Deep Learning to Predict the Future Growth of Geographic Atrophy from Fundus Autofluorescence.

Purpose: The region of growth (ROG) of geographic atrophy (GA) throughout the macular area has an impact on visual outcomes. Here, we developed multiple deep learning models to predict the 1-year ROG of GA lesions using fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images.

Design: In this retrospective analysis, 3 types of models were developed using FAF images collected 6 months after baseline to predict the GA lesion area (segmented lesion mask) at 1.

Dentists' knowledge, attitude and practice towards silver diamine fluoride therapy in Hong Kong: a mixed-method study.

This study explored the knowledge, attitude, and practice towards silver diamine fluoride (SDF) therapy among dentists in Hong Kong. The quantitative component was an online closed-ended questionnaire survey through the Society of Preventive Dentistry of Hong Kong. The qualitative component involved individual in-depth interviews with selected dentists.

Circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis.

Background And Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Many investigators have confirmed the possibility of using circulating miRNAs to diagnose PD. However, the results were inconsistent.

Engineered Imine Reductase Catalyzed Enantiodivergent Synthesis of Alkylated Amphetamines.

Less steric ketones exhibited low stereoselectivity toward M5 due to their difficulty in restricting the free rotation of the imine intermediate. An engineered enantio-complementary imine reductase from M5 was obtained with catalytic activity. We identified four key residues that play essential roles in controlling stereoselectivity.

Substrate specificity of a branch of aromatic dioxygenases determined by three distinct motifs.

The inversion of substrate size specificity is an evolutionary roadblock for proteins. The Duf4243 dioxygenases GedK and BTG13 are known to catalyze the aromatic cleavage of bulky tricyclic hydroquinone. In this study, we discover a Duf4243 dioxygenase PaD that favors small monocyclic hydroquinones from the penicillic-acid biosynthetic pathway.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Hong Kong Kindergarten Children Receiving Silver Diamine Fluoride Therapy.

The objective of this prospective 12-month observational study is to examine the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among Hong Kong young children aged 3-4 years old receiving silver diamine fluoride (SDF) therapy for carious upper anterior primary teeth. A parental questionnaire was used to collect each child's sociodemographic background and oral health habits at baseline. Data on parents' satisfaction with their child's dental aesthetics were collected at baseline and during a 12-month visit.

Incorporating nanosilver with glass ionomer cement-A literature review.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to retrieve and review studies that incorporated nanosilver with GIC and summarise the evidence regarding the properties of nanosilver-modified GIC.

Materials And Methods: Two independent researchers performed a literature search using the keywords (nanosilver OR nano-silver OR (nano silver) OR (silver nanoparticles)) AND (GIC OR (glass ionomer cement) OR (glass ionomer cements)) in PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect.

Results: A total of 368 articles were identified.

Topographic Clinical Insights From Deep Learning-Based Geographic Atrophy Progression Prediction.

Purpose: To explore the contributions of fundus autofluorescence (FAF) topographic imaging features to the performance of convolutional neural network-based deep learning (DL) algorithms in predicting geographic atrophy (GA) growth rate.

Methods: Retrospective study with data from study eyes from three clinical trials (NCT02247479, NCT02247531, NCT02479386) in GA. The algorithm was initially trained with full FAF images, and its performance was considered benchmark.

Low-dose radiation promotes high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis by activating cGAS signal pathway.

Background: Atherosclerosis (AS) is the most prevalent cardiovascular disease, with an exceptionally high burden. High-fat diet (HFD) is a popular diet behavior, whereas low-dose radiation (LDR) is an environmental physical factor. There is evidence to suggest that an HFD may exacerbate the onset of atherosclerosis.

Robotic-assisted low anterior resection for rectal cancer shows similar clinical efficacy to laparoscopic surgery: A propensity score matched study.

Background: Rectal cancer ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, necessitating surgical resection as the sole treatment option. Over the years, there has been a growing adoption of minimally invasive surgical techniques such as robotic and laparoscopic approaches. Robotic surgery represents an innovative modality that effectively addresses the limitations associated with traditional laparoscopic techniques.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Silver Diamine Fluoride among Dentists in Vietnam.

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a topical solution used for managing dental caries. The mixed-methods study consists of a quantitative study (questionnaire survey) and a qualitative study (in-depth interview) to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards SDF among dentists in Vietnam. A descriptive approach and a thematic approach were performed to analyze data, respectively.

High-Throughput Screening Strategy for Electrocatalysts for Selective Catalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde to Formic Acid.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde (FOR) is an effective way to prevent the damage caused by formaldehyde and produce high-value products. A screening strategy of a single-layer MnO-supported transition metal catalyst for the selective oxidation of formaldehyde to formic acid was designed by high-throughput density functional calculation. N-MnO@Cu and MnO@Cu are predicted to be potential FOR electrocatalysts with potential-limiting steps (PDS) of 0.

Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Influence Microbial Community Composition and Metabolic Function to Enhance the Efficiency of Remediation in Cadmium-Contaminated Soil.

The green and efficient remediation of soil cadmium (Cd) is an urgent task, and plant-microbial joint remediation has become a research hotspot due to its advantages. High-throughput sequencing and metabolomics have technical advantages in analyzing the microbiological mechanism of plant growth-promoting bacteria in improving phytoremediation of soil heavy metal pollution. In this experiment, a pot trial was conducted to investigate the effects of inoculating the plant growth-promoting bacterium sp.

An unexpected role of EasD: catalyzing the conversion of chanoclavine aldehyde to chanoclavine acid.

Ergot alkaloids (EAs) are a diverse group of indole alkaloids known for their complex structures, significant pharmacological effects, and toxicity to plants. The biosynthesis of these compounds begins with chanoclavine-I aldehyde (CC aldehyde, 2), an important intermediate produced by the enzyme EasD or its counterpart FgaDH from chanoclavine-I (CC, 1). However, how CC aldehyde 2 is converted to chanoclavine-I acid (CC acid, 3), first isolated from Ipomoea violacea several decades ago, is still unclear.

Two Cytochrome P450 Enzymes Form the Tricyclic Nested Skeleton of Meroterpenoids by Sequential Oxidative Reactions.

Meroterpenoid clavilactones feature a unique benzo-fused ten-membered carbocyclic ring unit with an α,β-epoxy-γ-lactone moiety, forming an intriguing 10/5/3 tricyclic nested skeleton. These compounds are good inhibitors of the tyrosine kinase, attracting a lot of chemical synthesis studies. However, the natural enzymes involved in the formation of the 10/5/3 tricyclic nested skeleton remain unexplored.

A pilot study on the global practice of informed consent in paediatric dentistry.

Background: Conducting oral treatment early in the disease course, is encouraged for better health outcomes. Obtaining informed consent is an essential part of medical practice, protecting the legal rights of patients and guiding the ethical practice of medicine. In practice, consent means different things in different contexts.

The potential diagnostic accuracy of circulating microRNAs for Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis.

Background & Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disease that seriously affects cognitive ability and has become a key public health problem. Many studies have identified the possibility of peripheral blood microRNA as effective non-invasive biomarkers for AD diagnosis, but the results are inconsistent. Therefore, we carried out this meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of circulating microRNAs in the diagnosis of AD patients.

Early childhood caries and its associated factors among 5-years-old Myanmar children.

Introduction: Children's oral health plays a crucial role in their overall well-being and there is a significant gap in our understanding of early childhood caries (ECC) in Myanmar. This study aims to bridge this knowledge deficit by investigating the prevalence, causes, and potential interventions for ECC in the Myanmar population, providing crucial insights for future dental health policies and practices.

Methods: Generally healthy 5-year-old kindergarten children from 7 districts in city were recruited.

Investigation on Compositional Structures of the Organic Matter and Biomarker Distributions in Shengli Lignite.

The structural characteristics of the organic matter and biomarker distributions in Shengli lignite (SL) were comprehensively studied by combining a variety of modern analytical techniques and solvent extraction/thermal dissolution. Characterization of SL with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, solid C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and thermogravimetry showed that organic matter in SL is rich in oxygen functional groups, such as C-O, >C=O, and -COOH, and hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bonds mainly include -OH···π, self-associated -OH, -OH···ether O, tightly bound cyclic -OH, -OH···N, -COOH dimers, and -SH···N.

Self-reported oral health-related quality of life and caries experiences of 5-year-old children in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Background: This study aimed to examine the impact of dental caries and other potential socio-demographic factors on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of preschool children from Myanmar. This was done using the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5) as reported by both the children and their parents.

Methods: A structured questionnaire was conducted to collect demographic information about the children and their caregivers, as well as socioeconomic data.

Sleep disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis in Spain.

Objective: This study assesses the presence of sleep disturbances and their relationship with clinical and demographic variables in patients with MS, with a view to establishing correlations between the different variables and the frequency of sleep disturbances.

Methods: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to detect sleep disorders. We contacted patients treated at the MS unit and distributed a questionnaire (PSQI) to 221 patients, receiving 142 usable questionnaires between 8 and 30 September 2019.

Efficacy and safety of dupilumab plus topical tacrolimus for atopic dermatitis in 6- to 12-year-old patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining dupilumab with topical tacrolimus for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children aged 6 to 12 years.

Patients And Methods: A total of 168 pediatric (aged 6 to 12 years) patients with severe AD admitted to our hospital between April 2022 and April 2023 were included in this retrospective study. These patients are grouped according to different medication methods, assigned them to receive either tacrolimus plus topical corticosteroids (control group) or dupilumab combined with tacrolimus and topical corticosteroids (study group), with 84 patients in each group.

Macular Sensitivity Endpoints in Geographic Atrophy: Exploratory Analysis of Chroma and Spectri Clinical Trials.

Purpose: To assess different microperimetry (MP) macular sensitivity outcome measures capturing functional deterioration in eyes with geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Design: Patients were included from 2 identically designed, phase III, double-masked, randomized controlled clinical trials, Chroma (NCT02247479) and Spectri (NCT02247531).

Participants: Patients enrolled were aged ≥ 50 years with bilateral GA and no evidence of previous or active neovascular AMD.