Underestimated Prediabetic Biomarkers: Are We Blind to Their Strategy?

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is currently one of the fastest growing health challenging, a non-communicable disease result of the XXI century lifestyle. Given its growing incidence and prevalence, it became increasingly imperative to develop new technologies and implement new biomarkers for early diagnosis in order to promote lifestyle changes and thus cause a setback of the disease. Promising biomarkers have been identified as predictive of T2D development; however, none of them have yet been implemented in clinical practice routine.

Assessment of NKG2C copy number variation in HIV-1 infection susceptibility, and considerations about the potential role of lacking receptors and virus infection.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection dynamics is strongly influenced by the host genetic background. NKG2C is an activating receptor expressed mainly on Natural Killer (NK) cells, and a polymorphism of copy number variation in the gene coding for this molecule has been pointed as a potential factor involved in HIV infection susceptibility. We evaluated the impact of the NKG2C deletion on HIV-1 susceptibility, with or without HBV/HCV co-infection, in a total of 780 individuals, including 385 HIV-infected patients and 395 healthy blood donors.

Epiretinal Membrane Surgery in Eyes with Glaucoma: Visual Outcomes and Clinical Significance of Inner Microcystoid Changes.

Objective: To investigate visual acuity (VA) outcomes and OCT-based biomarkers of vision outcomes in eyes with glaucoma undergoing pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM).

Design: Retrospective, consecutive case-control series. A previously described ERM grading scale was utilized for OCT analysis.

Effect of hybridization on lipophosphoglycan expression in Leishmania major.

Leishmania major is the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis. It is one of the most studied Leishmania species not only during vector interaction but also in the vertebrate host. Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is the Leishmania multifunctional virulence factor during host-parasite interaction, whose polymorphisms are involved in the immunopathology of leishmaniasis.

Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in primary Sjögren's syndrome: humoral response, safety, and effects on disease activity.

Introduction: There is no study specifically focused on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Objectives: To assess the immunogenicity, safety, possible effects on disease activity, and autoantibody profile of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine in pSS.

Methods: Fifty-one pSS patients and 102 sex- and age-balanced controls without autoimmune diseases were included in a prospective phase 4 trial of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine (two doses 28 days apart, D0/D28).

Association of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy with subclinical Cushing's syndrome.

Purpose: To report the clinical course of a patient with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) secondary to subclinical hypercortisolism before and after adrenalectomy.

Observations: A 50-year-old female patient with multifocal, chronic CSCR was found to have an adrenal incidentaloma and was diagnosed with subclinical hypercortisolism. Patient elected to undergo minimally-invasive adrenalectomy and presented at 3 months after surgery without subretinal fluid.

The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Bone Health: State of the Art and New Recognized Links.

Bariatric surgery (BS) is the most effective therapy for severe obesity, which improves several comorbidities (such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, among others) and results in marked weight loss. Despite these consensual beneficial effects, sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (the two main bariatric techniques) have also been associated with changes in bone metabolism and progressive bone loss. The objective of this literature review is to examine the impact of bariatric surgery on bone and its main metabolic links, and to analyze the latest findings regarding the risk of fracture among patients submitted to bariatric surgery.

Outcomes and Survivorship at a Median of 8.9 Years Following Hip Arthroscopy in Adolescents with Femoroacetabular Impingement: A Matched Comparative Study with Adults.

Background: Because of the unique theoretical surgical risks, including osteonecrosis, acute iatrogenic slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and epiphyseal injury, the optimal treatment strategy for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) in growing adolescents has yet to be established. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of primary arthroscopic treatment of FAI in growing adolescents with a matched adult group.

Methods: Patients with FAI who underwent arthroscopic treatment with a minimum follow-up of 2 years were included.

Role of the Autonomic Nervous System in the Hemodynamic Response to Hyperinsulinemia-Implications for Obesity and Insulin Resistance.

Purpose Of Review: Herein, we summarize recent advances which provide new insights into the role of the autonomic nervous system in the control of blood flow and blood pressure during hyperinsulinemia. We also highlight remaining gaps in knowledge as it pertains to the translation of findings to relevant human chronic conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Recent Findings: Our findings in insulin-sensitive adults show that increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity with hyperinsulinemia do not result in greater sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction in the peripheral circulation.

Midterm Outcomes After Hip Labral Augmentation in Revision Hip Arthroscopy.

Background: Labral augmentation has emerged as an essential procedure to address a deficient or irreparable labrum while preserving native labral tissue and restoring the hip suction seal mechanism.

Purpose: To evaluate midterm outcomes of arthroscopic hip labral augmentation for labral insufficiency after previous hip arthroscopy.

Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

The evolving field of Big Data: understanding geographic information systems analysis and its transformative potential in ophthalmic research.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review to is to highlight alternative uses of Big Data in the pursuit of ophthalmologic public health. In particular, we highlight geographic information systems (GIS) analysis as a type of Big Data, summarize various GIS methods, and enumerate sources of geographic data.

Recent Findings: The recent implementation of the IRIS Registry Data, has expanded our real-world knowledge of ophthalmology in the United States.

Hydrophobic laser-induced graphene potentiometric ion-selective electrodes for nitrate sensing.

Current solid-contact ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) suffer from signal-to-noise drift and short lifespans partly due to water uptake and the development of an aqueous layer between the transducer and ion-selective membrane. To address these challenges, we report on a nitrate ISE based on hydrophobic laser-induced graphene (LIG) coated with a poly(vinyl) chloride-based nitrate selective membrane. The hydrophobic LIG was created using a polyimide substrate and a double lasing process under ambient conditions (air at 23.

Microbiological Composition of Diets of Cactus Pear-Based with Increasing Levels of Buffel Grass Hay and Relationship to Nutritional Disorders in Sheep.

This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological composition of cactus pear-based diets with increasing levels of buffel grass hay, and its effect on the blood and physiological parameters and occurrence of diarrhea in feedlot sheep. Four diets containing different percentages of buffel grass hay were tested. Diets were composed of forage cactus, buffel grass hay and concentrate, and the treatments were represented by different levels of hay in the dry matter of the feed: 7.

Role of the arterial baroreflex in the sympathetic response to hyperinsulinemia in adult humans.

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) increases during hyperinsulinemia, primarily attributed to central nervous system effects. Whether peripheral vasodilation induced by insulin further contributes to increased MSNA via arterial baroreflex-mediated mechanisms requires further investigation. Accordingly, we examined baroreflex modulation of the MSNA response to hyperinsulinemia.

REGIONAL POPULATION MOBILITY AND OUTPATIENT RETINA VISITS IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

Purpose: To characterize how community mobility patterns across the United States correlate with local changes in retina visits during the pandemic.

Methods: Outpatient retina clinic visits were linked to population mobility by combining multiple public data sets, including the Google Community Mobility Reports and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Infection. Percentage change from baseline in daily-average number of retina visits by county and mobility were measured by county.

Ten-Year Outcomes After Hip Arthroscopy in Patients With Femoroacetabular Impingement and Borderline Dysplasia.

Background: The role of hip arthroscopy in the treatment of patients with borderline hip dysplasia is controversial and evolving.

Purpose: To evaluate outcomes at a minimum 10-year follow-up in patients who underwent hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement in a hip with borderline dysplasia.

Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Diabetic Macular Edema Clinical Trials.

Subjects in diabetic macular edema clinical trials in the United States are disproportionately White and male, compared with the population undergoing treatment for diabetic macular edema.

Population wide testing pooling strategy for SARS-CoV-2 detection using saliva.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has forced frequent testing of populations. It is necessary to identify the most cost-effective strategies for the detection of COVID-19 outbreaks. Nasopharyngeal samples have been used for SARS-CoV-2 detection but require a healthcare professional to collect the sample and cause discomfort and pain to the individual.

Turning the Knobs: The Impact of Post-translational Modifications on Carbon Metabolism.

Plants rely on the carbon fixed by photosynthesis into sugars to grow and reproduce. However, plants often face non-ideal conditions caused by biotic and abiotic stresses. These constraints impose challenges to managing sugars, the most valuable plant asset.

Etiopathogenic features of severe epistaxis in histological samples from individuals with or without arterial hypertension.

There is a consensus that arterial hypertension (AH) is associated with stroke. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the histology of the microvasculature associated with the mucosa of the posterior nasal cavity to identify possible factors related to vascular weakening and rupture. Histological sections were obtained from hypertensive and normotensive individuals, regardless of epistaxis.

Mice with Type 2 Diabetes Present Significant Alterations in Their Tissue Biomechanical Properties and Histological Features.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex metabolic disease often associated with severe complications that may result in patient morbidity or death. One T2DM etiological agent is chronic hyperglycemia, a condition that induces damaging biological processes, including impactful extracellular matrix (ECM) modifications, such as matrix components accumulation. The latter alters ECM stiffness, triggering fibrosis, inflammation, and pathological angiogenesis.

Evidence of Air and Surface Contamination with SARS-CoV-2 in a Major Hospital in Portugal.

As the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Portugal, it forced the country to reintroduce lockdown measures due to hospitals reaching their full capacities. Under these circumstances, environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in different areas of one of Portugal's major Hospitals was assessed between 21 January and 11 February 2021. Air samples ( = 44) were collected from eleven different areas of the Hospital (four COVID-19 and seven non-COVID-19 areas) using Coriolis μ and Coriolis Compact cyclone air sampling devices.

Arthroscopic Hip Capsular Reconstruction Using Iliotibial Band Allograft as a Salvage Option for Unrepairable Capsular Defects Demonstrates Good Survivorship and Improved Patient-Reported Outcomes.

Purpose: To describe patient outcomes 3 to 5 years after arthroscopic hip capsule reconstruction.

Methods: Between January 2007 and December 2016, patients aged 18 to 50 years who underwent arthroscopic hip capsular reconstruction using an Iliotibial band allograft by the senior author and had minimum of 3-year follow-up were identified. Patients were excluded if they had previous open hip surgery, advanced osteoarthritis (Tönnis grade >2), significant acetabular dysplasia (lateral center edge angle <20°), avascular necrosis, or Legg-Calve-Perthes disease.