Highlights of BMC series - February 2026
Published in Healthcare & Nursing, Biomedical Research, and Public Health
BMC pregnancy and Childbirth - Report of the favorable pregnancy outcomes in an FKBP10-related Bruck syndrome case and a narrative review of pregnancy in severe osteogenesis imperfecta
Pregnancy in women with severe osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) remains one of the most challenging and least documented areas in maternal care, and this rarity makes each well‑reported case immensely valuable for clinicians. The recently published case report in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth presented a clinically valuable case of pregnancy in a woman with FKBP10-related Bruck syndrome, accompanied by a comprehensive narrative review of pregnancies in severe osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Given the extreme rarity of genetically confirmed Bruck syndrome pregnancies, the case is original and relevant.
This case study reports a successful pregnancy and delivery in a woman with Bruck syndrome, highlighting that carefully coordinated, multidisciplinary care can lead to positive maternal and neonatal outcomes.
The patient diagnosed with severe OI and multiple lower‑limb deformities since childhood conceived at the age of 29 and progressed through pregnancy with coordinated antenatal management, ultimately achieving a successful delivery outcome, underscoring that fertility and safe childbirth can be preserved despite the complexities of this genetic condition. The accompanying narrative review highlights the relevance of this case by summarizing 21 pregnancies reported across 20 women with severe OI, revealing consistent trends such as a universal reliance on cesarean delivery, a strikingly high preterm birth rate of 85%, and commonly low neonatal birthweights averaging around 1,520 grams, patterns that reaffirm the significantly elevated perinatal risks associated with these disorders. The authors highlight how these predictable complications emphasize the need for pre‑emptive planning, including preparedness for emergency scenarios, specialized anesthesia considerations, and careful positioning due to skeletal fragility.
The mixed method study published in BMC Nutrition present insights into the nutritional status of transgender and gender‑diverse youth and young adults (TGD‑YYA), a group often underrepresented in population health research. The findings revealed suboptimal diet quality, with a mean Healthy Eating Index (HEI‑2020) score of 46/100, indicating low alignment with recommended dietary patterns. Daily energy intake averaged 1,675 kcal, with significantly lower intake among adolescents (approx. 1,318 kcal) than young adults (approx. 2,105 kcal).
Fruit and vegetable intake were also limited, as reflected by low–moderate skin carotenoid levels measured via Raman spectroscopy. Beyond diet quality alone, Anthropometric and biometric indicators pointed toward moderate cardiometabolic risk in both youth and young adult groups, including elevated waist circumference and blood pressure, despite these dietary challenges, hemoglobin levels indicated low anemia risk.
Qualitative interviews revealed themes of dissatisfaction with diet quality, concerns about weight and body image, perceived gaps in nutrition knowledge, and the role of dietary behaviors in gender affirmation. These insights underscore how nutrition intersects not only with physical health but also with identity, stigma, and psychosocial well‑being among TGD‑YYA. The study emphasizes the pressing need for gender‑affirming nutrition education, supportive healthcare environments, and more inclusive public‑health strategies to address nutritional inequities in this population.
BMC Nutrition – Eating healthy within the boundaries of one planet: case study for the Netherlands
The study published in BMC Nutrition explores whether the Dutch population can adopt diets that are both nutritionally adequate and environmentally sustainable diet using mathematical optimization (Optimeal 3.0).
The data is paired with data from the 2019-2021 Dutch food consumption survey. Researchers modelled future diets for 2030 and 2050, applying constraints for greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO₂ eq/year), blue water use (m³/year), cropland area (hectares), phosphorus application, and surplus nitrogen — all calibrated to fall within the EAT‑Lancet planetary boundary framework. The optimized diet required major shifts: meat, eggs, fats/oils, potatoes/tubers, and sugar/confectionery all decreased significantly, while legumes, nuts/seeds, vegetables, fish, and meat replacers increased. One of the most striking findings was the shift in protein sources: plant‑based protein rose to 64%, compared to 43% in the current Dutch diet.
Environmental impact improvements were equally significant. The optimized diet reduced biodiversity loss-measured using the ReCiPe 2016 endpoint indicator (extinctions per million species‑year) by 65%, creating a pattern that fits within five planetary boundaries simultaneously. Importantly, results show that a healthy, sustainable, one‑planet diet is achievable, but only with systemic shifts reducing food waste, adopting more sustainable agricultural methods, and catalyzing broad dietary change at population level as mentioned by authors. The authors have emphasized that urgent policy action is needed in the next five years (2030) to align national dietary habits with ecological limits. The findings support the development of future food‑system‑based dietary guidelines and offer a replicable model for other countries seeking to adapt diets to planetary health goals.
BMC Endocrine Disorders- New practice guidelines from the Osteology Umbrella Association outline evidence‑based exercise strategies-combining bone‑strengthening and balance training-to help prevent fractures in people at increased risk
The comprehensive DVO guideline addresses a question that clinicians, physiotherapists, and researchers have debated for decades as a very common question: Can exercise rival medication when it comes to preventing fractures? The review article, recently published in BMC Endocrine Disorders, presents a consensus‑based guideline that synthesizes findings from numerous studies to provide practical, cohort‑specific recommendations for fracture‑preventive exercise. The guideline emphasizes that bone‑strengthening protocols must include periods of high loading magnitude and high loading rate, achieved through impact loading and dynamic strength/power training. These activities stimulate bone remodeling and increase bone mineral density, which is a critical factor in preventing fragility fractures. Training frequency was clearly outlined: at least 2 sessions per week for bone‑strength objectives, and 3 sessions per week for fall‑risk reduction programs. The authors also recommend a periodized approach, alternating high‑intensity cycles with low or recovery phases, allowing for progression while minimizing injury risk.
To address a major determinant of fracture incidence, the guideline identifies multiple exercise categories shown to reduce falls effectively. These include balance training, perturbation training, functional and stepping exercises, and interactive cognitive‑motor routines, all of which help older adults improve stability and neuromuscular responsiveness. The authors also differentiate between simple safe‑landing techniques that can be widely recommended versus advanced martial‑arts‑derived fall strategies, which require specialized supervision to avoid harm. By connecting fracture‑risk determinants (bone strength, fall risk, and fall‑impact risk) with corresponding training objectives, this guideline provides a structured, safety‑oriented plan for clinicians, physiotherapists, and exercise professionals. It also supports evidence‑driven training programs that can be adapted across diverse patient groups, including individuals at higher risk of fracture.
BMC Infectious Diseases - New onset of severe and long-term hepatobiliary diseases post-COVID-19 infection: a systematic review
A systematic review published in BMC Infectious Diseases examined the growing link between COVID‑19 and new-onset severe hepatobiliary diseases. The findings from 23 studies documented post‑infection conditions such as acute hepatitis, cholestasis, autoimmune liver diseases, and gallbladder pathology. The systematic review highlights that COVID‑19’s hepatic impact spans both inflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms, and these conditions may arise after recovery, even in patients who experienced initially mild respiratory symptoms. The authors searched seven major databases namely PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library, in October 2023 with set inclusion and exclusion criteria targeting studies reporting new-onset hepatobiliary disease following confirmed SARS‑CoV‑2 infection.
The analysis underscores that these hepatobiliary complications are often severe and long‑lasting, with the potential for significant morbidity if not identified early. The authors emphasize the necessity for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion and adopt prolonged monitoring strategies, given emerging evidence that COVID‑19 can lead to persistent liver dysfunction, progressive cholestasis, or autoimmune activation long after acute illness subsides. They concluded that recognizing these patterns is critical for preventing long‑term adverse outcomes, stressing that the virus’s impact is distinctly multi‑systemic and that hepatobiliary complications warrant the same level of clinical vigilance as respiratory and cardiovascular sequelae.
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BMC Infectious Diseases
This journal is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of the prevention, diagnosis and management of infectious and sexually transmitted diseases in humans, as well as related molecular genetics, pathophysiology, and epidemiology.
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BMC Nutrition
BMC Nutrition is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of nutritional sciences.
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BMC Endocrine Disorders
This is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on the characterization, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of endocrine disorders.
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BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
This is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. It welcomes submissions on the biomedical aspects of pregnancy, breastfeeding, labor, maternal health, maternity care, trends and sociological aspects of pregnancy and childbirth.
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All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.
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