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The Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in American Indians or Alaska Natives and Non-Indigenous Americans
Full text link\ua9 2025 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Topic: To estimate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in adult American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) and non-AIAN patients with diabetes. Clinical Relevance: Although diabetes mellitus is more prevalent among AIAN patients compared with non-AIAN patients, the evidence is inconsistent regarding whether AIAN patients have a higher prevalence or severity of DR. Methods: We searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from inception through February 23, 2025. We included primary studies evaluating the prevalence of DR in Americans with diabetes. The prevalence of (1) DR, (2) diabetic macular edema (DME), (3) proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), (4) vision-threatening DR (VTDR; including DME, PDR, and severe nonproliferative DR), and (5) PDR complications were estimated. Meta-analyses were performed using Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformations and random-effects modelling. The Joanna Briggs Institute Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies was used to assess risk of bias. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) guidelines were used to assess certainty of evidence. Results: Overall, 53 studies of 10 070 617 individuals were included. In the AIAN and non-AIAN groups, the pooled prevalence of DR was estimated to be 21% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13%–30%; GRADE, low) and 20% (95% CI, 16%–25%; GRADE, low), respectively. The prevalence of PDR was estimated to be 3% (95% CI, 1%–6%; GRADE, low) and 2% (95% CI, 1%–4%; GRADE, low), respectively. The prevalence of DME was estimated to be 3% (95% CI, 2%–4%; GRADE, low) and 3% (95% CI, 2%–4%; GRADE, low), respectively. The prevalence of VTDR was estimated to be 3% (95% CI, 1%–7%; GRADE, low) and 5% (95% CI, 4%–7%; GRADE, low), respectively. High-quality evidence was lacking. Comparative analysis demonstrated that no difference may exist in the rate of DR between AIAN and non-AIAN patients (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.31–1.48; GRADE, low). Discussion No appreciable difference seems to exist in the prevalence of DR between AIAN and non-AIAN patients, although evidence is limited by the heterogeneity of studies. The high disease burden highlights that public health strategies are needed equally for AIAN as well as non-AIAN patients. Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article
Feasibility study of using compatibilizer on sustainable tin by-product filled polypropylene composites for engineering applications
Full text link\ua9 2025 The Authors. Tin slag (TS), a byproduct of the tin extraction process, was employed as a filler in polypropylene (PP), resulting in a sustainable composite with potential technical uses. PP composites containing varying loadings such as 5, 10, and 15 parts per hundred resins (phr) of TS with and without compatibilizers were prepared and tested. Tensile and impact strength were investigated, and PP-TS composites without compatibilizer resulted in 4.3 % and 17.4 % drop in tensile and impact strength compared to pure PP at 5 phr TS loading, respectively. In addition, a comparison study was conducted between PP-TS composites with and without a compatibilizer, as well as Maleic Anhydride Grafted with Polypropylene (MAPP). Also, the use of MAPP compatibilizer resulted in a significant increase in composite tensile strength when compared to uncompatibilized PP-TS composites and pristine PP. Moreover, the tensile strength increased by 6.7 % at 10 phr loading in the PP-TS composite with MAPP compared to the composite without MAPP. On the other hand, MAPP incorporation decreased the impact strength of PP-TS composites. Furthermore, the presence of MAPP in PP-TS composites boosted thermal stability by 12.4 % as well as the composites resistance to thermal deterioration. Meanwhile, the tension fractured surfaces were examined under a scanning electron microscope to determine their failure pattern. Furthermore, the addition of MAPP compatibilizer to PP-TS composites allows for the use of TS as a particulate sustainable reinforcement in PP composites
Predicting adsorption capacities of pharmaceutical pollutants using chemoinformatics and machine learning techniques
No full text\ua9 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025. Pharmaceutical pollutants are increasingly recognized as emerging contaminants in aquatic environments. Their persistence, bioactivity, and resistance to conventional treatment processes raise ecological and human health concerns, including the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Adsorption has emerged as a promising polishing step for their removal, but adsorption capacity (Qe, mg/g) varies widely depending on molecular structure and operational conditions, making predictive modeling essential. In this work, we developed machine learning models to predict adsorption capacities for Aspirin, Caffeine, Carbamazepine, Ketoprofen, Sulfamethoxazole, Nimesulide, and Paracetamol using chemoinformatics descriptors derived from SMILES strings and experimental inputs, including equilibrium concentration (Ce), initial concentration (C0), temperature, and contact time. Feature reduction with LassoCV and multicollinearity analysis yielded a compact, chemically interpretable descriptor set. Support Vector Regression (SVR), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were optimized with Optuna and evaluated using cross-validation. XGB delivered the best predictive performance (R2 = 0.997, RMSE = 2.62 mg/g), outperforming SVR and ANN. SHAP analysis highlighted the influence of charge-partitioned surface areas and nitro functionalities on adsorption outcomes. The best-performing model was deployed in a Streamlit application, enabling predictions of Qe from SMILES and experimental conditions with built-in applicability-domain checks
How are patient-reported pain outcomes associated with biomarker and structural pathology subtypes in knee osteoarthritis? An explorative evaluation in the IMI-APPROACH cohort
Full text link\ua9 2025 The Author(s)Objective: To explore associations between patient-reported pain outcomes and knee osteoarthritis (OA) subtypes based on systemic biochemical markers and joint structural pathology as defined by MRI. Methods: Data were obtained from 297 knee OA patients from the IMI-APPROACH study. Pain outcomes were assessed using the KOOS, WOMAC, ICOAP, NRS, PainDETECT, and a pain diary. Biochemical markers in serum and urine were used to classify patients into systemic biomarker subtypes (low tissue turnover, structural damage, and systemic inflammation) via k-means clustering. Structural pathology subtypes were determined using MRI into an inflammatory, meniscus/cartilage damage, and subchondral bone pathology subtype. Associations between pain measures and subtypes were analyzed using multivariable regression models adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Results: The systemic inflammation biomarker subtype was significantly associated with higher KOOS pain, WOMAC weight-bearing pain, NRS knee pain, and PainDETECT scores (all p ≤ 0.042 and β ≥ 0.12). The low tissue turnover subtype negatively associated with lower KOOS, WOMAC, and ICOAP constant pain (all p ≤ 0.22 and β ≤ −0.13), and the structural damage subtype with lower PainDETECT scores (more nociceptive-like pain; p = 0.046 and β = −0.12). Among MRI subtypes, meniscus/cartilage damage was significantly associated with lower PainDETECT scores (p = 0.005 and β = −0.16). No significant associations were found for the subchondral bone subtype or pain diary outcomes. Conclusion: For commonly used pain questionnaires, pain severity seems linked with inflammatory activity more than structural damage. Structural damage is primarily associated with nociceptive-like pain according to PainDETECT, which might be valuable for patient selection to clinical trials and observational studies
Thermoresponsive multistable origami metastructures with tunable and sign-switchable Poisson\u27s ratio
Full text link\ua9 2025 Elsevier LtdIn recent years, origami-inspired structures with reconfigurable geometries and tunable mechanical properties responsive to external stimuli have garnered significant attention. In this work, we introduce a metastructure inspired by the Morph origami pattern, incorporating bilayer strips as thermoresponsive creases to enable the tuning of its mechanical properties via thermal stimulation. By exploiting the distinct thermal deformation behavior of the bilayer material system, the metastructure can reversibly switch between its eggbox and Miura-ori configurations under heating and cooling, respectively. By combining the bimaterial strip model with a chained beam constraint model, we develop an analytical predictive model to accurately capture the thermal bending response of the thermoresponsive creases and the resulting mechanical properties of the metastructure. Our findings reveal that the proposed metastructure offers a tunable Poisson\u27s ratio with sign-switching capability. Additionally, its multistable behavior can be tailored through the manipulation of initial geometric parameters and regulated by temperature changes. The proposed metastructure holds potential for a wide range of engineering applications, including soft robotics and adaptive systems
Loss of p62 Binding Allows TIF-IA Accumulation in Senescence, Which Promotes Phenotypic Changes to Nucleoli and the Senescence Associated Secretory Phenotype
Full text link\ua9 2025 The Author(s). Aging Cell published by Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.A key characteristic of senescent and ageing cells is a reduction in number and increase in size of nucleoli. Although a number of pathways have been suggested, the mechanisms underlying this altered nucleolar phenotype, and the downstream consequences, remain poorly understood. The PolI complex component, TIF-IA, has previously been implicated in regulating this characteristic nucleolar phenotype in response to stress. Here we explored the role of TIF-IA in senescence and ageing. We show that TIF-IA accumulation, particularly in the nucleus and nucleolus, is an early response to oncogene- and therapy-induced senescence (OIS and TIS) in vitro. Using multiple mouse models, we also demonstrate accumulation of TIF-IA in response to senescence induction and ageing in vivo. We demonstrate that TIF-IA accumulation is not required for cell cycle arrest but that in OIS and TIS, it is essential for phenotypic changes to nucleoli, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and establishment of stable senescence. We demonstrate that in proliferating cells, TIF-IA binds the cargo receptor, p62 (SQSTM1), and that accumulation in senescence occurs as a consequence of ATM activation, which disrupts this interaction. Finally, we show that TIF-IA accumulation causes an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Together, these results establish TIF-IA accumulation as a key regulator of the nucleolar phenotype and the SASP in senescence and uncover a novel, p62-dependent mechanism driving this process. These findings offer significant new insights into nucleolar size regulation in senescence and ageing, and suggest a potential relationship with the inflammatory phenotype
A National Evaluation of Intercostal Chest Drain Removal Strategies
Full text link\ua9 2025 The Author(s)Background: Management of spontaneous pneumothorax often involves intercostal chest drain (ICD) insertion. Determining when to remove the ICD is controversial, with significant variation in practice. Establishing optimal ICD management in pneumothorax could reduce morbidity and improve cost-effectiveness. Research Question: Do ICD removal strategies, including clamping and use of digital air leak devices, impact the risk of pneumothorax recurrence, need for repeat pleural procedures, or length of stay? Study Design and Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients requiring ICD insertion for spontaneous pneumothorax from May 2021 to October 2023. Data were collected on demographics, clinical course, ICD removal strategy, pneumothorax recurrence (early and late), and repeat pleural intervention. Results: A total of 791 admissions from 27 centers were included. The 30-day recurrence of pneumothorax was 13.0% (n = 103). Clamping trials were undertaken in 32.6% of cases (n = 258), but recurrence of pneumothorax was not significantly different in clamped compared with nonclamped groups (14.0% vs 12.6%, respectively; P =. 67). Clamping identified pleural air reaccumulation in 24 episodes (9.3% of the clamped group). Of 234 cases where clamping did not identify air leak, 35 patients (15.0%) developed recurrent pneumothorax. Of the 533 patients whose drains were not clamped, 67 (12.6% of the group) developed recurrence. The median length of stay was 6 (clamped) vs 5 days (nonclamped) (P =. 08). Adverse events associated with clamping were few (n = 6), but included tension pneumothorax (n = 1). Digital air leak devices combined with clamping resulted in the lowest rates of pneumothorax recurrence; however, this approach was rare (n = 24, 0.0% recurrence within 7 days). Interpretation: Our results indicate that recurrent pneumothorax after ICD removal is a common complication. Clamping trials are safe but do not appear to be associated with reduced rates of recurrent pneumothorax. An ultracautious approach using digital air leak devices in combination with clamping could represent a viable strategy in selected patients
Microglial activation is raised in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease and associated with covert memory impairment
Full text linkCopyright \ua9 2026 Kjeldsen, Madsen, Parbo, Ismail, Aanerud, Kaasing, Damholdt, Eskildsen,
8stergaard and Brooks.Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a continuum between normal health and dementia with a long preclinical phase, during which AD pathologies start to emerge, but where there are not yet any overt symptoms. The hallmark pathologies of AD are extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and intra-neuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Aβ deposition is present at the preclinical stage. Additionally, raised microglial activation is a key factor in AD. However, its exact timing and role is still unclear. This exploratory study investigated the prevalence of microglial activation and its association with Aβ deposition and memory impairment in preclinical AD. Methods: A total of 19 preclinical AD subjects with no cognitive complaints but abnormal Aβ deposition present on 11C-Pittsburgh Compound B (11C-PiB PET) and 10 healthy subjects with no cognitive complains or abnormal Aβ deposition on 11C-PiB PET underwent 11C-PK11195 PET (11C-PK). Additionally, the preclinical AD subjects underwent formal cognitive testing with sensitive memory tests, including the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the Rey Complex Figure Test, and the Face-Name Associative Memory Exam. Results: Microglial activation was raised in occipital and parietal cortices in preclinical AD subjects compared to healthy controls (p < 0.01). In the preclinical subjects there were significant positive correlations between Aβ load and microglial activation in parietal areas (p < 0.01). Finally, in the preclinical subjects, there were significant negative correlations between microglial activation and memory test performance in selected cortical areas (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Microglial activation was significantly raised in preclinical AD cases with no cognitive complaints and associated with impaired memory test performance. This suggests that microglial activation is present before overt clinical symptoms emerge and may be detrimental to cognition even at this early stage
Hybrid method and CNN regressor for OCT images to predict visual acuity of retinal occlusion patients after 12 months of treatment
No full text\ua9 Crown 2026.RVO is the second most common retinal vascular disorder. The use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (Anti-VEGF) has been established as the standard of care in cases of RVO; however, many studies show that not all visual gains are maintained beyond the first year and patient responses to anti-VEGF vary. Additionally, the injection carries a risk of sight loss and is very expensive. Although it is yet to be investigated, there would be substantial clinical utility in a means to predict precisely which patients will benefit from injections. This work proposes a novel CNN architecture for prognosis prediction that can assist clinicians in making decisions regarding RVO treatment. A hybrid method using HOG, BLBPs, and GLCM to extract features from OCT images are examined. The regression system is studied by employing separate local feature representations of OCT images. These features are then combined to improve the recognition rate. The hybrid feature provides a good representation of OCT images to complement EMRs and is input to our CNN regressor which foresees VA after one year of treatment. The performance of the system was evaluated by comparison with 11 different specialist ophthalmology registrars, and 1 specialist retina consultant. The mean absolute error using the proposed method suggested equivocal performance with a trend towards model superiority
A Markovian model for football penalty shootout
Full text link\ua9 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.This paper introduces a Markov transition model to analyse the kick-first effects on a football penalty shootout. Two different penalty shootout rules are considered, the ABAB rule currently used in football tournaments and the tennis-type tie-break ABBA rule as an alternative which is tested in the lower level football leagues by UEFA. A likelihood inference approach is used in our real data analysis, for the UEFA Euro2020 final penalty shootout. Both the theoretical results and the simulation studies not only confirm that under the ABAB rule the kick-first team has an advantage over the other team, but also find that the advantage can be gained via the leading score advantage. In addition, this paper shows that such kick-first advantage will become more significant for the teams with a higher penalty scoring probability, i.e. for the teams at the higher leagues. Therefore, our results imply that UEFA ABBA type penalty shootout trials in the lower leagues may not be helpful on comparing the two different rules