Research works

Crystalline Lens Tilts Less With Higher Myopia in Children With Limited Age-Related Effect

Purpose: To evaluate tilted crystalline lens morphology in children across different orientations and their correlations with age and spherical equivalent (SE). Methods: This cross-sectional study encompassed 966 eyes of 493 children (5-15 years; SE, -6.00 to +3.00 diopters [D])....

Computed tomographic analysis of sinonasal anatomical variations and their role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis

Abstract Background Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent inflammatory disorder of the nose and paranasal sinuses that significantly affects quality of life. Although multiple anatomical variations of the sinonasal region—particularly involving the uncinate process and oste...

“A Bushman Story:” An Opaque Reference to Eugène Marais’s Dwaalstories in Eben Venter’s Decima

Decima, South African bilingual novelist Eben Venter’s most recent and critically acclaimed work, can be described as vintage Venter. As in his other writings, the novel explores questions of the “...

Compensated iron depletion in repeated blood donations: Stability of circulating microRNAs despite reduced ferritin stores

Abstract Background and Objectives Repeated blood donations deplete 200–250 mg of iron per donation. While biochemical consequences on iron stores are well documented, the role of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in maintaining iron homeostasis remains poorly characterized. This st...

Awake craniotomy for drug-resistant non-oncological epilepsy: a systematic review of feasibility, reported safety, and seizure outcomes

Abstract Introduction Complete resection of the epileptogenic zone offers the best chance of seizure control in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. However, surgical management remains challenging when the epileptogenic zone is located within or adjacent to eloquent brain regi...

Multi-level aggregation analysis of microbiome composition and host gene expression reveals associations with systemic and local immunity

ABSTRACT The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in immune regulation, yet the molecular links between microbiome composition and host gene expression remain incompletely understood. We analyzed associations between host gene expression and microbiome composition in a coho...

Ferroptosis and Iron Dyshomeostasis as Drivers of Wound Chronicity in Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies

Background diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) carry 5-year mortality rates of 50%–70% and recurrence rates of 65% at three to five years. Standard-of-care protocols fail to resolve wound chronicity in a substantial proportion of patients, reflecting incomplete understanding of the cellu...

Topographic aspect shapes temperature lapse rates and land–atmosphere energy exchange in global mountains

Mountain regions exhibit complex thermal gradients that regulate land–atmosphere energy exchange, yet the global influence of topographic aspect on temperature lapse rates (LRT) remains poorly characterized. Here, we investigate global LRT patterns and their sensitivity to topogr...

Pulmonary embolism secondary to renal tumor thrombus embolization: a challenging scenario

Pulmonary embolism (PE) may reveal an occult malignancy or complicate the course of an existing cancer. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is highly thrombogenic, especially in the presence of venous extension or tumor thrombus into the renal vein or inferior vena cava. However, PE as a...

Artificial Intelligence for Diagnosis of Esophageal Manometry: A Narrative Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: High-resolution manometry (HRM), the gold standard for diagnosing esophageal motility disorders, remains constrained by inter-rater variability, limited access to expert esophagologists, and inadequate training infrastructure. Many gastroenterology fellowship p...

Integration of Biochar and Rainwater Harvesting to Improve Pearl Millet ( Pennisetum glaucum ) in Semi‐Arid Regions of Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Introduction Crop production has been declining in semi‐arid areas over the past two decades due to several biophysical constraints, including soil infertility and water stress induced by low rainfall. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effects of biocha...

Chirality-induced spin-regulated synaptic dynamics in 2D perovskite memristors for polarimetric neuromorphic computing

Conventional von Neumann architectures face fundamental energy-efficiency bottlenecks, while current optoelectronic neuromorphic devices remain confined to simple optoelectronic responses, unable to leverage continuous physical degrees of freedom such as light polarization for co...

Converging pathomechanisms link SARS-CoV-2 infection with major neurodegenerative diseases

Neurological complications are among typical clinical manifestations, both during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-term post-acute COVID-19 sequelae, i.e., Long COVID. A growing body of evidence connects SARS-CoV-2 infection to systemic inflammation, peripheral im...

Optimization of the Sequence of Computed Tomography Angiography and Perfusion in One-Stop-Shop CT Imaging for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background:In the "one-stop-shop" stroke computed tomography (CT) scanning protocol, CT perfusion (CTP) can be performed either before or after CT angiography (CTA).This study analyzed the effect of different scanning strategies in one-stop-shop stroke CT on CTA image quality and...

Frequency response estimation and equalization for Rydberg atom electro-optic conversion systems

Rydberg atomic receivers (RARs) have emerged as a promising candidate for next-generation wireless communication systems due to their broadband tunability, SI traceability, compact configuration, and omnidirectional reception. Currently, the primary challenge hindering the furthe...

Increased salivary levels of TNF-α and IL-10 in patients with Crohn's disease

Background and objective Salivary cytokines can provide information about oral health and systemic diseases. We aimed to assess the salivary concentration of inflammatory cytokines in outpatients with Crohn's disease (CD) and whether the levels are modified by the presence of per...

Validation of the “purfling sign” for differentiating primary central nervous system lymphoma from high-grade glioma: a retrospective multicenter cohort study

Abstract Background The study aimed to evaluate whether the imaging marker “purfling sign” can reliably distinguish primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) from high-grade glioma and systematically assess its diagnostic performance, differential utility and clinical value...

51. The Relationship Between Executive Functioning and Performance Strengths Compared with Self-Efficacy in Youth Football Players

Abstract Purpose Understand the relationship of youth tackle football players’ self-reported executive functioning (E.F.) and performance strengths with self-confidence in performing safe tackling and blocking technique. Method Participants included 35 male youth football players...

Evaluation of fetal left cardiac function by Tei index at different cardiac cycles: An observational study

OBJECTIVE: The Tei index is widely used to evaluate fetal left cardiac function; however, its clinical application is limited by technical difficulties and inconsistent methodology. This study aimed to validate a new method for measuring left cardiac Tei index using Doppler wavef...

People, Pasture and Plant Use: The Environmental Archaeology of Helgusel Shieling Site, SW-Iceland

Shielings were a vital part of the agricultural system in Iceland for a millennium. They were sites of seasonal habitation where people brought domestic animals for grazing and to spare the infields for haymaking. In this paper, the site of Helgusel shieling in Mosfellsdalur is t...