Aqueous-Deficient Dry Eye Increases Lipid Layer Thickness Measured by Dynamic Tear Interferometry.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of aqueous deficiency on lipid layer thickness (LLT) measurement in dry eye disease before and after treatment of aqueous-deficient dry eye (ADDE) using dynamic tear interferometry.

Methods: This prospective comparative study included 230 eyes from 230 patients with ADDE. The treatment group with punctal plug insertion was compared with the control group.

Phospholipids impact the protective effects of HDL-mimetic nanodiscs against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation.

The impacts of synthetic high-density lipoprotein (sHDL) phospholipid components on anti-sepsis effects were investigated. sHDL composed with ApoA-I mimetic peptide (22A) and different phosphatidylcholines were prepared and characterized. Anti-inflammatory effects were investigated and on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation models.

Relationship between vestibular loss and the risk of dementia using the 2002-2019 national insurance service survey in South Korea.

This retrospective cross-sectional study assessed older adults aged between 40 and 80 years, registered in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database from 2002 to 2019 to investigate the association between vestibular loss and the risk of dementia. The population was divided into three groups (general, vestibular loss, and hearing loss). The hazard ratios (HRs) of dementia in the vestibular and hearing loss groups were calculated using national population data.

Development and application of an in vitro assay to assess target-independent B-cell activation by targeted TLR7 immune agonists.

Targeted immune agonist (TIA) comprising a TLR7 agonist conjugated to tumor-targeting antibodies have been shown to induce potent anti-tumor responses in various preclinical models. However, the clinical proof-of-concept of a TIA has been hampered by systemic dose-limiting immune-related toxicities, including rapid induction of anti-drug antibodies in patients. We have developed ELISPOT-based assay to measure activation of antibody-secreting cells (ASCs), intended to simulate the interaction between TIA and peripheral B cells as a tool to pre-clinically de-risk tumor target-independent peripheral B-cell activation by TIA.

Prediction of Hearing Prognosis After Intact Canal Wall Mastoidectomy With Tympanoplasty Using Artificial Intelligence.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of a machine learning model and the effects of major prognostic factors on hearing outcomes following intact canal wall (ICW) mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty.

Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Setting: Tertiary hospital.

Phospholipid Component Defines Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Properties of Synthetic High-Density Lipoproteins.

Synthetic high-density lipoprotein (sHDL) nanoparticles composed of apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide and phospholipids have been shown to reduce atherosclerosis in animal models. Cholesterol is mobilized from atheroma macrophages by sHDL into the blood compartment and delivered to the liver for elimination. Historically, sHDL drug discovery efforts were focused on optimizing peptide sequences for interaction with cholesterol cellular transporters rather than understanding how both sHDL components, peptide and lipid, influence its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles.

High-Density Lipoprotein in Lupus: Disease Biomarkers and Potential Therapeutic Strategy.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients exhibit accelerated development of atherosclerosis and increased incidents of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that cannot be explained by traditional risk factors alone. Accumulating evidence suggests that reduced levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), along with altered HDL composition and function, may contribute to the accelerated atherosclerosis in SLE patients. Normally, HDLs play various atheroprotective roles through facilitating cholesterol efflux, inhibiting vascular inflammation, and scavenging oxidative species.

Inkjet-printed micro-calibration standards for ultraquantitative Raman spectral cytometry.

Herein we report the development of a cytometric analysis platform for measuring the contents of individual cells in absolute (picogram) scales; this study represents the first report of Raman-based quantitation of the absolute mass - or the total amount - of multiple endogenous biomolecules within single-cells. To enable ultraquantitative calibration, we engineered single-cell-sized micro-calibration standards of known composition by inkjet-printer deposition of biomolecular components in microarrays across the surface of silicon chips. We demonstrate clinical feasibility by characterizing the compositional phenotype of human skin fibroblast and porcine alveolar macrophage cell populations in the respective contexts of Niemann-Pick disease and drug-induced phospholipidosis: two types of lipid storage disorders.

Use of roller compaction and fines recycling process in the preparation of erlotinib hydrochloride tablets.

This study focuses on improving the manufacturing process for a generic immediate-release tablet containing erlotinib hydrochloride by adding a fines recycling process during roller compaction. Due to the large fraction of small-sized API particles, the starting powder mixture was inconsistently fed into the roller compactor. Consequently, poorly flowing granules with a high ratio of fines were produced.

Coenzyme Q10 inhibits glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress-mediated mitochondrial alteration in a mouse model of glaucoma.

Purpose: To test whether a diet supplemented with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) ameliorates glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress-mediated retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration by preventing mitochondrial alterations in the retina of glaucomatous DBA/2J mice.

Methods: Preglaucomatous DBA/2J and age-matched control DBA/2J-Gpnmb(+) mice were fed with CoQ10 (1%) or a control diet daily for 6 months. The RGC survival and axon preservation were measured by Brn3a and neurofilament immunohistochemistry and by conventional transmission electron microscopy.

Coenzyme Q10 ameliorates oxidative stress and prevents mitochondrial alteration in ischemic retinal injury.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) acts by scavenging reactive oxygen species for protecting neuronal cells against oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases. We tested whether a diet supplemented with CoQ10 ameliorates oxidative stress and mitochondrial alteration, as well as promotes retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival in ischemic retina induced by intraocular pressure elevation. A CoQ10 significantly promoted RGC survival at 2 weeks after ischemia.