Search Results (125)

Background and Objectives: To describe longitudinal ocular-surface microstructural findings on in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) after switching from benzalkonium chloride-preserved dorzolamide 2%/timolol 0.5% (BAK-DT) to preservative-free dorzolamide 2%/timolol 0.5% (PF-DT) in four patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular surface disease (OSD). Materials and Methods: This prospectively planned, exploratory pilot case series included four participants (eight eyes) from a previously published 30-participant parent study. IVCM was performed at baseline and months 3, 6, 9, and 12. Because only four independent participants contributed both eyes, analyses were descriptive, and no inferential tests were performed. Results: All four participants completed follow-up. From baseline to month 12, median superficial corneal epithelial cell density increased by 2010.00 cells/mm² and median conjunctival epithelial cell density by 3261.5 cells/mm²; median stromal reflectivity decreased by 0.07 arbitrary units and median dendritic cell density by 75.49 cells/mm². Both eyes of each participant changed in the same direction for these four outcomes. Other IVCM measures showed no uniform temporal pattern. Conclusions: The temporal IVCM changes observed after the therapeutic switch were compatible with lower ocular-surface inflammatory activity. These preliminary findings should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in larger controlled studies. Full article

Global demographic shifts and rising population mobility have created a profound decoupling between dynamic population distributions and static public service facility configurations. This socio-spatial mismatch is particularly acute in less-developed counties, where the widespread “multi-local living” practices among rural residents have rendered traditional planning models based on static administrative quotas ineffective. This study uses Pucheng County, China, as a case study; we integrate mobile phone signaling data with complex network analysis to construct population flow networks that capture actual service demand and usage preferences. A demand-driven improvement of the traditional Optimal Supply–Demand Accessibility (OSD) model is proposed through flow-based supply adjustment coefficients and determines the coverage and accessibility of public service facilities at the county level to achieve optimization of their layout. The findings reveal: (1) Villages are classified into five types (high-inflow, inflow, balanced, outflow, high-outflow). (2) Within a 30 min walking radius, the service coverage rates of the three facility types improved by an average of 25 percentage points, with medical and elderly care facilities showing significantly greater improvements. (3) Accordingly, a “precise gap-filling + medical-care integration + mobile services” allocation model is proposed. The study provides a transferable framework for improving public service accessibility in regions characterized by high population mobility and service underprovision. Full article

The ocular surface system, essential for maintaining visual function, is highly susceptible to a range of ocular surface diseases (OSDs) that significantly impair patients’ quality of life. Current treatments for OSDs often face limitations including low bioavailability, A lack of targeted delivery, and an inadequate capacity to fully address the complex pathophysiology involving inflammation, oxidative stress, and impaired tissue repair. In recent years, exosomes have emerged as promising cell-free therapeutic platforms for OSDs. This review evaluates their therapeutic potential across the OSD spectrum, focusing on three key aspects: mechanisms—modulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, and tissue repair via bioactive cargo; applications—preclinical therapeutic effects in dry eye disease, corneal injury, keratitis, and transplant rejection; and optimization strategies—engineering approaches and biomaterial integration to enhance stability, targeting, and ocular retention. We also discuss critical challenges in standardization, scalable production, and clinical translation, highlighting future directions for exosome-based OSD therapies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Osgood–Schlatter disease (OSD) is a common overuse condition in adolescents characterized by increased stiffness of the rectus femoris muscle, which contributes to pain and functional limitations around the knee. We investigated whether repeating 10 min passive joint movements of the hip and knee produces additional immediate reductions in elevated rectus femoris (RF) stiffness in adolescents with OSD. Methods: Fifteen patients (10–14 years of age) diagnosed with bilateral OSD were included. The legs of the participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the non-intervention side (control). The intervention side received two sets of 10 min of passive joint movement to the hip and knee, while the control side rested. RF stiffness was measured before the intervention and immediately after one and two sets of passive joint movements. Results: On the intervention side, RF stiffness decreased significantly from pre to post-1 and from pre to post-2; however, RF stiffness did not differ significantly between post-1 and post-2. None of the parameters changed significantly on the control side (rest condition). Conclusions: Passive joint exercise beyond one repetition (one set for 10 min) did not result in a further decrease in RF stiffness and is likely unnecessary for RF muscle stiffness due to OSD. Full article

Background/Objectives: Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (AS-OCTA) have enhanced the evaluation of the cornea, ocular surface, and ocular surface diseases (OSD), offering high-resolution structural and anterior segment vascular imaging. This review summarizes recent advances in these modalities and their clinical applications. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with the terms OCT, OCTA, anterior segment, and ocular surface disease. Studies published in the past five years were included, emphasizing more recent developments such as ultra-high-resolution AS-OCT (UHR-AS-OCT) and swept-source AS-OCTA technologies. Results: UHR-AS-OCT provides non-invasive, sub-micron imaging of the cornea and the ocular surface, including tear film morphology and epithelial thickness to correlate with clinical tests such as tear break-up time, and fluorescein staining. Advances in AS-OCTA allow dye-free, depth-resolved imaging of corneal and conjunctival vasculature. These vascular biomarkers have shown promising utility in conditions such as limbal stem cell deficiency, chemical ocular injury, and ocular surface squamous neoplasia. Improvements in image acquisition, motion correction, and segmentation algorithms have enhanced accuracy and repeatability, supporting broader clinical translation. Conclusions: AS-OCT and AS-OCTA have become useful adjunctive imaging tools for the cornea and ocular surface evaluation. Their non-invasive, quantitative, and reproducible metrics may enable earlier diagnosis, objective staging, and longitudinal monitoring of OSD. Integration of OCT-based imaging with artificial intelligence and multimodal data, including tear proteomics and meibography, may optimize personalized treatment for ocular surface disorders. Full article

Current security solutions predominantly rely on cloud-based implementations, often neglecting computational resource constraints and operational efficiency. While contemporary methodologies typically require additional training, the few that operate without retraining frequently yield suboptimal performance. To address these limitations, this work leverages a pre-trained MTCNN architecture to detect faces of copyright-protected individuals. We construct a facial landmark database comprising five critical fiducial points, which serves as a supplementary module integrated into the stable diffusion framework, enabling real-time security filtering for synthesized video content. The proposed system utilizes MTCNN models pre-trained in the cloud to build a repository of copyrighted facial signatures, generating a geometric parameter database of facial landmarks. This database, coupled with a parallel verification unit, functions as a plugin within the standard Stable Diffusion pipeline. By leveraging Stable Diffusion’s native decoder, we decode stochastic frames from the U-Net latent representations and perform real-time comparative analysis to identify potential copyright violations in generated video sequences. Upon detecting an infringement, an on-screen display (OSD) alert notifies the user and immediately halts the text-to-video (T2V) generation process. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that our framework effectively mitigates the resource constraints and latency issues inherent in edge deployment scenarios of prior security implementations. Leveraging MTCNN’s proven robustness and extensive edge compatibility for facial recognition, the proposed detection and obfuscation plugin integrates seamlessly with Stable Diffusion while preserving generation quality. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been explored as a promising diagnostic aid for ocular surface diseases (OSDs). The spectrum of OSD ranges from highly prevalent benign conditions such as dry eye disease (DED) to rare but potentially dangerous disorders, including ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) and conjunctival melanoma. This review provides an overview of current applications of AI across the major categories of ocular surface pathology and specifically highlights anterior segment imaging modalities, including slit-lamp examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). Meibography, tear film dynamics, biochemical profiling, and other DED-related measures are also examined. Across these domains, reported AI model performance matches or exceeds that of ophthalmologists, offering consistent, reproducible, and accurate approaches for guiding diagnosis. However, studies with limited external or prospective validation, variable labeling strategies, and small, device-specific datasets predominate in the current literature, thereby limiting generalizability. Large multicenter datasets, standardized diagnostic frameworks, multimodal integration, and prospective trials that assess human–AI cooperation in practical settings should be an emphasis in future research. By filling these gaps, AI systems could advance from experimental tools to clinically reliable applications that improve access and diagnostic accuracy in the care of ocular surface disease and tumors. Full article

Background/Objectives: Identification of tools to minimize opioid-related harms is critical in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to better understand community responder and healthcare provider perceptions and preferences regarding the design and function of a potential new opioid sensor device (OSD). Methods: Adults aged ≥ 18 years employed as community responders or healthcare providers in Alabama were recruited via email to participate in an anonymous online cross-sectional survey informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Primary outcomes were assessed via multiple-choice and 7-point Likert-type scales (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree) and included the following topics: (1) past OSD utilization (4 items); (2) perceived importance of OSD design elements (15 items); (3) OSD function and cost preferences (3 items); and (4) UTAUT measures including perceived usefulness of OSDs (3 items), ease of use (4 items), social factors (4 items), resources (4 items), concerns (3 items), and intentions (3 items). Differences in UTAUT measures across professions were assessed via Mann–Whitney U tests, and predictors of OSD utilization intention were analyzed via multiple linear regression. Results: Respondents (N = 145) included pharmacists (40.0%), nurses (23.4%), physicians (14.5%), behavioral health (4.8%), social work (4.8%), and law enforcement (0.7%). Availability in hospital emergency departments was rated as the most important device element (mean [SD] score: 6.66 [0.80]), followed by sensitivity and specificity of the test (6.42 [0.98]), rapid detection time (6.42 [0.88]), ability to detect opioids in a broad range of substance (6.42 [0.93]), and availability in law enforcement offices (6.33 [1.08]). A 2–5 min detection time was rated as reasonable by 32.6% of respondents, with 53.0% preferring to pay <USD 15 per test. There were no statistically significant differences in UTAUT scale scores across professions. Perceived usefulness (β = 0.493; p < 0.001), social acceptance (β = 0.281; p = 0.023), and resource availability (β = 0.708; p = 0.002) were positive predictors and perceived ease of use was a negative predictor (β = −0.472; p = 0.007) of intention to use an OSD. Conclusions: Newly developed OSDs should consider prioritizing accessibility in hospital emergency departments and law enforcement offices, ability to detect a broad range of opioids, detection time between 2 and 5 min, and cost less than USD 15 per test. Future research may explore perspectives from a more diverse sample across multiple states and different professional roles. Full article

Emerging evidence highlights the critical role of corneal nerves in the pathophysiology of dry eye disease (DED) and other related ocular surface disorders (OSDs). These conditions increasingly demonstrate neuropathic and neurotrophic components, wherein alterations in corneal nerve morphology and function contribute to symptomatology and disease progression. Recent advances in imaging and diagnostic modalities have enabled detailed, in vivo evaluation of corneal nerve architecture and sensory function, offering novel insights into underlying mechanisms and therapeutic responses. This review comprehensively examines current and emerging technologies for corneal nerve assessment, both structural and functional. The structural methods include in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based nerve imaging (e.g., micro-OCT), and emerging technologies like multiphoton microscopy. The functional methods of corneal nerve assessment include advanced esthesiometers, quantitative sensory testing (QST), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The emerging technologies also include AI-driven analytical platforms that can be applied to both structural and functional methods. These various nerve assessment modalities can aid in delineating DED subtypes, selecting targeted treatments, monitoring nerve regeneration, and predicting treatment outcomes. By integrating structural and functional assessments, these technologies are reshaping the diagnosis, phenotyping, and management of DED and other related OSDs, paving the way for personalized therapeutic approaches. Full article

In the context of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which positions the nonprofit sector as a key driver of national development, these organizations face significant challenges including weak leadership, poor planning, and low employee commitment. This study investigates a moderated mediation model to explore how leadership affects organizational sustainable development (OSD). Specifically, it examines the mediating role of organizational commitment in the leadership–OSD relationship and the moderating role of strategic planning capability on the link between leadership and commitment. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was applied, involving 154 managerial respondents from 125 organizations in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Leadership, organizational commitment, strategic planning capability, and OSD were measured using validated instruments, and the analysis—conducted through IBM SPSS Statistics 26 and PROCESS Macro 7—incorporated reliability testing, factor analysis, correlations, and bootstrapped mediation–moderation models. The results reveal that leadership strongly predicts sustainable development (β = 0.592, p < 0.001) and organizational commitment (β = 0.634, p < 0.001). Commitment also significantly enhances sustainable development (β = 0.308, p < 0.001) and partially mediates the leadership–sustainability relationship. Strategic planning capability amplifies the effect of leadership on commitment (β = 0.176), producing a meaningful conditional indirect effect. Overall, the model accounts for 63.8% of the variance in sustainable development. The findings underscore the central role of leadership in strengthening nonprofit sustainability and highlight its relevance to broader national development objectives, including those outlined in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Full article

Orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) serve as critical load-bearing components in long-span steel bridges, but high-amplitude welding residual stresses (WRSs) generated during the welding process pose significant threats to structural integrity. To mitigate these stresses, post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) has emerged as a promising technique. This investigation first establishes a semi-structural thermo-elasto-plastic finite element model of the Deck-U-rib-Diaphragm system with a six-pass welding sequence. The temperature field is modeled via a double-ellipsoidal heat source and birth–death element approach. Subsequently, thermo-mechanical coupling analysis is conducted to investigate the distribution characteristics of Von Mises residual stresses. The stress relief effect of PWHT is then explored by comparing different holding temperatures (T) and holding times (t), achieving a balance between stress reduction effectiveness and economic efficiency, when T = 550 °C and t = 40 min. Finally, full-scale experimental tests are designed, and the hole-drilling method is utilized to validate the numerical simulation results. This research provides valuable insights for the design of PWHT processes for OSDs. Full article

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of lid wipes and tear substitutes, in addition to standard postoperative treatment, in alleviating signs and symptoms of ocular surface disease (OSD) following cataract surgery. Methods: Retrospective study on patients who underwent cataract surgery and received either standard postoperative treatment (topical antibiotics, corticosteroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or the same regimen supplemented with lid wipes and tear substitutes. Preoperatively and one month postoperatively, symptoms were evaluated using the 5-item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), while noninvasive keratograph break-up time (NIKBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), conjunctival hyperemia, and infrared meibography were measured by the Oculus Keratograph. Results: A total of 63 patients (mean age 75.1 ± 6.3 years) were analyzed. Patients receiving standard treatment showed no significant changes in OSDI (+2 ± 32.7; p = 0.859) or DEQ-5 scores (+1.7 ± 5.4; p = 0.204). Conversely, those receiving the adjunct of lid wipes and tear substitutes demonstrated significant improvement in OSDI scores (−19.4 ± 15.9; p < 0.0001), a trend toward improvement in DEQ-5 scores (−1.9 ± 5.5; p = 0.059), and a reduction in the meibography score of the inferior eyelid (−0.24 ± 0.60; p = 0.023). Intergroup comparisons showed significantly greater improvements in both OSDI and DEQ-5 scores in patients receiving treatment for the ocular surface. Multivariate regression analysis confirmed the association between the use of wipes and tear substitutes and improvements in OSDI (p = 0.010) and DEQ-5 scores (p = 0.015). No significant postoperative changes in objective OSD parameters were observed in either group. Conclusions: The addition of lid wipes and tear substitutes to the standard postoperative regimen significantly improved patient-reported symptoms of ocular discomfort after cataract surgery, while no significant changes were observed in objective signs of ocular surface disease. These findings support the routine use of lid wipes and tear substitutes as an effective strategy for managing postoperative ocular surface discomfort. Full article

Background/Objectives: Changes in sclerostin expression regulated by SOST in osteocytes during spaceflight may be associated with bone loss; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between SOST expression and bone loss by identifying the gene expression differences between osteocytes with high and low SOST expressions. Methods: We used the NASA GeneLab Database OSD-324, which is a microarray of data about the Ocy454 osteocytic cell line cultured for 2, 4, and 6 days during spaceflight, and the GSE102958 microarray in the Gene Expression Omnibus. We also analyzed the characteristics of SOST gene expression in osteocytes during spaceflight using merged datasets. Results: The findings of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that five gene sets related with H3K27me3 significantly upregulated with NES > 2.0 during spaceflight compared with ground controls. We also found 77 and 617 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in flight 6d vs. low and high SOST expression, respectively. We used the transcriptional regulatory relationships unraveled by the sentence-based text-mining (TRRUST) database to determine the most significant upstream transcription factor (TF) of genes downregulated in osteocytes during spaceflight compared with those expressing abundant SOST. We detected that TF Sp7 is the most significant, with FDR < 0.01. Moreover, the GSEA findings indicated that the hypoxic pathway is prolonged in osteocytes during spaceflight compared to those at ground level. Conclusions: The gene expression profiles of osteocytes during spaceflight and in comparatively immature osteocytes with low SOST expression were similar. Furthermore, early osteocyte maturation inhibited by downregulated Sp7 during spaceflight extended the hypoxic response. Full article

Background/Objectives: Fetoscopic repair of open spinal dysraphism (OSD) is a rare intrauterine procedure performed in specialized fetal surgery centers. Conducted under restrictive fluid management and continuous tocolysis, it poses substantial challenges to maternal hemodynamic stability. Blood pressure optimization with vasopressor boluses is often required, yet intraoperative hemodynamic data remain limited. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted between December 2023 and January 2025 during fetoscopic repair of OSD at Marburg University Hospital, Germany. Maternal hemodynamics were continuously monitored using pulse contour analysis with the Acumen IQ sensor and HemoSphere platform (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA). To stabilize arterial pressure, cafedrine/theodrenaline (Akrinor, Ratiopharm, Ulm, Germany) was administered as intravenous boluses. Hemodynamic parameters were analyzed immediately before and after each bolus. Fetal heart rate was assessed as a secondary parameter at predefined intraoperative time points when available. Results: A total of 13 patients and 110 vasopressor boluses were analyzed. Reported values reflect median percent changes; parentheses indicate the total range. Following maternal blood pressure optimization, mean arterial pressure increased by 13.7% (5.9–21.6), systemic vascular resistance index by 23.1% (8.3–36.7), and dP/dtmax by 21.7% (6.3–29.9): p < 0.001 for all. Cardiac index and stroke volume index decreased by −6.7% (−11.8 to −0.6), p < 0.001, and −4.3% (−9.8 to 1.8), p = 0.048, respectively. Fetal heart rate remained stable (+0.4% (−0.8 to 1.5); p = 0.470). A total of 38 HPI alerts were followed by hypotension, with a median latency of 120 s (80–235); 73 alerts were not followed by hypotension during the observation period. Conclusions: Intermittent cafedrine/theodrenaline boluses significantly increased arterial pressure, dP/dtmax, and systemic vascular resistance under conditions of fluid restriction and tocolysis-induced vasodilation. Maternal heart rate remained stable, and cardiac output showed only minor reductions. Fetal heart rate was unchanged following maternal blood pressure treatment, indicating no adverse fetal response to C/T within the observed intraoperative period. Full article

The Aurora kinase A (Aurora-A), overexpressed in cancer cells, represents a promising anti-cancer therapeutic target due to its role in mitotic progression and chromosome instability. Aurora-A contains a recently described drug pocket within its Targeting Protein for Xklp2 (TPX2) interaction site, offering a promising target for small-molecule disruption and selective inhibition. In this study, 1281 natural products from Argentina’s database (NaturAr), encompassing chemically diverse and structurally rich metabolites, were evaluated using a machine learning model based on molecular fingerprints and variational autoencoders (VAEs) to predict inhibitory activity with high-throughput efficiency. From this initial screening, 624 compounds were classified as active type against Aurora-A, and subsequently subjected to molecular docking using FRED software (v4.3.0.3) against the Aurora-A crystal structure (PDB: 5OSD), focusing on the TPX2-binding interface. Among them, 117 compounds with various scaffolds showed better binding scores than the co-crystallized ligand, highlighting their potential to interact with the druggable target site through stable and specific molecular contacts. This workflow effectively prioritized compounds of natural origin from Argentina for the discovery of new Aurora-A kinase inhibitors, demonstrating the value of integrating AI-driven screening with structure-based modeling. These findings highlight the identification of novel scaffolds with high binding potential, offering promising starting points for the development of selective Aurora-A inhibitors. Full article