Tag: nevin manimala

BMC Public Health. 2025 Feb 2;25(1):422. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21535-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) disproportionately affects individuals of South Asian descent. Additionally, diabetes distress (DD) may lead to complications with diabetes management. This study examines the prevalence of DD among foreign-born individuals of South Asian descent in New York City (NYC) and its association with sociodemographic and clinical factors.

METHODS: Baseline data was collected from the Diabetes Research, Education, and Action for Minorities (DREAM) Initiative, an intervention designed to reduce hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) among South Asian individuals with uncontrolled T2D at primary care practices in NYC. The Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) measured DD, and Core Healthy Days Measures assessed physical and mental healthy days. Sociodemographic variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests assessed categorical variables, and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests evaluated continuous variables (Type I error rate = 0.05). Logistic regression models examined associations between HbA1c, mental health, and other covariates with dichotomized DD subscales.

RESULTS: Overall, 414 participants completed the DDS at baseline (median age = 55.2 years; SD = 9.8). All were born outside of the US; the majority were born in Bangladesh (69.8%) followed by India, Pakistan, and Nepal (24.7%) and Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (5.5%). High emotional burden, regimen-related distress and physician-related distress were reported by 25.9%, 21.9%, and 6.2% of participants, respectively. In adjusted analyses, individuals with ≥ 1 day of poor mental health had higher odds of overall distress (OR:3.8, p = 0.013), emotional burden (OR:4.5, p < 0.001), and physician-related distress (OR:4.6, p = 0.007) compared to individuals with no days of poor mental health. Higher HbA1c (OR:1.45, p = < 0.001) was associated with regimen-related distress; and lower emotional support was associated with overall distress (OR:0.92, p < 0.001) and regimen-related distress (OR:0.95, p = 0.012). Individuals born in Bangladesh had significantly lower odds of overall distress, emotional burden, and regimen-related distress compared to individuals born in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the rate and risk factors of DD among individuals of South Asian descent living in NYC. Screening for DD in patients with prediabetes or diabetes should be integrated to address mental and physical health needs. Future research can benefit from a longitudinal analysis of the impact of DD on diabetes self-management and health outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study uses baseline data from “Diabetes Management Intervention for South Asians” (NCT03333044), which was registered with clinicaltrials.gov on 6/11/2017.

PMID:39894868 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-21535-8

Sci Rep. 2025 Feb 2;15(1):4026. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-88651-8.

ABSTRACT

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe neuromuscular disease due to loss of dystrophin, leading to progressive muscle wasting and physical inactivity. In this pilot study, we studied the effect of daily supplementation of the anabolic substrate beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) on whole body protein and amino acid kinetics using novel isotope methods and daily activity in a canine model of DMD. Six DMD dogs were administered 3 g daily of HMB or placebo for 28 days according to a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded crossover design. We measured pre- and post-intervention daily activity, biochemistry markers, and whole-body amino acid kinetics. We tracked daily activity with an activity monitoring device and measured plasma creatine kinase and standard clinical biochemistry panels to monitor muscle and organ function. To calculate whole body and intracellular amino acid production, we administered in the postabsorptive state an IV stable isotope solution containing 20 amino acid tracers. We collected blood before and six times after until two hours post tracer pulse administration and measured amino acid enrichments and concentrations by LC-MS/MS, subsequently followed by (non) compartmental modeling of the decay enrichment curves. Results were expressed as mean with 95% CI. Whole body production, plasma concentrations, and intra-/extracellular compartmental analyses of various amino acids were attenuated in HMB-dosed DMD dogs. Specifically, the plasma concentration of hydroxyproline (marker of collagen breakdown) was significantly higher in the placebo group compared to the HMB group. The intra- and extracellular pool sizes and flux between the two compartments of hydroxyproline was reduced in HMB treated dogs. DMD dogs treated with HMB as compared to placebo had a respective 40% increase in exertional (play) (951 [827, 1075] versus 569 [491, 647]; p < 0.0001) and 10.5% increase in non-exertional (active) activity (15,366 [14742, 15990] versus 13,806 [13148,14466]; p = 0.0016). In addition, a 6% reduction was found in rest time after HMB supplementation compared to placebo (23,857 [23,130, 24,584], versus 25,363 [24500, 26225]; p = 0.0122). Creatine kinase was not statistically different between groups. We did not observe any adverse clinical or biochemical-related effects of HMB dosing. Daily HMB supplementation in DMD dogs can safely and positively influence protein and amino acid metabolism and improve overall daily activity.

PMID:39894866 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-88651-8

Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2025 Feb 2. doi: 10.1007/s10549-025-07624-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study explored changes in employment and financial hardship following breast cancer diagnosis.

METHODS: We used data from a single-institution, longitudinal study of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer who received curative intent chemotherapy. The primary outcomes of interest in this analysis were breaks in active employment, defined as being out of work for the four weeks prior, and patient-reported acute financial burden during chemotherapy and up to 24 months following chemotherapy completion. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with breaks in employment and financial burden.

RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 104 women who were employed at time of breast cancer diagnosis. The mean age was 49.6 years and 86% were non-Hispanic White, 11% African American or Black, and 4% another race or ethnicity. In multivariable models, African-American women were 168% more likely to report a break from active employment than their non-Hispanic white counterparts (adjusted odds ration [aOR] 2.68; p = 0.026). A break from active employment was not statistically associated with greater self-reported acute financial burden, but patients from the lowest socioeconomic status tertile were 173% more likely to report financial burden than those in the highest tertile (aOR 2.73; p = 0.022).

CONCLUSION: African-American breast cancer survivors were more likely to report breaks from active employment than their White peers, even after adjusting for type of work and socioeconomic status.

IMPLICATION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: African-American and Black breast cancer survivors may face greater challenges returning to work.

PMID:39894861 | DOI:10.1007/s10549-025-07624-7

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Feb 2;25(1):179. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05448-x.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study compares the effect of conventional cigarette smoke versus heated tobacco on the discoloration, surface roughness, and bacterial colonization of different oral prosthesis materials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of one hundred and twenty disc-shaped samples made of four different denture base materials were prepared to represent different denture bases to assess the surface roughness and biofilm formation; group (CA): conventional heat-cured acrylic resin (Acrostone, Egypt), group (FA): flexible acrylic resin (Valplast International Corp, USA), group (TA): heat-cured acrylic resin reinforced with titanium nanoparticles (TA nanoparticles, Nanogate, Egypt), and group (PA): 3D printed acrylic resin (Nexdent, The Netherlands). Another sixty samples of artificial and 3D printed teeth were used to assess the color change: conventional ready-made acrylic resin teeth (Acrostone, Egypt) and 3D-printed acrylic resin teeth (Nexdent, The Netherlands). Each group was further divided according to the smoking method into three subgroups (n = 10): the no-smoking exposure group (C), the conventional smoking exposure group (CS), and the heated tobacco exposure group (HT). A custom-made smoking device was used to perform the experiment. Six hundred cigarettes/heets representing 30 days of medium smoking behavior (20 cigarettes/day) were used. The surface roughness of the disc-shaped samples was measured before and after the experiment using the JITAI8101 surface roughness tester (Beijing Jitai Tech Detection Device Co., Ltd, China), and the color parameters were assessed before and after the experiment using VITA Easyshade Advance 4.01 (VITA shade, VITA made, VITA).

RESULTS: The results showed that both conventional cigarette smoking and heated tobacco increased the surface roughness of the denture base disc samples. This change was statistically significant in all sample groups. Bacterial accumulation was also increased in all four denture base sample groups, with the heated tobacco causing greater bacterial accumulation than conventional cigarette smoke. Regarding the color change, conventional smoking caused a more significant color change than heated tobacco for both types of teeth used.

CONCLUSION: Both conventional smoke and heated tobacco affect dental materials adversely. Conventional cigarette smoking caused greater surface roughness and discoloration of the samples, while heated tobacco resulted in greater bacterial accumulation of study materials.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Increase dentists’ and patients’ awareness of the effects of different types of smoke.

PMID:39894835 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-05448-x

BMC Public Health. 2025 Feb 2;25(1):417. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21531-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Childhood adversity places individuals in a vulnerable position, resulting in potentially enduring disadvantage across life domains like health and work. Studying the manifestation of this disadvantage is crucial for understanding which resources society can provide to mitigate or prevent it, which makes this subject a fundamental public health concern. This study investigated whether disadvantage patterns after childhood adversity differ by gender and educational level, using out-of-home care as proxy for early adversity.

METHODS: We used register data from a 1953 Swedish birth cohort. Distinct profiles of socioeconomic and health disadvantage in individuals with out-of-home care experience were identified using group-based multi-trajectory modelling. Multinomial logistic regression was then used to determine whether gender and education, individually or in interaction with each other, predict group membership.

RESULTS: In the population without history of out-of-home care, adulthood disadvantage was highly gendered, with women being more likely to experience disadvantage related to unemployment and poor health, while criminality and substance misuse was more common among men. History of out-of-home care was associated with a general increase in adulthood disadvantage, but the gender differences were largely absent. Women in this group were however less likely than men to experience disadvantage across multiple life domains (complex disadvantage OR = 0.56, p = 0.046; unemployment-related disadvantage OR = 0.51, p = 0.005). Higher level of education was associated with reduced likelihood of membership in the group marked by disabling health disadvantage (OR = 0.55, p = 0.002) and complex disadvantage (OR = 0.37, p = 0.001). An interaction term between gender and education was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Adulthood disadvantage was more common in the group with history of out-of-home care. The gender differences in disadvantage present in the full cohort were largely attenuated among individuals with out-of-home care history. We showed that using administrative data on outcomes across multiple life domains can provide rich descriptions of adult experiences after childhood adversity. Future research could examine gender differences in mechanisms translating into resilient or vulnerable trajectories, including the protective potential of education in relation to specific disadvantage patterns.

PMID:39894834 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-21531-y

NPJ Digit Med. 2025 Feb 2;8(1):78. doi: 10.1038/s41746-025-01478-5.

ABSTRACT

Endovascular treatment (EVT) for vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) with atrial fibrillation presents complex clinical challenges. This comprehensive multicenter study of 525 patients across 15 Chinese provinces investigated nuanced predictors beyond conventional metrics. While 45.1% achieved favorable outcomes at 90 days, our advanced machine learning approach unveiled subtle interaction effects among clinical variables not captured by traditional statistical methods. The predictive model distinguished high-risk subgroups by integrating multiple parameters, demonstrating superior prognostic precision compared to standard NIHSS-based assessments. Novel findings include nonlinear relationships between dyslipidemia, stroke severity, and functional recovery. The developed predictive algorithm (AUC 0.719 internally, 0.684 externally) offers a more sophisticated risk stratification tool, potentially guiding personalized treatment strategies in high-complexity VBAO patients with atrial fibrillation.

PMID:39894819 | DOI:10.1038/s41746-025-01478-5

BMC Public Health. 2025 Feb 2;25(1):419. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21559-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite the relatively high prevalence of Sickle cell trait (SCT) in Nigeria, there has been little research into the correlates of having children with SCT among Nigerian mothers, particularly in terms of socio-demographic differentials. This study aims to investigate the maternal socio-demographic correlates of having under-five children with SCT in Nigeria.

METHOD: Data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (Household Person Recode and Children Recode) were merged. Mothers with at least one under-five child whose genotype was known (n = 7,493) served as the unit of analysis. Three forms of outcome variable were explored. First was the number of children with SCT by each mother. Second, the number of children with SCT was categorized as zero, one, two or more. Lastly, each mother was categorized as either having no child(ren) with SCT or having at least one child with SCT. Subsequently, we assessed multilevel Poisson, ordinal and binary logit models to identify the best fitting model using Akaike and Bayesian Information Criterion. Multilevel binary logistic regression model was identified as best fit used to identify factors associated with having children with SCT. Adjusted Odds Ratio with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were reported as measures of association.

RESULT: Nearly 62% of the mothers lived in rural areas, 38.2% had no formal education and 37.4% had ever given birth to at least five children. About 26.1% (95% CI = 25.2-26.9) of the mothers had children with SCT. By geographical variation, the Northwest region had the highest proportion of mothers of under-five children with SCT. Results from the multilevel binary logistic regression revealed that women who were traditionalists (AOR = 1.77; 95% CI = 1.04-3.02) were more likely of having children with SCT.

CONCLUSION: Though SCT is a genetic outcome, findings from this study suggest that important socio-demographic factors such as religion, and region of residence are significantly associated with having children with SCT in Nigeria. Sustained efforts on awareness campaigns on SCT are recommended.

PMID:39894815 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-21559-0

Light Sci Appl. 2025 Feb 2;14(1):66. doi: 10.1038/s41377-024-01736-3.

ABSTRACT

Harmonic mode-locking, realized actively or passively, is an effective technique for increasing the repetition rate of ultrafast lasers. It is critically important to understand how a harmonically mode-locked pulse train responds to external perturbations and noise, so as to make sure that it is stable and resistant to noise. Here, in a series of carefully designed experiments, we elucidate the retiming dynamics of laser pulses generated in a soliton fiber laser harmonically mode-locked at GHz frequencies to the acoustic resonance in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) core. We characterize the self-driven optomechanical lattice, which is distributed along the PCF and provides the structure that supports harmonic mode-locking, using a homodyne setup. We reveal that, after an abrupt perturbation, each soliton in the lattice undergoes damped oscillatory retiming within its trapping potential, while the retiming is strongly coupled to soliton dissipation. In addition, we show, through statistical analysis of the intra-cavity pulse spacing, how the trapping potentials are effective for suppressing timing jitter. The measurements and the theory developed in this work lay the groundwork for studies of the general stability and noise performance of harmonically mode-locked lasers as well as providing valuable insight into generic multi-pulse phenomena in mode-locked lasers.

PMID:39894811 | DOI:10.1038/s41377-024-01736-3

BMC Public Health. 2025 Feb 2;25(1):420. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21479-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Existing studies have indicated the potential role of non-invasive physical health indicators as an early detector of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults. However, evidence is lacking in determining the appropriate physical health indicators for early screening of cognitive decline in each domain. Therefore, the current study aimed to establish a comprehensive physical health indicators profile in association with cognitive performance.

METHODS: The present study utilized a three-year longitudinal cohort design, with data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). 4,869 participants aged 60-97 years from CHARLS wave 2015 and 2018 who were cognitively and physically healthy were included in analysis. Physical functions (BMI, grip strength, blood pressure, balance tests, course walking time, repeated chair stands, and pulmonary function) were objectively measured by physical tasks. Cognitive performance domains (general cognition, episodic memory, executive function, verbal fluency, orientation, and language-and-praxis) were measured through standardised interviews and cognitive tasks. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to explore the association between physical health indicators and cognitive performance. Subgroup analysis was conducted to identify sex-specific factors.

RESULTS: Pulmonary function was identified as associated with all domains of cognitive performance in older adults (β ranged between 0.05 and 0.08). Right grip strength was also identified as an important factor associated with all cognitive domains except general cognition (β ranged between 0.04 and 0.12). Subgroup analysis revealed that the association between physical health indicators and cognitive performance is more pronounced in males than in females.

CONCLUSIONS: A profile of non-invasive physical health indicators associated with cognitive performance was established, which warrants future incorporation of non-invasive physical health indicators in early risk screening systems for MCI, enabling timely intervention and prevention in older adults. Future studies can delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying this full-dimensional relationship between physical and cognitive domains.

PMID:39894807 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-21479-z

Isr J Health Policy Res. 2025 Feb 3;14(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s13584-024-00663-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Israel is a multiethnic society with a population of 9.8 million at the end of 2023. Israeli Arabs (i.e., Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel) account for 21% of the Israel’s overall population, 22% of its working age population and 16% of the employed population. This study has several objectives: (1) To provide an overview of the current representation of Israeli Arabs in four key health care professions (medicine, nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy) in terms of employment, licensure, and professional studies; (2) To document changes in those parameters over the past decade, subject to limitations of data availability; (3) To provide a broader context on the employment of Israeli Arabs; (4) To explore the policy implications of the key findings.

METHODS: Estimates of employment levels are based on the Labor Force Survey (LFS) of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Data on licensure (i.e., professional qualification) and place of professional studies were extracted from the Ministry of Health report series entitled “The Health Care Professions”. Data on enrollment in degree programs in Israel was provided by the Council of Higher Education. Important background information was elicited from relevant policy documents and policy experts.

RESULTS: In 2023, among employed Israelis up to age 67, Arabs constituted approximately one-quarter of Israel’s physicians (25%), nurses (27%), and dentists (27%), and half of Israel’s pharmacists (49%). These percentages are substantially higher than they were in 2010, with the increase being particularly marked in the case of physicians (25% versus 8%). The number of new licenses granted annually increased significantly between 2010 and 2022 for both Arabs and Jews in each of the professions covered. The percentage of newly licensed professionals who are Arab increased substantially among physicians and nurses, while remaining stable among dentists and pharmacists. In medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, many of the licensed Arab health professionals had studied outside of Israel; this phenomenon also exists for nursing but is less widespread there. In the 2022/3 academic year, the percentage of first-degree students in Israeli colleges and universities who were Arab was 70% in pharmacy, 33% in nursing, 23% in dentistry, and 9% in medicine. Between 2012/3 and 2022/3 the percentage of first-degree students who are Arab increased substantially for pharmacy, declined slightly for nursing, and declined substantially for medicine and dentistry.

CONCLUSIONS: Arab professionals play a substantial and recently increased role in the provision of health care services in Israel. It is important to recognize, appreciate, and maintain this substantial role. Moreover, its potential as a model for sectors other than health care should be explored. To build on achievements to date, and to promote continued progress, policymakers should expand access to health professional education within Israel, upgrade the skills of graduates of non-Israeli universities, promote diversity in leadership positions and key specialties, and expand specialty care services in Arab localities.

PMID:39894798 | DOI:10.1186/s13584-024-00663-3