Tag: nevin manimala

J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2026 Jun 23;101(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s42506-026-00225-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Labor pain and maternal comfort during childbirth can influence women’s childbirth experience, labor progress, and psychological well-being. Non-pharmacological interventions are increasingly used to support labor pain management in a safe and supportive manner. Quran recitation, a culturally familiar auditory intervention for Muslim women, may help reduce pain perception and promote relaxation during labor. This study aims to examine the effect of listening to Quran recitation on labor pain, childbirth comfort, and blood pressure among nulliparous women in Oman.

METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted at Khoula Hospital, Oman, among 120 nulliparous women with singleton term pregnancies in active labor. Participants were allocated into two groups: a Quran recitation group (n = 60) and a back massage group (n = 60). Women in the intervention group listened to a recorded Quran recitation during labor, while the comparison group received a standardized back massage. Labor pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), pain behavior using the Pain Behavioral Observation Scale (PBOS-3), and childbirth comfort using the Childbirth Comfort Questionnaire (CCQ). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also recorded. Measurements were obtained before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests, independent t-test, chi-square, and multivariate linear regression.

RESULTS: Women in the Quran recitation group showed a significant reduction in mean VAS pain scores, decreasing from 76.45 ± 8.20 before the intervention to 58.32 ± 7.16 after the intervention (p < 0.001). In contrast, the back massage group showed no statistically significant change (62.88 ± 8.44 to 61.10 ± 7.98; p > 0.05). The Quran recitation group also demonstrated significantly improved pain behavior and higher overall childbirth comfort scores (CCQ total score, p = 0.002). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that Quran recitation was significantly associated with lower systolic (β = – 0.53, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (β = – 0.49, p < 0.001) after adjustment for gestational age, time of admission, and prior Quran exposure.

CONCLUSION: Quran recitation was associated with reduced labor pain, improved childbirth comfort, and lower blood pressure among nulliparous women during labor. As a culturally acceptable non-pharmacological intervention, it may support more holistic maternity care for Muslim women.

PMID:42337192 | DOI:10.1186/s42506-026-00225-2

Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2026 Jun 23. doi: 10.1007/s13318-026-01017-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Efavirenz is associated with frequent adverse effects, mainly hepatotoxicity and central nervous system disturbances. The cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP2B6 plays a key role in efavirenz metabolism and is strongly linked to these toxicities. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the CYP2B6 c.516 G>T polymorphism on efavirenz plasma concentrations by comparing individuals with GG, GT, and TT genotypes.

METHODS: A systematic review of four databases was conducted to identify studies published up to March 2025 evaluating the association between the CYP2B6 c.516 G>T polymorphism and efavirenz plasma concentrations. Pooled mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using random-effects models.

RESULTS: Five studies, including 373 patients, met the inclusion criteria. Individuals with the TT genotype showed significantly higher plasma efavirenz concentrations compared with GG and GT carriers. The mean differences in plasma concentration between the GT-TT and GG-TT subgroups were 5.65 µg/mL and 6.41 µg/mL, respectively, both statistically significant (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between the GG and GT genotypes.

CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis confirms that the CYP2B6 c.516 TT genotype is significantly associated with elevated plasma efavirenz concentration in patients with HIV and tuberculosis. While higher concentrations may increase toxicity risk, this was not directly evaluated in the current pooled analysis. These findings support the potential utility of pharmacogenetic testing to optimize efavirenz dosing and minimize the risk of adverse effects, particularly in carriers of the TT genotype. The observed heterogeneity among studies may be attributed to ethnic variability and differences in sample sizes.

PMID:42337190 | DOI:10.1007/s13318-026-01017-x

Lasers Med Sci. 2026 Jun 24;41(1):127. doi: 10.1007/s10103-026-04925-1.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of diode laser and combined treatment protocols, applied in addition to mechanical debridement, in the treatment of peri-implantitis on clinical periodontal parameters and S100A8 levels in peri-implant sulcus fluid (PISF). A total of 39 patients diagnosed with peri-implantitis were divided into three groups based on the treatment protocols used: Mechanical Debridement, Diode Laser, and Combined Treatment. Probing depth, clinical attachment level, modified plaque index, gingival index, and PISF volume measurements were recorded at baseline and at weeks 4 and 12. S100A8 levels in PISF samples were measured by ELISA. During the 12-week follow-up period, statistically significant improvements in clinical parameters were observed in all groups compared with baseline (p < 0.05). In the intergroup comparison, the most significant decrease and statistical superiority in mPI and GI values were observed in the combined treatment group (p < 0.001). Although there was no statistically significant difference among the groups in probing depth and clinical attachment gain, the greatest numerical improvement was observed in the combined group. Despite clinical improvement, no significant change in total S100A8 levels was detected between groups or over time (p > 0.05). The combined use of mechanical debridement and a diode laser in the treatment of peri-implantitis is more effective at reducing clinical signs of inflammation than either method used alone. However, the lack of correlation between S100A8 levels and clinical improvement suggests that this biomarker may not be sensitive in short-term follow-up of treatment.

PMID:42337186 | DOI:10.1007/s10103-026-04925-1

Spine Deform. 2026 Jun 23. doi: 10.1007/s43390-026-01395-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Anterior vertebral body tethering (AVBT) is a novel surgical option for scoliosis patients that preserves spinal mobility. However, tether-related failures such as tether breakage are common, and cause of these failures is unknown. Furthermore, there is a lack of data on how different design and surgical factors influence the subsequent in vivo performance of these AVBT systems. This study aims to examine the mechanical durability of a mock AVBT system under various mechanical loading scenarios resulting from important surgical factors.

METHODS: A mock AVBT system was designed using Titanium screws and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) tether to evaluate mechanical performance under various clinically relevant loading conditions. Static and dynamic tensile tests assessed the effects of screw angulation (0°/40°), tether gauge length (length between the vertebral anchors: 25/76 mm), setscrew torque (5/6/7 Nm), and retightening. Constructs were tested using Instron equipment; measuring stiffness, yield, and failure loads. Statistical analyses compared configurations to identify factors influencing AVBT durability.

RESULTS: For this mock AVBT system, failure primarily occurred at the tether/setscrew junction due to slippage. Greater screw angulation (40°) increased yield and runout loads compared to 0°. Changing the gauge length had minimal effect on failure loads. Furthermore, the higher setscrew torque (7 Nm) improved strength and fatigue resistance, while setscrew retightening also increased yield and runout loads.

CONCLUSIONS: Due to the infancy of this technology, there is a need for deeper understanding of the failure mechanics of AVBT systems. These findings identify testing parameters that affect mechanical performance and suggest future research directions for assessing the mechanical integrity of AVBT devices.

PMID:42337182 | DOI:10.1007/s43390-026-01395-x

Atten Percept Psychophys. 2026 Jun 23;88(6):152. doi: 10.3758/s13414-026-03292-x.

ABSTRACT

Auditory spatial attention enables listeners in complex acoustic environments to focus on relevant sounds while filtering out irrelevant noise. However, its mechanisms in the depth dimension remain unclear, especially across different horizontal directions. This study examined whether the effect of auditory selective attention in the depth dimension varies across the front, lateral, and rear spaces under reverberant listening conditions. In the experiment, listeners detected target sounds at one of five distances (32, 64, 96, 128, and 160 cm) under conditions where attention was either distributed or focused on a specific distance. The results showed that sensitivity (d’) was significantly enhanced at the attended distance across all directional conditions, with no statistically significant differences in the magnitude of attentional enhancement between the front, lateral, and rear directions. Conversely, the reaction time (RT) revealed limited attentional benefits, emerging only at specific distances in the lateral and rear spaces. These findings demonstrated that auditory selective attention in the depth dimension facilitates target detection irrespective of horizontal directions, supporting the generalizability of attentional mechanisms across the depth dimension of auditory space, at least under reverberant listening conditions.

PMID:42337172 | DOI:10.3758/s13414-026-03292-x

Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2026 Jun 23;146(1):232. doi: 10.1007/s00402-026-06342-z.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Although numerous treatment options have been reported for mallet fractures, a universally accepted gold-standard approach has not yet been established. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the pin-orthosis extension-block pinning technique (PO-EBPT) with those of conventional conservative treatment in patients with Doyle type 4B mallet fractures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 62 patients with Doyle type 4B mallet fractures involving 20-50% of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint articular surface, treated between March 2022 and April 2024. Patients were randomized into two groups: Group 1 (n = 33) underwent PO-EBPT, whereas Group 2 (n = 29) received conservative treatment with splint immobilization. Outcome measures included DIP joint extension lag, range of motion, fracture union, complication rates and functional outcomes according to the Crawford criteria. Follow-up evaluations were performed at 2, 4 and 6 weeks and at 3, 6 and 12 months.

RESULTS: A total of 62 patients were analyzed (33 PO-EBPT; 29 conservative). No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups with respect to sex, affected side, injured finger, or complication rates (p = 0.461, p = 0.658, p = 0.763 and p = 0.165, respectively). However, the PO-EBPT group demonstrated significantly improved DIP joint extension lag (4.5 ± 7.8° vs. 12.2 ± 10.4°, p = 0.002) and flexion range (88.5 ± 4.4° vs. 86.0 ± 5.7°, p = 0.039). According to the Crawford criteria, functional outcomes were also significantly superior in the PO-EBPT group (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION: PO-EBPT yielded superior functional outcomes compared with conservative treatment in patients with Doyle type 4B mallet fractures, as demonstrated by reduced extension lag, improved DIP joint flexion and higher rates of excellent Crawford scores.

PMID:42337168 | DOI:10.1007/s00402-026-06342-z

J Math Biol. 2026 Jun 23;93(1):7. doi: 10.1007/s00285-026-02413-2.

ABSTRACT

Interspecific mutualism is a universal phenomenon that exists in biological and social populations. The generation and maintenance of such mutualism have always been a hotspot in evolutionary biology. This study enriches the research on the evolution of mutualism in structured populations from a theoretical perspective. In particular, we develop an evolutionary model of arbitrary interdependent populations using the coalescent random walk theory and employ it to derive the conditions for mutualism under weak selection. We find that evolution favors mutualism when the strength of intraspecific interactions exceeds a threshold value, which depends on the structure of multiple populations and game parameters. We thus reveal the positive role of intraspecific interactions on the evolution of mutualism, which extends prior research that considered the single effect of interspecific interactions.

PMID:42337159 | DOI:10.1007/s00285-026-02413-2

Hepatol Int. 2026 Jun 23. doi: 10.1007/s12072-026-11112-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The relationship between steatotic liver disease (SLD) and dementia remains unclear, particularly regarding alcohol consumption patterns. We investigated the risk of dementia across SLD subtypes classified by alcohol consumption.

METHODS: We analyzed 3,071,829 adults without baseline dementia who underwent health examinations in 2012. Participants were classified into No SLD, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), metabolic dysfunction-associated alcohol-related liver disease (MetALD), and ALD groups. Primary outcomes were newly diagnosed all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VD).

RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 5.4 years, 72,545 all-cause dementia, 56,999 AD, and 8923 VD cases occurred. The risk of dementia significantly increased across all dementia outcomes in SLD (all p < 0.05). Across the SLD subtypes, ALD showed the highest risk of dementia, followed by MASLD, whereas MetALD showed largely neutral associations except for a modestly increased risk of VD. When MASLD was further stratified by alcohol consumption, the MASLD-no alcohol group showed consistently increased risk of all dementia outcomes (all p < 0.05). In contrast, MASLD with within-threshold alcohol intake showed heterogeneous associations across dementia outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: The association between SLD and dementia differed according to SLD phenotype and alcohol consumption pattern. These findings should be interpreted as observational associations and warrant further validation in studies with longitudinal assessment of SLD status and alcohol exposure.

PMID:42337153 | DOI:10.1007/s12072-026-11112-5

Eur J Pediatr. 2026 Jun 23;185(7):518. doi: 10.1007/s00431-026-07195-9.

ABSTRACT

Children with asthma commonly present with multiple allergic comorbidities; however, the quantitative dose-response relationship between cumulative allergic burden and lung function has not been established in pediatric populations. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 264 treatment-naive children with asthma aged 4-16 years. An allergy burden score (ABS) was constructed using a cumulative disease count strategy incorporating allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, drug allergy, and family history of allergic disease. Multivariable linear regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses assessed dose-response relationships between ABS and FEV₁% predicted. Bootstrap-based statistical decomposition examined the contribution of type 2 inflammatory markers, and logistic regression assessed the odds of lung function abnormality. In the fully adjusted model, each 1-point increase in ABS was associated with a 3.03% decrease in FEV₁% predicted (95% CI: – 3.77 to – 2.29; P < 0.001). RCS analysis indicated significant nonlinearity (P for nonlinearity < 0.001), with accelerated decrease at ABS ≥ 3. Type 2 inflammatory markers accounted for only 2.7% of the statistically decomposed total association. Each 1-point increase in ABS was associated with 43% higher odds of lung function abnormality (adjusted OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.07-1.94).

CONCLUSION: A dose-response association exists between cumulative allergic comorbidity burden and lung function impairment in treatment-naive children with asthma. Peripheral type 2 inflammatory markers explain only a small proportion of this association, suggesting additional contributing mechanisms. The ABS may warrant further evaluation as a simple clinical indicator for identifying children with greater lung function impairment, pending prospective multicenter validation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable. As a retrospective cross-sectional study, this research analyzed existing medical records without prospective assignment of interventions by the research team, and therefore does not meet the WHO criteria for clinical trial registration.

WHAT IS KNOWN: • Allergic comorbidities are prevalent in children with asthma and associated with worse clinical outcomes. The quantitative dose-response relationship between cumulative allergic burden and lung function has not been established in pediatric populations.

WHAT IS NEW: • Each 1-point increase in the Allergy Burden Score (ABS) was associated with a 3.03% decrease in FEV1% predicted, with a nonlinear threshold effect at ABS ≥ 3. Type 2 inflammatory markers collectively accounted for only 2.7% of the total association, suggesting that mechanisms beyond peripheral type 2 inflammation may be involved.

PMID:42337151 | DOI:10.1007/s00431-026-07195-9

Eur J Pediatr. 2026 Jun 23;185(7):519. doi: 10.1007/s00431-026-07124-w.

ABSTRACT

Childhood disability is a significant health concern with profound implications for caregivers’ well-being. This study examines the association between children’s cumulative disability profile, encompassing disability status, types, and multiplicity, and caregivers’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a cross-sectional Australian setting. Utilising data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), this study examined the association between children’s cumulative disability profile and caregivers’ cross-sectional HRQoL. Caregivers’ HRQoL was assessed using the Assessment of Quality of Life-8 Dimensions (AQoL-8D) instrument. Multivariable linear regression models were estimated to assess these associations, adjusting for sociodemographic and economic covariates. Overall, 25% of children experienced at least one form of disability. A significant lower mean utility score was observed (mean difference = 0.034; 95% confidence interval [CI], [0.018, 0.050]; p < 0.001) among caregivers of children with disabilities compared with caregivers of children without disabilities. After adjusting for covariates, caregivers of children with disabilities had significant lower utility (β = – 0.0230; 95% CI, [- 0.0376, – 0.0084]; p = 0.002), physical super dimension (β = – 0.0339; 95% CI, [- 0.0497, – 0.0182]; p < 0.001), and psychological super dimension (β = – 0.0181; 95% CI, [- 0.0353, – 0.0009]; p = 0.039) scores than caregivers of children without disabilities. Similarly, children experiencing physical, sensory, psychosocial disabilities, or multiple coexisting disabilities were associated with lower HRQoL among their caregivers compared with caregivers of children without disabilities.

CONCLUSION: Childhood disability is associated with a lower HRQoL for the caregivers. These findings highlight the need for targeted support services, particularly for families caring for children with physical, sensory, psychosocial, and multiple disabilities, and provide estimates of reductions in health state utility scores to inform future cost-utility analyses of caregiver-focused interventions.

WHAT IS KNOWN: • Caregivers of children with disabilities report lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and significantly higher caregiving time demands than caregivers of children without disability. • Despite these recognised challenges, there is a paucity of population-level evidence in the Australian context on how specific child cumulative disability profiles, including status, types, and multiple coexisting conditions, are associated with caregiver cross-sectional HRQoL.

WHAT IS NEW: • Using a nationally representative Australian cohort, this study identifies a significant disparity in health state utility scores between caregivers of children with disabilities and caregivers of children without disabilities. • Beyond overall cumulative disability status, specific categories (physical, sensory, and psychosocial), and the presence of multiple coexisting disabilities are significantly associated with lower caregivers’ HRQoL across both physical and psychological dimensions. • The findings provide specific estimates of reductions in health state utility scores, which are essential for informing future cost-utility analyses of targeted policy interventions for Australian families.

PMID:42337140 | DOI:10.1007/s00431-026-07124-w