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Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a vision-threatening complication of diabetic retinopathy and causes significant morbidity in patients. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents are the mainstay of treatment for DME, with steroid implants being used for the treatment of anti-VEGF resistant eyes. Over the years, several classification systems have been devised to describe the patterns of DME using optical coherence tomography (OCT). With the advent of effective treatments, it has become imperative that imaging cues are not merely used for classifying the disease but also as biomarkers for prognostication of disease activity and treatment response. In this aspect, newer imaging findings such as hyperreflective dots, photoreceptor integrity, and disorganization of retinal inner layers have been characterized in detail by several authors. Macular perfusion analysis using OCT angiography is the latest in the armamentarium for imaging DME. In this narrative review, we have summarized all relevant literature related to the ultrastructural imaging-based biomarkers of DME and their correlation to treatment., (Copyright © 2024 Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.)

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent condition causing significant pain and functional impairment. Acupuncture has shown promise as an adjunctive therapy, but conventional manual selection of acupoints lacks standardization. The Acugraph system provides a computerized method for identifying acupoints, potentially enhancing treatment precision. Objective: This study aims to compare the effects of computerized Acugraph-guided acupuncture versus manually selected acupuncture as adjuncts to physiotherapy in managing KOA. Methods: A randomized, double-blind controlled trial will be conducted with 50 participants diagnosed with mild to moderate KOA. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group 1 Comp-AcuPhysio (n = 25), receiving Acugraph-guided acupuncture with physiotherapy, or Group 2 Man-AcuPhysio (n = 25), receiving manually selected acupuncture with physiotherapy. Both groups will undergo 12 weekly treatment sessions, each lasting 60 minutes. Outcome measures, including the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, active knee flexion range, Timed Up and Go test, Visual Analog Scale for pain, Short Form-36 health survey, and Personal Integrated Energetics score, will be assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention. An intention-to-treat analysis will be applied. Changes from baseline to 12 weeks will be analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance for both within-group and between-group comparisons. Results: This study will provide a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of computerized Acugraph-guided acupuncture compared to manually selected acupuncture as supplementary treatments alongside KOA physiotherapeutic rehabilitation. Conclusion: This trial will offer insights into how incorporating technology-driven approaches, such as Acugraph, with physiotherapy can enhance the customization and effectiveness of KOA management, leading to improved clinical outcomes. These results could advocate for the integration of technological tools in acupuncture to boost treatment precision and efficacy for KOA. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12624000646549p). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aniridia is a rare panocular disease caused by gene mutation in the PAX6, which is essential for eye development. Aniridia is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, but its phenotype can vary significantly among individuals with the same mutation. Animal models, such as drosophila, zebrafish, and rodents, have been used to study aniridia through Pax6 deletions. Recently, patient-derived limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) and human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been used to model the disease in vitro, providing new insights into therapeutic strategies. Methods: In this study, corneal organoids were generated from hiPSCs derived from aniridia patients with three different PAX6 nonsense mutations, allowing for a detailed comparison between diseased and healthy control models. These organoids structurally mimicked the human cornea and were used to investigate histologic and metabolomic differences between healthy and aniridia-derived samples. Results: Untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed significant metabolic differences between wild-type (WT) and aniridia-associated keratopathy (AAK) hiPSCs. Further metabolomic profiling at different time points demonstrated distinct metabolic shifts, with amino acid metabolism pathways being consistently enriched in AAK organoids. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the profound impact of AAK mutations on metabolism, particularly in amino acid biosynthesis and energy metabolism pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-hydrothermal carbonization (Co-HTC) of sewage sludge (SS) with wheat straw (WS) has emerged as a promising method for producing high quality biochar products through the utilization of low-cost biomass resources. The objective of this study was to investigate the physico-chemical properties of hydro-char derived from the Co-HTC treatment of the mixture of SS and WS at different Co-HTC temperatures (200, 240, and 280 °C). The research findings indicated that the inclusion of WS in the Co-HTC process positively influenced the properties of the hydro-char and higher Co-HTC temperatures enhanced this trend. It is revealed that the hydro-char produced at 280 °C exhibits the biggest surface area, abundance of micropore structures, and the highest electron accepting capacity (EAC = 0.4389 mol−/ghydor-char). Moreover, when increasing the Co-HTC temperature from 200 to 240 °C, the higher degree of aromatization (H/C = 1.1170 (atomic ratio)) can be achieved, which correlates with the electron donating capacity (EDC = 0.7358 mol−/ghydor-char). For the secondary dissolution of organic substances leaching from hydro-chars, the blending of SS and of WS can significantly enhance the content of aromatic protein II, with marginal impact on humic acid. Furthermore, the Co-HTC process proved effective in immobilizing heavy metals during the treatment. All of the improved properties facilitate the SW hydro-chars to be used as promoters in anerobic digestion system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has excellent development potential. However, a significant quantity of CO2 is produced throughout the cement-making process, which is in contrary to the current worldwide trend of lowering emissions and conserving energy, thus restricting the further advancement of UHPC. Considering climate change and sustainability concerns, cementless, eco-friendly, alkali-activated UHPC (AA-UHPC) materials have recently received considerable attention. Following the emergence of advanced prediction techniques aimed at reducing experimental tools and labor costs, this study provides a comparative study of different methods based on machine learning (ML) algorithms to propose an active learning-based ML model (AL-Stacked ML) for predicting the compressive strength of AA-UHPC. A data-rich framework containing 284 experimental datasets and 18 input parameters was collected. A comprehensive evaluation of the significance of input features that may affect compressive strength of AA-UHPC was performed. Results confirm that AL-Stacked ML-3 with accuracy of 98.9% can be used for different general experimental specimens, which have been tested in this research. Active learning can improve the accuracy up to 4.1% and further enhance the Stacked ML models. In addition, graphical user interface (GUI) was introduced and validated by experimental tests to facilitate comparable prospective studies and predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To compare the characteristics of type 1 macular neovascularization (MNV) and the surrounding choriocapillaris (CC) perfusion in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) versus those with pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV) using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA)., Methods: This retrospective study included 64 treatment-naïve eyes (37 nAMD, 27 PNV) with type 1 MNV. SS-OCTA images were analysed to measure MNV area and perimeter, and CC flow deficits (FD) in five concentric rings surrounding the lesion. CC FD percentage (FD%), area (FDa), and number (FDn) were quantified. Intervortex anastomoses presence was also assessed., Results: MNV lesions in nAMD were significantly larger in area (2.94 vs 1.56 mm², p = 0.013) and perimeter (8.76 vs 5.85 mm, p = 0.004) compared to PNV. PNV eyes showed higher FD% and larger FDa across all rings (p < 0.05), while FDn did not differ significantly. Intervortex anastomoses were more prevalent in PNV (81.5% vs 35.1%, p = 0.0002). In nAMD, MNV size correlated positively with FD% in inner rings and FDn in all rings. In PNV, MNV size correlated only with FDn., Conclusions: Despite smaller MNV lesions, PNV eyes demonstrated more extensive CC flow deficits compared to nAMD. The distinct CC flow patterns and their correlations with MNV characteristics suggest different pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these conditions. These findings may have implications for differential diagnosis and tailored treatment approaches in nAMD and PNV., Competing Interests: Competing interests: EB is a member of the Eye editorial board. The other authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

YAP is a central regulator of the Hippo-YAP signaling axis, an evolutionarily conserved pathway that modulates organ growth and regeneration. Dysregulation of YAP signaling leads to uncontrolled proliferation, promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and invasion in cancer metastasis. Exogenous manipulation of YAP activity at the second-to-minute timescale is an important step in studying the signaling pathway. We present an optogenetic system to control the subcellular localization of YAP and therefore its activity as a transcriptional co-activator. We used the LOV2-Jα interacting domains to photocage a nuclear localization signal (NLS) attached to YAP. Under 488 nm light, the Jα helix unfolds and the interaction with LOV2 is disrupted, thereby exposing the NLS and allowing for the entire optogenetic construct to be shuttled into the nucleus. This nuclear translocation is reversible and tuneable and demonstrates functional activity after nuclear localization both in vitro and in vivo., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)