Nevin Manimala

Lasers Med Sci. 2025 Jun 9;40(1):264. doi: 10.1007/s10103-025-04512-w.

ABSTRACT

Salivary gland hypofunction (SGH) is associated with an increased risk of tooth decay, oral infections, halitosis, xerostomia, and impaired speaking and swallowing functions, leading to decreased quality of life. Several therapies have been used to increase saliva production, and photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has shown promising results in treating SGH. This preliminary study aims to evaluate the efficacy of PBMT in SGH and changes in the quality of life of these patients. Eight patients diagnosed with SGH (salivary flow ≤ 0.2 mL/min) who were on continuous systemic medication underwent ten sessions of PBMT applied to the major salivary glands. A follow-up appointment was performed 45 days after the last session. The effect of PBMT was evaluated in terms of quality of life (XeQoLS) and dysphagia (EAT-10). The Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were used to analyze sialometry and questionnaire data. A p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The unstimulated whole saliva flow (UWSF) rate improved in the fifth and tenth PBMT sessions (p = 0.005; p = 0.003, respectively). This improvement was also present 45 days after therapy (p = 0.04), thus demonstrating a long-term effect of PBMT in SGH treatment. Thus, our study demonstrates the efficacy of PBMT in treating salivary gland hypofunction, with a significant and sustained increase in UWSF rate even after the end of treatment. These findings suggest that PBMT may effectively improve saliva production in patients diagnosed with salivary gland hypofunction, including those on continuous systemic medication.

PMID:40488944 | DOI:10.1007/s10103-025-04512-w

J Vector Borne Dis. 2025 Jun 10. doi: 10.4103/jvbd.jvbd_29_25. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: Dengue fever is a significant public health challenge in India. This threat has been amplified by rapid urbanization. This study analyzes the spatiotemporal patterns of dengue transmission, the influence of climate on dengue transmission, and predict future trends of dengue incidence in Dakshina Kannada from 2024 to 2026.

METHODS: The study used retrospective data from January 1, 2019, to April 30, 2024, and covered 288 locations in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. Data was collected in Excel and analyzed using Jamovi 2.3.28 for descriptive statistics. Time series analysis was performed in R version 4.4.0, while spatiotemporal clusters were identified using SaTScan V10.1.2 and visualized in QGIS version 3.30.0. Multivariable linear regression was conducted to identify climate factors affecting dengue cases. ARIMA models were employed for predictive forecasting of future dengue cases.

RESULTS: A total of 1,836 recorded dengue cases was retrieved from the Health Management Information System (HMIS) at the district level. The study identified significant spatiotemporal clusters of dengue cases, with the primary cluster occurring from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2024. Climatic factors, particularly rainfall and temperature, showed significant correlations with dengue incidence. The ARIMA (3,1,1) (1,0,0) [12] model demonstrated robust forecasting capability for dengue cases, indicating a continuing upward trend, which appears to be influenced by seasonal patterns.

INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION: Dengue transmission in Dakshina Kannada is significantly influenced by climatic factors such as temperature, rainfall, and humidity. The ARIMA-based predictive modeling forecasted increased dengue cases in the coming years. These findings show the need for targeted public health interventions in identified hotspot areas, along with continuous climate-based surveillance to support timely and effective dengue control measures.

PMID:40485564 | DOI:10.4103/jvbd.jvbd_29_25

J Vector Borne Dis. 2025 Jun 10. doi: 10.4103/jvbd.jvbd_131_24. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: Malaria is a global health issue, causing over two million deaths annually. The development of new and potent antimalarial drugs is essential to combat the disease. Machine learning has been increasingly applied to predict antimalarial activity of compounds, offering a promising approach for antimalarial pharmaceutical research. This study aims to predict the antimalarial activity of potential compounds using weighted atomic vectors and machine learning algorithms.

METHODS: The research employs several machine learning algorithms, such as Decision Tree, Bagging Regressor, and Ada Boost. The study uses weighted atomic vectors to represent compounds and employs machine learning algorithms for prediction. The performance of the models is assessed using metrics like R2, MAE, and RMSLE, statistical validation using Friedman and Wilcoxon Tests.

RESULTS: The results highlight the remarkable efficacy of Ada Boost in predicting antimalarial activity, consistently outperforming other algorithms across different datasets, achieving a maximum precision of 93.

INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION: The combination of weighted atomic vectors and machine learning emerges as a promising approach for antimalarial pharmaceutical research, emphasizing the significance of artificial intelligence in this field.

PMID:40485561 | DOI:10.4103/jvbd.jvbd_131_24

Discov Med. 2025 Jun;37(197):984-993. doi: 10.24976/Discov.Med.202537197.88.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Whether seizure presentation in patients afflicted with primary brain tumors (PBT) is associated with clinical prognosis remains an open question. We explore this association using the Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD).

METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted to summarize prior studies focusing on the association between the presence of seizure and outcomes of PBT/brain metastases (BM). The statistical power of the study was defined as a function of the effect size. We identified 50,380 and 32,789 PBT and BM patients in the NRD (2010-2018), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models were utilized to assess the risk of mortality and the related factors.

RESULTS: In a multivariable model accounting for known survival pertinent variables (age, gender, insurance status, income, hospital length of stay, discharge disposition, hospital features), the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of death for PBT patients who presented with seizures and underwent craniotomy was 0.67 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.52-0.86, p = 0.002] relative to those presented without seizures. The aOR of death for PBT patients who presented with seizures and underwent biopsy was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.30-1.00, p = 0.048) relative to those without seizures. This association was not observed for BM patients; the aOR of death for BMs who presented with seizures was 0.91 (p = 0.483) and 0.32 (p = 0.090) relative to those presented without seizures for craniotomy and biopsy patients, respectively. A comprehensive review of the literature showed that the predominance of the available studies supported the reported association.

CONCLUSIONS: We report an association between seizure at presentation and decreased mortality risk for PBT patients. The association was robust in both patients who underwent craniotomy as well as stereotactic needle biopsy but was not observed in BM patients.

PMID:40485516 | DOI:10.24976/Discov.Med.202537197.88

Curr Med Res Opin. 2025 Jun 9:1-16. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2025.2516147. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Quantification of myasthenia gravis (MG) symptom severity and treatment satisfaction could differ whether reported by patients or physicians. The study objective was to explore concordance between assessments of symptom severity, symptom troublesomeness, and treatment satisfaction by patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and their physicians.Methods: Data were from the Adelphi Real World MG Disease Specific Programme (DSP), a multinational (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom [UK], United States [US]), cross-sectional survey with retrospective chart review independently completed by physicians and their patients in 2020.Results: Across all patients and all symptoms, physician-patient concordance about symptom severity was moderate (Cohen’s Weighted Kappa [κ] statistic = 0.45). However, there was high variability, and when each of the 17 symptoms was examined individually, agreement was slight or fair (κ = 0.00-0.40). The proportion of physicians describing a given symptom as less severe than the patient ranged from 30.9-74.5%. There were many instances where a physician reported a symptom as absent, but the patient self-reported it as present (e.g. fatigue/tiredness: physician-reported absence in 42% of patients [of whom 11% self-reported mild, 17% moderate, 5% severe], muscle ache after activity: physician-reported absence in 58% of patients [of whom 12% self-reported mild, 10% moderate, 6% severe]. There was generally greater physician-patient concordance in recognizing patients’ most troublesome symptoms; agreement was poor (κ < 0) or slight/fair (κ = 0.00-0.40) for 6 symptoms and moderate/substantial (κ = 0.41-0.80) for 11. Physician-patient concordance regarding treatment satisfaction was fair (κ = 0.37), with physicians reporting higher satisfaction than patients in 36.6% of cases.Conclusions: Although some degree of physician-patient concordance was observed, there remained many patients reporting greater symptom severity and/or lower treatment satisfaction compared with physicians.

PMID:40485493 | DOI:10.1080/03007995.2025.2516147

Indian J Pathol Microbiol. 2025 Jun 7. doi: 10.4103/ijpm.ijpm_749_24. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Head-neck carcinoma, which includes oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is the eighth most common type of cancer. Secretarial for most head and neck cancers, this being one of the primary causes of morbidity and destruction worldwide. Included in OSCC are extranodal extension and depth of invasion and their relation with pTNM staging, which are essential to OSCC prognosis. These histopathological features can be incorporated into pathology data to provide further appropriate treatment for OSCC patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of 65 patients were retrieved from the departmental archives and histopathological characteristics were studied. Statistical analysis was done and histopathologic parameters were correlated.

RESULTS: The Present study aimed to find a correlation between the extranodal extension of positive lymph nodes and depth of invasion histopathologically in tumors to rule out its impact on the survival and prognosis of patients. On correlating DOI with ENE, it showed that 27 patients had positive lymph nodes 15 patients having a DOI more than 10 mm showed extranodal extension and 9 patients showed negative ENE, suggesting a significant correlation between both parameters (p-0.008).

CONCLUSION: We hypothesized that there was a significant correlation between extracapsular spread and depth of invasion in OSCC and has an effect on the survival and prognosis of the patient.

PMID:40485490 | DOI:10.4103/ijpm.ijpm_749_24

Br J Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 9:1-5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2025.118. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Recent changes to US research funding are having far-reaching consequences that imperil the integrity of science and the provision of care to vulnerable populations. Resisting these changes, the BJPsych Portfolio reaffirms its commitment to publishing mental science and advancing psychiatric knowledge that improves the mental health of one and all.

PMID:40485480 | DOI:10.1192/bjp.2025.118

Hypertension. 2025 Jun 9. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.125.24675. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia remains one of the major causes of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, and yet it is uncertain whether aspirin combined with calcium would reduce the burden of preeclampsia in Malawian women, as elsewhere. This study assessed the efficacy of early low-dose aspirin in preventing in women given calcium to prevent preeclampsia/eclampsia in Blantyre, Malawi.

METHODS: This was a pragmatic, double-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 4 urban health centers and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. A total of 306 women at high risk of preeclampsia were assigned to low-dose aspirin (150 mg/day) or placebo from 12 to 16 weeks until 34 weeks of gestation in clusters. All women were given calcium 1 g/day. The intention-to-treat analysis and adherence analysis were conducted with the primary end point of preeclampsia.

RESULTS: A total of 39 women were lost to follow-up, and 1 withdrew consent. Data for 266 women were available for analysis. Overall, preeclampsia occurred in 15.8% (42/266) and eclampsia in 2.3% (6/266) of all women. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of preeclampsia between the low-dose aspirin group 19.3% (26/135) and placebo group (12.2% 16/131; adjusted odds ratio, 1.16 [95% CI, 0.41-3.41]; P=0.781). No statistically significant difference was observed in the secondary maternal and neonatal outcomes. The overall adherence was 69%.

CONCLUSIONS: In high-risk women treated with calcium, additional low-dose aspirin resulted in no difference in the rate of preeclampsia, cesarean section rates, or important neonatal outcomes in Malawi.

PMID:40485444 | DOI:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.125.24675

Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2025 Jun 9. doi: 10.4103/sjg.sjg_133_25. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been associated with higher risk of gastrointestinal disorders, particularly Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the magnitude of this association and the underlying mechanisms remains unclear.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across major databases from inception to November 2024. We included cross-sectional and case-control studies evaluating the relationship between CKD and GERD. Data were extracted and analyzed using a random-effects model to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and prevalence rates. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochran’s Q test and I² statistic.

RESULTS: Nine studies involving 4,650,709 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of GERD among CKD patients was 18% (95% CI: 0.10-0.26, I² =93.64%). The pooled crude OR for the association between CKD and GERD was 2.53 (95% CI: 1.30-4.92) and adjusted OR was 1.48 (95% CI: 1.05-2.08).

CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis reveals a marginally significant association between CKD and GERD, highlighting higher prevalence of GERD among individuals with CKD. Furthers studies are needed to elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and potential clinical implications.

PMID:40485438 | DOI:10.4103/sjg.sjg_133_25

Soft Matter. 2025 Jun 9. doi: 10.1039/d5sm00138b. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Brain tissue accommodates non-linear deformations and exhibits time-dependent mechanical behaviour. The latter is one of the most pronounced features of brain tissue, manifesting itself primarily through viscoelastic effects such as stress relaxation. To investigate its viscoelastic behaviour, we performed ramp-and-hold relaxation tests in torsion on freshly slaughtered cylindrical ovine brain samples (25 mm diameter and ∼10 mm height). The tests were conducted using a commercial rheometer at varying twist rates of {40, 240, 400} rad m^-1 s^-1, with the twist remaining fixed at ∼88 rad m^-1, which generated two independent datasets for torque and normal force. The complete set of viscoelastic material parameters was estimated via a simultaneous fit to the analytical expressions for the torque and normal force predicted by the modified quasi-linear viscoelastic model. The model’s predictions were further validated through finite element simulations in FEniCS. Our results show that the modified quasi-linear viscoelastic model-recently reappraised and largely unexploited-accurately fits the experimental data. Moreover, the estimated material parameters are in line with those obtained in previous studies on brain samples under torsion. These material parameters could enhance our understanding of slow-progressing pathologies such as tumour growth or neurodegeneration and inform the development of improved in silico models for brain surgery planning and training. Our novel testing protocol also offers an efficient, robust and reliable method for determining the viscoelastic properties of brain tissue under much more rapid loading conditions, which are of crucial importance for modelling traumatic brain injury.

PMID:40485423 | DOI:10.1039/d5sm00138b