📄 medicine

Disulfiram Attenuates Paraquat-Induced Renal Injury and Fibrosis Associated with Modulation of Smad3/Smad7 Expression

This study demonstrates that disulfiram, particularly at a 10 mg/kg dose, significantly attenuates paraquat-induced renal injury and fibrosis in rats by mitigating oxidative stress and rebalancing the Smad3/Smad7 signaling axis, highlighting its potential as a repurposed therapeutic agent for pesticide-induced kidney damage.

Mahtab Esmaeili, Abdolreza Daraei, Hossein Najafzadehvarzi, Soraya Khafri, Zohre Esmaeili, Yousef Beheshti, Zahra Babaza (…)2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Digital vs. Expert Assessment of Preclinical Simulation Dental Cavity Preparations at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi

This study found that while digital assessment of dental cavity preparations using Exocad shows good reliability compared to expert grading, it systematically yields lower scores—particularly for marginal ridge thickness—suggesting a hybrid model of digital screening followed by expert review is optimal for preclinical education.

Naeima Betamar, Hana Mahjoub, Zaid El Honi, Arig Abdullah2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Seasonal Patterns of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Kabul, Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

This cross-sectional study conducted in Kabul, Afghanistan, reveals a 14.1% COPD prevalence among patients, identifying winter seasonality, indoor air pollution, passive smoking, and high rates of comorbidities as key risk factors that necessitate targeted public health interventions.

Israr Salarzai, Waheed Ullah Hafiz, Komal Najam, Saleha Yasir2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Implementing Conventional and Living Postnatal Care Guidelines in Australia: A Qualitative Study of Barriers, Facilitators, and Strategies

This qualitative study of 39 Australian interviews identifies universal barriers and facilitators to postnatal care guideline implementation while highlighting that the new national living guideline model introduces unique challenges, such as managing clinician 'change fatigue' and ensuring methodological awareness, which require tailored local strategies to optimize clinical outcomes.

Amanda K Blair, Kate Mills, Samantha P Chakraborty, Caroline S E Homer, Joshua P Vogel2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Dyslipidemia and risk of incident stroke: the mediating role of insulin resistance assessed by the triglyceride–glucose index in the CHARLS cohort

In a cohort of Chinese adults aged 45 and older, insulin resistance assessed by the triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index was found to partially mediate the association between dyslipidemia (specifically total cholesterol and HDL-C) and incident stroke risk, suggesting TyG serves as a useful adjunct marker for metabolic risk assessment beyond traditional LDL-C measures.

Yiming Huang, Xi Chen, Yujia Yan, Yang Zhang, Ming Li, Xunming Ji2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Establishing Zambia's First National Malaria RDT Proficiency Testing Programme: A Model for Strengthening Sustainable Diagnostic Capacity through South-to-South Collaboration

Through a South–South collaboration with Uganda facilitated by ECSA-HC, Zambia successfully established its first national malaria RDT proficiency testing programme, demonstrating that peer-learning models can rapidly build sustainable, high-performing diagnostic quality assurance systems aligned with regional public health goals.

Doreen Mainza Shempela, Cynthia Kasonde, Moonga Hawela, Mike Masona, Jacob Chirwa, Andrew Mwandila, Mutinta Chonga, Mais (…)2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Rational design of short hybrid Cecropin B/Aurein 1.2 peptide analogues: in vitro synergistic anti-MRSA and anti-biofilm activities

Rationally designed short hybrid peptide Cec-Aur 1 demonstrates potent, low-toxicity anti-MRSA and anti-biofilm activities, including significant synergy with oxacillin and effective wound healing in a murine infection model, positioning it as a promising therapeutic candidate against multidrug-resistant *Staphylococcus aureus*.

Maryam Ghahramani, Mohammad Aghazadeh, Javid Sadeghi, Vahdat Poortahmasebi, Amin Abdollahzade-Fard, Mahdieh Delfi, Paris (…)2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Clinical Application of a Dual-Threshold Bolus Tracking Protocol in One-Stop Combined CT Angiography and Venography of the Lower Extremities: A Prospective Comparative Observational Study

This prospective comparative study demonstrates that a personalized dual-threshold bolus tracking protocol significantly improves venous image quality and diagnostic yield in one-stop lower extremity CTA-CTV compared to a fixed-delay approach, while maintaining equivalent arterial enhancement and radiation dose.

Qing-Peng Zhan, Shang-Ao Gong, Yu-Long Xie, Ting Wang, Hao Zhou, Chang-Zheng Shi2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Prevalence and characteristics of enamel hypomineralisation in permanent teeth among orthodontic patients aged 8 to 18 years: a retrospective study.

This retrospective study of 361 orthodontic patients aged 8 to 18 found that molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) has a 24.9% prevalence and is strongly associated with hypomineralisation in other permanent teeth and enamel hypoplasia, highlighting the need for early monitoring of non-index teeth in affected children.

Cung May Thai, Gwen Feenstra, David John Manton, Isabel Cristina Olegário, Clarissa Calil Bonifacio2026-07-14
📄 medicine

Chronic Illness and Impoverishment in Urban Bangladesh: Evidence from Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022

Using 2022 Household Income and Expenditure Survey data, this study reveals that chronic illness and Out-of-Pocket healthcare spending in urban Bangladesh create a vicious cycle where households are significantly more likely to fall into poverty due to medical costs, while poverty simultaneously increases the risk of chronic illness.

Azima Begum, Muhammad Shahadat Hossain Siddiquee2026-07-14