Oculomotor challenges in macular degeneration impact motion extrapolation.

Macular degeneration (MD), which affects the central visual field including the fovea, has a profound impact on acuity and oculomotor control. We used a motion extrapolation task to investigate the contribution of various factors that potentially impact motion estimation, including the transient disappearance of the target into the scotoma, increased position uncertainty associated with eccentric target positions, and increased oculomotor noise due to the use of a non-foveal locus for fixation and for eye movements. Observers performed a perceptual baseball task where they judged whether the target would intersect or miss a rectangular region (the plate).

Investigating Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Primer for Clinicians.

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an infiltrative disease that results from the deposition of amyloid fibrils in the myocardium, resulting in restrictive cardiomyopathy. The amyloid fibrils are predominantly derived from two parent proteins, immunoglobulin light chain (AL) and transthyretin (ATTR), and ATTR is further classified into hereditary (ATTRv) and wild-type (ATTRwt) based on the presence or absence, respectively, of a mutation in the transthyretin gene. Once thought to be a rare entity, CA is increasingly recognized as a significant cause of heart failure due to improved clinical awareness and better diagnostic imaging.

An Implicit Solvation Model for Binding Free Energy Estimation in Nonaqueous Solution.

Implicit solvation models permit the approximate description of solute-solvent interactions, where water is the most often considered solvent due to its relevance in biological systems. The use of other solvents is less common but is relevant for applications such as in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) or chromatography. As an example, chloroform is commonly used in anisotropic NMR to measure residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) of chiral analytes weakly aligned by an alignment medium.

The comparative effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for chronic pain versus prescription medication treatment.

Reviews of the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for chronic pain vary in their conclusions. IASP has identified that a key missing evidence in this debate is data from observational cohort studies, analyzed with comparative effectiveness methods. In a medically supervised context to the use of marijuana for chronic pain, we identified 440 patients certified for medical marijuana by pain specialists in a single healthcare system.

Updated Adjustment of the HCAHPS Survey for New Modes of Survey Administration and Patient Mix.

Background: Web-first multimode survey protocols increase HCAHPS survey response rates and representativeness but may result in different HCAHPS scores because of survey mode effects and selective email address availability. A variable absent from many patient-mix adjustment models that may result in more positive patient experiences is whether the hospital admission was planned; adjustment for planned stays may better measure hospital performance.

Objectives: Develop adjustments for new Web-first survey protocols and planned admissions to facilitate comparisons across hospitals.

Hearing care in low-resourced and humanitarian settings: findings from a pilot study in South Sudan.

Objectives: This longitudinal experimental study aimed to profile audiometric hearing loss, explore the feasibility and efficacy of low-cost hearing devices, and examine their social and emotional impact on participants in South Sudan, a low-resource humanitarian setting.

Design: We performed pure tone hearing screenings on adults with self-reported hearing disability, randomly providing eligible participants with one of two inexpensive devices-Asana Pro 800, a non-customizable hearing device fit unilaterally, or the Super Ear SE9000, a hand-held amplifier with headphones given one per individual.

Study Sample: Between October 2022 and January 2023, 142 adults underwent hearing screening at the Juba Teaching Hospital ENT clinic, of whom 19 eligible individuals were provided with hearing devices.

Ocular injuries by less-lethal weapon: a view from Switzerland.

Dear Editor-in-chief: Thank you for focussing on this troubling subject in your issue 1/2024. It confirms that many of the difficulties involved are similar worldwide. Countries that use less-lethal weapons include Switzerland, the only Western European democracy besides France to employ multiple kinetic impact projectiles.

Transfusion Practices in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objectives: Balancing oxygen requirements, neurologic outcomes, and systemic complications from transfusions in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients is challenging. This review compares liberal and restrictive transfusion strategies in TBI patients.

Data Sources: Electronic databases were searched from inception to October 2024.

Multifunctional UV photodetect-memristors based on area selective fabricated GaS/graphene/GaN van der Waals heterojunctions.

Multifunctional devices based on van der Waals heterojunctions have drawn significant attention owing to their portable size, low power consumption and various application scenarios. However, high fabrication equipment requirements, complex device structures and limited operating conditions hinder their potential value. Herein, multifunctional UV photodetect-memristors based on GaS/graphene/GaN van der Waals heterojunctions area selective deposition have been proposed for the first time.

Comparative Improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life with Advanced Therapies for Moderate-to-Severe Crohn's Disease: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: The comparative efficacy of advanced therapies to improve health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in Crohn's disease (CD) is unknown. We aimed to compare the impact of approved advanced therapies for moderate-to-severe CD on HR-QoL.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to December 2023.

Body Mass Index Did Not Impact Efficacy and Safety of Etrasimod: A Post Hoc Analysis of the ELEVATE UC Clinical Program.

Objective: High body mass index (BMI) may reduce ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment efficacy. Etrasimod is an oral, once-daily (QD), selective sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)1,4,5 receptor modulator for the treatment of moderately to severely active UC. This post hoc analysis assessed treatment outcomes according to BMI in ELEVATE UC 52 and ELEVATE UC 12.

Molecular dynamics simulations of functionalized hBN nanopores in water: Ab initio force field and implications for water desalination.

Heteropolar two-dimensional materials, including hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), are promising candidates for seawater desalination and osmotic power harvesting, but previous simulation studies have considered bare, unterminated nanopores in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. There is presently a lack of force fields to describe functionalized nanoporous hBN in aqueous media. To address this gap, we conduct density functional theory (DFT)-based ab initio MD simulations of hBN nanopores surrounded by water molecules.

Transcriptome-Wide Association Study Identified Novel Blood Tissue Gene Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer Risk.

Objective: A number of susceptibility genes in prostate tissue have been identified to be associated with prostate cancer (PCa) risk. However, the reported genes based on assessing prostate tissue could not fully explain PCa genetic susceptibility. It is believed that genes functioning in the immune system may fill in the gap of some missing heritability.

"Everything cannot be handled virtually": Understanding intention and use of digital health technologies among rural adults and rural cancer survivors.

Purpose: This qualitative study assessed internet access and use, barriers and facilitators to participating in digital health interventions or programs, and the engagement experience in virtual versus in-person health interventions among rural adults and rural cancer survivors.

Methods: Rural adults (n = 10) and rural cancer survivors (n = 10) were recruited from previous studies to participate in an in-depth interview. The interview guide contained eight open-ended questions related to participation in technology-based programs.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Benzylic F-Labeled -Biphenylalkynyl Nipecotic Acid Derivatives for PET Imaging of GABA Transporter 1.

As the main inhibitory neurotransmission system, the GABAergic system poses an interesting yet underutilized target for molecular brain imaging. While PET imaging of postsynaptic GABAergic neurons has been accomplished using radiolabeled benzodiazepines targeting the GABA receptor, the development of presynaptic radioligands targeting GABA transporter 1 (GAT1) has been unsuccessful thus far. Therefore, we developed a novel GAT1-addressing radioligand and investigated its applicability as a PET tracer in rodents.

Interprofessional education stroke workshop: case-based learning for occupational therapy and speech-language pathology students.

Collaboration between occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists is crucial in stroke rehabilitation to effectively manage the complex challenges patients often experience after stroke. This article describes a two-hour, case-based interprofessional education (IPE) stroke workshop that required 67 graduate occupation therapy (OT) and speech-language pathology (SLP) students to collaboratively solve a case study related to stroke. Students used a survey to self-assess their interprofessional collaborative practice before and after participating in the workshop and completed a reflection journal.

Glycemic control to improve post-operative outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Results of the SUGAR (Surgical Universal euGlycemic Attainment during Recovery) initiative.

Objective: Hyperglycemia, or glucose values >180 mg/dL, is associated with adverse post-operative outcomes. Our objective was to determine the impact of improving peri-operative glycemic control and evaluate infectious complications among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing open gynecologic surgery.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team standardized pre-operative screening, referral algorithms, and intra-operative and post-operative hyperglycemia management (Surgical Universal euGlycemic Attainment during Recovery initiative).

Trends in the incidence and mutational landscape of advanced uterine cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine disparities in 20-year incidence trends and mutations in advanced-stage uterine cancer in the United States, given poor survival rates.

Methods: Data were obtained from the United States Cancer Statistics for patients from 2001 to 2019 with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2009 stage IVA and IVB uterine cancer. SEER∗Stat 8.

Cervical cancer stage distribution and survival outcomes in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, with a disproportionate burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the cervical cancer stage and outcomes is crucial for developing effective interventions and reducing its burden. We aimed to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of cervical cancer stage distribution and survival outcomes in Africa.

Caspase 3-specific cleavage of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 48 enhances drug-induced apoptosis in AML.

Dysfunction or dysregulation of deubiquitination is closely related to the initiation and development of multiple cancers. Targeted regulation of deubiquitination has been recognized as an important strategy in tumor therapy. However, the mechanism by which drugs regulate deubiquitinase is not clear.

Refractory and Resistant Herpes Simplex Virus Mucocutaneous Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: Literature Review and Proposed Definitions for Use in Clinical Trials.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most prevalent viral infections worldwide. In general, host immunity is sufficient to clear viral shedding and recurrences, although it is insufficient to prevent subsequent virologic reactivations. In immunocompromised patients, prolonged and difficult-to-treat HSV infections may develop.