Nevin Manimala

Front Nutr. 2025 Apr 22;12:1582576. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1582576. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Colored onions are favored by consumers due to their distinctive aroma, rich phytochemical content, and diverse biological activities. However, comprehensive analyses of their phytochemical profiles and volatile metabolites remain limited.

METHODS: In this study, total phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and antioxidant activities of three colored onion bulbs were evaluated. Volatile metabolites were identified using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). Multivariate statistical analyses, feature selection techniques (SelectKBest, LASSO), and machine learning models were applied to further analyze and classify the metabolite profiles.

RESULTS: Significant differences in phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities were observed among the three onion types. A total of 243 volatile metabolites were detected, with sulfur compounds accounting for 51-64%, followed by organic acids and their derivatives (4-19%). Multivariate analysis revealed distinct volatile profiles, and 19 key metabolites were identified as biomarkers. Additionally, 33 and 38 feature metabolites were selected by SelectKBest and LASSO, respectively. The 38 features selected by LASSO enabled clear differentiation of onion types via PCA, UMAP, and k-means clustering. Among the four machine learning models tested, the random forest model achieved the highest classification accuracy (1.00). SHAP analysis further confirmed 20 metabolites as potential key markers.

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the combination of HS-SPME/GC-MS and machine learning, particularly the random forest algorithm, is a powerful approach for characterizing and classifying volatile metabolite profiles in colored onions. This method holds potential for quality assessment and breeding applications.

PMID:40331096 | PMC:PMC12052541 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2025.1582576

Front Nutr. 2025 Apr 22;12:1551760. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1551760. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The global impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19 (has highlighted the necessity of understanding factors influencing its severity and hospitalization duration. While a balanced diet is crucial for immune support, the role of dietary fats in this context has not been well understood. This study explored associations between the quality and quantity of fatty acids and severity and the length of hospitalization in COVID-19 patients in 2022.

METHOD: This cross-sectional study included 107 COVID-19 patients aged 20-60 years who were hospitalized at Amir Alam Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Dietary fat intake was assessed using 24 h food recall. Data on symptoms were collected using a demographic questionnaire and verified against their hospital records. Linear and binary logistic regressions were employed for statistical analysis.

RESULT: A higher omega 6/omega 3(N6/N3) ratio was linked to increased odds of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and elevated D-dimer levels, while correlating with lower odds of fever. While RDS odds increased over Vit E/polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio tertiles, chills decreased. [PUFA + monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)]/saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio was associated with reduced odds of chest pain, duration of hospitalization (DH) time, c-reactive protein (CRP), and D-dimer levels. Furthermore, PUFA intake was negatively associated with odds of poor appetite, RDS, and headaches, whereas SFA intake was positively associated with odds of fever. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between cholesterol-saturated index (CSI) levels and DH time (P < 0.7).

CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that higher N6/N3 and VitE/PUFA ratios were associated with increased RDS and D-dimer levels, while the VitE/PUFA ratio was linked to reduced chills. Higher (PUFA + MUFA)/SFA ratios were associated with lower chest pain, DH, CRP, and D-dimer levels. While higher PUFA intake was related to reduced poor appetite, RDS, and headache, higher SFA intake was linked to increased fever. Additionally, there was a positive association between CSI levels and DH. Current findings indicate that the quality and balance of dietary fats may play a crucial role in modulating inflammatory responses and clinical outcomes.

PMID:40331093 | PMC:PMC12052533 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2025.1551760

Brain Commun. 2025 Apr 19;7(3):fcaf157. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaf157. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

Low-grade gliomas are infiltrative brain tumors that can lead to significant neurological deficits due to their invasive nature. The prevailing belief is that low-grade gliomas primarily disseminate along white matter tracts, but quantitative in vivo evidence supporting this concept is lacking. Clarifying their true growth patterns is essential for optimizing therapeutic strategies. We conducted a quantitative analysis of tumor growth patterns in a longitudinal cohort of 43 untreated patients with unigyral World Health Organization grade 2 or 3 gliomas, stratified by their anatomical locations within the neocortex, mesocortex and allocortex. Serial MRI scans were used to generate vector deformation fields, providing detailed three-dimensional representations of tumor evolution over time. These vector deformation fields were compared with diffusion tensor imaging data to assess the alignment of tumor growth with white matter pathways. Quantitative analysis revealed that low-grade gliomas do not predominantly expand along white matter tracts. Instead, they remain confined within specific anatomical boundaries, in respect to their topology of origin. Angular measurements and heat map analysis indicated that tumor growth is directed towards the subventricular zone and may follow their respective radial units. These consistent observations across different anatomical regions challenge the traditional model of glioma progression, suggesting that early-stage glioma expansion is closely governed by ontogenetic factors. In conclusion, this study provides the first quantitative evidence that phenotypical low-grade gliomas do not primarily follow white matter tracts but may instead be influenced by ontogenetic mechanisms. These insights necessitate a re-evaluation of existing models of glioma progression and underscore the importance of incorporating developmental aspects into treatment planning to enhance patient outcomes.

PMID:40331092 | PMC:PMC12053163 | DOI:10.1093/braincomms/fcaf157

J Eval Clin Pract. 2025 Jun;31(4):e70112. doi: 10.1111/jep.70112.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Neonatal encephalopathy (NE), particularly due to hypoxia/ischemia at birth, is a perinatal emergency. Timely diagnosis and initiation of therapeutic hypothermia within a 6-h window from birth are challenging.

AIM: We aimed to explore the challenges community physicians face in the management of NE in our region and to test the feasibility of co-designing and implementing an educational program that addresses their needs.

METHODOLOGY: This mixed-method study started with a 1 h semi-structured interview with community pediatricians through an audio-recorded virtual platform. Subsequently, an outreach training workshop was designed and pilot-tested at each participating center.

DATA ANALYSIS: Qualitative analysis included the following steps: data familiarization, code and theme generation, and report writing. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the impact of the curriculum on participants’ knowledge and experience.

RESULTS: Key themes included lack of experience with detailed neurological examination due to infrequent exposure, lack of standardization in management guidelines, and limited access to brain monitoring devices. Diagnosing NE was challenging due to the natural variability in presentation, progression and time-sensitiveness of interventions. Focused skill development workshops were found to be feasible and significantly improved participants’ knowledge of NE. Almost 75% of the participants perceived that the workshop enhanced their comfort levels with the neonatal neurological assessment.

CONCLUSION: Outreach training education adapted to the local context is feasible and essential for the skill maintenance of community pediatricians who infrequently encounter NE. Future studies will have to study the impact of such workshops on physician behavior and patient outcomes.

PMID:40329442 | DOI:10.1111/jep.70112

BMC Pharmacol Toxicol. 2025 May 6;26(1):96. doi: 10.1186/s40360-025-00933-z.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Today, the number of cesarean section has drastically increased. Newer scientific reports have shown Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) to have favorable outcomes for anesthesia. In this analysis, we aimed to systematically compare the adverse drug events observed with intrathecal MgSO4 as an adjuvant to bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing elective cesarean section.

METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google scholar, http://www.

CLINICALTRIALS: gov , and the Cochrane database were searched for relevant publications comparing the adverse drug events observed with intrathecal MgSO4 as an adjuvant to bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing elective cesarean section. The RevMan software version 5.4 was used to analyze data in this analysis. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to represent analysis for the dichotomous data whereas weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% CI was used to represent results using continuous data. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Q statistic and the I2 statistic tests.

RESULTS: Eleven studies with a total number of 895 participants were included in this analysis whereby 466 patients were assigned to intrathecal MgSO4 and 429 participants were assigned to a control group. The main results of this analysis show that intrathecal MgSO4 as an adjuvant to bupivacaine was associated with a significantly lower risk of shivering (RR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.48 – 0.83; P = 0.001). In addition, the risks for hypotension (RR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.86 – 1.44; P = 0.40), nausea and vomiting (RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.76 – 1.54; P = 0.65), pruritus (RR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.51 – 1.17; P = 0.22), and bradycardia (RR: 4.45, 95% CI: 0.97 – 20.36; P = 0.05) were not significantly increased. The sensory (WMD: 23.15, 95% CI: 7.83 – 38.48; P = 0.003), and motor block duration (WMD: 24.29, 95% CI: 16.36 – 32.23; P = 0.00001) and the duration of spinal anesthesia (WMD: 29.24, 95% CI: 13.61 – 44.87; P = 0.0002) were significantly in favor of MgSO4.

CONCLUSION: Intrathecal MgSO4 as an adjuvant to bupivacaine was associated with a significantly lower risk of shivering without causing any increase in other adverse drug events in patients undergoing elective cesarean section. Efficacy outcomes were also appreciated. Larger studies should be able to confirm this hypothesis.

PMID:40329418 | DOI:10.1186/s40360-025-00933-z

Int J Retina Vitreous. 2025 May 6;11(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s40942-025-00676-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vision degrading mydesposiae (VDM) can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life. Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) is a surgical modality used to treat a variety of vitreoretinal diseases and is an accessible treatment option for relief of VDM. This article analyzes outcomes and postoperative complications in a large, local sample of patients who have undergone PPV for symptomatic floaters from a northern Alberta perspective.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted at Alberta Retina Consultants in Edmonton, Alberta. Patients who underwent PPV for VDM between 2017 and 2023 were identified. Only cases with floaters due to PVD and asteroid hyalosis were included; cases of prior vitrectomies, scleral buckle surgeries as well as cases of secondary myodesopsiae (i.e. uveitis) were excluded.

RESULTS: A total 452 eyes were identified and following application of exclusion criteria, 410 eyes of 308 patients were included. There were 157 male and 151 female patients with the average age of participants being 68 years (standard deviation (SD) ± 9). Vitrectomy was performed due to symptomatic PVD in 400 eyes (98%) with 10 eyes (2%) being symptomatic due to asteroid hyalosis. There were 181 phakic eyes (44%) and 229 eyes and pseudophakic eyes (56%). There were 26 patients (25.2%) who elected to undergo floaterectomy in the contralateral eye. There was no significant difference in visual acuity noted between preoperative and postoperative periods.

CONCLUSIONS: The current study supports PPV as an effective treatment option for symptomatic floaters. There was no statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative visual acuity. However, 29.9% of eyes underwent floaterectomy in the contralateral eye, which is in support of patient satisfaction. The observed complication rate was 7.3%, with retinal detachment being the most common complication. Of the 410 eyes, 30 eyes (7.3%) had postoperative complications which included adverse events that were recorded to have occurred between the immediate postoperative period and three years after vitrectomy. Complications include retinal detachment (2.4%), elevated IOP (1.5%), clinically significant cataract requiring surgery (1.5%), vitreous hemorrhage (0.73%), cystoid macular edema (0.98%), dislocated IOL (0.24%), endophthalmitis (0.24%) and epiretinal membrane (0.24). There was a statistically significant difference in visual acuity between preoperative and postoperative periods for eyes with complications.

PMID:40329415 | DOI:10.1186/s40942-025-00676-3

Schizophr Bull. 2025 May 7:sbaf043. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbaf043. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Digital remote monitoring (DRM) captures service users’ health-related data remotely using devices such as smartphones and wearables. Data can be analyzed using advanced statistical methods (eg, machine learning) and shared with clinicians to aid assessment of people with psychosis’ mental health, enabling timely intervention. Such methods show promise in detecting early signs of psychosis relapse. However, little is known about clinicians’ views on the use of DRM for psychosis. This study explores multi-disciplinary staff perspectives on using DRM in practice.

STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-nine mental health professionals were interviewed about their views on DRM in psychosis care. Interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Study Results: Five overarching themes were developed, each with subthemes: (1) the perceived value of digital remote monitoring; (2) clinicians’ trust in digital remote monitoring (3 subthemes); (3) service user factors (2 subthemes); (4) the technology-service user-clinician interface (2 subthemes); and (5) organizational context (2 subthemes).

CONCLUSIONS: Participants saw the value of using DRM to detect early signs of relapse and to encourage service user self-reflection on symptoms. However, the accuracy of data collected, the impact of remote monitoring on therapeutic relationships, data privacy, and workload, responsibility and resource implications were key concerns. Policies and guidelines outlining clinicians’ roles in relation to DRM and comprehensive training on its use are essential to support its implementation in practice. Further evaluation regarding the impact of digital remote monitoring on service user outcomes, therapeutic relationships, clinical workflows, and service costs is needed.

PMID:40329411 | DOI:10.1093/schbul/sbaf043

J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 May 6;44(1):146. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-00904-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization defines low birth weight as a birth weight of less than 2500 g, regardless of the gestational age. It is regarded as the most significant predictor of infant mortality overall, particularly for deaths that occur in the first few months of life. Among all the months of a person’s existence, the neonatal period, the first month of life, has one of the highest death rates. The necessity for an umbrella review is highlighted by the lack of a comprehensive synthesis of collective meta-analytic evidence connecting antenatal care as a factor of low birth weight and newborn death. Thus, this umbrella review’s main goal is to thoroughly synthesize the existing meta-analytic evidence, with a focus on assessing the relationship between antenatal care with low birth weight and neonatal mortality.

METHODS: All English-language meta-analyses of cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies that looked at the relationship between antenatal care with low birth weight and neonatal mortality will be included, regardless of the time and location of publication. To find pertinent literature for review, major medical electronic databases including Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane database, and PubMed will be used. Two reviewers will screen the eligible articles, extract data, and evaluate their quality independently. The reviewers will work together to reach a consensus on any disagreements. If there are still issues, a third reviewer will be consulted in order to fix them. The meta-umbrella R package will be used for all statistical analysis. The random-effects model and 95% prediction interval for the summary estimate will be used for both outcomes. Q and I² test statistics will be calculated to determine the degree of heterogeneity. We will use Egger’s regression asymmetry test to assess publication bias, the Ioannidis test for excess significance bias, and Hedges’ g value for each risk factor.

DISCUSSION: This is the first comprehensive analysis of the effect of antenatal care on low birth weight and neonatal mortality that we are aware of. For clinicians and researchers seeking to lower low birth weight and neonatal mortality, summarizing this evidence is helpful.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO-CRD42024567150.

PMID:40329410 | DOI:10.1186/s41043-025-00904-4

BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 May 6;25(1):646. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12833-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Validation studies of prognostic models used in critical care have yet to be conducted in Palestine. The intense conflict in the Gaza Strip presents an opportunity to evaluate the performance of local ICUs and validate the performance of the MPM and SAPS models within a resource-limited and highly stressed healthcare system.

METHODS: A prospective study conducted from October to December 2024 included all patients admitted to ICUs in three of the four critical care units operating in the Gaza Strip. Sociodemographic, clinical, physiological, and laboratory parameters were collected, along with information regarding the clinical course and ICU outcomes. The MPM-III and SAPS-III scores were calculated, and their discrimination and calibration were assessed using AUROC and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, respectively. Furthermore, the difference between the predicted and actual mortality rates was visualized, and standardized mortality rates (SMR) were calculated. Except for the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, a p-value of less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. All statistical analyses were conducted using R Studio.

RESULTS: The cohort included 101 patients, of whom 72.27% were surgical cases and 58.41% were admitted from the ER. The ICU mortality rate was 30.69%. The median duration of ICU admission was four days [IQR 2-9] and was significantly longer for surgical cases than for medical cases. Physiological and laboratory parameters, along with interventions associated with higher mortality, included a lower GCS, burns, elevated leukocyte and platelet counts, lower PPO2, dysrhythmias, intracranial mass effect, and the need for mechanical ventilation or central venous catheterization. The predicted mortality rates were 16.63% for MPM0-III and 16.82% for SAPS-III. SMRs indicated that both models underestimated ICU mortality (SMR, MPM0-III 1.85; SAPS-III 1.83), with the discrepancy more likely to occur in high-risk patients. ROC curves demonstrated acceptable to good discriminatory power for both models (AUROC, MPM0-III 0.79 (95% CI 0.7-0.88); SAPS-III 0.87 (95% CI 0.80-0.94)). The Hosmer-Lemeshow test yielded statistically insignificant results for both models, indicating good calibration.

CONCLUSION: The outcomes of critical care units in the Gaza Strip during the studied period of the war were comparable to those of other hospitals in the West Bank and other LMICs without active conflicts. The MPM-III and SAPS-III demonstrated good discrimination and calibration, making them valid tools for enhancing ICU performance and improving resource utilization in the Gaza Strip.

PMID:40329400 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-025-12833-3

Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2025 May 6;20(1):214. doi: 10.1186/s13023-024-03479-1.

ABSTRACT

The lack of essential information when reporting animal studies causing lower reproducibility has been stressed for decades. The ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines were first published in 2010, to improve reporting of animal research, making in vivo studies more transparent thereby improving the scientific quality. Regardless of an endorsement from the scientific community, there is still a continuous need to improve animal research reporting, which unfortunately also is the case in the field of Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC). NPC is a lipid storage disorder, caused by mutations in either the Npc1 or Npc2 gene. Despite years of research, no cure for this fatal disease exists. In 2020, an updated version of the ARRIVE guidelines (ARRIVE 2.0), was published, describing the ten most essential elements to be included when reporting pre-clinical studies. Here we systematically reviewed the compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines using the “ARRIVE Essential 10” checklist in a series of pre-clinical studies investigating gene therapy as a treatment strategy for NPC. None of the reviewed papers fulfilled the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines. Information regarding sample size, randomization, blinding, and statistical methodology was lacking. Hopefully, the newly updated ARRIVE guidelines will aid researchers in planning and publishing in vivo experiments in the future. More awareness of the importance of including these essential items is needed, both from editors, reviewers and researchers, for complete endorsement of the ARRIVE guidelines in the scientific community.

PMID:40329398 | DOI:10.1186/s13023-024-03479-1