Relationship Between Intraocular Pressure and the True Rate of Functional and Structural Progression in the United Kingdom Glaucoma Treatment Study.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of average intraocular pressure (IOP) on the true rate of glaucoma progression (RoP) in the United Kingdom Glaucoma Treatment Study (UKGTS).

Methods: UKGTS participants were randomized to placebo or Latanoprost drops and monitored for up to two years with visual field tests (VF, 24-2 SITA standard), IOP measurements, and optic nerve imaging. We included eyes with at least three structural or functional assessments (VF with <15% false-positive errors).

Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma injection for pain relief in injured athletes: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Sports injuries involving bi-articular muscles like the hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps, and gastrocnemius significantly affect athletes' performance and quality of life. Comprehensive rehabilitation is crucial for a pain-free return to play (RTP). Over the past 15 years, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged for its potential in tissue regeneration.

Pharmacogenetics of opioid medications for relief of labor pain and post-cesarean pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Several studies have attempted to identify genetic determinants of clinical response to opioids administered during labor or after cesarean section. However, their results were often contrasting. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively assess the association between gene polymorphisms and clinical outcomes of opioid administration in the treatment of labor pain and post-cesarean pain.

Biomechanical Changes Related to Low Back Pain: An Innovative Tool for Movement Pattern Assessment and Treatment Evaluation in Rehabilitation.

Low back pain (LBP) is a highly prevalent disorder frequently related to biomechanical alterations. Movement pattern assessments have a role in the rehabilitation management of patients with LBP; however, a precise assessment is challenging in routine clinical settings. Thus, this study aims to assess the biomechanical alterations related to LBP through the development and application of an innovative assessment tool named CameraLab.

Heme catabolism and heme oxygenase-1-expressing myeloid cells in pathophysiology.

Although the pathological significance of myeloid cell heterogeneity is still poorly understood, new evidence indicates that distinct macrophage subsets are characterized by specific metabolic programs that influence disease onset and progression. Within this scenario, distinct subsets of macrophages, endowed with high rates of heme catabolism by the stress-responsive enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), play critical roles in physiologic and pathological conditions. Of relevance, the substrates of HO-1 activity are the heme groups that derive from cellular catabolism and are converted into carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin and Fe2+, which together elicit anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory activities and control oxidative damage.

Debondable Epoxy-Acrylate Adhesives using β-Amino Ester Chemistry.

The reuse of multilayered materials, which are held together by structural epoxy adhesives, is a major challenge since the bonded substrates cannot be easily separated for recycling. In this research, we explore a one-pot strategy based on β-amino ester chemistry for the development of modified epoxy adhesives with on-demand debonding potential. For this, a formulation of commercially available acrylate, epoxy and amine compounds is used.

NKX3-2 Induces Ovarian Cancer Cell Migration by HDAC6-Mediated Repositioning of Lysosomes and Inhibition of Autophagy.

Several soluble factors secreted by the stromal cells and cancer cells within the tumor microenvironment facilitate the progression and invasiveness of ovarian cancer. In ovarian cancer cells, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) modulates the transcriptome profile and promotes cell invasiveness by the downregulation of autophagy. Here, we further elucidate this mechanism by focusing on the molecular and cellular events regulating autophagy.

Identification of Cannabidiolic and Cannabigerolic Acids as MTDL AChE, BuChE, and BACE-1 Inhibitors Against Alzheimer's Disease by In Silico, In Vitro, and In Vivo Studies.

Cannabidiolic (CBDA) and cannabigerolic (CBGA) acids are naturally occurring compounds from Cannabis sativa plant, previously identified by us as dual PPARα/γ agonists. Since the development of multitarget-directed ligands (MTDL) represents a valuable strategy to alleviate and slow down the progression of multifactorial diseases, we evaluated the potential ability of CBDA and CBGA to also inhibit enzymes involved in the modulation of the cholinergic tone and/or β-amyloid production. A multidisciplinary approach based on computational and biochemical studies was pursued on selected enzymes, followed by behavioral and electrophysiological experiments in an AD mouse model.

Early Choriocapillaris Dysfunction in Fellow Eyes of Patients with Unilateral Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To investigate early changes in AMD by evaluating and comparing choriocapillaris (CC) flow in fellow eyes of patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and in healthy controls using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).

Methods: Patients with unilateral nAMD and no/early/intermediate AMD (no/e/iAMD) in their fellow eye and normal controls who underwent SS-OCT and OCTA where included. CC perfusion was assessed on MATLAB as percentage of flow deficits (FD%) in the central 4.

Osteoblast Response to Widely Ranged Texturing Conditions Obtained through High Power Laser Beams on Ti Surfaces.

Titanium and titanium alloys are the prevailing dental implant materials owing to their favorable mechanical properties and biocompatibility, but how roughness dictates the biological response is still a matter of debate. In this study, laser texturing was used to generate eight paradigmatic roughened surfaces, with the aim of studying the early biological response elicited on MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts. Prior to cell tests, the samples underwent SEM analysis, optical profilometry, protein adsorption assay, and optical contact angle measurement with water and diiodomethane to determine surface free energy.

Microvascular changes in eyes with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy with or without macular microaneurysms: an OCT-angiography study.

Purpose: To evaluate different quantitative non-invasive retinal biomarkers of microvascular impairment and neurodegeneration in patients affected by mild and moderate non proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) with or without macular microaneurysms (MAs).

Methods: A cross-sectional case-control study. Ninety-seven eyes with NPDR, 49 with no central MAs and 48 with central MAs, underwent color fundus photography and optical coherence tomography (OCT)/OCT-angiography (OCT-A).

Symmetrical 2,7-disubstituted 9H-fluoren-9-one as a novel and promising scaffold for selective targeting of SIRT2.

Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) belongs to the family of silent information regulators (sirtuins), which comprises nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent protein lysine deacetylases. With a distribution across numerous tissues and organs of the human body, SIRT2 is involved in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes, such as regulating the cell cycle, energy metabolism, DNA repair, and tumorigenesis. Aberrant expression of SIRT2 has been closely associated with particular etiologies of human diseases, positioning SIRT2 as a promising therapeutic target.

Do Diagnostic Nerve Blocks Affect the Starting Dose of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A for Spasticity? A Case-Control Study.

One of the aims of diagnostic nerve blocks is to identify the overactive muscles that lead to a specific spasticity pattern. However, to date, there is no evidence on how nerve blocks may affect botulinum neurotoxin-A (BoNT-A) dose in patients with spasticity. This case-control study aims to assess the role of diagnostic nerve block in defining BoNT-A starting dose at first treatment.

Relaxometric properties and biocompatibility of a novel nanostructured fluorinated gadolinium metal-organic framework.

A novel Gd-MOF based on tetrafluoro-terephthalic acid has been synthesized and its structure has been solved using X-ray single crystal diffraction data. The compound, with the formula [Gd(FBDC)·HO]·DMF, is isostructural with other Ln-MOFs based on the same ligand and has been recently reported. Its crystals were also reduced to nanometer size by employing acetic acid or cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a modulator.

Efficacy and tolerability of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in patients with plantar fasciopathy: a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Introduction: Plantar fasciopathy (PF) is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by heel pain and functional impairment. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has gained increasing interest in the treatment of PF, but the optimal ESWT program is still debated. Therefore, this systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression aimed at providing a comprehensive assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of ESWT in PF management.

Low ozone concentrations do not exert cytoprotective effects on tamoxifen-treated breast cancer cells .

Medical treatment with low ozone concentrations proved to exert therapeutic effects in various diseases by inducing a cytoprotective antioxidant response through the nuclear factor erythroid derived-like 2 (Nrf2) transcription factor pathway. Low ozone doses are increasingly administered to oncological patients as a complementary treatment to mitigate some adverse side-effects of antitumor treatments. However, a widespread concern exists about the possibility that the cytoprotective effect of Nrf2 activation may confer drug resistance to cancer cells or at least reduce the efficacy of antitumor agents.

The efficacy of ultrasonography-guided oxygen-ozone therapy versus corticosteroids in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widely-known disease distinguished by the breakdown of joint cartilage, leading to pain and morning stiffness. In this context, the role of corticosteroids is well known, but there is still a gap of knowledge on the duty of oxygen-ozone therapy (O2-O3).

Objective: To evaluate for effectiveness of ultrasound-guided O2-O3 injections compared with corticosteroid injections among patients diagnosed with knee OA.