PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the preoperative psychological status of adult patients with equinocavovarus foot deformity and to examine the association between preoperative anxiety/depressive symptoms and the clinical outcomes of corrective surgery in this population.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 103 adult patients who underwent corrective surgery for equinocavovarus foot at Xi’an Honghui Hospital between March 2014 and July 2023. Baseline data were collected. Patient psychological status, ankle-hindfoot function, pain, and quality of life were assessed preoperatively and at the final follow-up using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Based on preoperative HADS scores, patients were categorized into an anxiety/depression group (Group A) and a non-anxiety/depression group (Group B). The two groups were compared with respect to baseline characteristics (gender, age, disease duration, BMI, follow-up duration), clinical outcomes, and the degree of improvement in all assessment metrics.ResultsA total of 83 patients completed the follow-up, among whom 38 (45.78%) exhibited preoperative anxiety/depression symptoms. No significant differences were found in baseline characteristics between the two groups (all P > 0.05). At the final follow-up, both groups showed significant improvement in VAS, AOFAS, SF-36 (PCS/MCS), and HADS (A/D) scores compared to their preoperative baselines (all P < 0.001). Intergroup comparisons revealed that Group A had significantly lower AOFAS and SF-36 (PCS/MCS) scores, and significantly higher VAS and HADS (A/D) scores than Group B, both preoperatively and at the final follow-up (all P < 0.001). Regarding the degree of improvement, Group A demonstrated a smaller magnitude of improvement in VAS (P < 0.01), AOFAS (P < 0.01), and SF-36 PCS (P < 0.001) compared to Group B. Conversely, Group A showed a greater improvement in SF-36 MCS and HADS (A/D) scores (all P < 0.001).ConclusionsWhile surgery improved all outcomes, patients with preoperative anxiety/depression exhibited persistently worse clinical scores. Their improvement profile was distinct: smaller gains in pain and physical function but greater mental health improvement. Addressing preoperative psychological status may optimize comprehensive outcomes.
The conversing military chaplain: time allocation, task salience, and competencies among Swedish military chaplains
Military chaplaincy is an established yet multifaceted practice within military organizations and is exposed to particular stressors such as the use of violence, ethical dilemmas, loss, and existential vulnerability. This study examines how a Swedish normative framework for Military Soul Care (ACCES: advisory role, command and crisis support, ceremonies, education, and soul care conversations) interacts with Swedish military chaplains’ own experiences of what they perceive as most important and meaningful in their mission. The empirical material consists of qualitative questionnaire data collected in 2025 from 50 military chaplains. The material was analyzed using an abductive approach and organized thematically. The results show that conversations constitute the task to which the greatest amount of time is devoted across both main categories of military chaplains, and that conversations are understood broadly, ranging from informal everyday interactions to confidential individual soul care conversations. Various forms of ceremonies and crisis support related to death and grief were experienced as particularly meaningful and reflect a clearly articulated priestly identity. Educational tasks varied between categories, with time constraints and organizational priorities limiting opportunities depending on context. A central finding is that presence within the organization, aimed at building relationships and trust, emerges as a decisive prerequisite and contributes to many chaplains working beyond their contracted hours. The importance of presence is not explicitly articulated in the ACCES framework but rather permeates the mission implicitly. Against the backdrop of a changed security environment, the findings illustrate that ecclesial priestly competencies related to crisis response, death, grief, and funeral expertise constitute a particularly vital resource in situations of crisis and war.
Inducible, split base editors for in vivo cancer functional genomics
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03077-5
Inducible base editors enhance cancer genomic screens in vivo.
Artificial allosteric protein switches with machine-learning-designed receptors
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03081-9
Allosteric biosensors are constructed by combining reporter proteins with machine-learning-designed receptor domains.
Structure-centric searching enables global mapping of the public metabolome
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03082-8
StructureMASST enables pan-repository MS/MS searches using a chemical name or structure.
Rapid expansion of genotype D1.1 A(H5N1) influenza viruses in wild birds across North America during the 2024 migratory season
Nature Medicine, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04300-1
Using active and passive genomic surveillance, researchers observed the rapid spread of high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 D1.1 viruses in wild birds during the 2024 migratory season, which coincided with detection in humans, but did not identify mammalian adaptive markers in viruses from wild birds.
Closing the gap on antifungal resistance
Nature Medicine, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04334-5
Drug-resistant fungal disease must be addressed in the 2026 update to the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance
An acetylated Tau-174 CSF biomarker discriminates between TDP-43 and tau pathology in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Nature Medicine, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04341-6
A new cerebrospinal fluid biomarker, AcTau174, was elevated in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TAR DNA-binding protein (FTLD-TDP), distinguishing this pathology from FTLD-Tau, and was associated with disease severity and progression in FTLD-TDP.
Proteomic risk score for early prediction of kidney disease progression in individuals with APOL1 high-risk genotypes
Nature Medicine, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04337-2
For individuals with APOL1 high-risk genotypes, which are enriched in individuals of African ancestry, a nine-protein proteomic risk score enables early prediction of kidney disease progression and may, thereby, enable early intervention.
Amyloid-β-driven glymphatic dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease model mice is driven by Ca2+-mediated increases in astrocytic cholesterol
Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02261-9
This study uncovers how amyloid-β boosts astrocyte calcium activity, increasing cholesterol and disrupting brain waste clearance in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model. Targeting astrocyte calcium or cholesterol restores clearance and improves cognition.