Clinical intelligence & editorial.

PLOS

Visual outcomes and headache in intracranial hypertension following cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: A retrospective cohort study

Intracranial hypertension is a frequent complication of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT), posing a risk for permanent visual impairment. However, long-term visual outcomes have not been systematically assessed using objective neuro-ophthalmic measures. We retrospectively evaluated consecutive adults presenting to a single-center tertiary intracranial hypertension clinic between 2019 and 2025 with intracranial hypertension following CVT. Visual outcomes were assessed using best-corrected vi...

Hypertension

Theresia Knoche, Ivo Grueninger, Charlotte Pietrock, Zohreh Jami, Leon Alexander Danyel• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Protocol for investigating the association between Helicobacter pylori exposure, antigen-specific serological responses, and resistant versus non-resistant hypertension in a South African cohort

Background: Hypertension is a leading contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, with poor control in low- and middle-income countries. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been associated with hypertension through inflammatory, endothelial, metabolic and immune pathways, but data from sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in resistant hypertension, are limited. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study will enrol 200 adults aged ≥18 at a tertiary academic hospital in Cape Town, So...

H. Pylori

Mathilda C. Mennen, Michael Z. Zulu, Koketso C. Mabatha, Richard Baguma, Sango Skelem, Nandipha N. Mbundwini, Olukayode O. Aremu, Marguerite Adriaanse, Daphne van Dijk, Preyanka Pillay, Sam Africa, Erika Jones, Mashiko Setshedi, Adrian Brink, Wendy A. Burgers, Ntobeko A. B. Ntusi• November 6, 2026

PLOS

HIF-1α/PPAR-γ/SIRT1 axis drives astrocyte senescence and regulates endothelial function via GDNF/NRTN in diabetic retinopathy

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in working-age populations. Astrocyte senescence is highly prevalent in DR, but the underlying regulatory mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of the HIF-1α/PPAR-γ/SIRT1 axis in regulating retinal astrocyte senescence and endothelial function in DR. Methods: Mouse retinal astrocytes were exposed to high glucose (30 mM) to mimic diabetic conditions. Senescence was evaluated by β-galactosidase stain...

Diabetes

Jing Wang, Shufen Fang, Ming Sun, Jue Wang, Yongqing Liu, Xuan Wang, Weiwei Liu, Lei Gao• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Cardiovascular disease risk prediction models for people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review protocol

Background: The landscape of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) care has dramatically shifted with the advent of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), transforming HIV from a rapidly fatal illness into a chronic, manageable disease. This success, however, has unveiled new challenges, primarily the increased prevalence of non-AIDS-related comorbidities, with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) emerging as a critical concern for people living with HIV (PLWH). CV...

Cardiovascular

Nchidzi Ntiyani, Gobopamang Letamo, Mpho Keetile, Mpho Disang• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Development of a village health worker care model to reduce cardiovascular risk in areas of armed conflict: Qualitative results from a participatory planning process in Myanmar

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Myanmar, but care models are lacking to deliver evidence-based treatments to reduce CVD risks in areas of armed conflict. Village health workers (VHWs) play a key role in bridging communities and clinics, but their role in CVD prevention and management in conflict-affected settings has not been clearly defined. This study aimed to describe the system for CVD care and to elicit perspectives on how VHWs might contribute to a village-bas...

Cardiovascular

Eindra Htoo, Parveen Parmar, Adam Richards, Tara Russell, Catherine Lee, Saw Sha Kler Law, Saw Kyaw Myint, Zay Yar Phyo Aung, Tom Traill• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Calibration of a fully closed-loop lumped-parameter cardiovascular model with baroreflex in response to induced central hypovolemia

Calibration of cardiovascular models is essential to their clinical utility. We provide a full description of the calibration of a non-linear, dynamic model using global optimisation methods. Specifically, we consider an experimental cohort response in a closed-loop, baro-regulated cardiovascular model, in the setting of induced central hypovolemia.We propose a framework for simplifying calibration of dynamic, regulated models. We perform global sensitivity analysis and orthogonality analysis of...

Cardiovascular

Karolina Tlałka, Harry Saxton, Ian Halliday, Xu Xu, Andrew Narracott, Daniel James Taylor, Lars Øivind Høiseth, Jonny Hisdal, David Rodney Hose, Maciej Malawski• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Commonly expressed key driver genes in the pathogenesis of viral and non-viral liver cancer

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and lethal liver cancer primarily associated with viral infections like hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as non-viral causes. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of these subtypes is essential for identifying potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Methods: In this study, an integrated bioinformatics approach was used to analyze publicly available datasets related to HBV-associated, HCV-associated, and no...

Cancer

Melika Zamanian, Niloofar Bajool, Yasamin Haghir-Sharif-Zamini, Seyedeh-Sanaz Araban, Farbod Nassiri, Seyedeh-Nasim Mirbahari, Rayhaneh Ahangar-Parvin, Roshanak Shams, Massoud Vosough, Sara Taleahmad• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Male breast cancer in Northern Tanzania: Clinicopathology and predictors of two-year survival (2016–2022)

Background: Male breast cancer (BC) is rare, accounting to approximately 1% of all breast cancers worldwide. Patients often present with advanced disease, contributing to poor outcomes. This study aimed to estimate two-year overall survival (OS) and identify clinicopathological and health-system–related predictors of survival among men with breast cancer treated at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 55 histologically confirmed m...

Cancer

Timon Stephen Emaely, Alex Mremi, Elizabeth F. Msoka, Rebeca Mutashobya, Blandina T. Mmbaga, Kondo Chilonga• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Uncovering the immune microenvironmental atlas of breast cancer molecular subtypes based on single-cell transcriptomics

Breast cancer progression is closely linked to immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME), but the immune landscape differences across HER2-positive (HER2+), triple-negative (TNBC), and ER-positive (ER+) subtypes have yet to be systematically characterized. In this study, we characterized immune landscape differences across HER2-positive (HER2+), triple-negative (TNBC), and ER-positive (ER+) breast cancers using single-cell RNA sequencing data, focusing on T cells, macrophages, and B c...

Cancer

Shihua Lin, Yangxinyue Zheng, Zushun Chen, Menoudji Djetoyom Patrice, Li Wang, Xia Li, Yunpeng Zhang, Xingda Zhang• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Transcriptome- and methylome-wide association studies prioritized lung cancer genes in East Asian populations

The relationship between gene expression, DNA methylation, and lung cancer remains elusive in East Asian (EAS) populations. Transcriptome- and methylome-wide association studies (TWAS/MWAS) help uncover gene–trait associations by integrating multi-omics data, yet models trained mainly on European references limit cross-population generalizability. To address this, we developed EAS-specific gene expression and DNA methylation prediction models using whole-blood data from over 800 and 4,300 indivi...

Cancer

Xingjie Hao, Minghan Qu, Yi Jiang, Cheng Wang, Ziwei Zhu, Pinpin Long, Chaolong Wang, Hongxia Ma, Shanshan Cheng• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Development, validation, and testing of an agriculture support exoskeleton in adjunct to conventional physiotherapy for farm labourers with chronic low back pain: A two-phase, mixed-methods, quasi-experimental pilot study protocol

Background: Low back pain (LBP) affects 619 million people globally, with projections reaching 843 million by 2050. Farm labourers exhibit markedly higher prevalence than the general population, with lifetime (70–85%), 12-month (15–45%), and point (approximately 30%) prevalences driven by sustained trunk flexion, repetitive manual handling, and limited access to ergonomic or rehabilitative interventions. While conventional physiotherapy is the cornerstone of chronic LBP (CLBP) management, its ef...

Back Pain

Gurjeet Kaur, Irshad Qureshi, Ashutosh Bagde, Bhupesh Sarode, Dhananjay A. Jolhe, Vinod M. Nistane• November 6, 2026

PLOS

Evaluation of the efficacy of Si-based agent in Rheumatoid Arthritis with complicating vestibular impairment

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by persistent joint inflammation and progressive disability. Although current therapies have improved clinical outcomes, safer and more effective therapeutic approaches remain needed. Silicon (Si)-based agents have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and have shown beneficial effects in several inflammatory disease models. Methods: We evaluated the effects of oral administration of a Si-based agent in a...

Arthritis

Shotaro Harada, Yoshihisa Koyama, Yuki Kobayashi, Takao Imai, Yoshichika Yoshioka, Hikaru Kobayashi, Hidenori Inohara, Shoichi Shimada• November 6, 2026