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Dissecting the shared genetic architecture of bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BPD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are prevalent, highly heritable psychiatric disorders with significant degrees of genetic overlap. Using open-sourced summary statistics from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and 1000 Genomes European reference panel, we fit a latent factor model (F1) capturing the shared genetic liability across MDD, BPD, and ADHD. Multivariate GWAS identified 350 linkage disequilibrium-independent loci, 105 of which have not been previously reported by the contributing univariate GWASs. Univariate, bivariate, and trivariate mixture models elucidated both shared and trait-specific polygenicity across the disorders. Gene-level analysis with Hi-C coupled MAGMA identified a total of 2936 novel dopaminergic associations across the constituent disorders that went undetected in univariate analyses. Among the top genes associated with F1, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type D emerged as a promising candidate. Cell typing and brain tissue enrichment for F1 further implicated the cerebellum and cholinergic neurons. These findings demonstrate how multivariate approaches can elucidate shared biological mechanisms, providing new etiological insights into individual disorders and implicating therapeutic targets for the treatment of psychiatric comorbidity.

Malaria and malnutrition in children under the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) coverage in the health district of Nanoro, Burkina Faso

Introduction Malaria and malnutrition are major causes of childhood morbidity and mortality. Most of children receiving Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) are also generally malnourished during SMC delivery period. This study aimed at assessing the risk of malaria infection in malnourished children, compared to children with an adequate nutritional status (ANS) during the delivery period of SMC intervention in the health district of Nanoro, Burkina Faso. Methods A longitudinal survey of children aged 6–59 months receiving SMC intervention was carried out between 2020 and 2022 in Nanoro, Burkina Faso. WHO online anthro survey tool was used to assess the nutritional status. Included children were stratified into two sub-groups as malnourished from the start of the first SMC round until one month after the last SMC round and those of ANS during that same period. In addition to the monthly home visits, all health care attendance were recorded for all participants. At each visit, socio-anthropometric data were collected. Blood smears were collected for malaria diagnosis by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and microscopy. The effect of the nutritional status on the occurrence of uncomplicated malaria was assessed using a negative binomial model, with results expressed as incidence risk ratio (IRR). Results Out of the 425 children included this study, 260 were malnourished, while 165 children had an ANS. Malaria incidence per 1000 child-month were higher in undernutrition (974.47) than in ANS (214.47). Malnourished children were 1.41 times more likely to have t an episode of clinical malaria than children with ANS (IRR 1.42; 95% CI 1.03–1.94; p = 0.028). Conclusion There was an increased risk of malaria infection in undernourished children compared to children with an adequate nutritional status suggesting the need of combining SMC intervention with nutrients supplementation to achieve best impact for malaria control in food insecure areas.

Changes in leisure time physical activity, obesity-related morbidities, fatal and non-fatal CVD events and total mortality: Over 20-year follow-up in the opera study

Background The impact of changes in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is not well-documented, especially when considering occupational physical activity (OPA). This study examines the effects of LTPA changes in workers with varying physical activity demands. Methods Part of the OPERA study, we tracked morbidities for over 20 years (P1, from 1993 to 2014) and mortality for over 8 years (P2, from 2014 to 2021–2022) with 599 participants. They were categorized into four LTPA groups (“sedentary,” “started,” “quit,” “active”) and two OPA groups (“office workers” and “occupationally physically active”). Results Maintaining regular LTPA was associated with lower incidence of hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (p-values 0.007, < 0.001 and <0.001 respectively). Non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events were more common (p = 0.006, HR 1.99, CI95% 1.22–3.26) in the “quit” group during P1, especially among “occupationally physically active” (p < 0.001, HR 2.29, CI95% 1.23–4.29). During P2, fatal CVD events were associated with being in the “sedentary” group (p = 0.042, HR 2.67, CI95% 1.04–7.03). This association was particularly evident among “office workers,” where belonging to the “sedentary” and “quit” groups was associated with a higher risk of fatal CVD events (p = 0.017, HR 5.45, CI95%1.36–21.91, and p = 0.025, HR 4.55, CI95% 1.21–17.19, respectively). Furthermore, total mortality was associated with being in the “sedentary” or “quit” groups (p = 0.029, HR 3.69, CI95% 1.14–11.93, and p = 0.009, HR 4.61, CI95%1.47–14.49, respectively). Conclusions Stopping LTPA in middle age was associated to higher risk for non-fatal CVD events in “occupationally physically active” individuals. Fatal CVD events were associated with a sedentary lifestyle in whole study population. Among “office workers,” both a sedentary lifestyle and stopping regular LTPA were associated with higher risks of fatal CVD events and all-cause mortality.

Historically Black US universities chase top research ranking

Retraction: Fischer’s ratio and DNA damage in hypoxemia-induced brain injury in rat model: Prophylactic role of quercetin and mexamine supplementation

Whistle while you whinny: researchers identify two sounds straight from the horse’s mouth

Anemia and its associated factors among women of reproductive Age in Zambia: A multilevel mixed-effects analysis

Background Anemia remains a major global health crisis, affecting over 500 million women of reproductive age, with high burdens in resource-limited regions like Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite ongoing interventions such as iron supplementation programs, 49% of women of reproductive age in Zambia are anemic. Thus, the purpose of this study was to establish the national and subnational prevalence of anemia and identify its determinants among women of reproductive age in Zambia. Methods Data were drawn from the 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS), a nationally representative survey employing a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design across 545 enumeration areas. A multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to identify individual- and community-level factors associated with anemia among women aged 15–49 years (n = 13,055). Four hierarchical models were constructed (null, individual-level, community-level, and full) to assess fixed and random effects, with model selection guided by Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) criteria. Spatial analysis was conducted using Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS), incorporating displaced GPS coordinates in accordance with Demographic Health Survey (DHS) protocols. All analyses applied sampling weights and assessed multicollinearity (Variance Inflation Factor -VIFs < 5). Results The national prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age was 31% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 29–33%), with the highest rates observed in Western (38%) and Lusaka (36%) provinces, and the lowest in Central Province (24%). In adjusted analyses, pregnancy (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.52–2.03), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positivity (AOR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.97–2.49), and breastfeeding (AOR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.02–1.30) were significantly associated with increased odds of anemia. Conversely, being married (AOR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.68–0.90) and age 25–29 years (AOR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.71–0.97) were protective. Spatial mapping identified Western Province as a high-burden hotspot. Community-level variance was notable (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC] = 6%, Median Odds Ratio [MOR] = 1.52), with 5% residual clustering persisting after adjusting for both individual and contextual factors, suggesting the influence of unmeasured ecological determinants. Conclusion Anemia remains a significant public health issue among Zambian women of reproductive age, shaped by both individual- and community-level factors. These findings highlight the need for integrated, targeted interventions focusing on high-risk groups in high-prevalence areas. Strengthening clinical services and implementing community-based strategies to address healthcare access and environmental determinants are essential to reducing the burden of anemia in Zambia.

International consensus on sports, exercise, and physical activity participation during post-operative interventions for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: An e-Delphi study

Introduction Physiotherapists and surgeons have a significant role in promoting participation and offering a graded return to sports, exercise, and physical activity following spinal fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, there is a lack of evidence to guide post-operative rehabilitation and variability worldwide. This study aims to obtain consensus on 1) when it is safe and 2) how an individual with AIS might return to sports, exercise, and physical activity. Methods and analysis An international electronic 3 round Delphi study was conducted and reported. Eligible expert surgeons or physiotherapists had either specific clinical or research experience in AIS. Round 1 included a series of open-ended questions, from which a series of statements were generated. Round 2 commenced with a summary of the existing literature for participants to review prior to rating statements on a 5-point Likert scale. Participants were also given the opportunity to make comments. Round 3 participants were asked to re-rate statements on the same 5-point Likert scale. Consensus was determined through content analysis of open comments >1 participant, for statements rated on the 5-point Likert >75% agreement (strongly agree or agree) were defined as having consensus, following round 3 Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was calculated to evaluate the strength of the agreement where >75% was achieved. Results From 53 recruited participants (18 countries, 1 unknown), 41 responded to round 1, 32 to round 2, and 29 to Round 3 (14 surgeons, 15 physiotherapists). Round 1 generated 85 statements under 19 themes surrounding graded return to sports, rehabilitation milestones, philosophical approaches, and treatment modalities. Round 2 generated 56 statements, > 75% with seven split into two due to multiple concepts, yielding 63 statements across 9 themes with >75% agreement. Themes included overarching considerations of care, the MDT, physiotherapy treatment modalities, pre-operative care, inpatient stay, and post-operative rehabilitation phases 1, 2, 3, and 4. Round 2 open comments generated a further 22 statements. Round 3 generated 66 statements with >75% agreement across the same 9 themes. All round 3 statements demonstrated significance (p < 0.001) with moderate agreement (W = 0.5). A Wilcoxon Sum-rank result (p < 0.05) showed stability between rounds 2 and 3. An additional 5 recommendations were generated from round 3 open comments exploring types of post-operative exercise, provision of rehabilitation, timeframes and milestones, and MDT involvement. Conclusion This Delphi study provides the first international consensus of 71 statements on return to sports, exercise, and physical activity following spinal fusion in AIS. However, further subgroup analysis demonstrated consensus among surgeons and divergence among physiotherapists highlighting the need for further exploration of these statements.

Factors associated with psychological wellbeing, is education one of them?

Many factors, such as health, marital status, social relationships, and job status, influence psychological wellbeing. Previous research has suggested that educational attainment is also a key contributor to a happier life. Utilising data from the Understanding Society survey (2010 -2018), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the direct and indirect effects of education on psychological wellbeing of 68,283 individuals in the UK. After controlling for relevant variables, we identified a direct association between educational attainment and psychological wellbeing. This aligns with earlier studies examining the link between education and happiness. While some of these studies report significant positive relationships, our results underscore the complexity of factors influencing psychological wellbeing, extending beyond education alone.

Holding the line: Provider and patient perspectives on Medications for Opioid Use Disorder continuity during the war in Ukraine

Background Ukraine has one of the highest rates of opioid use in Eastern Europe, with an estimated 346,900 people who inject drugs (PWID). Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are critical for reducing opioid-related harms, including HIV transmission. However, the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 significantly disrupted MOUD services. Although the Ukraine public health system has worked to address displacement and disruptions, the ongoing armed conflict exacerbated long-standing structural challenges in the Ukrainian addiction treatment system, leading to displacement of patients and providers, damage to infrastructure, and interruptions in medication supply. Methods This qualitative study explores the barriers and facilitators to MOUD access and retention during wartime. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between September and November 2022 with 10 MOUD patients who had been displaced due to the war and 7 healthcare providers in three Ukrainian cities (Lviv, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk) that received large numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs). All patients had been enrolled in MOUD prior to the invasion and continued treatment in their new locations. Data were analyzed using the Rapid Assessment Procedure (RAP) framework to identify thematic patterns across settings and perspectives. Results Both providers and patients reported a range of systemic, logistical, and emotional challenges affecting continuity of care. Key barriers included loss of medical records, reduced dosing due to medication shortages, delayed access for new patients, and financial hardship. Providers also described increased workloads, staff shortages, and lack of emergency preparedness. Patients often relied on peers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and informal channels to locate MOUD sites. Despite adversity, many patients remained committed to treatment. Providers adopted flexible, sometimes unofficial practices to sustain care delivery. Conclusions This study highlights the fragility but also resilience of MOUD services in a conflict setting. Findings emphasize the need for policy reforms that institutionalize emergency flexibility, strengthen referral systems, support frontline staff, and integrate peer and civil society support into the national MOUD strategy. Ensuring uninterrupted access to MOUD during crises is vital for public health and for protecting the rights of people who use drugs.

Association between different metabolic obesity phenotypes and colorectal adenoma

Background Obesity and metabolic abnormalities are independently and interactively associated with colorectal adenoma (CRA). This study aimed to investigate the association between different metabolic obesity phenotypes and CRA, and to assess whether this relationship is influenced by stratification based on age and sex. Patients and methods A total of 2042 subjects were enrolled in this study. The patients were classified into four metabolic obesity phenotypes based on their body mass index (BMI) and metabolic status, including metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO), metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUNO), metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). Multiple logistic regression analysis and further subgroup analysis based on sex and age were performed to evaluate the association between the metabolic obesity phenotypes and the occurrence of CRA. Results In the overall population, CRA was detected at significantly higher rates in both the MUNO and MUO phenotypes compared to the MHNO and MHO phenotypes. After adjusting for confounders, in the overall population, the MUNO (OR = 1.353, 95% CI: 1.099–1.666, P < 0.05) and MUO (OR = 1.558, 95% CI: 1.111–2.187, P < 0.05) phenotypes were identified as risk factors for the development of CRA compared to the MHNO phenotype. Subgroup analysis based on sex revealed that in female subjects, the MUNO phenotype (OR 1.694; 95% CI 1.243–3.308, p < 0.01) exhibited significantly elevated risks of CRA compared to those in the MHNO phenotype, whereas the MHO phenotype showed no significant differences. Furthermore, in the male subjects, no statistically significant differences were observed among the four groups. Subgroup analysis based on age revealed that under 60 years with the MUNO (OR = 1.648, 95% CI: 1.252–2.169, P < 0.01) phenotype and over 60 years with MUO (OR = 2.301, 95% CI: 1.252–4.348, P < 0.01) phenotype, had significantly increased risks of CRA. Conclusion Metabolically unhealthy phenotypes are associated with a higher risk of CRA incidence. Clinical screening for CRA should focus on metabolically unhealthy subjects.

The involvement of attentional biases in endogenous pain inhibition and autonomic reactivity

Background Attention is a key factor in shaping pain perception and modulation, yet its role in explaining individual differences in endogenous pain inhibition—commonly assessed in humans using conditioned pain modulation (CPM)—remains poorly understood. While studies show that attentional focus during dual pain stimulation can influence CPM efficacy, the contribution of attentional biases has not been examined. In addition, although psychological traits and autonomic nervous system activity have both been linked to CPM, their relative contributions to individual variability remain unclear. The present study examined whether attentional biases predict individual differences in pain sensitivity and endogenous pain modulation, and whether psychological, emotional, and autonomic factors are associated with these outcomes. Methods Eighty-six healthy women completed psychological questionnaires assessing anxiety, depression, and fear of pain. They also performed two modified attentional bias tasks: a novel perceptual load task and a dot-probe task. Quantitative sensory testing included pain ratings of suprathreshold tonic heat pain alone and under conditioning (CPM paradigm). Heart rate (HR) was measured at baseline, during, and after both test-stimulus alone and under conditioning. Results Greater interference from pain-related cues under high perceptual load was linked to increased pain sensitivity, whereas greater attentional avoidance in the dot-probe task was associated with higher fear of pain. In contrast, none of the examined factors predicted CPM magnitude. HR increased during the test-stimulus under conditioning and remained elevated in recovery. Exploratory analyses further showed that higher emotional distress was related to blunted HR during test-stimulus under conditioning, and that both perceptual load interference and attentional avoidance predicted elevated HR during recovery. Conclusions Attentional biases to pain predicted pain sensitivity beyond psychological and autonomic influences. Although unrelated to CPM, they were associated with HR dynamics, suggesting a role in autonomic regulation during pain and recovery.

Hyperspectral imaging for intraoperative brain tumor identification through fusion of spectral, textural, and spectral index features

Brain tumor is a common neurological surgical disease, where surgical resection is the primary treatment method. Neurosurgeons need to accurately determine the location of the tumor during tumor resection surgery, but existing clinical tumor identification technologies face numerous challenges, such as high equipment costs, long processing times, a certain degree of invasiveness, and insufficient image clarity. In this work, we propose a hyperspectral image detection algorithm based on the fusion of multiple features to maximize the determination of tumor boundaries. The algorithm establishes the machine learning models of Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) by integrating data features from optimal wavelengths, spectral indices, and textural features. Experimental results show that on different datasets, the classification accuracy of the three-feature fusion model is significantly higher than that of models using only two features or a single feature. Hyperspectral tumor image recognition can effectively help distinguish the tumors from the surrounding tissue, thereby enhancing the safety and thoroughness of tumor surgery.

Survival study of cytoreductive prostatectomy for prostate cancer with lung metastasis: A propensity score matching study based on the SEER database

Objective To investigate the specific tumor survival situation of cytoreductive prostatectomy for prostate cancer with lung metastasis. Methods Case data of prostate cancer patients diagnosed from 2010 to 2015 were collected from the SEER database ( https://seer.cancer.gov/ ) to obtain age, race, marital status, T stage, N stage, ISUP grade, prostate-specific antigen level (PSA), surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and survival time. The subjects were divided into surgical groups (CDS): resection of the primary lesion (prostate) and non-surgical groups (NCDS). The purpose of palliative debulking is to reduce the tumor burden. Only the primary lesion of the prostate is removed, while metastatic lesions are not subjected to surgical resection. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control confounding factors, and the survival outcomes of the two groups were systematically evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and forest plots were plotted to further verify the survival benefits of the surgery. Results A total of 808,782 cases were screened through the SEER database, and ultimately 1548 cases were eligible for prostate cancer with lung metastasis, including 136 cases in the surgical group and 1412 cases in the non-surgical group. After PSM, there were 70 cases in the surgical group and 70 cases in the non-surgical group. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed no survival difference between the two groups, P = 0.28, and the forest plot further confirmed no survival difference between the two groups. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis for the subgroups that received further radiotherapy and chemotherapy showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the tumor-specific survival time among the subgroups (P > 0.05). Conclusion Cytoreductive prostatectomy does not prolong the specific tumor survival time of prostate cancer patients with lung metastasis, Radiotherapy and chemotherapy also fail to extend the specific tumor survival time for these patients.

CMCL-DDI: Pharmacophore-aware cross-view contrastive learning for drug-drug interaction prediction

Accurate prediction of potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is vital for ensuring medication safety and efficacy. Existing graph-based methods typically focus on molecular structures but often overlook the complementary semantic information embedded in SMILES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System) representations. To address this gap, we propose CMCL-DDI, a Cross-view Mutual Contrastive Learning framework that jointly leverages pharmacophore-aware molecular graphs and SMILES sequences. Specifically, we encode pharmacophore-based subgraphs to capture functional molecular features and aggregate them into expressive graph-level embeddings. In parallel, SMILES sequences are encoded to preserve sequential drug characteristics. A contrastive learning strategy aligns both views in a shared latent space, facilitating mutual representation enhancement. Furthermore, we design a cross-attention fusion module to integrate heterogeneous features, enabling robust and interpretable DDI prediction. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets demonstrate that CMCL-DDI consistently outperforms state-of-the-art models, highlighting the effectiveness of cross-view representation learning for DDI prediction. The source codes are available at https://github.com/95LY/CMCL-DDI .

Retraction: Natural gas price prediction based on artificial intelligence models

Retraction: Molecular docking and dynamics simulation study of bioactive compounds from Ficus carica L. with important anticancer drug targets

A novel bridge wind-induced vibration response prediction algorithm based on temporal convolution network

The stiffness of the high pier, large span rigid bridge in the operation period increases its ability to resist wind-induced vibration. However, the structural properties of high piers and long cantilevers make it susceptible to wind-induced vibration during construction in solid wind areas, which brings safety risks. The wind vibration response has strong nonlinear and random fluctuation characteristics, which brings significant challenges to the accurate prediction during the construction stage of bridges. A novel prediction algorithm for bridge wind-vibration response based on a temporal convolutional network (TCN) is proposed in this paper. It employs causal convolution to mine the mapping relationship of wind-induced vibration response acceleration data, utilizes dilation convolution to capture the multi-scale features of wind vibration response, and mitigates the gradient vanishing problem by residual connections between network layers. The proposed wind-induced vibration response prediction model based on TCN for bridges is compared in detail with advanced algorithms such as recurrent neural network (RNN), long-short-term memory network (LSTM), and gated unit network (GRU). The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms have excellent prediction accuracy and generalization ability for wind vibration acceleration in different directions, such as torsion, vertical, transverse bridge, and along the bridge.

Theileria parva in Zambia: A scoping review protocol

Objective The objective of this scoping review is to examine published and unpublished literature on Theileria parva in Zambia. It will identify the scope of available literature for research prioritization. Introduction Theileria parva is the most lethal tick borne disease in Zambia due to its reportedly high morbidity and mortality in cattle. It is a focus of government interventions. It is important to understand the research that has been conducted on this parasite over the years. Inclusion criteria The review will include all studies conducted on Theileria parva in Zambia. Government and research institute reports based on recognized laboratory diagnosis will also be included. Methods Literature search will be conducted in Pubmed, Scopus, Web of knowledge and Embase. Primary studies from 1920 to date will be included. Titles, abstracts and full text will be examined to determine eligibility for inclusion. Extracted data will be charted into a data extraction excel file by two independent reviewers. The results will be summarised and presented as a narrative summary, tables and charts.

Children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have evidence of sensory nerve degeneration

An increasing body of evidence supports the role of altered sensory processing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This exploratory study undertook corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) to assess for differences in corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), branch density (CNBD) and fiber length (CNFL) in relation to ASD severity in children with ASD+ADHD (n = 21), ASD (n = 6) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 15). CNBD was significantly lower in children with ASD+ADHD (P = 0.002) and ASD (P < 0.001) and CNFL was significantly lower in children with ASD (P = 0.02) compared to HC. However, CNFD (mean difference = 2.28, 95% CI [−5.84, 10.40], P > 0.99) CNBD (mean difference = 14.1, 95% CI [−8.22, 36.4], p = 0.37) and CNFL (mean difference = 2.46, 95% CI [−2.28, 7.20], p = 0.61) did not differ between ASD+ADHD and ASD. CNFD (P = 0.876), CNBD (P = 0.405) and CNFL (P = 0.606) did not correlate with the severity of ASD. Corneal confocal microscopy reveals sensory nerve degeneration in children with ASD+ADHD and ASD alone compared to controls. Larger studies integrating CCM with sensory and cognitive assessment are required to determine the utility of CCM as a clinical screening strategy for neurodegneration in ASD, ADHD and ASD-ADHD combined.