TRIAL_ID=DRKS00021696 ) and was carried out in the rehabilitation clinic Bad Salzelmen (Schönebeck, Germany).

PMID:40241096 | DOI:10.1186/s12891-025-08494-2

Epidemiol Infect. 2025 Apr 16;153:e61. doi: 10.1017/S0950268824001080.

ABSTRACT

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) shows spatiotemporal heterogeneity in China. A spatiotemporal filtering model was constructed and applied to HFMD data to explore the underlying spatiotemporal structure of the disease and determine the impact of different spatiotemporal weight matrices on the results. HFMD cases and covariate data in East China were collected between 2009 and 2015. The different spatiotemporal weight matrices formed by Rook, K-nearest neighbour (KNN; K = 1), distance, and second-order spatial weight matrices (SO-SWM) with first-order temporal weight matrices in contemporaneous and lagged forms were decomposed, and spatiotemporal filtering model was constructed by selecting eigenvectors according to MC and the AIC. We used MI, standard deviation of the regression coefficients, and five indices (AIC, BIC, DIC, R², and MSE) to compare the spatiotemporal filtering model with a Bayesian spatiotemporal model. The eigenvectors effectively removed spatial correlation in the model residuals (Moran’s I < 0.2, p > 0.05). The Bayesian spatiotemporal model’s Rook weight matrix outperformed others. The spatiotemporal filtering model with SO-SWM was superior, as shown by lower AIC (92,029.60), BIC (92,681.20), and MSE (418,022.7) values, and higher R² (0.56) value. All spatiotemporal contemporaneous structures outperformed the lagged structures. Additionally, eigenvector maps from the Rook and SO-SWM closely resembled incidence patterns of HFMD.

PMID:40237119 | DOI:10.1017/S0950268824001080

J Forensic Sci. 2025 Apr 16. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.70049. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Many search and recovery operations for human skeletal remains are unsuccessful due to difficulties recognizing bones in outdoor environments even when evidence indicates the last known whereabouts of missing individuals. Though the collagen component of bone is known to emit fluorescence, this property has not been leveraged consistently during skeletal remains searches. Thirty-six mock searches were completed in 5000 ft² zones of eastern deciduous forest by volunteers associated with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Pig and deer bones were scattered and partially concealed under brush and leaf cover. Pairs of volunteers were allowed up to 1 h to conduct searches in their usual pattern. Nighttime searches were conducted with handheld alternate light source (ALS) devices (uvBeast™, Crime-lite^®, ForenScope, and Labino AB), which produced ultraviolet (385-395 nm), violet (395-425 nm), blue (~455 nm), cyan (~510 nm), or green (~530 nm) lights. Filtered safety glasses were paired with appropriate ALS. Daytime searches were conducted under the same parameters, without ALS. Results indicated that (1) nighttime searches with ALS produced a recovery rate more than triple that of daytime searches (p < 0.0001) and that they were often completed more quickly, and (2) the violet Crime-lite^®, due to breadth of illumination and strength of fluorescent response, consistently produced the highest recovery rate (95%). Data suggest that nighttime searches with ALS can be used both as the primary search method for locating and recovering human skeletal remains, and as a secondary method for recovering any bones expected to be present but not found during daylight searches.

PMID:40237114 | DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.70049

Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2025 Apr;22(2):e70012. doi: 10.1111/wvn.70012.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Staff shortages as well as poor nurse and clinician well-being are currently an epidemic within the health workforce and pose a substantial risk to healthcare quality and safety. Creating a strong wellness culture is one strategy to address the issue, but there is a paucity of research that investigates how other types of organizational cultures are related to nurses’ mental health and well-being.

AIMS: To describe the relationships among innovation culture, wellness culture, evidence-based practice (EBP) culture, and clinician well-being (healthy lifestyle behaviors, burnout, depression, stress, anxiety, and job satisfaction).

METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive correlational study design was used with a convenience sample of nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals from a Magnet-recognized health system in the United States. An online wellness survey collected data with the variables of interest using valid and reliable scales. Pearson’s r correlations assessed the relationship among innovation culture, wellness culture, and EBP culture. A series of regressions examined if each type of culture was associated with clinician well-being.

RESULTS: The analytic sample included 199 respondents. Innovation culture had a strong and significant correlation (p ≤ 0.0001, r > 0.7) with both clinician well-being and EBP cultures. Wellness and EBP cultures also were correlated (p ≤ 0.0001, r = 0.592). Higher ratings of each type of culture were significantly associated with higher job satisfaction as well as higher ratings of both mental and physical health. Further, higher ratings on each culture scale were significantly associated with reduced stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, and job satisfaction.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: This is the first study to establish correlations among innovation culture, EBP culture, and wellness culture as well as to find that these three types of cultures are associated with clinician well-being outcomes and job satisfaction. Since culture strongly impacts the healthcare workforce’s mental health and job satisfaction, leaders need to focus on an organizational-wide strategic approach that builds a sustained culture that supports clinician well-being, innovation, and EBP.

PMID:40237103 | DOI:10.1111/wvn.70012

Proc Biol Sci. 2025 Apr;292(2045):20242709. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2709. Epub 2025 Apr 16.

ABSTRACT

The western house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, is a human commensal and an outstanding model organism for studying a wide variety of traits and diseases. However, we have few genomic resources for wild mice and only a rudimentary understanding of the demographic history of house mice in Europe. Here, we sequenced 59 whole genomes of mice collected from England, Scotland, Wales, Guernsey, northern France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. We combined this dataset with 24 previously published sequences from southern France, Germany and Iran and compared patterns of population structure and inferred demographic parameters for house mice in western Europe to patterns seen in humans. Principal component and phylogenetic analyses identified three genetic clusters in western European mice. Admixture and f-branch statistics identified historical gene flow between these genetic clusters. Demographic analyses suggest a shared history of population bottlenecks prior to 20 000 years ago. Estimated divergence times between populations of house mice from western Europe ranged from 1500 to 5500 years ago, in general agreement with the zooarchaeological record. These results correspond well with key aspects of contemporary human population structure and the history of migration in western Europe, highlighting the commensal relationship of this important genetic model.

PMID:40237079 | DOI:10.1098/rspb.2024.2709

Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2025 Apr 14:202945. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02558. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Rapid urbanization has intensified the demand for human labor, including in sectors like food delivery, where workers are prone to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study aimed to assess the ergonomic risks among food delivery riders in Eastern Peninsular Malaysia using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 191 food delivery riders in September 2021 – March 2022. The REBA method, a paper-and-pen observational tool, was utilized to evaluate the postural risks associated with WMSDs. Data on demographics and working conditions were collected through interviews and observations. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize REBA scores, with mean scores compared between motorcycle types using t-tests.

RESULTS: The mean final REBA score was 5, indicating a medium risk for developing WMSDs. Scores of 4, 5, and 6 were observed in 36.1%, 31.4%, and 31.9% of riders, respectively. Riders using scooters generally had lower REBA scores than those using sedan motorcycles.

CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted a medium risk of WMSDs among food delivery riders. Ergonomic interventions, particularly in motorcycle design, are necessary to mitigate these risks and improve occupational safety and health. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2025;38(2).

PMID:40237063 | DOI:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02558

ACS Nano. 2025 Apr 16. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.4c17571. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Strong coupling between excitons and an electromagnetic mode leads to the formation of polaritonic materials. These half-light half-matter states obey Bose-Einstein statistics and have therefore promised a route toward room temperature condensates and low-threshold polariton lasers. However, our understanding of how to enhance the rate of relaxation toward the lowest energy excited state must be greatly enhanced for electrically driven organic condensates and polariton lasers to be realized. Here, the mechanism of excited-state relaxation in colloidal plexcitonic materials (CPMs) is explored. CPMs are a subgroup of polaritonic materials formed when an exciton interacts strongly with a plasmonic resonance of a nanoparticle. Based on our current understanding of relaxation in polaritonic systems, which is based on experiments done using Fabry-Pérot cavities, CPMs are expected to have high relaxation rates through the vibrationally assisted scattering (VAS) mechanism. However, so far, it has been unclear whether we can transfer the knowledge gained from Fabry-Pérot cavities to plasmonic cavities. Our results indicate that not only VAS but also surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is active in CPMs and that the predominant mechanism depends on to which state excitation occurs. Therefore, caution must be exercised when interpreting the emission from plexcitonic materials and when using theories obtained from polaritonic materials prepared with Fabry-Pérot cavities on plexcitonic materials. Additionally, we found that plexcitonic materials can provide an electromagnetic enhancement of both the excitation and emission part in SERS, increasing its enhancement factor and allowing tuning of the sensitivity to specific vibrations.

PMID:40237032 | DOI:10.1021/acsnano.4c17571

F1000Res. 2023 Nov 22;12:296. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.129792.2. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Globally, dementia is estimated to become more prevalent as the population is aging. Patients with dementia are demanding on the long-term care from their caregivers. In order to maintain their well-being and minimize the impacts of long-term care, caregivers need comprehensive and supportive health services. This study aimed to improve and redesign the current healthcare service by assessing the needs of Saudi dementia patients’ caregivers using carers’ needs assessment for dementia (CNA-D).

METHODS: Through a cross-sectional design and convenient sampling technique (non-probability Sampling), this study was carried out in two Saudi home care centers. The caregivers who fulfilled the inclusion criteria (n=276) were enrolled in the study and completed the interview questionnaire. Data collection lasted for two months (September and October 2022). A Chi-square test was performed to determine the statistical significance between participants’ responses and their demographic data.

RESULTS: The majority of caregivers were females (76%). Their mean age was 38 years, ranging from 21 to 67 years. Two-thirds of caregivers spent more than one year on direct caregiving. About 60% of patients were male, and half were grandparents. Most caregivers (71%) did not live with their patients in the same household. Although caregivers rated all the addressed 13 needs in the present study as important, knowing more about the diseases was most important among caregivers of high education level. Further, long-term care gave caregivers more experience and reduced the need for practical support services.

CONCLUSION: The results show that the principal caregiver in Saudi families were females, and a large proportion of dementia patients were males. There were variations in rating the importance of the addressed needs, which were associated with caregivers’ demographic characteristics. The findings of this survey demonstrate the importance of assessing the needs of family caregivers when developing social and healthcare services.

PMID:40237023 | PMC:PMC11997542 | DOI:10.12688/f1000research.129792.2