Aflibercept or ranibizumab for diabetic macular edema.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the primary substance involved in retinal barrier breach. VEGF overexpression may cause diabetic macular edema (DME). Laser photocoagulation of the macula is the standard treatment for DME; however, recently, intravitreal anti-VEGF injections have surpassed laser treatment.

Can optic disc vessel density help in cases of residual disc elevation after shunt surgery in cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension?

Aim: To detect if we can use the reduction in the optic disc vessel density as an indicator to the reduction in intracranial tension in patients with residual optic disc elevation after shunt surgery as fundus examination in those cases is not conclusive.

Patients And Method: 21 patients with papilledema due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension underwent shunt surgery. Full neurological and ophthalmological assessments were done.

Safety and efficacy of implantable phakic contact lens versus implantable collamer lens in myopia correction.

Background: Phakic intraocular lenses (pIOLs) have proven to be excellent substitutes for excimer laser keratorefractive surgery in certain situations. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of two pIOLs, the implantable collamer lens (ICL V4c) versus the implantable phakic contact lens (IPCL V2), for myopic correction.

Methods: In this prospective randomized clinical trial, we allocated eligible eyes with myopia > - 6 diopters into IPCL or ICL implantation groups, each including 100 eyes of 100 individuals.

Non-penetrating deep sclerectomy versus combined trabeculotomy-trabeculectomy in primary congenital glaucoma.

Background: The primary mode of therapy in children with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) and mild or no corneal edema is goniotomy, which has a high success rate. However, in developing countries, the diagnosis of PCG is usually delayed, and corneal cloudiness interferes with goniotomy. Therefore, trabeculotomy may be the best choice in such eyes.

Peripheral Blood B-Cell Subsets Frequency and Distribution and the BSF-2(IL-6) to CSIF:TGIF(IL-10) Ratio as Severity-Associated Signatures in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Case-Controlled Study.

Unlabelled: Although primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a major cause of blindness worldwide, patients' immune response and its relation to the disease course have not been fully unraveled in terms of analyses of circulating B-cell subsets, as well as the association of these subsets with the severity of POAG clinical features.

Subjects And Methods: Flow cytometry was used to determine B-cell subset frequencies from 30 POAG patients grouped by hierarchical cluster analysis or the mean deviation (MD) of the visual field (VF) and correlated with the patients' clinical and pathological data, as well as with BSF-2(IL-6) and CSIF:TGIF(IL-10), which were quantified in peripheral blood samples of patients and controls by ELISA.

Results: The total B-cell frequency was increased in the POAG group in comparison to the control group (n = 30).

Cytogenetic Subclone Burden: A New Biomarker Predicting Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients Outcome.

Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most prevalent adult leukemia that occurs in older patients and presents a variable course of the disease. Risk stratification of CLL is a matter of continuous improvement. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of the quantification of 17p del and 11q del cytogenetic subclones on the outcome of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Social Determinants of Health Screening in Type 1 Diabetes Management.

Type 1 diabetes management is intricately influenced by social determinants of health. Economic status impacts access to vital resources like insulin and diabetes technology. Racism, social injustice, and implicit biases affect equitable delivery of care.

Growth of microalgae adapted to high-light temperature conditions in different types of wastewater.

To obtain microalgae strains adapted to wastewater in the Mediterranean region, microalgae present in the Nile River were cultivated at both high-light temperature (HLT) and low-light temperature (LLT) conditions. It was found that the species which became dominant under HLT was chlorophyta of the genus Scenedesmus. In contrast, under LLT, bacillariophyta became dominant.

Petroleum wastewater: Environmental protection, treatment, and safe reuse: An overview.

Oil petroleum production consumes about 1.0-7.2 bbl.

Role of adipose-derived stem cells in healing surgically induced trauma of the rat's tunica albuginea.

Background: Injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) into the injured tunica albuginea (TA) may prevent fibrosis, restore the balance between pro- and antifibrotic pathways, and potentially mitigate erectile dysfunction caused by abnormal TA healing.

Aim: To assess the potential role of ADSC injection on structural, ultrastructural, functional, and molecular changes in surgically induced trauma of the rat's TA.

Methods: Forty adult male albino Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups of 8 rats each: group 1, sham; group 2, injury to TA without treatment; group 3, injury to TA and suture repair; group 4, injury to TA and injection of ADSCs without suture repair; group 5, injury to TA followed by injection of ADSCs and suture repair.

Identifying asthma-related risks during hospitalization using the child asthma risk assessment tool.

The Child Asthma Risk Assessment Tool (CARAT) identifies risk factors for asthma morbidity. We hypothesized that CARAT-identified risk factors (using a CARAT adapted for inpatient use) would be associated with future healthcare utilization and would identify areas for intervention. We reviewed CARAT data collected during pediatric asthma admissions from 2010-2015, assessing for risk factors in environmental, medical, and social domains and providing prompts for inpatient (specialist consultation or social services engagement) and post-discharge interventions (home care visit or home environmental assessment).

Ultrasonographic assessment of muscle layer thickness and its relation to patient outcome in a medical intensive care unit.

Aim: Low skeletal muscle mass in ICU patients is associated with poor clinical outcome. Ultrasonography is a noninvasive method that can measure muscle thickness at the bedside. We aimed at studying the relation of the ultrasonography measured muscle layer thickness (MLT) at time of ICU admission with the patients' outcome namely mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and ICU length of stay (LOS).

Assessment of early vascular changes in adult females with polycystic ovary syndrome: correlation with insulin resistance.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest endocrine disorder in females in the reproductive period with estimated prevalence of 5% to 18% [1]. It contributes to the mortality and morbidity in patients with PCOS due to the increased risk of different metabolic and cardiovascular (CV) complications [2]. Despite the presence of obesity in 40-60% of cases [3], the disease may occur in non-obese women.

Can mobilization of bone marrow stem cells be an alternative regenerative therapy to stem cell injection in a rat model of chronic kidney disease?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a priority health problem affecting 36% of Egyptians. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) have multidifferentiation capacity and the ability to restore several types of cells including damaged renal cells. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is known to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow to the peripheral circulation.

A Successful Collaboration Between an Urban School District, a Health System, and a Public Health Department to Address COVID-19 While Returning Children to the Classroom.

We sought to create and implement a set of COVID-19 mitigation processes including reliable testing to minimize in-school transmission of SARS-CoV-2. A large urban school district (> 33,000 students), a city health department, and a free-standing children's hospital partnered to implement multi-layered mitigation procedures which included access to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing with same day or next morning results. We tracked COVID-19 cases as well as probable/confirmed transmissions and identified needed mitigations through frequent huddles.

Oxoanion Imprinting Combining Cationic and Urea Binding Groups: A Potent Glyphosate Adsorber.

The use of polymerizable hosts in anion imprinting has led to powerful receptors with high oxyanion affinity and specificity in both aqueous and non-aqueous environments. As demonstrated in previous reports, a carefully tuned combination of orthogonally interacting binding groups, for example, positively charged and neutral hydrogen bonding monomers, allows receptors to be constructed for use in either organic or aqueous environments, in spite of the polymer being prepared in non-competitive solvent systems. We here report on a detailed experimental design of phenylphosphonic and benzoic acid-imprinted polymer libraries prepared using either urea- or thiourea-based host monomers in the presence or absence of cationic comonomers for charge-assisted anion recognition.

Therapeutic Effect of Stem Cells on Male Infertility in a Rat Model: Histological, Molecular, Biochemical, and Functional Study.

Methotrexate (MTX) is a folic acid antagonist, widely used as a chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive drug, but it is toxic to reproductive systems. In recent years, the era of stem cell applications becomes a promising point as a possible therapeutic agent in male infertility. This study is aimed at evaluating the therapeutic effects of stem cells at histological, molecular, biochemical, and functional levels in a methotrexate-induced testicular damage model.

Four innovations: A robust integrated behavioral health program in pediatric primary care.

The increase in behavioral health problems presenting in pediatric primary care (PPC) has led to a greater focus on the prevention and treatment of mental health concerns. As a result, care has shifted from colocation to integrated PPC models. However, the literature provides limited guidance on the development and implementation of integrated PPC models that aim to transform both PPC and the larger health care system.

The Role of Vitamin D, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in the Progression of Thyroid Diseases.

Background: Thyroid cancer (TC) is a common malignant tumor, however the role of total vitamin D: 25(OH)D, Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) and Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) in the development of TC is still unclear.

Aim: To assess the roles of 25(OH)D, PDGF and IGF-1 in the progression of thyroid diseases.

Methods: The serum levels of 25(OH)D, PDGF and IGF-1 were assessed in 70 patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), 60 patients with benign thyroid nodules (BN) compared to 60 normal controls (NC) using ELISA technique.

Urea-Based Imprinted Polymer Hosts with Switchable Anion Preference.

The design of artificial oxyanion receptors with switchable ion preference is a challenging goal in host-guest chemistry. We here report on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with an external phospho-sulpho switch driven by small molecule modifiers. The polymers were prepared by hydrogen bond-mediated imprinting of the mono- or dianions of phenyl phosphonic acid (PPA), phenyl sulfonic acid (PSA), and benzoic acid (BA) using -3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl--4-vinylphenyl urea () as the functional host monomer.

Costs and Use for Children With Medical Complexity in a Care Management Program.

Background And Objectives: Children with medical complexity (CMC) comprise only 6% of the pediatric population, account for ∼40% of pediatric health care spending, and provide an important opportunity for cost saving. Savings in this group can have an important impact on pediatric health care costs. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a multicenter care management program on spending and use in CMC.

A Framework to Measure and Improve Well-Being in Primary Care.

Pediatricians aspire to optimize overall health and development, but there are no comprehensive measures of well-being to guide pediatric primary care redesign. The objective of this article is to describe the Cincinnati Kids Thrive at 5 outcome measure, along with a set of more proximal outcome and process measures, designed to drive system improvement over several years. In this article, we describe a composite measure of "thriving" at age 66 months, using primary care data from the electronic health record.

Therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells on rat model of liver fibrosis.

End-stage liver disease is a worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality, which is associated with a considerable economic burden. As the disease progresses, fibrosis will replace the hepatic architecture and compromise liver functions. The regenerative approach for the injured liver can provide a hope for these patients; however, it is still facing many challenges.