Clinical intelligence & editorial.

PLOS

Exploring barriers to implementing adolescent pregnancy prevention interventions in low- and middle-income countries: Perspectives from international experts

Background: Adolescent pregnancy remains a significant public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although various interventions have been implemented to address this issue, many have failed to achieve positive outcomes due to numerous barriers. Objective: To explore the barriers to implementing adolescent pregnancy prevention interventions in LMICs. Methods: This qualitative exploratory study involved 19 adolescent pregnancy prevention program implementers...

Pregnancy

Aimable Nkurunziza, Jean Marie Vianney Nkurikiyintwali, Jean Pierre Ndayisenga, Yvonne Kasine, Innocent Twagirayezu, Yvonne Delphine Nsaba Uwera• October 23, 2026

PLOS

Correction: Ultrasound-guided microwave ablation versus conventional surgery for Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis: A two-center retrospective comparative stud

The word “study” is misspelled in the article title. The correct title is: Ultrasound-guided microwave ablation versus conventional surgery for Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis: A two-center retrospective comparative study. The correct citation is: Lin Y, Hong Z, Xie W, Lu A, Wu X, Chen D (2026) Ultrasound-guided microwave ablation versus conventional surgery for Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis: A two-center retrospective comparative study. PLoS One 21(6): e0351776. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal....

Ultrasound

Yinfeng Lin, Zhipeng Hong, Wangmei Xie, Aijun Lu, Xiuping Wu, Debo Chen• October 23, 2026

PLOS

Microscopically detectable maternal schistosomiasis at delivery in Eastern Uganda: Prevalence, microscopy-based species distribution and associated household WASH characteristics in a hospital-based cross-sectional study

Schistosomiasis remains an important but neglected public health problem in Uganda. We estimated its prevalence, microscopy-based species distribution and associated factors among women delivering at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital. A hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study included 392 women from 1 September to 30 December 2025. One stool and one urine specimen per participant were examined microscopically for Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium, respectively. Multivariable logistic...

Microscopes

George Binna Sande, Musa Kasujja, Emmanuel Okurut, Maxwell Okello, Marie Pascaline Sabine Ishimwe, Theodore Nteziyaremye, John Yaweh, Daniel Mugabi, Sara Liban, Geoffrey Okot, G. R. Neel, Bot Yakubu Sunday, Matthew Chibunna Igwe, Amos Muhumuza, Theoneste Hakizimana• October 23, 2026

PLOS

Longitudinal blood pressure trajectories and time to stroke among hypertensive patients: A Bayesian multivariate joint modeling study in Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia

Background: Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with hypertension being its most important modifiable risk factor. Although the association between elevated blood pressure and stroke is well established, the extent to which longitudinal blood pressure patterns influence the timing of stroke remains poorly understood, particularly in low-resource settings. We investigated the association between longitudinal systolic and diastolic blood pressure trajectories and time to...

Blood Pressure

Solomon Keflie Assefa, Kebebe Tadesse, Sani Yenus, Tewodros Tegene, Solomon Debela Bekeko, Helina Mebratu Abegaz, Simachew Getaneh Endalemew, Dinkinshe Beyene Feleke, Asfaw Bessie Bemgako, Abiyu Eshetu Gobena, Bruktaut Addisu Redi, Dejen Kahsay Asgedom• October 23, 2026

PLOS

Prevalence, associated factors, and functional impact of low back pain among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: A cross-sectional study

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder during pregnancy that can affect quality of life. While extensively studied in high-income countries, data from sub-Saharan Africa remain scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, identify associated factors, and assess the impact of LBP among pregnant women in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to May 2024 in 11 primary healthcare centers across five health distr...

Back Pain

Mariam Ouédraogo, Marie Banyama Diabri, Yannick Laurent Tchenadoyo Bayala, Issa Ouédraogo, Enselme Zongo, Aboubakar Ouédraogo, Fulgence Kaboré, Wendlassida Joelle Stephanie Zabsonre-Tiendrebeogo, Dieu-Donné Ouédraogo• October 23, 2026

PLOS

Vaping and smoking as risk factors for arthritis: Evidence from double machine learning

Smoking is a well-documented risk factor for chronic diseases, including arthritis. Vaping, often marketed as a safer alternative, has risen sharply, yet its implications for musculoskeletal health remain unclear. We examine the associations of vaping and smoking with arthritis using Double Machine Learning (DML), and present illustrative economic scenarios projecting the potential cost implications of arthritis cases associated with these behaviors. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveill...

Arthritis

Onyedikachi Emmanuel Chike, Syed Badruddoza, Conrad Lyford• October 23, 2026

PLOS

Correction: Clinical efficacy of empiric antibiotic therapy in Chinese patients with cirrhosis and bacterial infections: A multicenter study

The affiliation for the ninth author is incorrect. Rui Wu is not affiliated with #8 but with #7: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Hangzhou Sixth People's Hospital, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Antibiotic

Liqin Sheng, Xiuding Zhang, Haoda Weng, Qinzhi Deng, Min Deng, Xuwei Wu, Zuxiong Huang, Shourong Liu, Rui Wu, Chunlian Ma, Yao Xu, Jianfeng Zhong, Jie Yang, Yinxia Wu, Huajiang Shen, Feng Ding, Fang Wang, Xuezhen Zhai, Chunxian Peng, Haotang Ren, Jie Jin, Xiangfei Xu, Xiaofei Li, Xiaoting Ye, Guoqing Qian, Shuilin Sun, Xuebing Yao, Haifeng Miao, Qianggu Xiao, Shaoheng Ye, Qing Zhang, Xinyi Xu, Xianbin Xu, Yue Yu, Huilan Tu, Xinrong Zhang, Rui Huang, Qiao Yang, Jifang Sheng, Yu Shi, Xia Yu• October 23, 2026

PLOS

Immunoinformatics and reverse vaccinology design of self-amplifying RNA vaccine against marburg virus with structural dynamics and immune simulation analysis

Marburg virus disease (MVD), a deadly zoonotic illness in humans, is caused by the Marburg virus (MARV), a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Orthomarburgvirus genus of the Filoviridae family. There are currently no approved vaccines or efficient antiviral therapies for MARV, despite high morbidity and fatality rates of the virus, particularly in Africa. Recognizing its epidemic potential and its inclusion on the WHO list of blueprint priority pathogens, an immunoinformatics approach was...

Vaccines And Immunization

Md. Aftabur Rahman, Lamyea Kabir, Nadia Ahmed, Atish Barua, Mohammad Hasan, Ahmad Abdullah Mahdeen• October 23, 2026

PLOS

PREnatal Syphilis point-of-care ScreenING in an urban low-barrier clinic (PRESSING) study: Protocol for a prospective single arm feasibility trial

Introduction: Syphilis has resurged across North America, including syphilis in pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can be prevented by timely treatment of syphilis in pregnancy, but conventional syphilis screening is problematic for people facing barriers to care. Syphilis point-of-care tests (POCT) have improved prenatal syphilis management in low- and middle-income countries. There is minimal literature regarding POCT feasibility and effectiveness for prenatal syphilis screening in high-income cou...

Syphilis

Njideka Sanya, Mary-Elizabeth Vaccaro, Medora Uppal, Sarah Glen, Chelsea Kirkby, Tehreem Zafar, Janet Gasparelli, Kate MacNeil, Stephanie Milliken, Jeffrey Pernica, Jacqueline Wong, Donald Brody Duncan, Marek Smieja, Amanda Ramdyal, Robin Lennox, Tim O’Shea, Anna Cvetkovic, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Suzanne Turner, Laura Erdman• October 22, 2026

PLOS

Protocol for a realist evaluation of a COPD clinical pathway in Saskatchewan, Canada

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and common condition with significant health, social, and economic burdens, especially due to frequent hospitalizations and comorbidities. International research shows current care for COPD is limited by delayed diagnosis, poor coordination among providers, and inconsistent adherence to treatment guidelines, which negatively impacts patient outcomes. Clinical pathways offer a promising solution by improving care coordination, aligning tre...

Copd

Kathrina Mazurik, Darcy D. Marciniuk, Erika Penz, Patricia Comfort, Alireza Ghorbani-Pashakolaei, Tracey-Ann Stitchell, Tracey Carr, Joshua Shitta, Amy Reid, Gill Westhorp, Collin Hartness, Jason Vanstone, Brenda Andreas, Maggie King, Kim Bell, Johnny Ahale, Ghazale Ahmadalitabar, Stacey McHenry, LUCID Project Team, Gary Groot• October 22, 2026

PLOS

An LLM-based decision aid for collaborative decision-making in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A multimethod evaluation

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common pediatric chronic inflammatory rheumatic condition, with substantial quality-of-life impacts. Treatment selection is complex due to limited guideline evidence, and difficult trade-offs. Decisions are often solely physician driven. We evaluated the feasibility of Large Language Model-based Decision Aid (LLM-DA) designed to support collaborative rather than solely physician decision-making in JIA care. A multi-method feasibility study was cond...

Arthritis

Antonia Barbaric, Susanne M. Benseler, Chitra Lalloo, Xinyi Celine Liu, Alex Mariakakis, Quynh Pham, Sebastiaan J. Vastert, Rae S. M. Yeung, Joseph A. Cafazzo, Joost F. Swart• October 22, 2026

PLOS

Psychosocial profile of adults with Congenital Heart Disease according to documented history of anxiety disorders

Background: Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) may experience substantial psychological distress. This study evaluated whether a documented history of anxiety disorders is associated with a distinct psychosocial profile in adults with CHD. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 45 adults with CHD were included: 21 with a documented history of anxiety disorders and 24 without. Psychosocial assessment included the EuroQol-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), State–Trait A...

Anxiety

Efrén Martínez-Quintana, Marta Isabel García-Suárez, María Alcántara-Castellano, Jesús María González-Martín, Fayna Rodríguez-González• October 22, 2026