Tag: pubmed

J Parasitol Res. 2025 Feb 25;2025:4950793. doi: 10.1155/japr/4950793. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

Background: Malaria is a deadly vector-borne parasitic disease spread by the bite of an infective female Anopheles mosquito. In routine malaria diagnosis, microscopic examination is generally regarded as the gold standard. Our study sought to evaluate the diagnostic precision of two commercially accessible quantitative PCR (qPCR) kits, in contrast to light microscopy and nested multiplex PCR (NM-PCR). Methods: This cross-sectional study in southwest Saudi Arabia included 92 febrile patients meeting the inclusion criteria. Detection of Plasmodium species used light microscopy, NM-PCR, and qPCR kits (RealStar and Viasure). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v25, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Light microscopy detected 92.4% of cases, NM-PCR detected 73.9%, and RealStar and Viasure detected 92.4% and 95.7%, respectively. Viasure showed the highest sensitivity (97.6%) and NPV (50%), while NM-PCR had superior specificity (71.4%). For species identification, Plasmodium falciparum detection was highest with RealStar (85%). Mixed infections were better identified by Viasure (34.6%). RealStar excelled in Plasmodium vivax detection (area under the curve [AUC] = 90%). qPCR detected low parasitemia levels missed by microscopy. Conclusions: The qPCR kits, particularly Viasure, demonstrated superior sensitivity for detecting Plasmodium species and identifying mixed infections compared to light microscopy and NM-PCR. While light microscopy showed higher specificity and PPV, qPCR effectively detected low parasitemia levels missed by microscopy, highlighting its value in improving malaria diagnostics.

PMID:40041801 | PMC:PMC11879595 | DOI:10.1155/japr/4950793

J Parasitol Res. 2025 Feb 24;2025:1655679. doi: 10.1155/japr/1655679. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected parasitic infection with a particular impact in humans and livestock. The current investigation was undertaken to design and evaluate a DNA vaccine encoding Echinococcus granulosus Eg95-1 to EG95-6, P29, and GST against hydatid cyst infection in BALB/c mice. Initially, B-cell, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte, and helper T-lymphocyte epitopes were forecasted using B-cell epitope prediction server (BCPREDS) and Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) server, respectively, and a vaccine construct incorporating multiple epitopes was rationally designed and comprehensively analyzed through in silico modeling and simulation studies. Next, Escherichia coli TOP10 was transformed by the recombinant pcDNA 3.1 plasmid and mass production, followed by plasmid extraction, was done. The BALB/c mouse immunization was done with 50 and 100 μg concentrations of plasmid combined with IL-12 adjuvant or alone. Mouse sera and splenic lymphocytes were used for the measurement of specific humoral and cellular responses. The candidate vaccine model weighed 37.49 kDa with 338 residues antigenic, while nonallergenic, soluble, stable, highly thermotolerant, and hydrophilic in nature. Expression in HEK-293 cells was successfully achieved, as evidenced by the detection of a 37 kDa protein band in the western blot analysis. Vaccine doses, especially the 100 μg concentration, alone or in combination with an adjuvant, induced a T-helper 1 (Th1)-type immune response. This was evidenced by higher levels of IgG2a antibody and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) along with lower levels of interleukin 4 (IL-4). Although the groups that received the 50-μg dose of vaccine alone or with adjuvant showed a lower immune response, overall, the vaccinated groups showed statistically significant differences compared to the control groups (phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and pcDNA). The promising results of this vaccine candidate can be further examined using challenges with various parasite genotypes.

PMID:40041800 | PMC:PMC11876539 | DOI:10.1155/japr/1655679

Health Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 2;8(3):e70500. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70500. eCollection 2025 Mar.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The study’s goal was to assess the global prevalence of HIV/AIDS infection in transgender people and to provide light on regional variances.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed (Medline), Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Ovid, and PsycINFO, from inception until September 2023. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran’s Q and I-squared statistics. A meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model in Stata 17.0 (StataCorp, Texas, USA). A total of 3125 articles were identified, of which 37 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis.

RESULTS: The global prevalence of HIV/AIDS among transgender populations was 24% (CI: 12%-39%). Regional analysis revealed higher rates of HIV/AIDS among male-to-female (MTF) transgender individuals in Asia (30%, CI: 5%-54%) and Africa (35%, CI: 13%-57%) compared to other regions. In contrast, female-to-male (FTM) transgender individuals in Asia had a higher prevalence (23%, CI: 9%-31%) than those in the Americas (11%, CI: 3%-23%).

CONCLUSION: Given the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the TG community worldwide and the significant variance within communities, it is critical to execute a comprehensive set of interventions to successfully prevent HIV/AIDS in transgender people.

PMID:40041791 | PMC:PMC11872686 | DOI:10.1002/hsr2.70500

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Mar 4;25(1):332. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05600-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: For more than 80% of patients with head and neck cancer, radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial component of their treatment plane which causes impairment for the masticatory apparatus functions leading to trismus. The study objective was to compare the efficacy of different treatment modalities for patients with RT-induced trismus on maximum mouth opening (MMO), visual analogue scale (VAS) (primary outcomes) patient satisfaction (secondary outcome).

METHODS: Thirty-six patients with trismus after radiation therapy were classified equally and randomly into three groups (n = 12 per group): Group A was given threaded tapered screw appliance therapy (TTSA), Group B was given low-level laser therapy (LLLT), and Group C was given both threaded tapered screw appliance and low-level laser therapy (LLLT + TTSA). Maximum mouth opening (MMO), visual analogue scale (VAS) and Gothenburg Trismus Questionnaire (GTQ) scores and time required to achieve normal state were evaluated at baseline, 1, 2, 4 weeks, 3 and 6 months after the intervention. Data were collected and analysed using SPSS software.

RESULTS: Regarding VAS and MMO, there was a statistically significant difference at different times of evaluation within all groups where (P <.0001). Regarding GTQ, group C recorded the least values for GTQ symptoms followed by group B followed by group A. Between groups A, B, and C at six months, there was a statistically significant difference for VAS. At three and six months, there was a statistically significant difference between all groups for MMO. At three and six months, there was a statistically significant difference between groups for all GTQ domains.

CONCLUSION: All available therapy modalities have the potential to effectively improve radiation induced trismus; however, the combination of TTSA and LLLT group appears to yield the most rapid and optimal enhancement.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER: (NCT06413628) (05/12/2024) Retrospectively registered.

PMID:40038715 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-05600-7

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Mar 4;25(1):334. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05670-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To assess the effectiveness of low-dose amitriptyline in reducing pain and improving oral health-related quality of life in individuals with chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD) over a 2-month period, compared to placebo.

METHODS: Forty participants were randomly assigned to receive either 25 mg of amitriptyline or a placebo pill for 2 months. The primary outcome was pain intensity, measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The secondary outcome was the impact of pain on oral health-related quality of life, assessed by the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14). Evaluations were conducted at baseline and after the 1st and 2nd months of treatment.

RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between the treatment groups at baseline (p > 0.05). After 2 months of treatment participants in amitriptyline group experienced a significantly greater reduction in spontaneous pain, with a 63.3% decrease in VAS scores. Participants in placebo group showed a much smaller reduction in spontaneous pain, with only a 16.2% decrease in VAS scores. Additionally, the amitriptyline group demonstrated a significant improvement in OHIP-14 scores (p < 0.001), whereas the placebo group showed no significant change in oral health-related quality of life (p = 0.184).

CONCLUSION: This study highlights low-dose amitriptyline as an effective treatment for chronic TMD, showing significant pain reduction and improved quality of life, underscoring its value in a multimodal approach despite the need for further research to personalize care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered retrospectively in ISRCTNregistry under the number ISRCTN17622685, on 01/10/2024.

PMID:40038711 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-05670-7

BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 Mar 4;25(1):336. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12348-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Infertility affects more than 50 million couples worldwide, resulting in a significant burden on individuals and society. Its prevalence ranges from 8-12% among developed countries. The growing number of patients poses an increasing challenge to the healthcare system and its funding. Our quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the prevalence and annual nationwide health insurance treatment cost of female infertility in Hungary in 2019.

METHODS: We used claims data obtained from the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHFIA). The number of patients, total and age-specific prevalence, annual health insurance expenditure, and the distribution of costs by age group were evaluated. Infertility was determined according to the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases codes (N.97.0, N97.1, N97.2, N97.3, N97.4, N97.8, and N97.9) and the utilization of each healthcare service type. During the study descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and t-test were used.

RESULTS: In 2019, the NHIFA spent a total of 7.2 billion HUF (22.2 million EUR) on female infertility treatment in Hungary (33,151 women in outpatient care). The most significant costs were related to inpatient care (4.1 billion HUF, 12.7 million EUR). The highest number of patients and prevalence (650.4 per 100,000 women) were found in outpatient care. In inpatient care, the prevalence is substantially lower (206.7 per 100,000 women). Regardless of its type, female infertility mainly affects patients in the 30-39 years age group (number of patients: 18,156 women). The average annual health insurance expenditure per capita was 1,083 EUR.

CONCLUSIONS: Reproductive health education, prevention, and medical screening play inevitable roles in the early stages of reproductive life to reduce the risk of infertility and decrease treatment costs.

PMID:40038705 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-025-12348-x

BMC Nurs. 2025 Mar 4;24(1):245. doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-02899-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Clinical teaching and learning empower students to translate classroom learning into patient care, facilitating their evolution into competent nurses and midwives. Developing competent nurses is crucial for enhancing the quality of the healthcare system, necessitating quality nursing education to equip them with the required knowledge and skills. The quality of clinical placements significantly influences how students acquire skills, knowledge, and clinical reasoning, as well as how they develop as professional nurses and midwives. However, significant research gaps exist in assessing the quality of clinical placements among student nurses and midwives in Northern Ghana.

AIM: The current study aimed to evaluate the perceptions and satisfaction levels of student nurses and midwives regarding the quality of clinical training placements in Northern Ghana.

METHODS: The study adopted a multi-center, descriptive cross-sectional design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Proportionate sampling was used to determine the number of respondents per institution. Respondents were selected to participate in the study using a simple random sampling technique. Data were analysed using SPSS Statistics Version 27. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the results in frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Hypothetical relationships between students’ perceptions of clinical training quality, satisfaction, and demographics were tested using One-way ANOVA, t-tests, and Pearson correlation. Tukey LSD post hoc analysis assessed pairwise differences, and statistical significance was pegged at P < 0.05.

RESULTS: Overall, students had a good perception (M = 4.01, SD = 0.87) and satisfaction (M = 6.93, SD = 1.94) with their clinical training placement quality. The majority of respondents (92.2%) strongly agreed or agreed with the statement “This placement was a good learning environment”, whereas 72.0% strongly agreed or agreed with the statement “I received regular and constructive feedback”. Both One-way ANOVA and the independent sample t-test indicated that diploma level (p = 0.008) and the educational institution attended (p < 0.001) had a significant impact on how students perceived the quality of their clinical training placement. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between perceptions of the quality of clinical training placement and satisfaction with clinical training placement among the students (r = 0.65, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Students generally had good perceptions of their clinical placements and were moderately satisfied with their clinical training placements. However, there are also clear differences in the quality of clinical placements amongst the educational institutions in Northern Ghana. Clinical placement settings and academic institutions should collaborate to examine and develop specific teaching methods, supervision approaches, and learning frameworks that can improve clinical learning and teaching among students.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: This is not applicable.

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patients or members of the public were involved in setting the research objectives, designing the study, analyzing or interpreting the data, or preparing the manuscript. Nursing and midwifery students from five colleges in Ghana’s Northern, Savannah, and Northeast regions answered the research questionnaire.

PMID:40038700 | DOI:10.1186/s12912-025-02899-z

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Mar 4;25(1):336. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05705-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Traditional treatments often involve chemotherapeutic agents; however, immune modulation agents, such as probiotics, propolis, Vitamin E, and vegetable oils, may offer alternative approaches to reduce inflammation and bone damage. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of various host modulation agents (probiotics, propolis, Vitamin E, and vegetable oils) on inflammation and bone loss in a rat model of experimental apical periodontitis (AP).

METHODS: Eight-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 79) were used. AP was induced by exposing the coronal pulp of the mandibular right first molar. Rats were divided into seven groups: Control, AP, AP + Vegetable Oil, AP + Probiotic, AP + Propolis, AP + Vitamin E, and AP + Physiological Serum. The host modulation agents were administered daily for 30 days. Serum calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase levels were measured, along with histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations. Statistical analyses were conducted using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test (p < 0.05).

RESULTS: Vitamin E and vegetable oil significantly reduced inflammation by 33% and 28%, respectively, compared with the AP group (p < 0.0001 for both). Probiotics reduced fibrosis by 36% (p = 0.0002), and all agents except propolis showed lower serum calcium levels (p = 0.0017) than the AP group. Osteoblastic activity was higher in the AP and Vitamin E groups (p = 0.0366), whereas both propolis and vitamin E treatments resulted in a 20% reduction in osteoclastic activity (p = 0.0389). No significant effect on abscess formation was observed (p = 0.2610). Compared to the AP group, RANKL levels were significantly lower in the supplemented groups by 28-50% (p = 0.0036).

CONCLUSIONS: Specific nutritional supplements with host modulation effectively reduced inflammation and bone loss in experimental AP. These findings suggest the potential of these agents in improving endodontic treatment outcomes. Further studies are required to explore their clinical application.

PMID:40038698 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-05705-z

BMC Med. 2025 Mar 5;23(1):138. doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-03968-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The primary challenges in CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CD19 CAR T) therapy for patients with refractory/relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r B-ALL) are non-response and relapse; it is urgent to reveal these mechanisms. Neutrophils play a critical role in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which can hinder CAR T efficacy. Our previous research identified a subset of immunosuppressive neutrophils with a special phenotype (CD14^–CD10^–CD45^–HLA-DR^–SSC⁺⁺, termed CD10^– neuts), which suppress T cell function. Therefore, we speculate that CD10^– neuts may also influence CAR T efficacy, and this study aims to clinically validate this hypothesis.

METHODS: We enrolled 44 patients with r/r B-ALL undergoing CD19 CAR T therapy and 47 healthy controls (HCs). Peripheral blood samples were obtained prior to CAR T infusion to detect CD10^– neuts levels by flow cytometry. Key parameters included the percentage of CD10^– neuts in neutrophils (CD10^– neuts/neutrophils), in all nucleated cells (CD10^– neuts/nucleated cells), and the absolute count of CD10^– neuts. We analyzed the correlations between these indicators and therapeutic response, relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and CAR T cell persistence time.

RESULTS: CD10^– neuts levels were significantly elevated in patients with r/r B-ALL compared to HCs. Additionally, non-responding patients exhibited higher CD10^– neuts levels than those in remission. Specifically, CD10^– neuts/neutrophils, CD10^– neuts/nucleated cells, and absolute CD10^– neuts count were 64.44% vs. 25.43% (p = 0.004), 28.61% vs. 9.81% (p = 0.018), and 766.1/μL vs. 152.9/μL (p = 0.04), respectively. Among these indices, only CD10^– neuts/neutrophils emerged as an independent risk factor for CAR T response (OR = 19.8, p = 0.013), relapse (HR = 4.704, p = 0.004), and survival (HR = 6.417, p = 0.001). Patients with CD10^– neuts/neutrophils ≥ 21.57% demonstrated significantly shorter RFS and OS compared to those with lower levels (p = 0.001; p = 0.0002). Furthermore, CD10^– neuts/neutrophils were negatively correlated with the persistence time of CAR T cells.

CONCLUSIONS: As one of the key factors in the TME, abnormally elevated CD10^– neuts correlate with CAR T therapy resistance. Targeting these neutrophils could enhance the effectiveness of CAR T treatment.

PMID:40038688 | DOI:10.1186/s12916-025-03968-5

BMC Med Educ. 2025 Mar 4;25(1):335. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-06884-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Compassion is an important competence for nursing students, and it is essential to identify factors that affect it, such as emotional intelligence and fear of compassion. The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of emotional intelligence, fear of compassion, and compassion competence and their association among nursing students.

METHODS: A cross-sectional correlational study was carried out in the faculty of nursing and midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Data were collected via census sampling. A sample of 213 nursing students participated, completing general information questionnaire, Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the fear of compassion scale, and the compassion competence scale. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS-24 software at a significance level of less than 0.05.

RESULTS: The total mean scores for emotional intelligence, fear of compassion, and compassion competence were found to be 80.37 (15.36), 63.15 (22.09), and 61.68 (7.47), respectively. Results of multiple regression analyses indicate that the total score of emotional intelligence (β = 0.191; p < 0.01) had a positive significant influence on the nursing students’ compassion competence, whereas the total score of fear of compassion (β = -0.213; p < 0.01) negatively influenced the nursing students’ compassion competence. By controlling demographic characteristics, emotional intelligence and fear of compassion predict 12.4% of the variance of the nursing students’ compassion competence. The total score of emotional intelligence was negatively correlated with fear of receiving compassion from others (r = -0.218, p = 0.001), fear of self-compassion (r = -0.276, p < 0.001), and the total score of fear of compassion (r = -0.252, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Effective emotional intelligence training programs are suggested to reduce nursing students’ fear of compassion and improve their competence in compassion. Interventions that will reduce nurses’ fear of compassion may be one way to improve compassion competence.

PMID:40038685 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-025-06884-7