To synthesise the current evidence about practices, preferences and challenges related to returning aggregate research results to participants, with implications for public health, health equity and policy development.

Scoping review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews framework.

Four electronic databases—PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Excerpta Medica Database (Elsevier), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (Elton B. Stephens CO(mpany)) and Cochrane Library (Wiley)—were from inception to February 2025.

English-language, peer-reviewed articles reporting practices or preferences for returning aggregate clinical research results to participants. Studies reporting only individual/incidental findings, opinion pieces and non-original research were excluded.

Two reviewers independently screened studies and extracted data. Study quality was assessed using a modified Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine scale. Thematic synthesis identified patterns in dissemination methods, participant preferences and implementation barriers.

Of 272 articles screened, 12 published between 2002 and 2019 were included. They employed cross-sectional, qualitative and mixed-methods design across North America, Europe, Africa and Australia. Half focused on cancer; others addressed malaria, autism, hypothyroidism, HIV prevention and preterm labour. Most (8/12) included patients; others also included researchers, caregivers or mixed stakeholders. Participants were predominantly middle-aged or older, female and well-educated. Only two studies assessed literacy, both using unvalidated self-reports. Eight studies explored preferences without returning results; four implemented disseminations via mailed reports, printed summaries, in-person discussions or digital platforms. Participants favoured mailed letters and face-to-face meetings over online methods. Six themes emerged: receiving results as respect; preference for personalised, timely formats; importance of cultural tailoring; emotional and ethical considerations; institutional barriers; and community engagement as a facilitator.

Returning aggregate research results to participants is ethically supported and strongly desired yet rarely practised. Bridging this gap requires clearer policy guidance, institutional support and equity-focused dissemination strategies. Health systems and researchers should adopt scalable, participant-centred approaches to fulfil ethical obligations and strengthen public trust in science.

To assess the pooled prevalence of self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their associated factors among adults in South and Southeast Asia, using the Demographic and Health Survey data collected between 2015 and 2023.

A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted using a multistage cluster sampling approach. Multilevel multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Model selection was guided by Akaike’s information criterion, and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% CIs were estimated to determine statistically significant associations.

South and Southeast Asia.

This analysis included a weighted sample of 791 019 adults aged 15–49 who reported ever having had sexual intercourse. The majority of the participants were female (n=6 87 880; 87%), and most were from Southeast Asia (n=7 00 539; 89%).

The pooled prevalence of self-reported STIs among adults in South and Southeast Asia was 12.94% (95% CI 7.73% to 18.14%). At the individual level, higher odds of reporting STIs were associated with being female (AOR 1.84; 95% CI1.68 to 2.02), having middle (AOR 1.11; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.19) or high wealth status (AOR 1.15; 95% CI 1.07 to 1.24]), being employed (AOR 1.14; 95% CI 1.07 to 1.22), having multiple sexual partners (AOR 2.79; 95% CI 2.22 to 3.52) and having undergone HIV testing (AOR 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.20). Conversely, lower odds of self-reported STIs were observed among individuals aged 35–39 years (AOR 0.78; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.92), 40–44 years (AOR 0.68; 95% CI 0.58 to 0.82) and 45–49 years (AOR 0.61; 95% CI 0.52 to 0.73); those who had ever been in a union (AOR 0.71; 95% CI 0.62 to 0.83); individuals with higher education (AOR 0.84; 95% CI 0.76 to 0.93); and those with comprehensive HIV knowledge (AOR 0.82; 95% CI 0.77 to 0.87). At the community level, high illiteracy rates (AOR 1.25; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.35) and high media non-exposure (AOR 1.11; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.20) were positively associated with STIs, while rural residence (AOR 0.81; 95% CI 0.74 to 0.89) and living in Southeast Asia (AOR: 0.47; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.53) were linked to lower odds of self-reported STIs.

A substantial prevalence of self-reported STIs was observed among adults in South and Southeast Asia. Both individual- and community-level factors influence STI risk. The individual-level determinants include socio-demographic characteristics, sexual behaviours, HIV-related knowledge and testing history, while community-level factors reflect disparities in geographic location, educational attainment and media exposure.

Infections caused by carbapenemase-producing organisms have become a major problem during the treatment of secondary bloodstream infection in patients with severe intra-abdominal infection (sIAI). Early detection and identification of potential carbapenemases by colloidal gold immunochromatography assay kit can provide information about the susceptibility of pathogenic bacteria before conventional microbial testing results are obtained. This study aims to evaluate the effects of rapid carbapenemase detection-guided antibiotic therapy on patients with sIAI.

The RAPID study is a multicentre, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial. All patients with intra-abdominal infection will be screened for eligibility on any given day that the first gram-negative bacilli-positive blood culture is detected. In total, 640 eligible study participants assigned informed consent will be randomised to either carbapenemase detection-directed antimicrobial treatment or the conventional group, receiving antimicrobial agents based on different bacterial identification and susceptibility tests. Patients will be followed until discharge or death within a follow-up 28 days after randomisation. The primary outcome is all-cause 28-day mortality. Secondary outcomes include antibiotic duration, length of stay in the hospital and intensive care unit and bacterial clearance. The desirability of outcome ranking and response adjusted for duration of antibiotic risk will also be used to comprehensively assess treatment effectiveness at 28 days.

The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Jinling Hospital (2023DZKY-069–01) and all participating centres. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants or their legal representatives. The results of this trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presented at national and international scientific conferences.

ChiCTR2300076159.

Despite global efforts to improve nutrition, young women aged 15–24 years in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) face persistent dual burdens of malnutrition, marked by high rates of underweight and emerging issues of overnutrition, such as overweight and obesity. Current research often emphasises individual-level factors, potentially overlooking broader regional influences.

To examine the burden of abnormal nutritional indices among women aged 15–24 years in 40 LMICs using the most recent Demographic and Health Survey conducted between 2015 and 2023.

Cross-sectional study design.

40 LMICs.

357 587 young women aged 15–24 years.

A multilevel mixed-effect multinomial analysis was conducted to identify determinants of underweight, overweight and obesity. The adjusted relative risk ratio with 95% CI was used to declare the statistical significance of the association.

Our analysis found that among young women aged 15–24 years in LMICs, the pooled prevalence of underweight was 25.7% (95% CI 25.6% to 25.8%), with substantial country-level variation. The highest prevalence was in Timor-Leste (35.4%) and India (31.6%), while Jordan (2.9%) and Zambia (5.5%) had the lowest rates. Overweight and obesity prevalence was 17.7% (95% CI 15.7% to 19.7%), with the highest rates in Jordan (48.9%) and Zambia (40.9%) and the lowest in Timor-Leste (3.9%) and Ethiopia (4.5%). Furthermore, factors such as household wealth, age at marriage, age, education status, access to media, employment status, parity, contraceptive use, toilet facility, region and place of residence were statistically associated with being underweight, overweight and obese.

Our study highlights significant variations in nutritional status among young women aged 15–24 years in LMICs, with a notable prevalence of underweight and emerging challenges of overweight and obesity. Country-specific strategies addressing socioeconomic disparities and regional differences are crucial for effective public health interventions to improve nutritional outcomes among this vulnerable population.

This scoping review synthesises the application of patient journey mapping (PJM) in breast cancer care to provide insights for enhancing patient-centred services and improving the quality of life for patients with breast cancer.

Scoping review.

Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang and SinoMed were systematically searched for relevant studies published between 1 May 2005 and 1 May 2024.

Studies involving adults (≥18 years) with breast cancer that examined patient journeys were eligible, regardless of whether a formal PJM approach was used. All study designs in healthcare or community settings were considered. Exclusions included studies on other cancers, duplicates, inaccessible full texts, non-English/Chinese publications and non-original articles.

Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data, with a third resolving discrepancies. Information on study characteristics, methods and PJM applications was narratively synthesised and tabulated.

A total of 20 studies published from 2011 to 2024 were included. Four primary approaches to PJM in breast cancer care were identified, with cancer care stage mapping being the most prevalent. PJM illustrated patients’ trajectories, experiences and emotions, revealed critical interaction points such as diagnosis, decision-making and follow-up, and highlighted delays, coordination gaps and opportunities for service improvement. Most studies incorporated four core elements—patients, touchpoints, timelines and experiences—and emphasised patient perspectives across the care continuum, despite methodological heterogeneity.

This review shows that PJM has been applied to illustrate longitudinal healthcare experiences, identifies key touchpoints and supports the design and improvement of breast cancer care services. Most studies underscored patient perspectives and emotional needs, but current PJM applications remain fragmented, hospital-focused and weakly integrated across care settings and families. Future research should refine methodologies and apply digital technologies to develop personalised, dynamic maps that may enhance patient-centred care.

Given the global trend toward population ageing, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has emerged as an increasingly common health concern. As a chronic pulmonary disorder frequently encountered in clinical settings, COPD typically involves multiple organ-system impairments. Among these impairments, dysphagia is a significant complication in elderly patients with COPD. Dysphagia profoundly compromises the patients’ quality of life and increases risks such as malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia, thereby exacerbating the overall disease burden. Although systematic reviews evaluating dysphagia prevalence in COPD populations, the quantitative synthesis of associated risk factors has been hindered by inadequate reporting in the original studies. At present, no systematic reviews or meta-analyses specifically address the risk factors associated with dysphagia among elderly patients with COPD. Therefore, this systematic review aims to identify and systematically analyse these risk factors, ultimately providing reliable evidence to facilitate early identification and improve clinical management strategies.

The literature will be meticulously searched through a variety of electronic databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Biomedical Literature Service System (CBM), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Wan Fang Database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). We will conduct a thorough investigation of the literature focusing on risk factors associated with dysphagia in elderly individuals diagnosed with COPD, spanning from the inception of each database up to October 2025. Two investigators will independently review the literature, evaluate the quality of studies and extract data based on clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria to maintain rigour and consistency. The analysis will employ Stata V.14.0 software for the purposes of data merging and assessment of potential biases. OR along with 95% CI will serve as integrated statistical metrics. Statistical heterogeneity will be assessed using the I² statistic.

Since this study involves an analysis of previously published literature without direct patient participation, obtaining ethical approval is not required. The outcomes of the current investigation will be disseminated through academic journals following a stringent peer-review process.

CRD420251006411.

To estimate the burden, trends, and inequalities of brain and central nervous system cancer (CNS cancer) among adults at global, regional and national level from 1992 to 2021.

Population-based study.

Adults aged 20–64 years from 21 regions and 204 countries and territories (Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors Study 2021) from 1992 to 2021.

Our primary outcomes comprised age-standardised prevalence, incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for CNS cancers. The analytical framework incorporated temporal trend analysis through annual percentage change (APC) and average APC (AAPC) metrics, complemented by Bayesian age-period-cohort modelling to assess demographic influences. We employed predictive modelling with decomposition techniques to evaluate contributions from age structure shifts, population dynamics and risk factor modifications, while spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression enabled robust smoothing and trend estimation across continuous time-space dimensions. The study specifically applied frontier analysis methodologies to examine epidemiological patterns of prevalence, incidence, mortality and DALYs within the 20–64 years adult population.

From 1992 to 2021, the global age-standardised prevalence (AAPC 1.04 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.18); p

From 1992 to 2021, the global age-standardised prevalence and incidence of CNS cancer among adults aged 20–64 years increased, while age-standardised DALYs and mortality decreased. The most significant increase in prevalence and incidence was observed among those aged 20–24 years. The most significant decrease in DALYs and mortality was observed among those aged 40–44 years. The rate of increase in prevalence and incidence was lower in high SDI countries compared with low-SDI countries. DALYs and mortality began to decline in high-SDI countries, but these indicators continue to rise in low-SDI nations. Our predictive analysis found that from 2021 to 2050, the number of CNS cancer cases among people aged 20–64 years will be on the rise globally, which is expected to increase from 186 891 to 245 942, an increase of 31.6%.

Significant inequalities exist in age-standardised prevalence, incidence, DALYs and mortality of CNS cancer among countries with varying sociodemographic indices. These disparities highlight the urgent need for targeted clinical guidelines and equitable distribution of global health resources.

The prevalence of postpartum depression in China has been steadily increasing, and community-based interventions are considered an important measure to address this issue. This study aims to design a community intervention programme for postpartum depression based on positive psychology, tailored to the characteristics of postpartum depression and the intervention needs, while integrating primary healthcare practices in the community setting. A cluster randomised controlled trial will be employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing the risk of postpartum depression among women.

This study will develop and refine the positive psychology-based intervention programme through the integration of qualitative interviews and a literature review. A cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted, with community primary healthcare service centres as the unit of randomisation and pregnant women as participants. The control group will receive usual primary healthcare support, while the intervention group will receive positive psychology intervention—including six structured online positive psychology intervention sessions with videos and materials, and optional one-on-one consultations—in addition to usual primary healthcare. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale will be used to assess the risk of postpartum depression in participants, with variables including postpartum depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress. Outcome measures will be evaluated using questionnaires and data from maternal and child electronic health records. Data will be analysed based on both the intention-to-treat principle and the per-protocol principle.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China (approval no. S127). The findings will be disseminated through presentations at relevant academic conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

NCT06770244.

Stroke poses a significant financial and medical burden as it is the primary cause of death and disability globally. The identification of modifiable risk factors is crucial in the prevention of stroke. Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) is the most recent indicator of cardiovascular health, but its association with stroke is unclear.

Using information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2005–2018, we evaluated the relationship between the LE8 score and the self-reported incidence of stroke in adult US citizens aged 20 years or older on a cross-sectional basis. LE8 scores were classified as being high, moderate or low according to American Heart Association guidelines. The stroke status was ascertained through self-reporting, and the analysis was adjusted for potential confounders. In addition, restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were used to further analyse the potential non-linear correlation between the LE8 score and the risk of stroke.

In our study, a total of 24 851 study participants were included, with 943 strokes and a male prevalence of 48.21%. After adjusting for all covariates, the odds of stroke were 2.17 (95% CI: 1.41 to 3.33) and 4.81 (95% CI: 3.07 to 7.56) in those with medium and low LE8 scores compared with those with a high LE8 score, respectively. Both the health behaviour score and the health factor score exhibit a significant association with stroke risk. RCS further confirmed that the association was linear. Finally, subgroup analysis has further confirmed the robustness of the observed associations.

Our observation suggests an important independent negative association between LE8 score and stroke risk. This study demonstrates the utility of LE8 as a public health tool for stroke risk stratification and emphasises the importance of cardiovascular health in stroke prevention.