The burden, causes, and determinants of blindness and vision impairment in Asia: An analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study.

Background: Asia accounts for more than half of the world's population and carries a substantial proportion of the global burden of blindness and vision impairment. Characterising this burden, as well as its causes and determinants, could help with devising targeted interventions for reducing the occurrence of blindness and visual impairment.

Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 database, we retrieved data on the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs); crude and age-standardised rates; and the prevalence (with 95% uncertainty intervals (95%UIs)) of blindness and vision loss due to six causes (age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, near-vision impairment, refractive error, and other vision loss) for Asian countries for the period between 1990 and 2019.

Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in the peri-operative period is associated with survival outcome in colorectal cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

Aim: Surgery had a significant impact on 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-(OH)D) levels. Uncertainty still existed regarding the effects of peri-operative 25(OH)D deficiency on colorectal cancer (CRC) patients' prognosis. The purpose of the present study was to explore the potential association between the peri-operative 25(OH)D deficiency and the survival outcome of CRC.

Automatic grading of knee osteoarthritis with a plain radiograph radiomics model: combining anteroposterior and lateral images.

Objectives: To establish a radiomics-based automatic grading model for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and evaluate the influence of different body positions on the model's effectiveness.

Materials And Methods: Plain radiographs of a total of 473 pairs of knee joints from 473 patients (May 2020 to July 2021) were retrospectively analyzed. Each knee joint included anteroposterior (AP) and lateral (LAT) images which were randomly assigned to the training cohort and the testing cohort at a ratio of 7:3.

Lipiodol Combined with Drug-eluting Beads Versus Drug-eluting Beads Alone for Transarterial Chemoembolization of Hepatocellular carcinoma: A Multicenter Study.

Rationale And Objectives: This study aimed to propose a novel approach of lipiodol combined with drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (Lipiodol-DEB TACE) and to compare the safety and efficacy with DEB-TACE alone for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: From the database of four centers, the records of patients with HCC who received DEB-TACE or Lipiodol-DEB TACE as initial treatment were retrospectively evaluated. The tumor response was measured based on the Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors.

Association of plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level with risk of stress urinary incontinence in women: a retrospective study.

Background: Studies have found that high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are linked to a variety of diseases. However, evidence for the relationship between stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and HDL-C remain limited.

Methods: 590 eligible women were enrolled.

The Relationship Between the hOGG1 rs1052133 Polymorphism and the Occurrence of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Exploring the relationship between the hOGG1 rs1052133 polymorphism and the occurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, Wanfangdata, and VIP were used to search for studies and the NOS evaluation scale was used to evaluate the quality. All studies were grouped according to different genotypes.

Deciphering tertiary lymphoid structure heterogeneity reveals prognostic signature and therapeutic potentials for colorectal cancer: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Background: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) exert a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment (TME), impacting tumor development, immune escape, and drug resistance. Nonetheless, the heterogeneity of TLSs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their impact on prognosis and treatment response remain unclear.

Methods: The authors collected genome, transcriptome, clinicopathological information, and digital pathology images from multiple sources.

Construction of Zwitterionic Coatings with Lubricating and Antiadhesive Properties for Invisible Aligner Applications.

Invisible aligners have been widely used in orthodontic treatment but still present issues with plaque formation and oral mucosa abrasion, which can lead to complicated oral diseases. To address these issues, hydrophilic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (polySBMA) coatings with lubricating, antifouling, and antiadhesive properties have been developed on the aligner materials (i.e.

Multifunctional Bispecific Nanovesicles Targeting SLAMF7 Trigger Potent Antitumor Immunity.

The effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is hindered by the ineffective infiltration and functioning of cytotoxic T cells and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 7 (SLAMF7) is a pivotal co-stimulatory receptor thought to simultaneously trigger NK-cell, T-cell, and macrophage antitumor cytotoxicity. However, the potential of this collaborative immune stimulation in antitumor immunity for solid tumors is underexplored due to the exclusive expression of SLAMF7 by hematopoietic cells.

Causal relationship between resting-state networks and depression: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.

Background: Cerebral resting-state networks were suggested to be strongly associated with depressive disorders. However, the causal relationship between cerebral networks and depressive disorders remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of resting-state networks on depressive disorders using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) design.

Evaluation of split renal dysfunction using radiomics based on magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging.

Background: Accurate and noninvasive assessment of split renal dysfunction is crucial, while there is lack of corresponding method clinically.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-based radiomics models to evaluate split renal dysfunction.

Methods: We enrolled patients with impaired and normal renal function undergoing renal DWI examination.

Death receptors 4/5 mediate tumour sensitivity to natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity in mismatch repair deficient colorectal cancer.

Background: Identifying the target of natural killer (NK) cells in colorectal cancer (CRC) is critical for optimising the clinical use of NK cell-mediated immunotherapy. Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) is associated with high immune cell infiltration and MHC Class I defects. Whether dMMR CRC responses to NK cell therapy remains unclear.

Effects of intestine-specific deletion of FGF15 on the development of fatty liver disease with vertical sleeve gastrectomy.

Background: Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (SGx) is a type of bariatric surgery to treat morbid obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The molecular mechanisms of SGx to improve MASLD are unclear, but increased bile acids (BAs) and FGF19 (mouse FGF15) were observed. FGF15/19 is expressed in the ileum in response to BAs and is critical in not only suppressing BA synthesis in the liver but also promoting energy expenditure.

Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for patients with ganglioneuroblastoma: A SEER-based study.

Background: The objective of this study was to construct a prognostic nomogram for ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB), as the prognosis of GNB is difficult to accurately predict before therapy.

Methods: The data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The patients included in this study were randomly divided into a development group and a validation group at a ratio of 7:3.

Prognostic significance of pan-immune-inflammation value in hepatocellular carcinoma treated by curative radiofrequency ablation: potential role for individualized adjuvant systemic treatment.

Background: This study aimed to explore the prognostic role of pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) and develop a new risk model to guide individualized adjuvant systemic treatment following radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: Patients with early-stage HCC treated by RFA were randomly divided into training cohort A ( = 65) and testing cohort B ( = 68). Another 265 counterparts were enrolled into external validating cohort C.

Contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler for the detection of right-to-left shunt: A new provocation method with a syringe-modified Valsalva maneuver.

Background: Contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler (cTCD) study has been established as one of the most common investigations for detecting right-to-left shunt (RLS). Although the conventional Valsalva maneuver (c-VM) has been used to increase the sensitivity of cTCD for RLS, efforts are still needed to improve the detection rate further. We proposed a new provocation method with a syringe-modified Valsalva maneuver (sm-VM) during cTCD and compared the efficacy of this strategy with cTCD measured at resting and with the provocation of c-VM.

Development and Validation of a Diagnostic Model for Identifying Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma in Small Renal Masses Based on CT Radiological Features: A Multicenter Study.

Rationale And Objectives: This study aimed to develop a diagnostic model based on clinical and CT features for identifying clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) in small renal masses (SRMs).

Material And Methods: This retrospective multi-centre study enroled patients with pathologically confirmed SRMs. Data from three centres were used as training set (n = 229), with data from one centre serving as an independent test set (n = 81).

GITR exacerbates lysophosphatidylcholine-induced macrophage pyroptosis in sepsis via posttranslational regulation of NLRP3.

The NLRP3 inflammasome functions as an inflammatory driver, but its relationship with lipid metabolic changes in early sepsis remains unclear. Here, we found that GITR expression in monocytes/macrophages was induced by lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and was positively correlated with the severity of sepsis. GITR is a costimulatory molecule that is mainly expressed on T cells, but its function in macrophages is largely unknown.

Kimura's Disease in Unusual Anatomical Locations: Clinical and Radiological Characteristics.

Purpose: To explore the clinical and imaging features of rare site Kimura's disease (KD).

Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, and imaging features of five patients with rare site KD. All imaging data, including the location, quantity, size, uniformity, boundary, and enhanced appearance of the lesion were evaluated by two independent radiologists.

The efficacy and safety of adding PD-1 blockade to induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (IC-CCRT) for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: an observational, propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Despite the success of PD-1 blockade in recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), its effect for locoregionally advanced NPC (LANPC) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the benefit of adding PD-1 blockade to the current standard treatment (gemcitabine and cisplatin IC  plus cisplatin CCRT ) for LANPC patients.

Methods: From January 2020 to November 2022, 347 patients with non-metastatic high-risk LANPC (stage III-IVA, excluding T3-4N0) were included.

An investigative meta-analysis on the effectiveness and safety of integrating VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in cases with R/M HNSCC.

Objectives: Exploration into the use of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGF receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors alongside programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors has been undertaken for treating recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC). We conducted a meta-analysis to provide a more precise assessment of the efficacy and safety of this integrated approach in managing R/M HNSCC.

Methods: A systematic exploration encompassing PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was undertaken to figure out relevant studies.