Tag: pubmed

N C Med J. 2025 Jul 30;86(2). doi: 10.18043/001c.141309.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We examined the association between driving time and receipt of single-visit long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) in North Carolina.

METHODS: We characterized drive time with single-visit LARC placement across a state-wide cohort of 4319 patients who received LARC between March 15, 2019, and March 14, 2021. Drive time was calculated on ArcGIS Pro 3.0.

RESULTS: 68% of patients received a single-visit LARC. Patients who lived 30 minutes from their LARC appointment had 1.54 times the odds of single-visit LARC placement compared to patients who drove 10 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26 1.90).

LIMITATIONS: Our data are limited by the electronic medical record-based design, as well as the assumption that the patients home address is their drive time location of origin.

CONCLUSIONS: Increased driving time is associated with single-visit LARC placement. Understanding and addressing barriers to care, including geographic accessibility, is essential to enhancing access to high-quality, person-centered contraceptive care.

PMID:41802939 | DOI:10.18043/001c.141309

N C Med J. 2025 Jul 30;86(2). doi: 10.18043/001c.142245.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Geographic variation in state services and supports for caregivers warrants a closer examination of factors associated with caregiver distress at the state level. We examined factors associated with mentally unhealthy days and frequent mental distress among caregivers as compared to non-caregivers in North Carolina.

METHODS: We used data from the North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System optional caregiving modules (years 2011, 2017, and 2021). Multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) and logistic regression analyses incorporating sampling weights were used to predict the number of mentally unhealthy days (MUDs) out of the past month and the probability of frequent mental distress (FMD), defined as 14 or more MUDs in the past month. We provided socio-demographically adjusted marginal effects comparing caregivers to non-caregivers. We produced estimates using both the total sample and a subset of individuals without reported frequent physical distress (FPD), meaning those with less than 14 physically unhealthy days in the past month.

RESULTS: Caregivers had an average of 1.3 higher predicted number of mentally unhealthy days (95% CI, 0.81.9) and a 4 percentage-point higher probability of having frequent mental distress than non-caregivers (95% CI, 1.66.3) after controlling for sociodemographic covariates. Individuals with lower educational attainment and those unemployed had a higher average number of MUDs (P values < .05).

LIMITATIONS: Primary exposure and outcomes were self-reported measures, and study years were constrained to years that the caregiver module was implemented.

CONCLUSIONS: Further research is warranted to determine if improvements in long-term care services and supports (LTSS) and access may reduce caregiver distress. Useful strategies to support caregivers have been outlined by the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers initiative to address caregivers unmet needs.

PMID:41802936 | DOI:10.18043/001c.142245

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2026 Dec;39(1):2641844. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2026.2641844. Epub 2026 Mar 9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients commonly struggle with secondary infertility following a prior cesarean section due to factors related to the delivery. Distortions in the pelvic anatomy may complicate subsequent treatment attempts using assisted reproductive technology (ART) on different levels, including the myometrium, endometrium, and cervix, as well as intraperitoneal structures.

METHODS: In this narrative review, major databases were searched to examine the effect of a prior cesarean delivery (CD) on pregnancy outcomes from subsequent ART treatments.

FINDINGS: Some mechanisms for the detrimental effect of CD on subsequent ART success, such as the development of a cesarean scar defect (CSD), are well-supported by existing evidence. Other putative mechanisms, namely an increase in difficulty of subsequent embryo transfers, are more speculative at this time.

CONCLUSION/FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Rigorous standardization of CD technique as well as transparent meticulous reporting may mitigate the detrimental effect of prior CD on subsequent ART success.

PMID:41802929 | DOI:10.1080/14767058.2026.2641844

Am J Mens Health. 2026 Mar-Apr;20(2):15579883251414408. doi: 10.1177/15579883251414408. Epub 2026 Mar 9.

ABSTRACT

Although many forms of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI) are widely used in international literature, there is yet to be a Turkish version. The CMNI-30 is an instrument consisting of 30 statements developed to measure masculinity ideologies, with statements representing different behaviors associated with masculinity. The CMNI-30 has proven reliable and valid across different languages and cultures. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the CMNI-30. Tested with 1,091 Turkish men, data were collected after content validation with the 10-factor model of the CMNI-30, indicating good construct validity. Also, convergent validity, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, item-total score analysis, and test-retest analyses were applied. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the CMNI-30 was similar to its original structure, and all factor loadings were above 0.30. The fit indices were >0.85, and the root mean square error of approximation value was <0.05. Cronbach’s alpha value was calculated as 0.871. Item-total correlations ranged between .253 and .541, and the test-retest correlation was found to be r = .344 (p < .001). Convergent validity analysis showed a significant positive relationship between CMNI-30 and Male Role Norms Scale. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the CMNI-30.

PMID:41802928 | DOI:10.1177/15579883251414408

Brief Bioinform. 2026 Mar 1;27(2):bbag103. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbag103.

ABSTRACT

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been conducted primarily in European (EUR) populations, limiting insights into underrepresented groups such as East Asian (EAS), but cross-ancestry GWASs have demonstrated high trans-ethnic genetic similarity between EUR and non-EUR populations. To enhance association analysis power in EAS populations, we propose tranScore, a novel summary-statistics-based transfer learning method that leverages trans-ethnic genetic similarity through hierarchical modeling. By considering EUR as auxiliary population, tranScore performs joint testing of genetic effects in auxiliary and target populations via well-established P-value combination procedures. Simulations demonstrate that tranScore maintains control of type I error rates and provides substantial power gains for diverse genetic architectures, showing robustness against various challenges including incomplete SNP overlap and effect heterogeneity. In the real-data application of eight diseases from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), after incorporating the genetic information of the EUR population, tranScore identified significantly more genes than the traditional score test which ignored such information. Approximately 41.9% of discovered genes were replicated in the Biobank Japan cohort. Overall, tranScore represents a flexible and powerful statistical approach for association analysis of complex diseases and traits through transfer learning of shared genetic similarities between the auxiliary and target populations.

PMID:41802284 | DOI:10.1093/bib/bbag103

Brief Bioinform. 2026 Mar 1;27(2):bbag090. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbag090.

ABSTRACT

While traditional imaging techniques, such as histopathology, are often part of clinical workflows, molecular profiling remains more difficult to conduct and is less cost-effective. Thus, the prediction of molecular ‘omics’ data directly from imaging has emerged as an appealing alternative. While existing reviews have mentioned image-based prediction of biomarkers within specific disease contexts, this review provides a comprehensive overview of current methods that leverage imaging to predict (i) DNA-based aberrations, (ii) bulk transcriptomic profiles, (iii) single-cell transcriptomics, and (iv) spatial transcriptomics across disease contexts and imaging modalities. To address the complexity of these predictive tasks, we find that many studies employ cutting-edge deep learning strategies for image processing, feature extraction, feature aggregation, and downstream molecular prediction. In this review, we highlight the diverse applications of both deep learning-based and modern statistical frameworks designed for image-based omics prediction. The insights gleaned from these inferred molecular data have broad clinical relevance and will continue to improve our understanding of the relationships between molecular and visual features, paving the way for new diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

PMID:41802282 | DOI:10.1093/bib/bbag090

Brief Bioinform. 2026 Mar 1;27(2):bbag102. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbag102.

ABSTRACT

As genome-wide association studies (GWAS) studies move from array-based genotyping to whole exome and genome sequencing, there is a significant increase in cost. Applying an appropriate technique for the selection of which controls to include, in large studies where more potential controls are available than needed for the study, may be a useful technique for minimizing resource intensity whilst maintaining statistical power. We evaluated three control selection strategies in prostate cancer GWAS using 15 250 UK Biobank cases: (a) all controls, (b) matched controls, and (c) random selection. Both (b) and (c) achieved comparable power in detecting significant loci relative to (a), but matched controls (b) showed greater consistency in identifying leading single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, using (b) matched controls reduced discovery power by ~30% compared with (a) all controls, highlighting a trade-off. Matching controls (1:4 ratio) offers a cost-effective approach for targeted SNP analysis across phenotypes but may miss novel associations.

PMID:41802281 | DOI:10.1093/bib/bbag102

Mol Biol Evol. 2026 Mar 9:msag061. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msag061. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

piqtree (pronounced pie-cue-tree) is an easy to use, open-source Python package that provides Python script based control of IQ-TREE’s phylogenetic inference engine. piqtree builds IQ-TREE as a Python package, presenting a library of Python functions for performing many of IQ-TREE’s capabilities including phylogenetic reconstruction, ultrafast bootstrapping, branch length optimization, model selection, rapid neighbor-joining, alignment simulation, and more. As piqtree explicitly uses IQ-TREE’s phylogenetic algorithms, the computational and statistical performance of piqtree equal that of IQ-TREE. Modestly higher memory usage may be expected owing to the Python runtime and the need to load the alignment in Python. By exposing IQ-TREE’s algorithms within Python, piqtree offers users a greatly simplified experience in development of phylogenetic workflows through seamless interoperability with other Python libraries and tools mediated by the cogent3 package. It enables users to perform interactive phylogenetic analyses and visualization using, for instance, Jupyter notebooks. We present the key features available in the piqtree library and a small case study that showcases its interoperability and highlight its potential for linking a high performance phylogenetic inference engine with more user friendly interfaces. piqtree is distributed for use as a standard Python package at https://pypi.org/project/piqtree/, documentation is available at https://piqtree.readthedocs.io, user contributed solutions at https://github.com/cogent3/c3codeshare, help forums at https://github.com/iqtree/piqtree/discussions and source code at https://github.com/iqtree/piqtree.

PMID:41802268 | DOI:10.1093/molbev/msag061

Clin Exp Dermatol. 2026 Mar 9:llag118. doi: 10.1093/ced/llag118. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Rosacea is a chronic skin disorder causing facial erythema, telangiectasias, papules, and pustules. Guidelines recommend sub-antimicrobial doses, such as doxycycline 40 mg. If symptoms persist, evaluating the efficacy and safety of sub-antimicrobial minocycline may expand therapeutic options.

AIM: The present systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates DFD-29 as a low-dose tetracycline alternative to treat rosacea.

METHODS: Our analysis included data from three RCTs sourced from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases to compare the Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) success, reduction in inflammatory lesion counts, treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), and serious adverse events (SAEs) in patients using DFD-29 versus modified-release doxycycline. Statistical analyses were conducted using RStudio.

RESULTS: In pooled analysis of 643 patients, DFD-29 significantly increased the likelihood of achieving a successful IGA score compared to doxycycline (OR 2.51; 95% CI 1.80 to 3.49; p < 0.001; I2 = 0%). The DFD-29 40 mg group had significantly greater reductions in IGA scores compared to the 20 mg group (p = 0.0210). The DFD-29 40 mg group also exhibited a higher reduction in inflammatory lesion counts than doxycycline (MD -4.56; 95% CI -6.18 to -2.93; p < 0.001), whereas the 20 mg group did not show significant results. There were no significant differences in TEAEs across groups (OR 0.96; 95% CI 0.55 to 1.66; p = 0.87; I2 = 0%), with only one SEA (atrial fibrillation) was reported with DFD-29.

CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis showed that DFD-29 at 40 mg daily, is a superior and well-tolerated alternative to modified-release doxycycline for moderate-to-severe rosacea.

PMID:41802266 | DOI:10.1093/ced/llag118

Brain. 2026 Mar 9:awag084. doi: 10.1093/brain/awag084. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The skull bone marrow contributes to brain immune homeostasis via recently discovered skull-meningeal channels, enabling the bidirectional trafficking of immune cells between skull bone and underlying dura mater. In multiple sclerosis, autoreactive T cells migrate to the bone marrow and shift its hematopoietic output toward myeloid differentiation, contributing to disease progression. However, the role of the skull bone marrow in multiple sclerosis pathophysiology, and its relationship to brain damage and clinical disability remain largely unexplored. We utilized simultaneous MR-PET with the second-generation radioligand ¹¹C-PBR28 to characterize within the skull bone of multiple sclerosis patients the in vivo expression of the translocator protein (TSPO), an 18-kilodalton mitochondrial membrane protein largely expressed by microglia, astrocytes, and peripheral myeloid cells. Sixty-five multiple sclerosis subjects (46 relapsing-remitting, 19 secondary progressive) and 26 healthy controls underwent ¹¹C-PBR28 MR-PET to acquire 60-90-minute post-injection standardized uptake value maps and anatomical scans for brain volumetrics. Voxel-wise analyses of skull TSPO signal were conducted to assess group differences and associations with demographic, clinical, and brain volumetrics. Voxel-wise analyses revealed a divergent association between age and skull TSPO signal, with a negative correlation in healthy controls in bilateral frontal and right parietal regions (r=-0.67, p<0.001), and a positive correlation in multiple sclerosis patients in bilateral parietal and occipital skull bone regions (r=0.44, p<0.001). Compared to both healthy controls and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis showed widespread elevation in skull TSPO signal, in frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and skull base regions. No significant differences were detected between relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and healthy controls. Elevated skull TSPO signal was also observed in patients with more severe neurological disability irrespective of clinical phenotype. Widespread skull TSPO expression was observed to be positively correlated with EDSS scores (ρ=0.49, p<0.001) while a negative association was observed with white matter volume (r=-0.45, p<0.001) and SDMT z-scores (r=-0.48, p<0.001). In multivariable regression analysis, skull TSPO signal (β=6.63, SE=1.92, p=0.001) and T2-hyperintense white matter lesion volume (β=0.34, SE=0.14, p=0.020) were independently associated with disability, while white matter, cortical, and subcortical gray matter volumes did not retain statistical significance (all p>0.550). We provide in vivo evidence of skull TSPO overexpression in multiple sclerosis, observed in progressive disease and associated with clinical disability and structural brain damage. Overall, these findings suggest a role for the skull bone marrow in disease-related processes and highlight its potential as a novel radiological marker and therapeutic target.

PMID:41802262 | DOI:10.1093/brain/awag084