Superiority of Dynamic Stretching over Static and Combined Stretching Protocols for Repeated Sprint Performance in Elite Male Soccer Players.

This study aimed to examine the effects of different stretching techniques on repeated sprint performance and to assess the influence of the sequence in which static and dynamic stretching are performed. Ten male Division II soccer players (age: 22.80 ± 1.

Exploring Gender Perspectives in Medical Education: Latent Semantic Analysis of Israeli First-Year Medical Students' Reflections.

Background: Gender is increasingly recognized as a crucial determinant of health and health care delivery. Integrating gender-sensitive content into medical education is essential for cultivating socially responsive, culturally competent, and clinically effective physicians of the future. However, limited research has examined how medical students conceptualize gender in clinical contexts, particularly through their own reflective narratives.

Multi-model assurance analysis showing large language models are highly vulnerable to adversarial hallucination attacks during clinical decision support.

Background: Large language models (LLMs) show promise in clinical contexts but can generate false facts (often referred to as "hallucinations"). One subset of these errors arises from adversarial attacks, in which fabricated details embedded in prompts lead the model to produce or elaborate on the false information. We embedded fabricated content in clinical prompts to elicit adversarial hallucination attacks in multiple large language models.

COVID-19 Vaccine Timing and Co-Administration with Influenza Vaccines in Canada: A Systematic Review with Comparative Insights from G7 Countries.

Background/objectives: Despite significant advancements in vaccine development and distribution, the optimal timing and integration of COVID-19 vaccination in Canada remain crucial to public health. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve, determining effective timing strategies for booster doses is necessary to sustain immunity, especially in high-risk populations. This systematic review aims to critically evaluate the timing and co-administration strategies of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, comparing them with approaches in other G7 nations.

Conservative Treatment of Sesamoiditis: A Systematic Literature Review with Individual-Level Pooled Data Analysis.

: Sesamoiditis is a painful and functionally limiting condition that affects the sesamoid bones of the hallux, frequently seen in athletic populations. Despite its clinical relevance, there are no standardised guidelines for its conservative management. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of conservative treatments for sesamoiditis by summarising individual-level data from published studies.

Exogenous Melatonin as a Sleep-promoting Agent beyond its Chronobiotic Properties: A Scoping Review of its Effects on Key Sleep-wake Neurotransmitters.

Introduction: Exogenous melatonin (exo-MLT) is a sleep-promoting agent that modulates key sleep-wake neurotransmitters.

Methods: This scoping review analyzed 623 studies retrieved from PubMed/MEDLINE and ISI/ Web of Science, applying PRISMA methodology to ensure rigorous inclusion criteria. After screening, 58 original research papers were analyzed for exo-MLT's effects on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, dopamine, glutamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, orexin, acetylcholine, adenosine, glycine, galanin, and histamine.

The effects of post-hypnotic suggestion on muscular performance: an EMG study on the forearm during a static handgrip endurance test.

Hypnosis is known for its effects on various psychophysiological phenomena, such as perception, emotions, fatigue, and muscle strength. Besides the conflicting evidence on the influence of hypnosis on muscle performance, its role in influencing central or peripheral fatigue remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of a single hypnosis session, terminated with a precise posthypnotic suggestion, on muscle strength, endurance, and myoelectric activity.

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on HIV and hepatitis B testing in Western Iran: insights from an interrupted time series analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare systems worldwide, affecting the delivery of essential diagnostic services. HIV and HBV testing services, critical for the timely detection and management of these diseases, experienced substantial declines during the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV and HBV testing rates in western Iran.

Addressing Anemia in High-Altitude Populations: Global Impact, Prevalence, Challenges, and Potential Solutions.

Anemia, a global health challenge affecting a quarter of the global population, results from diverse causes such as nutritional deficiencies, chronic diseases, and genetic factors. It disproportionately impacts women of reproductive age and children, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. While high-altitude populations face unique diagnostic challenges due to natural hemoglobin increases, the current World Health Organization cutoffs often overestimate anemia in these regions.

Atrial fibrillation and flutter as global drivers of heart failure: Burden and longitudinal trends over three decades.

Aims: The study aims to comprehensively evaluate the global burden of heart failure attributable to atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) from 1990 to 2021.

Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, we estimated the prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of heart failure attributable to AF/AFL across 204 countries and territories. Estimates were stratified by age, sex and socio-demographic index (SDI).

Diagnostic Predictors of Recovery Outcomes Following Open Reduction and Internal Fixation for Tibial Plateau Fractures: A Retrospective Study Based on the Schatzker Classification.

: Tibial plateau fractures (TPFs) are complex injuries often leading to long-term complications such as knee instability, limited range of motion, and osteoarthritis. Accurate diagnostic evaluations combining subjective and objective assessments are essential for identifying functional limitations, guiding rehabilitation, and improving recovery outcomes. This study examines the role of diagnostic predictors in differentiating recovery trajectories in two groups of patients treated for closed TPFs by open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), comparing patients with less severe fractures and patients with more severe fractures (BCFs).

The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study.

Background: Decathlon is a multimodality sport that requires the combination of endurance, strength, speed, and agility. A polymorphism present in the gene encoding for alpha-actinin-3 () potentially influences sports performance, since this protein is a structural component of skeletal muscle contributing to muscle contraction effectiveness.

Aim: To investigate whether the presence of the polymorphism is associated with decathlon athletes' performance in the different modalities of decathlon.

The Validation of the Nomophobia Questionnaire Using a Modern Psychometric Approach: An Item Response Theory Analysis of 5087 Participants.

Nomophobia, or the anxiety of being separated from one's mobile phone, is an emerging psychological condition in our digital age. The 20-item Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was developed to assess nomophobia symptoms. This study utilized item response theory (IRT) and classical test theory (CTT) methods to evaluate the NMP-Q's psychometric properties.

Genetic Risk Scores in Stroke Research and Care.

Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. While well-established risk factors play a major role, genetic predisposition is a crucial determinant of stroke susceptibility, with heritability estimates up to 39% for ischemic stroke and 29% for intracerebral hemorrhage. Advances in next-generation sequencing and genome-wide association studies have identified numerous genetic loci associated with stroke risk, paving the way for the development of genetic risk scores.

Uncovering the impact of infection routes on within-host MPXV dynamics: Insights from a mathematical modeling study.

The unprecedented mpox outbreak in non-endemic regions during 2022-2023, which has seen a recent resurgence in late 2023-2024, poses a significant public health threat. Despite its global spread, the viral dynamics of mpox infection and the specific characteristics driving these outbreaks remain insufficiently explored. We develop mathematical models to examine the interactions between host immune responses and the virus across three distinct infection routes (intravenous, intradermal, and intrarectal).

The Effects of Time-Restricted Feeding on Handgrip Strength, Vigilance, and Perceived Anxiety and Depression in Older Adults: A Comparative Study Between Active and Sedentary Populations.

Background And Aims: Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF), a form of time-restricted feeding, influences various physiological and psychological functions. However, its effects on older adults remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the impact of RIF on physical and mental health parameters, comparing active and sedentary older individuals.

Exploring Gender-Specific Correlations Between Nutritional Intake, Body Composition, Psychological Skills, and Performance Metrics in Young Taekwondo Athletes.

Taekwondo performance is influenced by a complex and dynamic interplay of physical, nutritional, and psychological factors, all of which contribute to competitive success. However, the gender-specific relationships among these factors in young high-performance athletes remain understudied. This study aimed to fill in this knowledge gap.

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes of Israeli Healthcare Professionals Toward Mpox: A Survey-Based, Cross-Sectional Study.

Mpox, a zoonotic viral disease, has recently emerged as a significant global public health challenge. Historically confined to endemic regions in West and Central Africa, recent outbreaks in non-endemic areas have highlighted the critical role of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in disease management and prevention. This cross-sectional study surveyed 709 Israeli HCPs, with a mean age of 40.

Sociodemographic biases in medical decision making by large language models.

Large language models (LLMs) show promise in healthcare, but concerns remain that they may produce medically unjustified clinical care recommendations reflecting the influence of patients' sociodemographic characteristics. We evaluated nine LLMs, analyzing over 1.7 million model-generated outputs from 1,000 emergency department cases (500 real and 500 synthetic).

Barriers to Long-Term Adherence in Botulinum Toxin Therapy for Post-Stroke Spasticity: Insights and Implications from a Single-Center Study in North Italy.

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide, often resulting in spasticity. Botulinum toxin injections have emerged as a cornerstone in the management of post-stroke spasticity. However, despite their clinical efficacy, maintaining long-term adherence to botulinum toxin therapy remains a significant challenge.

LLM-Guided Pain Management: Examining Socio-Demographic Gaps in Cancer vs non-Cancer cases.

Large language models (LLMs) offer potential benefits in clinical care. However, concerns remain regarding socio-demographic biases embedded in their outputs. Opioid prescribing is one domain in which these biases can have serious implications, especially given the ongoing opioid epidemic and the need to balance effective pain management with addiction risk.

Dynamics of Mpox in an HIV endemic community: A mathematical modelling approach.

During the 2022 monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak in non-endemic countries, sexual transmission was identified as the dominant mode of transmission, and particularly affected the community of men who have sex with men (MSM). This community experienced the highest incidence of Mpox cases, exacerbating the public health burden they already face due to the disproportionate impact of HIV. Given the simultaneous spread of HIV and Mpox within the MSM community, it is crucial to understand how these diseases interact.

Geographical distribution and the impact of socio-environmental indicators on incidence of Mpox in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Ontario, being one of Canada's largest provinces, has been central to the high incidence of human Mpox. Research is scarce on how socio-environmental factors influence Mpox incidences. This study seeks to explore potential geographical correlations and the relationship between indicators of social marginalization and Mpox incidence rate in Ontario.

The utility of brain biomarkers in predicting survival and neurological outcomes in pediatric patients after cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cardiac arrest in children is associated with high morbidity and mortality, primarily due to neurological injury. Biomarkers linked to brain injury, released into circulation from compromised elements of the neurovascular unit, act as significant prognostic indicators in patients suffering from hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) subsequent to the restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after pediatric cardiac arrest. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the prognostic utility of brain injury biomarkers in predicting neurological outcomes and survival in patients following cardiac arrest in the pediatric population.