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Cystoid Macular Oedema (CMO) is a condition characterized by fluid accumulation in the macular region of the retina, leading to the formation of cyst-like spaces. This edema often results in visual impairment and is associated with various ocular and systemic conditions, including surgery, inflammation, or medication use. The authors present a case where Cystoid Macular Oedema (CMO) occurred after commencing topical bimatoprost in a pseudophakic patient with primary open angle glaucoma. The macular oedema was treated effectively with a combination of non-steroidal and steroidal topical drops. This case report shows a possible correlation between bimatoprost and CMO, in a patient with no recent confounding risk factors known to contribute to CMO . The recommendation from this report is that all patients treated with topical bimatoprost drops should have a baseline macula OCT examination and a repeated OCT examination 8 weeks after initiation of treatment, to facilitate early detection of CMO.

Introduction: Extracellular Traps (ETs) are fibers composed of chromatin and cytoplasmic proteins, which can trap and kill pathogens by the phenomenon called ETosis. They are released by neutrophils, macrophages, and monocytes, and can be found in semen. The aim of this presentation is to evidence of the indirect effect of SARS-CoV-2 in semen by ETs.Patients and methods: Experimental design: retrospective descriptive observational study.Semen samples from two groups were studied following WHO guidelines: 1) SARS-CoV-2 infected donors (n: 5; at 7, 15, 30, 60, and 90 days after PCR diagnosis); 2) COVID-19 positive patients assisted in our laboratory between 2021 and 2022 (n: 70). They were observed in fresh and in Papanicolaou-stained smears by CASA and light microscopy; the presence of macrophages, spermiophages, ETs and hyperviscosity were recorded while neutrophilic concentration was calculated. Two control groups were designed: a) Patients belonging to group 2, studied before de pandemia (n: 13); b) Culture-negative semen samples (n: 28).Results: In the first group, ETs were observed in all the samples, while only 18% had leucospermia. Macrophages, spermiophages, and hyperviscosity were recorded in 68%, 27%, and 36% of the studied cases respectively.In the second group, ETs were present 100% in the acute phase (< 90 days after diagnosis) and decreased to 71% in the later stage (90 to 270 days). The trapped sperm were non-progressive motile or immotile alive or dead.No traps were found in either control group.Conclusion: In our study ETs were the most sensitive seminal marker of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a well-tolerated home renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease. One of the critical points for the success of a PD program is the care of the peritoneal catheter and the exit site. A target for the incidence of infections/year should not exceed 0,40. The aim of the study was to observe whether our exit-site cleansing and dressing method, which involves the application of silver-releasing dressing may be associated with a reduction in the incidence of exit-site infections compared to the data reported in the literature.The data of 51 patients attending the Peritoneal Dialysis DH of the AOU Federico II in Naples in the period between July 2021 and September 2023 were analyzed.Overall, 27670 catheter days were analyzed with an average incidence of 0.23 infections/year/patient. The average incidence (0.23) is lower than the target suggested by the ISPD (0.4 infections/year/patient) and the average estimated in the USA (0.5-0.6 infections/year/patient). The average incidence from 2021 to 2023, equal to 0.23 episodes/year/patient, is therefore lower than the incidence of 2014-2015 (0.38 episodes/year/patient), a two-year period in which we did not use dressings with silver Exit-Pad.The use of Exit-Pad silver ion-releasing dressings Ag may further hinder the development of such infections by reducing the failure of peritoneal treatment and the transition to hemodialysis.

Telemedicine has become widely used, primarily following or during the COVID pandemic. However, it was used a long time ago in specific cases, like submarines and space. Telemedicine has been developed to facilitate diagnosis and treatment in areas without physicians, either because the area is isolated without a medical doctor (as in submarines and space) or because we need expertise. This article is a review using studies selected via PubMed to collect generic knowledge on some technical details on both sides: Earth and Space, where telemedicine activity is regularly provided. The goal was to compare tools, data collected, and ways of improvement in each area. As experienced on both sides, indeed, the author has already worked in the spaceflight area with astronauts as well as doing teleconsultations with patients nowadays, which allows us to see how we could improve the way we are doing teleconsultation on Earth by teaching the users as done with the astronauts in the pre-flight period. It seems telemedicine will still be mandatory for a while because as seen in many countries even out of the scope of isolated area (or very difficult to be accessed (like mountains, desert …), more and more small cities and even bigger are lacking general practitioner (GP) as well as some specialists. Taking into account the time needed to have a functional doctor (for a GP mainly 8 years and for specialists longer, up to 12 years), telemedicine should improve and take a real place in the health system. This review gives a few definitions, also the term telehealth or e-health is widely used. It refers to the use of an internet communication system to transmit data, receive data, communicate in real time, and guide and provide healthcare services to the patient remotely. Improvements in technologies have mainly been done for Earth applications, and tools are becoming smaller and more resistant. The different purposes of using telemedicine are increasing nowadays, and it is not used only because of a lack of physicians but to teach remotely and avoid travel, as well as to have direct access /advice with a specialist. We can find a lot of reasons to use it. Living in space is a real challenge for the human body used to gravity. As explained in a lot of reviews, the body in space loses bone, muscle, and has changes in heart volume and excitability. All the body systems will suffer from microgravity. Other factors impacting the body in space are the high level of ionized radiation, plus isolation. This is why, since the beginning of space flight, the so-called flight surgeon (more GP of the astronaut than a surgeon) is using telemedicine with the astronauts to prevent disease and, in case a medical event happens, to help the astronaut receive a diagnosis and efficient treatment. The actual ISS, International Space Station, allows real-time communication with the astronauts. This will be used for direct discussion or conferences to check the medical/psychological/fitness status. In other cases, remote access can always be done to communicate pictures or movies to provide advice on health or science. Furthermore, some medical tests will be done to guide the astronauts because some tools need real expertise to be interpreted correctly. In that case, eye exam is a good example: an astronaut uses devices following the recommendation of the specialist based on the NASA Console in Houston. Of course, new improvements are needed to facilitate the next challenges of spaceflight, also going a step further beyond LEO (Low Earth Orbit), like doing an interplanetary trip and going to Mars. In that next scenario, to allow the mission where the Earth will not be seen anymore, when the real-time exchange will not be feasible, a new autonomy of the astronauts will be required. As on Earth, space with all technologies like satellite is not only used as for direct health care facility with the astronauts but also in a more preventive way. It is possible to follow changes on the ground, climate changes too, as a witness to a possible new epidemic, and another specific use is to help in locating people. Finally, we see how the way telemedicine is done in space could help improve telemedicine on the ground. First of all, we could improve telemedicine in many ways on Earth for classical consultation by increasing the utilization of simple tools like otoscope and… more in that case we need to train the patient like the astronauts are trained on ground before flying, this has a huge positive effect in allowing easier diagnostic and then better treatment for example when good pictures are provided. The new tools as Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Virtual Reality (VR), on trial if needed for long-duration missions and specifically for missions beyond low Earth orbit, should be beneficial as well on Earth. Maybe the big challenge for Earth’s Telemedicine is increasing the trust in practitioners who are still convinced that this way of providing medicine could be a competitor, and for that reason, they are reluctant to use it. Nowadays, it should become more and more obvious that we need to work on some specific weak points, like security, training in using tools to make sure telemedicine is efficient and useful, where we have a lack of physicians.

Vildagliptin is an orally active, potent, and selective Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, shown to be effective and well tolerated in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) as either monotherapy or in combination with other anti-diabetic agents. Vildagliptin is used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus, typically in conjunction with diet and exercise. Vildagliptin is usually administered orally, with a common dosing regimen of 50 mg twice daily. It can be taken with or without food; however, it is important to take it consistently at the same time each day for optimal effectiveness.This study focuses on the most recent advancements in analytical methods for determining the presence of Vildagliptin in different biological media, such as human plasma and urine, as well as in bulk and commercial dose forms. The following analytical techniques will be fully investigated in this paper: High-pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), High Efficiency Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometry system (LC-MS), and electrophoresis. These techniques include several parameters, such as the following: matrix, dynamic phase composition, permanent phase RF value for sensing frequency, retention duration, DL, carrier gas, flow rate, capillary wavelength, separation voltage, temperature, and pressure.

Digital regression models based on an interactive questionnaire and objectively measured results were used for the investigation of new objective methods of remote monitoring of respiratory patients. 43 patients with COPD and 26 with bronchial asthma were examined in a retrospective-prospective observation study before and after exacerbation in the hospital (the first observation). After that, theywere monitored by a digital system with an interactive questionnaire including results of Smart Watch use and a velometric test at home for at least 6 months. The effectiveness of remote patient monitoring was achieved by changes in the treatment program and rehabilitation. An integrative scale for patient monitoring effectiveness evaluation was used for a comparison study before and after remote monitoring wasstarted (historical control). The results of correlation, regression analysis, and OR calculation showed that new monitoring parameters: velometric test distance, daily steps count, night sleep duration, and the number of night awake ups were dependent on the dyspnea score and FEV1. The system of remote patient monitoring based on a digital model decreased the number of calls for emergency medical care, hospitalizations, and increased the effectiveness score of patient monitoring.

Introduction: Sophisticated technological advancements for the identification of people are readily available in developed countries.  Meanwhile, relatively less expensive algorithms in physical anthropometry could be employed for such identification purposes. Although such evaluations have been done in some countries, due to interpopulation variations, such relations should be ethnic-and sex-specific.  Aim: Therefore, the present study sought to assess the relationship between the long bones of the upper and lower limbs among two ethnic groups in Ghana for stature estimation. Methodology: Using a purposive non-random sampling technique, participants made up of 140 Asantes and 102 Ewes aged 20 to 25 years were recruited after an ethical approval was obtained from the Committee on Human Research, Publication and Ethics, KNUST.  Results: For the same sex, there was no statistically significant difference between Asantes and Ewes concerning height. The most useful parameters for stature estimation among the Asante males were left fibular and tibial lengths, with those of the females being left ulnar, fibular, and radial lengths.  However, for the Ewe males, the most significant parameters for height estimation were right fibular and humeral lengths, whereas for the Ewe females, being right tibial and humeral lengths.  Conclusion: Findings of the study are useful for the identification of humans with dismembered body parts involved in various disasters, such as automobile accidents.  The database and formulae derived would be useful for stature estimation needed in biological profiling and other assessments of bedridden patients.

Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC 15834 wild type strain was transformed with the binary vector pBI121 using the heat shock method. The transformed Agrobacterium was then tested for virulence through tobacco leaf explant transformation. Compared to the non-transformed Agrobacterium, the transformed Agrobacterium showed reduced virulence, producing significantly lower number of hairy roots in tobacco leaf explants. Although the transformed Agrobacterium showed reduced virulence, it was able to transfer the T-DNA of the binary vector into the plant genome, resulting in stable GUS expression in the generated hairy roots. This indicated that in addition to the transfer DNA (T-DNA) from its root inducing (Ri) plasmid, the transformed Agrobacterium is also capable of transferring the binary vector T-DNA and allowing the integration of a foreign gene. Results also showed that hairy root generation efficiency of the transformed Agrobacterium varied with the concentration of the selection agent (kanamycin). Hairy root generation efficiency (hairy roots·explant-1) progressively increased with decreasing concentrations of kanamycin; and the efficiency was highest in the absence of kanamycin. Generated hairy roots showed very strong to tiny GUS expression even those that grew under the highest concentration of the kanamycin (50 mg·L-1). This indicated that co-transformation and efficient transgene expression does not always occur.

Based on relevant dietary guidelines, this project developed a Low-GI Rice Bread using high resistant starch rice (RS = 7.12%, GI = 63.24) as the main raw material. Ancient stone grinding was adopted for raw material processing to reduce nutrient loss and GI. Through the complementary combination of egg protein, plant protein, and milk protein, the product’s protein content of 25.7% meets the standard for claiming high protein in products. Its GI is 47, belonging to low-GI food. It is convenient to carry and eat, with balanced nutrition, responding to the national diet call, and helping reduce medical burdens.