Nevin Manimala

Circ Cardiovasc Interv. 2026 Feb 2:e016255. doi: 10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.125.016255. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Data comparing valve systems in the valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement field have been obtained from retrospective studies. This prespecified secondary analysis of the LYTEN randomized trial (Comparison of the Balloon-Expandable Edwards Valve and Self-Expandable CoreValve Evolut R or Evolut PRO System for the Treatment of Small, Severely Dysfunctional Surgical Aortic Bioprostheses) aims to compare the 3-year hemodynamic performance and clinical outcomes between balloon-expandable valves (BEV) SAPIEN 3/ULTRA (Edwards Lifesciences) and self-expanding valves (SEV) Evolut R/PRO/PRO+ (Medtronic) in valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

METHODS: Patients with a failed small (≤23 mm) surgical valve undergoing valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement were randomized to receive a SEV or a BEV. Patients had a clinical and valve hemodynamic (Doppler echocardiography) evaluation at 3-year follow-up. Study outcomes were defined according to VARC (Valve Academic Research Consortium)-2/VARC-3 criteria. Intended performance of the valve was defined as mean gradient <20 mm Hg, peak velocity <3 m/s, Doppler velocity index ≥0.25, and less than moderate AR.

RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (46 BEV-SAPIEN 3/ULTRA-, 52 SEV-Evolut R-PRO-PRO+). At 3 years, patients receiving a SEV had a higher rate of intended valve performance (BEV: 27.6% versus SEV: 82.4%; P<0.001), with lower mean gradients (BEV: 20.40±9.12 versus SEV: 13.12±8.56 mm Hg; P=0.002), and larger indexed effective orifice area (BEV: 0.69±0.27 versus SEV: 0.93±0.32 cm²/m²; P=0.002). The rate of moderate aortic regurgitation was 0% in the BEV group versus 2.9% in the SEV group (P=0.582). Functional status and quality of life improved similarly in both groups. No differences were observed in the composite end point of death, stroke, or heart failure-related hospitalization (BEV: 32.6% versus SEV: 25.5%; P=0.489). Mortality was also not statistically different between groups (BEV: 23.3% versus SEV: 15.7%; P=0.375). No significant differences were observed in other adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement for failed small aortic bioprostheses, SEV demonstrated a superior valve hemodynamic performance at 3-year follow-up, with similar clinical outcomes and functional improvement compared with BEV.

REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03520101.

PMID:41623058 | DOI:10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.125.016255

Glob Health Action. 2026 Dec 31;19(1):2611646. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2025.2611646. Epub 2026 Feb 2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh faces substantial inequalities in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), with disparities across sociodemographic groups and between urban and rural populations. Evidence on temporal changes in household WASH access and its determinants remains limited.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in household WASH and examine the influence of sociodemographic factors on access, using data from two national hygiene surveys at national and urban-rural levels.

METHODS: In this repeated cross-sectional study, differences in WASH outcomes between the 2014 National Hygiene Baseline Survey and the 2018 National Hygiene Survey were assessed using prevalence differences (PD), and associations with sociodemographic factors were examined using generalized estimating equations (GEE).

RESULTS: From 2014 to 2018, rural households maintained near-universal basic drinking water, while urban households showed a slight decline. Basic sanitation increased substantially in rural areas (PD = 27.8), driving national gains (PD = 25); urban changes were nonsignificant. Basic hygiene improved minimally across all levels. Higher socio-economic status was linked to better WASH outcomes, while larger households had poorer status. Rental housing was associated with unimproved drinking water (Coef.: 1.9) and lower basic sanitation (Coef.: -0.9) but better overall hygiene than self-owned homes. Urban households had lower access to basic drinking water and sanitation, yet better basic hygiene facilities than rural households.

CONCLUSION: Household WASH improved substantially, especially in rural sanitation and hygiene, while urban areas showed stagnation. Socio-economic status, household size, and housing tenure are key determinants, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to ensure equitable, universal WASH coverage.

PMID:41623016 | DOI:10.1080/16549716.2025.2611646

Physiol Plant. 2026 Jan-Feb;178(1):e70770. doi: 10.1111/ppl.70770.

ABSTRACT

Understanding how plant roots manage co-occurring environmental stressors like nanoplastics (NPs) and arsenic (As) is critical, yet conventional methods often overlook their distinct strategic responses. Here, we developed and validated the Spatially-Dependent Interaction Framework (SDIF), a unified statistical model designed to deconstruct complex multi-stressor interactions across biological compartments. Applied to a high-resolution transcriptomic dataset from rice (Oryza sativa) co-exposed to environmentally relevant levels of NPs (1 mg L^-1) and As (1 mg L^-1 As(III)), our analysis revealed that roots employ a predominantly additive defense strategy, with virtually no significant nonadditive molecular interactions (1 gene). This contrasts sharply with the systemic response in leaves, where complex antagonistic interactions were prevalent (40 genes), indicating a distinct role in systemic damage control. Crucially, the SDIF’s direct test for three-way interactions (Stressor A × Stressor B × Tissue) pinpointed the iron homeostasis protein Ferritin 1 (OsFer1) as a key regulator of this divergent strategy. OsFer1 exhibited synergistic amplification in roots (interaction log₂-fold change [LFC] = +1.27), consistent with a fortified frontline defense, which is reversed to an antagonistic suppression in leaves (LFC = -0.85). This critical finding, obscured by traditional analyses, highlights SDIF’s utility in uncovering nuanced, organ-specific toxicodynamic strategies. It underscores the importance of a root-centric perspective for the risk assessment of contaminant mixtures in food crops.

PMID:41623009 | DOI:10.1111/ppl.70770

Diabetes Obes Metab. 2026 Feb 2. doi: 10.1111/dom.70528. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: The aim of this study was to quantify the interaction between hypertension and diabetes on cardiovascular disease risk in elderly adults, using data from the CHARLS and HRS cohorts. Competing risk models accounting for mortality were employed in the analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective analysis of 18 647 participants aged ≥60 years, drawn from two major longitudinal studies: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, n = 9823, 2011-2020) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS, n = 8824, 2010-2020). Participants had no baseline cardiovascular disease. The primary endpoints included stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and cardiovascular mortality. Interactions between hypertension and diabetes were assessed using Cox proportional hazards and Fine-Grey competing risk models, with both multiplicative and additive approaches applied.

RESULTS: Over median follow-up of 7.8 years (CHARLS) and 8.2 years (HRS), 1909 cardiovascular events occurred. Comorbid hypertension-diabetes showed elevated risk versus neither condition. Significant additive interactions emerged consistently: RERI 0.75 (95% CI: 0.19-1.31) in CHARLS and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.21-1.47) in HRS, with 28-31% excess risk attributable to interaction. Synergy indices confirmed super-additive effects. Stroke showed strongest interaction (RERI ~0.9, SI ~1.8), while myocardial infarction demonstrated minimal synergy. Effects were amplified in participants aged 60-74 and females.

CONCLUSIONS: This analysis shows that hypertension and diabetes together increase cardiovascular risk in elderly individuals by about 30%. The findings are consistent across different ethnic groups and healthcare systems, suggesting universal biological mechanisms. This supports updating risk assessments and enhancing preventive strategies, especially for cerebrovascular risks in the elderly.

PMID:41623007 | DOI:10.1111/dom.70528

Biometrics. 2026 Jan 6;82(1):ujaf175. doi: 10.1093/biomtc/ujaf175.

ABSTRACT

An important goal of environmental health research is to assess risks posed by mixtures of environmental exposures. Studies in different fields often group exposures based on their shared biological features. However, such grouping information has not been widely utilized in population-based environmental mixtures analyses due to the lack of appropriate statistical tools. Inspired by data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we propose a semiparametric multiple-index interaction model (MIIM) to explore the impact of three groups of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on leukocyte telomere length (LTL). MIIM effectively addresses the challenge of high dimensionality by summarizing exposures into group-level indices, while allowing for nonlinear effects and interactions among exposures through these group indices. This formulation provides interpretable insights into both overall group effects and between-group interactions on the outcome, and allows for identification of key contributors within each group. MIIM can be applied to different types of health outcomes, including continuous, binary, and survival outcomes. We conducted Monte Carlo simulation studies to evaluate the performance of MIIM under various scenarios with high-dimensional and correlated exposure mixtures and illustrated its application to the NHANES data. By bridging biological insights with population-based epidemiological data, MIIM serves as a translational tool to explore the effects of environmental mixtures on health outcomes.

PMID:41623005 | DOI:10.1093/biomtc/ujaf175

Curr Med Imaging. 2026 Jan 30. doi: 10.2174/0115734056412910251125054025. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the image quality of virtual unenhanced and blending images from dual-energy CT for detecting colorectal cancer (CRC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 72 patients with pathologically diagnosed CRC underwent abdominal dual-energy CT, following which virtual unenhanced, linear blending, and non-linear blending images were generated by post-processing reconstruction. Both subjective and objective evaluations were conducted on these images, with signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) calculations conducted for organs, such as the liver, pancreas, and spleen.

RESULTS: Virtual unenhanced images of CRC, extraserosal fat of the tumor, liver, pancreas, spleen, kidney, and subcutaneous fat showed a lower signal intensity than both linear and non-linear blending images (P < 0.05), while the CNR of virtual unenhanced images was higher than linear and nonlinear blending images (P < 0.05). Except for CRC lesions, the SNR of other organs in virtual unenhanced images was higher than in linear and non-linear blending images (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in subjective image scores and the number of conventional lesions between virtual unenhanced image, linear, and non-linear blending (P ≥ 0.05). The Kappa coefficients for evaluating extraserosal invasion were 0.722, 0.584, and 0.584 for virtual unenhanced, linear blending, and non-linear blending images, respectively, with corresponding accuracies of 86.1%, 79.2%, and 79.2%.

CONCLUSION: Virtual unenhanced images of patients with CRC can provide high-quality images for diagnostic evaluation, potentially replacing linear blending and non-linear blending images in plain scans.

PMID:41623000 | DOI:10.2174/0115734056412910251125054025

Emerg Med Australas. 2026 Feb;38(1):e70220. doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.70220.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Assess the effects of Age, Period and Cohort (APC) in the trends in emergency department (ED) visits in 2003-2023 in Australia.

METHODS: For this retrospective observational study, we obtained data on all ED visits in Australia in 2003-2023 from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and applied an APC model to separate Age, Period and Cohort effects.

RESULTS: The total number of ED visits increased from 4,306,183 in 2003 to 7,194,861 in 2013 (67% increase). A 25% increase was observed in 2013-2023 (n = 9,014,526 visits in 2023). Rates of ED visits have increased in Australia in 2003-2023 from 218 per 1000 residents to 338 per 1000. Rates of ED visits were higher in patients aged > 85 years and have increased in 2003-2023 from 525 per 1000 to 835 per 1000 (59% increase). The increase in the number of ED visits per capita was slightly lower in those aged 65-74 (from 226 per 1000 in 2003 to 338 per 1000 in 2023, 50% increase) and those aged 75-84 years (350 per 1000 to 526 per 1000, 50% increase) compared to residents aged > 85 years.

CONCLUSIONS: Our APC modelling shows a deceleration in the increase in the rate of ED visits in the last decade, despite at the same age younger generations having higher rates of ED visits than older generations. The consistent increase in ED visits per capita in those aged < 75 years has major implications for healthcare planning and policies needed to reduce ED demand.

PMID:41622986 | DOI:10.1111/1742-6723.70220

Nanoscale. 2026 Feb 2. doi: 10.1039/d5nr04642d. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on the template-assisted synthesis of Pt-based catalysts featuring a porous structure. The influence of various gadolinium precursors on the synthesis of Pt-Gd oxide catalysts is systematically investigated, with the objective of optimizing their crystalline structure and correlating it with their performance in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Transmission electron microscopy analyses reveal complex morphological features, while synchrotron radiation experiments, combined with an innovative and robust approach based on the Debye Scattering Equation (DSE), enable a more accurate correlation between the electrochemical performance and the actual morphology of the catalysts. Although this work does not claim the development of a breakthrough catalyst, the observed ORR activity is comparable to that of commercial benchmarks (e.g., TKK). More importantly, it underscores the value of DSE-based XRD analysis as a statistically rigorous and complementary technique for nanoparticle morphology characterization, offering significant advantages over conventional TEM in this context.

PMID:41622981 | DOI:10.1039/d5nr04642d

Am J Hum Biol. 2026 Feb;38(2):e70204. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.70204.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to summarize the evidence regarding possible differences in areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) across racial and ethnic groups of children and adolescents.

METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using five electronic databases, supplemented by complementary searches of reference lists. Studies should have used dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to assess bone mass in children and adolescents (aged ≤ 19 years) with no special clinical conditions.

RESULTS: Of the 1791 articles initially identified, 26 were included. Whites had lower aBMD/BMC than Blacks in 60.2% (47/78) of the analyzed results. In racial/ethnic groups that did not include Blacks, aBMD/BMC values were lower when compared to Blacks or ethnic groups that included Blacks in 80.0% (8/10) of possible results. Most findings indicated a paucity of evidence regarding differences in aBMD/BMC between Whites and Asians, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and Mexican-Americans (percentage of results ≤ 50.0%).

CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that White children and adolescents have lower bone mass values compared to their Black peers. Racial and ethnic groups that do not include Black individuals also exhibit lower bone mass values compared to Black children and adolescents. Additionally, there appears to be no difference in bone mass between White children and adolescents and their Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Mexican-American counterparts.

PMID:41622979 | DOI:10.1002/ajhb.70204

Pak J Biol Sci. 2026 Jan;29(1):33-47. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2026.33.47.

ABSTRACT

&lt;b&gt;Background and Objective:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;i&gt;Chrysanthemum&lt;/i&gt; is one of the most important ornamental plants worldwide, yet conventional propagation methods remain inefficient; therefore, microponics (a system integrating micropropagation with hydroponics) offers strong potential for producing high-quality planting materials at scale. This study evaluates the efficiency of microponic and micropropagation systems for &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; propagation of the red cultivar of &lt;i&gt;Chrysanthemum&lt;/i&gt;×&lt;i&gt;morifolium&lt;/i&gt;, focusing on optimizing medium composition, plant growth regulator levels, medium volume and culture density and comparing plantlet performance during nursery acclimatization. &lt;b&gt;Materials and Methods:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;i&gt;In vitro&lt;/i&gt; shoots, measuring 1-1.5 cm in length and consisting of two nodes, were used as explants. Experiments were arranged in a completely randomized design with five replicates. Data were statistically analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with IRRISTAT 5.0, SPSS 20.0 and Microsoft Excel to identify the optimal culture conditions for each system and to compare growth parameters of plantlets during nursery conditions with treatment means compared by DMRT at the 5% significance level. &lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; The optimal conditions for the microponic system were obtained using liquid 1/2MS medium supplemented with 0.1 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), with a medium volume of 20 mL and a culture density of nine shoots per vessel. Under these conditions, plantlets exhibited the highest shoot height (2.03 cm), fresh mass (0.17 g), 100% root initiation, 3.89 roots per explant (0.64 cm in length) and 4.26 leaves after two weeks of culture. In contrast, the optimal micropropagation medium was solid MS supplemented with 0.3 ppm NAA, 0.5 g/L activated charcoal (AC), 30 g/L sucrose, with the same culture density that used in the microponic system. Plantlets in this system reached a shoot height of 3.14 cm, a fresh mass of 0.20 g, 100% root initiation, 4.87 roots (3.44 cm in length) and five leaves. After 90 days in the nursery, micropropagated plantlets exhibited greater height, a higher number of leaves and earlier flowering, whereas microponic-derived plantlets developed larger leaves, thicker shoots and wider canopy diameters. &lt;b&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/b&gt; The micropropagation system provided optimal conditions for &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; shoot growth and promoted earlier flowering, while the microponic system improved acclimatization and post-transplant performance of red cultivar of &lt;i&gt;Chrysanthemum&lt;/i&gt;×&lt;i&gt;morifolium&lt;/i&gt; plantlets.

PMID:41622958 | DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2026.33.47