Self-rated health is one of the most used measures of subjective health in research. At the same time, it presents several methodological challenges. Self-rated health requires individuals to translate their complex, multifaceted health experiences into a single response on the self-rated health scale. When different groups interpret and rate their health differently e.g. by gender or birth cohorts, the risk of misinterpretation increases. Older adults tend to rate their health as good or very good despite the increasing physical degeneration associated with ageing. To address these challenges, the anchoring vignette method was developed to improve the comparability of survey responses. In this study, anchoring vignettes were used to investigate the association between demographic and health-related predictors and both unadjusted and adjusted self-rated health in later life. Data were collected through the Swedish Citizen Panel; a total of 4,300 individuals aged 60-85 were invited, stratified by age and sex. 3,083 participants completed more than 80% of the questionnaire. The associations between demographic and health-related factors and self-rated health changed between the unadjusted and adjusted analyses. In the unadjusted analysis, women reported better health than men; this reversed in the CHOPIT model. After adjustment, there was no significant association between self-rated health and age or educational level. Living with others remained positively associated with self-rated health, whereas dependency in daily activities, number of diseases, and somatic symptoms remained negatively associated. We conclude that anchoring vignettes can be a suitable tool for evaluating self-rated health in later life and a valuable addition to simpler, traditional approaches.

A targeted analytical method for seven short- and ultra-short chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was developed and validated in grain products using LC-MS/MS. The method is simple and robust, with validation results demonstrating acceptable recoveries and reproducibility. The validated method was applied to a variety of grain products commonly consumed in the United States, including flour, rice, corn, oats, and pasta, with both conventional and organic products represented. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was detected in 92 out of 95 samples with concentrations ranging from not detectable to 356 ng/g. To evaluate the impact of cooking, selected grains were prepared according to typical household practices and analysed alongside the corresponding cooking water. TFA concentrations generally decreased after cooking, accompanied by transfer into the cooking water. Among all tested grain products, flour contained the highest TFA levels (range: 36.6-356 ng/g), followed by oats (27.5-292 ng/g), pasta (13.6-265 ng/g), and rice (8.52-77.8 ng/g). Historical grain samples collected between 2016 and 2019 were also analysed, providing a retrospective view of TFA occurrence, and analysis of identical products purchased in 2026 indicated an overall upward trend in TFA levels. Estimated dietary intake of TFA from cooked grains was below the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) acceptable daily intake of 0.014 mg/kg body weight.

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a self-limiting avascular necrosis of the femoral head in children, with management aimed at preserving hip joint congruency and reducing the risk of long-term degenerative changes. Bracing is a commonly used containment strategy; however, its effectiveness remains controversial owing to variation in brace design, biomechanical principles, and treatment protocols. This systematic review evaluates and synthesizes the variability in bracing design and bracing protocols for non-operative management of LCPD. This review adhered to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Science Citation Index, and Google Scholar was performed using keywords such as "Perthes" OR "Coxa Plana" and "treatment" OR "non-operative" OR "orthoses" OR "conservative" OR "brace". Only full-text articles in English were included. Studies were required to document initial radiographs using the Catterall or Herring classification and assess outcomes with the Mose or Stulberg criteria. Exclusion criteria included non-English language articles and research with inadequate methodology. Patient demographics, therapy type, type of bracing, and radiological results were among the information retrieved. Radiographic results were classified as good or poor using the Mose and Stulberg ratings. A total of 12 studies were examined to determine the efficacy of conservative treatments, especially bracing, for LCPD. Age of onset was a key prognostic factor, with better outcomes indicated in children under the age of eight. Bracing was more beneficial in younger individuals with milder illness, although adherence was crucial. Various braces, including the Atlanta Scottish Rite, trilateral socket, and non-weight-bearing ambulatory hip abduction brace, have been developed to maintain hip abduction. However, limitations such as discomfort, poor adherence, reduced mobility, and inconsistent radiological and clinical outcomes undermine their efficacy. Additionally, significant variability exists in indications, duration, and patient selection, with no universally accepted bracing protocol. Despite theoretical containment advantages, the effectiveness of bracing in LCPD remains inconclusive due to heterogeneity in brace designs, patient selection, and treatment protocols, as well as limitations in the underlying evidence base. Further prospective, methodologically robust studies with standardized protocols and transparent reporting of adherence are needed to clarify the role of bracing in clinically meaningful outcomes.

Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision impairment worldwide and a major microvascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although chronic hyperglycemia is a well-established risk factor, evidence is accumulating that long-term glycemic variability may independently contribute to DR development. Data from Middle Eastern and Gulf Cooperation Council populations remain scarce. Methods We conducted a retrospective case-control study nested within a 10-year diabetes cohort at the Dubai Diabetes Center, a specialized tertiary facility in the United Arab Emirates. Cases (n = 67) who developed DR during follow-up were matched 1:1 by age to DR-free controls (n = 67). Long-term glycemic variability was assessed using the standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of serial HbA1c measurements collected twice yearly. Five multiple logistic regression models evaluated the independent association between HbA1c variability and DR, adjusting for diabetes duration, baseline HbA1c, neuropathy, smoking, and insulin use. Findings Patients who developed DR had significantly higher HbA1c variability than controls (median SD 1.00% vs 0.55%, p < 0.001; median CV 12.34% vs. 7.93%, p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, HbA1c variability remained independently associated with DR across all five models, whether expressed as SD (adjusted OR up to 13.85 per 1% increase) or CV (adjusted OR 1.20 per 1% increase), after adjustment for follow-up mean HbA1c. Neuropathy, smoking, and insulin use were also independently associated with DR. ROC analysis showed acceptable discriminatory performance for both SD (AUC 0.746) and CV (AUC 0.716). Interpretation Long-term HbA1c variability was independently associated with DR in this Middle Eastern cohort, beyond mean glycemic control. These findings suggest that serial HbA1c measurements - already collected in routine diabetes care - may provide a scalable, low-cost tool for early DR risk stratification. Prospective validation in larger, diverse populations is needed before these findings can be incorporated into clinical algorithms.

Exposure to traumatic experiences is a well-documented risk factor for the development of depressive disorders; however, considerable variability exists in psychological outcomes following trauma exposure, with many individuals demonstrating resilience despite significant adversity. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these divergent trajectories is essential for improving prevention and intervention strategies. This narrative review integrates current empirical evidence on rumination, emotion dysregulation, and self-compassion to propose a cognitive-emotional framework explaining how maladaptive and protective processes may contribute to post-traumatic depression and resilience. The literature examined indicates that maladaptive rumination and difficulties in emotion regulation are consistently associated with elevated depressive symptoms following trauma and may contribute to the persistence of psychological distress through repetitive negative thinking, impaired emotional processing, and reduced adaptive coping. Conversely, self-compassion appears to be associated with lower levels of rumination, improved emotional functioning, and greater resilience. However, the extent to which self-compassion exerts unique effects beyond related processes such as mindfulness, acceptance, and broader emotion regulation capacities remains insufficiently understood. Overall, the available evidence supports a transdiagnostic perspective in which cognitive, emotional, and self-relational processes interact to influence post-traumatic adaptation. Nevertheless, the predominance of cross-sectional designs, reliance on self-report measures, and heterogeneity across trauma populations limit causal interpretations and the definitive identification of underlying mechanisms. Future longitudinal, experimental, and mechanistically informed studies are required to clarify the temporal relationships among these constructs and to determine how targeted interventions may strengthen protective processes while reducing vulnerability to depression following trauma.