Intraocular Pressure Outcomes After Lampalizumab Injections in Patients With Geographic Atrophy.

Importance: Intraocular pressure (IOP) elevations of clinical relevance have been observed after the commonly used 0.05-mL volume for intravitreous injections. However, more recently approved intravitreous agents involve volumes from 0.

Efficacy and Safety of Faricimab for Macular Edema due to Retinal Vein Occlusion: 24-Week Results from the BALATON and COMINO Trials.

Purpose: To evaluate the 24-week efficacy and safety of the dual angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A inhibitor faricimab versus aflibercept in patients with vein occlusion.

Design: Phase 3, global, randomized, double-masked, active comparator-controlled trials: BALATON/COMINO (ClincalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT04740905/NCT04740931; sites: 149/192).

Mercury causes degradation of spatial cognition in a model songbird species.

Mercury is a widespread pollutant of increasing global concern that exhibits a broad range of deleterious effects on organisms, including birds. Because the developing brain is well-known to be particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic insults of mercury, many studies have focused on developmental effects such as on the embryonic brain and resulting behavioral impairment in adults. It is not well understood how the timing of exposure, for example exclusively in ovo versus throughout life, influences the impact of mercury.

A field test of the "graveyard hypothesis" reveals avoidance of chemical but not visual cues in Bahamian queen conch (Aliger gigas).

Queen conch (Aliger gigas) are large gastropod molluscs harvested for their meat, shells, and pearls and as they are generally easy to collect by hand, they are vulnerable to overfishing. In The Bahamas, fishers often clean (or "knock") their catch and dispose of the shells away from collection sites, forming midden heaps or "graveyards". Although queen conch are motile and found throughout shallow water habitats, live animals are rarely observed in the vicinity of middens, giving rise to a common belief that conch actively avoid graveyards, possibly by moving offshore.

Intravaginal lactic acid gel versus oral metronidazole for treating women with recurrent bacterial vaginosis: the VITA randomised controlled trial.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis is a common and distressing condition for women. Short-term antibiotic treatment is usually clinically effective, but recurrence is common. We assessed the effectiveness of intravaginal lactic acid gel versus oral metronidazole for treating recurrent bacterial vaginosis.

The DEVA trial: protocol for a randomised controlled trial of dequalinium chloride versus usual care antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in women of reproductive age, and it is estimated that up to a third of women will experience it at some point in their lives. BV produces an offensive vaginal odour and it is associated with serious sequelae. The most frequently prescribed treatment for BV in the UK is 7-day oral metronidazole but recurrences are common following it.

Addressing pollination deficits in orchard crops through habitat management for wild pollinators.

There is increasing evidence that farmers in many areas are achieving below maximum yields due to insufficient pollination. Practical and effective approaches are needed to maintain wild pollinator populations within agroecosystems so they can deliver critical pollination services that underpin crop production. We established nesting and wildflower habitat interventions in 24 UK apple orchards and measured effects on flower-visiting insects and the pollination they provide, exploring how this was affected by landscape context.

Why Students Struggle in Undergraduate Biology: Sources and Solutions.

Students' perceptions of challenges in biology influence performance outcomes, experiences, and persistence in science. Identifying sources of student struggle can assist efforts to support students as they overcome challenges in their undergraduate educations. In this study, we characterized student experiences of struggle by 1) quantifying which external factors relate to perceptions of encountering and overcoming struggle in introductory biology and 2) identifying factors to which students attribute their struggle in biology.

Efficacy, durability, and safety of intravitreal faricimab up to every 16 weeks for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (TENAYA and LUCERNE): two randomised, double-masked, phase 3, non-inferiority trials.

Background: Faricimab is a bispecific antibody that acts through dual inhibition of both angiopoietin-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor A. We report primary results of two phase 3 trials evaluating intravitreal faricimab with extension up to every 16 weeks for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: TENAYA and LUCERNE were randomised, double-masked, non-inferiority trials across 271 sites worldwide.

Lactic acid gel versus metronidazole for recurrent bacterial vaginosis in women aged 16 years and over: the VITA RCT.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis is a common and distressing condition associated with serious comorbidities. Antibiotic treatment is usually clinically effective in the short term, but recurrence is common and side effects can occur.

Objectives: The objective is to assess whether or not intravaginal lactic acid gel is clinically effective and cost-effective for treating recurrent bacterial vaginosis compared with oral metronidazole (Flagyl, Sanofi).

CropPol: A dynamic, open and global database on crop pollination.

Seventy five percent of the world's food crops benefit from insect pollination. Hence, there has been increased interest in how global change drivers impact this critical ecosystem service. Because standardized data on crop pollination are rarely available, we are limited in our capacity to understand the variation in pollination benefits to crop yield, as well as to anticipate changes in this service, develop predictions, and inform management actions.

The Dopamine D1 Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulator Mevidalen (LY3154207) Enhances Wakefulness in the Humanized D1 Mouse and in Sleep-Deprived Healthy Male Volunteers.

Dopamine (DA) plays a key role in several central functions including cognition, motor activity, and wakefulness. Although efforts to develop dopamine receptor 1 (D1) agonists have been challenging, a positive allosteric modulator represents an attractive approach with potential better drug-like properties. Our previous study demonstrated an acceptable safety and tolerability profile of the dopamine receptor 1 positive allosteric modulator (D1PAM) mevidalen (LY3154207) in single and multiple ascending dose studies in healthy volunteers (Wilbraham et al.

Archway Randomized Phase 3 Trial of the Port Delivery System with Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Port Delivery System with ranibizumab (PDS) for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Design: Phase 3, open-label, randomized, visual acuity assessor-masked noninferiority and equivalence trial.

Participants: Patients with nAMD diagnosed within 9 months of screening previously treated with and responsive to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy.

Enhancement of the Diversity of Pollinators and Beneficial Insects in Intensively Managed Vineyards.

(1) Modern, intensive agricultural practices have been attributed to the loss of insect biodiversity and abundance in agroecosystems for the last 80 years. The aim of this work is to test whether there are statistically significant differences in insect abundance between different zones and over time on the vineyard field. (2) The study was carried out in five intensive wine farms in Spain over a three-year period (2013-2015).

Phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of dapirolizumab pegol in patients with moderate-to-severe active systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To evaluate the dose-response, efficacy and safety of dapirolizumab pegol (DZP) in patients with SLE.

Methods: Adults with moderately to severely active SLE (SLEDAI-2K score ≥6 and ≥1 BILAG A or ≥2 BILAG B domain scores), receiving stable CS (≤40 mg/day prednisone-equivalent), antimalarial or immunosuppressant drugs were included. Patients with stable LN (proteinuria ≤2 g/day) not receiving high-dose CS or CYC were permitted entry.

"Do You Need a Doctor's Note?" Factors Leading to Delayed Return to Work after Blunt Chest Trauma.

Background: Blunt chest trauma is associated with significant morbidity, but the long-term functional status for these patients is less well-known. Return to work (RTW) is a benchmark for functional recovery in trauma patients, but minimal data exist regarding RTW following blunt chest trauma.

Materials And Methods: Patients ≥ 18 y old admitted to a Level 1 trauma center following blunt chest trauma with ≥ 3 rib fractures and length of stay (LOS) ≥ 3 d were included.

Wild insect diversity increases inter-annual stability in global crop pollinator communities.

While an increasing number of studies indicate that the range, diversity and abundance of many wild pollinators has declined, the global area of pollinator-dependent crops has significantly increased over the last few decades. Crop pollination studies to date have mainly focused on either identifying different guilds pollinating various crops, or on factors driving spatial changes and turnover observed in these communities. The mechanisms driving temporal stability for ecosystem functioning and services, however, remain poorly understood.

Crop production in the USA is frequently limited by a lack of pollinators.

Most of the world's crops depend on pollinators, so declines in both managed and wild bees raise concerns about food security. However, the degree to which insect pollination is actually limiting current crop production is poorly understood, as is the role of wild species (as opposed to managed honeybees) in pollinating crops, particularly in intensive production areas. We established a nationwide study to assess the extent of pollinator limitation in seven crops at 131 locations situated across major crop-producing areas of the USA.

Does Level of Blood Alcohol Content Affect Clinical Outcomes After Trauma in Older Adult Patients?

Introduction: Preinjury alcohol use and older age have independently been associated with poor outcomes. This study examined whether higher levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) correlated with an increased likelihood of poor outcomes in older trauma patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of injured patients ≥65 years with BAC testing presenting to a Level 1 trauma center between 2015 and 2018.

Building on the success of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy: a vision for the next decade.

This article aims to identify key opportunities for improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of retinal disease, and describe recent innovations that will potentially facilitate improved outcomes with existing intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies and lay the groundwork for new treatment approaches. The review begins with a summary of the key discoveries that led to the development of anti-VEGF therapies and briefly reviews their impact on clinical practice. Opportunities for improvements in diagnosis, real-world outcomes with existing therapies, long-acting therapeutics and personalised health care are discussed, as well as the need to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention.