Visible-frequency hyperbolic plasmon polaritons in a natural van der Waals crystal.

Controlling light at subwavelength scales is crucial in nanophotonics. Hyperbolic polaritons, supporting arbitrarily large wavevectors, enable extreme light confinement beyond the diffraction limit. Traditional hyperbolic metamaterials suffer from high losses due to metallic components, while natural low-loss hyperbolic phonon polaritons are limited to the mid-infrared range.

Clinical and Histopathologic Findings in Jalili Syndrome.

Purpose: To correlate histopathologic findings in an eye with Jalili syndrome with clinical and imaging results available before enucleation.

Design: Case report with histopathologic analysis.

Subjects: Histopathologic analysis of an enucleated eye from a 63-year-old woman diagnosed with Jalili syndrome.

Bound States in the Continuum and Long-Range Coupling of Polaritons in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanoresonators.

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) garnered significant interest for their potential to create new types of nanophotonic devices. Most prior demonstrations were based on arrays of dielectric resonators, which cannot be miniaturized beyond the diffraction limit, reducing the applicability of BICs for advanced functions. Here, we demonstrate BICs and quasi-BICs based on high-quality factor phonon-polariton resonances in isotopically pure hBN and how these states can be supported by periodic arrays of nanoresonators with sizes much smaller than the wavelength.

Mathematical Modeling of the Gastrointestinal System for Preliminary Drug Absorption Assessment.

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the potential of a multicompartmental mathematical model to simulate the activity of the gastrointestinal system after the intake of drugs, with a limited number of parameters. The gastrointestinal system is divided into five compartments, modeled as both continuous systems with discrete events (stomach and duodenum) and systems with delay (jejunum, ileum, and colon). The dissolution of the drug tablet occurs in the stomach and is described through the Noyes-Whitney equation, with pH dependence expressed through the Henderson-Hasselbach relationship.

Mathematical Modeling of Vedolizumab Treatment's Effect on Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients.

Growing evidence suggests that impaired gut permeability and gut microbiota alterations are involved in the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs), which include Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn's Disease (CD). Vedolizumab is an anti-α4β7 antibody approved for IBD treatment, used as the first treatment or second-line therapy when the first line results in inadequate effectiveness. The aim of this study is to develop a mathematical model capable of describing the pathophysiological mechanisms of Vedolizumab treatment in IBD patients.

Tracing the influence of prenatal risk factors on the offspring retina: Focus on development and putative long-term consequences.

Background: Pregnancy represents a window of vulnerability to fetal development. Disruptions in the prenatal environment during this crucial period can increase the risk of the offspring developing diseases over the course of their lifetime. The central nervous system (CNS) has been shown to be particularly susceptible to changes during crucial developmental windows.

Corrigendum: Normative mice retinal thickness: 16-month longitudinal characterization of wild-type mice and changes in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.

Contribution of extracellular vesicles for the pathogenesis of retinal diseases: shedding light on blood-retinal barrier dysfunction.

Retinal degenerative diseases, including diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), loom as threats to vision, causing detrimental effects on the structure and function of the retina. Central to understanding these diseases, is the compromised state of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), an effective barrier that regulates the influx of immune and inflammatory components. Whether BRB breakdown initiates retinal distress, or is a consequence of disease progression, remains enigmatic.

Light-induced modulation of viscoelastic properties in azobenzene polymers.

Photo-induced isomerization of azobenzene molecules drives mass migrations in azopolymer samples. The resulting macroscopic directional photo-deformation of the material morphology has found many applications in literature, although the fundamental mechanisms behind this mass transfer are still under debate. Hence, it is of paramount importance to find quantitative observables that could drive the community toward a better understanding of this phenomenon.

Müller glial cells located in the peripheral retina are more susceptible to high pressure: implications for glaucoma.

Background: Glaucoma, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss worldwide. This study aims to elucidate the critical role of Müller glia (MG) in the context of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death, particularly focusing on the influence of peripheral MG sensitivity to high pressure (HP).

Methods: Co-cultures of porcine RGCs with MG were isolated from both the central and peripheral regions of pig retinas and subjected to both normal and HP conditions.

Microglial Rac1 is essential for experience-dependent brain plasticity and cognitive performance.

Microglia, the largest population of brain immune cells, continuously interact with synapses to maintain brain homeostasis. In this study, we use conditional cell-specific gene targeting in mice with multi-omics approaches and demonstrate that the RhoGTPase Rac1 is an essential requirement for microglia to sense and interpret the brain microenvironment. This is crucial for microglia-synapse crosstalk that drives experience-dependent plasticity, a fundamental brain property impaired in several neuropsychiatric disorders.

Neuroinflammation and gliosis in the injured and contralateral retinas after unilateral optic nerve crush.

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of unilateral optic nerve crush in the gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, and gliosis markers in injured and contralateral retinas. Retinas from intact, unilaterally optic nerve injured or sham-operated C57BL/6J mice were analyzed 1, 3, 9 and 30 days after the surgery (n = 5/group and time point) and the relative expression of TGF-β1, IL-1β, TNF-α, Iba1, AQP4, GFAP, MHCII, and TSPO was analyzed in injured and contralateral using qPCR. The results indicated that compared with intact retinas, sham-operated animals showed an early (day 1) upregulation of IL-1β, TNF-α and TSPO and a late (day 30) upregulation of TNF-α.

Coexisting cancer stem cells with heterogeneous gene amplifications, transcriptional profiles, and malignancy are isolated from single glioblastomas.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is known as an intractable, highly heterogeneous tumor encompassing multiple subclones, each supported by a distinct glioblastoma stem cell (GSC). The contribution of GSC genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity to tumor subclonal properties is debated. In this study, we describe the systematic derivation, propagation, and characterization of multiple distinct GSCs from single, treatment-naive GBMs (GSC families).

The NDR/LATS protein kinases in neurobiology: Key regulators of cell proliferation, differentiation and migration in the ocular and central nervous system.

Nuclear Dbf2-related (NDR) kinases are a subgroup of evolutionarily conserved AGC protein kinases that regulate various aspects of cell growth and morphogenesis. There are 4 NDR protein kinases in mammals, LATS1, LATS2 and STTK8/NDR1, STK38L/NDR2 protein kinases. LATS1 and 2 are core components of the well-studied Hippo pathway, which play a critical role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and cell migration via YAP/TAZ transcription factor.

Maternal diabetes affects rat offspring retinal structure and function: Sex-specific vulnerabilities at infancy.

Aims: Maternal diabetes negatively impacts the offspring's brain, but little is known about its effects on the retina, which is also part of the central nervous system. We hypothesized that maternal diabetes adversely influences offspring retina development leading to structural and functional deficits.

Main Methods: Retinal structure and function were evaluated at infancy, by optical coherence tomography and electroretinography, in male and female offspring of control, diabetic and diabetic-treated with insulin Wistar rats.

Efficient High-Refractive-Index Azobenzene Dendrimers Based on a Hierarchical Supramolecular Approach.

Real-time manipulation of light in a diffractive optical element made with an azomaterial, through the light-induced reconfiguration of its surface based on mass transport, is an ambitious goal that may enable new applications and technologies. The speed and the control over photopatterning/reconfiguration of such devices are critically dependent on the photoresponsiveness of the material to the structuring light pattern and on the required extent of mass transport. In this regard, the higher the refractive index (RI) of the optical medium, the lower the total thickness and inscription time can be.

Left atrium decompression devices across the spectrum of ejection fraction in heart failure: an updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

Background: In patients affected by heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), pharmacological treatments have been proven to alleviate symptoms and improve prognosis, while no treatment other than sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors have demonstrated significant effects in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Left atrium decompression devices (LADd) have been recently investigated as a new interventional approach in patients with HFpEF.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of LADd on soft endpoints in HF patients across the spectrum of ejection fraction.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Animal Model Presents Retinal Alterations and Methylphenidate Has a Differential Effect in ADHD versus Control Conditions.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders. Interestingly, children with ADHD seem to experience more ophthalmologic abnormalities, and the impact of methylphenidate (MPH) use on retinal physiology remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to unravel the retina's structural, functional, and cellular alterations and the impact of MPH in ADHD versus the control conditions.

Normative mice retinal thickness: 16-month longitudinal characterization of wild-type mice and changes in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

Animal models of disease are paramount to understand retinal development, the pathophysiology of eye diseases, and to study neurodegeneration using optical coherence tomography (OCT) data. In this study, we present a comprehensive normative database of retinal thickness in C57BL6/129S mice using spectral-domain OCT data. The database covers a longitudinal period of 16 months, from 1 to 16 months of age, and provides valuable insights into retinal development and changes over time.

Retinal imaging in animal models: Searching for biomarkers of neurodegeneration.

There is a pressing need for novel diagnostic and progression biomarkers of neurodegeneration. However, the inability to determine disease duration and stage in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) hinders their discovery. Because animal models of disease allow us to circumvent some of these limitations, they have proven to be of paramount importance in clinical research.

Self-reported visual function and psychosocial impact of visual loss in -associated retinal degeneration in a Portuguese population.

Purpose: To evaluate self-reported visual function and the psychosocial impact of visual loss EYS-associated retinal degeneration (EYS-RD) using two patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures: Michigan Retinal Degeneration Questionnaire (MRDQ) and Michigan Vision-related Anxiety Questionnaire (MVAQ).

Methods: Cross-sectional, single-center study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Portugal. Patients with biallelic EYS variants were invited to participate.

Neonatal testosterone voids sexually differentiated microglia morphology and behavior.

The involvement of immunity in psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, is typified by the morphologic adaptation of microglia, immune cells of the brain, to anxiogenic stimuli. We previously reported sexually differentiated microglia morphology in adult rodents, in brain locations implicated in anxiety, including the pre-frontal cortex. These physiologic differences likely drive sex-dependent patterns of microglia morphologic remodeling in response to varied stress conditions in different periods of life, that correlate with sex-dependent behavioral adaptation to anxiogenic stimuli.

Comparative Analysis of Retinal Organotypic Cultures and In Vivo Axotomized Retinas.

Retinal organotypic cultures (ROCs) are used as an in vivo surrogate to study retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss and neuroprotection. In vivo, the gold standard to study RGC degeneration and neuroprotection is optic nerve lesion. We propose here to compare the course of RGC death and glial activation between both models.

TRAP1 Is Expressed in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells and Is Required to Maintain their Energetic Status.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness in elderly people worldwide. The damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) triggered by oxidative stress plays a central role in the onset and progression of AMD and results from the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced mainly by mitochondria. Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) is a mitochondrial molecular chaperone that contributes to the maintenance of mitochondrial integrity by decreasing the production and accumulation of ROS.