Tag: pubmed

Nutr J. 2025 Feb 13;24(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s12937-025-01087-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Carotenoids possess essential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, the relationships between carotenoids and osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis (OA) remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between diverse serum carotenoid concentrations and OA in a large American cohort and to examine the influence of various factors on the association between carotenoids and OA.

METHODS: Data from the 2001-2006 and 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were utilized. In our analysis, we utilized a directed acyclic graph to identify potential confounding variables. The associations between serum carotenoids (including total carotenoid, trans-lycopene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, α-carotene, and β-carotene) and OA were comprehensively evaluated via a weighted generalized linear model (GLM) and restricted cubic spline models. Threshold effect analyses were used to identify potential cutoff points, subgroup analyses were used to explore heterogeneity, interaction analyses were used to examine potential modifiers, and sensitivity analyses were used to validate the robustness of the findings.

RESULTS: The weighted GLM results revealed that, overall, the concentrations of various serum carotenoids did not exhibit a significant linear correlation with the probability of OA. Dose‒response curves and threshold effect analysis revealed a significant nonlinear relationship (P _{for overall} = 0.027; P _{for nonlinearity} = 0.019; P _{for likelihood ratio} = 0.0128) between trans-lycopene (threshold effect) and OA, with an inflection point at 19.49 µg/dl. Further subgroup weighted linear regression analysis indicated that when the serum trans-lycopene concentration exceeded 19.49 µg/dl, there was a significant association [odds ratio (OR) = 0.89 (0.80-0.99); P = 0.027] between the per standard deviation trans-lycopene increase and a lower probability of OA after adjusting for other variables. Moreover, individuals with elevated trans-lycopene [0.70 (0.52-0.94); P = 0.018] in the fifth quintile had notably reduced odds of OA compared with those in the first quintile. When the trans-lycopene level is less than 19.49 µg/dl, no correlation exists between the two variables. Linear subgroup and interaction analyses revealed that when the concentration of carotenoids exceeded 19.49 µg/dl, various categorical factors did not significantly influence the relationship between trans-lycopene and OA overall. However, pairwise comparisons revealed that lower serum trans-lycopene concentrations are more closely associated with a greater probability of OA in elderly individuals [OR (95% CI) = 0.270 (0.112-0.654); P = 0.005; P _{for trend} = 0.003] than in younger individuals [0.973 (0.385-2.463); P = 0.954; P _{for trend} = 0.61] (P _{for interaction} = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS: In the American population, trans-lycopene rather than other types of carotenoids may exhibit a significantly negative correlation with OA, displaying a nonlinear pattern with a threshold point of approximately 19.49 µg/dl. This relationship may become more pronounced with increasing age.

PMID:39948622 | DOI:10.1186/s12937-025-01087-8

Virol J. 2025 Feb 13;22(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12985-025-02650-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic variations in the E6 and E7 oncogenes of HPV31 and HPV35, and to explore their potential role in cervical cancer risk among women in Taizhou, China.

METHODS: Cervical exfoliated cells were collected for HPV genotyping, and only patients with a single infection of either HPV31 or HPV35 were selected for this study. The ABI 3730xl sequencer was utilized to sequence the E6 and E7 genes, followed by subsequent sequence alignment, analysis of genetic heterogeneity, and construction of maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees for the sequences of HPV31 and HPV35 using BioEdit and MEGA softwares.

RESULTS: From 2013 to 2023, 148 HPV31 E6/E7 gene sequences and 121 HPV35 E6/E7 gene sequences were successfully obtained. We identified 16 distinct HPV31 E6/E7 variants and 5 distinct HPV35 E6/E7 variants, which have been deposited in GenBank under accession numbers OR540563-OR540578 and OR540579-OR540583, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of the HPV31 variants belonged to sublineage A2 (57.4%), followed by sublineages C2 (26.4%), C3 (14.2%) and B1 (2.0%). The proportion of CIN2 + patients in sublineage A2 was greater than that in other HPV31 sublineages, but the difference was not statistically significant (69.2% vs. 30.8%, P > 0.05). The most common variant in A2 was 31CNTZ07, which has a greater risk of CIN2 + than other A2 variants (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.31 to 9.36; P < 0.05). In addition, all the HPV35 variants belonged to lineage A, of which 99.2% belonged to sublineage A1. 35CNTZ01 and 35CNTZ03 were the two most common HPV35 variants in our population, but no significant difference in their carcinogenic ability was observed (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: These data provides a deeper insight into the distribution of geographic/ethnical HPV31 and HPV35 variants, which contribute to the development of multivalent HPV vaccines and diagnostic assays that are suitable for Chinese women.

PMID:39948614 | DOI:10.1186/s12985-025-02650-9

J Eat Disord. 2025 Feb 13;13(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s40337-025-01217-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vitamin B₁₂ is an essential cofactor for one-carbon metabolism. Deficiency of this vitamin is known to cause various physical and neurological conditions. Several guidelines recommend the intake of multivitamin supplements in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) in order to avoid these conditions. Excessive blood vitamin B₁₂ concentrations have also been reported in patients with AN. This study examines the relationship between blood vitamin B₁₂ concentrations and clinical, biochemical, and hematological characteristics in patients with AN.

METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed data from 71 Japanese female patients with AN. Biological and hematological data were measured before nutritional therapy. Spearman’s rank correlation, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and binary logistic regression analysis were used to explore the relationships between vitamin B₁₂ concentrations and other variables.

RESULTS: The blood vitamin B₁₂ concentrations of 2 patients were below the normal range, while 22 had concentrations exceeding the normal range. The remaining 47 patients had concentrations within the normal range. In the Spearman’s rank correlation analyses, significant positive correlations of vitamin B₁₂ concentrations were found with liver enzymes, i.e., aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase, age, and blood urea nitrogen, whereas a negative correlation was found with body mass index (BMI). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the high vitamin B₁₂ group was linked with higher alanine aminotransferase, total protein, creatinine, and age, but not BMI.

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that excessive vitamin B₁₂ concentrations are more prevalent than deficiency in patients with AN, suggesting that the routine administration of vitamin B₁₂ to patients with AN should be reconsidered. Elevated vitamin B₁₂ concentrations might be associated with starvation-induced autophagy in the liver. Its potential role in physical complications warrants further investigation.

PMID:39948611 | DOI:10.1186/s40337-025-01217-x

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2025 Feb 13;25(1):78. doi: 10.1186/s12911-025-02911-1.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:39948606 | DOI:10.1186/s12911-025-02911-1

Trials. 2025 Feb 13;26(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-08751-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Persistent patency of the ductus arteriosus (PDA) has challenged neonatologists for more than 40 years. Controversies persist about the management of PDA in extremely preterm infants. PDA is associated with morbidities, but no therapeutic strategy has resulted in an improved neonatal outcome. Acetaminophen appears to be a promising alternative with possibly fewer adverse effects. The primary objective is to determine whether a prophylactic pharmacological intervention with acetaminophen may increase the survival without severe morbidity at postmenstrual age of 36 weeks.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: TREOCAPA phase III is a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, stratified, placebo-controlled superiority trial, two arms in a 1:1 ratio performed in 43 NICUs of 14 European countries, evaluating whether the intervention increases the survival without severe morbidity by 10%, from 50% in control arm to 60% in treatment arm, until the age of 36 postmenstrual weeks. To detect this difference, 794 patients were required using a group sequential design. Recruitment has been closed, with 803 patients enrolled. Patients eligible for inclusion are preterm infants with a gestational age between 23 and 28 weeks. In the acetaminophen group, 20 mg/kg loading dose within 12 h after birth, followed by 7.5 mg/kg quarter in die (QID) for 5 days, will be administered to the 27-28 weeks gestational age group, and 25 mg/kg loading dose then 10 mg/kg QID will be administered to the 23-26 weeks gestational age group. The severe morbidities include severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD grade 3) according to NIH consensus, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) of Bell’s stage II or III, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) grade III-IV according to Papile classification, or cystic leukomalacia.

DISCUSSION: Whatever the results, the conclusions of this study should be informative for the neonatal scientific community. The results will either confirm the benefit of treatment in increasing survival without severe morbidity, or indicate a worsening of outcomes with prophylactic acetaminophen treatment, or show no difference in the primary outcome. In the latter case, ultrasonographic assessments of ductus arteriosus status on day 7 may help explain the absence of a difference. This could indicate that acetaminophen is ineffective in promoting ductal closure or that early closure of the ductus arteriosus is inconsequential if, despite more frequent closures, there is no associated improvement in outcomes.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval of the trial has been performed in each of the 14 countries after approval, at the European level, by the Voluntary Harmonization Procedure committee on 04/07/2020. Results will be disseminated through articles in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: European Clinical Trials Database: EudraCT Number: 2019-004297-26.

CLINICALTRIALS: gov: NCT04459117, registered on July 7, 2020.

PMID:39948605 | DOI:10.1186/s13063-025-08751-8

BMC Med. 2025 Feb 14;23(1):91. doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-03937-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Women who experience adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs; gestational hypertension, preeclampsia (PE), gestational diabetes (GD), preterm birth (PTB), small or large for gestational age, miscarriage, multiple miscarriages, stillbirth, and offspring with major congenital anomalies) have increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to compare cardiometabolic health trajectories across the life course between women with and without APOs.

METHODS: We studied 187,186 women with a registered pregnancy in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) GOLD linked to Hospital Episode Statistics. Fractional polynomial multilevel models were used to compare trajectories of cardiometabolic risk factors (body mass index [BMI], blood pressure [BP], cholesterol, and glucose) between women with and without a history of APOs (individual APOs in any pregnancy and number of APOs). We explored two underlying time axes: (1) time relative to first pregnancy (from 10 years before first pregnancy to 15 years after) and (2) age. Models controlled for age at first pregnancy, residential area deprivation, non-singleton pregnancy, parity, smoking status, ethnicity, and medications use.

RESULTS: Women with a history of PE, gestational hypertension, or GD had higher BMI, BP, and glucose 10 years before first pregnancy compared to women without these APOs. These differences persisted 15 years post-first pregnancy. Women with a history of GD had a steeper post-partum rise in glucose. Women who experienced multiple (3 +) miscarriage, stillbirth, and/or medically indicated PTB had higher BP and BMI before and after pregnancy, with BP trajectories converging 15 years after first pregnancy. Women who experienced multiple APOs had the most adverse measurements across all cardiometabolic risk factors, with more unfavourable mean levels with each additional APO. There was little difference in cardiometabolic trajectories between women with and without a history of 1 or 2 miscarriages or congenital anomalies.

CONCLUSIONS: Women with APOs had adverse cardiometabolic profiles before first pregnancy, persisting up to 15 years post-pregnancy. Findings highlight the potential for targeted public health interventions to promote good cardiometabolic health in young adults transitioning from contraceptive use to planning pregnancies. APOs may identify young women who could benefit from monitoring CVD risk factors and interventions to improve cardiometabolic health.

PMID:39948598 | DOI:10.1186/s12916-025-03937-y

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Feb 13;25(1):230. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05598-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a polymicrobial, multifactorial infection that affects the supporting structures of teeth. Melatonin, a biomolecule with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, has demonstrated promising results in various medical fields, including dentistry.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 1% (w/v) melatonin gel as an adjunct to Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy (NSPT) in improving clinical periodontal parameters, reducing antimicrobial activity against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia, and increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) among patients with stage II periodontitis.

METHODS: A split-mouth randomized controlled trial was conducted on 24 periodontitis patients. Two sites per patient were randomly assigned: the test site underwent scaling and root planing (SRP) followed by intra pocket application of 1% melatonin gel, while the control site received SRP alone. Clinical parameters, including the Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), Periodontal Pocket Depth (PPD), and Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL), were assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months. Subgingival plaque samples and GCF were collected to evaluate microbial and biochemical changes.

RESULTS: Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in clinical parameters from baseline to the 3rd month post-therapy. A quantitative reduction in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia was observed at both sites. Additionally, the test site exhibited a greater increase in SOD levels compared to the control site.

CONCLUSION: The adjunctive application of melatonin gel with SRP demonstrated enhanced antioxidant potential and improved clinical outcomes in patients with stage II periodontitis.

TRIAL REGISTRATION TRIAL REGISTRY: ISRCTN. Trial registration number ISRCTN40460432. Date of Registration: 22/10/2024. “Retrospectively registered”.

PMID:39948592 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-05598-y

BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2025 Feb 13;26(1):145. doi: 10.1186/s12891-024-08255-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy aims to correct coronal plane deformities and redistribute the load in varus-aligned knees. However, changes in the sagittal plane during medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy can influence the posterior tibial slope, potentially affecting knee biomechanics. The sagittal inclination angle of the osteotomy, which is the angle between the medial joint line and the osteotomy line on lateral view, is a relatively new parameter that has been discussed in the literature, as a factor influencing the posterior tibial slope. The aim of this study is to investigate success rates in achieving the targeted postoperative slope, which is to avoid increasing the slope, with posteriorly inclined sagittal osteotomy.

METHODS: This research was designed as a retrospective single-center case-series study. In order to avoid increasing the posterior tibial slope, our modified surgical technique involves adjusting the sagittal inclination angle to be 10^o posteriorly inclined. This angle was considered to be posteriorly inclined if the anterior portion of the osteotomy was inclined proximally. Pre- and postoperative posterior tibial slope measurements were recorded. Changes in postoperative tibial slope compared to preoperative tibial slope were statistically evaluated using the paired t-test. Changes were categorized as decreases, no change, or increases, and these three groups were compared using the one-sample binomial test.

RESULTS: Ninety-five patients (77 women and 18 men) with a mean age of 52.8 ± 7.0 were included in this study. The preoperative mean posterior tibial slope was measured as 12.5 ± 3.9° and the postoperative mean PTS was 10.6 ± 4.3°. A paired t-test revealed a statistically significant difference of 1.9 ± 3.8° (95% confidence interval: 1.13-2.71; p < .01). In four cases (4.2%), the PTS remained the same, while for 67 patients (70.5%) the PTS decreased and for 24 patients (25.3%) the posterior tibial slope increased. Therefore, a decrease or no change in the posterior tibial slope was achieved in 74.7% of all cases (p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS: Modifying the sagittal inclination angle to achieve a posteriorly inclined osteotomy during medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy may prevent increasing the posterior tibial slope in the majority of cases.

PMID:39948591 | DOI:10.1186/s12891-024-08255-7

Respir Res. 2025 Feb 13;26(1):53. doi: 10.1186/s12931-025-03129-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite its heterogeneity, there is currently limited data in pleural infection phenotyping. Using pleural fluid characteristics, pleural infection can be classified into microbiological-positive pleural infection (MPPI) and microbiological-negative pleural infection (MNPI). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of microbiological positivity in pleural infection, and to evaluate the performance of RAPID (renal, age, purulence, infection source, dietary factor) score in these subgroups.

METHODS: Consecutive patients hospitalized for pleural infection over a 10-year period in two acute-care hospitals in Hong Kong were evaluated. According to the pleural fluid characteristics, they were classified into MPPI and MNPI, respectively. Survival was evaluated using multivariate Cox regression analysis. Performance of RAPID score to predict mortality at 3-month and 1-year was evaluated using C-statistics.

RESULTS: In total, 381 patients with pleural infection were included. They were classified into MPPI (n = 169) and MNPI (n = 212), respectively. The MPPI group had more elderly home residence and use of large-bore chest tube, and higher Charlson comorbidity index and RAPID score, compared to the MNPI group. Length-of-stay, the need of surgery and intensive care were similar between the two groups. MPPI was associated with significantly increased risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.46, 95% CI 1.08-1.98). Three-month mortality was significantly higher in MPPI compared to MNPI (24.9% vs. 10.4%, p < 0.001; adjusted odd ratio 2.05, 95% CI 1.11-3.80). The trend continued at 1, 3, 5 and 7 years. RAPID score predicted 3-month and 1-year mortality in both groups (C-statistics, MPPI 0.71, 0.75; MNPI 0.84, 0.81). In the MPPI group, presence of Staphylococcus aureus (aHR 2.26, 95% CI 1.43-3.57) and Gram-negative organisms other than Enterobacteriaceae (aHR 2.00, 95% CI 1.10-3.61) were associated with worse survival, while presence of Streptococcus anginosus group was associated better survival (aHR 0.50, 95% CI 0.32-0.78), when compared to their absence.

CONCLUSIONS: Pleural fluid microbiological positivity is independently associated with increased mortality in patients with pleural infections. This finding should complement the RAPID score in risk stratification and inform future research aimed at improving outcomes in this patient population.

PMID:39948589 | DOI:10.1186/s12931-025-03129-5

BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 Feb 13;25(1):243. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12374-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite rolling out publicly-funded hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment across the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, 35% of people returning positive HCV RNA results in 2020 did not initiate treatment. The HCV epidemic in Canada continues to disproportionately impact people who use drugs and yet, this population has the lowest proportional uptake of HCV treatment. Evidence suggests linkages to healthcare after diagnosis is one of the key factors that impacts uptake of HCV treatment among this priority population. The Hep C Connect pilot project was implemented to characterize HCV testing outcomes and linkage-to-care rates within a low-barrier supervised consumption site (SCS) in Vancouver, BC.

METHODS: All clients (aged ≥ 19 years) attending the Hope to Health SCS in Vancouver, Canada were invited to participate in the pilot study between November 2021 and December 2022. Interviewer-led surveys were conducted and participants were offered same-day HCV point-of-care (POC) antibody (Ab) testing. Participants received a cash honorarium for sharing their time and experiences. Descriptive statistics are shared in order to describe the reach and impact of this pilot project.

RESULTS: The study enrolled 186 participants including 123(66.1%) men and 59(31.7%) women, with a median age of 42 (Q1,Q3- 34,49). Forty-seven (25.3%) participants stated that they use an SCS regularly and 123(66.1%) stated that they get new rigs every day. Notably, 64(34.4%) participants reported not having a primary care provider yet more than three-quarters of the participants (144, 77.4%) reported having been ever tested for HCV. All 186 participants agreed to HCV POC Ab testing with 59.7% returning a positive HCV POC Ab result. Despite good HCV POC Ab uptake and high rates of HCV knowledge, 49(44.1%) of the HCV Ab positive participants chose not to engage in confirmatory ribonucleic acid (RNA) testing.

CONCLUSIONS: The Hep C Connect pilot explored the gaps evident in the HCV cascade-of-care as it pertains to people who use drugs. Findings suggest that, despite high levels of HCV knowledge, the employment of blood draw RNA testing deterred people from engaging in confirmatory testing. Improving the HCV cascade-of-care will require alternative strategies that are more acceptable to this population.

PMID:39948586 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-025-12374-9