Associations Between Retinal Vascular Occlusions and Dementia.

Background/objectives: Retinal vascular occlusions, such as retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and retinal artery occlusion (RAO), are associated with cognitive impairment, including dementia. Our objective was to examine the odds of dementia among patients with retinal vascular occlusion.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 474 patients with retinal vascular occlusion and 948 patients without retinal vascular occlusion (comparison group).

Neurodegenerative biomarkers in different chambers of the eye relative to plasma: an agreement validation study.

Background: Protein biomarkers have been broadly investigated in cerebrospinal fluid and blood for the detection of neurodegenerative diseases, yet a clinically useful diagnostic test to detect early, pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains elusive. We conducted this study to quantify Aβ40, Aβ42, total Tau (t-Tau), hyperphosphorylated Tau (ptau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) in eye fluids relative to blood.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study we collected vitreous humor, aqueous humor, tear fluid and plasma in patients undergoing surgery for eye disease.

VAT/GST harmonisation challenges for digital assets such as bitcoin and NFTs in the EU following Case C-264/14 (Skatteverket v David Hedqist).

The verdict in the case of (Kokott, Advocate General (2015) Opinion delivered on 16 July 2015, Case C-264/14. ECLI:EU:C:2015:498. Available via TandF Online.

Breaking the period product insecurity cycle: An observational study of outcomes experienced by recipients of free period products in the United States.

Background: The United States is increasingly recognizing period product insecurity, insufficient access to menstrual products and limited private spaces for managing menstruation due to financial constraints, as an issue impacting the well-being and dignity of Americans. One strategy to address period product insecurity has been distributing free period products via period supply banks. The outcomes of period product distribution outside the school setting are absent from the literature.

Enhancing client engagement and alleviating period product insecurity: A cross-sectional study of community-based period supply banks' distribution of free period products through intermediary partner agencies in the United States.

Background: Period products like pads, tampons, and a variety of disposable and reusable hygiene supplies constitute just one facet essential for effectively managing menstruation in a way that allows an individual to feel comfortable carrying out their daily routine. Given the absence of comprehensive public policies ensuring access to period products for economically disadvantaged menstruating individuals, community-based basic needs banks, particularly period supply banks, were established to alleviate the challenges faced by those experiencing period product insecurity. These initiatives specifically aim to furnish essential menstrual products to individuals in need.

Demographic and socioeconomic disparities in the hybrid ophthalmology telemedicine model.

Importance: As telemedicine use expands, it is important to evaluate demographic and socioeconomic disparities among patients receiving ophthalmic care through new hybrid telemedicine models.

Objective: To evaluate whether there are demographic and socioeconomic disparities in the delivery of the hybrid telemedicine model.

Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional, case-control analysis of patient encounters from April to December 2020.

Deep neural network based tissue deconvolution of circulating tumor cell RNA.

Prior research has shown that the deconvolution of cell-free RNA can uncover the tissue origin. The conventional deconvolution approaches rely on constructing a reference tissue-specific gene panel, which cannot capture the inherent variation present in actual data. To address this, we have developed a novel method that utilizes a neural network framework to leverage the entire training dataset.

The inflammatory response of human pancreatic cancer samples compared to normal controls.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a poor prognosis cancer with an aggressive growth profile that is often diagnosed at late stage and that has few curative or therapeutic options. PDAC growth has been linked to alterations in the pancreas microbiome, which could include the presence of the fungus Malassezia. We used RNA-sequencing to compare 14 matched tumor and normal (tumor adjacent) pancreatic cancer samples and found Malassezia RNA in both the PDAC and normal tissues.

Personalized relapse prediction in patients with major depressive disorder using digital biomarkers.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic illness wherein relapses contribute to significant patient morbidity and mortality. Near-term prediction of relapses in MDD patients has the potential to improve outcomes by helping implement a 'predict and preempt' paradigm in clinical care. In this study, we developed a novel personalized (N-of-1) encoder-decoder anomaly detection-based framework of combining anomalies in multivariate actigraphy features (passive) as triggers to utilize an active concurrent self-reported symptomatology questionnaire (core symptoms of depression and anxiety) to predict near-term relapse in MDD.

'It's not like we use the word emotional abuse'. A study on Norwegian child welfare workers understanding of emotional abuse.

Background: Despite the recognition of emotional abuse (EA) as the most pervasive and harmful of all forms of child maltreatment, it is argued to be less understood than other forms of child maltreatment. EA is regarded as a standalone form for maltreatment and an essential factor embedded in all other forms of maltreatment of children, such as physical and sexual abuse. Thus, it is crucial for child welfare workers to understand EA, as one of their core mandates is to prevent and protect children from all forms of maltreatment.

Diverse Research Teams and Underrepresented Groups in Clinical Studies.

Importance: Several ophthalmic diseases disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority patients, yet most clinical trials struggle to enroll cohorts that are demographically representative of disease burden; some barriers to recruitment include time and transportation, language and cultural differences, and fear and mistrust of research due to historical abuses. Incorporating diversity within the research team has been proposed as a method to increase trust and improve engagement among potential study participants.

Objective: To examine how demographic factors of potential research participants and personnel may be associated with patient consent rates to participate in prospective ophthalmic clinical studies.

Unrelenting Vision Loss: The Virulence of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

A 37-year-old Hispanic male with a recent history of COVID-19 infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus was admitted to the hospital with shortness of breath, chest pain, and hyperglycemia. Eye exam and imaging findings indicated endogenous endophthalmitis confirmed by blood cultures that speciated to . The patient's eye condition progressed, ultimately resulting in no light perception less than a month after the initial evaluation.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Patients Receiving Intravitreal Injections for Age-Related Macular Degeneration Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To determine the effects of socioeconomic factors on visit adherence and the resultant visual outcomes for patients receiving intravitreal injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this retrospective case-control study, medical records were reviewed to collect appointment attendance, age, sex, self-reported race/ethnicity, primary language, marital status, insurance, distance from clinic, and Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a measure of socioeconomic disadvantage. Multivariate regression models were created to determine differences in socioeconomic factors between individuals who attended (show group) and those who did not attend (no-show group) appointments.

Patient Satisfaction with the Hybrid Telemedicine Model for Ophthalmology.

The purpose of this research was to compare patient satisfaction between hybrid ophthalmology telemedicine and standard-of-care in-person visits. A retrospective, cross-sectional, case-control analysis of patient satisfaction based on survey data was used. Responses to the National Research Council Health Patient Survey were retrieved for randomly sampled hybrid ophthalmology telemedicine and in-person visits between March 11, 2020 and December 31, 2021 at a hospital-based eye clinic in Boston, Massachusetts.

Somatic mutation effects diffused over microRNA dysregulation.

Motivation: As an important player in transcriptome regulation, microRNAs may effectively diffuse somatic mutation impacts to broad cellular processes and ultimately manifest disease and dictate prognosis. Previous studies that tried to correlate mutation with gene expression dysregulation neglected to adjust for the disparate multitudes of false positives associated with unequal sample sizes and uneven class balancing scenarios.

Results: To properly address this issue, we developed a statistical framework to rigorously assess the extent of mutation impact on microRNAs in relation to a permutation-based null distribution of a matching sample structure.

Feasibility of Using Rideshare Transportation to Reduce Barriers to Participating in a Clinic-based Food Insecurity Intervention.

Background: Few clinic-based food insecurity interventions address transportation barriers to utilizing food resources.

Objectives: We assessed the feasibility of using free rideshare-based transportation to reduce barriers to participating in an ongoing clinic-based food insecurity intervention.

Methods: Our multi-methods pilot study used patient surveys (n = 155), focus groups with clinic and program staff (n = 10), and rideshare usage data.

Effect of Lens Status on Diabetic Vitreous Hemorrhage Resolution.

To determine the effect of lens status (pseudophakic vs phakic) on diabetic vitreous hemorrhage (VH) resolution time. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for each case of diabetic VH until resolution, pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), or loss to follow-up. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to determine predictors of diabetic VH resolution time through estimated hazard ratios (HRs).

Gaze-Evoked Vision Changes.

We describe an atypical presentation of aberrant regeneration of the 3 cranial nerve causing vision changes with ocular motility. Abnormal communication between axons destined for the medial rectus and those destined for muscles involved in the accommodative response resulted in simultaneous pupil constriction and myopic shift of approximately 2.5 diopters with adduction.

The immune response to a fungus in pancreatic cancer samples.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a poor prognosis cancer with an .aggressive growth profile that is often diagnosed at late stage and that has few curative or therapeutic options. PDAC growth has been linked to alterations in the pancreas microbiome, which could include the presence of the fungus .

The Role of Oxidative Stress in the Aging Eye.

Given the expanding elderly population in the United States and the world, it is important to understand the processes underlying both natural and pathological age-related changes in the eye. Both the anterior and posterior segment of the eye undergo changes in biological, chemical, and physical properties driven by oxidative stress. With advancing age, changes in the anterior segment include dermatochalasis, blepharoptosis, thickening of the sclera, loss of corneal endothelial cells, and stiffening of the lens.

A platform trial approach to proof-of-concept (POC) studies in autism spectrum disorder: Autism spectrum POC initiative (ASPI).

Background: Over the past decade, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research has blossomed, and multiple clinical trials have tested potential interventions, with varying results and no clear demonstration of efficacy. Lack of clarity concerning appropriate biological mechanisms to target and lack of sensitive, objective tools to identify subgroups and measure symptom changes have hampered the efforts to develop treatments. A platform trial for proof-of-concept studies in ASD could help address these issues.

Dominant Gene Expression Profiles Define Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) from Different Tissues: Validation of a Gene Signature Classifier for Poor Survival in Salivary Gland ACC.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive malignancy that most often arises in salivary or lacrimal glands but can also occur in other tissues. We used optimized RNA-sequencing to analyze the transcriptomes of 113 ACC tumor samples from salivary gland, lacrimal gland, breast or skin. ACC tumors from different organs displayed remarkedly similar transcription profiles, and most harbored translocations in the or genes, which encode oncogenic transcription factors that may induce dramatic genetic and epigenetic changes leading to a dominant 'ACC phenotype'.

Penicillin Responsive Presumed Seronegative Ocular Syphilis in a Patient with Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Ocular and systemic syphilis are well known to mimic other clinical entities making them challenging to diagnose in many cases. Syphilis testing plays an important role in diagnosis and timely treatment. Here we describe a patient with untreated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who presented with bilateral panuveitis with repeatedly negative syphilis serologies.

Humanized Patient-derived Xenograft Models of Disseminated Ovarian Cancer Recapitulate Key Aspects of the Tumor Immune Environment within the Peritoneal Cavity.

Unlabelled: The importance of the immune microenvironment in ovarian cancer progression, metastasis, and response to therapies has become increasingly clear, especially with the new emphasis on immunotherapies. To leverage the power of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models within a humanized immune microenvironment, three ovarian cancer PDXs were grown in humanized NBSGW (huNBSGW) mice engrafted with human CD34 cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem cells. Analysis of cytokine levels in the ascites fluid and identification of infiltrating immune cells in the tumors demonstrated that these humanized PDX (huPDX) established an immune tumor microenvironment similar to what has been reported for patients with ovarian cancer.