Photobiomodulation Therapy for Serous Pigment Epithelium Detachment in Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To report a case of giant pigment epithelium detachment (PED) secondary to chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (cCSC) successfully treated with photobiomodulation (PBM).

Methods: Case report.

Results: A 55-year-old man complained a worsening of vision in the left eye (LE) over the last 18 months.

Fluorescein angiography patterns and subretinal hyperreflective material predict subthreshold micropulse laser response in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.

Background: To investigate predictors of navigated subthreshold micropulse laser (SML) treatment in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (cCSC).

Methods: In this single-center prospective consecutive case series, patients with cCSC were treated with 577 nm SML and followed up for 12 months. A complete ophthalmological evaluation including spectral optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), fluorescein angiography (FA) and microperimetry (MP) was performed.

A Role for Bottom-Up Synthetic Cells in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things?

The potential role of bottom-up Synthetic Cells (SCs) in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) is discussed. In particular, this perspective paper focuses on the growing interest in networks of biological and/or artificial objects at the micro- and nanoscale (cells and subcellular parts, microelectrodes, microvessels, etc.), whereby communication takes place in an unconventional manner, i.

Explorative Synthetic Biology in AI: Criteria of Relevance and a Taxonomy for Synthetic Models of Living and Cognitive Processes.

This article tackles the topic of the special issue "Biology in AI: New Frontiers in Hardware, Software and Wetware Modeling of Cognition" in two ways. It addresses the problem of the relevance of hardware, software, and wetware models for the scientific understanding of biological cognition, and it clarifies the contributions that synthetic biology, construed as the synthetic exploration of cognition, can offer to artificial intelligence (AI). The research work proposed in this article is based on the idea that the relevance of hardware, software, and wetware models of biological and cognitive processes-that is, the concrete contribution that these models can make to the scientific understanding of life and cognition-is still unclear, mainly because of the lack of explicit criteria to assess in what ways synthetic models can support the experimental exploration of biological and cognitive phenomena.

Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Inherited Retinal Diseases: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders that may be complicated by several vitreoretinal conditions requiring a surgical approach. Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) stands as a valuable treatment option in these cases, but its application in eyes with such severely impaired chorioretinal architectures remains controversial. Furthermore, the spreading of gene therapy and the increasing use of retinal prostheses will end up in a marked increase in demand for PPV surgery for IRD patients.

Clinical Applications of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Inherited Retinal Diseases: An Up-to-Date Review of the Literature.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) is a valuable imaging technique, allowing non-invasive, depth-resolved, motion-contrast, high-resolution images of both retinal and choroidal vascular networks. The imaging capabilities of OCT-A have enhanced our understanding of the retinal and choroidal alterations that occur in inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders that may be complicated by several vascular conditions requiring a prompt diagnosis. In this review, we aimed to comprehensively summarize all clinical applications of OCT-A in the diagnosis and management of IRDs, highlighting significant vascular findings on retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, choroideremia, Best disease and other less common forms of retinal dystrophies.

Synthetic cell research: Is technical progress leaving theoretical and epistemological investigations one step behind?

Advancements in the research on so-called "synthetic (artificial) cells" have been mainly characterized by an important acceleration in all sorts of experimental approaches, providing a growing amount of knowledge and techniques that will shape future successful developments. Synthetic cell technology, indeed, shows potential in driving a revolution in science and technology. On the other hand, theoretical and epistemological investigations related to what synthetic cells "are," how they behave, and what their role is in generating knowledge have not received sufficient attention.

Extreme Accelerations During Earthquakes Caused by Elastic Flapping Effect.

Accurate recording of large, earthquake-induced ground shaking is critical for our understanding of earthquake physics as well as seismic hazard assessment. Extremely large accelerations with the peak value of 3.2 times the gravity acceleration were recorded at seismic station WTMC located in northern South Island of New Zealand during the recent magnitude 7.

Patient Perceptions of Chaperones during Intimate Examinations and Procedures in Urology Clinic.

Introduction: We surveyed patients on their expectations and preferences regarding chaperones during intimate examinations and procedures in urology clinic.

Methods: Patients identified in the outpatient urology clinic were queried for demographics, expectations and preferences regarding chaperones through a 16-item survey.

Results: We collected data from 200 patients (52.

Plural Embodiment(s) of Mind. Genealogy and Guidelines for a Radically Embodied Approach to Mind and Consciousness.

This article focuses on a scientific approach to the study of cognition that Warren McCulloch introduced in the era of cybernetics as "experimental epistemology." In line with recent attempts to highlight its contribution to cognitive science and AI, our article intends to draw attention to its unexplored influence on contemporary embodied approaches to the investigation of mind and consciousness. To this end, we will survey a series of models of cognitive systems genealogically related to the McCulloch-Pitts networks-based modeling approach, i.

Anthropomorphism in Human-Robot Co-evolution.

Social robotics entertains a particular relationship with anthropomorphism, which it neither sees as a cognitive error, nor as a sign of immaturity. Rather it considers that this common human tendency, which is hypothesized to have evolved because it favored cooperation among early humans, can be used today to facilitate social interactions between humans and a new type of cooperative and interactive agents - social robots. This approach leads social robotics to focus research on the engineering of robots that activate anthropomorphic projections in users.

Municipal solid waste landfill leachate treatment and electricity production using microbial fuel cells.

Microbial fuel cells were designed and operated to treat landfill leachate while simultaneously producing electricity. Two designs were tested in batch cycles using landfill leachate as a substrate without inoculation (908 to 3,200 mg/L chemical oxygen demand (COD)): Circle (934 mL) and large-scale microbial fuel cells (MFC) (18.3 L).

Tissue mechanics modulate microRNA-dependent PTEN expression to regulate malignant progression.

Tissue mechanics regulate development and homeostasis and are consistently modified in tumor progression. Nevertheless, the fundamental molecular mechanisms through which altered mechanics regulate tissue behavior and the clinical relevance of these changes remain unclear. We demonstrate that increased matrix stiffness modulates microRNA expression to drive tumor progression through integrin activation of β-catenin and MYC.

Oncogenic targeting of BRM drives malignancy through C/EBPβ-dependent induction of α5 integrin.

Integrin expression and activity are altered in tumors, and aberrant integrin signaling promotes malignancy. However, how integrins become altered in tumors remains poorly understood. We discovered that oncogenic activation of MEK signaling induces cell growth and survival, and promotes the malignant phenotype of mammary epithelial cells (MECs) by increasing α5 integrin expression.

On the emergence of biology from chemistry: a discontinuist perspective from the point of view of stability and regulation.

In this paper we argue that molecular evolution, and the evolution of prebiotic and early biological systems are qualitatively different processes, in which a crucial role is played respectively by structural stability and by dynamical mechanisms of regulation and integration. These different features entail also distinct modalities of interaction between system and environment that need to be taken into consideration when discussing molecular and biological evolution and selection.

Life, autonomy and cognition: an organizational approach to the definition of the universal properties of life.

This article addresses the issue of defining the universal properties of living systems through an organizational approach, according to which the distinctive properties of life lie in the functional organization which correlates its physicochemical components in living systems, and not in these components taken separately. Drawing on arguments grounded in this approach, this article identifies autonomy, with a set of related organizational properties, as universal properties of life, and includes cognition within this set.

The new ICP minimally invasive method shows that the Monro-Kellie doctrine is not valid.

The Monro-Kellie doctrine states that the interior of the cranium is formed of three main components: blood, fluid and cerebral parenchyma. An increase in the volume of one or more components may increase the intracranial pressure (ICP). This doctrine also affirms that the skull cannot be expanded after the closure of the fontanels.