Nevin Manimala

Cell Reprogram. 2025 Mar 20. doi: 10.1089/cell.2024.0066. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) play an essential role in the transfer of genetic information through generations, making studying their cellular and molecular mechanisms critical. However, since SSCs are few in mice, directly studying them is limited, requiring specialized in vitro cultivation. Feeder layers such as mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), SNL, neonate, and adult mouse testicular stromal feeder cells (TSCs) support in vitro survival and growth. To understand the effectiveness of these feeder layers on SSC proliferation, we compared MEF, SNL, neonatal, and adult TSCs. Furthermore, we identified hub genes and potential pathways in spermatogenesis. Two populations of differentiated and undifferentiated SSCs were compared for mouse SSC colony formation and proliferation effectiveness. Additionally, Cytoscape and STRING databases were employed for protein-protein interaction networks and functional gene enrichment. The expression of three hub genes, including Dazl, Zbtb16, and Stra8, was analyzed using dynamic array chips (Fluidigm) followed by statistical analysis. Our results indicated that undifferentiated SSCs favored MEF feeders, while differentiated SSCs thrived on SNL and primary TSC feeders for long-term culture. Functional enrichment results demonstrated hub genes involvement in cell differentiation, meiosis, regulation of meiotic nuclear division, cell development, and spermatogenesis. Furthermore, mRNA expression levels of Stra8, Zbtb16, and Dazl genes show different patterns among feeder layers and SSC differentiation phases.

PMID:40111152 | DOI:10.1089/cell.2024.0066

Comput Inform Nurs. 2025 Mar 20. doi: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000001277. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study proposes an evaluation of the efficacy of machine learning algorithms in classifying chronic pain based on Italian nursing notes, contributing to the integration of artificial intelligence tools in healthcare within an Italian linguistic context. The research aimed to validate the nursing diagnosis of chronic pain and explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing clinical decision-making in Italian healthcare settings. Three machine learning algorithms-XGBoost, gradient boosting, and BERT-were optimized through a grid search approach to identify the most suitable hyperparameters for each model. Therefore, the performance of the algorithms was evaluated and compared using Cohen’s κ coefficient. This statistical measure assesses the level of agreement between the predicted classifications and the actual data labels. Results demonstrated XGBoost’s superior performance, whereas BERT showed potential in handling complex Italian language structures despite data volume and domain specificity limitations. The study highlights the importance of algorithm selection in clinical applications and the potential of machine learning in healthcare, specifically addressing the challenges of Italian medical language processing. This work contributes to the growing field of artificial intelligence in nursing, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities of implementing machine learning in Italian clinical practice. Future research could explore integrating multimodal data, combining text analysis with physiological signals and imaging data, to create more comprehensive and accurate chronic pain classification models tailored to the Italian healthcare system.

PMID:40111146 | DOI:10.1097/CIN.0000000000001277

Subst Use Misuse. 2025 Mar 20:1-8. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2025.2481322. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recovery constitutes the goal for people with alcohol use disorder (AUD). State hope and abstinence self-efficacy represent consequential constructs for people with AUD as they work toward recovery.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this two-group cluster-randomized single-session effectiveness study was to compare the effects of group motivational-educational songwriting (MESW) and group recreational music therapy (RMT) by measuring between- and within-group differences in measures of state hope and abstinence self-efficacy in adults with AUD on a detoxification unit.

METHOD: Participants (N = 86) were cluster-randomized to a single-session of group MESW or group RMT. Participants completed psychometric inventories measuring state hope (consisting of agency and pathways subscales as well as total state hope) and abstinence self-efficacy (consisting of temptation and confidence subscales) at pre- and posttest.

RESULTS: Analyses indicated statistically significant within-group changes in agency, pathways, total state hope, temptation, and confidence. In all measures, there were favorable changes from pre- to posttest. There were statistically significant between-group differences in pathways and total state hope, with the MESW condition outperforming the RMT condition.

CONCLUSION: A single group MESW or group RMT session can positively influence state hope and abstinence self-efficacy in adults with AUD on a detoxification unit. As the MESW condition explicitly addressed recovery, has other empirical support in the literature, and significantly outperformed the RMT condition in measures of pathways and total state hope, MESW may be an ideal intervention for adults in detoxification settings. Implications for practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.

PMID:40111125 | DOI:10.1080/10826084.2025.2481322

Arts Health. 2025 Mar 20:1-20. doi: 10.1080/17533015.2025.2481275. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate how physiotherapists use dance in clinical practice.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of Canadian physiotherapists with a web-based questionnaire distributed via social media and professional and healthcare organizations. Responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics and descriptive content analysis.

RESULTS: Of the 81 respondents included in the analysis, 36 (44%) had used dance in practice, while 45 (56%) had not. Respondents were more likely to have used dance in practice if they had formal dance experience (X² (1, n = 81) = 3.73, p = .044). The rationale for implementing dance included improving physical, psychosocial, and cognitive outcomes. Common barriers were clinician inexperience and insufficient resources, while a common concern about using dance was that they may not be taken seriously.

CONCLUSION: Canadian physiotherapists used dance clinically in more diverse ways than reported in the scientific literature. Future work should evaluate these specific dance interventions and inform the development of clinical practice guidelines.

PMID:40111121 | DOI:10.1080/17533015.2025.2481275

J Prosthet Dent. 2025 Mar 18:S0022-3913(25)00193-3. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.02.044. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Conventional lithium disilicate material is frequently the material of choice whenever laminate veneers are advocated. Advanced lithium disilicate (CEREC Tessera) has been introduced and is thought to be a favorable alternative to conventional lithium disilicates in terms of reduced chairside time. However, its reliability as a material for laminate veneer fabrication has not been adequately assessed.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to assess the vertical marginal gap and internal fit of laminate veneers fabricated from the advanced lithium disilicate ceramic versus the conventional lithium disilicate ceramic.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 22 laminate veneers were fabricated for a maxillary central incisor and divided into 2 groups; Group E (e.max CAD): fabricated from conventional lithium disilicate and Group T (Tessera):fabricated from advanced lithium disilicate. A typodont maxillary right central incisor was prepared by following the recommended parameters, and the laminate veneers were then scanned, designed, and milled. Quantitative measurements of the vertical marginal gap and internal fit of the laminate veneers on the typodont tooth were made by direct viewing and the silicone replica approach, respectively, using a digital microscope. The Student t test was performed for statistical analysis of the results (α=.05).

RESULTS: The mean values of both groups varied significantly. Group T had a lower mean vertical marginal gap (40.5 µm) than group E (52.6 µm) (P<.05). In terms of internal fit, group T had a higher value (191.5 µm) than group E (142.4 µm) (P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Advanced lithium disilicate laminate veneers revealed better vertical marginal gap and lower internal fit than conventional lithium disilicate laminate veneers.

PMID:40107959 | DOI:10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.02.044

J Voice. 2025 Mar 18:S0892-1997(25)00077-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.02.030. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Neurogenic voice disorders like adductor laryngeal dystonia (AdLD), vocal tremor, and vocal paresis/paralysis impact the neuromuscular control of the phonatory system, which might lead to an impaired phonation onset/offset. Utilizing laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV), this study investigates the glottal attack time (GAT) and glottal offset time (GOT) during soft, habitual, and hard glottal attack modalities in sustained phonation for several neurogenic voice disorders.

METHODS: HSV data and audio recordings were obtained simultaneously from 14 participants with neurogenic voice disorders and 14 normophonic participants during two productions of the /i/ vowel at soft, habitual, and hard glottal attacks. Using HSV, GAT, defined as the time interval between the first oscillation and the first contact of the vocal folds at phonation onset, and GOT, the time interval between the last oscillation and the last contact of the vocal folds at phonation offset, were measured. GAT and GOT for different glottal attack modalities were compared within each group, also among the different disorders and normophonic participants. Additionally, these values were compared between sustained phonation and connected speech for the normophonic participants and those with AdLD.

RESULTS: The neurogenic disorders group exhibited significantly higher GAT values than the normophonic participants during the hard glottal attack modality. Habitual GOTs for vocal tremor were significantly different than those of unilateral vocal fold paralysis and AdLD. Moreover, the normophonic participants shared similar trends between connected speech and sustained phonation across glottal attack modalities for GAT, while the AdLD group did not. AdLD participants shared the same trend for GOT, while normophonic participants did not.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of differences in GAT and GOT values during sustained phonation across different neurogenic voice disorders, contributing to the understanding of their pathophysiology. These findings may inform the development of strategies and speech tasks for clinical assessment of neurogenic voice disorders.

PMID:40107936 | DOI:10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.02.030

Int Psychogeriatr. 2025 Mar 18:100056. doi: 10.1016/j.inpsyc.2025.100056. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is often associated with agitation and aggression, which may impair function, impede care, and be a major source of stress for caregivers. The Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) is often used to assess agitation and aggression. In its original, nursing-home version, it is a 29-item, caregiver-informed, clinician-administered 7-point scale that assesses the frequency of various agitation or aggressive behaviors. However, the instruction manual advises against the use of the total score in favor of a domain-based analysis. This recommendation has been followed in both clinical trials and practice. Because the CMAI is comprehensive and easy to administer, we sought to determine the validity of its total score as a single construct for assessing agitation and aggression in patients with AD.

METHODS: We used a previously conducted factor analysis of the CMAI scores from two risperidone trials in patients with dementia (N = 648), and a follow-up analysis of the subset of patients with psychosis of AD (N = 479), to examine, using vector analysis and an effect-size-versus-signal-to-noise ratio analysis, whether the total CMAI score could confidently be used as a global measure of agitation and aggression in AD.

RESULTS: Our findings suggest that the CMAI items from the dataset analyzed load into 4 clusters, which cover about 50 % of the total data variance. Surprisingly, items with the lowest signal-to-noise ratio (hitting, performing repetitious mannerisms, aimless pacing or wandering) had the strongest response to treatment (and vice versa), and belonged to different factors. The further observation that many items were spread among the factors, instead of primarily measuring a single factor or domain, suggests that there is a continuum of symptoms, and separating them into domains requires separating very similar items that measure two or more domains.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that assessing agitation and aggression via CMAI domains instead of the total score is likely to miss important behavioral signals. Using total CMAI score in clinical trials and practice, along with the assessment of individual items, is warranted.

PMID:40107930 | DOI:10.1016/j.inpsyc.2025.100056

Int Psychogeriatr. 2025 Mar 18:100059. doi: 10.1016/j.inpsyc.2025.100059. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study identifies neuropsychiatric syndromes and investigates their relationship with neuroimaging in Alzheimer’s disease dementia (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging and perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography data were collected for 281, 68, and 180 patients with AD, DLB, and MCI, respectively, from three Japanese institutions. Neuropsychiatric Inventory was used for exploratory factor analysis in each group. Statistical Parametric Mapping was exploited to reveal the relationships between each factor score and cerebral volume or perfusion with age, sex, dementia severity, and the other factor scores as covariates.

RESULTS: Three factors (psychosis, agitation, and affective disturbance) were extracted for AD. For DLB, nighttime behavior and aberrant motor behavior were extracted as independent symptoms with the same three factors. Four factors (psychosis, agitation, anxiety, and apathy) were extracted for MCI. A positive relationship between agitation and cerebral volume in the left middle frontal gyri and left caudate was observed in AD. In DLB, agitation was positively correlated with cerebral perfusion in the left dominant regions, including the middle frontal gyri and caudate. Psychosis and perfusion were negatively correlated in the left extent regions, including the temporo-parieto-occipital lobe, insula, and inferior frontal gyri in DLB. Psychosis was significantly associated with lower perfusion in the bilateral occipital lobes, whereas apathy was significantly correlated with a lower volume of the right dominant bilateral frontal lobes in MCI.

CONCLUSIONS: Three neuropsychiatric syndromes – psychosis, agitation, and affective disturbance – may heterogeneously associate with AD, DLB, and MCI.

PMID:40107929 | DOI:10.1016/j.inpsyc.2025.100059

Arch Pediatr. 2025 Mar 18:S0929-693X(25)00045-4. doi: 10.1016/j.arcped.2024.12.007. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is the main complication of febrile status epilepticus (FSE) in children. The association between FSE and the development of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is controversial.

OBJECTIVES: This study primarily aimed to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequence during the acute phase of FSE in predicting long-term development of HS and epilepsy. The secondary objective was to assess the value of arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion MRI in the acute phase of FSE.

METHODS AND SETTINGS: Patients with a first episode of FSE between 6 months and 5 years of age who underwent early MRI were retrospectively included. MRI analysis focused on the DWI signal and the presence of perfusion abnormalities on ASL imaging. We also examined the first electroencephalogram (EEG) during the acute phase. Long-term follow-up analysis assessed the occurrence of HS on MRI scans and the development of epilepsy.

RESULTS: A total of 15 children were included. The presence of restricted diffusion areas on MRIs performed in the acute phase after FSE was significantly associated with the later development of HS. However, the association between restricted diffusion areas on early MRIs and the development of pharmaco-resistant epilepsy on follow-up, found in 3 patients, was not statistically significant. There was a trend for an association between early ASL perfusion MRI changes and EEG findings when both examinations were performed closely.

CONCLUSION: Early DWI-MRI seems to play a major role in the prognostic evaluation of FSE in children. It may help to determine hippocampal involvement and assess the risk of subsequent HS. However, the study data are insufficient to conclude on the association between diffusion abnormalities and the development of MTLE. Although ASL perfusion may provide additional insight, more data are needed.

PMID:40107905 | DOI:10.1016/j.arcped.2024.12.007

Libyan J Med. 2025 Dec;20(1):2481741. doi: 10.1080/19932820.2025.2481741. Epub 2025 Mar 19.

ABSTRACT

Sperm motility, a key determinant of male fertility, is often impaired by genetic variations affecting flagellar formation. The glutamine-rich protein 2 (QRICH2) gene encodes a protein essential for sperm flagella biogenesis and structural integrity. This study investigates genetic variations within exon 3 of the QRICH2 gene, identifying novel heterozygous variants associated with sperm tail-specific abnormalities and motility impairments. Among 34 individuals diagnosed with asthenozoospermia (ASZ) and 26 individuals with normal sperm parameters (NZ) from Jordan, eight unique heterozygous variants (c.123 G>T, c.133 G>C, c.138A>G, c.170A>C, c.189C>G, c.190T>C, c.195A>T, and c.204A>T) were exclusive to the ASZ group, while four variants (c.136 G>A, c.145A>C, c.179T>G, and c.180T>G) were found only in NZ. These variants were absent from major genetic databases, suggesting their potential novelty, while two variants (c.206C>T and c.189C>T) were linked to known SNP cluster IDs rs73996306 and rs1567790525, respectively. Four non-synonymous SNPs (c.136 G>A, c.145A>C, c.170A>C, and c.204A>T) were predicted to be functionally and structurally damaging, underscoring their significance. Additionally, five variants overlapped with previously reported mutation sites, indicating potential mutation hotspots. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between QRICH2 mutations and tail defects (p < 0.021). These findings highlight the critical role of heterozygous QRICH2 mutations in mild-to-moderate ASZ, even in NZ individuals. Despite some carriers meeting WHO criteria for NZ, notable morphological abnormalities suggest the need for refined diagnostic benchmarks. Screening for QRICH2 mutations is essential for accurate molecular diagnosis and should be integrated into genetic counseling, particularly in regions like Jordan. Further research into the cumulative effects of heterozygous mutations and their environmental interactions is needed to expand our understanding of idiopathic male infertility and to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for male infertility.

PMID:40107860 | DOI:10.1080/19932820.2025.2481741