Publications by authors named "Than N"

This study addresses the growing importance of hand gesture recognition across diverse fields, such as industry, education, and healthcare, targeting the often-neglected needs of the deaf and dumb community. The primary objective is to improve communication between individuals, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life, particularly in the context of advanced healthcare. This paper presents a novel approach for real-time hand gesture recognition using bio-impedance techniques.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: To report a case of cystoid macular edema (CME) secondary to immune recovery uveitis (IRU) in a patient with previous history of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis and leukemia, which was successfully treated with tocilizumab (TCZ), an interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist. : The clinical records of the case were reviewed, focusing on demographics, image findings, and clinical course. : A 17-year-old female with a past medical history of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) undergoing chemotherapy for two years presented with active CMV retinitis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Radical surgery following neoadjuvant therapy is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer. A contact x-ray brachytherapy (CXB) boost can alternatively be used to treat residual disease postneoadjuvant (chemo)radiation, especially in patients who are not suitable for or do not wish to have surgery. Its role has mostly been studied to date in low- to intermediate-risk patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Repository corticotropin injection (RCI) has been suggested to exert immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects in ocular inflammation. The index retrospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of subcutaneous RCI in patients with active scleritis or uveitis.

Main Body: Medical records of patients who were diagnosed with different types of active scleritis or uveitis and received RCI for more than six months at a tertiary eye center were reviewed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Problem: Preeclampsia is a heterogeneous syndrome of diverse etiologies and molecular pathways leading to distinct clinical subtypes. Herein, we aimed to characterize the extracellular vesicle (EV)-associated and soluble fractions of the maternal plasma proteome in patients with preeclampsia and to assess their value for disease prediction.

Method Of Study: This case-control study included 24 women with term preeclampsia, 23 women with preterm preeclampsia, and 94 healthy pregnant controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Among various histological types of lung cancer, majority are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which account for > 80%. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are widely expressed in various cancers including lung cancer and implicated in tumourigenesis and cancer progression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) followed by Contact X-ray Brachytherapy (CXB) and vice versa are viable alternatives to surgery for selected rectal cancer patients who have small tumours (≤3 cm). However, the optimal sequence of treatment needs to be established. We compared two approaches using Propensity Score (PS) matching and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) analyses to investigate whether the sequence of treatment affected patient outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: There is a growing need for alternative models to advance current non-clinical experimental models because they often fail to accurately predict drug responses in human clinical trials. Human organ-on-a-chip models have emerged as promising approaches for advancing the predictability of drug behaviors and responses.

Areas Covered: We summarize up-to-date human gut-on-a-chip models designed to demonstrate intricate interactions involving the host, microbiome, and pharmaceutical compounds since these models have been reported a decade ago.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Addressing geogenic and anthropogenic arsenic (As) pollution is critical for environmental health. This study explored arsenite [As(III)] removal using Cyanidiales, particularly Cyanidium caldarium (Cc) and Galdieria partita (Gp), under acidic to neutral pH, and determined As(III) detoxification mechanisms in relation to As speciation and protein secondary structure in Cyanidiales. Regarding As(III) sorption amounts, Cc outperformed Gp, reaching 83.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: A watch-and-wait approach is an alternative to surgery for rectal cancer patients who have achieved a clinical complete response (cCR) following neoadjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy. However, approximately 25-38% of patients experience subsequent local tumor re-growth that requires salvage surgery. We evaluated the effectiveness of contact X-ray brachytherapy (CXB) as an alternative method of salvage therapy for those patients who were either unfit for or refused surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine if ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) at the initial visit impacts the evaluation of disease activity and management in patients at a uveitis clinic.
  • A total of 158 patient visits were analyzed, with assessments made using clinical exams, UWFFP, SD-OCT, and UWFFA, comparing evaluations with and without UWFFA.
  • Results showed that UWFFA led to a significant increase in identifying active disease and resulted in management changes for over a quarter of the eyes evaluated, highlighting its importance in uveitis assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to analyze risk factors for developing anti-adalimumab antibodies (AAA) in patients with non-infectious uveitis undergoing treatment with adalimumab, using a retrospective case-control method.
  • - Out of 31 patients, those who tested positive for AAA had significant differences compared to those who tested negative, particularly concerning gender, systemic disease presence, and baseline inflammation. Notably, interruptions in anti-TNF therapy and disease flare-ups during treatment increased the likelihood of developing AAA.
  • - Conversely, patients receiving weekly doses of adalimumab showed a lower risk of developing AAA, indicating that treatment frequency could play a role in patient management for those at higher risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Ocular inflammatory diseases like scleritis and uveitis are treated with immunomodulatory therapies (IMTs) to reduce reliance on steroids, using both conventional and biologic agents, including cyclophosphamide (CP), an effective but potentially harmful treatment option.
  • A study reviewed the medical records of 1295 patients at Stanford’s Uveitis Clinic from 2017 to 2022, focusing on 7 patients who received CP therapy for severe ocular inflammatory diseases that didn’t respond to other IMTs.
  • The average age of these patients was 61.6 years, with various underlying conditions, and after a mean follow-up of 34.4 months on CP therapy,
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe obstetrical syndrome characterized by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria and it is often associated with fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). PE leads to long-term health complications, so early diagnosis would be crucial for timely prevention. There are multiple etiologies and subtypes of PE, and this heterogeneity has hindered accurate identification in the presymptomatic phase.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Miscarriages are common, occurring in 50-70% of pregnancies, with 1-5% of women experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), which is defined as having two or more miscarriages.
  • Current understanding of the causes and mechanisms behind RPL is lacking, making reliable diagnostic and preventive methods unavailable.
  • The study assessed three placental proteins and found that lower levels of free-β-hCG and PAPP-A, particularly between 9-13 weeks of pregnancy, could serve as effective biomarkers for identifying RPL, suggesting issues with placental function and development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The review updates the role of corticosteroids and immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) in treating infectious uveitis, focusing on managing inflammation rather than the infection itself.
  • Corticosteroids are mainly used alongside other treatments for infectious uveitis, especially in cases where inflammation worsens or doesn't resolve after initial treatment.
  • The review highlights a lack of consensus on IMT's effectiveness in infectious uveitis, pointing out its occasional use in persistent cases, while providing options for clinicians managing these complex conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The article reviews the use of anti-TNF-α agents in treating NIU, noting their success in improving patient outcomes, while also addressing obstacles in further research and drug development in this area.
  • * Despite the effectiveness of existing anti-TNF-α medications like infliximab and adalimumab, the future of developing new options in this category may be limited due to expiring patents and competition from biosimilars and other novel treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A 57-year-old diabetic man initially diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis (CI) presented with vision problems in his left eye, leading to an MRI and other tests that showed signs of neurosarcoidosis instead.* -
  • Despite starting antifungal therapy that provided minimal improvement, further biopsy and PET CT asserted the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, prompting a treatment shift to prednisone and later infliximab, effectively managing his symptoms.* -
  • This case highlights the importance of accurate differential diagnosis, as symptoms of neurosarcoidosis can mimic those of other conditions like coccidioidomycosis, impacting treatment decisions.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The prevention of pre-eclampsia is difficult due to the syndromic nature and multiple underlying mechanisms of this severe complication of pregnancy. The current clinical distinction between early- and late-onset disease, although clinically useful, does not reflect the true nature and complexity of the pathologic processes leading to pre-eclampsia. The current gaps in knowledge on the heterogeneous molecular pathways of this syndrome and the lack of adequate, specific diagnostic methods are major obstacles to early screening and tailored preventive strategies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A 37-year-old male diagnosed with birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR) presented with symptoms like blurry vision and floaters, prompting a thorough eye examination.
  • The examination revealed significant retinal issues, including vitritis and optic disc edema, alongside global dysfunction in eye response tests.
  • The diagnosis of BSCR was confirmed, highlighting the need for early detection and treatment strategies, emphasizing the relevance of HLA-A29 testing in managing this condition in young adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to examine changes over time in patients with non-paraneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy (npAIR) using various diagnostic methods.
  • The research involved a retrospective review of 16 eyes from 8 patients, assessing structural and functional changes through tests like wide-angle fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and electrophysiological assessments over a median follow-up of 11.5 months.
  • Findings indicated that multimodal testing was effective in detecting both structural and functional decline in patients, with adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy showing superior sensitivity in monitoring retinal microstructure changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is a long-term complication of the Fontan procedure. Guidelines recommend elastography, but the utility of transient elastography (TE) and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D SWE) is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between TE and 2D SWE in FALD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The analyses of molecular genetic data (mtDNA markers 16S, ND4, CYTB, and the nuclear marker c-mos) provided evidence that the Asian cat snake taxa Boiga multomaculata and B. ochracea actually represent a single species. They form mixed clades of low intraclade genetic differentiation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Radiation plays an important role in organ preservation for gastrointestinal malignancies, with a watch and wait strategy enabling surgery to be avoided in patients who are not suitable or who are refusing surgery. Brachytherapy boost allows the radiation dose to be escalated, which plays a pivotal role in the successful outcome of achieving organ preservation. Here we describe the role of brachytherapy in two common gastrointestinal malignancies (oesophagus and rectum).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is associated with high mortality, and early diagnosis leads to better survival. Patients with cirrhosis, especially due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and viral hepatitis, are at higher risk of developing HCC and form the main screening group. The current screening methods for HCC (6-monthly screening with serum alpha fetoprotein and ultrasound liver) have low sensitivity; hence, there is a need for better screening markers for HCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF