Tag: pubmed

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2026 Aug 3. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.26.17762-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sleep hygiene strategies (SHS) are practical, evidence-informed recommendations to enhance both the quantity and quality of sleep in athletes. However, little is known about how these strategies could be communicated and implemented in practice. The primary objective of this study is to investigate how different methods of delivering SHS (written vs. verbal) affect sleep hygiene and sleep parameters in athletes.

METHODS: The study was a three-arms randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT07083544) involving track and field athletes competing at the regional or national level (N.=66). Athletes were randomized to either a control group (CON=22), a written SHS group (W-SHS=22), or a verbal SHS group (V-SHS=22). Sleep characteristics were assessed by actigraphy and sleep diary during a ten-day baseline period (T0) and a ten-day intervention period (T1). Six objective sleep parameters and the Sleep Regularity Index were assessed. Participants also completed a training diary and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI).

RESULTS: No statistical differences were found between and within groups in training and sleep parameters, but SHI scores improved significantly in the intervention groups between T0 and T1, with differences compared to the control group. A non-significant improvement in total sleep time was observed in the intervention groups, primarily due to earlier bedtimes.

CONCLUSIONS: While significant differences in objective sleep measures were not observed, the trends suggest that both written and verbal SHS interventions can modestly improve sleep-related behaviors, particularly by encouraging earlier bedtimes and slightly extending total sleep duration.

PMID:42544425 | DOI:10.23736/S0022-4707.26.17762-7

J Prim Care Community Health. 2026 Jan-Dec;17:21501319261475712. doi: 10.1177/21501319261475712. Epub 2026 Aug 3.

ABSTRACT

ObjectivesTo examine associations of a general cost-related barrier to medical care and BRFSS-defined poor mental health-day categories with cervical cancer screening adherence among U.S. female respondents.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of female BRFSS respondents. The primary outcome (_RFPAP37) identified Pap testing within the past 3 years among respondents aged 21-65 years with an intact cervix; the sensitivity outcome (_PAPHPV1) additionally incorporated HPV testing within the past 5 years for those aged 30-65 years. MEDCOST1 measured inability to see a doctor because of cost during the previous 12 months. _MENT14D classified respondents by 0, 1-13, or 14-30 poor mental health days. Survey-weighted adjusted logistic regression incorporated BRFSS weights, strata, and clustering.ResultsThe primary analytic sample included 101,580 female respondents; survey-weighted complete-case models included 84,705. Pap adherence was lower among respondents reporting a general cost-related barrier to medical care than among those without the barrier (54.5% vs 68.6%). In survey-weighted adjusted models, the barrier remained associated with lower Pap adherence (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65-0.95). Formal interaction terms were not statistically significant, and the ordinal poor mental health-day trend was attenuated (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.97-1.07). Findings for Pap+HPV adherence were directionally similar but weaker.ConclusionsA general cost-related barrier to medical care was consistently associated with lower cervical cancer screening adherence. BRFSS-defined poor mental health days may indicate a co-occurring vulnerability, but adjusted interaction evidence was limited. Access-focused and mental health-informed strategies warrant evaluation in future intervention studies.

PMID:42544410 | DOI:10.1177/21501319261475712

J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2026 Aug 4. doi: 10.1515/jpem-2026-0294. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate serum apelin levels in obese adolescents and to investigate their association with hepatic steatosis and metabolic risk parameters.

METHODS: This prospective case-control study included 75 obese adolescents and 68 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters, and serum apelin levels were assessed. Hepatic steatosis was evaluated using ultrasonography. Multivariable logistic regression analysis including age, sex, waist circumference, and serum apelin levels was performed.

RESULTS: Serum apelin levels were significantly lower in obese adolescents compared with controls. Although apelin levels tended to be lower in participants with hepatic steatosis, the difference did not reach statistical significance. No significant correlations were observed between apelin levels and insulin resistance, lipid parameters, or liver enzymes. Multivariable analysis did not demonstrate an independent association between apelin levels and hepatic steatosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Serum apelin levels were significantly lower in obese adolescents than in healthy controls. Although apelin levels tended to be lower in participants with hepatic steatosis, no independent association was demonstrated in this cohort. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify the potential relationship between apelin and hepatic steatosis in pediatric obesity.

PMID:42544397 | DOI:10.1515/jpem-2026-0294

J Public Health (Oxf). 2026 Aug 3:fdag058. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdag058. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Harmful alcohol use is a major modifiable risk factor for self-harm. We aimed to examine associations between minimum unit pricing for alcohol, introduced in Scotland in 2018, and rates of hospital-admitted self-harm.

METHODS: Data were obtained from Public Health Scotland and English Hospital Episode Statistics. Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis compared pre- and post-intervention self-harm admission rates per 100 000 population, including controlled comparisons with England.

RESULTS: The before-after slope reduction in Scotland corresponded to -5.6 (95% CI -7.5 to -3.7) admissions per quarter, per 100 000 population, over the intervention period. Using controlled ITS, a greater slope reduction was observed in Scotland relative to England: -3.5, CI -6.4 to -0.6. No differences in slope change were observed when examining only pre-pandemic study quarters. Findings were consistent with a possible postintervention rate reduction in the two most deprived population quintiles, while no between-nation slope difference was observed in the three least deprived quintiles.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings were consistent with possible postintervention reductions in hospital-admitted self-harm in Scotland compared to England, with reductions concentrated in more deprived populations. Population-level alcohol pricing policies may contribute to reducing self-harm frequency, although causal interpretation is limited by the observational, quasi-experimental study design and differing between-nation pre-intervention trajectories.

PMID:42544395 | DOI:10.1093/pubmed/fdag058

Front Genet. 2026 Jul 20;17:1776578. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2026.1776578. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor survival outcomes. Biomarkers that reliably capture tumor mutational burden (TMB), tumor immunogenicity, and prognosis could substantially improve clinical stratification. Prior studies have suggested that mutational signatures, including single-base substitution (SBS) 4 and 13, may be associated with TMB and survival in SCLC. We therefore evaluated these relationships using complementary analytical approaches.

METHODS: We evaluated associations among mutational signatures, TMB, and overall survival in a dataset examined in a prior study and an independent external cohort. To improve reproducibility and interpretability, we performed reference-based mutational signature assignment and analyzed signature activity, primarily as a continuous variable, while also evaluating binary stratifications using fixed thresholds. Signature-TMB relationships were assessed using continuous regression models, and associations with overall survival were evaluated pooling all clinically annotated samples using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox-proportional-hazards modeling.

RESULTS: Across both cohorts, SBS4 activity was positively associated with TMB, whereas SBS13 showed no consistent relationship with TMB. Neither SBS4 nor SBS13 was a statistically significant predictor of overall survival.

CONCLUSION: Our study clarifies the prognostic and immunogenomic relevance of SBS4 and SBS13 in SCLC and shows that analytical choices materially influence inference. Reference-based signature assignment provided a comprehensive, computationally efficient, and stable framework, while continuous measures of signature activity yielded more reliable inferences than arbitrary thresholds. These findings support more rigorous evaluation of mutational signatures and TMB as biomarkers in SCLC.

PMID:42544366 | PMC:PMC13429233 | DOI:10.3389/fgene.2026.1776578

Infect Dis Clin Microbiol. 2026 Jul 28;8(4):339-350. doi: 10.36519/idcm.2026.1044. eCollection 2026 Jul.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a chronic inflammatory breast disease with a heterogeneous clinical presentation and uncertain optimal management. Increasing evidence suggests a role for Corynebacterium species, particularly Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii, in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and outcomes of granulomatous mastitis, with particular emphasis on cases associated with Corynebacterium species and the impact of antibiotic therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included female patients with GM treated at a university hospital between January 2018 and January 2023. Patients were grouped according to Corynebacterium isolation. Clinical characteristics, microbiological findings, and treatment modalities-oral steroids, combined antibiotic-steroid therapy, antibiotics with intralesional steroids, and segmental mastectomy-were evaluated. The impact of lipophilic antibiotics (tetracyclines, linezolid, rifampin) combined with steroids was assessed. Recurrence rates and associated factors, including symptom duration, were -analyzed.

RESULTS: A total of 165 patients were included in the study, of whom 25 tested positive and 140 negative. Corynebacterium spp. were detected in 15.15% of cases, with C. kroppenstedtii identified in 8.48%. Patients with Corynebacterium-associated GM had more extensive abscess formation and required more interventional procedures. Multimodal treatment strategies combining steroids, antibiotics, and surgery resulted in favorable outcomes. Lipophilic antibiotics combined with steroids showed a positive but statistically non-significant effect. Recurrence occurred in 16.4% of patients and was associated with longer symptom duration.

CONCLUSION: Accurate microbiological identification is essential in GM, particularly in C. kroppenstedtii infections, to guide targeted antibiotic therapy and reduce recurrence. Tailored management strategies, including lipophilic antibiotics, may improve outcomes. Further studies are needed to define optimal treatment duration and the role of surgery in refractory GM.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: Graphical Abstract.

PMID:42544365 | PMC:PMC13429223 | DOI:10.36519/idcm.2026.1044

Dela J Public Health. 2026 Jul 31;12(3):101-107. doi: 10.32481/djph.2026.07.17. eCollection 2026 Jul.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether fecal incontinence is associated with cardiovascular, pulmonary, and kidney disease, individually and in combination, and with all-cause mortality among community-dwelling US adults.

METHODS: Nationally representative cohort study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2010 with linkage to the National Death Index through December 31, 2019. The analytic cohort comprised 14,731 adults aged 20 years or older, with 14,718 eligible for mortality analysis. Fecal incontinence, defined as accidental leakage of mucus, liquid stool, or solid stool during the prior 30 days. A composite cardiopulmonary-kidney (CPK) burden was calculated as the count of three affected systems: cardiovascular disease (self-report), pulmonary disease (current asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis), and kidney disease markers (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m², urine albumin-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g, or self-reported kidney disease). Multisystem CPK burden was defined as ≥2 affected systems.

Survey-weighted prevalence ratios (PRs) for each cardiopulmonary-kidney outcome from modified Poisson regression and hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality from Cox proportional hazards models, with sequential adjustment for sociodemographic, cardiometabolic, and shared functional/mood/urinary factors.

RESULTS: Among 14,731 adults (weighted mean age 46.8 years; 51.2% women), the weighted prevalence of fecal incontinence was 8.4% (95% CI, 7.8%-9.0%). Adults with fecal incontinence were nearly a decade older than those without (mean age 55.6 vs 46.0 years) and had higher prevalences of urinary incontinence (62.0% vs 32.6%), depressive symptoms (17.4% vs 6.2%), and functional limitation (30.3% vs 13.8%) (all P<.001). After full adjustment, fecal incontinence remained associated with kidney disease markers (PR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02-1.32) and with simultaneous involvement of all three CPK systems (PR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.47-3.86). During follow-up, 2,395 deaths occurred. Crude mortality was 80.8 per 1,000 person-years among adults with both fecal incontinence and multisystem CPK burden, versus 10.6 in adults with neither. After adjustment, multisystem CPK burden alone (HR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.58-2.04) and combined fecal incontinence plus burden (HR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.66-2.77) predicted mortality. Fecal incontinence alone did not (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.87-1.28). With multisystem CPK burden as the reference, the combined group did not demonstrate a statistically significant mortality increment (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.92-1.54; P=.18).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Fecal incontinence in US adults is associated with disproportionate cardiopulmonary-kidney disease, functional impairment, and mortality, but the association with mortality was related to multisystem disease rather than to bowel symptoms themselves. Disclosure of fecal incontinence is a low-cost clinical signal that warrants integrated systemic assessment, including routine kidney function testing, rather than purely anorectal evaluation.

PMID:42544354 | PMC:PMC13429248 | DOI:10.32481/djph.2026.07.17

Cureus. 2026 Jul 3;18(7):e111995. doi: 10.7759/cureus.111995. eCollection 2026 Jul.

ABSTRACT

Background Universal precautions are essential infection control measures aimed at preventing healthcare-associated infections and occupational exposure among healthcare workers (HCWs). However, compliance remains suboptimal, particularly in resource-limited settings. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and compliance regarding universal precautions among the nursing staff at a tertiary care teaching hospital and identify gaps in infection control practices. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2026 among 40 nurses at Government Medical College, Datia, Madhya Pradesh, India. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire assessing knowledge (15 items) and compliance (20 items on a Likert scale). Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi, version 2.6.44 (The jamovi Project, Sydney, NSW, Australia). Results Among the 40 nurses included in the study, 31 (77.5%) were aged 24-30 years, and 24 (60.0%) had 1.5-5 years of work experience. Adequate knowledge regarding universal precautions was observed among 31 (77.5%) nurses, while five (12.5%) demonstrated very good knowledge scores. Knowledge regarding key infection control practices was high, with 40 (100%) participants aware of hand hygiene between patients and 39 (97.5%) reporting correct knowledge regarding glove use for blood collection and avoidance of needle recapping. However, 34 (85.0%) nurses correctly recognized that the primary objective of universal precautions is not limited solely to protecting HCWs, while five (12.5%) believed that such precautions were required only for infected patients. Compliance with hand hygiene practices was high, with 36-38 nurses (90.0%-95.0%) consistently adhering to recommended practices. Similarly, adherence to glove use during high-risk procedures was observed among 37-39 nurses (92.5%-97.5%). Lower compliance was observed for glove use during injections among 22 (55.0%) nurses and for apron and cap/shoe-cover use among 26-27 nurses (65.0%-67.5%). Additionally, 4 (10.0%) nurses reported non-adherence to safe needle recapping and post-exposure management practices. Conclusion Despite adequate knowledge, a notable knowledge-practice gap exists among nurses. Strengthening training, ensuring personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, and reinforcing monitoring mechanisms are essential to improve compliance and enhance infection control practices.

PMID:42544350 | PMC:PMC13429165 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.111995

Can Vet J. 2026 Aug 1;67(8):882-888. eCollection 2026 Aug.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Natural bobtail phenotypes, mostly caused by a mutation in the T-box transcription factor T-gene, occur in several dog breeds. Although generally considered benign, reduced tail length may co-occur with structural changes in the lumbosacral spine, raising potential welfare concerns.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether natural bobtail phenotypes (short- and stumptails) are associated with the occurrence of lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LTV) in Brittany dogs and Danish-Swedish Farmdogs.

ANIMALS AND PROCEDURES: This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 1679 dogs [Brittany dogs (n = 744); Danish-Swedish Farmdogs (n = 935)] screened through the Norwegian Kennel Club’s hip dysplasia program. Standardized ventrodorsal pelvic radiographs were evaluated for LTV and tail phenotypes. Associations were assessed using chi-square tests, odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and post-hoc standardized residuals. Tail phenotypes were analyzed as a binary variable (bobtail versus normal) in both breeds and as a 3-category variable (stump, short, normal) in Brittany dogs.

RESULTS: Lumbosacral transitional vertebra prevalence was 47.8% in Brittany dogs and 14.9% in Danish-Swedish Farmdogs, whereas the natural bobtail phenotype (stump + short) occurred in 26.7% of Brittany dogs and 11.0% (short) of Danish-Swedish Farmdogs. In Brittany dogs, bobtailed dogs had significantly increased odds of being LTV-positive compared with dogs having a tail of normal length (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.47 to 2.85; P < 0.001), with the strongest association observed in stump-tailed individuals. In Danish-Swedish Farmdogs, the association was weaker and did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 0.99 to 2.76; P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Natural bobtail phenotypes are associated with LTV in Brittany dogs, with stump-tailed dogs showing the strongest association. A similar, non-significant trend was observed in Danish-Swedish Farmdogs.

PMID:42544340 | PMC:PMC13429198

Dela J Public Health. 2026 Jul 31;12(3):84-89. doi: 10.32481/djph.2026.07.13. eCollection 2026 Jul.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: . More than two million older adults are homebound and five million need help leaving their homes. They often experience social isolation, food insecurity, and lack of connection to community resources. Affordable, adaptable, comprehensive home-based services for those aging in place are lacking. This study examined the benefits of an intergenerational home-based service-learning program on goal attainment in 1) social support, 2) home safety and cleanliness, 3) access to community resources, 4) food access, and 5) improving physical health.

METHODS: . 201 homebound and near-homebound older adults enrolled in Lori’s Hands in Newark, DE; Baltimore, MD; and Metro Detroit, MI were surveyed between December 2021 and May 2026. Descriptive and chi-square analyses were conducted to examine changes in domain-specific subjective assessment of goal attainment over time.

RESULTS: Findings indicated that 83% of clients reported positive changes in at least one of the five target service areas over six or more months of participation in the program. The majority of participants reported 1) home safety and cleanliness and 2) social support as their most important goals. Results from the chi-square test indicated statistically significant differences in goal attainment for all five service areas.

CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study suggest that intergenerational in-home support services can improve social support, home safety and cleanliness, physical activity, food access and nutrition, and access to community resources for homebound older adults, thereby supporting aging in place and reducing the load on informal caregivers.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS: . Policies and practice can support a pipeline of health professionals through innovative service-learning models to benefit older adults, caregivers, students, and the broader community.

PMID:42544333 | PMC:PMC13429250 | DOI:10.32481/djph.2026.07.13