Tag: PLOS

Categories : Obstetrics & GynaecologyTags :

Yawns in Healthy Foetuses Might Indicate Mild Distress

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Foetuses yawn in the womb, with more yawns associated with a lower weight at birth

Photo by Mart Production on Pexels

Even in the womb, where all oxygen is provided by the parental placenta, foetuses can – and do – yawn. More yawns during observation were associated with a lower weight at birth – potentially indicating mild foetal stress in the womb, according to a study published February 25, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Damiano Menin, of the Università degli Studi di Ferrara in Italy, and colleagues.

Yawning is a behaviour found across vertebrates – and no one quite knows why. In humans, foetuses yawn in the womb from about 11 weeks. Even though there is no air to breathe, they slowly open their mouths, make motions similar to inhalation and exhalation, and close their mouths again. To understand more about foetal yawns, the authors of this study used ultrasound to observe 32 healthy foetuses (56% female, 44% male) between 23 and 31 weeks. Each foetus was observed for 22.5 minutes.

The authors found that the foetuses yawned between zero and six times during the observation period, with an average of 3.63 yawns per hour. They also showed that foetuses that yawned more during their observations were more likely to have a low weight at birth, which is considered as an indicator of mild distress – though all foetuses in the study were born healthy.

The researchers did not perform any manipulations to see if they could affect foetal yawning and also did not record measures such as foetal heart rate or maternal temperature which might potentially be associated with the behaviour. Additionally, no high-risk pregnancies were observed. Based on their research, the authors suggest that frequent foetal yawning might be a sign of mild distress in the healthy foetus.

The authors add: “We found that yawning frequencies in the womb are negatively related to birth weight, potentially indicating a stress-related response in healthy fetuses. This suggests that even before birth, yawning may serve as an indicator of a foetus’s well-being.”

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Categories : Respiratory DiseasesTags :

Shorter Treatment Regimens are Safe Options for Preventing Active Tuberculosis

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One- and three-month regimens both had few adverse reactions and high rates of completion

Tuberculosis bacteria. Credit: CDC

A study comparing one- and three-month antibiotic treatments to prevent active tuberculosis (TB) finds that a high percentage of patients successfully completed both regimens and suffered few adverse side effects. A team led by Richard Chaisson, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, reports these findings February 10th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

Following TB exposure, the World Health Organization has traditionally recommended six to nine months of antibiotic treatment to prevent an active infection from developing, but many individuals fail to complete the long course of medication. Studies have shown that shorter regimens lasting one and three months are effective at preventing TB, but the one-month treatment had only been tested in people living with HIV, and the safety of the two regimens had not been compared in a head-to-head trial.

Researchers performed a clinical trial in 500 people residing in Brazil, who were not living with HIV and had been exposed to TB. They randomly assigned participants to take two antibiotics, isoniazid and rifapentine, daily for one month, or weekly for three months. Both the one- and three-month regimens had similarly high rates of completion, at 89.6% and 84.1%, respectively. Adverse reactions were typically mild or moderate, and occurred at comparable rates in both groups. Both regimens were deemed successful and neither proved superior to the other.

Expanding the number of people who receive preventive therapy is essential for reducing TB infections globally, but these efforts have been hampered by several factors, including the length of the treatments. The new findings provide evidence that a one-month course of antibiotics is safe for patients, regardless of HIV status, and will help clinicians, public health programs, and patients to make informed choices about which regimens to use. Experts hope the success of shorter treatments, combined with the availability of newer generic formulations of the medications, which can be taken at home, will facilitate broader use of preventive therapy for TB.

The authors add, “Prevention of tuberculosis in people at the greatest risk is essential for global control of the disease, and shorter preventive treatment regimens will be instrumental in catalyzing uptake in high-burden countries.”

“Tuberculosis preventive treatment regimens have now been shortened from 6-9 months of daily medication to 1 month of daily treatment or 12 once-weekly doses, a transformational advance. Our study shows that both of the ultra-short regimens are well-tolerated and have high rates of completion.”

“The high rates of treatment completion and excellent safety profile of the short-course regimens will help Brazil and other high-burden countries achieve TB control by facilitating widespread uptake of TB preventive treatment,” states coauthor Betina Durovni.

“Preventing TB with short courses of well-tolerated medicines ensures that millions more people around the world can be protected from the devastating consequences of TB disease,” says coauthor Marcelo Cordeiro-Santos.

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Categories : Obstetrics & Gynaecology Surgeries & ProceduresTags :

Removing Fallopian Tubes during Other Abdominal Surgeries may Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

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Mathematical modelling study suggests this approach could also reduce total healthcare costs in Germany

Female reproductive system. Credit: Scientific Animations CC4.0 BY-SA

A mathematical modelling study conducted in Germany suggests that ovarian cancer incidence could be reduced and healthcare savings boosted if women who have already completed their families were offered fallopian tube removal during any other suitable abdominal surgeries. Angela Kather and Ingo Runnebaum of Jena University Hospital, Germany, and colleagues present these findings on January 30th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.

Some of the most widespread and serious forms of ovarian cancer begin in the fallopian tubes, and removing them may reduce ovarian cancer risk. While women at average risk of ovarian cancer are not recommended to have surgery solely to remove their fallopian tubes, many surgeons offer “opportunistic” tube removal during other gynaecologic surgeries such as hysterectomy or tubal sterilisation. Opportunistic removal may also be feasible during other abdominal surgeries, such as gallbladder removal.

However, the overall potential benefits of opportunistic fallopian tube removal have been unclear. To help clarify, Kather and colleagues developed a mathematical model that incorporates real-world patient statistics to predict population-level risks of ovarian cancer after opportunistic fallopian tube removal, as well as the potential healthcare cost savings.

By applying the model to statistics from Germany, the researchers predicted that opportunistic fallopian tube removal during every hysterectomy and tubal sterilisation could reduce ovarian cancer cases by 5% across the female population of Germany. Removal during every suitable abdominal surgery for women who are done having children could reduce nationwide cancer cases by 15%, the analysis suggests, and it could save more than €10 million in healthcare costs annually.

Ovarian cancer is the third most common gynaecologic cancer in the world and has a mortality rate of 66%. Overall, these findings suggest that opportunistic fallopian tube removal during appropriate abdominal surgeries could not only lower population-level ovarian cancer risks and prevent ovarian cancer deaths, but also provide economic benefits. This study could help inform health policy and insurance costs for the procedure.

The authors add, “We developed a mathematical model to estimate the likelihood of women undergoing surgeries that offer an opportunity for fallopian tube removal and the potential for reducing their ovarian cancer risk. Applying this model to the entire female population of Germany revealed that 15% of ovarian cancer cases could be prevented if fallopian tubes were removed during every suitable abdominal surgery in women who have completed their families. This approach has the potential to extend healthy years of life and significantly save healthcare costs.”

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Categories : COVIDTags :

Study Tracks Physical and Cognitive Impairments Associated with Long COVID

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Researchers following nearly 1000 people with post-COVID-19 syndrome found few changes to their symptoms in the second year of illness

Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

Two-thirds of people with post-COVID-19 syndrome have persistent, objective symptoms – including reduced physical exercise capacity and reduced cognitive test performances – for a year or more, with no major changes in symptom clusters during the second year of their illness, according to a new study published January 23rd in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Winfried Kern of Freiburg University, Germany, and colleagues.

Self-reported health problems following SARS-CoV-2 infection have commonly been described and may persist for months. However, the long-term prognosis of post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is unknown.

In the new study, researchers studied 982 people aged 18 to 65 who had previously been identified as having PCS, as well as 576 controls. All participants visited one of several university health centers in southwestern Germany for comprehensive assessments, including neurocognitive, cardiopulmonary exercise, and laboratory testing.

The predominant symptom clusters among people with PCS were fatigue/exhaustion, neurocognitive disturbances, chest symptoms/breathlessness, and anxiety/depression/sleep problems. Nearly 68% of people who originally reported PCS still struggled with symptoms in the second year. Exercise intolerance with post-exertional malaise was reported by 35.6% of people with persistent PCS, and these people had worse outcomes and more severe symptoms. People with lower educational attainment, obesity, or more severe illness during the initial COVID-19 infection were also at higher risk of prolonged symptoms.

When they looked at objective measures of health and cognition, the team found that people with persistent PCS had significant reductions in handgrip strength, maximal oxygen consumption, and ventilatory efficiency. Patients with persistent PCS and post-exertional malaise scored lower than control patients on cognitive tests measuring memory, attention, and processing speed; however, the researchers point out that they had no data on cognition before acute COVID-19 infection. The team was not able to identify differences in cardiac function or laboratory values, including tests of viral persistence.

“The results call for the inclusion of cognitive and exercise testing in the clinical evaluation and monitoring of patients with suspected PCS,” the authors say. “Observational studies with longer follow-up are urgently needed to evaluate factors for improvement and non-recovery from PCS.”

The authors add, “Grave symptoms with mental and physical exercise dysfunction, but no laboratory markers in Long Covid/post-Covid syndrome.”

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Categories : Diet and Nutrition Metabolic DisordersTags :

In Obesity or Not, Individuals Prefer High-calorie Food

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Calorie content drives food preference despite similar taste in individuals with and without obesity

Source: Pixabay CC0

Higher calorie foods were preferred among individuals with and without obesity despite similar taste and texture, according to a study published December 17th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Albino Oliveira-Maia from the Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal, and colleagues.

Eating sends signals to the brain with information about a food’s energy content, which can influence food preferences irrespective of flavor. People with obesity often have impairments in areas of the brain where dopamine is released, which may drive reward-related eating and a preference for energy-dense foods rich in fat and sugars. Weight loss due to bariatric surgery has been associated to a normalization of reward-related eating with a shift of preferences toward healthier options, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood.

In this study, after examining a large group of healthy volunteers, researchers compared food preferences in three groups: 11 individuals with obesity, 23 post-bariatric surgery patients, and 27 non-obese control subjects. They gave participants sweetened low-fat yogurt with and without maltodextrin (a carbohydrate that adds calories to the yogurt with no impact on taste or texture). Participants ate the yogurt at home, alternating between the maltodextrin-containing and -free yogurt. All three groups ate more of the maltodextrin-containing yogurt, despite rating both as equally pleasant. Somewhat unexpectedly, the effects of maltodextrin on yogurt consumption were similar in individuals with obesity relative to their non-obese counterparts.

The study also used radioactive iodine labelling and single photon emission computed tomography to visualise dopamine receptors in the brain. Consistent with previous studies, individuals with obesity had lower dopamine receptor availability than non-obese controls. Dopamine receptor availability was similar in the surgical and non-obese groups and was associated with more restrained eating. These results suggest that obesity-related brain changes can be reversed after bariatric surgery, potentially impacting the amount of food consumed but not necessarily the types of food preferred.

The authors add, “We were very intrigued that, while behaviour was guided towards eating yoghurts with higher energy-content, this did not seem to be a result of explicit choices, since consistent changes in pleasantness of flavours enriched with carbohydrates were not found. Importantly, this behaviour was maintained in patients with obesity and after weight-loss surgery, even though there were important differences in their brain dopaminergic system.”

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Categories : New Compounds and Treatments OphthalmologyTags :

New Potential Treatment for Inherited Blinding Disease Retinitis Pigmentosa

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Researchers used a computer screening approach to identify two compounds that could help prevent vision loss in people with a genetic eye disease

Photoreceptor cells in the retina. Credit: Scientific Animations

Two new compounds may be able to treat retinitis pigmentosa, a group of inherited eye diseases that cause blindness. The compounds, described in a study published January 14th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Beata Jastrzebska from Case Western Reserve University, US, and colleagues, were identified using a virtual screening approach.

In retinitis pigmentosa, the retina protein rhodopsin is often misfolded due to genetic mutations, causing retinal cells to die off and leading to progressive blindness. Small molecules to correct rhodopsin folding are urgently needed to treat the estimated 100 000 people in the United States with the disease. Current experimental treatments include retinoid compounds, such as synthetic vitamin A derivatives, which are sensitive to light and can be toxic, leading to several drawbacks.

In the new study, researchers utilised virtual screening to search for new drug-like molecules that bind to and stabilise the structure of rhodopsin to improve its folding and movement through the cell. Two non-retinoid compounds were identified which met these criteria and had the ability to cross the blood-brain and blood-retina barriers. The team tested the compounds in the lab and showed that they improved cell surface expression of rhodopsin in 36 of 123 genetic subtypes of retinitis pigmentosa, including the most common one. Additionally, they protected against retinal degeneration in mice with retinitis pigmentosa.

“Importantly, treatment with either compound improved the overall retina health and function in these mice by prolonging the survival of their photoreceptors,” the authors say. However, they note that additional studies of the compounds or related compounds are needed before testing the treatments in humans.

The authors add, “Inherited mutations in the rhodopsin gene cause retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a progressive and currently untreatable blinding disease. This study identifies small molecule pharmacochaperones that suppress the pathogenic effects of various rhodopsin mutants in vitro and slow photoreceptor cell death in a mouse model of RP, offering a potential new therapeutic approach to prevent vision loss.”

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Categories : Mental Health NeurologyTags :

What Happens in the Brain When a Person with Schizophrenia ‘Hears Voices’?

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Source: Pixabay

Auditory hallucinations are likely the result of abnormalities in two brain processes: a “broken” corollary discharge that fails to suppress self-generated sounds, and a “noisy” efference copy that makes the brain hear these sounds more intensely than it should. That is the conclusion of a new study published October 3rd in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Xing Tian, of New York University Shanghai, China, and colleagues.

Patients with certain mental disorders, including schizophrenia, often hear voices in the absence of sound.

Patients may fail to distinguish between their own thoughts and external voices, resulting in a reduced ability to recognise thoughts as self-generated.

In the new study, researchers carried out electroencephalogram (EEG) experiments measuring the brain waves of twenty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations and twenty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who had never experienced such hallucinations.

In general, when people are preparing to speak, their brains send a signal known as “corollary discharge” that suppresses the sound of their own voice.

However, the new study showed that when patients with auditory hallucinations were preparing to speak a syllable, their brains not only failed to suppress these internal sounds, but had an enhanced “efference copy” response to internal sounds other than the planned syllable.

The authors conclude that impairments in these two processes likely contribute to auditory hallucinations and that targeting them in the future could lead to new treatments for such hallucinations.

The authors add, “People who suffer from auditory hallucinations can ‘hear’ sounds without external stimuli. A new study suggests that impaired functional connections between motor and auditory systems in the brain mediate the loss of ability to distinguish fancy from reality.”

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Categories : AntibioticsTags :

Treatment with a Mixture of Antimicrobial Peptides can Impede Antibiotic Resistance

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Pseudomonas exposed to mixtures instead of single peptides did not gain resistance

A common infection-causing bacteria was much less likely to evolve antibiotic resistance when treated with a mixture of antimicrobial peptides rather than a single peptide, making these mixtures a viable strategy for developing new antibiotic treatments. Jens Rolff of the Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany, and colleagues report these findings in a new study publishing July 2nd in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a major threat to public health. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.27 million people died directly from drug-resistant strains in 2019 and these strains contributed to 4.95 million deaths. While bacteria naturally evolve resistance to antibiotics, misuse and overuse of these drugs has accelerated the problem, rendering many antibiotics ineffective. One emerging strategy to combat antibiotic resistance is the use of antimicrobial peptides, which are chains of amino acids that function as broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds and are key components of the innate immune system in animals, fungi and plants.

In the new study, researchers investigated whether antimicrobial peptide mixtures synthesised in the lab could reduce the risk of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa from evolving antimicrobial resistance, compared to exposure to a single antimicrobial peptide. They found that using antimicrobial peptide mixtures carried a much lower risk of the bacteria developing resistance. The mixtures also helped prevent the bacteria from developing cross-resistance to other antimicrobial drugs, while maintaining – or even improving – drug sensitivity.

Overall, the findings suggest that the use of antimicrobial peptide mixtures is a strategy worth pursuing in the search for new, longer-lasting treatments for bacteria. The researchers suspect that using a cocktail of multiple antimicrobial peptides creates a larger set of challenges for bacteria to overcome, which can potentially delay the evolution of resistance, compared to traditional antibiotics. Furthermore, these cocktails can be synthesized affordably, and previous studies have shown them to be non-toxic in mice.

Lead author Bernardo Antunes adds, “Even after four weeks of exposure, a usual treatment duration for Pseudomonas infections, we could not find resistance against our new random peptide, but against other antimicrobials.”

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Categories : HospitalsTags :

Evidence-based Design or Feng Shui in Hospital Rooms might Benefit Patients

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Image-based online study shows no benefits, however, of virtual room designs incorporating the golden ratio

In an online study, virtual hospital rooms designed according to the principles of evidence-based design or the principles of Feng Shui were associated with greater potential benefit for viewers than virtual representations of standard hospital rooms. Emma Zijlstra of Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on June 5.

Hospital designers might consider employing specific design principles in an effort to improve patients’ experiences. Growing evidence suggests there are beneficial outcomes from an approach known as evidence-based design. For instance, exposure to more daylight in hospitals is associated with lower stress and pain. Other well-known design approaches include Feng Shui, a Chinese system based on hypothetical energy flow, and the use of proportions following the golden ratio.

Despite these well-known options, experimental evidence on their relative benefits in hospitals is lacking. To help clarify, Zijlstra and colleagues randomly assigned each of 558 study participants to view online representations and information about a virtual hospital room designed with one of four approaches: Feng Shui, the golden ratio, evidence-based design or, as a control, a standard design from a real-life hospital. Only people who had previously been hospitalized at some point in their lives were invited to participate.

After experiencing the virtual rooms, participants completed a questionnaire that included standard measures of anxiety and other outcomes. Statistical analysis of their answers showed that, compared to participants who viewed the standard rooms, those who viewed rooms with evidence-based design reported less anxiety and greater senses of control, social support, distraction from negative thoughts, and pleasantness of the room.

Feng Shui design was not directly associated with lower anxiety, but participants who viewed the Feng Shui rooms did have greater senses of social support, positive distraction, and pleasantness of the room. There was no evidence for any benefits of golden ratio-based design.

On the basis of their findings, the authors suggest that rooms designed according to the principles of evidence-based design or Feng Shui might benefit patients. They note similarities between the two approaches, such as incorporation of greenery. However, they caution, it is unclear how well these online findings might translate to real-life hospital settings.

The authors add: “To our knowledge, this is the first and largest randomized controlled trial linking design principles, partly ancient and world-renowned, directly to anxiety in hospital rooms. This study showed that both Feng Shui and Evidence-Based Design are capable in effecting anxiety and it is important that large follow-up studies are conducted to examine the effect of specific design features.”

Provided by PLOS