Tag: Academic research

Posted on

Antibody Promotes Nerve Regeneration in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Swiss research shows treatment with an antibody known as NG101 promotes regeneration of damaged spinal cord tissue in some people with spinal cord injury by blocking a protein called Nogo-A that normally suppresses nerve regrowth in the central nervous system.

Compared to placebo, participants treated with the antibody showed faster lesion volume shrinkage and a significantly slower loss of spinal cord tissue, both in terms of size and myelin content, above the injury site.

This study, published in Nature Communications, is an additional analysis of a subset of 106 patients of a Phase IIb study published last year in The Lancet Neurology and carried out by Swiss and German academic researchers as well as the Swiss biotech NovaGo Therapeutics, which is developing the antibody. The original trial population included 126 people.  It did not robustly meet its primary endpoint across the full patient population but showed promising signals in some motor-incomplete patients.

The current study specifically looked at people for whom magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were available. It investigated whether NG101 produced measurable structural changes in the spinal cord over time, whether MRI could detect those changes even in patients without obvious clinical improvement, also whether combining imaging with electrophysiology could better identify likely responders to inform more efficient future trial designs.

In the Phase IIb study the antibody was delivered directly into the spinal canal to 106 participants with acute cervical spinal cord injury within weeks of injury. Over a six month follow up period, the team measured lesion volume, spinal cord cross-sectional area, and myelin integrity.

The patients treated with NG101 showed a slowing of damage and faster injury improvement than those in the placebo group. The researchers believe this suggests the drug either slows post-injury neurodegeneration or actively promotes nerve fiber sprouting.

“Our data suggest that NG101 antibody treatment demonstrates both focal and remote structural preservation following cervical spinal cord injury, consistent with regenerative mechanisms seen in preclinical models,” write lead author Patrick Freund, MD, PhD, a professor and researcher at the University of Zurich and Balgrist University Hospital, and colleagues.

“These changes are detectable even in participants without overt functional improvement, underscoring the value of quantitative MRI in revealing treatment effects that may be missed by clinical scores alone.”

The post Antibody Promotes Nerve Regeneration in Spinal Cord Injury Patients appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.

Posted on

Applications Open for the SNF Global Center Communicator Fellowship

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute launches its next two-year fellowship for professionals pursuing evidence-based approaches across diverse, underserved global communities

New York, NY—Applications are now open for the 2026 Communicator Fellowship at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute. The fellowship is designed to support a new generation of communicators working to shape child and adolescent mental health care in low- and middle-income countries, in addition to the SNF Global Center’s core country offices in Brazil, Greece, and South Africa. Up to three professionals working in public communications, including journalists, broadcasters, and podcasters, will be selected for the two-year program.

The Communicator Fellowship is part of the SNF Global Center’s broader mission to reduce gaps in data and care, catalyze system-level advancements, and transform child and adolescent mental health care by turning evidence into action, scaling culturally appropriate solutions, and building a global network of experts so young people everywhere can access support when they need it.

The application deadline is June 15, 2026. Fellows will be selected and announced by early August 2026. In addition to financial support of up to $100,000 USD, fellows will receive training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

At a time when one in five young people are experiencing mental health or learning challenges, with most cases beginning by age 14, effective and accurate communication is urgently needed.

At the Child Mind Institute, we believe that translating research into accessible knowledge that empowers young people, families, and communities is integral to advancing mental health care. The Communicator Fellowship builds on this commitment by supporting professionals who can bring evidence-based mental health information to the public in clear, engaging, and culturally relevant ways.

Vinicius Gaby Vieira Rego, MD, of Brazil, a current Communicator Fellow with the support of the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of São Paulo, exemplifies this mission. Working with youth, Dr. Rego is co-creating a multi-platform literacy hub designed to combat harmful misinformation by empowering Brazil’s young leaders.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to join the SNF Global Center’s network of fellows to support adolescent mental health in Brazil through communication,” said Dr. Rego. “This fellowship will enable a multi-channel communication project aimed at strengthening mental health literacy and peer-support capacity — with young people and for young people — across the country.”

As a fellow, Dr. Rego’s work directly addresses complex mental health challenges faced by young people in Brazil, while contributing to broader global efforts to improve communication about mental health care.

“In the current digital environment, where adolescents are exposed to a high volume of mental health content, the need for evidence-based information that resonates with young people has never been greater,” said Guilherme Polanczyk, MD, PhD, associate professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of São Paulo. “We are proud to endorse a project committed to supporting how young people and their communities understand and reflect on their mental health.”

Other current fellows are leading high-impact projects dispelling misinformation, reducing stigma, and increasing youth engagement — all while bringing critical attention to links among mental health, climate change, and human rights. Through partnerships, these efforts are transforming the future of youth mental health across the globe.

“Vinicius’s project is ambitious, and with the support of the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of São Paulo, we know it will provide young people in Brazil with much-needed resources to support their mental health,” said Peter Raucci, Director of Global Fellowship Strategy of the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute. “What we’re seeing through the Communicator Fellowship is how quickly ideas can move from concept to culturally relevant, real-world impact.”

SNF Global Center Communicator Fellowship

Application deadline: June 15, 2026

Fellows announced: August 2026

Program resources

About the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute brings together the Child Mind Institute’s expertise as a leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s deep commitment to supporting collaborative projects to improve access to quality health care worldwide. The center is building partnerships to drive advances in under-researched areas of children and adolescents’ mental health, and expand access to culturally appropriate training, resources, and treatment in low- and middle-income countries. This work is conducted by the Child Mind Institute with support from SNF through its Global Health Initiative (GHI).

About the Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need. We’ve become the leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health by providing gold-standard, evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments.

The post Applications Open for the SNF Global Center Communicator Fellowship appeared first on Child Mind Institute.

Posted on

Effects of Patient Portal Message Framing on Treatment Preferences and Expectations for Degenerative Meniscus Tears: Randomized Exploratory Cross-Sectional Survey Study

<strong>Background:</strong> Degenerative meniscus tears are common in middle-aged and older adults, and current guidelines favor nonoperative care. As patients increasingly turn to portal systems to view imaging results and communicate with their physicians, patient-facing wording may shape downstream treatment preferences and expectations. <strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to determine whether subtle differences in physician message framing about an identical degenerative meniscus tear influence preferred management, expectations for improvement with conservative therapy, and satisfaction when a physician recommends a different plan. <strong>Methods:</strong> A cross-sectional 37-question survey was developed de novo and distributed in January 2026 to lay adults in the United States (≥18 years) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Respondents were presented with a standardized vignette of an adult aged 60 years with knee pain due to a degenerative meniscus tear. Participants were randomized in a 1:1:1 fashion into 3 physician portal message framing groups: neutral, degenerative, and damage. Outcomes were the preferred next step in treatment, expected improvement with physical therapy, and retained satisfaction under physician-respondent disagreement. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to compare categorical variables. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations between framing groups. <strong>Results:</strong> Of the 266 completed responses, 195 (73.3%) were included for analysis (neutral: n=67, 34.4%; degenerative: n=63, 32.3%; damage: n=65, 33.3%). Treatment preferences differed significantly across groups (<i>χ</i><sup>2</sup><sub>2</sub>=6.1; <i>P</i>=.047), and the damage group was significantly more likely to prefer aggressive interventions (odds ratio 2.43, 95% CI 1.17-5.06; <i>P</i>=.02). Expectations for physical therapy success differed significantly (<i>χ</i><sup>2</sup><sub>4</sub>=12.3; <i>P</i>=.02), with the damage group being most pessimistic about conservative care. Retained satisfaction under physician-respondent disagreement did not differ by framing group (<i>χ</i><sup>2</sup><sub>6</sub>=6.7; <i>P</i>=.35) but did differ significantly by initial treatment preference (<i>P</i>=.03) and was the lowest among respondents preferring steroid injection. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> In this exploratory investigation, subtle differences in physician portal message framing regarding a magnetic resonance imaging impression of a degenerative meniscus tear were associated with shifts in treatment preferences and confidence in conservative care. These findings suggest that brief physician portal communications may be associated with shifts in hypothetical patient expectations and treatment preferences before clinical counseling occurs. <strong>Trial Registration:</strong>
Posted on

Multimodal CT radiomics-clinical ensemble machine learning model effectively predicts futile recanalization after endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke

BackgroundsFutile recanalization (FR) poses a significant challenge in endovascular treatment and there is a lack of reliable predictive models for assessing treatment outcomes in stroke. The aim of this study is to develop a robust CT radiomics-clinical ensemble model that predicts FR in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) following endovascular treatment (EVT) utilizing machine learning techniques.MethodsThis study enrolled 101 patients diagnosed with AIS who underwent successful EVT. A total of 946 radiomics features were, respectively, extracted from non-contrast CT (NCCT), contrast-enhanced CT (CECT), and various CT perfusion maps (CBF, CBV, MTT, and TTP) using PyRadiomics prior to the endovascular intervention. Demographic characteristics, along with baseline clinical, laboratory, and angiographic variables, were incorporated as clinical features in the model analysis. Feature engineering was performed using SelectKBest. Five traditional machine learning algorithms were employed for modeling. The dataset was randomly split into a training cohort (n = 71, 70%) and an internal validation cohort (n = 30, 30%). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to evaluate the performance of each model.ResultsAmong the 101 patients, FR occurred in 66 individuals (65%), as determined by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. The ensemble model integrating clinical data, NCCT, and CBV achieved the highest performance, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.918 using the CatBoost algorithm.ConclusionThe multimodal CT radiomics-clinical ensemble machine learning model demonstrated excellent predictive capability for identifying FR in AIS patients with large vessel occlusion prior to EVT.
Posted on

The dual-burden of professional and academic stress: a cross-sectional mapping of mental health status and coping efficacy among postgraduate students in Nairobi, Kenya

BackgroundPostgraduate students face a dual burden of intense academic rigour and professional responsibilities, a dynamic particularly pronounced in growing economic hubs such as Nairobi, Kenya. While global literature highlights rising psychological distress in higher education, there is limited evidence on how specific coping mechanisms mediate mental health outcomes among postgraduates at private African universities. Understanding these dynamics is critical for institutional psychosocial support systems.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the mental health status (depression, anxiety, and stress) of postgraduate students at Strathmore University. Grounded in Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping Mechanisms.MethodsAdopting a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design, data were collected from 242 actively enrolled postgraduate students using a random stratified sampling technique. Mental health status was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and coping mechanisms were evaluated via the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) inventory. Data analysis utilised descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank correlation, and multiple linear regression models.FindingsResults indicated significant psychological strain, with participants reporting difficulty winding down and high levels of anticipatory anxiety (DASS means ranged from 2.23/to 2.73 on a scale of 0-3. Regression analysis showed that coping strategies accounted for 40.2% of the variation in mental health. Notably, emotion-focused coping (β = 0.307, p <.001) and avoidant coping (β = 0.344, p <.001) had significant positive effects on mental well-being in this context. Conversely, problem-focused coping (β = -0.189, p = .002) had a significant negative effect, suggesting that direct action-oriented strategies may exacerbate distress for students facing stressors beyond their immediate control.ConclusionThe study finds that postgraduate mental health is profoundly influenced by the “plasticity” of coping strategies. While active problem-solving is traditionally encouraged, for the Kenyan postgraduate master’s student, adaptive emotion-focused and strategic avoidant strategies currently offer greater psychological relief. Universities must move from generic support to “fit-for-purpose” interventions that destigmatise mental health services and promote adaptive emotional regulation to ensure academic and professional success.
Posted on

RESCUE- expected usefulness and willingness to participate in a trauma-informed group intervention for coping with traumatic work experiences in the emergency medical services

Emergency Medical Services personnel (EMS) are confronted with potentially highly stressful and traumatic occupational experiences, placing them at high-risk for mental disorders. Avoidant coping mechanisms, internalized and occupational stigma not only impede disclosure of and processing the incident-related stress but also weaken the overall resilience of the EMS. Effective interventions are needed that operate both at the individual and group level. The aim of this study was to investigate the expected usefulness and willingness to participate in a trauma-informed intervention (Facts derived from Narrative Exposure Therapy, NETfacts). A total of 256 German EMS (67.19% men, 32.81% women) participated in the online survey. We assessed the expected usefulness and willingness to participate in NETfacts, critical incident-related stress (EMS Critical Incident Inventory EMS-CII), burnout symptoms (Professional Quality of Life ProQOL), age and work experience. Overall, about half of the EMS expected NETfacts to be at least somewhat useful, and reported a generally willingness to participate. Expected usefulness was neither associated with critical incident-related stress nor burnout symptoms. Younger participants (<35 years) showed a generally higher willingness to participate than older participants. However, the willingness is across both age groups positively associated with higher levels of critical incident-related stress. Nevertheless, burnout symptoms and the willingness are negatively associated among participants age 35 and older, while remaining stable among their younger colleagues. Early, trauma-informed and age-sensitive prevention programs are needed to mitigate the adverse effects of critical incidents among EMS. Our study presents EMS preferred circumstances to enhance employees’ uptake of such a program.
Posted on

Adopting a user-centred design approach for the development of on-device technology to prevent the viewing of child sexual abuse material: app design insights and principles from the development of ‘Salus’

IntroductionThe volume of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) available online and the global demand for it has reached unprecedented levels. Increasing numbers of individuals concerned about their online behaviour are contacting therapeutic providers for help and support outside of the criminal justice system. Previous research asking individuals what would help them to stop viewing CSAM suggests that the availability of a technological solution to voluntarily self-manage access to CSAM could be an effective tool.AimTo explore the findings from the user-centered design (UCD) of the ‘Salus’ prototype – a technological prevention tool to support effective self-management of individuals at risk of committing a first or further CSAM offence(s).Materials and methodsIn this two-year, European Commission funded project we conducted research in four European countries: Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK). For the UCD phase of the project we conducted semi-structured interviews with 31 at-risk individuals in Belgium (n=10), Germany (n=10) and the UK (n=11), to explore the specific needs, design features, deployment methods, and concerns and barriers for the design, functionality and deployment of Salus. Additionally, four focus group discussions (FGDs) were held in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK with service providers (primarily therapists and managers) with extensive experience of supporting individuals at risk of committing CSAM offences to explore the same questions at the service level.ResultsIn terms of privacy and security, the potential discovery of apps such as Salus, data security and legal consequences of app usage are the main concerns of potential app users. There was consensus on the value of blocking CSAM, but opinions on the inclusion of an optional adult sexual content (pornography) filter in Salus design were not unanimous. Users should be able to switch a pornography filter on and off at their convenience. Blocking notifications should be quiet and subtle. Interactivity features are welcomed by potential users – these may include a diary function; a personal CSAM statistics page; a resources section; and a function to allow users to provide feedback to the app developers. Such features should be optional for users in order to prevent any unintended consequences of app usage. Finally, app deployment must be safe and secure.ConclusionBased on these findings, we propose seven evidence-based design principles for user-centered harm-reduction technology: privacy-by-default architecture; discretion through design ambiguity; adaptive notification systems; optional interactivity with user control; trusted-channel deployment; progressive trust building; and fail-safe harm prevention. These principles provide a framework for app developers and researchers working on similar technologies to develop interventions that reduce harmful behaviours.
Posted on

STAT+: Capsida says it still doesn’t know what caused gene therapy death 

Capsida Biotherapeutics said Tuesday that it still had no answers in its investigation into the death of a child in a gene therapy trial last September.

Its scientists’ efforts, it said, have been stymied because the hospital where the study was conducted has declined to share tissue samples from an autopsy. 

The therapy, known as CAP-002, was the first of a wave of new gene therapies designed to deliver genes deep into the brain. Scientists around the world engineered viruses that could slide through the blood-brain barrier that walls off our most vital organ from the rest of the body. Companies spun up promising treatments for devastating rare genetic diseases and common conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

Posted on

Smart Pediatric Oncology Tracker of Symptoms (SPOTS), a Web-Based Interface for the Pediatric PRO-CTCAE: Development and Usability Study

<strong>Background:</strong> Children undergoing cancer treatment experience a range of treatment-related toxicities that significantly affect quality of life and adherence to therapy. Current methods for symptom reporting rely heavily on clinician interpretation of caregiver or child verbal reports, which can result in incomplete or inaccurate records. The Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (Pediatric PRO-CTCAE; National Cancer Institute) provides a validated mechanism for direct symptom reporting by children and caregivers, yet its traditional administration and preselection of questions limit the breadth of symptom capture. <strong>Objective:</strong> This research aimed to co-design and conduct formative usability testing of the Smart Pediatric Oncology Tracker of Symptoms (SPOTS), a novel, web-based interface for the Pediatric PRO-CTCAE to allow children with cancer and their caregivers to comprehensively report symptoms. <strong>Methods:</strong> The research comprised 2 sequential phases: co-design and usability testing. Guided by child-computer interaction theory and participatory design methods, child-caregiver dyads collaborated with the research team to iteratively design and refine the SPOTS prototype. Nine participant dyads engaged in up to 3 co-design sessions that informed system features, layout, and content. During the usability phase, 12 additional dyads (6 with children aged 7-12 years and 6 with adolescents aged 13-17 years, each with a caregiver) completed structured usability tasks using the SPOTS prototype. Task completion, pathway efficiency, and user feedback were recorded through screen capture, field notes, and think-aloud protocols. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative feedback was analyzed thematically. <strong>Results:</strong> SPOTS was described by users as “very clear” and “easy to navigate.” Participants valued the visual design, the use of a customizable character, and the opportunity for children to report symptoms independently. Key usability challenges included confusing terminology, navigation redundancy, and visual complexities. Quantitative task analyses indicated that while most structured tasks were completed successfully, many required excess steps or assistance. When not directed to use a specific screen, participants’ symptom reporting methods varied, with caregivers and adolescents preferring the Body Parts Screen and younger children favoring the Search Screen. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> The formative development of SPOTS demonstrates the feasibility and value of co-designing pediatric health technologies directly with children and caregivers. SPOTS has the potential to enhance the implementation of the Pediatric PRO-CTCAE by offering an engaging, child-friendly digital format that facilitates more direct symptom reporting. Future work will include a pilot study to further assess real-world usability, the quality of symptom capture (ie, completeness and accuracy), and integration with clinical workflows.
Posted on

A global matching model of choice and response times in the Deese–Roediger–Mcdermott semantic and structural false recognition paradigms.

Psychological Review, Vol 133(4), Jul 2026, 771-819; doi:10.1037/rev0000596

One of the most common method of eliciting false memories in the laboratory is the Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm (Deese, 1959; Roediger & McDermott, 1995), where participants study a set of items that are all similar to a nonpresented critical lure. A common finding is that false recognition to critical lures is much higher than to other nonpresented items and in some cases is even comparable to true recognition, regardless of whether similarity is semantic or structural (e.g., phonological or orthographic) relations. While there exists a handful of computational models of this paradigm, they have only been applied to semantic but not structural false recognition, they have not been fit at the level of individual participants, and they have not been applied to response times. We present a global matching model that addresses all three of these current gaps. Global similarity of semantic and structural representations drives a pair of linear ballistic accumulators, which are used to produce decisions as well as complete response time distributions. In addition to being able to account for heightened false recognition of critical lures, the model was able to account for differences across both individual participants and items, lower correlations between semantic and structural false recognition than true recognition, differences in false recognition across levels of processing, improved true recognition but not false recognition with higher study time, and heightened false recognition under speed emphasis. The model suggests that semantic and structural false recognition can be explained using only a single retrieval mechanism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)