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.

Prevalence and risk factors of myopic macular degeneration: the Aier-SERI high myopia adult cohort.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and risk factors of myopic macular degeneration (MMD) in young and middle-aged individuals with high myopia in Changsha, central China.

Methods: A total of 445 adults with high myopia (worse than or equal to -5.0 D) were examined between 2021 and 2023.

Effects of stir-frying on chemical profile, sensory quality and antioxidant activity of Chrysanthemi Flos: A metabolomics and sensory study.

Chrysanthemi Flos has been consumed as floral tea for centuries, but the effects of stir-frying on its chemical profile, sensory characteristics, and bioactivity remain unclear. This study used untargeted metabolomics, sensory assessment (E-eye, E-nose, E-tongue), and antioxidant activity evaluation to investigate compositional changes and their effects. In the metabolomics analysis, a total of 101 non-volatile and 306 volatile differential metabolites were identified.

A β-cyclodextrin-based supramolecular photonic crystal hydrogel biosensor with macroporous structures for naked-eye visual detection of cholesterol.

Cholesterol (CHO) is an essential lipid in cell membranes and a precursor for vital living substances. Abnormal CHO levels can cause cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, simple and accurate monitoring of CHO levels is crucial for early diagnosis and effective management of cardiovascular diseases.

Attentional Rhythms Are Sensitive to Binocular Visual Pathway.

Visual attention is intrinsically rhythmic and oscillates based on the discrete sampling of either single or multiple objects. Recently, studies have found that the early visual cortex (V1/V2) modulates attentional rhythms. Both monocular and binocular cells are present in the early visual cortex, which acts as a transfer station for transformation of the monocular visual pathway into the binocular visual pathway.

A rapid, multiplexed and naked-eye readable paper assay for detecting heavy metal pollution in food using a catalytic colorimetric reaction.

Heavy metal contamination is a serious food safety issue. Herein, we report a rapid, multiplexed and naked-eye readable method for detecting heavy metal pollution in food samples using a cheap colorimetric paper, including milk. We leverage the urease catalysis reaction to amplify the presence of heavy metal ions, Hg and Pb, by exploiting their strong inhibitory effect on urease.

Mechanoreceptor Piezo1 channel-Mediated Interleukin Expression in Conjunctival Epithelial Cells: Linking Mechanical Stress to Ocular Inflammation.

Purpose: Mechanical stress on the ocular surface, such as from eye-rubbing, has been reported to lead to inflammation and various ocular conditions. We hypothesized that the mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel in the conjunctival epithelium contributes to the inflammatory response at the ocular surface after receiving mechanical stimuli.

Methods: Human conjunctival epithelial cells (HConjECs) were treated with Yoda1, a Piezo1-specific agonist, and various allergens to measure cytokine expression levels using qRT-PCR.