Browse Articles
Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Accuracy of labeled THC potency across flower and concentrate cannabis products
Comparison of visual functions among early and late onset myopia
Abstract Early-onset myopia (EOM) progresses more rapidly and sets a higher risk of developing high myopia, whereas late-onset myopia (LOM) is typically associated with lower refractive error. However, differences in visual function between these groups remain underexplored. This cross-sectional study compared high-contrast visual acuity, low-contrast visual acuity, contrast sensitivity function (CSF), blur perception, and depth of focus in individuals with EOM and LOM. Twenty participants (10 EOM, 10 LOM) aged 18–35 years with myopia ranging from − 0.50 to − 6.00 D were included. Visual function assessments were conducted using MATLAB and PsychoPy software, with all measurements taken under full-distance spectacle correction. While high-contrast and low-contrast visual acuity showed no significant differences, CSF parameters showed significant differences. The area under the curve, peak spatial frequency, and cutoff spatial frequency were significantly lower in EOM than in LOM (p = 0.019, 0.032, and 0.005, respectively). Blur perception thresholds also varied, though statistical significance was not reached. These findings suggest that individuals with EOM may show compromised contrast sensitivity, possibly affecting their overall visual quality. Understanding these functional differences can help in developing targeted interventions for myopia management, ensuring personalized approaches to optimize visual performance across different onset groups.
Construction and validation of the prosocial adolescent risk-taking questionnaire (PAR-Q)
Integrating multi-omic data to identify key genes and pathways involved in rice bacterial leaf streak disease
Cross-language dissemination of Chinese classical literature using multimodal deep learning and artificial intelligence
Introducing electric spring in the voltage frequency regulation of a multi area multi source integrated power system network
Abstract The present work demonstrates the application of an electric spring in a multi-source interconnected power system in which coordinated control of frequency and voltage loop is investigated. A two-area power system is considered with non–linearity for the thermal power system, such as generation rate constraint and governor dead band, so that the developed model is realistic. A novel cascade controller, namely a two–degree–of–freedom proportional–integral–derivative controller cascaded with a proportional–integral–derivative controller (2DOFPID–PID), is utilized for the first time for reducing the area control error to zero in both the control areas. A powerful algorithm known as the Golden Jackal Algorithm (GJA) is considered for tuning the controller parameters and achieving the minimum performance index. System dynamic responses are observed for the coordinated automatic load frequency control and automatic voltage regulator during step load perturbations and random load perturbations. Selection of the best performance index (PI) among integral of squared error (ISE), integral of time multiplied by absolute error (ITAE), integral of time multiplied by squared error (ITSE), and Integral of absolute error (IAE) proves that ITAE serves the best among others. To model an AC/DC bus, system responses are also investigated with a parallel AC/DC link that depicts satisfactory results in terms of overshoot, undershoot, and settling time. Modelling of the electric spring in the proposed system is integrated to check the terminal voltage deviation and frequency deviation, and mitigate them. Results show reduced generator terminal deviation in both the control areas. Comparison of different powerful algorithms with the proposed one infers the superiority of the proposed golden jackal algorithm with reference to the performance index vs. number of iterations.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards primary aldosteronism among healthcare workers in Shanxi province: a multi-center cross-sectional study
Indirect to direct band gap transition and excellent optical properties in novel MoSi2N4-BP bilayer and trilayer vdW heterostructures
Multilevel thresholding of color images using globally informed artificial bee colony algorithm
2D Ruddlesden–Popper X-FPEA2PbI4 perovskites for highly stable PeLED with improved opto-electro-mechanical properties
Mediating role of sleep quality in the relationship between diabetes mellitus and visual function: a cross-sectional study
Exploring the toxicological effects of DOTP exposure on periodontitis by combining molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations
In vivo study of intraoral scanner trueness in partial edentulism
Improving education in perinatal mental health, a participatory qualitative analysis
Effect of endovascular management and anticoagulation alone on acute deep venous thrombosis in patients with inferior vena cava thrombosis
A comparative study of the effectivity of MSC-based, NP-based and combined therapies in an experimental model of NaIO3-induced retinal degeneration
Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent the promising options for retinal therapy and combined therapy with nanoparticles (NPs) could currently provide increased immunoregulatory and neuroprotective effects. Therefore, we tested the effect of silver (Ag)NPs on the properties of MSCs in an experimental model of chronic retinal degeneration. The results showed that simultaneous administration had no effect on the survival of MSCs, but a less effective local regulation of Iba-1 expression compared to MSC- or AgNP-only treated groups was observed. In addition, MSCs applied alone or in combination with AgNPs and sorted from the degenerated retina had increased expression of genes for retinal markers (rhodopsin, S-antigen, recoverin), and for TGF-β and IGF-1. These effects were confirmed also on protein level by increased production of IGF-1 and proportion of rhodopsin+ MSCs. Nevertheless, the increased expression of the gene for GDNF was observed only in the MSCs combined with AgNPs. Regarding the immune response, the application of MSCs with AgNPs triggered increased expression of the IL-6 gene in the CD45 cells separated from the retina. In conclusion, applications of MSCs or AgNPs, as a single therapy, were able to modulate the inflammation. However, the combined applications decreased the immunomodulatory effects of MSCs or AgNPs.
Study of biochar in cementitious materials for developing green concrete composites
Response to therapy with direct antiviral drugs in HCV-infected patients with diabetes
Abstract The clinical and metabolic interactions between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and diabetes mellitus (DM) are well documented. The study aimed to compare HCV-infected patients with and without DM. The analysis included 18,968 patients treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) between 2015 and 2023, whose data were collected retrospectively. In the study population, 2179 patients (11.5%) were diagnosed with DM. Compared to the non-diabetic population, they were male-dominated (p = 0.003), had a significantly higher proportion of patients aged ≥ 50 years (p < 0.001), and were more burdened with comorbidities (p < 0.001). The most common HCV genotype was 1b with a significantly higher prevalence in the diabetic group (p < 0.001). Liver disease advancement was higher in diabetic patients, with 17.9% advanced fibrosis and 48% cirrhosis compared to 13.2% (p < 0.001) and 21.8% (p < 0.001) in the non-diabetic population. The effectiveness of DAA therapy in patients with DM was significantly lower compared to the population without diabetes, both in intent-to-treat analysis 93.1% vs. 94.6%, p = 0.015, and per-protocol analysis 96.8% vs. 97.7%, p = 0.0128, however, logistic regression analysis did not confirm the role of diabetes as an independent predictor of treatment failure, suggesting that in the absence of other negative prognostic factors, DM alone does not reduce the chances of cure.
Ox-LDL induces a non-inflammatory response enriched for coronary artery disease risk in human endothelial cells
Abstract Oxidised low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (ox-LDL) is critical in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. While excessive atherogenic lipids in the arterial intima can trigger endothelial dysfunction in advanced lesions, the response of endothelial cells to ox-LDL in the early stages of atherogenesis remains unclear. Here, we conducted a comprehensive, genome-wide multi-omics characterisation of the cellular response to ox-LDL in primary human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Our results reveal that the exposure of HAECs to ox-LDL leads to pathogenic changes in metabolism, transcriptome and epigenome, but in the absence of a typical inflammatory endothelial phenotype. An integrative analysis implicates the role of AP-1, NFE-2 and CEBP transcription factors in regulating ox-LDL-induced transcription. We further demonstrate that ox-LDL activates endothelial cell migration through the epigenomic rewiring of transcription factor binding. Notably, these ox-LDL-induced dynamic binding sites are enriched for the genetic risk of coronary artery disease, enabling the discovery of the gene-environment interaction of rs62172376 and ox-LDL at the CALCRL / TFPI locus. Collectively, our findings provide an unbiased understanding of the transcriptional regulation in endothelial cells in response to ox-LDL, together with its interaction with the genetic element of coronary artery disease.