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Risk of encephalitis and meningitis after COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea: a self-controlled case series analysis BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Ju Hwan Kim, Dongwon Yoon, Hwa Yeon Ko, Kyungyeon Jung, Jun-Sang Sunwoo, Won Chul Shin, Jung-Ick Byun, Ju-Young Shin
Several neurological manifestations shortly after a receipt of coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine have been described in the recent case reports. Among those, we sought to evaluate the risk of encephalitis and meningitis after COVID-19 vaccination in the entire South Korean population. We conducted self-controlled case series (SCCS) analysis using the COVID-19 immunization record
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Autotaxin inhibition attenuates the aortic valve calcification by suppressing inflammation-driven fibro-calcific remodeling of valvular interstitial cells BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Dohee Yoon, Bongkun Choi, Ji-Eun Kim, Eun-Young Kim, Soo-Hyun Chung, Hyo-Jin Min, Yoolim Sung, Eun-Ju Chang, Jae-Kwan Song
Patients with fibro-calcific aortic valve disease (FCAVD) have lipid depositions in their aortic valve that engender a proinflammatory impetus toward fibrosis and calcification and ultimately valve leaflet stenosis. Although the lipoprotein(a)-autotaxin (ATX)-lysophosphatidic acid axis has been suggested as a potential therapeutic target to prevent the development of FCAVD, supportive evidence using
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Improved emotion differentiation under reduced acoustic variability of speech in autism BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Mathilde Marie Duville, Luz María Alonso-Valerdi, David I. Ibarra-Zarate
Socio-emotional impairments are among the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the actual knowledge has substantiated both altered and intact emotional prosodies recognition. Here, a Bayesian framework of perception is considered suggesting that the oversampling of sensory evidence would impair perception within highly variable environments. However, reliable hierarchical structures
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Polygenic risk score-based phenome-wide association study of head and neck cancer across two large biobanks BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Young Chan Lee, Sang-Hyuk Jung, Manu Shivakumar, Soojin Cha, Woong-Yang Park, Hong-Hee Won, Young-Gyu Eun, Penn Medicine Biobank, Dokyoon Kim
Numerous observational studies have highlighted associations of genetic predisposition of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with diverse risk factors, but these findings are constrained by design limitations of observational studies. In this study, we utilized a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) approach, incorporating a polygenic risk score (PRS) derived from a wide array of genomic
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Safety and efficacy of sirolimus in recurrent intravenous leiomyomatosis, pulmonary benign metastatic leiomyomatosis, and leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata: a pilot study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Guorui Zhang, Rong Fan, Hua Yang, Hao Su, Xin Yu, Yutong Wang, Fengzhi Feng, Lan Zhu
Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL), pulmonary benign metastatic leiomyomatosis (PBML), and leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata (LPD) are leiomyomas with special growth patterns and high postoperative recurrence rates. We report the safety and efficacy of a pilot study of sirolimus in the treatment of recurrent IVL, PBML, and recurrent LPD. This was a pilot study to evaluate the safety and efficacy
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The medication-based Rx-Risk Comorbidity Index and risk of hip fracture - a nationwide NOREPOS cohort study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Siri Marie Solbakken, Haakon Eduard Meyer, Cecilie Dahl, Trine Elisabeth Finnes, Vidar Hjellvik, Christopher Sivert Nielsen, Tone Kristin Omsland, Hein Stigum, Kristin Holvik
Few previous studies have assessed overall morbidity at the individual level with respect to future risk of hip fracture. The aim of this register-based cohort study was to examine the association between morbidity measured by the medication-based Rx-Risk Comorbidity Index (Rx-Risk) and the risk of first hip fracture. Individual-level data on medications dispensed from pharmacies (2005–2016) was retrieved
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Paxlovid use is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases in COVID-19 patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a retrospective cohort study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Weijie Wang, Yu-Hsun Wang, Ching-Hua Huang, Tsung-Hsueh Hsieh, Gema Hernández Ibarburu, James Cheng-Chung Wei
Paxlovid has been shown to be effective in reducing mortality and hospitalization rates in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is not known whether Paxlovid can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in COVID-19-surviving patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs). TriNetX data from the US Collaborative Network were used in this study. A total of 5,671,395 patients
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Evidence linking COVID-19 and the health/well-being of children and adolescents: an umbrella review BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Chengchen Duan, Liu Liu, Tianyi Wang, Guanru Wang, Zhishen Jiang, Honglin Li, Gaowei Zhang, Li Ye, Chunjie Li, Yubin Cao
Experiences during childhood and adolescence have enduring impacts on physical and mental well-being, overall quality of life, and socioeconomic status throughout one’s lifetime. This underscores the importance of prioritizing the health of children and adolescents to establish an impactful healthcare system that benefits both individuals and society. It is crucial for healthcare providers and policymakers
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Investigating the nexus of metabolic syndrome, serum uric acid, and dementia risk: a prospective cohort study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Tara SR Chen, Ning-Ning Mi, Hubert Yuenhei Lao, Chen-Yu Wang, Wai Leung Ambrose Lo, Yu-Rong Mao, Yan Tang, Zhong Pei, Jin-Qiu Yuan, Dong-Feng Huang
The global dementia prevalence is surging, necessitating research into contributing factors. We aimed to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS), its components, serum uric acid (SUA) levels, and dementia risk. Our prospective study comprised 466,788 participants without pre-existing MetS from the UK Biobank. We confirmed dementia diagnoses based on the ICD-10 criteria (F00-03)
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Assessing the impact of type 2 diabetes on mortality and life expectancy according to the number of risk factor targets achieved: an observational study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Bin Wang, Yanqi Fu, Xiao Tan, Ningjian Wang, Lu Qi, Yingli Lu
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with an increased risk of premature death. Whether multifactorial risk factor modification could attenuate T2D-related excess risk of death is unclear. We aimed to examine the association of risk factor target achievement with mortality and life expectancy among patients with T2D, compared with individuals without diabetes. In this longitudinal cohort study, we included
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The optimal antithrombotic strategy for post-stroke patients with atrial fibrillation and extracranial artery stenosis—a nationwide cohort study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Chuan-Tsai Tsai, Yi-Hsin Chan, Jo-Nan Liao, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Gregory Y. H. Lip, Shih-Ann Chen, Tze-Fan Chao
In post-stroke atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who have indications for both oral anticoagulant (OAC) and antiplatelet agent (AP), e.g., those with carotid artery stenosis, there is debate over the best antithrombotic strategy. We aimed to compare the risks of ischemic stroke, composite of ischemic stroke/major bleeding and composite of ischemic stroke/intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) between different
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Low awareness of the transitivity assumption in complex networks of interventions: a systematic survey from 721 network meta-analyses BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Loukia M. Spineli, Chrysostomos Kalyvas, Juan Jose Yepes-Nuñez, Andrés Mauricio García-Sierra, Diana C. Rivera-Pinzón, Svenja E. Seide, Katerina Papadimitropoulou
The transitivity assumption is the cornerstone of network meta-analysis (NMA). Violating transitivity compromises the credibility of the indirect estimates and, by extent, the estimated treatment effects of the comparisons in the network. The present study offers comprehensive empirical evidence on the completeness of reporting and evaluating transitivity in systematic reviews with multiple interventions
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Malaria vaccination: hurdles to reach high-risk children BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Floriano Amimo
Ensuring that malaria vaccines deliver maximum public health impact is non-trivial. Drawing on current research, this article examines hurdles that malaria immunization may face to reach high-risk children and explores the policy implications. The analysis finds health system related risks with the potential to reduce the ability of malaria vaccines to provide equitable protection. Deployment of effective
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Efficacy and safety of gut microbiota-based therapies in autoimmune and rheumatic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 80 randomized controlled trials BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Liuting Zeng, Kailin Yang, Qi He, Xiaofei Zhu, Zhiyong Long, Yang Wu, Junpeng Chen, Yuwei Li, Jinsong Zeng, Ge Cui, Wang Xiang, Wensa Hao, Lingyun Sun
Previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggested that gut microbiota-based therapies may be effective in treating autoimmune diseases, but a systematic summary is lacking. Pubmed, EMbase, Sinomed, and other databases were searched for RCTs related to the treatment of autoimmune diseases with probiotics from inception to June 2022. RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis after 2 investigators
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The influence of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cognitive function in individuals without dementia: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Seung Wan Suh, Eunji Lim, Suh-Yuhn Burm, Hyungji Lee, Jong Bin Bae, Ji Won Han, Ki Woong Kim
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have been suggested as a cognitive enhancing agent, though their effect is doubtful. We aimed to examine the effect of n-3 PUFA on the cognitive function of middle-aged or older adults without dementia. We reviewed randomized controlled trials of individuals aged 40 years or older. We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and
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Correlates of protection and determinants of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections 1 year after third dose vaccination BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Carla Martín Pérez, Ruth Aguilar, Alfons Jiménez, Gemma Salmerón, Mar Canyelles, Rocío Rubio, Marta Vidal, Inocencia Cuamba, Diana Barrios, Natalia Díaz, Rebeca Santano, Pau Serra, Pere Santamaria, Luis Izquierdo, Antoni Trilla, Anna Vilella, Sonia Barroso, Marta Tortajada, Alberto L. García-Basteiro, Gemma Moncunill, Carlota Dobaño
The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and the waning of immunity raise concerns about vaccine effectiveness and protection against COVID-19. While antibody response has been shown to correlate with the risk of infection with the original variant and earlier variants of concern, the effectiveness of antibody-mediated protection against Omicron and the factors associated with protection remain uncertain
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Degree of joint risk factor control and hazard of mortality in diabetes patients: a matched cohort study in UK Biobank BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Jian Zhou, Xuan Wang, Rui Tang, Minghao Kou, Hao Ma, Xiang Li, Yoriko Heianza, Vivian Fonseca, Lu Qi
Diabetes patients are at higher risk for mortality than the general population; however, little is known about whether the excess mortality risk associated with diabetes could be mitigated or nullified via controlling for risk factors. We included 18,535 diabetes patients and 91,745 matched individuals without diabetes without baseline cancer or cardiovascular disease (CVD), followed up from 2006 to
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Camrelizumab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin for relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma: a phase II trial BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Yanfei Liu, Lingyan Ping, Yuqin Song, Yongjing Tang, Wen Zheng, Weiping Liu, Zhitao Ying, Chen Zhang, Meng Wu, Feier Feng, Ningjing Lin, Meifeng Tu, Jun Zhu, Yan Xie
Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a highly curable disease, while novel therapy is needed for refractory or relapsed (R/R) patients. This phase II trial aimed to evaluate the role of camrelizumab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) in R/R cHL patients. Transplant-eligible patients with R/R cHL were enrolled and received two 14-day cycles of camrelizumab 200 mg intravenously (IV) and two 28-day
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Breastfeeding is associated with enhanced intestinal gluconeogenesis in infants BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Duan Ni, Jian Tan, Laurence Macia, Ralph Nanan
Breastfeeding (BF) confers metabolic benefits to infants, including reducing risks of metabolic syndrome such as obesity and diabetes later in life. However, the underlying mechanism is not yet fully understood. Hence, we aim to investigate the impacts of BF on the metabolic organs of infants. Previous literatures directly studying the influences of BF on offspring’s metabolic organs in both animal
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Characterization and trajectories of hematological parameters prior to severe COVID-19 based on a large-scale prospective health checkup cohort in western China: a longitudinal study of 13-year follow-up BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Yifei Lin, Yong Yang, Nanyan Xiang, Le Wang, Tao Zheng, Xuejun Zhuo, Rui Shi, Xiaoyi Su, Yan Liu, Ga Liao, Liang Du, Jin Huang
The relaxation of the “zero-COVID” policy on Dec. 7, 2022, in China posed a major public health threat recently. Complete blood count test was discovered to have complicated relationships with COVID-19 after the infection, while very few studies could track long-term monitoring of the health status and identify the characterization of hematological parameters prior to COVID-19. Based on a 13-year longitudinal
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Gut microbiome features and metabolites in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Fangfang Zeng, Xin Su, Xinxiu Liang, Minqi Liao, Haili Zhong, Jinjian Xu, Wanglong Gou, Xiangzhou Zhang, Luqi Shen, Ju-Sheng Zheng, Yu-ming Chen
The specific microbiota and associated metabolites linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are still controversial. Thus, we aimed to understand how the core gut microbiota and metabolites impact NAFLD. The data for the discovery cohort were collected from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (GNHS) follow-up conducted between 2014 and 2018. We collected 272 metadata points from 1546
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Influence of lack of blinding on the estimation of medication-related harms: a retrospective cohort study of randomized controlled trials BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Chang Xu, Fengying Zhang, Suhail A. R. Doi, Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Lifeng Lin, Haitao Chu, Xi Yang, Sheyu Li, Liliane Zorzela, Su Golder, Yoon Loke, Sunita Vohra
Empirical evidence suggests that lack of blinding may be associated with biased estimates of treatment benefit in randomized controlled trials, but the influence on medication-related harms is not well-recognized. We aimed to investigate the association between blinding and clinical trial estimates of medication-related harms. We searched PubMed from January 1, 2015, till January 1, 2020, for systematic
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Medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes after disability onset: a difference-in-differences analysis using nationwide data BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Szu-Han Chen, Miaw-Chwen Lee, Christy Pu
Effectively managing the coexistence of both diabetes and disability necessitates substantial effort. Whether disability onset affects adherence to type 2 diabetes medication remains unclear. This study investigated whether disability onset reduces such adherence and whether any reduction varies by disability type. This study used the National Disability Registry and National Health Insurance Research
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Global epidemiology of type 2 diabetes in patients with NAFLD or MAFLD: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Limin Cao, Yu An, Huiyuan Liu, Jinguo Jiang, Wenqi Liu, Yuhan Zhou, Mengyuan Shi, Wei Dai, Yanling Lv, Yuhong Zhao, Yanhui Lu, Liangkai Chen, Yang Xia
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) shares common pathophysiological mechanisms with type 2 diabetes, making them significant risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The present study aimed to assess the epidemiological feature of type 2 diabetes in patients with NAFLD or MAFLD at global levels. Published studies were searched for terms that included
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A self-controlled case series study to measure the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with attendance at sporting and cultural events: the UK Events Research Programme events BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Ian J. Douglas, Jerlyn Peh, Kathryn E. Mansfield, Anna Trelfa, Tom Fowler, Matthew Boulter, Paul Cleary, Jenifer Smith, W. John Edmunds
In 2021, whilst societies were emerging from major social restrictions during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the UK government instigated an Events Research Programme to examine the risk of COVID-19 transmission from attendance at cultural events and explore ways to enable people to attend a range of events whilst minimising risk of transmission. We aimed to measure any impact on risk of COVID-19 transmission
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Subsidized gestational diabetes mellitus screening and management program in rural China: a pragmatic multicenter, randomized controlled trial BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Tingting Xu, Qing Xia, Xiaozhen Lai, Kun He, Dazhi Fan, Liangkun Ma, Hai Fang
The increasing prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major challenge, particularly in rural areas of China where control rates are suboptimal. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a GDM subsidy program in promoting GDM screening and management in these underserved regions. This multicenter, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in obstetric clinics of six rural
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Carbohydrate quality, not quantity, linked to reduced colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in US populations: evidence from a prospective study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Yi Xiao, Ling Xiang, Yahui Jiang, Yunhao Tang, Haitao Gu, Yaxu Wang, Linglong Peng
Carbohydrates have been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the specific impact of carbohydrate quality and quantity on CRC susceptibility in US populations remains unclear. We followed 101,694 participants from Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. The carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and low-carbohydrate diet score (LCDs) were used to evaluate the daily carbohydrate
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TBK1, a prioritized drug repurposing target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: evidence from druggable genome Mendelian randomization and pharmacological verification in vitro BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Qing-Qing Duan, Han Wang, Wei-Ming Su, Xiao-Jing Gu, Xiao-Fei Shen, Zheng Jiang, Yan-Ling Ren, Bei Cao, Guo-Bo Li, Yi Wang, Yong-Ping Chen
There is a lack of effective therapeutic strategies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); therefore, drug repurposing might provide a rapid approach to meet the urgent need for treatment. To identify therapeutic targets associated with ALS, we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and colocalization analysis using cis-eQTL of druggable gene and ALS GWAS data collections to determine annotated
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Thrombospondin 1 enhances systemic inflammation and disease severity in acute-on-chronic liver failure BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Hozeifa Mohamed Hassan, Xi Liang, Jiaojiao Xin, Yingyan Lu, Qun Cai, Dongyan Shi, Keke Ren, Jun Li, Qi Chen, Jiang Li, Peng Li, Beibei Guo, Hui Yang, Jinjin Luo, Heng Yao, Xingping Zhou, Wen Hu, Jing Jiang, Jun Li
The key role of thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) in the pathogenesis of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is unclear. Here, we present a transcriptome approach to evaluate THBS1 as a potential biomarker in ACLF disease pathogenesis. Biobanked peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 330 subjects with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related etiologies, including HBV-ACLF, liver cirrhosis (LC), and chronic
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Autoimmune diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes: an umbrella review BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Megha Singh, Steven Wambua, Siang Ing Lee, Kelvin Okoth, Zhaonan Wang, Fathima Fazla Ahamed Fayaz, Kelly-Ann Eastwood, Catherine Nelson-Piercy, John A. Reynolds, Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar, Francesca Crowe
There is a high prevalence of autoimmune conditions in women specially in the reproductive years; thus, the association with adverse pregnancy outcomes has been widely studied. However, few autoimmune conditions/adverse outcomes have been studied more than others, and this umbrella review aims to consolidate existing knowledge in this area with the aim to provide new knowledge and also identify gaps
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The role of lifestyle in the association between long-term ambient air pollution exposure and cardiovascular disease: a national cohort study in China BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Xiangming Hu, Luke D. Knibbs, Yingling Zhou, Yanqiu Ou, Guang-Hui Dong, Haojian Dong
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused by air pollution poses a considerable burden on public health. We aim to examine whether lifestyle factors mediate the associations of air pollutant exposure with the risk of CVD and the extent of the interaction between lifestyles and air pollutant exposure regarding CVD outcomes. We included 7000 participants in 2011–2012 and followed up until 2018. The lifestyle
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Common and distinct cortical thickness alterations in youth with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Wanfang You, Qian Li, Lizhou Chen, Ning He, Yuanyuan Li, Fenghua Long, Yaxuan Wang, Yufei Chen, Robert K. McNamara, John A. Sweeney, Melissa P. DelBello, Qiyong Gong, Fei Li
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders with overlapping behavioral features and genetic etiology. While brain cortical thickness (CTh) alterations have been reported in ASD and ADHD separately, the degree to which ASD and ADHD are associated with common and distinct patterns of CTh changes is unclear. We searched PubMed, Web
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Exploring the Smoking-Epilepsy Nexus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Yerin Kang, Sieun Kim, Yunah Jung, Dai Sik Ko, Hyun-Woo Kim, Jung-Pil Yoon, Sunghwan Cho, Tae-Jin Song, Kihun Kim, Eunjeong Son, Yun Hak Kim
Epilepsy, characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures, poses significant challenges to affected individuals globally. While several established risk factors for epilepsy exist, the association with cigarette smoking remains debated. This study aims to conduct systematic review and meta-analysis to elucidate the potential association between smoking and the likelihood of epilepsy. The search was
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Plasma metabolites and risk of seven cancers: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study among European descendants BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Yaxin Chen, Yufang Xie, Hang Ci, Zhengpei Cheng, Yongjie Kuang, Shuqing Li, Gang Wang, Yawen Qi, Jun Tang, Dan Liu, Weimin Li, Yaohua Yang
While circulating metabolites have been increasingly linked to cancer risk, the causality underlying these associations remains largely uninterrogated. We conducted a comprehensive 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to evaluate the potential causal relationship between 913 plasma metabolites and the risk of seven cancers among European-ancestry individuals. Data on variant-metabolite associations
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Association between patient ethnicity and prostate cancer diagnosis following a prostate-specific antigen test: a cohort study of 730,000 men in primary care in the UK BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Liz Down, Melissa Barlow, Sarah E. R. Bailey, Luke T. A. Mounce, Samuel W. D. Merriel, Jessica Watson, Tanimola Martins
Black men have higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and higher prostate cancer incidence and mortality than White men, while Asian men tend to have lower prostate cancer incidence and mortality than White men. Much of the evidence comes from the USA, and information from UK populations is limited. This retrospective cohort study used data on patients registered at general practices in England
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Specific dairy foods and risk of frailty in older women: a prospective cohort study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 Ellen A. Struijk, Teresa T. Fung, Fernando Rodriguez-Artalejo, Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, Walter C. Willett, Esther Lopez-Garcia
Dairy contains a complex mixture of lipids, proteins, and micronutrients. Whether habitual dairy consumption is associated with health benefits is not well established. Since dairy is high in nutrients that are potentially protective against frailty, the association between dairy products and the risk of frailty is of interest. We analyzed data from 85,280 women aged ≥ 60 years participating in the
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The effectiveness, implementation, and experiences of peer support approaches for mental health: a systematic umbrella review BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 Ruth E. Cooper, Katherine R. K. Saunders, Anna Greenburgh, Prisha Shah, Rebecca Appleton, Karen Machin, Tamar Jeynes, Phoebe Barnett, Sophie M. Allan, Jessica Griffiths, Ruth Stuart, Lizzie Mitchell, Beverley Chipp, Stephen Jeffreys, Brynmor Lloyd-Evans, Alan Simpson, Sonia Johnson
Peer support for mental health is recommended across international policy guidance and provision. Our systematic umbrella review summarises evidence on the effectiveness, implementation, and experiences of paid peer support approaches for mental health. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, The Campbell Collaboration, and The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2012–2022) for reviews of paid
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Mid- and long-term risk of atrial fibrillation among breast cancer surgery survivors BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Yong-Moon Mark Park, Wonyoung Jung, Yohwan Yeo, Sang Hyun Park, Michael G. Fradley, Sindhu J. Malapati, Tushar Tarun, Vinay Raj, Hong Seok Lee, Tasneem Z. Naqvi, Ronda S. Henry-Tillman, Jawahar L. Mehta, Mario Schootman, Benjamin C. Amick, Kyungdo Han, Dong Wook Shin
The risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) among breast cancer survivors, especially for younger women, and cancer treatment effects on the association remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the risk of AF among breast cancer survivors and evaluate the association by age group, length of follow-up, and cancer treatment. Using data from the Korean Health Insurance Service database (2010–2017)
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Supermarket interventions to improve dietary and lifestyle behaviours: what is the key to success? BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Carmen Piernas
There is an urgent need to tackle poor diets and lack of physical activity, both of which are major contributors to the burden of non-communicable disease globally [1]. Over the past few decades, interest has been shifting from individual-level to environmental-level interventions to help change and sustain behaviour and improve health outcomes. Supermarket environments have gained particular attention
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Myocardial bridging in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a risk factor for myocardial fibrosis BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Changpeng Song, Shengwei Wang, Xinli Guo, Manyun Huang, Xinxin Zheng, Jie Lu, Keshan Ji, Shihua Zhao, Jingang Cui, Shuiyun Wang, Xiaohong Huang
Myocardial bridging (MB) is common in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). There are sparse data on the impact of MB on myocardial fibrosis in HCM. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between MB and myocardial fibrosis in patients with obstructive HCM. In this cohort study, retrospective data were collected from a high-volume HCM center. Patients with obstructive HCM who
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Mesenchymal stromal cells plus basiliximab improve the response of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease as a second-line therapy: a multicentre, randomized, controlled trial BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Haixia Fu, Xueyan Sun, Ren Lin, Yu Wang, Li Xuan, Han Yao, Yuanyuan Zhang, Xiaodong Mo, Meng lv, Fengmei Zheng, Jun Kong, Fengrong Wang, Chenhua Yan, Tingting Han, Huan Chen, Yao Chen, Feifei Tang, Yuqian Sun, Yuhong Chen, Lanping Xu, Kaiyan Liu, Xi Zhang, Qifa Liu, Xiaojun Huang, Xiaohui Zhang
For patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD), effective second-line regimens are urgently needed. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been used as salvage regimens for SR-aGVHD in the past. However, clinical trials and an overall understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MSCs combined with basiliximab for SR-aGVHD are limited, especially in haploidentical haemopoietic
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Estrogen-modulating treatment among mid-life women and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality: a multiregister nationwide matched cohort study in Sweden BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Evangelia Elenis, Helena Kopp Kallner, Maria A. Karalexi, David Hägg, Marie Linder, Katja Fall, Fotios C. Papadopoulos, Alkistis Skalkidou
It has been repeatedly shown that men infected by SARS-CoV-2 face a twofold higher likelihood of dying, being hospitalized or admitted to the intensive care unit compared to women, despite taking into account relevant confounders. It has been hypothesized that these discrepancies are related to sex steroid hormone differences with estrogens being negatively correlated with disease severity. The objective
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Genetic investigation into the broad health implications of caffeine: evidence from phenome-wide, proteome-wide and metabolome-wide Mendelian randomization BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Loukas Zagkos, Héléne T. Cronjé, Benjamin Woolf, Roxane de La Harpe, Stephen Burgess, Christos S. Mantzoros, Paul Elliott, Shuai Yuan, Susanna C. Larsson, Ioanna Tzoulaki, Dipender Gill
Caffeine is one of the most utilized drugs in the world, yet its clinical effects are not fully understood. Circulating caffeine levels are influenced by the interplay between consumption behaviour and metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effects of circulating caffeine levels by considering genetically predicted variation in caffeine metabolism. Leveraging genetic variants related to caffeine
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Safety, feasibility, and impact on the gut microbiome of kefir administration in critically ill adults BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Vinod K. Gupta, Sanu Rajendraprasad, Mahmut Ozkan, Dhanya Ramachandran, Sumera Ahmad, Johan S. Bakken, Krzysztof Laudanski, Ognjen Gajic, Brent Bauer, Simon Zec, David W. Freeman, Sahil Khanna, Aditya Shah, Joseph H. Skalski, Jaeyun Sung, Lioudmila V. Karnatovskaia
Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is frequent in the intensive care unit (ICU), potentially leading to a heightened risk of nosocomial infections. Enhancing the gut microbiome has been proposed as a strategic approach to mitigate potential adverse outcomes. While prior research on select probiotic supplements has not successfully shown to improve gut microbial diversity, fermented foods offer a promising
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Higher-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in older adults, taking into account indirect effects from childhood vaccination: a cost-effectiveness study for the Netherlands BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-16 Pieter T. de Boer, Cornelis H. van Werkhoven, Albert Jan van Hoek, Mirjam J. Knol, Elisabeth A. M. Sanders, Jacco Wallinga, Hester E. de Melker, Anneke Steens
New 15- and 20-valent pneumococcal vaccines (PCV15, PCV20) are available for both children and adults, while PCV21 for adults is in development. However, their cost-effectiveness for older adults, taking into account indirect protection and serotype replacement from a switch to PCV15 and PCV20 in childhood vaccination, remains unexamined. We used a static model for the Netherlands to assess the cost-effectiveness
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Novel insights from our special issue on maternal factors during pregnancy that influence maternal, fetal and childhood outcomes BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Stephen Tong, Katrien Benhalima, Louis Muglia, Susan Ozanne
As guest editors of BMC Medicine, we issued a call in 2022 for papers that shed critical insights into factors during pregnancy that impact the health of the mother and her offspring. We are now closing submissions for this call and are delighted to announce our finalised collection: 65 new papers offering fresh insights into maternal factors during pregnancy influencing maternal, fetal and childhood
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Immunogenicity and safety of RAZI recombinant spike protein vaccine (RCP) as a booster dose after priming with BBIBP-CorV: a parallel two groups, randomized, double blind trial BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Saeed Erfanpoor, Seyed Reza Banihashemi, Ladan Mokhbaeralsafa, Saeed Kalantari, Ali Es-haghi, Mojtaba Nofeli, Ali Rezaei Mokarram, Fariba Sadeghi, Monireh Hajimoradi, Seyad Hossein Razaz, Maryam Taghdiri, Mohsen Lotfi, Akbar Khorasani, Akram Ansarifar, Safdar Masoumi, Arash Mohazzab, Sara Filsoof, Vahideh Mohseni, Masoumeh Shahsavan, Niloufar Gharavi, Seyed Amin Setarehdan, Mohammad Hasan Rabiee, Mohammad
The immunity induced by primary vaccination is effective against COVID-19; however, booster vaccines are needed to maintain vaccine-induced immunity and improve protection against emerging variants. Heterologous boosting is believed to result in more robust immune responses. This study investigated the safety and immunogenicity of the Razi Cov Pars vaccine (RCP) as a heterologous booster dose in people
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Characteristics and clinical treatment outcomes of chronic hepatitis B children with coexistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to HBsAg BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Yingping Gu, Shuangjie Li, Zhenzhen Yao, Xin Lai, Meng Yang, Yi Xu, Songxu Peng
The coexistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) represents an uncommon serological pattern observed in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and its underlying mechanism and clinical significance have not been well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between this serological profile and clinical treatment outcomes
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Efficacy of interventions targeted at physician prescribers of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain: an overview of systematic reviews BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Katya Peri, Lucy Honeycutt, Erica Wennberg, Sarah B. Windle, Kristian B. Filion, Genevieve Gore, Irina Kudrina, Elena Paraskevopoulos, Areesha Moiz, Marc O. Martel, Mark J. Eisenberg
To combat the opioid crisis, interventions targeting the opioid prescribing behaviour of physicians involved in the management of patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) have been introduced in clinical settings. An integrative synthesis of systematic review evidence is required to better understand the effects of these interventions. Our objective was to synthesize the systematic review evidence
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Comparison of immune checkpoint inhibitors related to pulmonary adverse events: a retrospective analysis of clinical studies and network meta-analysis BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Baohui Hong, Bin Du, Rong Chen, Caiyun Zheng, Ruping Ni, Maobai Liu, Jing Yang
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed tumor treatment. However, the risk of pulmonary adverse events (PAEs) associated with ICI combination therapy is still unclear. We aimed to provide a PAE overview and risk ordering of ICIs used in tumor treatment. We searched the databases of PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and clinical trial websites during
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Neuregulin-1 and ALS19 (ERBB4): at the crossroads of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cancer BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Jacob J. Adashek, Chinmayi Pandya, Nicholas J. Maragakis, Pradip De, Philip R. Cohen, Shumei Kato, Razelle Kurzrock
Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) is implicated in both cancer and neurologic diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); however, to date, there has been little cross-field discussion between neurology and oncology in regard to these genes and their functions. Approximately 0.15–0.5% of cancers harbor NRG1 fusions that upregulate NRG1 activity and hence that of the cognate ERBB3/ERBB4 (HER3/HER4) receptors;
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Risk-based lung cancer screening in heavy smokers: a benefit–harm and cost-effectiveness modeling study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Yin Liu, Huifang Xu, Lihong Lv, Xiaoyang Wang, Ruihua Kang, Xiaoli Guo, Hong Wang, Liyang Zheng, Hongwei Liu, Lanwei Guo, Qiong Chen, Shuzheng Liu, Youlin Qiao, Shaokai Zhang
Annual screening through low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended for heavy smokers. However, it is questionable whether all individuals require annual screening given the potential harms of LDCT screening. This study examines the benefit–harm and cost-effectiveness of risk-based screening in heavy smokers and determines the optimal risk threshold for screening and risk-stratified screening
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Correction: Coronary microvascular function in male physicians with burnout and job stress: an observational study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-16 Roland von Känel , Mary Princip, Sarah A. Holzgang, Chrysoula Garefa, Alexia Rossi, Dominik C. Benz, Andreas A. Giannopoulos, Philipp A. Kaufmann, Ronny R. Buechel, Claudia Zuccarella-Hackl, Aju P. Pazhenkottil
Correction: BMC Med 21, 477 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-03192-z The original article [1] contains errors in the following sentence in the ‘Burnout’ sub-section of the ‘Methods’ section: “Participants rated each item on a scale ranging from 1 (“never”) to 7 (“daily”)”. Numbers ‘1’ and ‘7’ in the sentence should instead respectively state '0' and '6'. von Känel R, et al. Coronary microvascular
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Correction: Predicting drug response from single-cell expression profiles of tumours BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-16 Simona Pellecchia, Gaetano Viscido, Melania Franchini, Gennaro Gambardella
Correction: BMC Med 21, 476 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-03182-1 Upon reviewing the published manuscript [1], the authors identified a errors affecting Figure 2 that require clarification: 1. In Figure 2C, the wild-type (WT) and mutated TP53 cell lines were incorrectly colour-coded. 2. In Figure 2D and 2E, the labels for TP53 mutated cells and wild type were inadvertently inverted. 3.
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Developing a practical neurodevelopmental prediction model for targeting high-risk very preterm infants during visit after NICU: a retrospective national longitudinal cohort study BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-16 Hao Wei Chung, Ju-Chieh Chen, Hsiu-Lin Chen, Fang-Yu Ko, Shinn-Ying Ho
Follow-up visits for very preterm infants (VPI) after hospital discharge is crucial for their neurodevelopmental trajectories, but ensuring their attendance before 12 months corrected age (CA) remains a challenge. Current prediction models focus on future outcomes at discharge, but post-discharge data may enhance predictions of neurodevelopmental trajectories due to brain plasticity. Few studies in
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Influence of light at night on allergic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Andy Deprato, Robert Maidstone, Anna Palomar Cros, Ana Adan, Prasun Haldar, Barbara N. Harding, Paige Lacy, Lyle Melenka, Saibal Moitra, José Francisco Navarro, Manolis Kogevinas, Hannah J Durrington, Subhabrata Moitra
Allergic diseases impose a significant global disease burden, however, the influence of light at night exposure on these diseases in humans has not been comprehensively assessed. We aimed to summarize available evidence considering the association between light at night exposure and major allergic diseases through a systematic review and meta-analysis. We completed a search of six databases, two registries
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Association between pregnancy-related complications and development of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in women: an umbrella review BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Steven Wambua, Megha Singh, Kelvin Okoth, Kym I. E. Snell, Richard D. Riley, Christopher Yau, Shakila Thangaratinam, Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar, Francesca L. Crowe
Despite many systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the associations of pregnancy complications with risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension, previous umbrella reviews have only examined a single pregnancy complication. Here we have synthesised evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the associations of a wide range of pregnancy-related complications with risk
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Exploration of the potential association between GLP-1 receptor agonists and suicidal or self-injurious behaviors: a pharmacovigilance study based on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Jianxing Zhou, You Zheng, Baohua Xu, Songjun Long, Li-e Zhu, Yunhui Liu, Chengliang Li, Yifan Zhang, Maobai Liu, Xuemei Wu
Establishing whether there is a potential relationship between glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and suicidal or self-injurious behaviors (SSIBs) is crucial for public safety. This study investigated the potential association between GLP-1RAs and SSIBs by exploring the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. A disproportionality analysis was conducted using post-marketing
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Efficacy of virtual reality for pain relief in medical procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Jhia J. Teh, Dominic J. Pascoe, Safiya Hafeji, Rohini Parchure, Adam Koczoski, Michael P. Rimmer, Khalid S. Khan, Bassel H. Al Wattar
Effective pain control is crucial to optimise the success of medical procedures. Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology could offer an effective non-invasive, non-pharmacological option to distract patients and reduce their experience of pain. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology in reducing patient’s pain perception during various medical procedures by
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Peripheral vertigo and subsequent risk of depression and anxiety disorders: a prospective cohort study using the UK Biobank BMC Med. (IF 9.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Xiaowan Chen, Dang Wei, Fang Fang, Huan Song, Li Yin, Magnus Kaijser, Tiril Pedersen Gurholt, Ole Andreas Andreassen, Unnur Valdimarsdóttir, Kejia Hu, Maoli Duan
Peripheral vertigo is often comorbid with psychiatric disorders. However, no longitudinal study has quantified the association between peripheral vertigo and risk of psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, it remains unknown how the white matter integrity of frontal-limbic network relates to the putative peripheral vertigo-psychiatric disorder link. We conducted a cohort study including 452,053 participants