Measuring and reducing surgical staff stress in a realistic operating room setting using EDA monitoring and smart hearing protection

BackgroundStress is a critical factor in the operating room (OR) and affects both the performance and well-being of surgical staff. Measuring and mitigating this stress

Gradient-specified optimization based on muscle surface mesh and moment arm as an effect-oriented approach of automated musculotendon path modeling

There is more to musculotendon path modeling than aligning a cable to reflect the geometric features of a muscle-tendon unit. From the perspective of simulation

Adaptation to free-living drives loss of beneficial endosymbiosis through metabolic trade-offs

Symbioses are widespread (1) and underpin the function of diverse ecosystems (2-6), but their evolutionary stability is challenging to explain (7,8). Fitness trade-offs between con-trasting

Hippocampal representations differentiate reactive and anticipatory responses during foraging under threat

Adaptive behavior under threat requires balancing reward pursuit against the risk of harm. During approach-avoidance conflict, animals often pause at decision points, but whether these

Frontal Brain Injury Reduces Sensitivity to Reward-Predictive Cues and Remodels the Nucleus Accumbens

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are more than mere lesions and generate a persistent secondary pathology. This, combined with functional reorganization of circuits post-injury, may explain

The Impact of Education Level on the Risk of Heart Failure, Acute Myocardial Infarction, and Stroke in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation – a Swedish Nationwide Cohort Study

April 8, 2026

Background: Socioeconomic factors impact cardiovascular health. We investigated the association between patient education level and incident heart failure (HF), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and stroke following a first hospitalization with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: In this nationwide retrospective cohort study using linked Swedish national registers, we included all patients receiving a diagnosis of AF while hospitalized in Sweden from 1995 through 2008; categorized education level as primary, secondary, or academic; and followed patients for up to five years. Outcomes were first hospitalization for HF, AMI, or stroke. Associations were assessed using sex-stratified Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, calendar year of AF diagnosis, and measures of comorbidity burden (Charlson Comorbidity Index) and thromboembolic risk (CHA2DS2VA score). Results: The cohort comprised 263,172 patients (mean age 72.5 +/- 10.4 years; 56.2% male). Compared with primary education, secondary and academic education attainment were associated with lower adjusted risk of HF and AMI in both females and males. For HF, adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were 0.96 (95% CI 0.93 – 1.00) for secondary and 0.82 (95% CI 0.77 – 0.87) for academic education for females and 0.93 (95% CI 0.90 – 0.96) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.72 – 0.80), respectively, for males. For AMI, adjusted HRs were 0.89 (95% CI 0.85 – 0.93) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.65 – 0.78) for females and 0.91 (95% CI 0.87 – 0.94) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.71 – 0.80) for males. For stroke, lower adjusted risk was observed only in the academic education group. Baseline comorbidity burden and thromboembolic risk were higher in lower education groups. Conclusions: Education level was inversely associated with risk of incident HF and AMI over five years, while the association with stroke risk was weaker. Documenting education level may help identify patients at increased risk who could benefit from careful monitoring and optimized preventive care.

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