Greenness Exposure and Mortality Risk in a Cardio-Oncologic Population.

Background And Aims: Knowledge is lacking on the relationship between greenness and mortality in cancer survivors who experience coronary artery disease (CAD), a cardio-oncologic population. We aimed to investigate the association between residential greenness exposure and all-cause mortality in a cardio-oncologic population.

Methods: Cancer survivors undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel between 2004 and 2014 were included in the study.

'A kindergarten teacher must have 100 eyes and 100 ears!': Kindergarten teachers' experiences coping with child sexual abuse and problematic sexual behavior.

Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) and problematic sexual behavior (PSB) are worldwide phenomena that occur across all ages. Kindergarten teachers' proactive involvement can be crucial to the prevention, disclosure and intervention of CSA and PSB. However, research on their experiences of contending with CSA and PSB remains limited.

"Secrets From the Children's Room": New Understandings of Inappropriate and Abusive Sexual Behavior Among Siblings after the COVID-19 Crisis in Israel.

This article discusses the COVID-19 crisis's impact on inappropriate and abusive sexual behavior among siblings (IASBAS) and how perceptions of this phenomenon affect construction of the post-crisis reality in Israel. Sibling sexual abuse, the most frequent type of sexual assault against children, does not occur in a vacuum; it is affected by the environment in which children live and develop. The pandemic created situational risk factors and a "germination substrate" for risk of abuse in "normative" families and escalation in families in which it had previously occurred.

Pitfalls of X-chromosome inactivation testing in females with Fabry disease.

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the GLA gene encoding alpha-galactosidase A (AGAL). The impact of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) on the phenotype of female FD patients remains unclear. In this study we aimed to determine pitfalls of XCI testing in a cohort of 35 female FD patients.

Occurrence of comorbidities in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients and their impact after 11 years' follow-up.

The burden of type 2 diabetes is growing, not only through increased incidence, but also through its comorbidities. Concordant comorbidities for type 2 diabetes, such as cardiovascular diseases, are considered expected outcomes of the disease or disease complications, while discordant comorbidities are not considered to be directly related to type 2 diabetes and are less extensively addressed under diabetes management. Here we show that the combination of concordant and discordant comorbidities appears frequently in persons with diabetes (75%).

Normative reference ranges for echocardiographic chamber dimensions in a healthy Central European population: results from the Czech post-MONICA survey.

Background: Normative reference values for echocardiographic chamber quantification are of great importance; however, this can be challenging. Our aim was to derive these values including degrees of abnormality from a random Central European population sample with a homogeneous subset of healthy subjects.

Methods: We analysed echocardiograms obtained in a randomly selected population sample during the Czech post-MONICA survey in 2007/2008.

Establishing supplementary response time validity indicators in the Word Memory Test (WMT) and directions for future research.

Response time (RT) measures in the Word Memory Test (WMT) offer to complement information derived from conventional accuracy measures. The current study aimed to validate the findings of Lupu, Elbaum, Wagner, and Braw in which RT variability was assessed, for the first time, in the WMT. A secondary aim was to suggest directions for the future research of RT measures in Forced-Choice Recognition Memory Performance Validity Tests (FCRM-PVTs).

Eye tracking as a mean to detect feigned cognitive impairment in the word memory test.

Eye movements showed initial promise for the detection of deception and may be harder to consciously manipulate than conventional accuracy measures. Therefore, we integrated an eye-tracker with the Word Memory Test (WMT) and tested its usefulness for the detection of feigned cognitive impairment. As part of the study, simulators ( = 44) and honest controls ( = 41) performed WMT's immediate-recognition (IR) subtest while their eye movements were recorded.

In vivo noninvasive microscopy of human leucocytes.

Leucocytes play a key role in our immune system, protecting the body against infections using a wide range of biological mechanisms. Effective imaging and identification of leucocytes within the blood stream in patients is challenging, however, because of their low volume fraction in the blood, the high tissue scattering and the rapid blood flow. Spectrally encoded flow cytometry (SEFC) has recently been demonstrated effective for label-free high-resolution in vivo imaging of blood cells using an optical probe that does not require mechanical scanning.

Serum Bilirubin Levels and Promoter Variations in and Genes in Patients with Fabry Disease.

The aim of our study was to assess the possible relationships among heme oxygenase (HMOX), bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (UGT1A1) promoter gene variations, serum bilirubin levels, and Fabry disease (FD). The study included 56 patients with FD (M : F ratio = 0.65) and 185 healthy individuals.

Correction: Uric Acid as a Marker of Mortality and Morbidity in Fabry Disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

hematocrit measurement using spectrally encoded flow cytometry.

Measuring key physiological parameters of small blood samples extracted from patients could be useful for real-time clinical diagnosis at the point of care. An important parameter required from all blood tests is the blood hematocrit, a measure of the fractional volume occupied by the red cells within the blood. In this work, we present a method for evaluation of hematocrit based on the data acquired using spectrally encoded flow cytometry.

Uric Acid as a Marker of Mortality and Morbidity in Fabry Disease.

Background: Serum uric acid (UA) elevation is common in patients with cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases. However, no study to date has analysed the role of UA in Fabry disease (FD).

Objectives: To evaluate the association between serum UA levels and mortality and morbidity in FD.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of three dosing regimens of agalsidase alfa enzyme replacement therapy in adults with Fabry disease.

Purpose: Efficacy and safety of agalsidase alfa at 0.2 mg/kg weekly were compared with 0.2 mg/kg every other week (EOW).

Prevalence of Fabry disease in male patients with unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy in primary cardiology practice: prospective Fabry cardiomyopathy screening study (FACSS).

Background: A number of studies have already investigated the prevalence of Fabry disease (FD) in adult patients with unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) with rates varying from 0 % up to 12 % reflecting referral and gender bias as well as differences in diagnostic methodology. We aimed to perform a prospective screening study evaluating the prevalence of FD in male patients older than 30 years with strictly defined unexplained LVH followed by general cardiologists.

Methods: A predefined number of 100 men with unexplained LVH, defined as maximal wall thickness ≥ 13 mm, were identified during an echocardiographic examination in primary cardiology practice and screened by assessing α-galactosidase A activity in dried blood spots (DBS) or in plasma.

Holographically patterned activation using photo-absorber induced neural-thermal stimulation.

Objective: Patterned photo-stimulation offers a promising path towards the effective control of distributed neuronal circuits. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility and governing principles of spatiotemporally patterned microscopic photo-absorber induced neural-thermal stimulation (PAINTS) based on light absorption by exogenous extracellular photo-absorbers.

Approach: We projected holographic light patterns from a green continuous-wave (CW) or an IR femtosecond laser onto exogenous photo-absorbing particles dispersed in the vicinity of cultured rat cortical cells.

Optically induced cell fusion using bispecific nanoparticles.

Redirecting the immune system to eliminate tumor cells is a promising alternative to traditional cancer therapies, most often requiring direct interaction between an immune system effector cell and its target. Herein, a novel approach for selective attachment of malignant cells to antigen-presenting cells by using bispecific nanoparticles is presented. The engaged cell pairs are then irradiated by a sequence of resonant femtosecond pulses, which results in widespread cell fusion and the consequent formation of hybrid cells.

Holographic optogenetic stimulation of patterned neuronal activity for vision restoration.

When natural photoreception is disrupted, as in outer-retinal degenerative diseases, artificial stimulation of surviving nerve cells offers a potential strategy for bypassing compromised neural circuits. Recently, light-sensitive proteins that photosensitize quiescent neurons have generated unprecedented opportunities for optogenetic neuronal control, inspiring early development of optical retinal prostheses. Selectively exciting large neural populations are essential for eliciting meaningful perceptions in the brain.

The coincidence of IgA nephropathy and Fabry disease.

Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common glomerulonephritis, which may also coexist with other diseases. We present two patients with an unusual coincidence of IgAN and Fabry disease (FD).

Case Presentation: A 26 year-old man underwent a renal biopsy in February 2001.

High-speed interferometric spectrally encoded flow cytometry.

Spectrally encoded flow cytometry (SEFC) is a promising technique for noninvasive in vivo microscopy of blood cells. Here, we introduce a novel SEFC system for label-free confocal imaging of blood cells flowing at velocities of up to 10  mm/s within 65 μm-diameter vessels. The new system employs interferometric Fourier-domain detection and a high-speed wavelength-swept source, allowing 100 kHz line rate, sufficient for sampling the rapidly flowing cells 80 μm below the tissue surface.

Noninvasive imaging of flowing blood cells using label-free spectrally encoded flow cytometry.

Optical microscopy of blood cells in vivo provides a unique opportunity for clinicians and researchers to visualize the morphology and dynamics of circulating cells, but is usually limited by the imaging speed and by the need for exogenous labeling of the cells. Here we present a label-free approach for in vivo flow cytometry of blood using a compact imaging probe that could be adapted for bedside real-time imaging of patients in clinical settings, and demonstrate subcellular resolution imaging of red and white blood cells flowing in the oral mucosa of a human volunteer. By analyzing the large data sets obtained by the system, valuable blood parameters could be extracted and used for direct, reliable assessment of patient physiology.

Optical nanomanipulations of malignant cells: controlled cell damage and fusion.

Specifically targeting and manipulating living cells is a key challenge in biomedicine and in cancer research in particular. Several studies have shown that nanoparticles irradiated by intense lasers are capable of conveying damage to nearby cells for various therapeutic and biological applications. In this work ultrashort laser pulses and gold nanospheres are used for the generation of localized, nanometric disruptions on the membranes of specifically targeted cells.

Reduction of two-photon holographic speckle using shift-averaging.

Holographic speckle is a major impediment for the emerging applications of multiphoton holographic projection in biomedical imaging, photo-stimulation and micromachining. Time averaging of multiple shifted versions of a single hologram ("shift-averaging") is a computationally-efficient method that was recently shown to deterministically eliminate holographic speckle in single-photon applications. Here, we extend these results and show, computationally and experimentally, that in two-photon holographic excitation shift-averaging also reduces holographic speckle better than "random" averaging of multiple calculated holograms.