Clinical intelligence & editorial.

PLOS

Rapid, label-free surface plasmon resonance discrimination between Bothrops and Crotalus venoms using clinical antivenom as the capture reagent

Snake envenoming is recognized as a global health problem, affecting thousands of people every year. One of the main challenges in addressing this issue is the correct identification and treatment of these envenomations, particularly in locations where people do not have easy access to hospitals. In Brazil, the genus Bothrops is responsible for the majority of envenomations, followed by Crotalus. This study reports a simple methodology for detecting crude venom from snakes of the genus Bothrops,...

Reagents

Ely S. F. Borges, Jomar S. Vasconcelos, Arthur A. Melo, Fernanda C. C. L. Loureiro, Karla P. O. Luna, Antonio M. N. Lima• January 6, 2026

PLOS

Validity of the International Fitness Scale (IFIS) and its associations with cardiometabolic health and body composition in adults with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study

Aims: To assess the validity of the International Fitness Scale (IFIS) for evaluating cardiorespiratory fitness compared to the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) (criterion validity) and to examine associations with cardiometabolic and body composition outcomes (construct validity). Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 282 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (mean age 63.6 ± 8.1 years, 37.9% women). Self-reported fitness was assessed using IFIS, including overall, cardiorespirato...

Body Composition

Ángel Herraiz-Adillo, Karin Rådholm, Fredrik Iredahl, Carl-Johan Carlhäll, Nahuel Roemkens, Mikael Forsgren, Olof Dahlqvist Leinhard, Peter Lundberg, Stergios Kechagias, Nils Dahlström, Patrik Nasr, Mattias Ekstedt, Pontus Henriksson• January 6, 2026

PLOS

Impact of improved stove intervention on infant acute respiratory infections: Results from a randomized trial in Northwest Ethiopia

Background: Globally, millions of young children affected by acute respiratory infections every year, which is the leading cause of death and serious illness among children. Though strategies, including promoting improved stoves, have been implemented to combat this public health challenge, the effectiveness of local improved stoves introduced during pregnancy in reducing household air pollution and related respiratory illnesses remains limited. Method: Following the main trial randomization, 34...

Respiratory

Habtamu Demelash Enyew, Abebe Beyene Hailu, Seid Tiku Mereta• January 6, 2026

PLOS

Association between body image satisfaction and depressive symptoms among young women in the UAE with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Non-PCOS: A comparative quantitative cross-sectional study

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common conditions affecting women of reproductive age, significantly impacting both physical and psychological well-being, often leading to depressive symptoms and lower body image satisfaction. The prevalence of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome among women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is increasing. However, the psychological effects of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on women in the UAE remain underexplored due to cultural sensitivities s...

Pcos

Shaima Abdrahman AlMekhlafi, Maria Susana Campo-Redondo• January 6, 2026

PLOS

Impact of MED12 mutation and CDK8 activity on uterine leiomyoma growth and response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment

MED12 exon 2 mutation is the most frequent mutation associated with uterine leiomyomas. MED12 wild-type leiomyomas have a higher growth potential than mutant leiomyomas, suggesting that the mutation limits leiomyoma growth. MED12 forms a complex with CDK8 and is involved in the phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II, playing a role in transcriptional regulation. However, its mechanism of action in leiomyoma growth is not clear. We aimed to clarify the relationship between MED12 mutation status, re...

Hormone

Saki Tanioka, Ryoko Asano, Yukihide Ota, Koichi Nagai, Katsuya Takenaka, Taichi Mizushima, Yohei Miyagi, Etsuko Miyagi• January 6, 2026

PLOS

The association between rural/urban residence status and patient-reported outcomes in individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Rural residency is associated with a disproportionate burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and poorer COPD health outcomes. While increasing focus has been placed on the influence of rural/urban residence on clinical outcomes, little is known about the impact of rural versus urban residency status on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in individuals with COPD, despite the use of PROMs to tailor interventions and treatments to individual patient needs. Objec...

Copd

McKenzie Granata Green, Laurie L. Meschke, Thankam Sunil, Javiette Samuel, Kristina W. Kintziger, Phoebe M. Tran• January 6, 2026

PLOS

Barriers and facilitators to antibiotic stewardship in Nigeria’s private healthcare sector: A qualitative interview study with national health and regulatory interest holders

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a growing global health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Nigeria, where stewardship efforts have largely overlooked the private healthcare sector. Given that most Nigerians seek care from private providers, understanding the barriers and opportunities for implementing antibiotic stewardship programs in this setting is critical. We conducted a qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews with 14 interest h...

Antibiotic

Aaya Mahdi, Sarah Pascale Ngassa Detchaptche, Joel Shyam Klinton, Nnakelu Eriobu, Blessing Uche, Nawal Maredia, Charity Oga-Omenka, Giorgia Sulis• January 6, 2026

PLOS

Safety and therapeutic potential evaluation of Cefotaxime plus Polymyxin B against polymyxin-carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a murine model

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity and antibacterial efficacy of Cefotaxime/Polymyxin B combination (CTX/PMB) against a polymyxin-carbapenem-resistant (PC-R) Klebsiella pneumoniae strain, using a mice model. Methods and results: A single-dose toxicity assay was conducted in BALB/c mice, divided into control and CTX/PMB-treated groups receiving low, medium, or high CTX doses. Body weight, food, and water intake were monitored for 14 days. After euthanasia, organ weights and pla...

Klebsiella Pneumonia

Mariana Carvalho Sturaro, Nathalia da Silva Damaceno, Gleyce Hellen de Almeida de Souza, José Eduardo Souza Echeverria, Ediane Bortolotte Cornelius, Luccas Pereira Pires, Pedro Vinícius Dias Bassetto Silva, Bárbara Maria Cristaldo Gomes, Thiago Leite Fraga, Osmar Nascimento Silva, Luana Rossato, Simone Simionatto• January 5, 2026

PLOS

Prevalence and morphometry of the fabella in cadaveric and radiological studies: Is there a link to knee osteoarthritis?

Objective: To investigate the morphometric features of the fabella in cadaveric specimens and evaluate its prevalence and potential association with knee osteoarthritis through radiological analysis. Methods: In the cadaveric study, 65 knees from 32 cadavers and 3 leg specimens were dissected. Fabellas were measured and analyzed histologically. In the radiological study, bilateral knee X-rays of 1712 patients with osteoarthritis and 2304 control subjects were retrospectively reviewed. The presen...

Osteoarthritis

Ebru Yolaçan, Nurcan Ercıktı, Barış Baykal, Uğur Bozlar, Necdet Kocabıyık, Mehmet Ali Güner, Necati Salman, Ayşe Özdemir, Mislina Utlu, Laçin Ramazanlı• January 5, 2026

PLOS

Correction: Perceptions and practices of community pharmacists towards the use of short-acting beta-2 agonists inhalers in Malaysia: A cross-sectional survey

The Funding statement for this article is incorrect. The correct Funding statement is as follows: The study was supported by the Research and Innovation Division (RMCO) of Universiti Sains Malaysia through a Short Term Research Grant [reference number 304/PFARMASI/6315769].

Pharmacist

Zhe Chi Loh, Rabia Hussain, Bayan Faisal Ababneh, Jaya Muneswarao, Siew Chin Ong, Anees ur-Rehman, Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar• January 5, 2026

PLOS

Predictors and prevalence of labor pain management practice at West Guji zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2024

Childbirth is a painful experience for most women, and many require assistance with pain relief. Strategies for managing labor pain include both non-pharmacological and pharmacological intervention. Childbirth is a painful experience for almost all women. The pain that women experience during labor is affected by multiple physiological and psychosocial factors and its intensity can vary greatly. Most women in labor require pain relief. This study aimed to evaluate the practices of managing labor...

Pain Management

Misgana Desalegn Menesho, Girma Tufa Melesse• January 5, 2026

PLOS

Research on the establishment of a four-classification model for breast mass ultrasound images based on transfer learning

Breast mass classification via ultrasound is critical for early diagnosis but remains challenging due to overlapping morphological features. This study evaluates the efficacy of optimized transfer learning (TL) based on deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) in distinguishing four breast mass categories: invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), fibroadenoma (FA), mucinous carcinoma (MC), and inflammatory mass (IM). Our approach comprises four key steps: (1) applying extensive data augmentation to a...

Ultrasound

Jinlao Li, Bo Zhao, YongQi Chen, Guang Wang, XueLiang Tian, ShuYu Zhou• January 5, 2026