The aim of this study is to explore whether subjective cognitive decline and frailty were related to each other and whether nutrition mediated their association.
From January 2025 to May 2025, a total of 194 middle-aged and elderly MHD patients were selected by convenience sampling method. Cross-sectional data on patients' subjective cognitive decline, nutrition, and frailty were collected using questionnaires. Data were analysed using SPSS 27.0 and PROCESS macros.
The frailty score of middle-aged and elderly MHD patients was 4.00 (range 3.00 to 9.00), and 69 (35.57%) were identified as frailty. Spearman correlation analysis showed that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) was positively correlated with frailty. Nutrition was positively associated with SCD and frailty. When controlling for covariates, nutrition was observed to mediate a relationship between SCD and frailty. The intermediate effect value accounted for 31.29% of the total effect.
Nutrition plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between SCD and frailty in middle-aged and elderly MHD patients in this cross-sectional study with a one-way correlational model. The negative effects of SCD on frailty can be mitigated by improving nutritional status. Considering the bidirectional interaction among SCD, nutrition and frailty, this mediating pathway needs to be further verified by longitudinal studies.
Our findings indicate that nutrition plays a mediating role in the association between SCD and frailty. Routine screening for SCD and nutritional status could be considered in clinical practice to detect those at elevated risk of frailty at an early stage. Targeted nutritional and cognitive interventions may help alleviate frailty progression, reduce adverse clinical outcomes, and enhance self-management ability and quality of life, thus supporting the establishment of comprehensive strategies for frailty prevention and management in haemodialysis settings.
This article follows the STROBE guidelines for the reporting of cross-sectional studies.
No patient or public contribution.
by Yuzhen Sun, Ziguang Zhou, Yu Mao, Niu Liu, Yanfeng Li, Weiyuan Fang
BackgroundPsoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 2–3% of the global population, is driven by dysregulated immune responses. Despite advancements in biologic therapies, treatment challenges persist due to high recurrence rates. This study aimed to identify immune-related hub genes and elucidate their clinical implications in psoriasis pathogenesis and therapy.
MethodsMultiple microarray datasets from psoriasis patients (GSE30999, GSE106992, GSE14905, GSE78097, and GSE117468) were obtained to identify immune-key genes by differential gene analysis and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). Subsequently, immune-related hub genes were identified using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) algorithm and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) networks, with further validation through Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to assess exploratory within-sample discrimination. Pearson correlation analysis evaluated the relationship between hub genes, skin lesion severity, and treatment outcomes. The study also conducted immune infiltration by using the Cell-type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets Of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) algorithm and identified potential therapeutic targets by the Drug-Gene Interaction Database (DGIdb).
ResultsThirty-one immune-related key genes were identified, and six hub genes (CLEC7A, CXCL1, IRF1, S100A12, S100A8, S100A9) were validated as central players in immune signaling pathways. These genes exhibited within-sample discrimination (AUC > 0.9) and correlated with disease severity and biological therapy efficacy. Immune infiltration analysis revealed increased activated memory CD4+ T cells and M1 macrophages in lesional skin, which was strongly associated with hub gene expression. Additionally, drug-gene interaction analysis identified potential therapeutic agents targeting these genes.
ConclusionThis study identified six immune-related hub genes that were closely linked to the severity of psoriasis, the effectiveness of biological treatments, and infiltrated activated memory CD4+ T cells and M1 macrophages. Our findings elucidate a novel immune-related hub gene network in psoriasis and provide potential targets for the development and application of biologics.
To systematically review published studies on the post stroke delirium risk prediction models; and to provide the evidence for developing and updating the clinically available prediction models.
Systematic review.
Systematically searched studies on 10 databases, which were conducted from inception to 9 January 2025. The studies of post-stroke delirium risk prediction models were included.
Extracted the data from the selected studies. The Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool checklist was used to evaluate the risk of bias of the models. The meta-analysis of model performance and common predictors was performed by Revman 5.4 and Medcalc.
A total of 12 studies were included, and 21 risk prediction models for post-stroke delirium were constructed. The combined effect size of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.84. All studies were found to have a high risk of bias and good applicability. Meta-analysis showed: National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, age, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, neglect, visual impairment and atrial fibrillation were independent predictors of post-stroke delirium.
The included studies all found to have a high risk of bias; future studies should focus on adopting more scientifically rigorous study designs and following the standardised reporting guidelines to enhance extrapolation and facilitate its clinical application.
This review may promote clinical healthcare workers to develop and update clinically available prediction models, thereby establishing risk prediction models with strong clinical utility.
This study presents the first systematic evaluation of delirium risk prediction models in stroke patients, thereby facilitating the choice, use and develop of the clinical usable post stroke delirium risk prediction models.
This review adhered to the PRISMA guidelines.
No patient or public contribution.
RD42024620360 (PROSPERO According to JAN Guidelines).
Death preparedness is an important prerequisite for improving the quality of life and the quality of death in advanced cancer patients. However, research on the level of death preparedness in patients is insufficient, and there is little understanding of the current status and influencing factors of death preparedness in advanced cancer patients.
This study aims to assess the current status of death preparedness and its influencing factors in advanced cancer patients.
Based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, a structured survey questionnaire was designed to collect data on personal factors (such as gender, age and residence area), interpersonal factors (such as social support, caregiver readiness and healthcare worker readiness) and social factors (such as care resources, policy support and information supply). Through multiple linear regression and BP neural network analysis, the study explores the impact and significance of these influencing factors on death preparedness in advanced cancer patients.
A total of 930 valid questionnaires were collected in this study. The death preparedness score in advanced cancer patients was 72.18 ± 22.82, indicating a moderate level, with the highest score being the ‘reflexive care’ dimension and the lowest score being the ‘hospice programme’ dimension. Multivariate analysis revealed that meaning in life and social support were the most significant predictors of death preparedness in advanced cancer patients. In addition, personal factors such as dignity, household income and coping style, also played an important role. Interpersonal factors like social support, as well as social factors such as care resources and policy support, also had an impact on patients' death preparedness to some extent.
Death preparedness in advanced cancer patients is generally at a moderate level, and death preparedness is influenced by a combination of personal factors, interpersonal factors and social factors.
This study is based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model to comprehensively explore the influencing factors of death preparedness in advanced cancer patients. It provides theoretical support for improving life services for advanced cancer patients. It offers valuable practical experience and insights for societal attention and reform in end-of-life care.
No Patient or Public Contributions were included in this paper.
This study aimed to evaluate and rank the effectiveness of various acupoint stimulation therapies in alleviating cancer-related fatigue (CRF), a pervasive and distressing symptom among cancer patients.
CRF severely compromises patients' quality of life across treatment and survivorship stages. Despite growing interest in nonpharmacological interventions, comparative evidence on the efficacy of acupoint stimulation therapies remains limited.
A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 2370 participants was conducted. Databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Airiti Library. Interventions included acupuncture, acupressure, oil acupressure, moxibustion, and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS). Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve (SUCRA) was used to rank therapies.
Oil acupressure (SUCRA: 73.6%), relaxing acupressure (73.4%), and acupuncture (72.7%) were the most effective interventions. Both professionally administered and self-administered therapies significantly reduced CRF, with no major differences in efficacy. Subgroup analyses revealed consistent effectiveness across cancer types, particularly breast and lung cancer, and treatment stages.
Acupoint stimulation therapies, especially acupressure and acupuncture, effectively reduce CRF and are suitable for integration into routine cancer care. Self-administered acupressure offers a practical, low-cost alternative, especially in resource-limited settings. Standardization of protocols and long-term studies are warranted to guide clinical implementation.
The review protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42024556455)
by Yizhe Yang, Ruifeng Liang, Yan Luo, Doudou Zhu, Yi Liu, Yuyan Guo, Jiafen Zhang, Qiao Niu
ObjectiveInvestigate the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) of students from Medical College towards emerging infectious diseases, and assess their impact, can provide a scientific basis and practical guidance for enhancing medico’s prevention and control capabilities.
MethodsA total of 2,395 participants from various grades and majors at Medical University were randomly selected using a stratified cluster sampling method. This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 25 and May 31, 2020, using a self-administered questionnaire developed on the Wenjuanxing platform to assess COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among medical students.
ResultsA total of 2,245 participants (aged 16–28 years) were included in the study, coming from five medical disciplines: Clinical Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Nursing, Clinical Pharmacy, Health Inspection and Quarantine. The average scores for the COVID-19 epidemiological knowledge and the control measures for the epidemic were 4.92 ± 1.03 and 4.50 ± 0.78, respectively. Among them, the scores of epidemiological knowledge exhibited significant differences in sex, nation, type of dwelling place, major, grade, annual per capita household income, and age. The scores of preventive knowledge significantly differed by sex, major, grade, physical condition, and age. Further, behavioral data indicated that 96.0% of the students thought the pandemic had severely affected their daily life, while >90% maintained consistent mask usage and >80% insisted on health-protective practices. Practice scores finally varied significantly by sex, family structure, and ethnicity.
ConclusionsAltogether, medical students possess certain basic knowledge in controlling emerging infectious diseases, but some still generally suffer from insufficient cognitive depth and anxiety. Colleges can systematically enhance students’ rational cognitive level which include offering specialized courses as well as promoting cutting-edge research achievements, and through standardized operations stabilize their psychological states.