Real-World Outcomes After Switch From Aflibercept to Faricimab in Eyes With Diabetic Macular Edema.

Purpose: To assess the anatomic and functional outcomes in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME) switched from intravitreal aflibercept to faricimab in a real-world setting.

Methods: Retrospective, interventional consecutive case series. Patients with DME were switched from aflibercept to faricimab and categorized based on central subfield thickness (CST) 4 weeks after last aflibercept injection into responding DME (rDME, CST reduction >20% or CST ≤ 250 µm) and nonresponding DME (nrDME, CST unchanged or increased).

Right ventricular coupling predicts cardiopulmonary fitness in cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis.

Background: Wild-type transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTRwt) is an infiltrative disease leading to restrictive cardiomyopathy. We aimed to characterise exercise capacity in ATTRwt and to identify predictors of cardiopulmonary fitness, focusing on echocardiographic and clinical parameters.

Methods: We studied 110 ATTRwt patients from a prospective single-centre registry (2020-2024) by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).

Repeatability of Microperimetry in areas of RPE and Photoreceptor loss in Geographic Atrophy supported by AI-based OCT biomarker quantification.

Purpose: Growing interest in microperimetry (MP) or fundus-controlled perimetry (FCP) as targeted psychometric testing method in geographic atrophy (GA) is warranted due to the disease subclinical/extra-foveal appearance or preexisting foveal loss with visual acuity becoming unreliable. We provide comprehensive pointwise test-retest repeatability reference values on the most widely used MP devices and combine them with targeted testing in areas of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) as well as photoreceptor (PR) integrity loss, guiding the interpretation of sensitivity loss during the long-term follow-up of GA patients.

Design: Prospective reliability study METHODS: Patients with GA underwent consecutive testing on CenterVue (iCare) MAIA and NIDEK MP3 devices.

Virally-Mediated Enhancement of Efferent Inhibition Reduces Acoustic Trauma in Wild Type Murine Cochleas.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) poses an emerging global health problem with only ear protection or sound avoidance as preventive strategies. In addition, however, the cochlea receives some protection from medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent neurons, providing a potential target for therapeutic enhancement. Cholinergic efferents release ACh (Acetylycholine) to hyperpolarize and shunt the outer hair cells (OHCs), reducing sound-evoked activation.

Lys716 in the transmembrane domain of yeast mitofusin Fzo1 modulates anchoring and fusion.

Outer mitochondrial membrane fusion, a vital cellular process, is mediated by mitofusins. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive. We have performed extensive multiscale molecular dynamics simulations to predict a model of the transmembrane (TM) domain of the yeast mitofusin Fzo1.

Is It Possible to Monitor the Safest Time to Perform Secondary Surgery on Free Flaps? A Clinical Evaluation of the Tewameter.

: Postoperative monitoring, following free flap surgery, plays a crucial role in ensuring the survival of the flap. However, in microsurgery, not only the immediate postoperative monitoring period but also the choice of the right time for secondary surgeries is crucial for the free flap survival. There is no clear consensus concerning the right choice of timing for secondary surgery.

Multiband accelerated 2D EPI for multi-echo brain QSM at 3 T.

Purpose: Data for QSM are typically acquired using multi-echo 3D gradient echo (GRE), but EPI can be used to accelerate QSM and provide shorter acquisition times. So far, EPI-QSM has been limited to single-echo acquisitions, which, for 3D GRE, are known to be less accurate than multi-echo sequences. Therefore, we compared single-echo and multi-echo EPI-QSM reconstructions across a range of parallel imaging and multiband acceleration factors.

Center of Pressure Measurement Accuracy via Insoles with a Reduced Pressure Sensor Number during Gaits.

The objective was to compare simplified pressure insoles integrating different sensor numbers and to identify a promising range of sensor numbers for accurate center of pressure (CoP) measurement. Twelve participants wore a 99-sensor Pedar-X insole (100 Hz) during walking, jogging, and running. Eight simplified layouts were simulated, integrating 3-17 sensors.

ADVANCES IN PHOTORECEPTOR AND RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM QUANTIFICATIONS IN INTERMEDIATE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: High-Res Versus Standard SPECTRALIS Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: In this study, differences in retinal feature visualization of high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) devices were investigated with different axial resolutions in quantifications of retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors (PRs) in intermediate age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: Patients were imaged with standard SPECTRALIS HRA + OCT and the investigational High-Res OCT device (both by Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). Drusen, retinal pigment epithelium, and PR layers were segmented using validated artificial intelligence-based algorithms followed by manual corrections.

Fluorescence Enhancement of Single V2 Centers in a 4H-SiC Cavity Antenna.

Solid state quantum emitters are a prime candidate in distributed quantum technologies since they inherently provide a spin-photon interface. An ongoing challenge in the field, however, is the low photon extraction due to the high refractive index of typical host materials. This challenge can be overcome using photonic structures.

Advancing the visibility of outer retinal integrity in neovascular age-related macular degeneration with high-resolution OCT.

Objective: To compare the visibility and accessibility of the outer retina in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) between 2 OCT devices.

Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional exploratory study, differences in thickness and loss of individual outer retinal layers in eyes with nAMD and in age-matched healthy eyes between a next-level High-Res OCT device and the conventional SPECTRALIS OCT (both Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany) were analyzed. Eyes with nAMD and at least 250 nL of retinal fluid, quantified by an approved deep-learning algorithm (Fluid Monitor, RetInSight, Vienna, Austria), fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

Dynamics and patterns of recurrence in neovascular AMD during real-world management using automated fluid monitoring.

In this retrospective longitudinal observational study, data from one site of the Fight Retinal Blindness! Registry (University of Zurich, Switzerland) was used to investigate the quantity and distribution of recurrent fluid in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Study eye eligibility required treatment-naïve nAMD, receiving at least three anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections, followed by a treatment discontinuation of at least six months and subsequence fluid recurrence. To quantify fluid, a regulatory approved deep learning algorithm (Vienna Fluid Monitor, RetInSight, Vienna, Austria) was used.

High-Intensity Blue Light (450-460 nm) Phototherapy for -Infected Wounds.

Nosocomial wound infection with (PA) is a serious complication often responsible for the septic mortality of burn patients. High-intensity antimicrobial blue light (aBL) treatment may represent an alternative therapy for PA infections and will be investigated in this study. Antibacterial effects of a light-emitting diode array (450-460 nm; 300 mW/cm; 15/30 min; 270/540 J/cm) against PA were determined by suspension assay, biofilm assay, and a human skin wound model and compared with 15-min topically applied 3% citric acid (CA) and wound irrigation solution (Prontosan; PRT).

A matter of age? How age affects the adaptation of lactating dairy cows to virtual fencing.

Virtual Fencing (VF) can be a helpful technology in managing herds in pasture-based systems. In VF systems, animals wear a VF collar using global positioning, and physical boundaries are replaced by virtual ones. The Nofence (Nofence AS, Batnfjordsøra, Norway) collars used in this study emit an acoustic warning when an animal approaches the virtual boundaries, followed by an aversive electrical pulse if the animal does not return to the defined area.

High-Intensity Blue Light (450-460 nm) Phototherapy for -Infected Wounds.

Nosocomial wound infection with (PA) is a serious complication often responsible for septic mortality of burn patients. High-intensity antimicrobial blue light (aBL) treatment may represent an alternative therapy for PA infections. Antibacterial effects of an light-emitting diode (LED) array (450-460 nm; 300 mW/cm; 15/30 min; 270/540J/cm) against PA were determined by suspension assay, biofilm assay, and a human skin wound model and compared with 15-min topically applied 3% citric acid (CA) and wound irrigation solution (Prontosan; PRT).

The Fibromyalgia Pain Experience: A Scoping Review of the Preclinical Evidence for Replication and Treatment of the Affective and Cognitive Pain Dimensions.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, widespread pain disorder that is strongly represented across the affective and cognitive dimensions of pain, given that the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder is yet to be identified. These affective and cognitive deficits are crucial to understanding and treating the fibromyalgia pain experience as a whole but replicating this multidimensionality on a preclinical level is challenging. To understand the underlying mechanisms, animal models are used.

Genetic tools for studying cochlear inhibition.

Efferent feedback to the mammalian cochlea includes cholinergic medial olivocochlear neurons (MOCs) that release ACh to hyperpolarize and shunt the voltage change that drives electromotility of outer hair cells (OHCs). Via brainstem connectivity, MOCs are activated by sound in a frequency- and intensity-dependent manner, thereby reducing the amplification of cochlear vibration provided by OHC electromotility. Among other roles, this efferent feedback protects the cochlea from acoustic trauma.

An inexpensive UV-LED photoacoustic based real-time sensor-system detecting exhaled trace-acetone.

In this research we present a low-cost system for breath acetone analysis based on UV-LED photoacoustic spectroscopy. We considered the end-tidal phase of exhalation, which represents the systemic concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - providing clinically relevant information about the human health. This is achieved via the development of a CO-triggered breath sampling system, which collected alveolar breath over several minutes in sterile and inert containers.

Assessing the Effect of Enzymatic Debridement on the Scar Quality in Partial-Thickness Burns to Deep Dermal Burns of the Hand: A Long-Term Evaluation.

Burn surgery on the hands is a difficult procedure due to the complex anatomy and fragility of the area. Enzymatic debridement has been shown to effectively remove burn eschar while minimizing damage to the surrounding tissue and has therefore become a standard procedure in many burn centers worldwide over the past decade. However, surprisingly, our recent literature review showed limited valid data on the long-term scarring after the enzymatic debridement of the hands.

Damage-evoked signals in cochlear neurons and supporting cells.

In addition to hearing loss, damage to the cochlea can lead to gain of function pathologies such as hyperacusis. It has been proposed that painful hyperacusis, noxacusis, may be carried to the central nervous system by type II cochlear afferents, sparse, unmyelinated neurons that share morphological and neurochemical traits with nociceptive C-fibers of the somatic nervous system. Also like in skin, damage elicits spreading calcium waves within cochlear epithelia.

Effects of Contagious Respiratory Pathogens on Breath Biomarkers.

Due to their immediate exhalation after generation at the cellular/microbiome levels, exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may provide real-time information on pathophysiological mechanisms and the host response to infection. In recent years, the metabolic profiling of the most frequent respiratory infections has gained interest as it holds potential for the early, non-invasive detection of pathogens and the monitoring of disease progression and the response to therapy. Using previously unpublished data, randomly selected individuals from a COVID-19 test center were included in the study.

Heterogenous thinning of peripapillary tissues occurs early during high myopia development in juvenile tree shrews.

Myopia is an independent risk factor for glaucoma, but the link between both conditions remains unknown. Both conditions induce connective tissue remodeling at the optic nerve head (ONH), including the peripapillary tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the thickness changes of the peripapillary tissues during experimental high myopia development in juvenile tree shrews.

Overlay databank unlocks data-driven analyses of biomolecules for all.

Tools based on artificial intelligence (AI) are currently revolutionising many fields, yet their applications are often limited by the lack of suitable training data in programmatically accessible format. Here we propose an effective solution to make data scattered in various locations and formats accessible for data-driven and machine learning applications using the overlay databank format. To demonstrate the practical relevance of such approach, we present the NMRlipids Databank-a community-driven, open-for-all database featuring programmatic access to quality-evaluated atom-resolution molecular dynamics simulations of cellular membranes.

A Systematic Prospective Comparison of Fluid Volume Evaluation across OCT Devices Used in Clinical Practice.

Objective: Treatment decisions in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) are mainly based on subjective evaluation of OCT. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to provide a comparison of qualitative and quantitative differences between OCT devices in a systematic manner.

Design: Prospective, cross-sectional study.