Dexamethasone-Antibiotic Interactions in Canine Ocular Bacteria: In Vitro Susceptibility Changes in Common Corneal Infection Pathogens.

Objective: To investigate the impact of dexamethasone on the antibiotic susceptibility of common ocular pathogens in dogs and identify safe antibiotic-steroid combinations for veterinary ophthalmology.

Methods: This study utilized 30 bacterial isolates of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Streptococcus canis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, collected from canine patients with suspected bacterial keratitis. The isolates were tested against 17 antibiotics in the presence of dexamethasone concentrations ranging from 0 to 2 mg/mL.

What are patients asking and reading online? An analysis of online patient searches about treatments for developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Purpose: We aimed to analyze frequently searched questions through Google's "People Also Ask" feature related to four common treatments for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH): the Pavlik harness, rhino brace, closed reduction surgery and open reduction surgery.

Methods: Search terms for each treatment were entered into Google Web Search using a clean-install Google Chrome browser. The top frequently asked questions and associated websites were extracted.

A 3D-Printed Aqueous Drainage Tube with an Expandable Inner Diameter to Accommodate the Intraocular Pressure (IOP) Fluctuations After Glaucoma Surgery.

Glaucoma treatment involves reducing the intraocular pressure (IOP), which can damage the optic nerve, to a normal range. Aqueous drainage devices may be used for treatment, and a variety of devices have been proposed. However, they have a non-variable and uniform inner diameter, which makes it difficult to accommodate the IOP fluctuations that occur after glaucoma surgery.

Uncertainty Quantification in Automated Detection of Vertebral Metastasis Using Ensemble Monte Carlo Dropout.

The accurate and early detection of vertebral metastases is crucial for improving patient outcomes. Although deep-learning models have shown potential in this area, their lack of prediction reliability and robustness limits their clinical utility. To address these challenges, we propose a novel technique called Ensemble Monte Carlo Dropout (EMCD) for uncertainty quantification (UQ), which combines the Monte Carlo dropout and deep ensembles.

Short-term exposure to outdoor nitrogen dioxide and respiratory mortality, with high-risk populations: a nationwide time-stratified case-crossover study.

Numerous existing studies reported the negative impacts of outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO) on respiratory mortality. However, the evidence of related high-risk populations was considerably limited, especially associated with ages, causes of death, and district-level characteristics. In addition, most earlier studies were based on monitored areas, thus previous risk estimates of NO could be biased to provide nationwide risk estimates and high-risk populations.

Association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and violence cases in South Korea: A nationwide time-stratified care-crossover study.

Several studies reported the roles of short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on violent behaviors; however, existing findings had a limitation in assessing the population-representative association between violence and PM2.5 due to the limited data availability: most studies have been based on homicides in monitored urban areas.

Association Between Air Pollution and Osteoporosis with High-Risk Populations: A Narrative Review.

Purpose Of Review: Air pollution has been raised as a novel risk factor for osteoporosis, which impose a huge burden on both individuals and society. Thus, summarizing and discussing previous results on the association between ambient air pollution and osteoporosis can be informative in synthesizing the current evidence and improving relevant action plans.

Recent Findings: Recent studies reported that long-term exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and related outcomes; however, the studied populations, air pollutants, areas, and results on high-risk populations are heterogeneous.

Postpartum Measles, Varicella, and Rubella Vaccination Rates in Serologically Non-Immune Mothers with Public Insurance at an Urban Tertiary Care Center.

The postpartum period provides an opportunity to improve maternal and infant health, including identifying risks and completing immunization series. Research on completion of varicella and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine series among postpartum mothers is limited. This study examined data from mothers with public health insurance who received prenatal and postpartum care at the Mount Sinai Health System between January 1, 2021, and June 27, 2022.

Molecular Engineering for Future Thermoelectric Materials: The Role of Electrode and Metal Components in Molecular Junctions.

As global temperatures increase due to climate change, the accumulation of excess heat on Earth presents a valuable resource that can be harnessed for electricity generation using thermoelectric materials. However, the intricate structures of bulk thermoelectric materials pose significant challenges to their comprehensive understanding and limit performance. Additionally, their relatively high production costs present practical obstacles.

Engineering Delocalized Polarizations in Metal Oxide Electrodes with Conducting Polymers for Efficient and Durable Water-Splitting.

Oxygen evolution reaction is a pivotal anodic reaction for electrolysis, however, it remains the obstacle from its sluggish reaction kinetics originating from multiple electron transfer pathways at electrochemical interfaces. Especially, it remains a challenge to achieve stable operation at elevated current densities as electrodes suffer oxidative environment in corrosive conditions. Herein, we report that the conducting polymer polypyrrole electrodeposited PrSrCoO perovskite oxides for durable oxygen evolution electrodes.

Bacterial isolates and antibiotic sensitivity in canine bacterial keratitis in Korea.

Objective: To analyze bacterial isolates associated with canine bacterial keratitis and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns in Korea, focusing on multidrug resistance (MDR) and identifying effective antibiotic combinations for clinical treatment.

Animal Studied: A total of 146 dogs diagnosed with suspected bacterial keratitis between October 2022 and October 2023 in Korea, with 157 eye samples collected for analysis.

Procedure: Eye samples were cultured to isolate bacteria, and antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method.

Influence of Cervical Level Fused on Subsidence of Cage and Allograft in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the cervical levels fused and the degree of subsidence following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedures.

Background: Subsidence following ACDF may worsen clinical outcomes.

Discovery and Optimization of a Series of Vinyl Sulfoximine-Based Analogues as Potent Nrf2 Activators for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), which leads to demyelination, axonal loss, and neurodegeneration. Increased oxidative stress and neurodegeneration have been implicated in all stages of MS, making neuroprotective therapeutics a promising strategy for its treatment. We previously have reported vinyl sulfones with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties that activate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor that induces the expression of cytoprotective genes against oxidative stress.

Summer temperature and emergency room visits due to urinary tract infection in South Korea: a national time-stratified case-crossover study.

Background: Although urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common and severe public health concern, and there are clear biological mechanisms between UTI and hot temperatures, few studies have addressed the association between hot temperatures and UTI.

Methods: We designed a time-stratified case-crossover study using a population-representative sample cohort based on the National Health Insurance System (NHIS) in South Korea. We obtained all NHIS-based hospital admissions through the emergency room (ER) due to UTI (using a primary diagnostic code) from 2006 to 2019.

Prediction of Bone Marrow Metastases Using Computed Tomography (CT) Radiomics in Patients with Gastric Cancer: Uncovering Invisible Metastases.

We investigated whether radiomics of computed tomography (CT) image data enables the differentiation of bone metastases not visible on CT from unaffected bone, using pathologically confirmed bone metastasis as the reference standard, in patients with gastric cancer. In this retrospective study, 96 patients (mean age, 58.4 ± 13.

Systematic Selection of High-Affinity ssDNA Sequences to Carbon Nanotubes.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have gained significant interest for their potential in biomedicine and nanoelectronics. The functionalization of SWCNTs with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) enables the precise control of SWCNT alignment and the development of optical and electronic biosensors. This study addresses the current gaps in the field by employing high-throughput systematic selection, enriching high-affinity ssDNA sequences from a vast random library.

Development of Indocyanine Green/Methyl-β-cyclodextrin Complex-Loaded Liposomes for Enhanced Photothermal Cancer Therapy.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising cancer therapeutic approach due to its spatial selectivity and high potency. Indocyanine green (ICG) has been considered a biocompatible PTT agent. However, ICG has several challenges to hinder its clinical use including rapid blood clearance and instability to heat, light, and solvent, leading to a loss of photoactivation property and PTT efficacy.

Patient-centered radiology reports with generative artificial intelligence: adding value to radiology reporting.

The purposes were to assess the efficacy of AI-generated radiology reports in terms of report summary, patient-friendliness, and recommendations and to evaluate the consistent performance of report quality and accuracy, contributing to the advancement of radiology workflow. Total 685 spine MRI reports were retrieved from our hospital database. AI-generated radiology reports were generated in three formats: (1) summary reports, (2) patient-friendly reports, and (3) recommendations.

Phloroglucinol Derivatives Exert Anti-Inflammatory Effects and Attenuate Cognitive Impairment in LPS-Induced Mouse Model.

Neuroinflammation is an inflammatory immune response that arises in the central nervous system. It is one of the primary causes of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Phloroglucinol (PG) is a natural product contained in extracts of plant, algae and microbe and has been reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Improving CNV Detection Performance in Microarray Data Using a Machine Learning-Based Approach.

Copy number variation (CNV) is a primary source of structural variation in the human genome, leading to several disorders. Therefore, analyzing neonatal CNVs is crucial for managing CNV-related chromosomal disabilities. However, genomic waves can hinder accurate CNV analysis.

Greenness and kidney? A review of epidemiological studies on the association between green space and kidney disease.

Recent accumulating epidemiological evidence underlines the important role of environmental exposures on kidney diseases. Among environmental exposures, this study addresses "Green space," which has been recognized as one of the major environmental exposures at the population level. We review a total of seven epidemiological studies currently published on greenness and kidney disease.

Deep learning-based natural language processing for detecting medical symptoms and histories in emergency patient triage.

Objective: The manual recording of electronic health records (EHRs) by clinicians in the emergency department (ED) is time-consuming and challenging. In light of recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) such as GPT and BERT, this study aimed to design and validate LLMs for automatic clinical diagnoses. The models were designed to identify 12 medical symptoms and 2 patient histories from simulated clinician-patient conversations within 6 primary symptom scenarios in emergency triage rooms.