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Purpose: To evaluate the effect of punctal plugs combined with cyclosporine eye drops on dry eye disease (DED) and ocular surface inflammation. Methods: In a clinical trial, 73 patients were randomly allocated into three groups: punctal plug group, combination therapy group, and cyclosporine group. At the baseline and four weeks after treatment, the Schirmer I test score, fluorescein tear film break-up time (FBUT), ocular surface staining score and dry eye symptoms were assessed. Tear samples were collected to detect the level of inflammatory factors (interleukins, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)). In an animal experiment, a New Zealand rabbit dry eye model was induced. The rabbits were randomly divided into control group, punctal plug group, and combination therapy group (n = 6). Conjunctival goblet cell density, protein level of MMP-9 in conjunctiva and mRNA levels of inflammatory factors in conjunctiva and cornea were measured before and after treatment. Results: In combination therapy group of the clinical trial, the following results were observed: significant improvement in Schirmer I test scores and FBUT compared to the cyclosporine group and punctal plug group, respectively; a decrease in the tear levels of IL-6, IL-1, and MMP-9 compared to the punctal plug group; and a decrease in the tear levels of IL-1α, IL-6, and IL-17 compared to the baseline (all p < 0.05). In the animal experiment, rabbits in combination therapy group had a higher goblet cell density (p < 0.01) and lower mRNA levels of IL-16 (p < 0.05), IL-17 (p < 0.05), and MMP-9 (p < 0.01) in conjunctiva and that of MMP-9 (p < 0.01) in cornea compared to punctal plug group. Conclusion: Cyclosporine eye drops combined with degradable punctal plugs is a more optimized clinical treatment strategy for DED compared with degradable punctal plugs or cyclosporine eye drops alone, considering the influence of comprehensive clinical efficacy and ocular surface inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractHigh-strength martensitic precipitation-hardening stainless steel XM-25, characterised by its high strength, high hardness, and good workability, has been utilised in engineering as the low-pressure last stage blade of steam turbines. However, it is beset by the issue of water erosion. This paper focuses on the restoration of large blade workpieces made of XM-25 material, employing directed energy deposition (DED) laser cladding with parent material powder. The parameters for laser cladding include laser power of 1300 W, movement speed of 500 mm/min, and powder feed rate of 15 g/min. The performance of the XM-25 alloy after laser cladding restoration is evaluated through non-destructive testing (PT, RT), tensile testing, hardness testing, metallographic analysis, fracture morphology analysis, residual stress measurement, and high-cycle fatigue testing. Results indicate that the material after laser cladding exhibits an ultimate tensile strength exceeding 1200 MPa, a yield strength above 1050 MPa, microhardness above 415 HBW, residual stress at approximately 30% of the base material, and a fatigue limit of 586.25 MPa – 95% higher than the base material. These findings confirm the effectiveness of the proposed DED laser cladding method for restoring XM-25 turbine blades, offering a viable engineering solution for mitigating and repairing water erosion in steam turbine components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, we aimed to investigate the literature on sex-specific prevalence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and to determine whether women or men are more at risk for MGD. A search was conducted on PubMed using the terms: (Sex OR Gender OR prevalence) AND (Meibomian gland). Twenty-four relevant studies on MGD prevalence were identified, including 10 population-based and 14 hospital-based studies. Among the population-based studies, five studies reported higher rates among men, three studies found no differences, and one study observed higher rates among women. In the hospital-based studies, 10 studies reported no difference, two found higher rates among men, and one found higher among women. In the reviewed literature, there was a considerable variation between studies in terms of quality, sample size, age ranges, diagnostic criteria. While most of the population-based studies suggest a higher prevalence among men, the majority of clinic-based studies show no significant difference. Further research with larger samples and standardized criteria is needed to determine whether men are indeed more susceptible to MGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NiTi alloy has attracted significant interest owing to its notable wear and corrosion resistance, suggesting the significant promise of utilizing additively manufactured NiTi alloys in tribological applications. In this study, dry sliding wear tests with sliding velocity of 0.1 m/s for total distance of 250 m at room temperature, 50 °C, 100 °C, and 200 °C were carried out on samples of NiTi alloy samples fabricated using laser powder and laser wire directed energy deposition (LP-DED and LW-DED) processes. Enhanced friction and wear behavior of LP-DED samples were captured at lower temperatures due to higher hardness and the stable dominating NiTi B2 austenite phase in the sample microstructure as confirmed from x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Accumulated transferred material at lower temperatures played a crucial role in modifying the wear mechanisms. However, at higher temperatures both LP-DED and LW-DED samples presented similar wear mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular condition with a significant impact on patients' quality of life. Conventional treatments include behavioral changes, tear substitutes, and anti-inflammatory agents; however, recent advances in the understanding of DED pathogenesis have opened the way to the development of novel treatment strategies able to target several pathways involved in the onset and persistence of DED. Literature search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus around the term 'dry eye disease' and others involving its pathophysiology and therapeutic strategy. The primary focus was on recent drugs approved by FDA or under investigation in phase 3 clinical trials. Google and ClinicalTrials.gov were used for obtaining information about the status of FDA approval and ongoing clinical trials. Due to its multifaced pathogenesis, DED management is often challenging, and patients' needs are frequently unmet. Recently, several novel treatments have been either FDA-approved or studied in late-phase trials. These novel drugs target-specific biological components of the ocular surface and reduce inflammation and ocular pain. Additionally, new drug delivery systems allow for increased bioavailability, improve effective dosing, and minimize ocular side effects. These advances in drug therapies show real promise for better management of DED patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease (DED) is a very common ocular condition with a considerable socioeconomic impact affecting patient's visual function and quality of life. Currently, thanks to the better knowledge on DED pathophysiology, therapeutical approaches are focused on the primary core mechanisms of DED. Furthermore, new drugs and compounds are being explored in the light of recent findings concerning unique disease-related pathways. The purpose of this review is to stress DED pathogenesis, addressing its vicious cycle, and highlighting the cutting-edge drug therapy approaches under development. A literature search on the PubMed and Scopus databases was carried out. The database search strategy was formulated around the term 'dry eye disease' and other terms regarding its pathophysiology and therapeutic strategy. Additional search was conducted on ClinicalTrials.gov for unpublished results and ongoing clinical trials. The primary approaches used for DED include lifestyle, environmental changes, tears supplementation, and control of the eyelids and ocular surface inflammation. In selected cases, medical therapy could benefit by technological device-based management. Due to the complexity of DED and the continuous growth of disease prevalence and patients' unmet needs, new therapeutic approaches focused on its pathogenesis are currently under investigation, while others are pending approval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease (DED) is a worldwide, multifactorial disease mainly caused by a deficit in tear production or increased tear evaporation with an increase in tear osmolarity and inflammation. This causes discomfort and there is a therapeutic need to restore the homeostasis of the ocular surface. The aim of the present work was to develop a biodegradable and biocompatible liposomal formulation from the synthetic phospholipids 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) that is able to reduce the effects of hypertonic stress by helping to restore the lipid layer of the tear film. Liposomes were made using the lipid film hydration method with synthetic phospholipids (10 mg/mL) with and without 0.2% HPMC. They were characterised in terms of size, osmolarity, pH, surface tension, and viscosity. Additionally, the in vitro toxicity of the formulation at 1 and 4 h in human corneal epithelial cells (hTERT-HCECs) and human conjunctival cells (IM-HConEpiC) was determined. Furthermore, osmoprotective activity was tested in a corneal model of hyperosmolar stress. In vivo acute tolerance testing was also carried out in albino New Zealand rabbits by topical application of the ophthalmic formulations every 30 min for 6 h. All the assayed formulations showed suitable physicochemical characteristics for ocular surface administration. The liposomal formulations were well-tolerated in cell cultures and showed osmoprotective activity in a hyperosmolar model. No alterations or discomfort were reported when they were topically administered in rabbits. According to the results, the osmoprotective liposomal formulations developed in this work are promising candidates for the treatment of DED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) is hindered by the low quality and reproducibility of printed parts. In-situ quality monitoring technologies provide early defect detection and correction capability for AM processes and are crucial for part quality assurance. Research on in-situ monitoring and control of AM is exceptionally challenging due to the numerous variations and complex reactions in AM. This study has developed a novel unsupervised recognition model for the quality of parts printed by directed energy deposition (DED). This model consists of a long short-term memory-based autoencoder (LSTM-Autoencoder) and a K-means clustering. The LSTM-Autoencoder automatically extracts features from spectra collected during the DED process, and the K-means clustering model is employed for the deposition quality classification. Experimental verifications are conducted on the quality recognition of Al7075 alloy depositions printed under different conditions by varying the laser power, printing speed, and powder delivery rate. The results show that the proposed method can discern between the unqualified depositions with rough surfaces and high porosity from the qualified depositions correctly. This proposed LSTM-Autoencoder is data-driven and thus may be applied to printing conditions not tested within this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Report efficacy findings from three clinical trials (one phase 2 and two phase 3 [OPUS-1, OPUS-2]) of lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5.0% for treatment of dry eye disease (DED).Research Design and Methods: Three 84-day, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trials. Adults (≥18 years) with DED were randomized (1:1) to lifitegrast 5.0% or matching placebo. Changes from baseline to day 84 in signs and symptoms of DED were analyzed.Main Outcome Measures: Phase 2, pre-specified endpoint: inferior corneal staining score (ICSS; 0-4); OPUS-1, coprimary endpoints: ICSS and visual-related function subscale (0-4 scale); OPUS-2, coprimary endpoints: ICSS and eye dryness score (EDS, VAS; 0-100).Results: Fifty-eight participants were randomized to lifitegrast 5.0% and 58 to placebo in the phase 2 trial; 293 to lifitegrast and 295 to placebo in OPUS-1; 358 to lifitegrast and 360 to placebo in OPUS-2. In participants with mild-to-moderate baseline DED symptomatology, lifitegrast improved ICSS versus placebo in the phase 2 study (treatment effect, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.05-0.65; p = 0.0209) and OPUS-1 (effect, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.10-0.38; p = 0.0007). Among more symptomatic participants (baseline EDS ≥40, recent artificial tear use), lifitegrast improved EDS versus placebo in a post hoc analysis of OPUS-1 (effect, 13.34; 95% CI, 2.35-24.33; nominal p = 0.0178) and in OPUS-2 (effect, 12.61; 95% CI, 8.51-16.70; p < 0.0001).Limitations: Trials were conducted over 12 weeks; efficacy beyond this period was not assessed.Conclusions: Across three trials, lifitegrast improved ICSS in participants with mild-to-moderate baseline symptomatology in two studies, and EDS in participants with moderate-to-severe baseline symptomatology in two studies. Based on the overall findings from these trials, lifitegrast shows promise as a new treatment option for signs and symptoms of DED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]