Tag: pubmed

Chiropr Man Therap. 2025 May 20;33(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12998-025-00581-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous surveys of physicians revealed diverse attitudes towards chiropractic. One of several strategies proposed by leaders in chiropractic to support the advancement of the profession in North America is to increase opportunities for interprofessional collaboration. One area where chiropractic has achieved some degree of integration in Canada is in the field of sports medicine. A result of the increased integration of chiropractic in the field of sports medicine has been more opportunity for interprofessional collaboration, development of interprofessional relationships and increased exposure to chiropractic. The attitudes of Canadian sport and exercise medicine physicians (CSPs) towards chiropractic are unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes and their contributing factors of CSPs toward chiropractic and its use for treatment of athletes and/or Canadians who are participating in sports or exercise (ACSE).

METHODS: An invitation to complete the survey was included in a newsletter emailed to active physician members of CASEM (Canadian Academy of Sports and Exercise Medicine) in March and April 2023 and attendees of their symposium. The survey included the Chiropractic Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ), which allowed respondents to indicate their attitudes towards chiropractic care for ACSE using a 5-point Likert scale. The responses to the CAQ were the primary outcome measure. Descriptive statistics, including mean, median, standard deviation, maximum, minimum and range, regression analysis, t-tests, and ANOVAs were used to analyse the data.

RESULTS: Seventy CSPs completed the survey (response rate: 11%). The summed CAQ scores ranged from 0 to 68 with a mean of 39.03 and a standard deviation of 15.30. CSPs who worked with a chiropractor in a multidisciplinary setting hold a more positive opinion of chiropractic. An independent samples t-test indicated that there was a significant difference between CAQ scores for those with experience of working with a chiropractor (M = 42.03, SD = 14.99) and those without (M = 29.41, SD = 13.10); t(58) = 3.27, p < 0.05.

CONCLUSIONS: CSPs attitudes toward chiropractic and its use for treatment of ACSE range from very positive to extremely negative. CSPs who reported to have worked with a chiropractor have more positive attitudes than those that have not.

PMID:40394604 | DOI:10.1186/s12998-025-00581-4

Transfus Apher Sci. 2025 May 15;64(3):104156. doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2025.104156. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite the potential of whole blood-derived platelets (WBDP) to mitigate platelet shortages, their underutilization persists globally. This study investigates the perceptions of transfusionists and identifies barriers to the adoption of WBDP within China’s blood supply system for tertiary hospitals.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A structured questionnaire comprising 16 items was distributed through WeChat to 254 transfusionists working in tertiary hospitals across China. Data regarding demographics, platelet preferences, and operational challenges were analyzed using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative responses.

RESULTS: Results indicated a strong preference for AP (95.28 %), primarily attributed to perceived safety (80.99 %), efficacy (75.21 %), and familiarity with its use (76.86 %). In contrast, WBDP adoption was impeded by concerns over transfusion reactions (85.04 %), safety uncertainties (77.20 %), and operational challenges, such as increased workload (74.41 %) and higher labor costs (50.39 %). Despite this, 90.19 % of respondents expressed willingness to use WBDP during AP shortages, primarily due to critical shortages (66.81 %) and institutional mandates (33.19 %). Moreover, the key barriers included the risk of transfusion reactions (85.04 %), uncertainties regarding safety (77.20 %), doubts about efficacy (57.48 %), and increased labor costs (50.39 %).

CONCLUSION: Institutional inertia favoring AP, along with operational costs and workload for transfusionists, limit WBDP utilization. Implementing centralized compatibility testing and subsidy policies could improve contingency preparedness and address operational challenges.

PMID:40393093 | DOI:10.1016/j.transci.2025.104156

Animal. 2025 Apr 17;19(6):101520. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2025.101520. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Many studies focus on animal welfare in terms of specific, either behavioural or physiological, indicators or on the impact of a particular management factor. However, an animal’s welfare state results from the individual’s perception of its general environment, which has consequences at both behavioural and physiological levels. Previous research on horses has shown that different riding schools could be characterised by different emotional/cognitive profiles of horses, in relation sometimes with one single management factor. In the present study, we aimed at determining if such facility-specific horse profiles could also be found in terms of welfare, i.e. facility-specific “welfare profiles”, using a multifaceted approach where animals’ welfare state was assessed based on detailed behavioural, health and physiological measurements. A total of 59 horses from three different riding schools, with a very similar global conventional management but differed slightly in terms of turn-out frequency and riding techniques were studied. A principal component analysis and statistical comparisons showed that, despite the close similarity in management between the three sites, the horses’ welfare state was very different and specific to each structure. Thus, this study using behavioural, health and physiological measures, highlights the existence of facility horse welfare profiles and reveals that even apparently minor differences in management practices could have a major impact on the horses’ welfare state. The quality of ridden work, which is often not taken into account in studies on horse welfare, could be a major issue.

PMID:40393084 | DOI:10.1016/j.animal.2025.101520

Genetics. 2025 May 20:iyaf094. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyaf094. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Accurate reconstruction of pedigrees from genetic data remains a challenging problem. Many relationship categories (e.g. half-sibships versus avuncular) can be difficult to distinguish without external information. Pedigree inference algorithms are often trained on European-descent families in urban locations. Thus, existing methods tend to perform poorly in endogamous populations for which there may be reticulations within the pedigrees and elevated haplotype sharing. We present a simple, rapid algorithm which initially uses only high-confidence first-degree relationships to seed a machine learning step based on summary statistics of identity-by-descent (IBD) sharing. One of these statistics, our “haplotype score”, is novel and can be used to: (1) distinguish half-sibling pairs from avuncular or grandparent-grandchildren pairs; and (2) assign individuals to ancestor versus descendant generation. We test our approach in a sample of ∼700 individuals from northern Namibia, sampled from an endogamous population called the Himba. Due to a culture of concurrent relationships in the Himba, there is a high proportion of half-sibships. We accurately identify first through fourth-degree relationships and distinguish between various second-degree relationships: half-sibships, avuncular pairs, and grandparent-grandchildren. We further validate our approach in a second African-descent dataset, the Barbados Asthma Genetics Study (BAGS), and a European-descent founder population from Quebec. Accurate reconstruction of relatives facilitates estimation of allele frequencies, tracing allele trajectories, improved phasing, heritability and other population genomic questions.

PMID:40393068 | DOI:10.1093/genetics/iyaf094

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2025 May 20;13:e53586. doi: 10.2196/53586.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Anticoagulation management is important in preventing complications in patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement. The development of mobile apps offers new opportunities for the management of long-term anticoagulants. However, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness, safety, cost-effectiveness, and user demand for internet-based anticoagulation management.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of a 3-month warfarin dose adjustment mobile app Alfalfa compared to offline management in patients postcardiac valve replacement. We also explored the app’s feasibility on user satisfaction and demand.

METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial with assessments conducted at baseline and at a 3-month follow-up. Participants were eligible if they had been on warfarin therapy for at least 3 months, received warfarin management either through the Alfalfa app or through pharmacist-led anticoagulation outpatient clinic visits, consented to regular follow-ups, and had not experienced serious bleeding or thrombotic events in the 3 months before warfarin treatment. A P value of ≤.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: A total of 405 participants were included in the analysis. The time in therapeutic range was significantly higher in the Alfalfa app group than in the offline group (66.46% vs 46.65%, P<.001). Participants in the Alfalfa app group had a higher monitoring frequency (8.14 vs 4.47, P<.001) and a greater percentage of international normalized ratio values within the target range (896/1660, 53.98% vs 346/899, 38.49%; P<.001) than those in the offline group. In addition, the Alfalfa app group exhibited lower rates of subtherapeutic (235/1660, 14.16% vs 152/899, 16.91%; P<.05) and extreme subtherapeutic international normalized ratio values (273/1660, 16.45% vs 186/899, 20.69%; P<.05) than the offline group. However, the incidence of minor bleeding was higher in the Alfalfa app group (12/204, 5.9% vs 3/201, 1.5%; P=.02). In terms of cost-effectiveness, the Alfalfa app group had a significantly lower average cost per test (42.37 vs 78.3, P<.001), average time per test (47.42 vs 90.74, P<.001), and cost-effectiveness ratio (385.9 vs 662.9) than the offline group. A total of 86 participants completed the satisfaction questionnaire, and the vast majority of participants expressed high levels of satisfaction with the Alfalfa App, while also providing further suggestions for improvement.

CONCLUSIONS: The integration of “Internet+Pharmacy Care” using the Alfalfa App can improve the effectiveness of warfarin anticoagulation management in patients following heart valve surgery. The Alfalfa app provides a more efficient, secure, and cost-effective solution to warfarin management than traditional offline methods.

PMID:40393057 | DOI:10.2196/53586

JMIR Form Res. 2025 May 20;9:e72659. doi: 10.2196/72659.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Controlling glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels can be challenging for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Peer support promotes HbA1c control, and a digital peer-supported app designed for group interactions may enable patients with T2DM to encourage one another to achieve better HbA1c outcomes. However, no studies have investigated the use of digital peer-supported apps to control HbA1c levels in patients with T2DM.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aimed to explore the effects of a digital peer-supported app on HbA1c control in patients with T2DM.

METHODS: This prospective single-arm pilot study enrolled patients with T2DM who owned smartphones and visited medical institutions in Japan. During the 3-month intervention, participants used a digital peer-supported app in addition to receiving standard care. This app allowed participants to share activity logs and concerns via a chat function to improve HbA1c levels through mutual engagement and encouragement. The primary outcome was the change in HbA1c levels, measured at health care facilities at baseline and after 3 months. The secondary outcomes were body weight and blood pressure, with the most recent data obtained from hospitals and clinics. Physical activity (≥1 hour/day) was assessed at the same time points using a self-reported questionnaire.

RESULTS: The study included 21 participants with a median age of 56 (IQR 51-61) years, of which 13 (61.9%) were female. After using the digital peer-supported app for 3 months, the participants’ HbA1c levels significantly decreased from 7.1% (SD 0.6%) at baseline to 6.9% (SD 0.1%) (P=.04). Similarly, participants’ body weight decreased from 70.7 (SD 12.7) kg to 69.9 (SD 12.4) kg (P =.004) through app use. Although blood pressure decreased slightly from 128.2 (SD 12.5) mm Hg to 126.0 (SD 12.9) mm Hg, this change was not statistically significant (P=.20). Additionally, the proportion of participants engaged in ≥1 hour of daily physical activity significantly increased from 23.5% (n=4) to 58.5% (n=10) (P=.03).

CONCLUSIONS: In addition to receiving standard clinical care, the use of a digital peer-supported app may significantly lower HbA1c levels in patients with T2DM by promoting healthy behaviors.

PMID:40393047 | DOI:10.2196/72659

PLoS One. 2025 May 20;20(5):e0320466. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320466. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate the accuracy of the underlying Cause of Death (CoD) in the original death certificate, compared with a gold standard certificate based on information from clinical records and relatives, in population deceased in Colombia during 2021.

METHODS: A sample size of 806 deaths across 92 municipalities in Colombia were estimated from the pool of 326,833 original certificates provided by the National Department of Statistics. A two-stage stratified random sample with replacement was employed for selection. Information from medical records of the deceased and, when necessary, interviews with relatives or witnesses were used to determine CoDs on the gold standard certificate. We analyzed and compared the underlying CoD of the original and standard death certificates to estimate the level of accuracy. Measures of concordance, patterns of false positives and negatives, and a kappa value were utilized as metrics to evaluate the death certificates quality.

RESULTS: Information was obtained from 776, representing 96% of the desired sample. The concordance between original and gold standard certificates, categorized according to the ICD-10 chapters, was found in 74%. Higher levels of agreement were observed for “codes for special COVID-19 situations” (kappa = 0.84) and neoplasms (kappa = 0.84). Higher levels of agreement were observed for “codes for special COVID-19 situations” (kappa = 0.84) and neoplasms (kappa = 0.84). Overestimation was identified for “circulatory system diseases” (Chapter IX); “pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium” (Chapter XV); “signs, symptoms, and poorly defined conditions” (Chapter XVIII) and “diseases of the respiratory system” (Chapter X), while underestimation in “diseases of the genitourinary system” (Chapter XIV) among CoD. The most significant variations in the fraction of mortality due to specific CoDs corresponded to “codes for special situations COVID-19”.

CONCLUSIONS: The level of concordance between the original and gold standard death certificates was deemed adequate. However, improvements in the death certification process in Colombia are recommended, emphasizing the enhancement of training programs for health professionals.

PMID:40393038 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0320466

PLoS One. 2025 May 20;20(5):e0324855. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324855. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Optimal nutrition during early childhood is essential for growth, cognitive development, and overall health. Animal source foods(ASF) provide essential nutrients like high-quality protein, iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin B12, which are vital for the physical and cognitive development of young children and to reduce the burden of malnutrition. In Ethiopia malnutrition among children under five remains a significant public health issue. Many children are suffering from chronic and acute undernutrition. This study provides the first spatial analysis of animal source foods consumption among children aged 6-23 months.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the spatial distribution of ASF consumption and its associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia using data from the Ethiopia miniDHS 2019.

METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study design was used using mini-DHS 2019 data among children aged 6-23 months. Descriptive statistics were used to summarized the study population characteristics and ASF consumption prevalence. Spatial analysis techniques, including Geographical mapping and Moran’s I statistic assessed the spatial distribution of ASF consumption. Geographically weighted regression analyses identified socio-economic, demographic, and geographic factors associated with ASF consumption.

RESULTS: The study found that 47.7% of Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months consume ASF. Children in regions like Amhara, Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, western SNNPR, and Gambela are less likely to consume these foods. Factors linked to higher ASF consumption include mothers with more education, smaller families, households following the Orthodox religion, and wealthier families..

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: According to this study finding animal source food consumption among Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months is relatively low. The finding revealed the significant regional disparities of ASF consumptions. Factors associated with ASF consumption include maternal education, household size, wealth, and religion. Efforts should focus on working to increase maternal education, providing and expansion of family planning services, and increasing affordability of ASF through economic improvement of households. In addition strengthening food supply chains and integrating ASF promotion into healthcare are also essential for improving child nutrition. Interventions in low-consumption areas should address specific local needs to effectively boost ASF consumption and improve child nutrition outcomes.

PMID:40393037 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0324855

PLoS One. 2025 May 20;20(5):e0323176. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323176. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The adequate interpretation of findings in systematic reviews can be affected by the lack of information on the language of the examined studies. The study sought to assess the reported information on restrictions set on the language of primary studies examined in systematic reviews published in dentistry. The study also investigated associations between the characteristics of the systematic reviews and language restrictions.

METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in the Web of Science database for systematic reviews in the field of dentistry. Abstracts published from the inception of the database up to 24 February 2023 were included and relevant information was extracted. Only abstracts published in English were included. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between the characteristics of the systematic reviews and the presence of language restrictions. Additionally, a random sample of 9.2% of the full texts was reviewed to identify differences in the reporting of language restrictions between the abstract and the full texts.

RESULTS: A total of 3922 abstracts were initially retrieved, and 3465 abstracts were included in the analysis based on the eligibility criteria. Approximately 79% (2739) did not report any language information. Only 7% (238) of the abstracts declared no language restrictions in the primary studies selected. Meta-analysis conducted, journal type, reporting of primary study design, actual number of words in abstracts and the country and continent of first authors affiliation were statistically significantly associated with language restrictions of the systematic reviews. However, the absence of information about language restriction appears to be a poor indicator of reporting or not language restriction in the full-text of the article.

CONCLUSIONS: Abstracts of systematic reviews in dentistry frequently underreport language restrictions applied to the primary studies examined. Various characteristics of systematic reviews are significantly associated with these restrictions, highlighting inconsistencies in reporting practices.

PMID:40393036 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0323176

Int J Prosthodont. 2025 May 20;0(0):1-17. doi: 10.11607/ijp.9363. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare the vertical microgap of complete arch implant supported frameworks (ISF) obtained from one intraoral scanner (IOS) and two different photogrammetry (PG) systems.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: An edentulous mandibular model with four implants (BioHorizons) served as reference. Multi-unit abutments (BioHorizons) were inserted and torqued to 30 Ncm. A digital reference cast (Control group) was obtained by scanning the model with a laboratory scanner (inEosX5, Dentsply Sirona). Three test groups were investigated: PS (Primescan, Dentsply Sirona), ICam (ICam4D, Imetric4D Imaging Sàrl), and PIC (PIC System, PIC Dental). All scans were exported as Standard-tessellation language (STL) files and virtual bars were designed and milled out of titanium (n=2 per test group). The modified Sheffield test was used to quantitatively assess vertical microgaps. Differences between all groups were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test (a=0.05). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare vertical microgaps at each respective implant position across groups (a=0.05).

RESULTS: Mean vertical microgaps varied across acquisition devices, with lowest values in the control group (22.65±7.279 µm), followed by ICam (24.10±7.991 µm), PIC (30.52± 9.809 µm), and PS (33.21±13.84 µm). Statistically significant differences were detected between Control and PS as well as Control and ICam. No statistically significant difference occurred between the two PG groups. Vertical microgaps were the highest at implant site 44, predominantly observed in groups PS and PIC.

CONCLUSIONS: Frameworks fabricated from digital impressions of PG groups showed lower vertical microgaps than those fabricated using the IOS.

PMID:40393035 | DOI:10.11607/ijp.9363