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Clinical impact of varying the molecular weight of hyaluronic acid in artificial tears – A randomised controlled crossover trial
Full text linkPurpose: To assess the impact of molecular weight of hyaluronic acid, of the same concentration, in artificial tears. Methods: A size exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography system with ultraviolet detection was used to measure hyaluronic acid content and establish a relative molecular weight, based on standardised hyaluronic acid samples. The rheology of HydraMed®, Evolve® and Hylo-Forte® eye drops, which all report containing 0.2 % hyaluronic acid as the principal constituent, was assessed at shear rates of relevance to blink conditions in-vitro, using a research rheometer fitted with a 60 mm aluminium flat plate measuring system at 31 °C. Twenty-five participants (aged 23.6 ± 9.2 years) meeting the TFOS DEWS II criteria for a diagnosis of dry eye disease were randomised to receive one double-masked application of each drop, on separate days. Dry eye symptom severity, non-invasive breakup time, tear meniscus height and ocular redness were assessed at baseline and 5, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 min after application. Results: Rheology demonstrated Hylo-Forte (2.5 M Da, 0.16 % hyaluronic acid) had a more non-linear (non-Newtonian) relationship between viscosity and sheer force (r2 = 0.295) compared to HydraMed (0.8 M Da, 0.26 % hyaluronic acid; r2 = 0.485) and Evolve (1.3 M Da, 0.24 % hyaluronic acid; r2 = 0.521). Dry eye symptoms rapidly reduced and tear stability improved with drop instillation and the effect slowly declined with time (p 0.05). Hylo-Forte demonstrated the greatest reduction in dry eye symptoms and sustained improvement in tear stability. Tear meniscus height increased with drop instillation and then declined with time (F = 18.643, p < 0.001), with Evolve having a reduced initial effect compared to HydraMed and Hylo-Forte (F = 4.045, p < 0.001). Average bulbar redness was low (0.63 ± 0.44 Efron grade) and did not change with drop application (F = 1.721, p = 0.120). Conclusions: Artificial tear formulation impacts its rheology, leading to differences in clinical effectiveness, even from a single application. Higher molecular weight hyaluronic acid in Hylo-Forte demonstrated more non-Newtonian behaviour, which is more aligned with the rheology of the natural tear film
Rengger on War: Conversations, Subversions, Disorientations
No full textKennedy-Pipe’s recent provocation invites us to consider Nicholas J. Rengger’s writings on war in pacifist terms. Rengger’s subversive war scholarship is timely in its disruption of mainstream war narratives: it emphasises the centrality of uncertainty, judgement, and failure in place of the rationalisation, sanitation, and fetishisation of war so prevalent in post-9/11 politics. However, we ultimately disagree with the characterisation of his thought as pacifist and offer an alternative reading of his legacy that frames his interventions as anti-Pelagian and, as such, deeply resistant to theoretically-driven practice. We explore the connections and divergences between Rengger’s writings and critical war and peace studies discourses arguing that although disruptive of mainstream narratives of war and peace, Rengger’s work continues to be predicated on a problematic Eurocentric war/peace binary and a more thoroughgoing commitment to ‘deal in darkness’ would wrestle with the colonial legacies that continue to shape global politics
Evidence for the Additional Health Benefits Associated with Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors when Used for Treating Erectile Dysfunction, with a Focus on Prostate Cancer Patients and Other Associated Conditions
Full text linkErectile dysfunction (ED) affects the majority of prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Although phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) are the first-line treatment for ED and are strongly supported by evidence as safe and effective, they remain underutilised in PCa patients. Furthermore, there is a large evidence base that supports the association of PDE5i with favourable clinical outcomes in several different health conditions that are also often considered co-morbidities for men with PCa. We present this review to examine the evidence on favourable clinical outcomes associated with PDE5i use in a range of urological, cardiovascular, metabolic, and skeletal conditions. In men who have been treated for PCa, these co-morbidities are common and may even be exacerbated by treatment itself. The evidence base suggests that PDE5i could potentially co-treat several comorbidities in men treated for PCa in addition to ED, provided high-quality randomised controlled trials replicate and confirm the findings of observational studies and animal models. If validated, PDE5i may be prescribed in appropriately selected patients and exert its beneficial effects in these men post PCa treatment, not only improving health outcomes but also quality of life
Rapid invisible frequency tagging (RIFT) does not evoke intermodulation components in the neural response
Full text linkThe human visual system performs nonlinear integrative operations at multiple stages of visual information processing. For instance, integrating parts of visual stimuli into a coherent object involves coordinated neural processing along the visual hierarchy. However, it remains uncertain whether visual integration manifests in a nonlinear neural response, particularly through intermodulation components in the power spectrum. In this study, we used a visual motion paradigm combined with rapid invisible frequency tagging (RIFT) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to explore nonlinear characteristics of neural responses associated with visual integration. In this paradigm, two grating patches were moving coherently or incoherently, and were modulated by RIFT at 56 and 63 Hz, respectively. The behavioural results revealed that the participants responded more accurately and faster to probes during coherent compared to incoherent motion. Moreover, the type of motion elicited differential effects on pupil dilation, with significantly larger pupil diameter observed during incoherent motion. To evaluate the neural response to coherent and incoherent motion stimuli, we assessed spectral coherence between MEG and RIFT. We observed a strong coherence at the tagging frequencies (f1 = 56 and f2 = 63 Hz) as well as at the higher harmonics at 112 Hz and 126 Hz, respectively. Importantly we did not observe a response at frequencies of the intermodulation (f2–f1, f2 + f1); nor did we observe a difference when comparing the coherence and incoherent motion. We conclude that in contrast to studies with low-frequency visible tagging, RIFT does not evoke intermodulation components and therefore, its applicability for investigating the neural mechanisms of visual integration might be limited
Development and validation of the Coping with Food Allergy Scales (CoFAS) for children and young people and parents
No full textA Quick Guide to Artificial Intelligence
No full textLet's talk AI. A quick guide to Artificial Intelligence such that we can all understand it better and use it safely to improve our lives
Computational insights into erosion dynamics: Wind speed, particle size, and mass effects on turbine blade degradation
No full textThe durability and efficiency of wind turbines in sandy environments are crucial challenges for the renewable energy sector. Erosion poses a significant threat to these installations’ operational lifespan and economic viability. Understanding the factors influencing erosion rates and the resulting stresses on turbine blades is essential for advancing wind energy as a reliable and cost-effective power source. This study involves the complex dynamics between wind speed, sand particle size, and sand mass fraction, and their combined impact on erosion rate density and stress distribution across wind turbine blades. Through comprehensive computational simulations, the investigation of the erosion patterns from the blade root to the tip is carried out under varying conditions, i.e., wind speeds ranging from 5 to 15 m/s, sand mass fractions from 0.05 to 0.20, and particle sizes from 100 to 1000 μm. The computational study was conducted using a commercial code. The results reveal a direct relationship between increasing wind speeds and the intensification of erosion rate densities, with the blade tip experiencing significantly more erosion than the root. Moreover, higher sand mass fractions were associated with increased erosion rate densities and stresses along the entire blade. The analysis of particle size effects showed that larger particles predominantly induce greater erosion rates, though the largest particles exhibit non-linear behaviour, indicating complex aerodynamic interactions
Effect of type-2 diabetes on surface lipids and biophysical properties in lipoprotein populations
Full text linkSurface lipids in lipoproteins interact with proteins and receptors at the surface of cell membranes, mediating lipoprotein-cell signaling and trafficking events. Despite this, little is known about lipoproteins' surface lipid composition and any changes introduced by type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Herein, we investigate the surface lipid composition in purified VLDL, LDL and HDL populations isolated from patients with poor (PC, HbA1c>8.5%) and good glycemic control (GC, HbA1
Reliability-Based Recycling of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Using a t-Distribution Guarantee Rate Method and a Ternary Composite Rejuvenation System
Full text linkLarge-scale use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is limited by strong gradation variability, uneven recovery of aged asphalt (AA), and an incomplete understanding of the rejuvenation mechanism. This study combines source evaluation, composite rejuvenation, and multi-scale analysis to improve AA recovery. A gradation variability model was developed using the t-distribution, and a reliability-based method was proposed for reclaimed material selection and mix design. Rejuvenator 1 (R1) was identified as the best option, and a ternary composite rejuvenation system was formed using R1, SBS-modified asphalt, and base asphalt (BA). AA performance was assessed using physical and rheological tests, supported by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The t-distribution guarantee rate method quantified RAP gradation fluctuations effectively. At a 90% guarantee rate, the deviation in key sieve pass rates was below 3%, indicating stable sources. In the composite system, 10% R1 restored AA high temperature performance, while adding 30% SBS modified asphalt and BA improved low-temperature crack resistance. The micro analyses showed no new functional groups after rejuvenation. Recovery was mainly driven by physical blending, dilution, and optimisation of the molecular-weight distribution
Summation of contrast across the visual field:A common "fourth root" rule holds from the fovea to the periphery
Full text linkIncreasing the area of grating-like stimuli reduces their contrast detection thresholds. Characterising the visual system's summation rule this way provides insights into early visual architecture. Previous work in the fovea has found linear summation over short distances, consistent with integration within the receptive fields of early cortical neurons. Beyond this range, the benefit of stimulus area is reduced. Here, we investigated whether the same integration rule holds for stimulus elongations centred at different positions across the visual field. We did this for "tiger tail" strips of grating (growing orthogonally to the major axis of the early receptive fields) in the fovea, parafovea (3 deg), and periphery (10.5 deg). The interpretation of results from previous studies has been complicated by variation in local contrast sensitivity across the visual field. We addressed this here by using detailed maps of the inhomogeneity for each participant (their "witch hat") to generate "compensated" stimuli where the stimulus contrast was amplified by the reciprocal of their local sensitivity. Our results followed a common fourth-root summation rule for tiger-tails in the fovea, parafovea, and periphery. We explained this by a "noisy energy" model that combined: i) a "witch hat" sensitivity surface, ii) linear filtering by receptive fields, iii) square-law contrast transduction, and iv) an internal template to direct the observer's attention to the spatial extent of the stimulus. Fitting this model with a single global sensitivity parameter accounted for foveal and parafoveal results (56 thresholds), with one further parameter needed to model the periphery (84 thresholds). [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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