Tag: nevin manimala

Psych J. 2025 Nov 15. doi: 10.1002/pchj.70065. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Facial attractiveness is a critical factor in forming interpersonal impressions. Evaluations of facial attractiveness were previously considered universal. However, it has recently been pointed out that individuals and cultures can diversify their evaluations. This study conducted Web experiments using the facial images of Japanese and American participants to examine the effects of raters’ gender, age, and culture on facial attractiveness. Experiment 1 examined the impact of gender and age on Japanese raters. Experiment 2 explored the effects of culture on Japanese and American raters. Statistical and morphometric analyses were conducted on the obtained data. The results showed significant positive correlations between attractiveness ratings across gender, age, and culture. However, the results of the geometric morphometrics revealed that several differences in preferences regarding facial contours were observed among participants by gender. Additionally, Japanese raters were more likely than American raters to emphasize raised eyebrows for faces in attractive male images, and smaller mouths for faces in attractive female images. These results suggest that the facial features driving attractiveness evaluations differ depending on gender and culture, offering detailed insights into the culturally diverse standards of facial attractiveness. This study adds to the growing understanding of how cultural and individual factors shape aesthetic preferences, questioning the notion of universal beauty, and offering a clearer framework for future cross-cultural research on facial attractiveness.

PMID:41239838 | DOI:10.1002/pchj.70065

Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2025 Nov 15. doi: 10.1002/ar.70079. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Crocodilians, together with birds, are the only extant relatives to many extinct archosaur groups, making them highly important for interpreting paleopathological conditions in a phylogenetic disease bracketing model. Despite this, comprehensive data on osteopathologies in crocodilians remain scarce. Here, we present the largest osteopathological survey to date of extant crocodilian skeletal material, comprising 927 individuals and 22,281 skeletal elements spanning all three extant crocodilian families. Our results reveal 1969 osteopathologies from 414 of all individuals (44.7%). Bone trauma is the most prevalent osteopathology, representing 43.9% of all pathologies observed, followed by inflammatory lesions (27.3%) and degenerative joint disorders (11.5%). Statistical analyses demonstrate significant correlations between adult body size, ontogeny, and trauma frequency, with large-sized crocodilian species and older individuals sustaining substantially more injuries. The skull, particularly the dorsal cranial aspect, showed considerably higher involvement of trauma compared to the rest of the skeleton. We also show that non-traumatic pathologies such as inflammation and degenerative joint disorders increase in larger crocodilian species and with ontogeny. These findings underscore the behavioral and physiological drivers of skeletal disease in modern crocodilians and offer key comparative data for interpreting osteopathologies in fossil archosaurs and archosauriforms.

PMID:41239832 | DOI:10.1002/ar.70079

Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2025 Nov 15. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.70627. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), menstrual pain in the absence of pathology, is the main reason for gynecological consultation in young women. Physical agents, used in physiotherapy for therapeutic purposes, can be self-used by women with primary dysmenorrhea. The objective of this study is to determine the best-known and most used physical agents. The study also investigates pain intensity, perceived pain, and the areas of most frequent painful.

METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample was a cohort of adult female population of students or university researchers from the University of A Coruña (Spain) with primary dysmenorrhea. Data collection instrument was an online self-administered questionnaire. Main variables were pain intensity, description and location (Numeric Rating Scale and McGill Pain Questionnaire, short version), and physical agents used (self-reported). Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, the χ²-test, the Mann-Whitney U-test, and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Among 736 respondents, 216 were considered PD cases. Heat, postures, and massage are the most well-known physical agents (99.07%, 214 women; 85.6%, 185 women; 79.2%, 171 women, respectively). They are also the most used (heat, 92.1%, 199 women; postures, 81.9%, 177 women; 50 massage, 75.5%, 163 women). The abdomen, rachis, and lumbopelvic area were the most common pain perception locations (99%, 214 women).

CONCLUSION: Heat, postures, and massage were the most used, most recommended, and most effective physical agents. Physical exercise was the least known but the fourth most effective and the sixth most widely used physical agent.

IMPACT: This research provides relevant information from which to develop future intervention strategies. Knowing the most painful areas is also relevant to identify anatomical locations that can be the object of therapeutic attention.

PMID:41239826 | DOI:10.1002/ijgo.70627

J Food Sci. 2025 Nov;90(11):e70640. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.70640.

ABSTRACT

Meat and vegetable processing wastewaters are challenging to treat due to high concentrations of recalcitrant organic compounds-such as fats, oils, and cellulose-that resist conventional degradation. This study systematically evaluated the use of 915 MHz microwave (MW) processing, focusing on the effects of specific energy flux (SEF, in J/kg·s), total solids (TS) concentration, and flow rate on enzymatic activity and physicochemical properties. In vegetable processing wastewater, optimized MW conditions (SEF = 3,244.21 J/kg·s, TS = 2%) maximized cellulase activity (50.09 U/mL) and glucose release (0.1551 mg/mL), whereas higher TS (4%) reduced treatment efficacy. In meat processing wastewater, increased SEF (up to 2,775.51 J/kg·s) enhanced lipase activity (29.88 U/mL, 0.45 mg/mL), reduced viscosity and density, and altered the organic acid profile by increasing propionic acid and decreasing acetic acid. Statistical analysis confirmed SEF as the primary driver of biochemical and thermal changes (R² > 0.89). These results demonstrate that optimized 915 MHz MW processing is a scalable, sustainable, and regulatory-compliant technology for food industry wastewater management. The approach improves enzymatic hydrolysis, biodegradability, and resource recovery, while reducing environmental impact and operational costs. Further research is recommended to validate these findings under full-scale industrial conditions.

PMID:41239817 | DOI:10.1111/1750-3841.70640

Curr Drug Res Rev. 2025;17(3):471-480. doi: 10.2174/0125899775313919240822102906.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Breast milk is the preferred source of nutrition for premature infants. Galactagogues are used in initiation, induction, and maintenance of lactation. This study examined the effectiveness of fenugreek on prolactin levels and milk volume (primary outcomes), neonatal weight gain, breastfeeding satisfaction, and side effects (secondary outcomes).

METHODS: This triple-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on 68 mothers with preterm newborns less than 32 weeks in Al-Zahra and Taleghani hospitals in Tabriz-Iran. Participants were randomly allocated into fenugreek and placebo groups. About 500 mg of fenugreek and placebo capsules were administered to the participants three times a day, from the fifth day after delivery to the 14th day. Breast milk volume was measured on the fourth day after delivery (one day before the intervention), the seventh day, and the fifteenth day after the intervention. Prolactin levels were measured in the morning before and after the intervention.

RESULTS: On the seventh day of the intervention, milk volume was significantly higher in the fenugreek group than in the placebo group (p =0.017). Nevertheless, no statistically significant difference was observed between groups in milk volume (p =0.073) and prolactin level (p =0.324) on day 15. Moreover, no statistically significant difference was observed between groups regarding newborn weight after intervention (p =0.172) or satisfaction with breastfeeding (p =0.484). None of the participants reported any side effects.

CONCLUSIONS: Fenugreek increases milk volume but has no significant effect on prolactin levels. Further trials with larger sample sizes should be performed to obtain conclusive results.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20120718010324N62.

PMID:41239794 | DOI:10.2174/0125899775313919240822102906

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2025 Nov 14. doi: 10.1111/aogs.70093. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Survival and healthcare for patients with congenital heart disease have improved, and the number of pregnancies among women of childbearing age with congenital heart disease has increased. Our aim was to investigate obstetric outcomes in a large retrospective, national registry study of women with congenital heart disease compared to controls.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included women over 18 years of age from the Swedish Registry of Congenital Heart Disease. Each case was matched with 10 controls from Statistics Sweden, based on the mother’s birth year and birth county and all were subsequently linked to the Swedish Medical Birth Register. We included 7998 pregnancies in women with congenital heart disease and 84 799 in controls during 1973-2020.

RESULTS: The mean age at delivery for women with congenital heart disease and controls was 28.7 (±5.0) and 28.7 (±5.1) years, respectively. Women with congenital heart disease smoked less, had a shorter gestation and a higher incidence of delivery by Cesarean section compared to controls. The likelihood of Cesarean section was increased in women with congenital heart disease compared to controls: odds ratio 1.45 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37-1.54). Compared to controls, women with congenital heart disease had an increased likelihood of giving birth to small-for-gestational-age neonates: odds ratio 1.40 (95% CI 1.23-1.58). The association regarding small-for-gestational-age remained after adjusting for body mass index, age, smoking, comorbid diseases and preeclampsia. Women with congenital heart disease had an increased likelihood of prematurity compared to controls: odds ratio 1.47 (95% CI 1.35-1.59). The likelihood of Cesarean section, small-for-gestational-age neonates and prematurity was higher in women with severe congenital heart disease than mild/moderate congenital heart disease, both compared to controls.

CONCLUSIONS: In this large national case-control study in women with congenital heart disease, we showed an increased likelihood of giving birth prematurely by Cesarean section, and having a small-for-gestational-age neonate compared to matched controls. The likelihood seems even higher in women with severe congenital heart disease. Further research is needed to explore the underlying reasons for the high rates of Cesarean section in women with congenital heart disease.

PMID:41239781 | DOI:10.1111/aogs.70093

Br J Math Stat Psychol. 2025 Nov 14. doi: 10.1111/bmsp.70016. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Reliability evaluation is critical in fields such as psychology and medicine to ensure accurate diagnosis and effective treatment management. When participants are evaluated by the same raters, a two-way ANOVA model is suitable to model the data, with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) serving as the reliability metric. In these domains, the ICC for agreement (ICCa) is commonly used, as the values of the measurements themselves are of interest. Designing such reliability studies requires determining the sample size of participants and raters for the ICCa. Although procedures for sample size determination exist based on the expected width of the confidence interval for the ICCa, there is limited work on hypothesis testing. This paper addresses this gap by proposing procedures to ensure sufficient power to statistically test whether the ICCa exceeds a predetermined value, utilizing confidence intervals for the ICCa. We compared the available confidence interval methods for the ICCa and proposed sample size procedures using the lower confidence limit of the best performing methods. These procedures were evaluated considering the empirical power of the hypothesis test under various parameter configurations. Furthermore, these procedures are implemented in an interactive R shiny app, freely available to researchers for determining sample sizes.

PMID:41239778 | DOI:10.1111/bmsp.70016

Biotechnol J. 2025 Nov;20(11):e70157. doi: 10.1002/biot.70157.

ABSTRACT

Two persistent challenges in adeno-associated virus (AAV) manufacturing are AAV particle aggregation and the separation of full and empty AAV capsids in ion-exchange (IEX) chromatography processes, which add to AAV purification, formulation, and quality control challenges. AAV empty capsids and AAV aggregates are both considered product-related impurities by regulatory agencies. AAV full capsids, which contain the genetic payload, is the AAV species that has the therapeutic value. Thus, it is necessary to continuously improve the control of AAV aggregation and the ratio of full to empty capsids during AAV downstream bioprocessing. We investigated a novel approach that significantly improves aggregation control of AAV serotype 2 (AAV2). The novel approach consisted of a systematic study, involving Design of Experiment (DoE), using common formulation excipients (namely, small sugars and ionic salts) to understand the effect of critical process parameters (excipient type, excipient concentration, and pH) on a critical quality attribute (AAV aggregates). With this approach, we observed a statistically significant reduction in AAV2 particle aggregation in solution. Results suggest that this aggregation-control approach could provide insight into potentially being able to create a new strategy for improving the separation of full and empty AAV2 capsids in anion exchange (AEX) chromatography.

PMID:41239772 | DOI:10.1002/biot.70157

Health Expect. 2025 Dec;28(6):e70467. doi: 10.1111/hex.70467.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, various reports have emerged regarding persistent symptoms associated with Covid-19. Nevertheless, there is insufficient data on the persistence of symptoms over time. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of persistent symptoms 12 months after Covid-19 infection and identify predictors of long Covid in adults living in the State of Paraná, southern Brazil, according to the level of severity of Covid-19 infection.

METHOD: An observational and cross-sectional survey was conducted with Brazilian adults diagnosed with Covid-19, as assessed from data available in two official Covid-19 notification databases in Brazil, using telephone interviews. Descriptive statistics, tests of associations and simple and multiple binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify predictors of long Covid.

RESULTS: In total, 1033 adults participated in the study. The overall prevalence of long Covid was 60.3% (n = 623). Prevalence was higher in women (67.7%), people aged between 50 and 59 years (65.8%) and in individuals who received treatment in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the acute phase of Covid-19 infection (74.4%, n = 241). The risk factors associated with a greater chance of developing long Covid were: female (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.55; 3.66), living in the Brazilian northwest health macro-region (OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.21; 4.00), presenting multimorbidity (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.06; 3.28), having an average of six symptoms in the acute phase of Covid-19 (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.17; 1.28) and having received treatment in an ICU (OR 4.86; 95% CI 2.83; 8.35) and inpatient ward (OR 2.45; 95% CI 1.47; 4.09).

CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the high prevalence of long Covid and support the formulation of health policies capable of minimising the consequences on the population, on the services offered by professionals and on health systems.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The study topic’s importance was based on the patients’ experiences in the author’s previous research and the need to develop patient-centred care.

PMID:41239762 | DOI:10.1111/hex.70467

Colorectal Dis. 2025 Nov;27(11):e70307. doi: 10.1111/codi.70307.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Acute abscess-forming pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) is treated surgically, with lateral incision and drainage (I&D) considered the gold standard; however, the risk of re-operation is unknown.

AIM: To evaluate re-operation rates following abscess-forming PSD treatment with lateral I&D, and to identify factors influencing re-operation rates.

METHODS: Using data from nationwide Danish databases covering 2010-2021, we identified patients diagnosed with abscess-forming PSD undergoing lateral I&D as the initial treatment for PSD. Patients were followed up until re-operation, death, emigration, or the end of the study period. Stratified by sex, the risk of re-operation was reported as a cumulative incidence function (CIF). To explore risks, we used Cox regression analysis to calculate crude and age-adjusted hazard ratios (aHR).

RESULTS: Of 8251 (62% male) patients included, 2455 underwent re-operation for PSD. The overall five-year CIF was 32% for males and 33% for females. In males, the five-year CIF decreased from 47% among 0- to 16-year-olds to 14% among 50+ year-olds. In females, the corresponding numbers were 37% and 13%, respectively. A family history of PSD was found to increase re-operation risk, especially among female patients (aHR: 1.64 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.39-1.93)). The risk increases following the second and third consecutive I&D procedures to 52% and 69% in males, and to 57% and 64% in females, respectively.

CONCLUSION: As roughly two-thirds of patients do not require additional surgery, our findings do not support mandatory follow-up with definitive surgery for all PSD patients undergoing I&D. For certain high-risk subgroups, however, subsequent definitive surgery may be appropriate.

PMID:41239746 | DOI:10.1111/codi.70307