Acute Cognitive Symptoms, Mental Health History Predict Long-Term Concussion Effects in Adults: Meta-Analysis

Canada: A recent systematic review and meta-analysis have identified several key factors that increase the likelihood of adults experiencing persistent symptoms after a concussion (PSAC), even months after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, are from a study led by Dr. Samantha J. McIntosh and colleagues from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Concussion symptoms are typically expected to resolve within weeks, yet nearly 30% of individuals with mTBI continue to experience lingering effects well beyond the initial injury. The new analysis highlights which early clinical signs may help clinicians better predict long-term outcomes in these patients.

Researchers analyzed data from 15 studies involving over 592,000 adults who had sustained a concussion. Participants’ average age was 29.3 years, with ages ranging from 16 to 89 years. The meta-analysis focused on identifying acute clinical factors—reported within one month of injury—that were associated with ongoing symptoms at 1, 3, and 6 months post-concussion.

The key findings were as follows:

  • Difficulty concentrating soon after the injury emerged as the strongest predictor of persistent post-concussion symptoms (PSAC) across all time points.
  • Individuals with a history of anxiety, depression, or sleep disorders were at a significantly higher risk of developing long-term post-concussion symptoms.
  • Clinical signs at the time of injury, such as loss of consciousness and amnesia, were also linked to an increased likelihood of PSAC.
  • Concentration difficulties more than tripled the odds of experiencing persistent symptoms.
  • Pre-existing mental health conditions or sleep disorders nearly doubled the risk of long-term post-concussion symptoms.
  • These associations remained consistent whether symptoms persisted at one month, three months, or six months after the injury.
  • Older age was investigated as a possible risk factor but did not show a strong association with PSAC, partly due to inconsistent reporting in the analyzed studies.
  • The review found significant variability in how PSAC is defined and diagnosed across studies, contributing to challenges in comparing results and high heterogeneity in the findings.

Importantly, the study focused on individuals without intracranial abnormalities, meaning its conclusions may differ from prior research involving broader populations.

Despite these limitations, the authors believe that evaluating specific acute symptoms—particularly cognitive difficulties and a history of mental health or sleep disorders—can greatly enhance clinical decision-making and inform prognosis for patients with mTBI. They recommend that future research should further refine predictive models for PSAC and explore how combinations of risk factors may help guide personalized care.

The authors concluded, “By identifying at-risk patients early, clinicians may be better equipped to target interventions and potentially mitigate the long-term impact of concussion.”

Reference:

McIntosh SJ, Vergeer MH, Galarneau J, Eliason PH, Debert CT. Factors Associated With Persisting Symptoms After Concussion in Adults With Mild TBI: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(6):e2516619. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.16619

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Prophylactic Antibiotics Reduce SSI Only in Open Pyloromyotomy Cases

Researchers identified that the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics in infants who are having pyloromyotomy might not always prevent surgical site infections (SSI) but could reduce infection incidence significantly in those that have open surgical repair. The study was published in the journal of Annals of Surgery by Kerri A. and colleagues.

To explain these variations in practice, data from 6,093 infants who had pyloromyotomy between January 2021 and December 2023 at 148 hospitals in the NSQIP-Pediatric program were analyzed. The researchers contrasted outcomes among patients who received prophylactic antibiotics with those who did not, using patient-level propensity matching and mixed-effects models.

The study team utilized a strong multicenter design to facilitate generalizability of findings. Propensity-matched comparisons that controlled for patient factors and hospital clusters were utilized to contrast infection outcomes. The study also had a hospital-level analysis to examine if institutional rates of prophylaxis were related to better SSI rates. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore separately infants that received laparoscopic versus open pyloromyotomy and to give a detailed insight regarding surgical approach effect on outcomes.

Key Findings

  • The cohort of 6,093 infants had 46.6% who were given prophylactic antibiotics.

  • Of the matched cohorts (2,591 per group), SSI was found in 1.6% (38 infants) of the no-prophylaxis group and 1.1% (28 infants) in the prophylaxis group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.37–1.01), hinting at a lack of overall statistically significant benefit.

  • Institutional usage of antibiotics wasn’t associated with decreased SSI rates (Spearman ρ = 0.11, P = 0.13), which means that increased prophylaxis use at the hospital level didn’t result in improved outcomes.

Laparoscopic pyloromyotomy subgroup:

  • SSI rate: 1.1% both in prophylaxis and non-prophylaxis groups, OR: 0.96 (95% CI: 0.55–1.69), which means no benefit from prophylaxis

Open pyloromyotomy subgroup:

  • SSI rate: 5.1% in no-prophylaxis group vs 1.9% in prophylaxis group, OR: 0.36 (95% CI: 0.14–0.93), demonstrating marked reduction in infections with antibiotics

This multicenter analysis offers important information regarding the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in infant pyloromyotomy. These results warrant a selective approach to prophylaxis, reserving antibiotics for more susceptible open cases over a broad blanket application for all patients. This individualized approach may enhance outcomes with less unnecessary antibiotic use in infants.

Reference:

McKie KA, Moturu A, Graham DA, Coleman M, Huang R, Grant C, Saito JM, Hall BL, Cina RA, Newland JG, Ko C, Rangel SJ. Prophylactic Antibiotic use and Outcomes in Infants Undergoing Pyloromyotomy: A Multicenter Propensity Matched Cohort Analysis. Ann Surg. 2025 Jun 20. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006806. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40539274.

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Probiotics Show Benefits in Periodontitis Management, reveals meta-analysis

Researchers have found in an umbrella meta-analysis that probiotics supplementation may positively influence periodontal health by improving Bleeding on Probing (BOP) and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) in individuals undergoing treatment for periodontitis.

Probiotics supplementation has many beneficial impacts on periodontitis outcomes. This umbrella meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of probiotics in treating periodontitis, focusing on primary outcome measures, including reductions in probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and PDD reduction in medium and deep pockets. All meta-analyses evaluating the impact of probiotics supplementation on periodontitis outcomes were considered eligible. A random-effects model was employed to estimate the pooled results. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the AMSTAR2 tool. Overall, 19 meta-analyses with 67 data sets were included in this umbrella review. Our findings indicated that probiotics supplementation significantly decreased BOP (effect size [ES]: −8.20; 95% CI: −15.10 to −1.31; P = .02) and CAL after sensitivity analysis (ES: −0.52; 95% CI: −0.75 to −0.28; P < .05). No other significant effect was observed on PPD, PI, GI, or PDD reduction in medium and deep pockets. This umbrella meta-analysis found that, during their treatment process, probiotics supplementation may positively affect BOP and CAL in people with periodontitis.

Reference:

Junfeng Tan, Dan Zhang, Li Cheng, Ning Liu, Mehrdad Jamali, Helen Jamloo, Rosana Farjaminejad, Changjiang Lei, Ahmad Saedisomeolia, Abdolreza Jamilian, The Impacts of Probiotics Supplementation on the Treatment of Periodontitis: An Umbrella Meta-Analysis, Nutrition Reviews, 2025;, nuae190, https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae190

Keywords:

Probiotics, Show, Benefits, Periodontitis, Management, reveals, meta-analysis, probiotics, periodontitis, oral flora, umbrella meta-analysis, Junfeng Tan, Dan Zhang, Li Cheng, Ning Liu, Mehrdad Jamali, Helen Jamloo, Rosana Farjaminejad, Changjiang Lei, Ahmad Saedisomeolia, Abdolreza Jamilian, Nutrition Reviews

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A new blood test may detect leukemia risk and replace bone marrow sampling

What if a blood test could reveal the pace of our aging – and the diseases that may lie ahead? The labs of Profs. Liran Shlush and Amos Tanay at the Weizmann Institute of Science have been conducting in-depth studies into the biology of blood to better understand the aging process and why some people become more susceptible to disease over the years. Their research teams, made up of physicians, biologists and data scientists, have been tracking changes in the blood-forming stem cells, including the emergence of genetic changes in these cells in about one-third of people over the age of 40. These changes not only increase the risk of blood cancers such as leukemia, but have also been linked to heart disease, diabetes and other age-related conditions.

In a new study published today (Friday) in Nature Medicine – just days after their labs were severely damaged in an Iranian missile attack – Shlush and Tanay present findings that may lead to an innovative blood test for detecting a person’s risk of developing leukemia. This test may potentially replace the invasive diagnostic procedure of bone marrow sampling.

The study focused on myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), an age-related condition in which blood stem cells fail to properly mature into functional blood cells. Diagnosing MDS and assessing its severity is crucial, as it can lead to severe anemia and may progress to acute myeloid leukemia, one of the most common blood cancers in adults. Until now, diagnosis has relied on bone marrow sampling, a procedure that requires local anesthesia and can cause discomfort or pain.

In the new study, a research team led by Dr. Nili Furer, Nimrod Rappoport and Oren Milman, in collaboration with physicians and researchers in Israel and the United States, showed that rare blood stem cells – which occasionally exit the bone marrow and enter the bloodstream – carry diagnostic information about MDS. The researchers demonstrated that with a simple blood test and advanced single-cell genetic sequencing, it is possible to identify early signs of the syndrome and even assess a person’s risk of developing blood cancer.

The researchers also discovered that the migrating stem cells can serve as a clock for our chronological age, and that in males, their population changes earlier than in women in a way that increases the risk of cancer. This finding may explain the higher prevalence of blood cancers among men. The scientists believe that using the test to diagnose MDS and leukemia is only the beginning, and that in the future it could be applied to a range of other blood-related disorders. The current findings are already being tested in a large-scale clinical trial at several medical centers around the world.

In addition to his laboratory research, Shlush is also a senior physician at Assuta Medical Center in Ashdod and at Maccabi Healthcare Services, and he heads the newly established Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Medical School at the Weizmann Institute. The school was founded to address the emerging needs and challenges of the worlds of medicine and research and to bridge, as much as possible, the gap between today’s science and tomorrow’s medicine. Unlike existing programs around the world that combine medicine with research, the new program is expected to unify and intertwine the clinical and research components. The school is scheduled to open its doors for the first time this coming October and aims to train the next generation of physician-scientists.

Reference:

Furer, N., Rappoport, N., Milman, O. et al. A reference model of circulating hematopoietic stem cells across the lifespan with applications to diagnostics. Nat Med (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03716-5.

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UP NEET MDS 2025 admissions- Internship deadline extended

Uttar Pradesh- Through a notice, Uttar Pradesh Director General, Medical Education & Training (UPDGME) has released important information regarding the eligibility for UP National Eligibility and Entrance-Master of Dental Surgery (NEET MDS) Counselling for the academic year 2025.

As per the notice, the internship deadline has been extended for the Eligibility of the candidates who are willing to participate in the UP NEET MDS counselling 2025. According to the notice, “Only those candidates will be eligible to participate in the counselling of NEET MDS 2025, whose internship is being completed on June  31, 2025”.

Also Read: UP DGME Releases NEET MDS 2025 Seat Matrix: 700 Seats Vacant Across 25 Dental Colleges

Earlier, the deadline for March 31st 2025.

The NEET MDS 2025 1st round of Online Counselling will end on 14th July 2025. Below is the detailed schedule-

SCHEDULE

S.NO

DESCRIPTION

DATE & TIME

TOTAL DAYS

1

Date of online registration

01st July 2025 (From 11:00 AM) to 04th July 2025 (Till 11:00 AМ)

03 days

2

Date of depositing registration fee and security Fee

01st July 2025 (From 11:00 AM) to 04th July 2025 (Till 2:00 PM)

04 days

3

Date of declaration of merit list

04th July 2025

01 days

4

Date of online choice filling

04th July 2025 (From 5:00 PM) to 07th July 2025 (Till 5:00 PM )

03 days

5

Date of declaration of the result of seat allotment

08th July 2025

01 days

6

The date for downloading allotment letters and the admission process.

09th July 2025 to 12th July 2025 & 14th July 2025

05 days

Meanwhile, UPDGME has recently released the seat matrix for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET PG) Counselling for the Master of Dental Courses (MDS) courses for the academic year 2025. On this, Medical Dialogues has reported that as per the seat matrix, a total of 700 seats are vacant across 25 dental Colleges of Uttar Pradesh.

To view the notice, click the link below

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/updgme-293103.pdf

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Kerala MDS Admissions 2025 registrations open, Check out tuition fees at govt, private dental colleges

Kerala- The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) Kerala is inviting allotment to Postgraduate (PG) Dental Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) Courses, Kerala for the academic year 2025. In this regard, CEE Kerala has issued a notification detailing the schedule, list of Colleges included in the Allotment, fees and other important details.

As per the notification, the activities related to the first phase of centralized allotment to Post Graduate Dental (MDS) Courses for the year 2025 have commenced. Therefore, for the first phase of allotment, candidates must register the online options on or before 06 July 2025, 11:59 PM.

Also Read: CEE Kerala Invites Applications for DNB Post Diploma Courses 2025, Check complete admission details

To register for the 1st phase of allotment, which is to be published by the CEE, candidates have to click ‘PG Dental 2025- Candidate Portal’ available on the official website of CEE Kerala and enter their Application Number and Password in order to access their home page. The candidates can register their options online by clicking the menu ‘Option Registration’ available in the home page. A security deposit / option registration fee of Rs. 10,000/- will have to be paid at the time of option registration. For SC/ST/OEC and other candidates who are eligible for fee concession, Rs 5000/- will also have to be paid as security deposit.

However, the registration fee once paid will not be allowed to change at any instance. The registration fee of those candidates who do not get allotment will be refunded after the completion of entire counseling process. The registration fee will be adjusted to the course fee if a candidate gets allotment. The registration fee of those candidates who do not join within the stipulated time after getting the allotment and those candidates who quit the seats after taking admission will be considered as penalty and will not be refunded.

In the second phase counseling, there is no facility for fresh option registration for the candidates. Only option confirmation/deletion/rearrangement of the existing valid options is possible. Option confirmation is compulsory to participate in the second phase of the allotment process.

Option registration will be available only to any new course/college added to the allotment process at this stage. If a candidate is allotted a seat in the first phase and joined the allotted seat, his/her higher options will be retained and all those options listed below the allotted option will automatically be deleted thus enabling only upgradation/retention of the same seat. After the first two phases of counseling, third/final phase counseling will start, which offers fresh option registration to candidates.

The conversion of seats if any will be carried out during the final phase of allotment. A fresh option registration fee will be implemented to all candidates, who register fresh options in the final phase. After the final phase allotment, if any vacancies exist or arise, those vacancies shall be filled through Stray vacancy filling allotment.

Meanwhile, candidates can give options as per their priority of the Course/College/Quota combinations in the option list. A candidate need only give options to a Course-College combination if he/she is sure to join the course and college, under the chosen quota, if allotted. Options registered online alone will be considered for allotment to the courses. Options sent to the Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations via Post/Fax/Email will not be processed /considered for allotment to the courses.

Candidates who seek admission under Minority/NRI quota in Self Financing Dental Colleges shall have to register options online to the desired courses/colleges/quota, during the time of online option registration for first phase itself. The nativity/community/category claims (including Minority/NRI/In-service quota) made by the candidates in the online application will be rejected, if the required documents are not uploaded to the online application within the stipulated time.

The allotment to service quota seats will be conducted during the subsequent phases of allotment. However, those service quota candidates who wish to get allotment other than service quota seats should give options in this phase itself. Candidates who do not register Minority/NRI quota options, shall not be considered for allotment under Minority/NRI quota even if they are included in the respective category lists.

LIST OF COLLEGES INCLUDED IN THE ALLOTMENT

S.NO

COLLEGE NAME

TUITION FEES

GOVERNMENT DENTAL COLLEGES

1

Govt.Dental College, Kozhikode.

52100

2

Govt.Dental College, Kottayam.

52100

3

Govt.Dental College, Thiruvananthapuram

52100

SEF-FINANCING DENTAL COLLEGES

85 percent seats

10 percent seats

1

Annoor Dental College, Ernakulam.

850000

1500000

2

Sree Anjaneya Institute of Dental Sciences, Kozhikkode

850000

1500000

3

Educare Dental College, Malappuram.

850000

1500000

4

KMCT Dental College, Kozhikode.

850000

1500000

5

Mar Baselios Dental College, Ernakulam.

850000

1500000

6

MES Dental College, Malappuram.

850000

1500000

7

Malabar Dental College, Malappuram.

850000

1500000

8

Pushpagiri College of Dental Science, Thiruvalla.

850000

1500000

9

PMS College of Dental Science & Research Centre, Thiruvananthapuram

850000

1500000

10

PSM College of Dental Science& Research, Trichur.

850000

1500000

11

Royal Dental College, Palakkad.

850000

1500000

12

St. Gregorios Dental College, Ernakulam.

850000

1500000

13

Sri Sankara Dental College, Thiruvananthapuram.

850000

1500000

To view the notification, click the link below

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/cee-kerala-begins-pg-dental-mds-2025-allotment-process-register-now-293124.pdf

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Growing crisis of communicable disease in Canada in tandem with US cuts

Canada must address the growing crisis of communicable diseases that has occurred in tandem with a rise in misinformation that threatens our health systems, argue the authors in an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

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‘Inflammatory’ diet during pregnancy may raise child’s diabetes type 1 risk

A diet high in foods with the potential to promote low-grade inflammation during pregnancy may raise that child’s risk of developing type 1 diabetes, suggests Danish research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

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Virtual reality software uncovers new details in pediatric heart tumors

New cutting-edge software developed in Melbourne can help uncover how the most common heart tumor in children forms and changes. And the technology has the potential to further our understanding of other childhood diseases, according to a new study.

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Women 65+ still at heightened risk of cervical cancer caused by HPV, study finds

Women aged 65 and above are still at heightened risk of cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), suggest the findings of a large observational study published in Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Medicine.

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