Tag: pubmed

Palliat Support Care. 2026 Jan 7;24:e20. doi: 10.1017/S1478951525101429.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers (CG) face a complex disease trajectory, which includes a multitude of challenges related to identifying credible health resources, access to services, and securing emotional support. Scalable, sustainable interventions that guide recently diagnosed PLWD and CG are desperately needed to minimize unnecessary burden and improve quality of life. This article describes the feasibility and acceptability of an early virtual palliative care intervention (SUPPORT-D^TM) for use among PLWD with mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer’s disease and their CG.

METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental design, this 6-week prospective feasibility study was conducted among 28 (PLWD/CG) dyads and 2 individual CG. Eligibility criteria for PLWD included those with mild cognitive impairment (FAST score ≥4). SUPPORT-D^TM comprises 4 main areas of guided support: 1) understanding the disease, 2) caring for myself, 3) caring for the caregiver, and 4) planning for the future. Outcome data were collected pre/post and during the intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted post intervention with 10 dyads. This study was approved by the Medical University of South Carolina IRB and data were collected from January 2023 to March 2024.

RESULTS: Seventy-six percent (23/30) of enrolled dyads successfully completed the study. PLWD and CG scores on validated measures of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility indicated SUPPORT-D^TM was acceptable, appropriate, and feasible. Post-intervention interview feedback further evidenced the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of SUPPORT-D^TM.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Delivery of this virtual nurse-led early palliative care intervention (a Program of SUPPORT-D^TM) was feasible for both PLWD and their CGs. A Program of SUPPORT-D^TM has potential as a feasible intervention to provide anticipatory guidance to community-dwelling PLWD and CG. Participants endorsed inclusion of additional content specific to physical activity, stress management, and social support as helpful refinements for future delivery.

PMID:41498161 | DOI:10.1017/S1478951525101429

Hypertension. 2026 Jan 7. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.125.25444. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The health benefits of different moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) patterns, including weekend warrior and regularly distributed activity, in individuals with hypertension remain unclear. This study investigated associations between MVPA patterns and mortality and stroke outcomes in patients with hypertension.

METHODS: A total of 52 838 participants from the UK Biobank with accelerometer data following hypertension were included. Participants were classified by weekly MVPA amounts and distribution: active weekend warrior, active regular, and inactive. Cox proportional hazards models examined associations between MVPA patterns and all-cause mortality, with secondary outcomes including stroke mortality, stroke, and ischemic stroke.

RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 7.5 years, 2636 all-cause mortality, 161 stroke mortality, 875 stroke, and 716 ischemic stroke events occurred. Compared with the inactive group, both active weekend warriors (hazard ratio [HR], 0.70 [95% CI, 0.64-0.77]; P<0.0001) and active regular (HR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.65-0.82];P<0.0001) demonstrated ≈30% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Both active groups showed risk reduction trends for stroke mortality (active weekend warrior: HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.59-1.22]; active regular: HR, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.55-1.38]), stroke (HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.73-1.00] versus HR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.75-1.10]), and ischemic stroke (HR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.70-0.99] versus HR, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.70-1.08]), though these were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the health benefits of actively engaging in guideline-recommended MVPA for patients with hypertension, demonstrating a 30% mortality risk reduction whether they distribute MVPA throughout the week or concentrate MVPA within 1 to 2 days compared with physical inactivity.

PMID:41498144 | DOI:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.125.25444

Comput Inform Nurs. 2026 Jan 7. doi: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000001416. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Serious games have an important role in nursing education to support the development of students’ knowledge, skills, satisfaction, and self-confidence. Serious games in the development of basic nursing skills are defined as interactive computer applications that present a challenging goal, offer an enjoyable and engaging experience, incorporate scoring mechanisms, and equip users with useful skills, knowledge, or attitudes. They provide students with opportunities for active learning, solving clinical problems, and gaining experience in a risk-free environment. Serious gaming applications ensure that education is not interrupted, especially in situations such as disasters and epidemics. Gamification-based education has recently become one of the e-learning methods used in nursing education. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of serious game activities in raising palliative care awareness among nursing students at Al-Quds University in Palestine, where gamification had not been previously utilized. This study employed a single-group quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design to evaluate the effectiveness of a serious game in raising palliative care awareness among nursing students. The findings reveal a statistically significant increase in students’ palliative care knowledge scores following the e-learning and serious game activity (t = -3.659; P < .001). Post intervention, the difference between pre-test and post-test scores was found to be statistically significant for both female (P = .022) and male (P = .023) students, fourth-year students (P = .003), students with palliative care experience (P = .004), those who had taken 5 or more nursing courses with clinical practice (P = .009), and students who had previously received palliative care education (P < .001). In conclusion, since serious game-based educational games can positively impact nursing students’ knowledge, skills, and self-confidence, they should be added to the curriculum by combining them with traditional education.

PMID:41498142 | DOI:10.1097/CIN.0000000000001416

Lupus. 2026 Jan 7:9612033261415985. doi: 10.1177/09612033261415985. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

ObjectivesThe occurrence of a birth-cohort pattern underlying the time trends of any given disease is indicative of exposure to environmental risk factors during early life with long-lasting consequences that influence the disease occurrence during patients’ subsequent lifetime. The present analysis serves to test whether the time trends of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) in England & Wales and the United States are characterized by a similar birth-cohort patterns as other autoimmune diseases associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).MethodsIn an observational study using the Vital Statistics of England & Wales and the United States from 1951 to 2022, the mortality trends of SLE were compared to those of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC).ResultsMortality from SLE rose among generations born during the 19^th century and decreased among generations born subsequently during the 20^th century. This birth-cohort pattern of SLE was matched by almost identical patterns underlying the occurrence of MS and CD, whereas mortality from HL and UC were similarly characterized by a birth-cohort patterns with a rise and fall in mortality that were shifted by 10-20 years towards earlier generations when compared to SLE, MS, and CD.ConclusionThe similarities in the birth-cohort patterns of SLE and other EBV-associated diagnoses suggest that they all share a common risk factor, such as EBV infection. The trends of SLE may have been shaped by underlying trends in the acquisition of EBV infection during adolescence or early adulthood.

PMID:41498141 | DOI:10.1177/09612033261415985

Clin Chem Lab Med. 2026 Jan 8. doi: 10.1515/cclm-2025-1126. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of robotic venipuncture in clinical settings and compare its performance with manual venipuncture in terms of blood specimen quality and test results.

METHODS: From March to April 2025, 63 participants (35 females, 28 males), aged 23-73 years, were recruited at Zoucheng People’s Hospital Medical Laboratory Center. Blood samples were collected using both robotic venipuncture and manual venipuncture on April 8, 2025. Specimen quality was assessed pre-testing, and coagulation/biochemical parameters were analyzed.

RESULTS: Robotic venipuncture demonstrated advantages in reducing venipuncture pain and achieving more consistent blood sample mixing. Compared with manual venipuncture, the robotic system enables more precise control of blood collection volume and anticoagulant ratio. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in fibrinogen (Fib), prothrombin time (PT), plasminogen activity (PTA), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), International Normalized Ratio (INR), thrombin time (TT), potassium (K⁺), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH) levels between the two methods.

CONCLUSIONS: Robotic venipuncture technology demonstrates clinical feasibility, offering more precise blood collection volumes and accurate anticoagulant-to-blood ratios compared to manual venipuncture, thereby enhancing specimen stability (Lippi G, Salvagno GL, Montagnana M, Lima-Oliveira G, Guidi GC, Favaloro EJ. Quality standards for sample collection in coagulation testing. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2012;38:565-75; Reneke J, Etzell J, Leslie S, Ng VL, Gottfried EL. Prolonged prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time due to underfilled specimen tubes with 109 mmol/L (3.2 %) citrate anticoagulant. Am J Clin Pathol. 1998;109:754-7). However, challenges remain, including longer procedure times and initial user acceptance barriers.

PMID:41498135 | DOI:10.1515/cclm-2025-1126

J Toxicol. 2025 Dec 30;2025:6638848. doi: 10.1155/jt/6638848. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the acute toxicity of essential oils with repellent potential, diethyltoluamide (DEET), and cypermethrin on Porcellio laevis.

METHODS: Randomized preclinical trial with a factorial and controlled arrangement on three essential oils (Eucalyptus globulus, Mentha piperita, and Cymbopogon citratus) at 0.1%, 1%, and 10%, respectively, DEET at 10% and cypermethrin at 0.1%. Each experimental group consisted of 10 specimens, 2-3-mm-long, of P. laevis. Toxicity was measured by specimen mortality at 3, 24, and 48 h postexposure. Nonparametric inferential statistics were used to compare mortality between the groups. The InfoStat/E software, Version 2020, was used for analysis.

RESULTS: Essential oils at concentrations of 0.1% and 1% showed similar toxicity to each other (mortality of 10%-20%) but significantly lower compared to cypermethrin and DEET (mortality of 100%). However, essential oils at 10% reached median mortality rates above 70%. Likewise, similar effects were observed at concentrations of 0.1% and 1.0% and at 24 and 48 h. The LC 50 at 24 h was 7.8% (CI 95%: 5.2-9.8), 6.1% (CI 95%: 4.9-7.4), and 9.8% (CI 95%: 8.9-10.6) for E. globulus, M. piperita, and C. citratus, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated essential oils showed lower acute toxicity compared to DEET and cypermethrin, depending on concentration and time.

PMID:41498104 | PMC:PMC12767039 | DOI:10.1155/jt/6638848

Osteoporos Sarcopenia. 2025 Dec;11(4):137-144. doi: 10.1016/j.afos.2025.11.002. Epub 2025 Nov 29.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of combining romosozumab (ROMO) with denosumab (Dmab) remains uncertain. We compare the six-month effects of Dmab plus monthly ROMO versus Dmab plus daily teriparatide (TPTD) on bone mineral density (BMD) in treatment-naïve postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 26 treatment-naïve postmenopausal women with primary osteoporosis. Participants received either a monthly regimen of ROMO and Dmab (N = 14) or a daily regimen of TPTD plus Dmab (N = 12). BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck was measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum levels of C-terminal telopeptide (CTX) and procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) were assessed at the same intervals.

RESULTS: Both regimens significantly improved lumbar spine BMD at 6 months (ROMO + Dmab: +9.75%; TPTD + Dmab: +7.42%). Improvements in total hip and femoral neck BMD were modest and similar between groups (∼2%). Serum CTX and P1NP were significantly suppressed in both groups at 3 months, but P1NP suppression waned in the TPTD + Dmab group by 6 months. No statistically significant differences in BMD or marker changes were detected between the two regimens.

CONCLUSIONS: Both combination therapies effectively improve lumbar spine BMD over 6 months. The ROMO + Dmab regimen yielded numerically greater increases with fewer injections.

PMID:41498097 | PMC:PMC12766607 | DOI:10.1016/j.afos.2025.11.002

Cancer Manag Res. 2025 Dec 31;17:3349-3358. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S556061. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the development trend of prognostic nutritional index and psychosomatic symptom clusters (multidimensional fatigue, generalized anxiety, difficulty in emotional regulation) in patients with lung cancer, and to analyze their correlation and predictive relationship.

METHODS: One hundred and eighty-five patients with lung cancer were selected as the research objects using the convenience sampling method. The prognostic nutritional index and psychosomatic symptom cluster were followed up at T1, T2, and T3 after the operation. Repeated measures ANOVA and cross – lag model were used for statistical testing.

RESULTS: A total of 185 questionnaires were distributed, and 7 invalid questionnaires were excluded, with an effective recovery rate of 96.22%. The results of repeated measurement showed the scores of prognostic nutritional index (F = 3.342, P = 0.031), multidimensional fatigue (F = 5.362, P < 0.001), generalized anxiety (F = 6.003, P < 0.001), and emotional regulation difficulties (F = 0.885, P = 0.420) at the three time points. Results of the cross – lag model: The level of prognostic nutritional index negatively predicted multidimensional fatigue symptoms (T1→T2: β = – 0.415, P = 0.003; T2→T3: β = – 0.433, P = 0.005) and generalized anxiety symptoms (T1→T2: β = – 0.364, P = 0.007; T2→T3: β = – 0.350, P = 0.012). The prognostic nutritional index at T2 significantly and negatively predicted emotional adjustment difficulties at T3 (T1→T2: β = 0.158, P = 0.151; T2→T3: β = – 0.233, P = 0.024). While in the psychosomatic symptom cluster, only multidimensional fatigue negatively predicted the prognostic nutritional index at the next node (T1→T2: β = – 0.314, P = 0.003; T2→T3: β = – 0.342, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The prognostic nutritional index of patients with lung cancer after surgery is closely related to the psychosomatic symptom cluster. The prognostic nutritional index has a negative predictive effect on the psychosomatic symptom cluster, and the multidimensional fatigue symptom also has a negative predictive effect on the prognostic nutritional index.

PMID:41498094 | PMC:PMC12766116 | DOI:10.2147/CMAR.S556061

Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2025 Dec 31;30(6):804-815. doi: 10.5603/rpor.109846. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The main treatment method for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) is surgery in combination with radiotherapy or chemoradiation. However, the tumor heterogeneity and tumor microenvironment are issues of radiotherapy success. Due to this fact, the radioresistance process is not fully understood and seems to be a challenge for current oncology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiotherapy treated HNSCC patients were divided into two groups based on the overall survival and excluding those with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection or treated with chemotherapy or targeted therapy. Next, groups were compared based on the clinical-pathological and transcriptome data (RNAseq) from The Cancer Genome Atlas Project (TCGA) using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) software and GraphPad Prism toll.

RESULTS: A model was created, consisting of two contrasting groups of patients: effective treatment group (ETG, n = 34) and ineffective treatment group (ITG, n = 31) for radiotherapy. Patients in the ITG group had a significantly shorter progression-free interval (PFI) than the ETG group, with a median of 266 days (p < 0.0001). Between the ETG and ITG groups, no differences (p > 0.05) were observed in clinical and pathological parameters, except perineural invasion (p = 0.0068) and the presence of a new tumor event after initial treatment (p < 0.0001). Molecular pathway analysis showed that ITG patients had statistically significantly increased expression of genes associated with DNA repair.

CONCLUSIONS: We observed that our model, consisting of two groups, differed at the molecular level in genetic changes. Moreover, the presented model and its characterization showed that it was potentially useful for searching for potential biomarkers.

PMID:41498084 | PMC:PMC12768031 | DOI:10.5603/rpor.109846

Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2025 Dec 31;30(6):796-803. doi: 10.5603/rpor.108577. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) of the extremities has a particularly poor prognosis compared to other primary sites due to an increased rate of alveolar histology, higher rate of metastasis, and the extent of regional lymph node involvement. To date there are few assessments comparing upper extremity (UE) to lower extremity (LE) RMS of the extremities using population-based registry, so we sought to compare survival between UE and LE RMS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, cases of RMS of the UE and LE diagnosed between 2000-2020 were collected. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were completed for one-and five-year survival. Log-rank and Cox regression analyses were completed to compare UE versus LE survival.

RESULTS: A total of 641 cases were included, of which 221 (34.5%) were UE and 420 (65.5%) were LE. On log-rank tests, UE survival was longer than LE survival (p = 0.021). The one-year survival rate was greater for the UE (88.7%) compared to the LE (81.4%) (p = 0.020) but similar at five-years. Cox regression analysis showed no difference in survival between UE and LE primary site (hazard ratio = 1.172, p = 0.322).

CONCLUSIONS: In comparing UE and LE RMS survival, UE survival was greater at one-year, but not on adjusted analyses. These findings contribute to the few prior assessments of outcomes between UE and LE RMS, though direct comparisons between UE and LE should be included in future prospective studies.

PMID:41498078 | PMC:PMC12767979 | DOI:10.5603/rpor.108577