CARDIOLOGY

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a common heart valve disorder characterized by thickening, fibrosis, and mineralization of the aortic valve leaflets. Age and congenital bicuspid aortic valve morphology are important risk factors, while additional risk is conferred by elevated blood pressure, plasma lipoprotein(a) levels, obesity, and diabetes. Genetic and molecular studies have identified signaling pathways involved in valvular cell commitment to a fibrocalcific lineage. Interactions between valvular cells and immune cells promote CAVD development. No medical therapy effectively reduces or prevents CAVD, but studies have started to identify actionable targets.

Understanding Calcific Aortic Valve Disease (CAVD): Risk Factors, Pathogenesis, and Emerging Therapeutic Targets

PSYCHIATRY

A self-report tool demonstrates promising reliability and validity for assessing developmental trauma symptoms in adolescents.

Self-Report Measure for Developmental Trauma Disorder in Adolescents

A study involving 444 Portuguese adolescents aged 11–16 years evaluated the psychometric properties of a self-report measure for Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD). The measure demonstrated good-to-excellent reliability, factorial validity, and convergent and discriminant validity. Partial scalar invariance across sexes also supports its use for assessing DTD symptoms in male and female adolescents.

ONCOLOGY

Study explores how leukocyte-associated RNA retention influences platelet-based liquid biopsy and machine learning cancer detection.

Leukocyte RNA Retention and Platelet-Based Cancer Detection

A study analysing 2,351 human RNA samples investigated how leukocyte-associated RNA retention affects platelet transcriptomic profiling and machine learning-based cancer detection. Although leukocyte-derived signals slightly improved diagnostic performance in some models, their addition to the full-cohort classifier minimally changed the AUC (0.9247 to 0.9249). The findings highlight the importance of considering leukocyte RNA retention when developing platelet-based liquid biopsy tests.

Study reveals potential immunosuppressive features of normalized tumour endothelium, with implications for cancer immunotherapy

Vascular Normalization and Immune Suppression in Cancer

An experimental breast cancer study found that vascular normalization associated with endothelial Shb deficiency reduced vascular leakage but unexpectedly induced immunosuppressive gene expression patterns. Similar changes were observed in human breast cancer endothelium, with comparable findings in lung and colorectal cancers. These results suggest that normalizing tumour blood vessels may have complex effects on immune responses, with important implications for optimizing cancer immunotherapy combinations.

NEUROLOGY

Deep learning model predicts regional brain tau burden from MRI, potentially improving accessible Alzheimer's disease assessment.

Deep Learning Uses MRI to Predict Tau Burden in Alzheimer's Disease

A deep learning model demonstrated the ability to predict regional tau accumulation in Alzheimer's disease using MRI scans, potentially reducing reliance on specialised tau PET imaging. Evaluated across multiple independent cohorts, the model achieved correlations of 0.72 and 0.71 for early and late tau uptake regions, respectively, with AUCs of 0.87 and 0.88 for identifying tau positivity. The approach could support more accessible tau-informed risk stratification and clinical assessment.

INO-3107 induces HPV-specific T-cell responses and reduces surgical procedures in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

INO-3107 Shows Sustained Benefits in Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis

A Phase 1/2 study found that INO-3107, an investigational DNA immunotherapy targeting HPV-6/11, generated sustained virus-specific T-cell responses in adults with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). Mean annual surgeries declined from 4.1 before treatment to 1.7 in Year 1 and 0.9 in Year 2. The treatment was well tolerated, with no treatment-related serious adverse events, suggesting potential long-term clinical benefit.

Clinical prediction models show potential for identifying incident and recurrent fall risk in Parkinson's disease.

Clinical Models Predict Fall Risk in Parkinson's Disease

A study published in Annals of Neurology (2026) developed and externally validated clinical models to predict falls in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Models incorporating motor function, cognition, depression, and disease severity demonstrated moderate predictive accuracy for both incident and recurrent falls. High-risk groups had fall rates of 18.5% and 65.0%, respectively. Imaging and fluid biomarkers offered limited additional predictive value during external validation.

PULMONOLOGY

Parents support smart inhalers for childhood asthma management, highlighting affordability, usability, and setup support as key considerations.

mart Inhalers May Support Medication Adherence in Children With Asthma

A qualitative study exploring the perspectives of 10 parents of children aged 5–8 years with uncontrolled asthma found generally positive attitudes towards smart inhalers. Parents valued medication-use monitoring, reminders, and reliable adherence data that could be shared with healthcare providers. However, technology-related difficulties, affordability, and the need for initial setup support emerged as important barriers to adoption.

PEDIATRICS

Study links parental strictness with lower inspiratory muscle strength in children with cystic fibrosis.

Parenting Style May Influence Respiratory Muscle Strength in Children With Cystic Fibrosis

A study involving 35 children with cystic fibrosis (CF) investigated associations between parenting styles, perceived social support, and functional health outcomes. Greater parental strictness and supervision were independently associated with lower inspiratory muscle strength. Although overall perceived social support showed a positive association with exercise capacity in adjusted analysis, the relationship was not statistically significant in the overall model. The findings highlight the potential influence of family dynamics on comprehensive CF management.

UROLOGY

Electroacupuncture may improve symptoms of stress urinary incontinence in women, although evidence remains limited.

Electroacupuncture for Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials involving women with mild-to-moderate stress urinary incontinence (SUI) found that electroacupuncture may reduce urine leakage and improve symptom scores. Compared with sham electroacupuncture, medication, or pelvic floor muscle training, electroacupuncture showed promising benefits, including potentially better long-term outcomes. However, the evidence remains limited due to small sample sizes, methodological concerns, and the restriction of included studies to Chinese populations.

DENTISTRY

Large cohort study identifies risk factors and timing of endodontic treatment following dental restorations.

Risk Factors for Root Canal Treatment After Dental Restoration

A large Swedish cohort study involving 271,368 restored teeth from 160,393 patients found that 5.7% subsequently required endodontic treatment during follow-up of up to 10 years. Nearly 30% of these treatments occurred within the first year after restoration. Direct restorations, younger age, and posterior tooth location were associated with a higher likelihood of subsequent endodontic treatment. Additionally, teeth requiring endodontic treatment had a 6.41-fold higher hazard of eventual extraction compared with teeth that did not require such treatment.

DERMATOLOGY

Review highlights potential eyelid changes associated with prostaglandin-based eyelash and eyebrow growth products.

Eyelash Growth Serums and Prostaglandin-Associated Periorbitopathy

A narrative review highlights the potential adverse effects of topical prostaglandin analogues used in eyelash and eyebrow growth products. These agents may cause prostaglandin-associated periorbitopathy (PAP), characterized by periorbital fat atrophy, deepening of the upper eyelid sulcus, eyelid ptosis, and skin hyperpigmentation. The review also raises concerns about inadequate labelling and regulatory oversight of over-the-counter eyelash serums, emphasizing the need for improved patient education and clinical awareness.

Study identifies sex-specific factors associated with urinary incontinence among community-dwelling older adults.

Urinary Incontinence Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors in Older Adults

A population-based study involving 1,213 community-dwelling older adults in São Paulo, Brazil, found that urinary incontinence (UI) was more prevalent among women than men (30.04% vs. 18.33%). Cardiovascular disease and functional disability were independently associated with UI in both sexes. Among women, cognitive decline was also associated with higher odds of UI, while better physical and mental quality-of-life scores were linked to lower odds. The findings highlight the importance of considering multiple health factors when assessing UI in older adults.

Review highlights the clinical role of calcium silicates and the emerging potential of scaffold-based biomaterials in pulp regeneration.

Scaffold-Based Biomaterials and Calcium Silicates in Vital Pulp Therapy

A systematic review of 11 studies found that calcium-silicate biomaterials support pulpal vitality and reparative dentine formation in vital pulp therapy (VPT). Scaffold-based approaches demonstrated promising regenerative effects, including angiogenesis and odontogenic differentiation, but evidence remains limited to preclinical animal studies. Further clinical research is needed to establish their effectiveness in regenerating the dentine–pulp complex.

Higher CALLY index levels are associated with a lower risk of incident COPD, highlighting the role of immuno-nutritional status.

CALLY Index and Risk of Incident COPD: Findings From UK Biobank

A prospective UK Biobank study involving 292,945 participants found that a higher C-reactive protein–albumin–lymphocyte (CALLY) index was associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Over 13.6 years of follow-up, each unit increase in ln-CALLY was associated with a 17% reduction in COPD risk. The association followed an L-shaped pattern, highlighting the potential role of immuno-nutritional status in respiratory health.

Real-world study finds BGF triple therapy improves COPD symptoms and quality of life while reducing exacerbation rates.

Real-World Effectiveness of Budesonide/Glycopyrronium/Formoterol in COPD

A prospective, multicentre observational study involving 571 patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Germany and the UK found that budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol (BGF) fixed-dose combination improved respiratory health status and quality of life. At 3 months, COPD Assessment Test scores improved by 3.28 points, with 58.2% of patients achieving the minimum clinically important difference. Annualised exacerbation rates decreased by 40% over 12 months, supporting the effectiveness of BGF in routine clinical practice.

Calcific aortic valve dis...

Calcific aortic valve disease: mechanisms, prevention and treatment