Anterior and Posterior Ocular Changes in Patients with Active and Inactive Ankylosing Spondylitis.

BACKGROUND The 6-item Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) is a method for evaluating disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study included 78 patients with active and inactive AS and aimed to evaluate anterior and posterior segment ocular changes. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy-eight patients and 70 control subjects were enrolled in this study.

Melanin-Binding-Based Discovery of Topically Instilled Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors for Targeted Delivery and Prolonged Action in the Eye.

Glaucoma is a vision-threatening disease that is currently treated with intraocular-pressure-reducing eyedrops that are instilled once or multiple times daily. Unfortunately, the treatment is associated with low patient adherence and suboptimal treatment outcomes. We developed carbonic anhydrase II inhibitors (CAI-II) for a prolonged reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP).

Observational Characterization of the Retreatment Course of Patients With Thyroid Eye Disease.

Background: To characterize the retreatment course of patients with thyroid eye disease (TED), who had reactivation after initial therapy with teprotumumab.

Methods: This was a single-center longitudinal cohort study of patients who received an initial course of teprotumumab for active TED and were followed for at least 6 months. Reactivation was defined as the increase of proptosis of 2 mm or more or an increase in Clinical Activity Score (CAS) of two points or more, as adapted from the Optic-X study.

Ultrafast enzyme-responsive hydrogel for real-time assessment and treatment optimization in infected wounds.

Monitoring wound infection and providing appropriate treatment are crucial for achieving favorable outcomes. However, the time-consuming nature of laboratory culture tests may delay timely intervention. To tackle this challenge, a simple yet effective HDG hydrogel, composed of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), dopamine, and GelMA polymer, is developed for the ultrafast detection and treatment of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) infections.

A practical approach to the spatial-domain calculation of nonprewhitening model observers in computed tomography.

Background: Modern reconstruction algorithms for computed tomography (CT) can exhibit nonlinear properties, including non-stationarity of noise and contrast dependence of both noise and spatial resolution. Model observers have been recommended as a tool for the task-based assessment of image quality (Samei E et al., Med Phys.

Chemically Hydrophobic and Structurally Antireflective Nanocoatings in Butterflies.

Moth-eye nanostructures, known for their biological antireflective properties, are formed by a self-assembly mechanism. Understanding and replicating this mechanism on artificial surfaces open avenues for the engineering of bioinspired multifunctional nanomaterials. Analysis of corneal nanocoatings from butterflies of the genus reveals a variety of nanostructures with uniformly strong antiwetting properties accompanied by varying antireflective functionalities.

Hirudo extract ameliorates proliferative vitreoretinopathy by promoting autophagy and attenuating the THBS2/PI3K/Akt pathway.

Epithelial‒mesenchymal transition (EMT) in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells is believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The ability of Hirudo to promote blood flow and dispel blood stasis may be related to its anti-EMT effects. Through the use of a network pharmacology method, the mechanism by which Hirudo treats PVR was investigated in this study, and the findings were confirmed through in vitro cellular tests.

High-efficiency base editing in the retina in primates and human tissues.

Stargardt disease is a currently untreatable, inherited neurodegenerative disease that leads to macular degeneration and blindness due to loss-of-function mutations in the ABCA4 gene. We have designed a dual adeno-associated viral vector encoding a split-intein adenine base editor to correct the most common mutation in ABCA4 (c.5882G>A, p.

A hybrid machine learning approach for the personalized prognostication of aggressive skin cancers.

Accurate prognostication guides optimal clinical management in skin cancer. Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is the most aggressive form of skin cancer that often presents in advanced stages and is associated with poor survival rates. There are no personalized prognostic tools in use in MCC.

Role of topological indices in predictive modeling and ranking of drugs treating eye disorders.

Topological indices (TIs) of chemical graphs of drugs hold the potential to compute important properties and biological activities leading to more thoughtful drug design. Here, we considered certain drugs treating eye-related disorders, including cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration. By combining modeling and decision-makings approaches, this study presents a cost-effective way to comprehend the behavior of molecules.

Biochemical and structural characterization of Rab3GAP reveals insights into Rab18 nucleotide exchange activity.

The heterodimeric Rab3GAP complex is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for the Rab18 GTPase that regulates lipid droplet metabolism, ER-to-Golgi trafficking, secretion, and autophagy. Why both subunits of Rab3GAP are required for Rab18 GEF activity and the molecular basis of how Rab3GAP engages and activates its cognate substrate are unknown. Here we show that human Rab3GAP is conformationally flexible and potentially autoinhibited by the C-terminal domain of its Rab3GAP2 subunit.

SIX1 aggravates the progression of spinal cord injury in mice by promoting M1 polarization of microglia.

Inflammation aggravates secondary damage following spinal cord injury (SCI). M1 microglia induce inflammation and exert neurotoxic effects, whereas M2 microglia exert anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. The sine oculis homeobox (SIX) gene family consists of six members, including sine oculis homeobox homolog 1 (SIX1)-SIX6.

Facial signals shape predictions about the nature of upcoming conversational responses.

Increasing evidence suggests that interlocutors use visual communicative signals to form predictions about unfolding utterances, but there is little data on the predictive potential of facial signals in conversation. In an online experiment with virtual agents, we examine whether facial signals produced by an addressee may allow speakers to anticipate the response to a question before it is given. Participants (n = 80) viewed videos of short conversation fragments between two virtual humans.

Quantifying sighting dominance using on-display projections of monocular and binocular views.

Sighting dominance is an important behavioral property which has been difficult to measure quantitatively with high precision. We developed a measurement method that is grounded in a two-camera model that satisfies these aims. Using a simple alignment task, this method quantifies sighting ocular dominance during binocular viewing, identifying each eye's relative contribution to binocular vision.

Comparing Patient-Specific Variations in Intra-Cochlear Neural Health Estimated Using Psychophysical Thresholds and Panoramic Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potentials (PECAPs).

Purpose: Variations in neural survival along the cochlear implant electrode array leads to off-place listening, resulting in poorer speech understanding outcomes for recipients. Therefore, it is important to develop and compare clinically viable tests to identify these patient-specific intra-cochlear neural differences.

Methods: Nineteen experienced cochlear implant recipients (9 males and 10 females) were recruited for this study.

Clinical and bacteriological characteristics of Corynebacterium keratitis.

Purpose: Corynebacterium species are commensals of human skin and mucous membranes and are recognized as important pathogens in ocular infections. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of Corynebacterium keratitis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of bacterial keratitis in which Corynebacterium species were solely isolated from corneal scraping cultures collected at Ehime University Hospital between January 2010 and February 2024.

Low-temperature vacuum evaporation as a novel dehydration process for the long-term preservation of transplantable human corneal tissue.

Globally there is a shortage of available donor corneas with only 1 cornea available for every 70 needed. A large limitation to corneal transplant surgery is access to quality donor tissue due to inadequate eye donation services and infrastructure in many countries, compounded by the fact that there are few available long-term storage solutions for effectively preserving spare donor corneas collected in countries with a surplus. In this study, we describe a novel technology termed low-temperature vacuum evaporation (LTVE) that can effectively dry-preserve surplus donor corneal tissue, allowing it to be stored for approximately 5 years, shipped at room temperature, and stored on hospital shelves before rehydration prior to ophthalmic surgery.

Evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and satisfaction rate of topical latanoprost in patients with hypopigmented burn scars treated with fractional CO2 laser: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

Burn scars present psychological and social challenges for patients, classified into atrophic and hypertrophic types. Treatments like corticosteroid injections, laser therapy, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are commonly recommended for hypertrophic scars, while regenerative medicine and fractional CO2 lasers are linked to some degree of improvement for atrophic scars. Hypopigmented and depigmented burn scars pose ongoing challenges for healthcare providers and patients, with therapies such as intense pulsed light and fractional CO2 laser showing variable effects in treating these conditions.

Prevalence and demographic profile of keratoconus among high school students in Kenya.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and demographic profile of keratoconus (KC) among high school students in Nairobi County, Kenya.

Methods: In this population-based, prospective, cross-sectional study, multistage cluster sampling was used to select the participants. All students underwent visual acuity measurement, auto-refraction, retinoscopy and corneal topography.

Decoding Periorbital Aging: A Multilayered Analysis of Anatomical Changes.

Background: Periorbital aging is a complex phenomenon that involves multiple layers of facial anatomy, including bone, fat, and globe. While previous studies have predominantly focused on age-related changes in facial fat compartments, this research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of all periorbital components, including upper and lower orbital fat, orbital cavity volume, globe volume, and globe position, in the context of aging.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving 118 patients (236 subjects) aged 18-99 years who underwent brain MRI using a 3 Tesla MR system.

Continuous vital sign monitoring of patients recovering from surgery on general wards: a narrative review.

Most postoperative deaths occur on general wards, often linked to complications associated with untreated changes in vital signs. Monitoring in these units is typically intermittent checks each shift or maximally every 4-6 h, which misses prolonged periods of subtle changes in physiology that can herald a critical downstream event. Continuous monitoring of vital signs is therefore intuitively necessary for patient safety.

Dry eye disease and morphological changes in the anterior chamber in people with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by variants in a gene that encodes a protein essential for water and ion transport in the epithelial cells of exocrine organs. Given the possible relationship of this protein and conjunctival and corneal epithelium, the aim of this study was to evaluate ophthalmologic alterations in people with CF.

Methods: Forty-five people with CF underwent pulmonary evaluation including inflammatory score (IS).

is required to maintain supporting cell identity and vestibular function during maturation of the mammalian balance organs.

The inner ear houses both hearing and balance sensory modalities. The hearing and balance organs consist of similar cell types, including sensory hair cells and associated supporting cells. Previously we showed that is required for maintaining supporting cell survival during cochlear maturation.

[Clinical and genetic analysis of a child with Lamb-Shaffer syndrome due to a de novo variant of SOX5 gene].

Objective: To explore the clinical features of a child with Lamb-Shaffer syndrome (LAMSHF) due to a variant of SOX5 gene.

Methods: A child who was admitted to Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University in July 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected.