Treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration: where we stand in 2024.

Purpose Of Review: This review highlights treatment options, both under investigation and currently available, for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). An update on current clinical studies for dry AMD has been summarized.

Recent Findings: Advanced dry AMD, characterized by geographic atrophy (GA), is a leading cause of blindness in the developed world, though prior to 2023 there was no approved treatment.

Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Substance Abuse and HIV-Related Neurological Pathologies.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a broad, heterogeneous class of membranous lipid-bilayer vesicles that facilitate intercellular communication throughout the body. As important carriers of various types of cargo, including proteins, lipids, DNA fragments, and a variety of small noncoding RNAs, including miRNAs, mRNAs, and siRNAs, EVs may play an important role in the development of addiction and other neurological pathologies, particularly those related to HIV. In this review, we summarize the findings of EV studies in the context of methamphetamine (METH), cocaine, nicotine, opioid, and alcohol use disorders, highlighting important EV cargoes that may contribute to addiction.

The visual perception of emotion from masks.

Fifty-one adults evaluated visually-perceived emotions from 32 masks. These masks (held in the collection of the Kentucky Museum, located on the campus of Western Kentucky University) were created by artists from a wide variety of cultures spanning multiple continents. Each participant evaluated every mask along six dimensions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust.

The Recognition of Solid Object Shape: The Importance of Inhomogeneity.

A single experiment evaluated the haptic-visual cross-modal matching of solid object shape. One set of randomly shaped artificial objects was used (sinusoidally modulated spheres, SMS) as well as two sets of naturally shaped objects (bell peppers, and sweet potatoes, ). A total of 66 adults participated in the study.

Haptic Distance Ratio Estimation: The Geometry of Space Within the Hands.

In the current study of haptic distance perception, 20 younger (median age: 22 years) and 20 older adults (median age: 72 years) used active touch to estimate distance ratios(one length relative to another). Nine tactile stimuli were created from wooden dowels; each consisted of two perpendicular dowels. The stimulus distance ratios ranged from 1.