Comparison between Phacoemulsification-iStent Inject W and Phacoemulsification-Micropulse Transscleral Laser Therapy in Asian Eyes with Mild-Moderate Open Angle Glaucoma.

Prcis: In this retrospective cohort study, the 1-year cumulative probability of failure was comparable, achieving 52.20% in the phacoemulsification-iStent inject W (phaco/iStent) group and 47.80% in the phacoemulsification-micropulse transscleral laser therapy (phaco/MPTLT) group (P=0.

Dental Restorative Viability of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle-Reinforced Zirconia and Baghdadite Ceramic Composites.

This study explores the enhancement of properties in zirconia-based ceramic dental restorative materials through the incorporation of baghdadite (CaZrSiO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. Baghdadite was synthesized via a solid-state sintering method and integrated into zirconia to form baghdadite/zirconia ceramic composites. These composites were sintered with varying concentrations of baghdadite (0%, 5%, and 10%) to enhance bioactivity and support bone tissue repair, and incorporated with 0.

The impact of political assassinations on turnout: Evidence from Colombia.

Although a growing literature has investigated the effects of various types of civil war violence on political behavior, no study has examined the impact of assassinations targeting politicians. This is a critical omission, as violence against local politicians is prevalent across civil war contexts and may be the most consequential form of violence for political participation by affecting both candidate supply and voter demand. Using an original dataset of nearly 2,000 killings of Colombian local politicians between 1980 and 2023, we estimate the impact of this violence on voter turnout.

Factors affecting health-seeking behavior in sports climbers in Metro Manila: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: In the Philippines, studies on athletes are hard to come by when compared to those done internationally, even more so on newer Olympic sports such as Sports climbing. Furthermore, there is a lack of internationally published research on professional health-seeking behavior for the physical conditions of Filipino athletes. Thus, the objective of the study was to investigate the characteristics of sports climbers in Metro Manila that were associated with better health-seeking behavior.

Effects of vector preferential settling in the dynamics of a plant virus model with latent periods.

Insect vectors transmit many plant viruses of agricultural importance. In most cases, these viruses manipulate their vectors' behavior and movement leading to vector settling and feeding preferences that influence virus spread. The latent period within the insect vector is also crucial in virus transmission during vector feeding, however is assumed to be negligible in previous studies.

Genetic origins of the Kiritimati population from central-eastern Micronesia.

The migration of Austronesian-speaking populations through Oceania has intrigued researchers for decades. The Kiribati islands, situated along the boundaries of Micronesia and Polynesia, provide a crucial link in this migration. We analyzed the genome-wide data of the Kiritimati population of Kiribati to uncover their genetic origins and connections with other Oceanian groups.

Identifying Factors Associated With Breastfeeding Length Among Filipino Migrant Women in South Korea.

Background: Migrant women becoming mothers often face social, economic, and family challenges that can affect their dietary and breastfeeding practices. This study identified factors associated with breastfeeding length in migrant women.

Methods: The study sample involved 504 migrant women from the Filipino Women's Diet and Health Study (FiLWHEL) in 2014-2016.

The effects of the generative adversarial network and personalized virtual reality platform in improving frailty among the elderly.

As society ages, improving the health of the elderly through effective training programs has become a pressing issue. Virtual reality (VR) technology, with its immersive experience, is increasingly being utilized as a vital tool in rehabilitation training for the elderly. To further enhance training outcomes and improve health conditions among the elderly, this work proposes an integrated model that combines the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), Variational Autoencoder (VAE), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network.

Study protocol for a duration-randomized clinical trial to determine the optimal length of treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis with a 5-drug regimen: The DRAMATIC trial.

Background: Current guidelines for the treatment of multidrug-resistant/rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) are based on clinical trials evaluating fixed duration regimens. However, when a regimen succeeds, it remains unknown whether a shorter duration could yield the same results. Similarly, if a regimen fails, it is unclear whether extending the treatment could improve outcomes.

Cost-effectiveness of diabetes screening and diagnosis services for people with TB in the Philippines.

Aim: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death in low- and middle-income countries, and diabetes is a known risk factor for progression to active TB disease. While the Philippines national strategic plan for TB aims to screen 90 % of TB cases for diabetes, the cost-effectiveness of screening is not well known.

Methods: We constructed a decision tree model to assess the cost-effectiveness of providing diabetes testing for 90% of people with an unknown diabetes status at their TB diagnosis and subsequent routine diabetes care, compared to the scenario of providing TB treatment only.

Facile Synthesis of Ultramicroporous Organic-Linked Zincophosphate with High Thermal, Chemical and Water Stabilities.

The application of ultramicroporous materials for CO2 separation is limited by the rarity of materials exhibiting stability and rapid scale-up characteristics. In this study, we propose a rational approach to enhance the structural stability and durability of the pillared layer structure. Through the topotactic replacement of protons with metal ions in the parent 4,4'-bipyridine (bpy)-pillared zincophosphate, we observed the formation of edge-sharing dimers of ZnO4N and PO4, as well as the insertion of (VOH2O)2+ into the zinc phosphate layers.

Draft genomes of five putative biosurfactant-producing sp. isolates from Laguna de Bay, Philippines.

Here, we report on the draft genomes of five putative biosurfactant-producing isolates of sp. from the East, West, and South bays of Laguna de Bay, Philippines. The contigs ranged from 20 to 21, and the genome lengths ranged from 5,175,553 to 5,214,031 bp.

Filipino sign language alphabet recognition using Persistent Homology Classification algorithm.

Increasing number of deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals is a crucial problem since communication among and within the deaf population proves to be a challenge. Despite sign languages developing in various countries, there is still lack of formal implementation of programs supporting its needs, especially for the Filipino sign language (FSL). Recently, studies on FSL recognition explored deep networks.

A new remarkable representative of Uropodina mites from Seychelles (Acari, Mesostigmata, Trematuridae).

A new genus, (Mesostigmata: Uropodina: Trematuridae), with as its type species, is described, based on a female, males, and deutonymphs collected in soil samples from the Seychelle Islands. The new genus belongs to the family Trematuridae based on the shape of the corniculi, gnathosomal setae, tritosternum and chelicerae. Members of the new genus bear a preanal suture on the ventral shield, two pairs or more pairs of wide, robust and sword-like setae on the caudal part of the dorsal shield, very dense setation on the caudal area of the marginal shield and an incision on the anterior part of the dorsal shield.

Practices and Insights for Diabetes Mellitus Testing in Sri Lanka, Singapore and the Philippines.

Objectives: Considering The pivotal role of biochemical testing for the management of diabetes mellitus, we studied the current status of diabetes testing and reporting in three countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

Methods: A survey of 254 practicing pathology laboratories comprising of 40, 11 and 203 laboratories from Sri Lanka, Singapore and the Philippines was conducted under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (APFCB) Working Group for Diabetes Testing Harmonization using Survey Monkey and Google Forms.

Results: The country response rate varied from 40% to 88%.

Injectable Thermosensitive Thiol-Modified NIPAAm--Chitosan Hydrogels for Cartilage Regeneration in a Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model.

Cartilage tissue has a limited intrinsic capacity for self-healing. Over the decades, researchers have extensively researched methods of cartilage repair, yet some limitations still need to be resolved. Most studies typically evaluate osteochondral regeneration in normal animals.

Clinical significance and efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition for para-aortic lymph node metastasis.

Objectives: Assessing para-aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis in solid tumors is crucial for accurate staging. In clinical practice, PALN metastasis is typically diagnosed based on imaging findings; however, the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) in diagnosing PALN metastasis remains insufficiently understood.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included patients who underwent EUS-TA of PALNs and computed tomography (CT).

Comparing Tinnitus Suppression in Asymmetric Hearing Loss and Single-Sided Deafness: Cochlear Versus Bone Conduction Implants.

Objectives: Implantable hearing devices, such as cochlear implants (CI) and bone conduction implants (BCI), are options for hearing rehabilitation in patients with asymmetric hearing loss (AHL) and single-sided deafness (SSD). This study aimed to compare the effects of CI and BCI on tinnitus in AHL/SSD patients with tinnitus.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled adult AHL/SSD patients with significant tinnitus who underwent CI or BCI placement between 2017 and 2023.

Intravenous Glutathione and Vitamin Supplementation Causing Stevens-Johnsons Syndrome: A Case Report.

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis are severe mucocutaneous reactions with high morbidity and mortality, most commonly triggered by prescribed medications. Here, we report a case of a 33-year-old female who developed Stevens-Johnson/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis after receiving an IV vitamin infusion containing glutathione, vitamin C, and vitamin D. While not commonly associated with the development of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome glutathione has been previously reported to have been the inciting agent in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome cases.

Scoping literature review to identify candidate domains for the OMERACT Systemic Lupus Erythematosus core outcome set.

Objective: To identify candidate Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) domains from the literature for consideration towards the development of the SLE Core Outcome Set.

Methods: This was a comprehensive scoping literature review of SLE clinical trials and systematic reviews published since 2010. Studies were identified from 5 databases and were screened for eligibility.

The amphipod genome reveals population dynamics and adaptations to hadal environment.

The amphipod Hirondellea gigas is a dominant species inhabiting the deepest part of the ocean (∼6,800-11,000 m), but little is known about its genetic adaptation and population dynamics. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome of H. gigas, characterized by a large genome size of 13.

Microbial ecosystems and ecological driving forces in the deepest ocean sediments.

Systematic exploration of the hadal zone, Earth's deepest oceanic realm, has historically faced technical limitations. Here, we collected 1,648 sediment samples at 6-11 km in the Mariana Trench, Yap Trench, and Philippine Basin for the Mariana Trench Environment and Ecology Research (MEER) project. Metagenomic and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing generated the 92-Tbp MEER dataset, comprising 7,564 species (89.

Comprehensive HIV knowledge, stigma and associated sexual risk behaviors among sexually active adolescent girls and young women in the Philippines.

This study aims to investigate how comprehensive HIV knowledge, stigma and sociodemographic factors relate to sexual risk behaviors among sexually active young women in the Philippines. Using the 2022 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey data, a cross-sectional quantitative approach analyzed 2494 sexually active young women aged 15-24 years. Logistic regression models examined associations, controlling for sociodemographic factors.