IntroductionThe perinatal period represents a vulnerable period in which women may experience high psychic distress due to psychological, biological and social changes. The prevalence of perinatal depression (PND) is estimated around 15%-20% during pregnancy and 16%-18% after childbirth. Although several risk factors have been investigated in the PND development, few studies explored the role of affective temperaments, well known to exert a role in any mood disorders. The aim of our study was to explore which is the most represented affective temperamental profile in PND as well as which is its role in the development and severity of depressive symptoms during perinatal period.MethodsAll pregnant women admitted at the Perinatal Mental Health Outpatient Service, Unit of Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital of Marche, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy, between April 2021 and July 2025, were screened for PND through Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a semi-structured clinical interview (SCID-5-CV). Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-M) was administered to all pregnant women. ResultsThe PND prevalence was 33.1%. PND was significantly associated with higher cyclothymic (B = 0.356, p = 0.001) and anxious TEMPS-M scores (B = 0.247, p = 0.026) and a positive psychiatric history (B = 5.245, p < 0.001) (R = 0.6, R2 = 0.36, F(3,129) = 24.189, p < 0.001). Logistic regression indicated that cyclothymic (Exp(B)=1.118, p=0.008), hyperthymic (Exp(B)=0.911, p=0.049), anxious temperaments (Exp(B)=1.109, p=0.029), presence of medical comorbidities (Exp(B)=0.224, p=0.003) and psychiatric history (Exp(B)=5.144, p=0.001) were independent predictors of PND.DiscussionAffective temperaments, particularly cyclothymic and anxious profiles, and prior psychiatric history are predictors of perinatal depression. Incorporating temperament assessment alongside standard screening tools such as the EPDS may improve early identification of women at risk, supporting tailored preventive and therapeutic strategies.
Auditory processing and communication in autism: exploring verbal abilities and vocal affective cues
This study examined the role of auditory processing in autism spectrum disorder, focusing on its association with verbal and non-verbal vocal communication skills in children and adolescents. A total of 97 English-speaking autistic participants (ages 7.9–17.4 years, mean = 12.3) and 44 neurotypical peers (ages 8.4-16.8, mean= 12.3) completed assessments of auditory processing and communication skills. We analyzed the relationships between scores on the SCAN-3 Tests for Auditory Processing Disorders time-compressed sentences, auditory figure-ground (+ 8dB), gap detection, and competing words-free recall subtests, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fifth Edition (CELF-5) expressive and receptive language indices, the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-3rd Edition (GFTA-3) Sounds-In-Words subtest, and the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy-2nd Edition (DANVA-2) paralanguage subtests. Measures of auditory processing were associated with both verbal and non-verbal communication skills in the autistic participants. Specifically, we found that SCAN-3 time-compressed sentence and gap detection scores were associated with expressive and receptive language skills, receptive vocabulary scores, and ability to recognize vocal emotional cues. Gap detection abilities additionally correlated positively with expressive and receptive language skills, while auditory figure-ground task performance was related to articulation. In conclusion, this study suggests specific aspects of auditory processing may be important for development of specific aspects of auditory communication skills in children on the spectrum. Specifically, spectral aspects of auditory processing abilities were associated with articulation accuracy whereas temporal components of auditory processing may impact broader verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of these associations and potential directions of causality to inform development of interventions that target auditory processing and auditory communication skills in ASD.
Association between the geriatric nutritional risk index and postoperative delirium: a meta-analysis
BackgroundMalnutrition has been suggested as an important contributor to postoperative delirium (POD). The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), a simple indicator based on serum albumin and body weight, has been increasingly evaluated in surgical patients. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the association between GNRI and the risk of POD.MethodsPubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for observational studies evaluating the association between categorized GNRI and POD. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models accounting for heterogeneity.ResultsTwelve cohort studies involving 12,332 surgical patients were included. Overall, low GNRI was associated with a significantly increased risk of POD (RR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.34–1.96; I² = 27%). Subgroup analyses showed a stronger association in studies with mean patient age > 74 years compared to ≤ 74 years (p for subgroup difference = 0.02) and in those using GNRI cutoffs < 98 compared to ≥ 98 (p = 0.04). The association was weaker in studies using multivariate analyses compared with univariate analyses (p = 0.01). Meta-regression indicated that GNRI cutoff values significantly influenced the pooled effect (p = 0.04). The funnel plot showed mild asymmetry, whereas Egger’s test was not significant (p = 0.11), and trim-and-fill analysis produced a similar pooled estimate (RR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.26–1.87).ConclusionsLow GNRI is associated with an increased risk of POD in surgical patients, suggesting that preoperative nutritional assessment may help identify individuals at higher risk for this complication.Systematic Review RegistrationThe study protocol was registered prospectively in the PROSPERO database (registration number: CRD420261335609).
High-fidelity intravital imaging of biological dynamics with latent-space-enhanced digital adaptive optics
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03107-2
Intravital imaging is improved by applying deep learning to wave-optics modeling.
Genome editing of phylogenetically distinct bacteria using cross-species retron-mediated recombineering
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03076-6
Retron-based systems for genome editing are functional across bacterial species.
How to meaningfully evaluate AI in clinical medicine
Nature Medicine, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04350-5
How to meaningfully evaluate AI in clinical medicine
Africa’s moment for health security
Nature Medicine, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04330-9
Advancing pandemic readiness to secure Africa’s health sovereignty.
Intestinal metaplasia is the only precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma
Nature Medicine, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04332-7
We integrated large-scale epidemiological and genomic data from patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma to compare cancers with and without Barrett’s esophagus (BE). We found shared risk factors, molecular features, evolutionary trajectories and BE lineage markers in both cancer phenotypes. Our findings support a single intestinal metaplasia-mediated pathway and have direct implications for early detection and prevention strategies.
BOLD fMRI reflects both vascular and metabolic signals
Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02288-y
A recent study by Epp et al. uses advanced, quantitative functional MRI measures to demonstrate that the ‘canonical’ interpretation of blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) — that increases and decreases in brain activation are accompanied by corresponding changes in blood flow and oxygen metabolism — does not strictly hold across the human brain. Although the authors provided a balanced interpretation, this has been viewed by others as undermining fMRI. We discuss whether the findings bring into question the validity of fMRI-based measures of brain function.
Early dopamine disruption in the entorhinal cortex of a knock-in model of Alzheimer’s disease
Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02260-w
The authors reveal entorhinal cortex dopaminergic and behavioral dysfunction in Alzheimer’s model mice, suggesting the possibility that entorhinal dopamine loss may contribute to aspects of Alzheimer’s disease.