Search Results (246)

Patients with heavily calcified coronary arteries represent a challenge in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as severe calcification impairs device delivery and limits optimal stent expansion, leading to higher risks of stent thrombosis, restenosis, and adverse clinical outcomes. Approximately 20% of patients undergoing PCI exhibit severe coronary calcification, which independently predicts incomplete revascularization, increased mortality, and higher rates of major adverse cardiovascular events over mid-term follow-up. Recent advances have focused on improving the assessment and management of calcified lesions. Intracoronary imaging modalities, including intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography, allow precise detection and characterization of calcium burden, overcoming the limitations of angiography. These tools play a pivotal role in guiding procedural strategy, enabling tailored selection of calcium-modifying techniques based on lesion morphology, and optimizing stent deployment. Technological innovations have significantly expanded therapeutic options. While non-compliant balloon angioplasty alone is often insufficient, adjunctive devices such as cutting and scoring balloons improve plaque modification in focal disease. Atherectomy techniques, including rotational and orbital systems, are effective for more complex lesions but require technical expertise and carry procedural risks. Intravascular lithotripsy has emerged as a promising, less aggressive modality capable of fracturing deep calcium, while excimer laser atherectomy offers an alternative for resistant lesions. Despite these advances, current evidence supporting calcium-modifying strategies is largely based on procedural outcomes rather than definitive improvements in long-term clinical endpoints. Meta-analyses and randomized trials have not demonstrated clear superiority of any single technique, and most studies remain underpowered. Intriguingly, recent data suggest that outcomes in treated calcified lesions may approximate those of non-calcified disease, raising the hypothesis that these technologies could mitigate the adverse impact of calcification. However, this remains unproven, highlighting the urgent need for adequately powered randomized trials to determine their true clinical benefit. Full article

Background: This narrative review introduces the “From Plaque to Perfusion” framework, a clinically pragmatic approach that maps multimodality imaging technologies to critical decision points in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patient journey. By integrating non-invasive assessment, invasive procedural guidance, and post-event tissue characterisation, this framework provides a structured pathway for deep phenotyping of ACS. Artificial intelligence (AI) is highlighted as an essential enabling layer that enhances diagnostic precision, automates quantification, and supports scalable, data-driven care. Contemporary ACS management pathways, while effective, often leave residual clinical uncertainty. The diagnostic objective has evolved beyond confirming myocardial injury to comprehensively phenotyping the entire ACS cascade: defining the plaque substrate, identifying the culprit mechanism, and quantifying the myocardial consequence. This requires a systematic integration of advanced imaging modalities. Methods: This narrative review is based on a comprehensive literature search of major medical databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar) for high-level evidence, including randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and international expert consensus documents published between January 2010 and February 2026. Results: The “From Plaque to Perfusion” framework consists of three core stages. First, non-invasive assessment with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), fractional flow reserve (FFR-CT), and PET-CT defines plaque substrate and vascular inflammation. Second, invasive precision in the catheterization laboratory, guided by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), resolves the culprit mechanism and optimizes percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Third, post-event tissue characterization with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) quantifies myocardial injury and refines prognosis. AI-driven platforms are shown to enhance each stage by automating analysis, standardizing interpretation, and providing actionable metrics for clinical decisions, including complex scenarios like Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries (MINOCA). Conclusions: The “From Plaque to Perfusion” framework, enabled by AI, reframes ACS imaging as an integrated, mechanism-driven pathway. This approach moves beyond isolated test interpretation toward a scalable model of precision, phenotype-led care that promises to improve diagnostic certainty and personalize patient management. Full article

This paper explores the feasibility of early-season crop classification based on Sentinel-2-time series using the TimeSen2Crop dataset (≈1 million pixels, 16 crops). The aim of the study was to evaluate the spectral-phenological separability of crops during the season and compare the performance of classical tabular algorithms, deep sequence models, and a seasonally oriented hybrid stacking scheme. Based on multispectral observations, a feature set was formed from 9 optical channels and 13 vegetation indices for 30 dates. F-criteria were calculated, confirming a sharp increase in interclass separability during the active vegetative growth phase and substantiating three time series truncation scenarios (early, early + mid-season, and full season). Random Forest (macro-F1: 0.46/0.74/0.75) was used as the base tabular model. LSTM, BiLSTM, GRU, 1D-CNN, and Transformer were trained in parallel, with Transformer showing the best results among the deep architectures (0.42/0.68/0.78). The main contribution of the work is a hybrid multi-layer stacking scheme combining heterogeneous base algorithms and OOF meta-features, which provides the highest quality (0.51/0.83/0.86) in all scenarios. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of phenology-oriented selection of time windows, informative indices, and hybrid ensemble learning for improving the accuracy of early-season crop monitoring. Full article

Optical-fibre daylighting systems (OFDS) harvest solar energy as a renewable lighting resource by delivering sunlight deep into green buildings. This emerging technology for sustainable infrastructure reduces electric-lighting demand; however, reported performance is difficult to compare across heterogeneous designs, metrics, and validation practices. Therefore, a PRISMA 2020–reported systematic literature review (SLR) of OFDS studies from three databases (Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science; 2000–2025) was conducted, synthesising primary research that quantifies system- or component-level performance, with a focus on (i) plastic optical fibre (POF) transmission characteristics; and (ii) POF-based illuminance model validation. After de-duplication and screening, 106 primary studies were included, and two meta-analyses were performed where data were harmonised from 29 studies in total. Across reported POF configurations, attenuation ranged from 150 to 800 dB/km with a pooled mean of 332.8 dB/km, corresponding to a mean 1 m transmission of 92.7% and median design length scales of ∼3.7 m for 80% transmission and ∼11.6 m to half-power. Across illuminance validation datasets, models showed high linear agreement with experimental measurements (coefficient of determination ($R^2$) = 0.99; slope = 0.99) but typically underpredicted illuminance (geometric mean ratio = 1.16; mean absolute error (MAE) = 27.3 lux; mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 17.6%). These findings underscore the need for a standardised evaluation framework, including consistent metric definitions, robust uncertainty reporting, and reusable validation datasets to enable variance-weighted synthesis, while also identifying short-run POF routing as a key lever for improving system efficiency. In addition to providing the OFDS research agenda, this study serves as a roadmap for the industrial development of daylighting systems for green buildings based on harvesting solar energy, with its novelty lying in the PRISMA-guided evidence synthesis and quantitative meta-analytic consolidation of POF transmission and illuminance-validation performance. Full article

Seminaphtofluorones (SNAFRs) are a family of benzannulated xanthene dyes that exhibit strong fluorescence in both neutral and anionic states and can reach emission wavelengths in the deep-red to near-infrared region. Their optical response is highly sensitive to regioisomerism and functionalization, making them attractive candidates for systematic structure–property investigations. Here, we computed the photophysical properties of six SNAFR regioisomers for both neutral and anionic species and correlate the calculated results with available experimental data. From the six dyes, we further chose two of them, SNAFR4 and SNAFR6, to further investigate how phenyl-ring functionalization modulates SNAFR properties by introducing methyl (–CH₃) and carboxyl (–COOH) substituents at the ortho (o), meta (m), and para (p) positions. The calculations indicate that substitution induces measurable changes in geometries, as well as in excitation and emission energies, with particularly pronounced effects for the anionic derivatives. Overall, these results provide a computational framework for the rational tuning of SNAFRs’ optical properties and the design of derivatives with tailored optical characteristics for fluorescence imaging and applications in photodynamic therapy. Full article

The on-chip detection of circularly polarized light is pivotal for advancing applications in quantum optics, information processing, and spectroscopic sensing. However, conventional chiral metasurfaces often suffer from complex multilayer fabrication, material incompatibility, or modest performance, hindering their integration with photonic circuits. Here, we introduce a monolithic all-silicon metasurface that overcomes these limitations through a singular structural innovation. By strategically truncating four corners of a conventional Z-shaped meta-atom, we induce a hybridization of optical modes that profoundly enhances chiral light–matter interaction. This deliberately engineered perturbation yields a colossal circular dichroism with an extinction ratio exceeding 66 dB, a performance that surpasses existing state-of-the-art designs by approximately three orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the proposed metasurface exhibits remarkable fabrication robustness, owing to its single-layer architecture and CMOS-compatible material. We demonstrate that this exceptional metasurface can be directly integrated with a Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) photodetector to form a highly efficient, compact circular polarization detector. Our work provides a simple yet powerful paradigm for creating high-performance chiral photonic devices, paving the way for their widespread adoption in integrated optoelectronics. Full article

Over the past decade, metasurfaces have offered significant promise for miniaturized and flat photonics by enabling precise manipulation of light’s phase, amplitude, and polarization through geometric design. The pursuit of multifunctional wavefront modulation at the micro-nano scale using these surfaces has emerged as a prominent research area. In this paper, we first explore the phase modulation principles underlying meta-atoms, then investigate how multiple degrees of freedom can be harnessed to achieve multifunctional optical behavior, thereby aligning with current research trends, and offer a consolidated overview of multifunctional meta-devices. Full article

The manipulation of vector beams (VBs) with longitudinally variant polarization states is an important research topic and has potential applications in classical and quantum fields. In this study, we propose a half-wave plate dielectric metasurface composed of two interleaved sub-metasurfaces to generate longitudinally separated dual-channel vectorial structured light fields. The propagation and Pancharatnam–Berry phases are employed to construct hyperbolic, helical, and opposite gradient phases for focusing wavefronts, generating circularly polarized (CP) vortices, and deflecting CP vortices with the same chirality in opposite directions. Consequently, dual-channel higher-order or hybrid-order Poincaré (HOP or HyOP) beams are generated along the optical axis under elliptically polarized illumination, and their polarization states evolve along an arbitrary pair of antipodal meridians on the HOP or HyOP sphere by varying the ellipticity of the incident light, the propagation-phase topological charge, and the rotation order of the meta-atom. The consistency between the theoretical and simulated results demonstrates the feasibility and practicability of the proposed method. This study is significant for compact, integrated, and multifunctional optical devices, and provides an innovative strategy to extend optical field manipulation from two-dimensional to three-dimensional space. Full article

Background: Post-extraction alveolar bone resorption complicates implant planning and compromises functional and aesthetic outcomes. High-power lasers, including surgically applied Er:YAG and Nd:YAG lasers, as well as Nd:YAG-based photobiomodulation (PBM), have been proposed as adjunctive approaches to decontaminate extraction sockets, modulate inflammation, and stimulate osteogenesis, potentially limiting post-extraction ridge collapse. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis included prospective and retrospective clinical studies evaluating changes in alveolar ridge height, width, volume, or density following tooth extraction treated with Er:YAG, surgically applied Nd:YAG, or Nd:YAG-based PBM. Outcomes were assessed using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) or calibrated mechanical or optical measurement methods. Study selection followed PRISMA guidelines. Quantitative synthesis was performed using random-effects meta-analysis, and certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Results: All laser modalities demonstrated statistically and clinically significant preservation of alveolar bone compared with standard care. Er:YAG laser therapy resulted in a mean ridge preservation of 1.12 mm (95% CI: 0.9–1.4), while surgically applied Nd:YAG achieved a comparable effect of 1.15 mm (95% CI: 0.88–1.4). Nd:YAG-based PBM showed the most consistent effect, with a mean difference of 1.20 mm (95% CI: 1.0–1.4) and the lowest heterogeneity (I² = 22%). The largest effects were observed within the first month after extraction (mean difference 1.26 mm) and diminished with longer follow-up. CBCT-based assessments demonstrated the highest measurement precision, with an average effect of 1.32 mm. Overall certainty of evidence was rated as moderate due to risk of bias, incomplete methodological reporting, and possible publication bias. Conclusions: Er:YAG, Nd:YAG, and Nd:YAG-based PBM represent effective adjunctive approaches for alveolar ridge preservation following tooth extraction, particularly during the early healing phase. Their effects appear enhanced when combined with barrier membranes or osteoconductive grafting materials. CBCT should be preferred for outcome assessment in both clinical practice and research. These findings support the evidence-based integration of laser technologies into ridge preservation protocols in implant dentistry and oral surgery. Full article

Background: The retinal changes caused by ethambutol are not clear in patients with the administration of ethambutol and without ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy (EON). The aim of this systematic review is to estimate the changes in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thicknesses measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with mycobacterial infection treated with ethambutol and not suffering from EON. Methods: A systematic review of articles was conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science until November 2025. Additional studies were identified by the review of references. Search terms included OCT and ethambutol. Longitudinal observational studies using an OCT device to measure RNFL and GCIPL thicknesses before and after the administration of ethambutol in patients with mycobacterial infection without ocular diseases were included. The extraction of data in studies was performed by two researchers using data extraction sheets. The meta-analysis was conducted using the random-effect model. Results: In total, 14 studies (n = 1138) were eligible for the systematic review. Meta-analysis combining RNFL measured after the longest duration of ethambutol administration showed no significant decrease compared to RNFL before treatment. However, there were significant decreases in RNFL thickness in male-dominant studies, studies conducted in Turkey and India, and studies conducted by the Cirrus OCT device. In addition, the decreases in RNFL thickness were correlated with the duration of ethambutol administration in male-dominant studies. Only two studies reported the thickness changes in GCIPL, and the study with a higher male proportion showed significant decreases in GCIPL thickness. Conclusions: Ethambutol does not cause a significant RNFL decrease generally in mycobacterial infection patients; however, it may lead to decreased RNFL thickness in male patients and patients in some regions, even though they do not suffer from EON. Full article

Hand exoskeletons are used in rehabilitation together with serious games to enhance patient experience and, possibly, therapy outcomes. To achieve good engagement, a realistic virtual representation of hand motion is needed; however, the relationship between exoskeleton joint motion and anatomical finger kinematics is rarely obtained using low-cost procedures. This work introduces a mechanical redesign and modeling pipeline that utilizes temporary sensors to identify the exoskeleton–finger mapping, enabling qualitatively realistic virtual hand motion driven solely by the existing on-board sensor. A recently developed hand exoskeleton prototype was redesigned to host two temporary rotary encoders aligned with the MetaCarpoPhalangeal (MCP) and Proximal InterPhalangeal (PIP) joints, in addition to the actuation encoder. Healthy subjects wore the modified device and performed full flexion–extension cycles. Encoder trajectories were processed; then each cycle was approximated by a third-order polynomial in the normalized actuation angle, and a group-level model was obtained by averaging coefficients across valid cycles. Finally, the encoder-based reconstructions of MCP and PIP motion were evaluated against measurements from a gold-standard optical motion capture system. Results indicate that the proposed polynomial model enables joint-angle estimation with sufficient accuracy for interactive rehabilitation scenarios, supporting its use to drive smooth virtual hand motion from the on-board exoskeleton encoder alone. Full article

Objective: Glaucoma is a complex optic neuropathy characterized by the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Animal models are crucial tools for deciphering its multidimensional pathogenesis and evaluating novel therapeutic strategies. This review aims to systematically summarize the establishment methods, application advances, and future development trends of various glanimal models. Methods: The literature for this review was identified through systematic searches of electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and Google Scholar. The search strategy utilized a combination of keywords and their variants: “glaucoma”, “animal models”, “retinal ganglion cells”, “intraocular pressure”, “neuroprotection”, “immune inflammation”, “fibrosis”, and “filtration surgery”. The search focused on articles published between 2015 and 2025 to cover the major advances of the last decade. The scope encompassed original research articles, reviews, and meta-analyses. Results: Diverse glanimal models successfully replicate different facets of glaucoma, elucidating multidimensional pathogenesis involving mechanical stress, immune inflammation, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and fibrosis. These models have played an indispensable role in screening neuroprotective agents, evaluating anti-fibrotic strategies, and validating the application of advanced imaging and functional assessment technologies. Current research is evolving towards model standardization, multi-factor simulation, and the integration of novel drug delivery systems and immunomodulatory strategies. Conclusions: The diversification of glanimal models provides a powerful platform for in-depth investigation of disease mechanisms and the development of innovative therapies. Future research should focus on establishing standardized models that better mimic the clinical pathological state and deeply integrating multimodal assessment technologies with targeted therapies. This will facilitate the translation of basic research into clinical applications, ultimately achieving personalized precision medicine for glaucoma. Full article

Compound meta-optics, characterized by the unprecedented complex optical architectures containing single or multiple meta-optics elements, has emerged as a powerful paradigm for overcoming the physical limitations of single-layer metasurfaces. This review systematically examines the recent progress in this burgeoning field, primarily focusing on the development of high-performance optical systems for imaging, display, sensing, and computing. We first focus on the design of compound metalens architectures that integrate metalenses with additional elements such as iris, refractive optics, or other meta-optics elements. These configurations effectively succeed in providing multiple high-quality image quality metrics simultaneously by correcting monochromatic and chromatic aberrations, expanding the field of view, enhancing overall efficiency, and so on. Thus, the compound approach enables practical applications in next-generation cameras and sensors. Furthermore, we explore the advancement of cascaded metasurfaces in the realm of wave-optics, specifically for advanced meta-holography and optical computing. These multi-layered systems facilitate complex wavefront engineering, leading to significant increases in information capacity and functionality for security and analog optical computing applications. By providing a comprehensive overview of fundamental principles, design strategies, and emerging applications, this review aims to offer a clear perspective on the pivotal role of compound meta-optics in devising and optimizing compact, multifunctional optical systems to optics engineers with a variety of professional knowledge backgrounds and techniques. Full article

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss; anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is standard care for neovascular AMD (nAMD), yet treatment response varies. We systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models using optical coherence tomography (OCT)-derived information to predict anti-VEGF treatment response in nAMD. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore were searched from inception to 18 December 2025 for eligible studies reporting threshold-based performance. Two reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias using PROBAST+AI; pooled sensitivity and specificity were estimated with a bivariate random-effects model. Seven studies met inclusion criteria, and six were synthesized quantitatively. Pooled sensitivity was 0.79 (95% CI 0.68–0.87), and pooled specificity was 0.83 (95% CI 0.62–0.94), with substantial heterogeneity. Specificity tended to be higher for long-term and functional outcomes than for short-term and anatomical outcomes. Most studies had a high risk of bias, mainly due to limited external validation and incomplete reporting. OCT-based AI models may help stratify treatment response in nAMD, but prospective, multicenter validation and standardized outcome definitions are needed before routine use; current evidence shows no consistent advantage of deep learning over engineered radiomic features. Full article

Understanding thrombosis in acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) has evolved through advances in biomarkers, intracoronary imaging, and emerging analytical tools, improving diagnostic accuracy and risk stratification in high-risk patients. This narrative review provides an integrative overview of contemporary evidence from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and international guidelines addressing circulating biomarkers, intracoronary imaging modalities—including optical coherence tomography (OCT), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)—artificial intelligence–based analytical approaches, and emerging antithrombotic therapies. High-sensitivity cardiac troponins and natriuretic peptides remain the most robust and guideline-supported biomarkers for diagnosis and prognostic assessment in ACS, whereas inflammatory markers and multimarker strategies offer incremental prognostic information but lack definitive validation for routine therapeutic guidance. Intracoronary imaging with IVUS or OCT is supported by current guidelines to guide percutaneous coronary intervention in selected patients with ACS and complex coronary lesions, leading to improved procedural optimization and clinical outcomes compared with angiography-guided strategies. Beyond procedural guidance, OCT enables detailed plaque characterization and mechanistic insights into ACS, while NIRS provides complementary information on lipid-rich plaque burden, primarily for risk stratification based on observational evidence. Artificial intelligence represents a rapidly evolving tool for integrating clinical, laboratory, and imaging data, with promising results in retrospective and observational studies; however, its clinical application in thrombosis management remains investigational due to the lack of outcome-driven randomized trials. In the therapeutic domain, factor XI inhibitors have demonstrated favorable safety profiles with reduced bleeding and preserved antithrombotic efficacy in phase II and early phase III studies, but their definitive role in ACS management awaits confirmation in large, outcome-driven randomized trials. Overall, the integration of biomarkers, intracoronary imaging, and emerging analytical and pharmacological strategies highlights the potential for more individualized cardiovascular care. Nevertheless, careful interpretation of existing evidence, rigorous validation, and alignment with guideline-directed practice remain essential before widespread clinical adoption. Full article