Use of a silicone shield to protect the optical cylinder following osteo- and osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (O/OKP) procedures.

Purpose: To describe the placement of a silicone shield to protect the optical cylinder following osteo-keratoprosthesis or osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (O/OKP) procedures in four patients.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we reviewed all patients who underwent O/OKP in our tertiary medical centre. We found four patients in whom a protective cellphone silicone shield (VisionGuard, Zagg, Utah, USA) was cut with a 3 mm dermal punch and placed on the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) optical cylinder of an O/OKP 3-4 months after implantation to either correct or prevent abrasions.

Clinical Performance of Plasma Metagenomic Sequencing in Immunocompromised Pediatric Patients.

The performance of plasma metagenomic next-generation sequencing was evaluated in an immunocompromised pediatric population. The clinical impact was limited, with management changes in 13% of cases. Moreover, organisms thought to be non-pathogenic were commonly detected.

Recurrent and chronic anterior uveitis: Long-term outcome and treatment strategies.

Purpose: To study the long-term clinical outcome and treatment strategies of recurrent and chronic non-infectious anterior uveitis.

Methods: Multicenter study of anterior uveitis patients from 2001 to 2022. Outcome measures included ocular complications, medical and surgical therapies, and visual acuity measured at the beginning of follow-up and at 1, 2, and 5 years thereafter.

Possible Donor-Derived Infection in a Pediatric Liver Transplant Patient With Granulomatous Hepatitis.

Pediatric liver transplant recipients are a high-risk group for the development of adenovirus hepatitis and other manifestations of disseminated adenoviral disease. The risk is greatest during periods of increased immunosuppression, including immediately post-transplantation and following treatment for rejection. Manifestations of adenovirus hepatitis are heterogeneous with a wide spectrum of clinical severity, ranging from mild, focal disease to fulminant liver failure.

Pathogen Surveillance for Acute Infectious Conjunctivitis.

Importance: Acute infectious conjunctivitis is a common ocular condition with major public health consequences.

Objective: To assess regional variations and microbial etiologies of acute infectious conjunctivitis to guide treatment.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cross-sectional study, patients with presumed acute infectious conjunctivitis were enrolled in the study at 5 sites (Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, California; and Petah-Tikva, Israel) from March 2021 to March 2023.

Drainage explains soil liquefaction beyond the earthquake near-field.

Earthquake-induced soil-liquefaction is a devastating phenomenon associated with loss of soil rigidity due to seismic shaking, resulting in catastrophic liquid-like soil deformation. Traditionally, liquefaction is viewed as an effectively undrained process. However, since undrained liquefaction only initiates under high energy density, most earthquake liquefaction events remain unexplained, since they initiate far from the earthquake epicenter, under low energy density.

Rapid Deployment of Multiple Tactics to Address Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vaccine Uptake in Healthcare Employees With a Focus on Those Who Identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Background: In the third quarter of 2021, government entities enacted vaccine requirements across multiple employment sectors, including healthcare. Experience from previous vaccination campaigns within healthcare emphasize the need to translate community modalities of vaccine outreach and education that partner with Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of Color stakeholders to increase vaccine confidence broadly.

Methods: This was an observational feasibility study conducted from August through October 2021 that deployed and measured the effect of a multimodal approach to increasing vaccine uptake in healthcare employees.

Longitudinal ridges imparted by high-speed granular flow mechanisms in martian landslides.

The presence of longitudinal ridges documented in long runout landslides across our solar system is commonly associated with the existence of a basal layer of ice. However, their development, the link between their occurrence and the emplacement mechanisms of long runout landslides, and the necessity of a basal ice layer remain poorly understood. Here, we analyse the morphometry of longitudinal ridges of a martian landslide and show that the wavelength of the ridges is 2-3 times the average thickness of the landslide deposit, a unique scaling relationship previously reported in ice-free rapid granular flow experiments.

(-)-Oleocanthal and (-)-oleocanthal-rich olive oils induce lysosomal membrane permeabilization in cancer cells.

(-)-Oleocanthal (oleocanthal) is a phenolic compound found in varying concentrations in extra virgin olive oil oleocanthal has been shown to be active physiologically, benefiting several diseased states by conferring anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective benefits. Recently, we and other groups have demonstrated its specific and selective toxicity toward cancer cells; however, the mechanism leading to cancer cell death is still disputed. The current study demonstrates that oleocanthal, as well as naturally oleocanthal-rich extra virgin olive oils, induced damage to cancer cells' lysosomes leading to cellular toxicity in vitro and in vivo.

Zika viruses of African and Asian lineages cause fetal harm in a mouse model of vertical transmission.

Congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was first linked to birth defects during the American outbreak in 2015/2016. It has been proposed that mutations unique to the Asian/American-genotype explain, at least in part, the ability of Asian/American ZIKV to cause congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Recent studies identified mutations in ZIKV infecting humans that arose coincident with the outbreak in French Polynesia and were stably maintained during subsequent spread to the Americas.

Elevated phospholipase D activity in androgen-insensitive prostate cancer cells promotes both survival and metastatic phenotypes.

Prostate cells are hormonally driven to grow and divide. Typical treatments for prostate cancer involve blocking activation of the androgen receptor by androgens. Androgen deprivation therapy can lead to the selection of cancer cells that grow and divide independently of androgen receptor activation.

In situ low-relief landscape formation as a result of river network disruption.

Landscapes on Earth retain a record of the tectonic, environmental and climatic history under which they formed. Landscapes tend towards an equilibrium in which rivers attain a stable grade that balances the tectonic production of elevation and with hillslopes that attain a gradient steep enough to transport material to river channels. Equilibrium low-relief surfaces are typically found at low elevations, graded to sea level.

Trematode-associated morbidity and mortality of tadpoles in Israel.

Amphibians stand at the forefront of the global biodiversity crisis. The causes of their decline are diverse and include a rise in amphibian malformations due to various factors, especially trematode infection. However, linking amphibian mortality and morbidity with trematode infection has proven to be challenging due to the complex life cycle of the trematodes and the fact that trematodes are nonfastidious in their choice of definitive hosts.

Dynamic reorganization of river basins.

River networks evolve as migrating drainage divides reshape river basins and change network topology by capture of river channels. We demonstrate that a characteristic metric of river network geometry gauges the horizontal motion of drainage divides. Assessing this metric throughout a landscape maps the dynamic states of entire river networks, revealing diverse conditions: Drainage divides in the Loess Plateau of China appear stationary; the young topography of Taiwan has migrating divides driving adjustment of major basins; and rivers draining the ancient landscape of the southeastern United States are reorganizing in response to escarpment retreat and coastal advance.

Buprenorphine for opiate dependence: clinic based therapy in Israel.

Background: Opioid dependency is characterized by repeated use of an opioid drug despite physical dependence, behavioral impairments and social dysfunction. Therapeutic approaches for the treatment of opioid dependence are total abstinence and opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT). Opiate agonist maintenance therapy is administered using opioid replacement pharmacological agents, i.

Quenching the superconducting state of cuprate compounds with electric currents: a variational study.

We investigate the properties of cuprate superconductors subject to applied current, using modified Gutzwiller projected d-wave BCS states. The parent states include quasiparticle and quasihole pockets, of variationally determined size, generated by the current. We identify two different mechanisms for the destruction of superconductivity at the critical current: at high hole doping (x≳0.

Activation of human lymphocytes by a monoclonal antibody to B lymphoblastoid cells; molecular mass and distribution of binding protein.

A novel monoclonal antibody (BAT) to the B-lymphoblastoid cell line activates murine lymphocytes and exhibits a striking antitumor activity in mice. In order to evaluate the potential use of this antibody against human cancer, we have investigated its immuno-stimulatory properties on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Our findings demonstrate that BAT mAb induces proliferation and cytotoxicity in human PBL against natural-killer-cell-sensitive and natural-killer-cell-resistant tumor cell lines.

Recruitment of long-term care facilities for research.

We report the successful recruitment of a stratified random sample of nursing homes in the state of Maryland into three research studies funded by the National Institute on Aging. These studies examine the prevalence of infections and urinary tract instrumentation and the incidence of antimicrobial use in nursing home residents. Following selection of a facility, the administrator was telephoned and a meeting at the home was requested.