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XGBoost Suicide Risk Model Reached 96% PPV at Top 0.1% Threshold

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A 2026 Scientific Reports study of Maryland suicide-death records found that an XGBoost machine-learning model could reach 96.1% positive predictive value in hospital-discharge data at the top 0.1% risk threshold, but it still detected only 46.7% of suicide deaths in that cohort. Research Highlights Precision improved at the narrowest threshold: XGBoost reached PPV 0.961 in …

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AI Chatbot for Pregnancy Anxiety: 300-Woman Study Shows Large Score Drop

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A 300-woman high-risk pregnancy study reported a striking before-after change after 4 weeks of daily Replika chatbot use: Pregnancy Anxiety and Stress Rating Scale scores fell from 54.05 to 10.15, p < 0.001.1 The result is a real signal for digital maternal support, but the no-control design makes it weak evidence that the chatbot itself …

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Maternal COVID-19 and Autism Screening: 10.1% Positive MCHAT-R/F

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A 745-child cohort found positive MCHAT-R/F autism screens in 22 of 218 children exposed to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy (10.1%) vs. 30 of 527 pre-pandemic controls (5.7%; p = 0.03).1 The same 2026 analysis added a small serum-proteomics layer: exposed newborns who later screened positive showed altered immune and metabolic markers, but the paper …

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Adult ADHD Linked to Lower SIRT-1/Nrf-2/HO-1 Antioxidant Defenses

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A 2026 case-control study found that treatment-naive adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had much lower serum SIRT-1, Nrf-2, and HO-1 than matched controls, while TNF-α did not differ. The pattern points more toward impaired antioxidant-defense regulation than a simple broad-inflammation story. Research Highlights Antioxidant-defense markers were lower: adults with ADHD had lower SIRT-1 (9.36 vs. …

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Rare OCD Variants in NPY5R, DLGAP1, and MAPK8IP3 Segregate in Families

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A 2026 whole-genome sequencing preprint found rare variant signals in 2 multiplex obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) families: an NPY5R missense variant in 10 of 15 affected people in 1 pedigree, plus DLGAP1 and MAPK8IP3 signals that tracked all 3 sequenced cases in a branch of a second pedigree.1 The finding is a candidate-gene result, not a …

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High Cytokines Predicted Weaker Placebo Response in Cancer Symptom Trial

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A 2026 exploratory analysis of the ABCD cancer dyspnea trial found that higher baseline cytokines predicted less placebo symptom improvement than lower baseline cytokines across 33 of 40 cytokine-symptom combinations at day 7 and 29 of 40 at day 14.1 The signal is not ready for clinical prediction, but it sharpens a trial-design problem: patients …

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