Tag: pubmed

Int J Retina Vitreous. 2025 Jun 15;11(1):66. doi: 10.1186/s40942-025-00694-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to establish a comparison between the vessel density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who lacked clinical signs of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and non-diabetic patients using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative case-control study (unpaired) was carried out at two tertiary hospitals. All subjects underwent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) examination (DRI OCT Triton Swept Source, Topcon, Japan). The average VD in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and the deep capillary plexus (DCP), the FAZ area (mm2) in SCP, and DCP were taken into analysis. The time since the diagnosis of T2DM was used to stratify patients with diabetes between 5 and 10 years and those with a diagnosis of more than 10 years.

RESULTS: Compared to non-diabetic controls, the parafoveal VD in both SCP and DCP was significantly reduced in the eyes of T2DM patients without clinical DR (p < 0.001). Additionally, the VD was also statistically reduced in T2DM diagnosed more than 10 years ago compared to T2DM cases diagnosed between 5 and 10 years ago (p < 0.001). The FAZ area in both plexuses was larger in T2DM eyes compared to controls (p < 0.001). The FAZ area was enlarged in DCP (p = 0.04), but there was no significance of FAZ area in SCP when comparing patients with T2DM diagnosed between 5 and 10 years ago to those diagnosed more than 10 years ago (p = 0.06).

CONCLUSION: In diabetic patients with long-term diagnosed disease, OCTA was shown to be capable of detecting preclinical microvascular foveal abnormalities prior to the development of clinically apparent retinopathy. According to our findings, OCTA has the potential to be a promising instrument for the early detection of vascular micro-abnormalities and the routine screening of diabetic eyes.

PMID:40518532 | DOI:10.1186/s40942-025-00694-1

J Orthop Surg Res. 2025 Jun 16;20(1):588. doi: 10.1186/s13018-025-06016-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cage subsidence (CS) is a significant complication following oblique lateral interbody fusion combined with bilateral pedicle screw fixation (OLIF-BPSF) in patients with spinal degenerative diseases (SDDs). Identifying reliable predictors of CS is crucial for optimizing surgical outcomes.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 314 SDD patients who underwent OLIF-BPSF between July 2019 and July 2023. Preoperative Hounsfield unit (HU) values and vertebral bone quality (VBQ) scores were measured. Statistical analyses included correlation matrices, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards models, restricted cubic splines, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure robustness.

RESULTS: CS occurred in 13.38% of patients. Lower global (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99) and segmental (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.95-0.98) HU values were significantly associated with higher CS incidence, whereas higher global (HR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.29-2.16) and segmental (HR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.30-2.17) VBQ scores were also significantly associated with increased CS risk. A nonlinear relationship was observed between the VBQ score and CS, with CS incidence significantly increasing when the global VBQ score was ≥ 2.67 or the segmental VBQ score was ≥ 2.49. ROC analysis demonstrated good predictive performance for HU values and VBQ scores, with segmental HU values showing superior incremental predictive value (AUC: 0.82). The findings remained consistent across various sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSION: HU values and VBQ scores independently predict CS in SDD patients undergoing OLIF-BPSF. Incorporating these metrics into preoperative assessments may enhance risk stratification and guide personalized surgical planning.

PMID:40518511 | DOI:10.1186/s13018-025-06016-3

AIDS Behav. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04794-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

While extant literature demonstrates that healthcare providers’ stigmatizing attitudes negatively impact care for people who use drugs (PWUD) and people with HIV (PWH), limited research has explored how these stigmas are interrelated. This study examines the relationships between multiple dimensions of stigma-including cognitive, affective, and role-based attitudes-toward PWUD and PWH. We operationalized these dimensions using two validated instruments. The Drug and Drug Problems Perception Questionnaire (DDPPQ) assessed five role-based dimensions of provider attitudes toward PWUD: role adequacy, role support, job satisfaction, role-related self-esteem, and role legitimacy. The HIV/AIDS Provider Stigma Scale (HPASS) measured three dimensions of HIV-related stigma: cognitive (stereotypes), affective (prejudice), and behavioral (discrimination). Canonical correlation analysis was used to examine multivariate associations between these subscales. The analysis included 128 healthcare providers from HIV clinics in Birmingham, AL, and Pittsburgh, PA. Participants were predominantly White (52.4%), cisgender women (70.3%), aged 36-47, with less than five years of experience working with PWH (35.8%) and PWUD (29.6%). The overall CCA model was statistically significant (Wilks’s λ = 0.579, F [15, 281.97] = 4.103, p < 0.0001), explaining 42.1% of the shared variance. Function 1 (rc = 0.615) accounted for 37.8% of the variance. Role-related self-esteem had the highest loading among DDPPQ subscales (β = 1.024), while prejudice (β = 0.778) and stereotypes (β = 0.546) were the strongest contributors from HPASS. Findings highlight the interconnection between stigmatizing attitudes toward PWUD and PWH. Subscale-level analyses suggests that providers with lower role-related self-esteem are more likely to hold prejudicial and stereotypical attitudes, reinforcing intersectional stigma. Addressing one form of stigma may help reduce the other, supporting more effective and targeted interventions in HIV care settings.

PMID:40518496 | DOI:10.1007/s10461-025-04794-9

Support Care Cancer. 2025 Jun 16;33(7):585. doi: 10.1007/s00520-025-09622-3.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Urine drug testing (UDT) is recommended, yet underutilized, for patients receiving opioids for cancer pain. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an embedded onco-palliative care clinic on UDT among patients with lung cancer. The number of patients tested, the timing of the first UDT, the incidence of unexplained UDT results, testing frequency, and substances detected on UDT were explored.

METHODS: This is a single-institution retrospective study of patients diagnosed with any stage thoracic malignancy who began urine drug testing 1 year before (pre-cohort) and 1 year after (post-cohort) implementation of an embedded thoracic oncology-palliative care clinic in Columbus, Ohio, USA, on September 5, 2018. Confirmatory UDT was routinely ordered for any patient receiving opioids prescribed by palliative care or via ad hoc testing by oncology providers regardless of palliative care referral status.

RESULTS: More patients completed UDT after implementation of an embedded onco-palliative care clinic (pre-cohort, n = 61; post-cohort, n = 182). Pre-cohort patients began UDT closer to death with median survival of 5.2 months after first UDT (post-cohort, 10.9 months; p < 0.0001). While a larger proportion of post-cohort patients completed > 1 UDT (pre, 26.6%, post, 46.7%; p < 0.01), there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients experiencing an unexplained UDT result (pre, 9.8% vs. post, 11.0%, p = 0.80).

CONCLUSION: Implementation of an embedded onco-palliative care clinic was associated with a significant increase in use and earlier initiation of UDT among patients receiving care in a thoracic oncology clinic.

PMID:40518470 | DOI:10.1007/s00520-025-09622-3

J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2025 Jun 15. doi: 10.1007/s00702-025-02970-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The role of neurodegeneration in essential tremor (ET) remains debated, particularly in patients with late disease onset. Neuropathological studies have identified structural changes in the Purkinje cells and its connections. Recent studies additionally suggested a role of cerebellar astrocytes. Increased levels of serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP), an astrocytic intermediate filament, were found in various neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. The objective of this case-control study was to investigate the role of sGFAP in ET focusing on early-stage late-onset patients. sGFAP was quantified by single molecule array at baseline and follow-up in 36 ET-patients (median follow-up period 5.3 years) and 36 age-matched healthy controls (4.9 years). ET-patients were assessed both at baseline and follow-up using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin-Tremor-Rating-Scale. The ET group was stratified (1) by median age at onset and median disease duration in early-stage late-onset and early-onset/late-stage ET, and (2) by median sGFAP-level at baseline. Early-stage late-onset ET-patients had higher baseline-sGFAP than controls (p = 0.023) and higher follow-up-sGFAP and annual sGFAP-increase than both controls (p = 0.023; p = 0.007) and early-onset/late-stage ET-patients (p = 0.021; p = 0.024). Baseline sGFAP-level correlated with tremor severity at follow-up in the early-stage late-onset (r_s = 0.704, p = 0.011) but not in the early-onset/late-stage group. Patients with high compared to low sGFAP-baseline levels had later disease onset (p < 0.001) and sGFAP-increase was associated to tremor progression only in high sGFAP-patients (p = 0.041). ET-plus and pure-ET-patients did not differ in any of the sGFAP-parameters. sGFAP is elevated in early stages of late-onset ET and associated to tremor progression, substantiating the role of a neurodegenerative process in ET in this subgroup.

PMID:40518460 | DOI:10.1007/s00702-025-02970-8

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1007/s00259-025-07368-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Large B-cell lymphomas (LBCL) include diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (DLBCL, NOS), and subtypes such as transformed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (tNHL), primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL), and double/triple-hit lymphomas (DHL/THL). While metabolic risk scores based on metabolic tumor volume (MTV) have demonstrated prognostic value in DLBCL, NOS, their applicability to other LBCL subtypes remains unclear.

METHODS: Baseline [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT scans of LBCL patients treated with R-CHOP regimens at our institution were retrospectively analyzed. Metabolic parameters, including MTV, lesion dissemination (SDmax) and tumor surface volume ratio were calculated for each histological subgroup. Four metabolic risk scores-the international metabolic prognostic index (IMPI), MTV/WHO PS, MTV/SDmax and Clinical PET model- were applied to calculate progression risk in LBCL subtypes. Harrell’s C-index evaluated the prognostic performance. A multivariable model was developed for tNHL.

RESULTS: We included tNHL (n = 88), DHL/THL (n = 32), PMBL (n = 26) and others (n = 49), and compared them to a cohort of previously published DLBCL, NOS (n = 355). IMPI demonstrated the highest C-index amongst the metabolic risk scores in tNHL for progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, time to progression and progression of disease within 12 months, but was outperformed by the IPI. For DHL/THL the highest C-indices were observed for MTV/WHO PS. For PMBL the clinical PET score showed the highest C-indices. SDmax improved prognostic predictions in PMBL and tNHL, but not in DHL/THL. Multivariate analysis identified independent predictors of PFS in tNHL, including IPI and SUV_mean.

CONCLUSION: Metabolic risk scores show variable prognostic value across LBCL subtypes. Subtype-specific metabolic models may enhance personalized risk stratification and guide treatment approaches.

PMID:40518458 | DOI:10.1007/s00259-025-07368-y

Int J Obes (Lond). 2025 Jun 15. doi: 10.1038/s41366-025-01821-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity treatment can produce variable outcomes for different individuals. The aim of this analysis in adolescents with obesity was to investigate if baseline participant characteristics associated with BMI reduction from baseline to 56 weeks when treated with mid- or top-dose phentermine/topiramate (PHEN/TPM) compared to placebo.

METHODS: A secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial evaluating PHEN/TPM in adolescents with obesity was conducted. Participants, aged 12 to <17 years with a BMI ≥95th percentile, were randomly assigned in a 1:1:2 ratio to receive either placebo, mid-dose (PHEN/TPM 7.5 mg/46 mg) or top-dose (PHEN/TPM 15 mg/92 mg). Baseline characteristics included in the analysis were BMI, age, sex, race/ethnicity, pubertal status, diabetes status, depression status, cognitive function score, and quality of life score. The primary analysis used linear regression with BMI percent change from baseline to 56 weeks as the outcome with either mid- or top-dose PHEN/TPM compared to placebo.

RESULTS: Two-hundred twenty-two participants were included in the final analysis. None of the baseline characteristics were statistically significantly associated with BMI reduction with mid- or top-dose PHEN/TPM compared to placebo.

CONCLUSIONS: Baseline characteristics were not predictive of BMI reduction with either dose of PHEN/TPM compared to placebo in adolescents with obesity.

PMID:40518455 | DOI:10.1038/s41366-025-01821-6

J Anim Sci. 2025 Jun 16:skaf197. doi: 10.1093/jas/skaf197. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The objective was to test the hypothesis that feeding intact protein from soybean meal (SBM) to growing pigs instead of a combination of SBM and synthetic amino acids (AA) results in greater nitrogen retention and digestible energy (DE) without affecting metabolizable energy (ME) in the diet. A control corn-SBM diet and three diets, in which the inclusion of SBM was reduced and three, four, or five synthetic AA (i.e., Lys, Met, Thr, Trp, and Val) were added, were formulated. The concentration of standardized ileal digestible indispensable AA was at or above requirements for growing pigs in all diets, but dietary crude protein was reduced as synthetic AA were added. Forty pigs (initial body weight: 20.5 ± 2.4 kg) were allotted to the four diets using a randomized complete block design with two blocks of 20 pigs and five pigs per diet in each block. Pigs were housed in metabolism crates containing fully slatted floors, screens, and urine pans that allowed for quantitative collection of feces and urine for 4 days after 5 days of adaptation. Samples of diets, feces, and urine were analyzed for dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE), and nitrogen. The statistical model included diet as fixed effect and block and replicate within block as random effects. Polynomial contrast coefficients were used to determine linear and quadratic effects of reducing dietary protein. Results indicated that apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of DM was reduced (quadratic, P = 0.027), and ATTD of GE also was reduced (linear, P = 0.046) as SBM inclusion was reduced in diets. Absorbed nitrogen, retained nitrogen (g/day), and ATTD of nitrogen were reduced (linear, P < 0.001) as SBM inclusion decreased, but retention of nitrogen, calculated as percent of intake or percent of absorbed nitrogen, increased (linear, P < 0.001) as dietary SBM was reduced. The DE in diets decreased (linear, P = 0.007) as SBM inclusion was reduced, whereas SBM inclusion had no effect on ME. Reducing SBM inclusion tended to increase (quadratic, P = 0.096) ME to GE ratio and increased (linear, P = 0.008) ME to DE ratio. In conclusion, diets containing intact protein from SBM had greater ATTD of GE and nitrogen, and greater DE, whereas ME was not changed when compared with diets containing synthetic AA. Daily protein retention decreased when synthetic AA rather than SBM were used to furnish the digestible AA in diets.

PMID:40518440 | DOI:10.1093/jas/skaf197

Cancer Control. 2025 Jan-Dec;32:10732748251351423. doi: 10.1177/10732748251351423. Epub 2025 Jun 15.

ABSTRACT

IntroductionColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with higher rates in industrialized countries. By 2030, the number of CRC cases may rise by 60%, reaching 2.2 million new cases and 1.1 million deaths. In 2020, CRC accounted for 1.93 million new cases and 940,000 deaths, with the highest prevalence in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe, while lower rates were observed in Southern Asia and Africa. In Pakistan, CRC is the second most common cancer, accounting for 4.8% of all diagnoses. The risk factors include family history, smoking, genetic syndromes, and diet. Screening is recommended from the age of 45. Advances in immunotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and targeted therapies have improved survival rates. This five-year study analyzed CRC cases at a Pakistani hospital to identify associations between various clinical and demographic factors and mortality.MethodsThis retrospective study, conducted at the Department of Surgery at Jinnah Post Medical Graduate Centre, Karachi, included 121 confirmed CRC patients from July 2022 to August 2024. Data from electronic medical records included diagnostic procedures and treatment histories. Tumor location and staging were determined according to the TNM staging system. Statistical analysis identified trends in tumour location, disease stage, and demographics.ResultsAmong the 121 patients with CRC, the majority were middle-aged (39.7%) and male (62%). The common symptoms included abdominal pain (65.3%) and constipation (43.8%). Most patients were in Duke stage C (42.1%), with metastasis in 7.2% of cases. Open surgery was performed in 71.9% of patients. Significant associations were found between vomiting, abdominal distention, fever, and mortality, as well as between cancer type and surgical method.ConclusionCRC is increasingly common in middle-aged individuals, and early onset CRC is increasing in Pakistan. Targeted screening and personalized treatment are crucial, and further research is needed to address the increasing incidence, especially in younger populations.

PMID:40518435 | DOI:10.1177/10732748251351423

Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2025 Jun 6;59(6):933-941. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112150-20241125-00946.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To develop a quality assessment index system for infection prevention and control in integrated medical and elderly care facilities, providing methods for assessing infection control quality and a theoretical basis for enhancing infection prevention and control capabilities. Methods: This study initially constructed a framework for the quality evaluation index system through literature reviews, work specifications and standards and expert interviews. The Delphi method was employed to conduct two rounds of consultations with 19 experts to evaluate the necessity, feasibility, stability, and sensitivity of the indicators. The expert’s active coefficient, authority coefficient, degree of consensus, and coordination were statistically analyzed. The indicators were revised based on expert opinions to finalize the evaluation index system. The weights of the evaluation dimensions were determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), while the weights of the indicators were determined using the proportional allocation method. Reliability was assessed via Cronbach’s α coefficient, and content validity was verified through the Content Validity Index (CVI). Results: After two rounds of expert consultation, the expert positive coefficient, expert authority coefficient (Cr) and expert coordination coefficient Kendall’s W was 100%, 0.992 and 0.634 (P<0.001), indicating high expert authority, good concentration and coordination of opinions. The assessment index system for infection prevention and control quality in integrated medical and elderly care facilities was ultimately constructed, comprising three primary indicators, 18 secondary indicators and 68 tertiary indicators. Among the primary indicators, the process quality had the highest weight of 0.338. Within the process quality, the secondary indicators with the highest weights were infection control material allocation, hand hygiene quality and the management of cluster outbreaks. A total of 11 unique evaluation indicators for integrated medical and elderly care facilities were established, with the highest weighted indicator being the rate of standardized surveillance of infection-related risk factors. Reliability and validity analyses demonstrated that the overall Cronbach’s α coefficient of the system was 0.991, and the Scale-level Content Validity Index was 0.936, confirming good reliability and validity. Conclusion: The evaluation index system constructed in this study can serve as an effective assessment tool for the quantitative evaluation of infection control quality in integrated medical and elderly care facilities. Furthermore, it is recommended that the system undergo continuous optimization concerning its application.

PMID:40518427 | DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112150-20241125-00946