Cubital tunnel syndrome is the second most prevalent upper limb compression neuropathy. Limitations in non-operative and surgical treatment warrant an adjunctive preventative approach targeting modifiable risk factors. However, risk factors are poorly characterized given methodologic shortcomings in previous studies. In this case-control study in the UK Biobank (1971 cases, 398,639 controls), multivariable logistic regression with extensive covariate correction was conducted to assess the association between cubital tunnel syndrome and sex, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic deprivation, smoking status, alcohol intake, height, body mass index, plasma lipids, HbA1c, diabetes, hypertension, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Cubital tunnel syndrome was significantly associated with several modifiable risk factors: smoking status (odds ratio 2.08, 95% CI: 1.83-2.37), diabetes with microvascular complications (OR 1.80, 95% CI: 1.40-2.30), hypertension (OR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.24-1.52) and raised body mass index (OR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.08-1.19). Male sex (OR 1.77, 95% CI: 1.54-2.04) and age (OR 0.981, 95% CI: 0.975-0.986) were non-modifiable risk factors. Several comorbidities were associated with cubital tunnel syndrome: carpal tunnel syndrome (OR 11.7, 95% CI: 10.6-12.9), osteoarthritis (OR 2.12, 95% CI: 1.92-2.34), rheumatoid arthritis (OR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.42-2.07), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (OR 1.66, 95% CI: 1.50-1.83). Cubital tunnel syndrome had a weak association with socioeconomic deprivation and no association with ethnicity, height, alcohol intake, plasma lipids, HbA1c and hypothyroidism. Cubital tunnel syndrome is robustly associated with several modifiable risk factors that may be targeted in primary and secondary prevention. III.

Economic evaluations carried out from a societal perspective ought to account for the opportunity cost of a range of resources, including those committed by care recipients. People's time is such a resource: it is limited, valuable and it has an opportunity cost that should be reflected in cost calculations. Yet, when it comes to children and young people (CYP), there are few suggestions on how to value their time and include it in economic evaluations. Despite repeated calls for research, this remains a persistent gap in our methodology "playbook". In this paper, we look at the topic by bringing together seminal literature and recent research findings. We discuss key uncertainties that need to be resolved for the topic to move forwards, outline challenges and "frequently asked questions", offer our views on possible answers and solutions, and sketch out a roadmap for future research.

ABSTRACTWhile much progress has been made in reducing the incidence of HIV-1 infection in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, bringing the epidemic to an end will require identification of the demographic groups that continue to contribute to transmission. Pathogen phylogenetics and individual-based mathematical models (IBMs) of transmission are approaches that enable researchers to explore such questions. Here, we used both methods to characterise the ages and sexes of the individuals involved in heterosexual transmission in the context of the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial in Zambia.The two methods produced largely concordant results, strengthening confidence in both. A principal finding was that when the age gap in transmission (the difference of ages between the two individuals) was stratified by recipient age, the largest differences were for the youngest female recipients and the smallest for the youngest males. For women under 21 this stood at a male 9.87 years older (95% CI: 8.02 - 11.59) in the phylogenetics, compared to 6.93 (95% HDI: 6.56 - 7.32) in the IBM. As the age of female recipients increased, this gap decreased towards parity. Conversely, the under-21 male recipients saw the smallest gaps with the female older by 0.14 years (95% CI: −2.95 - 3.23) in the phylogenetics and 1.38 years (95% HDI: 0.98 - 1.68) in the IBM. As the age of male recipients decreased, this gap steadily increased. The consequence of this pattern is that transmission to new age cohorts first entering into sexual activity is driven predominantly by male-to-female transmission.We also showed that targeting interventions at younger adults captures most of the benefit of population-wide approaches. We used the IBM to simulate the PopART universal testing and treatment intervention into the future, showing that effective treatment of under-35-year-olds would account for 94.3% (95% HDI: 65.8% - 126.6%) of the reduction in incidence by 2039 that would be achieved by treating the entire population, while effective treatment of under-35 men accounts for 60% (95% HDI: 23.2% - 92.1%).Finally, we simulated a one-year cessation of ART treatment for the whole population, which resulted in an immediate increase in both incidence and the average age at transmission of both sources and recipients. The magnitude of this was 4.6 years (95% HDI: 2.17 - 6.24) for female recipients, 5.3 (95% HDI: 2.74 - 7.09) for male recipients, 5.24 (95% HDI: 2.78 - 6.97) for female sources, and 6.04 (95% HDI: 2.92 - 8.09) for male sources. These changes would be slow to reverse even after ART was restored.These findings indicate that substantial reductions in HIV incidence can be achieved through intensified testing and treatment of individuals aged under 35, and in particular young men, a group that drives the infection of younger women and for whom engagement with care remains disproportionately low.

Polyphenols represent the largest and most diverse class of dietary antioxidants. Epidemiological evidence linking specific (poly)phenol classes, such as flavonoids and lignans, to breast cancer (BC) risk remains limited and largely inconclusive in prospective studies. The aim of this study is to examine the association between the intake of total (poly)phenols-and its classes and subclasses-and BC risk-overall and by subtypes (estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2))-in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. The EPIC cohort includes 257,960 adult women from seven European countries. During a mean follow-up of 14 years, there were 10,722 incident overall BC cases. Associations were computed using Cox regression models adjusted for potential confounders. No significant associations were found between total (poly)phenol intake and overall BC risk (HRQ5 vs. Q1 = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.95-1.11). In addition, null associations were mostly found between classes and subclasses of (poly)phenols and BC subtypes. After stratifying by menopausal status, no significant associations were observed. In conclusion, this study found no evidence of associations between the intake of any class or subclass of (poly)phenols and BC risk in the European population.

Abstract Using a surface force balance, we measure the force between two crossed-cylinder electrodes for different electrolyte systems and different geometrical configurations under the influence of an AC field. When an AC field is applied to concentrated mixtures of an ionic liquid (IL) in a polar solvent, a force arises that is at least an order of magnitude larger and slower to reach steady state than the static response of the electrolyte. We demonstrate that this AC field effect persists in concentrated electrolytes beyond what has already been observed in pure ILs or aqueous electrolytes. Furthermore, we show that the magnitude of the electric field force response is dependent on the electrode radius of curvature. In experiments with pure ILs, a stronger force magnitude is observed for a smaller radius of curvature, implying that these interactions can be fine-tuned through geometrical design. These observations should guide the application of AC electric fields for the control of colloids and the design of passive control mechanisms in microfluidics and nanotribology.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant barrier to HIV prevention service utilization, yet little is known about its impact on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). This study examines the association between IPV victimization and PrEP adherence using data from an online survey of 937 current PrEP users in Ukraine, conducted in early 2022, a few days before Russia's invasion. Participants reported on six types of IPV experienced in the past six months, physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse as well as partners' monitoring and controlling behaviors. Further, they self-reported their PrEP adherence and were asked to describe the reasons for missing PrEP medications through an open-ended question. Nearly 40% of respondents experienced at least one form of IPV, with sexual and emotional IPV being most common. Only 35.4% reported excellent or very good adherence to PrEP medication. Self-reported reasons for missed doses included COVID-19 restrictions, changes in sexual behavior, use of alternative HIV prevention methods, and health or psychological factors. In multivariable models adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors, sexual IPV, monitoring, and controlling IPV were associated with higher PrEP adherence. The positive association may suggest that IPV survivors increase their PrEP adherence as a protective strategy against HIV infection. These findings highlight the importance of integrating trauma-informed IPV screening and support within PrEP programs and adopting flexible service models to sustain adherence, especially during social and political crises. Future longitudinal research should explore mechanisms linking IPV and PrEP adherence and develop structural interventions to better support this vulnerable population.

Autism research has predominantly focused on Western contexts, with limited studies in Vietnamese cultural settings. Through conducting a systematic scoping review, we aimed to map (a) the landscape of autism research in Vietnamese cultural contexts, (b) the quality of the research, and (c) the extent of autism community involvement in the research. A total of 137 studies met our inclusion criteria. A growing body of literature pertained to autism in Vietnamese cultural contexts, largely conducted in Viet Nam (87%). Much of the literature focused on Services and Supports (39%), as well as Interventions (20%). Key themes identified from the research were the centrality of family, the importance of school and education, and identifying a cause of autism. Quality appraisals of the studies - using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, a Westernised tool - indicated that the studies were largely of low quality. There was limited autism community involvement in the research, with studies often lacking an explicit description of the nature of community involvement. Priority areas for future research include better understanding how rigour is understood in a Vietnamese research context, improving the clarity of data reporting and actively involving the Vietnamese autism community in the research process.Lay abstractAutism research has mostly focused on Western contexts, with few studies in Vietnamese cultural contexts. In this study, we reviewed all the research we could find on autism in Vietnamese cultural contexts, to map out what this research 'looks like'. We found 137 studies on autism in Vietnamese cultural contexts, and most of this research was conducted in Viet Nam. The studies were often focused in the areas of Services and Supports as well as Interventions. Looking for common themes in the research, we found that studies emphasised the importance of family, the importance of school and education, and the need to find the causes of autism. We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, a Westernised tool, to evaluate the quality of the research, and we found that a lot of the research was rated as 'low quality'. There were few examples of clear autism community involvement in the research. Key areas for the field to focus on in the future include reflecting on how the quality of the research is evaluated in Global South countries such as Viet Nam, and how best to include the autism community in the research process.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has traditionally been managed with population-based, protocolized mechanical ventilation strategies designed to limit ventilator-induced lung injury. While these approaches have improved outcomes, they fail to account for the pronounced biological, mechanical, radiological, and temporal heterogeneity that characterizes ARDS. Accumulating evidence shows that patients differ markedly in functional lung size, recruitability, chest wall mechanics, inflammatory burden, and tolerance to ventilatory stress, making uniform ventilatory targets physiologically imprecise and, at times, harmful. This narrative review examines the evolution from conventional lung-protective ventilation toward a precision-based paradigm that aligns ventilatory support with individual patient physiology. We conceptualize ARDS not as a static syndrome but as a dynamic spectrum, viewing the injured lung as a heterogeneous mechanical system susceptible to regionally amplified stress and strain. Within this framework, we discuss key principles underlying precision ventilation, including functional lung size (the "baby lung"), driving pressure, mechanical power, patient-ventilator interaction, spontaneous breathing-associated injury, and the time-dependent evolution of lung mechanics. We synthesize current evidence supporting mechanical, biological, and radiological subphenotyping as complementary strategies to individualize ventilatory management, while critically appraising their current limitations. This review also evaluates bedside tools that may operationalize precision ventilation in clinical practice, including esophageal pressure monitoring, lung ultrasound, and electrical impedance tomography, and examines the role of artificial intelligence as a clinician-directed decision-support aid rather than a prescriptive substitute for physiological reasoning. Implications for clinical trial design, ethical considerations, and future directions toward predictive and adaptive ventilation strategies are also addressed. Precision mechanical ventilation represents a shift from rigid thresholds toward proportional, physiology-guided intervention across the disease trajectory. By integrating evolving lung mechanics, ventilatory load, and patient effort over time, this approach provides a coherent framework for safer and more effective mechanical ventilation in ARDS while preserving the core principles of lung protection.