Tag: pubmed

Parasit Vectors. 2025 Feb 5;18(1):42. doi: 10.1186/s13071-025-06671-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The intestinal protozoa Entamoeba spp. can infect humans and various animals, including donkeys, causing diarrhea and malabsorption and presenting significant risks to animal husbandry and public health. Most Entamoeba species are not pathogenic except for Entamoeba histolytica. China has among the highest rates of donkey farming worldwide. Donkey (Equus asinus) farming is increasingly important in China because of their draft and medicinal value; however, epidemiological data on Entamoeba spp. in donkeys remains limited globally. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Entamoeba in donkeys in Shanxi Province, North China, and assess associated risk factors using a molecular approach.

METHODS: Fecal samples of 815 donkeys from three representative geographical locations in Shanxi Province were collected to investigate the presence of Entamoeba spp. A portion of the small-subunit rRNA gene (SSU rRNA) was amplified and sequenced to determine the prevalence and species/genotypes of Entamoeba spp. Statistical analysis of possible risk factors was performed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) 26.0 software. The phylogenetic relationship of Entamoeba spp. was reconstructed using the neighbor-joining (NJ) method in Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (Mega) 7.0 software.

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of Entamoeba spp. in donkeys in Shanxi Province was 7.12% (58/815). Two species (Entamoeba sp. RL9 and Entamoeba equi) were identified by sequence analysis; of these, Entamoeba sp. RL9 was the most prevalent species in donkeys in this study. Statistical analysis revealed that the donkeys’ sex, region, age, and altitude are the risk factors associated with Entamoeba spp. prevalence (P < 0.05). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the sequences of Entamoeba sp. RL9 and E. equi isolated from donkeys in this study were clustered with previously reported animal-derived Entamoeba sp. RL9 and E. equi sequences, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: This study reports the occurrence and prevalence of Entamoeba spp. in donkeys worldwide for the first time to our knowledge. This not only expands the geographical distribution but also broadens the host range of Entamoeba spp., addressing the knowledge gap regarding the prevalence of Entamoeba spp. in donkeys, providing baseline data for carrying out prevention and control of Entamoeba spp. in donkeys in China.

PMID:39910570 | DOI:10.1186/s13071-025-06671-9

Trials. 2025 Feb 5;26(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-08742-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The pervasive issue of microplastic (MP) contamination is undeniable. The primary solution to this global problem lies in significantly reducing the amount of plastic entering the environment. Addressing such a large-scale issue is no easy feat. However, a necessary strategy involves public education. In parallel, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the effect of interventional education via a mobile phone application on improving women’s knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the health effects of MPs.

METHODS: This randomized controlled trial includes three phases. In the first phase, a questionnaire assessing women’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding microplastics will be developed and validated. In phase two, educational content for the mobile application “PlastiWise” will be created based on behavior change constructs. In phase three, a two-arm, parallel-design RCT will be conducted with 136 women aged 18 years and older who own smartphones, have basic literacy skills, and provide informed consent. Participants will be recruited through an online call disseminated via social media platforms and health system networks in Iran. They will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 68) receiving the educational program through the app or a control group (n = 68). The sample size was calculated using G*Power software to ensure sufficient power (80%) with an alpha level of 0.05, factoring in a 15% dropout rate. Primary outcome data (KAP scores) will be collected at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 8 weeks post-intervention using self-reported questionnaires. Data analysis will include descriptive statistics and inferential tests, such as independent t-tests and paired t-tests, to assess group differences and within-group changes over time.

DISCUSSION: Implementing an educational intervention on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about MPs using a mobile application will be a first in Iran. This research is expected to benefit Iranian women by contributing evidence on factors that might influence the effectiveness of educational training related to MP consumption. TRIAL STATUS : Protocol version 1, 2024-07-12. The enrolment of participants began on 2024-09-22. The recruitment is estimated to be completed by 2024-11-21. TRIAL REGISTRATION : Iranian Clinical Trial Register IRCT20240529061941N1. https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/user/trial/77069/view . Date is July 12, 2024.

PMID:39910565 | DOI:10.1186/s13063-025-08742-9

BMC Ophthalmol. 2025 Feb 5;25(1):61. doi: 10.1186/s12886-024-03839-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a simple intravitreal injection of perfluoropropane (C₃F₈) in treating unclosed idiopathic macular holes (IMHs) in patients who had previously undergone primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPV).

METHODS: This study was a retrospective, observational clinical study. It included patients diagnosed with unclosed IMHs following primary PPV combined with internal limiting membrane peeling and air tamponade. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) performed 1 week after PPV revealed unclosed IMHs with the presence of the ‘cuff’ sign and intraretinal cysts. The following day, these patients received a simple intravitreal C₃F₈ injection. Comprehensive evaluations, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), indirect ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, and OCT, were performed before PPV, 1 week after surgery, and at follow-up intervals of 1-3 months after the intravitreal gas injection.

RESULTS: The minimum linear diameter (MLD) of the macular holes (MHs) 1 week before C₃F₈ injection was 335.1 ± 74.3 μm. Following C₃F₈ tamponade, the closure rate of the MHs was 100%. The mean BCVA before C₃F₈ tamponade was 0.68 ± 0.17 logMAR (20/100) after primary PPV, which improved to 0.48 ± 0.19 logMAR (20/63) after C₃F₈ tamponade, showing a statistically significant difference (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: For patients with unclosed MHs after primary PPV, the presence of the ‘cuff’ sign on OCT suggests that retreatment can be effectively achieved through a simple intravitreal gas injection. This approach is straightforward, practical, and effective.

PMID:39910548 | DOI:10.1186/s12886-024-03839-2

WMJ. 2024;123(6):434-440.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Consistent access to health care before, during, and after pregnancy is critical in the United States, where high rates of maternal morbidity and pregnancy-related mortality persist. Medicaid plays a critical role in financing health care coverage for pregnancy and childbirth in the US, including postpartum care.

METHODS: We used Wisconsin birth certificate records linked to Medicaid enrollment files for 2009 through 2018 to determine maternal Medicaid coverage spanning the 12 months pre-pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. Covariates included age, race/ethnicity, parity, education, and marital status. Analysis included descriptive statistics and log-binomial regression to predict adjusted risk of postpartum Medicaid coverage loss.

RESULTS: Of 267,416 Medicaid-covered births in our sample, 50.5% (n= 1 34,970) were continuously enrolled while 33.1%, (n = 88,425) were never enrolled during the 12 months pre-pregnancy. Most (97.9%, n = 261,713) were enrolled at some time during the prenatal period, and a majority of mothers (86.1%, n = 230,325) were enrolled consistently throughout the first postpartum year. Postpartum unenrollment peaked in month 3, when 34.2% of unenrollment occurred. Those younger, married, and with lower parity had higher risk of unenrollment. Notably, those reporting non-Hispanic Black were at the lowest risk, while non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islanders were at a higher risk of unenrollment.

CONCLUSIONS: The extension of postpartum coverage to 90 days may address one-third of the postpartum Medicaid loss observed, postponing coverage loss an additional month. A full 12-month postpartum Medicaid extension would support postpartum health by ensuring health care access during this critical period.

PMID:39908490

Neurology. 2025 Mar 11;104(5):e213351. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000213351. Epub 2025 Feb 5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Headache evaluation and treatment are believed to be influenced by race and ethnicity. Specific headache diagnosis assigned in the pediatric emergency department (ED) may compound disparities. We sought to investigate racial and ethnic disparities in the diagnosis, testing, and treatment of pediatric patients with headache presenting to the ED.

METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of ED visits from 49 children’s hospitals between 2016 and 2022 from the Pediatric Health Information System, an administrative database of ED and hospitalized encounters within children’s hospitals in the United States. Index encounters in the ED from patients (aged 5-21 years, median age 13 [10-15]) with a primary diagnosis of migraine, headache, new daily persistent headache, or tension-type headache were included. Encounters with trauma, infection, and malignancy where secondary headache was possible were excluded. The primary outcomes were the rates of migraine diagnosis, testing, and treatment. We used generalized estimating equations to estimate associations between race and ethnicity and outcomes after adjusting for demographic factors, medical complexity, visit timing, and final headache diagnosis.

RESULTS: A total of 309,678 encounters were included while 61,677 repeat visits, 81,821 visits with diagnoses suggestive of secondary headache, and 5,714 visits from 3 hospitals with sparse data on patient race/ethnicity were excluded. Of 160,466 eligible visits (59.8% female), 41% were by non-Hispanic White (NHW) children, 24.8% non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and 26.0% Hispanic/Latino (HL). NHW children were more frequently diagnosed with migraine (45.5% vs NHB 28.2% and HL 28.3%, p < 0.001). NHB and HL children compared with NHW children received less testing including brain MRI scans (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: NHB 0.56 [95% CI 0.46-0.69] and HL 0.54 [0.36-0.82]). There was no difference in the proportion of visits without administration of headache-related medications (NHW 23.3% vs NHB 24.6% and HL 23.4%, p = 0.64). NHB and HL children were more likely to receive only oral medications (aOR: NHB 1.37 [1.2-1.56] and HL 1.54 [1.34-1.76]) and less likely to be admitted inpatient (aOR: NHB 0.8 [0.66-0.97] and HL 0.65 [0.44-0.94]).

DISCUSSION: NHB and HL children in the pediatric ED with headache receive fewer migraine diagnoses, less testing, and less intensive treatment compared with NHW children. Beyond affecting headache management, this inequity in migraine diagnosis requires further consideration to include children from marginalized racial and ethnic groups in future migraine research.

PMID:39908468 | DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000213351

Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2025 Feb 5:twaf011. doi: 10.1093/dmfr/twaf011. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to automatically detect tooth presence, tooth numbering, and types of periodontal bone defects from CBCT images using a segmentation method with an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm.

METHODS: This study utilized a dataset of CBCT volumes collected from 502 individual subjects. Initially, 250 CBCT volumes were used for automatic tooth segmentation and numbering. Subsequently, CBCT volumes from 251 patients diagnosed with periodontal disease were employed to train an AI system to identify various periodontal bone defects using a segmentation method in web-based labeling software. In the third stage, CBCT images from 251 periodontally healthy subjects were combined with images from 251 periodontally diseased subjects to develop an AI model capable of automatically classifying patients as either periodontally healthy or periodontally diseased. Statistical evaluation included ROC curve analysis and confusion matrix model.

RESULTS: The AUC values for the models developed to segment teeth, total alveolar bone loss, supra-bony defects, infra-bony defects, perio-endo lesions, buccal defects, and furcation defects were 0.9594, 0.8499, 0.5052, 0.5613 (with cropping, AUC: 0.7488), 0.8893, 0.6780 (with cropping, AUC: 0.7592), and 0.6332 (with cropping, AUC: 0.8087), respectively. Additionally, the classification CNN model achieved an accuracy of 80% for healthy individuals and 76% for unhealthy individuals.

CONCLUSIONS: This study employed AI models on CBCT images to automatically detect tooth presence, numbering, and various periodontal bone defects, achieving high accuracy and demonstrating potential for enhancing dental diagnostics and patient care.

PMID:39908459 | DOI:10.1093/dmfr/twaf011

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2025 Feb 5:keaf067. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaf067. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) should be regarded as an important factor in the management of rheumatic diseases. The Patient-based disease activity score (PDAS) was developed as a clinically reliable composite measure for evaluating PROs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. To replicate and further characterize PDAS, we analyzed PDAS and its clinical relevancy in the National Database of Rheumatic Diseases in Japan (NinJa).

METHODS: Clinical data from the 2022 version of NinJa were analyzed. PDAS1 was calculated for each patient, and statistical analyses, including correlation analyses and multiple regression analysis, were conducted to evaluate the relationship between PDAS1 and other clinical measures. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to compare patients treated with different types of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

RESULTS: The number of included patients was 11983. PDAS1 demonstrated strong correlations with DAS28(ESR) (R = 0.89, p< 2.2×1016) and CDAI, indicating its utility in assessing disease activity. The majority of patients (71.8%) achieved PDAS1-defined remission, aligning closely with DAS28 and CDAI remission. PDAS1 was significantly associated with serum rheumatoid factor (RF) titers (R = 0.25, p< 0.001), and RF-positive patients exhibited higher PDAS1 scores. Notably, PS matched comparison revealed that PDAS1 was lower in patients treated with IL-6 inhibitors, compared with those treated with TNF inhibitors, reflecting differences in lower patient global assessment.

CONCLUSION: PDAS1 is a reliable and useful tool for evaluating both disease activity and the functional state of RA patients, particularly from the perspective of PROs. Additionally, PDAS1 can be used for conducting clinical studies in RA patients.

PMID:39908454 | DOI:10.1093/rheumatology/keaf067

Plant Dis. 2025 Feb 5. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-09-24-1971-PDN. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Bayberry (Myrica rubra) is one of the most important fruit in China. In July 2023, circular leaf spots were noted on spring bayberry (cv. Dongkui Arbutus) tree planted in Guanshanhu, Guiyang, Guizhou, China (26°37’3″N，106°39’59″E). The disease incidence (diseased plants/total plants × 100) varied from 55 to 60% with 15 to 20% disease severity (diseased leaf area/total leaf area × 100). Disease incidence and severity were calculated from five infected fields of bayberry using by SPSS Statistics 22.0 (IBM Corp., NY, USA). The abundance of leaf spots on the trees was predominantly observed on the young leaves. Symptoms included round or irregular spots on leaves with grayish-red during early infection and later transferred to brown dark spots on the edge of the leaves, accompanied by a pale yellow aperture on the periphery. Sixty diseased leaves (three leaves from each diseased plant) from twenty plants (four plants from each infected field) in the same growth period were collected randomly and cut into small pieces (2 mm × 2 mm), disinfected with 75% alcohol for 30 s and with 1% NaClO for 60 s and rinsed 3 times with ddH2O. The diseased tissues were plated on PDA plate having Streptomycin and then incubated at 25 ˚C for 2 d under 16: 8 h light and dark regime. The single hypha was picked from plates and transferred to a new PDA plate having Streptomycin for purification. Sixty five pure cultures were obtained through single spore isolation and purification. After ITS-BLAST, the results indicated that among the cultures, sixty were Nigrospora sp. (92.31%), two were Flavodon sp. (3.07%) and three were Aureobasidium sp. (4.62%). Thus, the detection rate of Nigrospora sp. was the highest. From sixty obtained isolates with same morphological characters, six isolates (GUCC 23-0016, GUCC23-0017, GUCC23-0018, GUCC24-0244, GUCC24-0245 and GUCC 24-0246) were selected for pathogenicity and identification. Conidia (n = 40) were black, oval or round, smooth and size range was 11-16 × 12-14.5 µm in diameter. Based on disease symptoms and morphological characters, the pathogen was primarily recognized as a Nigrospora sp. (Wang et al. 2017). PCR was performed for each of the six isolates to amplify the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the large subunit rDNA (LSU), β-tubulin 2 (tub2) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) genes with primers sets of ITS4/ITS5 (Innis et al. 1990), LR0R/LR5 (Vilgalys & Hester 1990), Bt2a/Bt2b (Glass and Donaldson 1995), EF1-728F/EF-986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999), respectively and then PCR products were sequenced. GenBank accession numbers are OR647487, OR647489, OR647490, PQ803982, PQ803983 and PQ804003 for ITS, PQ351182, PQ351183, PQ351185, PQ805435, PQ804004 and PQ805436 for LSU, OR670516, OR670517 OR670518, PQ807000, PQ807001 and PQ807002 for tub2 and OR725093, OR725094 , OR725095, PQ807003, PQ807004 and PQ807005 for tef1. The BLAST results showed that DNA sequences of the present isolates were 100% identical to the type strain of N. aurantiaca (CGMCC 3.18130: KX986064.1, NG_069394, KY019295.1, KY019465.1) and the phylogenetic tree with four gene loci also indicated that our isolates belonged to N. aurantiaca. The pathogenicity test was conducted following Koch’s postulates. Ten bayberry trees of approximate ten years old were inoculated with six above isolates (GUCC 23-0016, GUCC23-0017, GUCC23-0018, GUCC24-0244, GUCC24-0245 and GUCC 24-0246) and two healthy trees were used as control. Twenty leaves from each tree were disinfected with 75% ethanol prior to pathogen inoculation. The leaves were inoculated by spraying a conidial suspension (1 × 105 spores/mL) of each isolate, while ddH2O was sprayed on forty control leaves from two trees. Pathogen inoculation was performed under natural field conditions. After 7 d, similar symptoms to those observed in the field were noted on inoculated leaves, while the control leaves were still healthy. We also inoculated bayberry detached leaves in vitro by spraying with conidia suspension (1 × 105 spores/mL) of each isolate, while ddH2O as control. Inoculated leaves were maintained in a greenhouse with temperature ranging from 23-25 ˚C at 75% relative humidity. After 7 d, similar symptoms were observed on the inoculated leaves, while the control remained healthy. Both experiments were repeated three times. The pathogen was re-isolated from both in vivo and in vitro inoculated leaves and were re-identified as N. aurantiaca through morphological identification and molecular identification by code amplification of ITS, LSU, tub2 and tef1. Thus, we proposed that N. aurantiaca caused the leaf spot of bayberry. Leaf spot diseases caused by N. aurantiaca on tobacco, Chinese chestnut and olive were reported in Guizhou (Huang et al. 2021), in Yanyuan (Luo et al. 2020) and Croatia (Petrović et al. 2023), respectively. However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of N. aurantiaca causing leaf spot diseases on bayberry in China. The identification of this disease offered a basis for further research on its proper management.

PMID:39908402 | DOI:10.1094/PDIS-09-24-1971-PDN

Sci Transl Med. 2025 Feb 5;17(784):eadi4000. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adi4000. Epub 2025 Feb 5.

ABSTRACT

Accelerated tuberculosis drug discovery has increased the number of plausible multidrug regimens. Testing every drug combination in vivo is impractical, and varied experimental conditions make it challenging to compare results between experiments. Using published treatment efficacy data from a mouse tuberculosis model treated with candidate combination regimens, we trained and externally validated integrative mathematical models to predict relapse in mice and to rank both previously experimentally studied and unstudied regimens by their sterilization potential. We generated 18 datasets of 18 candidate regimens (comprising 11 drugs of six classes, including fluoroquinolone, nitroimidazole, diarylquinolines, and oxazolidinones), with 2965 relapse and 1544 colony-forming unit (CFU) observations for analysis. Statistical and machine learning techniques were applied to predict the probability of relapse in mice. The locked down mathematical model had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.910 and showed that bacterial kill measured by longitudinal CFU cannot account for relapse alone and that sterilization is drug dependent. The diarylquinolines had the highest predicted sterilizing activity in the mouse model, and the addition of pyrazinamide to drug regimens provided the shortest estimated tuberculosis treatment duration to cure in mice. The mathematical model predicted the effect of treatment combinations, and these predictions were validated by conducting 11 experiments on previously unstudied regimens, achieving an AUROC of 0.829. We surmise that the next generation of tuberculosis drugs are highly effective at treatment shortening and suggest that there are several promising three- and four-drug regimens that should be advanced to clinical trials.

PMID:39908348 | DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.adi4000

PLOS Digit Health. 2025 Feb 5;4(2):e0000729. doi: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000729. eCollection 2025 Feb.

ABSTRACT

Adolescent obesity remains a public health concern, exacerbated by unhealthy food marketing, particularly on digital platforms. Social media influencers are increasingly utilized in digital marketing, yet their impact remains understudied. This research explores the frequency of posts containing food products/brands, the most promoted food categories, the healthfulness of featured products, and the types of marketing techniques used by social media influencers popular with male and female adolescents. By analyzing these factors, the study aims to provide a deeper understanding of how social media influencer marketing might contribute to dietary choices and health outcomes among adolescents, from a gender perspective, shedding light on an important yet underexplored aspect of food marketing. A content analysis was conducted on posts made between June 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022, that were posted by the top three social media influencers popular with males and female adolescents (13-17) on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube (N = 1373). Descriptive statistics were used to calculate frequencies for posts containing food products/brands, promoted food categories, product healthfulness, and marketing techniques. Health Canada’s Nutrient Profile Model was used to classify products as either healthy or less healthy based on their content in sugar, sodium, and saturated fats. Influencers popular with males featured 1 food product/brand for every 2.5 posts, compared to 1 for every 6.1 posts for influencers popular with females. Water (27% of posts) was the primary food category for influencers popular with females, while restaurants (24% of posts) dominated for males. Influencers popular with males more commonly posted less healthy food products (89% vs 54%). Marketing techniques varied: influencers popular with females used songs or music (53% vs 26%), other influencers (26% vs 11%), appeals to fun or coolness (26% vs 13%), viral marketing (29% vs 19%), and appeals to beauty (11% vs 0%) more commonly. Influencers popular with males more commonly used calls-to-action (27% vs 6%) and price promotions (8% vs 1%). Social media influencers play a role in shaping adolescents’ dietary preferences and behaviors. Understanding gender-specific dynamics is essential for developing targeted interventions, policies, and educational initiatives aimed at promoting healthier food choices among adolescents. Policy efforts should focus on regulating unhealthy food marketing, addressing gender-specific targeting, and fostering a healthy social media environment for adolescents to support healthier dietary patterns.

PMID:39908339 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pdig.0000729