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Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery: Is It Here to Stay?
No full textThe advent of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) has expanded the treatment options available for glaucoma by providing options for reducing intraocular pressure without the serious complication profile associated with incisional glaucoma surgery. MIGS devices aim to enhance aqueous outflow through the trabecular pathway or to bypass this pathway with drainage of fluid into the suprachoroidal or subconjunctival spaces. Having a wide range of glaucoma treatment options available helps tailor treatment to patients' individual intraocular pressure targets and aetiologies of glaucoma. This review will describe the categories and mechanisms of MIGS, comment on their relative efficacies, safety data, advantages and limitations and explore potential future changes in the glaucoma treatment paradigm in relation to MIGS
POS0942 QUANTIFYING THE PREVALENCE OF DISORDERS OF GUT BRAIN INTERACTION IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS
No full textImproving descriptive reporting of suicidal ideation: A call for comprehensive metrics
No full textSuicidal ideation is a critical risk factor and intervention target in suicide prevention research, yet its descriptive reporting remains inconsistent. Most studies report prevalence rates or mean scores, often omitting the conditional mean, the average score specifically among those experiencing suicidal ideation. This limits our ability to assess the true severity of ideation in affected populations and hampers cross-study comparability. We propose a standardised approach to descriptive reporting incorporating three key metrics: overall mean, conditional mean, and prevalence rate. These metrics provide a more comprehensive picture of the extent, severity, and prevalence of suicidal ideation. Where only categorical responses are available, we recommend reporting both prevalence and the full breakdown of response categories to preserve interpretability. The adoption of these standards would improve the precision of meta-analyses, enable more meaningful comparisons across studies, and support the development of targeted, evidence-based interventions. We call on researchers, journal editors, and reviewers to implement this reporting standard to strengthen the empirical foundation of suicide prevention efforts
Tactile stimulation by humans: Do pigs prefer scratching or stroking?
No full textScratching and stroking are tactile interactions used to improve the animal-human relationship and reduce stress in pigs. Both interactions resemble behaviours from the behavioural repertoire of pigs and have been applied in previous studies. To investigate the relative efficacy of these tactile interactions in eliciting positive emotions, we examined pigs’ preferences for one of these interactions. Twelve recently inseminated gilts habituated to human contact were trained to discriminate between two handlers standing in two different locations in their home pen. One handler was providing stroking, the other one scratching. After 5 weeks of training, the pigs were tested for their preference. According to the preference index calculated based on the time the pigs spent being stroked and scratched, they did not significantly prefer one type of contact (p = 0.182, preference index median = 0.09, with −1 indicating an absolute preference for stroking and 1 an absolute preference for scratching). There was no significant difference between how often the pigs chose to approach the scratching or the stroking handler (p = 0.115, median scratching = 3.0, median stroking = 1.5), and neither did they approach one of them significantly earlier than the other (day 1: p = 0.126, median of difference between latency to approach scratching handler and latency to approach stroking handler = −55 s; day 2: p = 0.148, median of difference between latencies = −27 s). We did not find evidence for a general preference of one type of contact over the other. To improve the animal-human relationship, it might thus be most efficient to offer both types of tactile contact and adjust the contact depending on the pig’s behaviour indicative of enjoyment
Quality work in the future: New directions via a co-evolving sociotechnical systems perspective
No full textWe face the situation of radical change in work due to advances in AI and related digital technologies, with uncertainty about how this change will affect workers’ opportunities for meaningful work designs, as well as the flow-on effects for worker well-being, health, skills and productivity. A ‘technocentric fallacy’ assumes that technology itself is the primary driver of successful digital transformation. Yet we have learned from history that technological considerations alone are insufficient for human well-being and productivity. The long-established sociotechnical systems theory of work design advocates that the social aspects of work (e.g. leadership, culture, task allocations) and technical aspects of work (e.g. AI, robots) need to be jointly optimised to achieve quality work. In this article, we expand this theoretical approach to fit current challenges, and to enable its wider-scale application. Our team of social and technical scholars propose a ‘co-evolving’ sociotechnical systems’ (CeSTS) approach to the design, implementation, and use of digital technology in work contexts. CeSTS expands thinking across time and across levels of analysis to create a more proactive, and ultimately more balanced, approach. Achieving CeSTS requires interdisciplinary collaboration, methods that can track dynamic and emergent change, and a multi-stakeholder approach that both informs research and shapes change in work. Altogether, the radical changes in technology demand an equally radical shift in how scholars investigate, and ultimately help to shape, future work.
JEL Classification:
03
Improved diagnosis of COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis with cardiac scarring identified by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
No full textBACKGROUND: Myocarditis is a rare but potentially serious complication of COVID-19 vaccination. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging can identify cardiac scar, which may improve diagnostic accuracy and prognostication. We sought to define the incidence of long-term LGE post COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis (C-VAM) and to establish the additive role of CMR in the diagnostic workup of this condition. METHODS: Patients with Brighton Collaboration Criteria Level 1 (definite) or Level 2 (probable) C-VAM were prospectively recruited from the Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination In the Community database to undergo CMR at least 6 months after diagnosis. As there were limited patients with access to baseline CMR, prior CMR results were not included in the initial case definition. The presence of LGE at follow-up CMR was then integrated into the diagnostic algorithm, and the reclassification rate (definite vs probable) was calculated. RESULTS: 67 patients with C-VAM (mean age 30±13 years, 72% male) underwent CMR evaluation. The median time from vaccination to CMR was 548 (range 398-603) days. 20 patients (30%) had LGE. At diagnosis, nine patients (13%) were classified as definite and 58 (87%) as probable myocarditis. With the integration of CMR-LGE data, 16 patients (28%) were reclassified from probable to definite myocarditis. CONCLUSION: LGE on CMR occurred in one-third of patients with C-VAM. Without CMR at the time of diagnosis, almost one-third of patients are misclassified as probable rather than definite myocarditis, indicating a diagnostic strategy using echocardiography alone is insufficient
Molecular basis of ligand binding and receptor activation at the human A3 adenosine receptor
No full textAdenosine receptors (ARs: A1AR, A2AAR, A2BAR, and A3AR) are crucial therapeutic targets; however, developing selective, efficacious drugs for them remains a significant challenge. Here, we present high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the human A3AR in three distinct functional states: bound to the endogenous agonist adenosine, the clinically relevant agonist Piclidenoson, and the covalent antagonist LUF7602. These structures, complemented by mutagenesis and pharmacological studies, reveal an A3AR activation mechanism that involves an extensive hydrogen bond network from the extracellular surface down to the orthosteric binding site. In addition, we identify a cryptic pocket that accommodates the N6-iodobenzyl group of Piclidenoson through a ligand-dependent conformational change of M1745.35. Our comprehensive structural and functional characterisation of A3AR advances our understanding of adenosine receptor pharmacology and establishes a foundation for developing more selective therapeutics for various disorders, including inflammatory diseases, cancer, and glaucoma.10.1038/s41467-025-62872-
Visceral afferent training in action: The origins of agency in early cognitive development
No full textThe foetal period constitutes a critical stage in the construction and organisation of the mammalian nervous system. In recent work, we have proposed that foetal brain development is structured by bottom-up (interoceptive) inputs from spontaneous physiological rhythms such as the heartbeat (Corcoran et al., 2023). Here, we expand this 'visceral afferent training' hypothesis to incorporate the development of top-down (allostatic) control over bodily states. We conceptualise the emergence of cardiac regulation as an early instance of sensorimotor contingency learning that scaffolds the development of agentic control. We further propose that the brain’s capacity to actively modify and regulate the afferent feedback it receives through interoceptive channels – and to parse these signals into their self-generated (reafferent) and externally-generated (exafferent) components – is crucial for grounding the distinction between self and other. Finally, we explore how individual differences in the ways these training regimes are implemented (or disrupted) might impact developmental trajectories in gestation and infancy, potentiating neurobehavioural diversity and disease risk in later life
Investigating Opportunities in Crowd-Shipping by Parcel Receivers: A Behavioural Analysis
No full textThis paper investigates the idea of hiring parcel receivers for more effective e-commerce Last Mile Delivery (LMD), specifically within Crowd-Shipping (CS) initiatives that utilise alternative delivery points such as parcel lockers. The potential of such a concept is operationally important, particularly when receivers are increasingly interested in receiving parcels (either at their doorstep or at an alternative location) via new LMD initiatives. Therefore, this study proposes a new form of an in-service crowd, called at-locker receivers, who are willing to deliver parcels from lockers to their neighbours when they pick their own items from such facilities. To effectively plan such a system, assessing CS delivery job attractiveness from the perspective of at-locker receivers is crucial. Accordingly, we surveyed citizens within the Sydney Metropolitan Area and modelled at-locker receivers’ intention to participate in the program (i.e., participation model) and their likelihood of accepting CS tasks (i.e., acceptance model). Our analysis reveals, while demographic factors are important, familiarity with parcel lockers, frequency of home delivery, and their attitude towards sustainability are important factors influencing people’s willingness to participate in the program. Furthermore, we developed an acceptance model using a Latent Class (LC) choice structure, which identified two major classes among the respondents: Class 1 (conditionally enthusiastic users) and Class 2 (hesitant users). Class 1 exhibits a greater propensity for CS tasks, particularly among part-time employees with parcel locker experience and with middle-to-high level income. Class 2, though initially hesitant, may respond favourably to increased incentives. Analysis of willingness-to-accept (WTA) reveals distinct compensation preferences between clusters, emphasising the importance of tailored compensation structures
A coupled chemical-electro-mechanical model for multi-ion corrosion-induced degradation in offshore reinforced concrete: Development and potential for residual life assessment
No full textReinforced concrete (RC) structures degrade over time throughout their service life. Particularly, offshore RC structures are vulnerable to premature deterioration due to rebar corrosion and cracking of the concrete cover, caused by exposure to multiple aggressive ions such as sulphate, chloride, and carbon dioxide. Although much effort has been spent to understand the fundamental corrosion mechanism of RC structures, the synergistic effects of the multiple aggressive ions attack under marine environment have not been fully understood. In the present study, a coupled chemical-electro-mechanical model was developed to predict the residual life of offshore RC structures by assessing the corrosion rate of reinforcement embedded inside the structures. The model integrates the synergistic effects of chloride, sulphate, and carbonation on both the concrete cover and embedded reinforcement based on the critical failure indicators defined in the code of practice, such as the remaining bond area and the residual rebar diameter. The model predictions agree with experimental observations reasonably well. It demonstrates that multi-ion corrosion caused in marine environments could significantly reduce the residual life of the RC structures by around 70 % compared to that in inland environments through accelerating internal stress development and depassivation of the protective layer around the reinforcement. Furthermore, the model is applied to quantify the impact of different protective strategies on corrosion behaviour. In terms of cover depth, a 10 % increase extends the service life of the RC panel by 18 %, primarily by delaying the initiation of rebar corrosion. In contrast, aggregate surface treatment—particularly with silica fume—not only achieves a remarkable delay in corrosion initiation but also significantly reduces the subsequent rebar corrosion rate, resulting in up to a 62 % increase in service life and a 45 % reduction in the average rebar corrosion rate. These findings highlight the superior effectiveness of aggregate surface treatment in enhancing long-term durability of the RC panel