Tag: pubmed

J Nutr Metab. 2025 Nov 12;2025:2102446. doi: 10.1155/jnme/2102446. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to explore the association between dietary sources of aromatic amino acids (AAAs) from both animal and plant sources and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS).

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this research was to examine how the intake of AAAs correlates with the incidence of MetS.

METHODS: The current prospective observational study was conducted on collected data from 4920 adult individuals aged between 19 and 74 years, participants from Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Dietary data and usual intake of AAAs such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan were calculated using a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire.

RESULT: In this study, median intakes of AAAs were 5.9 g/d (IQR: 4.7-7.4 g/d), which corresponded to 2.8 g/d (2.2-3.4 g/d) of animal sources and 2.5 g/d (1.8-3.2 g/d) of plant sources. An increased intake of total AAAs (HR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.57) and AAAs from animal sources (HR: 1.30 and 95% CI: 1.03, 1.65) was positively linked to a higher risk of MetS, even after controlling for confounding variables. In different strata of BMI, the risk of MetS was positively associated with MetS only in obese subjects in the highest tertile of total AAAs intake (HR: 1.36 and 95% CI: 1.02-1.87) and for AAAs from animal sources (HR: 1.16 and 95% CI: 1.09-2.12). Nevertheless, none of the three BMI groups showed a statistically significant association between incident MetS and AAAs from plant sources. Also, no significant interactions were found between sex and AAAs intake and its constituents on MetS risk.

CONCLUSION: The intake of AAAs, particularly from animal sources, was positively associated with the risk of MetS, especially in obese individuals. However, more studies are needed in this area.

PMID:41268578 | PMC:PMC12629699 | DOI:10.1155/jnme/2102446

Gates Open Res. 2025 Nov 18;9:103. doi: 10.12688/gatesopenres.16372.1. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There has been steady progress and advancement of research in Africa. However, African researchers face numerous challenges among them, limited international recognition. This is due to the low discoverability and inclusion of their research outputs by indexers and databases. A lot of initiatives have attempted to address the challenge, however, there is a need for support to enhance the discoverability and inclusion of research outputs from Africa.

METHODS: We conducted a desk review of 1,116 journals hosted on the Sabinet journal repository and the African Journal Online (AJOL) platform. The factors that were considered to influence journals’ discoverability and inclusion include (i) the journals’ Open Access (OA) status, (ii) OA journals’ listing in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), (iii) the journals’ presence on the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) portal, (iv) the membership of the journals’ publishers on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), (v) the journals’ hosting on International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP) and (vi) geographic location of the journals’ online publisher.

FINDINGS: A total of 1,116 journals were identified from the Sabinet and AJOL platforms. The highest proportion of journals was neither discovered by Google Scholar nor included in Scopus (63.2%). The study established one significant predictor of journal discoverability by Google Scholar and inclusion in Scopus. This was the journal listing on the ISSN portal which increased the odds of the journal being discoverable by Google Scholar and inclusion in Scopus by 2.033 and 5.451 respectively. Journals listed in the DOAJ but whose publishers were COPE members had significantly reduced odds of being discoverable by Google Scholar and being included in Scopus by 0.334 and 0.161 respectively. This suggests that the journal’s discoverability and inclusion are more nuanced and not always straightforward hence quality markers need to be aligned.

PMID:41268572 | PMC:PMC12626968 | DOI:10.12688/gatesopenres.16372.1

Front Immunol. 2025 Nov 5;16:1585421. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1585421. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

The specificity of the immune response is critical to its biological function, yet the generality of immune recognition implies that antibody binding is multispecific or degenerate. The current work explores and quantifies this paradox through a systems analysis approach that incorporates set theoretic ideas and an application of structural and statistical modeling to prior experimental immunological and biochemical data. Order-of-magnitude estimates are computed for the average degeneracies and specificities of antibodies and epitopes using a chemico-spatial model for epitope diversity and a binary model for antibody-antigen binding. The results illustrate and quantify how the humoral immune system achieves both high specificity and high degeneracy simultaneously by effectively decoupling the two properties, similarly to programs in cryptography called secure hash algorithms (SHAs), which display the same paradoxical features. In addition, an antibody-epitope interaction probability model is used to help show how newly formed antibodies may avoid cross-reactivity with self-antigens despite their high degree of multispecificity and how the requirement of polyclonal binding likely improves the overall specificity of the immune response. Because they describe the relationships between various statistical parameters in humoral immunity, the models developed here may also have predictive utility.

PMID:41268549 | PMC:PMC12627013 | DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1585421

J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2025 Nov 18;12:23821205251391961. doi: 10.1177/23821205251391961. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Scholarly activity is a key requirement in pediatric subspecialty fellowship training. However, clear guidance on how to effectively support fellows in their scholarly endeavors remains limited.

OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the impact of a week-long departmental scholarship curriculum designed to enhance fellows’ research competencies.

METHODS: In 2024, a curriculum was designed and delivered to first-year pediatric subspecialty fellows over 5 days, combining group learning sessions with individualized tasks. Pre- and post-curriculum surveys assessed fellows’ confidence and knowledge across key scholarly domains. Daily session evaluations provided additional feedback. Fourteen fellows from 9 pediatric subspecialty programs participated.

RESULTS: All first-year fellows (n = 14, 100%) participated. Improvements in fellows’ confidence were observed across all domains (P < .05). While knowledge scores increased, the gains were not statistically significant. Participants rated the overall curriculum positively, and notably, appreciated the individualized tasks and experience of presenting their developing project.

CONCLUSIONS: This week-long curriculum increased fellows’ confidence in their scholarly abilities, highlighting the value of a structured, departmental approach to fostering academic engagement. While knowledge improvements were modest, the overwhelmingly positive evaluations support this curriculum approach as a potential model for enhancing scholarly activity in fellowship programs. Further research is needed to explore the long-term impacts on fellows’ scholarly productivity and career development.

PMID:41268531 | PMC:PMC12627373 | DOI:10.1177/23821205251391961

Ann Surg Oncol. 2025 Nov 20. doi: 10.1245/s10434-025-18730-7. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41266920 | DOI:10.1245/s10434-025-18730-7

Eur Spine J. 2025 Nov 21. doi: 10.1007/s00586-025-09598-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate inter- and intra-observer reliability of the Lenke classification for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and identify methodological factors influencing agreement. The Lenke system is widely used in AIS surgical planning. While initial reports showed excellent reproducibility, subsequent studies have yielded inconsistent results, particularly for lumbar and sagittal modifiers.

METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, five databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched to August 2025. Data on observer characteristics, imaging protocols, measurement methods, and statistical indices (κ, ICC) were extracted. Study quality was assessed with QAREL. Descriptive synthesis and random-effects meta-analysis were performed.

RESULTS: Eleven studies (528 radiographs) met inclusion. Inter-observer reliability averaged κ=0.76 (range 0.50-0.96); lumbar κ=0.75 (0.53-0.92); sagittal κ=0.79 (0.41-1.0). Pooled analysis of two studies with confidence intervals yielded κ=0.69 (95% CI 0.56-0.82; I²=21%). Intra-observer reliability was higher (κ≈0.82). Reliability improved with pre-measured radiographs, experienced observers, computer assistance, and short repeat intervals; it was lower with non-premeasured films, mixed cohorts, and longer intervals. Lumbar modifiers were relatively robust, whereas sagittal reproducibility was most vulnerable to methodological bias. One study illustrated the κ paradox, with high agreement but κ=0.41 due to skewed distribution.

CONCLUSIONS: The Lenke classification is reliable under controlled conditions but less consistent in everyday practice. Reported κ values should be interpreted within their methodological context. Standardised protocols, transparent reporting, and digital tools may improve reproducibility.

PMID:41266912 | DOI:10.1007/s00586-025-09598-y

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025 Nov 20. doi: 10.1007/s11356-025-37060-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a valuable tool for assessing population-level consumption of addictive substances. This study presents long-term WBE monitoring (2021-2025) of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine in Madrid and Guadalajara (Spain), including the first city-wide spatial analysis in Europe. A total of 192 composite 24-h untreated wastewater samples were collected from nine wastewater treatment plants: one in Guadalajara and eight in Madrid. Regression models were applied to assess spatial and temporal trends, as well as the impact of key events such as the COVID-19 restrictions, New Year celebrations, and weekends. Key findings show that between 2021 and 2024 alcohol and nicotine use showed a decreasing trend in both cities, while caffeine consumption remained stable with slight increases. In Madrid, average alcohol consumption declined from 27.7 to 16.3 mL/day/person and nicotine by approximately 800 mg/day/1000 person; in Guadalajara, alcohol decreased from 13.1 to 7.7 mL/day/person and nicotine 500 mg/day/1000 person. In December 2023, full city-level estimates from Madrid revealed alcohol consumption between 12.8-18.4 mL/day/person, nicotine 2180-3300 mg/day/1000 person, and caffeine 68.5-134.7 mg/day/person. Notably, alcohol and nicotine reached their highest levels among the New Year periods during the 2022-2023 celebration, the first unrestricted one after the pandemic; levels during this period dropped in the following years. These results highlight temporal and spatial patterns in the consumption of legal substances and suggest shifts in public behavior after COVID-19 and the utility of WBE as a long-term monitoring tool for public health surveillance and planning.

PMID:41266906 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-025-37060-5

Mol Psychiatry. 2025 Nov 20. doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-03342-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Polygenic score (PGS) predictions of educational achievement are sizeable at the population level. Yet, population-level PGS predictions are environmentally confounded, due to gene-environment correlations, assortative mating, and population stratification. This confounding complicates the interpretation and application of PGS predictions of educational achievement. Here, we charted the variability of PGS predictions in N = 8115 dizygotic twins from UK, US, Swedish, and German samples aged 7 to 19 years. Population-level PGS predictions of educational achievement ranged from β = 0.16 to β = 0.37 across ages and countries. Discerning within- and between-family level estimates, we found that 10 to 65% of the population-level PGS predictions were due to environmental confounding, of which 29 to 100% were accounted for by family socioeconomic status. Variability in within-family and population-level PGS predictions was largely unsystematic across countries’ school systems (multi-tiered vs. comprehensive) and children’s ages. Therefore, interpretations regarding the sources of environmental confounding effects on educational achievement remain, at present, speculative.

PMID:41266877 | DOI:10.1038/s41380-025-03342-0

Hypertens Res. 2025 Nov 20. doi: 10.1038/s41440-025-02439-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This prospective cohort study compared the associations between office blood pressure (OBP) and home blood pressure (HBP) measured before 20 weeks of gestation with the subsequent development of placenta-mediated pregnancy complications (PMPCs). A total of 975 pregnant women were included in the study. OBP and HBP were measured between 10 weeks 0 days and 19 weeks 6 days of gestation, using HBP values from the same gestational weeks as OBP. When both OBP and HBP were included simultaneously in a binary logistic regression model, per 1 standard deviation increase, the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for office and home systolic blood pressure (SBP) were 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95-1.42) and 1.68 (95% CI: 1.36-2.09), respectively. For diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the aORs were 1.36 (95% CI: 1.10-1.69) for office and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.37-2.12) for home measurements. The likelihood ratio test showed that adding home SBP to a model with office SBP improved model fit (P value < 0.0001), whereas adding office SBP to a model with home SBP did not (P value = 0.2). For DBP, adding either home or office values improved model fit (P value < 0.0001 and P value = 0.005, respectively). Home SBP was more strongly associated with PMPCs than office SBP. Although home DBP was not statistically stronger than office DBP, its effect estimate was higher. These findings support the added value of HBP monitoring during pregnancy for predicting PMPCs.

PMID:41266872 | DOI:10.1038/s41440-025-02439-x

Mol Neurobiol. 2025 Nov 21;63(1):110. doi: 10.1007/s12035-025-05439-7.

ABSTRACT

Research on the gut-brain-immune axis shows it plays a critical role in ischemic stroke, but the exact causal links between gut bacteria imbalance, immune system problems, and brain blood vessel damage remain unclear. To investigate this, we combined multiple types of biological data using a statistical method called Bayesian weighted Mendelian randomization (BWMR). We analyzed large genetic datasets covering 731 immune cell traits, 91 inflammatory proteins, 412 gut microbes and their pathways, and ischemic stroke cases. Shared genetic variants were confirmed using colocalization, and we used computer simulations to explore potential treatments. The analysis found that genetically predicted higher levels of the protein CD27 on specific memory B cells (CD24⁺ CD27⁺ and IgD^– CD38^dim) directly increased the risk of stroke caused by large-artery atherosclerosis. Computer modeling indicated that a compound called Dioscin could potentially block CD27 effectively. Conversely, bacteria from the order Burkholderiales (specifically at the family, genus, and species level Burkholderiales_bacterium_1_1_47) showed strong protective effects against small-vessel stroke. Further analysis revealed that about 12.6% of the protective effect of the gut bacterium g_Odoribacter worked through the signaling protein FGF19. This study identifies CD27-positive B cells as key drivers of brain inflammation in stroke and suggests Dioscin as a promising treatment candidate. It also demonstrates a protective mechanism where specific gut microbes communicate with blood vessels in the brain via FGF19, providing a foundation for new stroke therapies targeting the microbiome and immune system.

PMID:41266864 | DOI:10.1007/s12035-025-05439-7