The Clinical Times
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Clinical & Research · page 46

New research and findings from open-access journals and the U.S. research agencies.

PLOS Medicine · Jun 23, 2026

Comparisons of core component delivery in cardiac rehabilitation programs by country income classification and decade based on the 2025 Global Audit Update: A survey study

by Gabriela Lima de Melo Ghisi, Rachael P. Carson, Karam Turk Adawi, Rongjing Ding, Warner M. Mampuya, Mariya P. Jiandani, Jimena Martinez, Monserrat Cruz Rivero, Claudia V. Anchique, Dinah L. van Schalkwijk, Jonathan Gallagher, Buket Akinci, Dion Candelaria, Jirapa Champaiboon, Daniel F. Quesada-Chaves, Tone M. Norekvål, Iwona Szadkowska, Borut Jug, Evangelia Kouidi, Marta Supervia, Won-Seok Kim, Chamila Mettananda, Lilian Mbau, Gulsim T. Aimakova, Sherry L. Grace, on behalf of the ICCPR Global Cardiac Rehabilitation Audit Update Investigators Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a…

PLOS Medicine · Jun 23, 2026

Parental body mass index and offspring childhood body size and eating behaviour: A structural equation modelling analysis in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study

by Tom A. Bond, Tom A. McAdams, Nicole M. Warrington, Laurie J. Hannigan, Espen Moen Eilertsen, Ziada Ayorech, Fartein A. Torvik, George Davey Smith, Deborah A. Lawlor, Eivind Ystrom, Alexandra Havdahl, David M. Evans Background The intergenerational transmission of obesity-related traits could propagate an accelerating cycle of obesity, if parental adiposity causally influences offspring adiposity. The extent to which intergenerational obesity associations are due to such causal effects, as opposed to genetic confounding (inheritance), is unclear. We aimed to establish whether associations…

PLOS Medicine · Jun 23, 2026

Prevalence and epidemiological patterns of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in sub-Saharan Africa, 1964–2025: Systematic review, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions

by Aisha Osman, Hina Akram, Bayan Alemrayat, Sumaya Al-Maraghi, Manale Harfouche, Laith J. Abu-Raddad Background Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infection is a global health concern because of its morbidity and increasing antimicrobial resistance. Sub-Saharan Africa is believed to carry a disproportionately high burden of NG infection, but the epidemiology of NG infection in this region has not been comprehensively synthesized. This study systematically reviewed and analyzed NG prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa to characterize prevalence patterns and identify populations at risk. Methods and…

PLOS Medicine · Jun 23, 2026

Multi-omics biomarkers of endothelial dysregulation preceding chronic lung allograft dysfunction: A prospective cohort study

by Giulia Iacono, Christina Begka, Bailey Cardwell, Carmel Daunt, Roxanne Chatzis, Celine Pattaroni, Alana Butler, Matthew Macowan, Bronwyn Levvey, Gregory I. Snell, Glen P. Westall, Benjamin J. Marsland Background Long-term survival of lung transplant recipients remains limited by chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). CLAD is only diagnosed following a persistent and substantial decline in lung function, after which irreversible damage to the lungs has occurred, limiting opportunities to effectively intervene at an early stage. There is a critical need for earlier detection prior to its…

JAMA Network Open · Jun 23, 2026

Maternal Cardiovascular Health During Pregnancy and Offspring Developmental Delay

This cohort study assesses whether maternal cardiovascular health during pregnancy is associated with a delay in communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social skills among offspring in participants of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study in Japan.

ACC (Cardiology) · Jun 22, 2026

Catheter-Based LAAO vs. Medical Therapy in High-Risk AF: Insights From the CLOSURE-AF Trial

The CLOSURE-AF (Catheter-Based Left Atrial Appendage Closure in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation at High Risk of Stroke and Bleeding as Compared With Best Medical Therapy) trial found that, among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) at high risk for both stroke and bleeding, catheter-based left atrial appendage occlusion...

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Trends in the use of adult-specific preference-weighted health-related quality of life instruments in clinical trials over the past 50 years: a protocol for a meta-research study using deep learning-based natural language processing and large language models

Background Health technology assessment bodies increasingly emphasise the importance of preference-weighted health-related quality of life (HRQoL) evidence. However, such measures are often absent in clinical trial publications. It is not yet clear how frequently clinical trials have incorporated these measures over the past five decades, how the use of preference-weighted HRQoL instruments has evolved over time, and how trends differ across disease areas, countries and global regions. This study aims to (1) assess changes over time in the proportions of clinical trials using each…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Skin tone and diagnostic equity in contactless blood pressure screening: a prospective observational field evaluation of remote photoplethysmography in Nigeria

Objectives To evaluate diagnostic equity, feasibility and acceptability of a remote photoplethysmography-based blood pressure screening application among adults with darker skin tones in Nigeria. Design Prospective observational multisite field evaluation. Setting Three hospitals in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Participants Adults with Fitzpatrick skin types V–VI. Outcome measures Feasibility, agreement, diagnostic accuracy, acceptability, and equity relevant factors including facial tribal markings and internet bandwidth, using automated cuff measurements as the reference standard and a 140 over 90…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Narrative exposure therapy in early intervention in psychosis services (NETp): protocol of a multi-site feasibility randomised controlled trial study

Introduction Cumulative interpersonal traumatisation increases the risk of psychosis and is linked to psychotic symptom severity and reduced recovery rates. Psychosis and treatment themselves can also be traumatising, with a first episode of psychosis posing challenges to one’s identity. Despite a growing evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of trauma therapies for psychosis, implementation remains poor in early intervention for psychosis (EIP) services, partly due to resource constraints. Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is an effective intervention for post-traumatic stress…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Korean Medicine for Aging Cohort (KoMAC) study--a prospective multicentre cohort in urban and rural Korea: cohort profile

Purpose The KoMAC (Korean Medicine for Aging Cohort) study investigates health characteristics related to ageing from both conventional and Korean medicine (KM) perspectives through a prospective, multicentre cohort study that also serves as a platform for future embedded intervention studies. Participants This study aimed to recruit 1000 adults aged 50–65 years from both urban (Iksan and surrounding areas, Jeonbuk Province) and rural (Jangheung and surrounding areas, Jeonnam Province) regions in Korea. Recruitment began in August 2023. The inclusion criteria were residence in the target…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Type 2 diabetes and the risk of hospitalisation and mortality from seasonal influenza: an observational register-based study in Sweden

Objectives To compare influenza-related hospitalisation, mortality and effects of background factors in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and age-matched and sex-matched controls. To explore associations between clinical variables and the risk of severe influenza outcomes. Design Register-based nationwide cohort study. Settings Data from the National Diabetes Register are cross-linked to the Swedish Population Register, Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Patient Register. Participants 371 811 patients with T2D from the Swedish National Diabetes Register and 1 728 856 matched control individuals…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Interventions to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Objective Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) face barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, negatively affecting their health and quality of life. These challenges are particularly pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where HIV prevalence, unintended pregnancies and child marriage remain high. This review aimed to map interventions designed to improve SRH access for ALHIV in SSA, applying Levesque’s framework to identify facilitators and barriers from supply-side and demand-side perspectives. Design Review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Childhood socio-emotional and cognitive development and adolescents NEET (not in education, employment or training): findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Background There is a growing concern about the increasing number of young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) globally. This study investigates the impact of concurrent cognitive and socio-emotional development trajectories in childhood on NEET status in adolescence in a UK cohort. Method We analysed longitudinal data on 8368 children from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Exposure trajectories of cognitive and socio-emotional development from age 3 to 14 years were characterised using group-based multi-trajectory models. We used Poisson regression to examine…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Long-term disparities and mediators of psychological distress in mothers with and without out-of-home care experience: analysis of prospective cohort data

Objectives Care-experienced individuals are at elevated risk of mental health difficulties, yet less is known about their mental health needs in motherhood. This study aims to explore (a) disparities in trajectories of psychological distress in care-experienced versus non-care-experienced mothers as they raise their child from age 3 to 14, and (b) putative postpartum-associated pathways shaping disparities in maternal distress at child age 14. Design and setting We conducted longitudinal secondary data analysis using the prospective United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study data. Participants 11…

BMJ Open · Jun 22, 2026

Association of ischaemic stroke/TIA with subsequent oral anticoagulant adherence in patients with atrial fibrillation: a scoping review

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the association and potential causal relationship between ischaemic stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and oral anticoagulant (OAC) adherence using Bradford Hill’s criteria and to determine the factors influencing OAC adherence following ischaemic stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Design We conducted a scoping review. Data sources MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science from inception up to March 2026. Results The analysis included 43 studies on OAC adherence across different phases: initiation (n=1), implementation (n=15), implementation…

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