Nevin Manimala

Eur J Ophthalmol. 2025 Feb 21:11206721251314541. doi: 10.1177/11206721251314541. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Myopia is a refractive error where distant objects are not clearly seen and appear blurred. Goal of this study was to evaluate long-term effectiveness of Repeated Low-Level Red Light (RLRL) therapy for children with myopia, which primarily focused on Axial length (AL) and Spherical Equivalent Refraction (SER) as primary endpoints.

METHODS: The research compared outcomes between RLRL treatment with Single Vision Spectacles (SVS) for childhood myopia management. We performed a systematic literature search in the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases using “Myopia” and ” Repeated Low-Level Red Light “. Mean differences (MD) were estimated and the effects of therapies measured. Publication bias and heterogeneity analysis were carried out by Inverted Precision Effect Test-Precision Effect Estimate Standard Error (PET-PEESE) (and subsequent Search Sequential Analysis) and Tau test. Bayesian meta-analysis was performed using Jaffrey Amazing Statistical Package (JASP).

RESULTS: This meta-analysis comprised 1,714 participants: 824 in RLRL and 890 in SVS group. Pooled effect size for AL reduction was 0.953 ± 0.294, (95% credible interval (CI) 0.775 to 0.980). Pooled effect size for SER reduction was 1.521 ± 0.662 (95% CI 0.102 to 2.736). PET-PEESE analysis revealed no significant publication bias (p-value 0.407). Random effects models were employed for presence of significant heterogeneity (3.9 and 5.7 for AL; 5.7 for SER), alongside degree of variation (0.828 & 1.665) for Tau (τ), which estimates the between-study variance.

CONCLUSION: Long-term observations indicate that RLRL treatment significantly influences myopia management, leading to considerable reductions in both AL and SER. Additional research is essential to investigate potential long-term rebound effects.

PMID:39981627 | DOI:10.1177/11206721251314541

Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2025 Feb 21:ncaf012. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncaf012. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The UKHSA radon detectors with polyallyldiglycol carbonate sensing material produced from 2010 onward were used to confirm that they are purely radon detectors only with negligible interference from thoron presence. The statistical analysis of results, after following standard detector processing procedures, showed that such devices can only detect 2.4% ± 0.3% of the total thoron activity concentration compared to the calibrated reference device. It was also demonstrated that thoron, unlike radon, can only travel a very short distance from the source to be effectively measured. Based on the above, it has been concluded that interference of thoron in radon measurement is negligible (within the statistical measurement error), and hence can be ignored in standard indoor and outdoor measurements.

PMID:39981623 | DOI:10.1093/rpd/ncaf012

Cancer Med. 2025 Feb;14(4):e70651. doi: 10.1002/cam4.70651.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze disease cost levels among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, examining differences in disease costs between those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and those without T2DM while considering various demographic characteristics.

METHODS: The study included respondents from colorectal cancer patients diagnosed and managed within the population-based cancer registry system of the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2020 to 2022. Diabetic colorectal cancer cases were matched with nondiabetic colorectal cancer controls using propensity scores, maintaining a 1:1 ratio between cases and controls; bias for the majority of the matched variables is below 10%. Direct, indirect, and intangible costs were estimated for study subjects.

RESULTS: After propensity score matching, the analysis encompassed 376 cases of T2DM-related CRC and 376 non-T2DM CRC cases. The T2DM group exhibited higher direct medical costs (¥57,059.65 vs. ¥48,933.93, p < 0.05), direct nonmedical costs (¥9292.45 vs. ¥7969.35), indirect costs (¥300.13 vs. ¥241.11), intangible costs (¥3601.70 vs. ¥2631.96), and total disease costs (¥70,253.93 vs. ¥59,776.36, p < 0.05) compared to the non-T2DM group. In Stage II CRC, direct medical costs were ¥74,008.39 for the T2DM group versus ¥57,368.84 for the non-T2DM group. Among surgical patients, direct medical costs were ¥57,658.81 for the T2DM group versus ¥1337.00 for the non-T2DM group, and ¥49,061.52 for the non-T2DM surgical group versus ¥1089.00 for the non-T2DM nonsurgical group.

CONCLUSION: Colorectal cancer imposes a substantial economic burden. Patients with CRC and concurrent T2DM experience a higher economic burden compared to nondiabetic patients. Notably, individuals with both T2DM and Stage II cancer face a significantly higher economic burden, whereas surgical patients exhibit a significantly greater disease burden than nonsurgical patients. Efforts should concentrate on primary prevention and secondary prevention to alleviate the economic burden associated with colorectal cancer.

PMID:39981614 | DOI:10.1002/cam4.70651

Bipolar Disord. 2025 Feb 21. doi: 10.1111/bdi.70012. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The link between ventricular enlargement and asymmetry with other indices of brain structure remains underexplored in individuals with bipolar (BD) and depressive (DD) disorders. Our study compared the lateral ventricular size, ventricular asymmetry, and cortical myelin content in individuals with BD versus those with DD versus healthy controls (HC).

METHODS: We obtained T1w and T2w images from 149 individuals (age = 27.7 (SD = 6.1) years, 78% female, BD = 38, DD = 57, HC = 54) using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The BD group consisted of individuals with BD Type I (n = 11) and BD Type II (n = 27), while the DD group consisted of individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 38) and persistent depressive disorder (PDD, n = 19) Cortical myelin content was calculated using the T1w/T2w ratio. Elastic net regularized regression identified brain regions whose myelin content was associated with ventricular size and asymmetry. A post hoc linear regression examined how participants’ diagnosis, illness duration, and current level of depression moderated the relationship between the size and asymmetry of the lateral ventricles and levels of cortical myelin in the selected brain regions.

RESULTS: Individuals with BD and DD had larger lateral ventricles than HC. Larger ventricles and lower asymmetry were observed in individuals with BD who had longer lifetime illness duration and more severe current depressive symptoms. A greater left asymmetry was observed in participants with DD than in those with BD (p < 0.01). Elastic net revealed that both ventricular enlargement and asymmetry were associated with altered myelin content in cingulate, frontal, and sensorimotor cortices. In BD, but not in other groups, ventricular enlargement was related to altered myelin content in the right insular regions.

CONCLUSIONS: Lateral ventricular enlargement and asymmetry are linked to myelin content imbalance, thus potentially leading to emotional and cognitive dysfunction in mood disorders.

PMID:39981613 | DOI:10.1111/bdi.70012

J Clin Ultrasound. 2025 Feb 21. doi: 10.1002/jcu.23940. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation among semi-quantitative scoring of blood flow by superb microvascular imaging (SMI), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum uric acid (SUA) levels in different gout duration.

METHODS: 103 patients (total 157 affected joints) with clinically confirmed acute gout attack from January 2021 to May 2022 were performed with laboratory tests (hs-CRP, ESR, SUA), routine joint ultrasound scanning, along with semi-quantitative scoring of SMI, and correlations between which were analyzed.

RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in semi-quantitative scoring of SMI in the affected joints between different disease duration. The differences between SMI scoring in gouty tophi, synovial hyperplasia, and the levels of different hs-CRP and ESR subgroups of the affected joints were statistically significant (p < 0.05). R values between SMI scoring in synovial hyperplasia as well as gouty tophi and hs-CRP levels were 0.711 and 0.579, respectively, and those of ESR were 0.430 and 0.418, respectively, while those of SUA levels were -0.227 and 0.120, respectively.

CONCLUSION: With a prolonged progression of gout, hs-CRP and ESR levels amplify, along with a concurrent intensification in the SMI scorings of blood flow signals in the affected joints (grades 2 and 3). In the acute gout attack, SMI blood flow scoring showed a moderate correlation to hs-CRP, a low correlation to ESR, and no correlation to SUA, among which the best correlation was found between SMI scoring and hs-CRP levels in the synovial hyperplasia.

PMID:39981591 | DOI:10.1002/jcu.23940

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Feb 21. doi: 10.1002/acr.25510. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Estimate the prevalence of allergic, neurodevelopmental, and autoimmune diagnoses in children born to anti-Ro antibody positive mothers.

METHODS: A cohort study of children born to anti-Ro antibody positive mothers followed in the Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus clinic (NLE) at SickKids Hospital. Participants ≥ 1 year of age were invited to complete a health status questionnaire. Prevalence of allergic, neurodevelopmental, and autoimmune disease diagnoses were compared between from the NLE cohort and the non-NLE population-based CHILD Cohort Study. Descriptive statistics were used for demographics, NLE manifestations and outcomes. Fisher’s exact tests compared the prevalence of diagnoses between subgroups. We tested the association between allergies and neurodevelopmental conditions and NLE with logistic regression models. A P-value of <0.006 was considered significant.

RESULTS: We included 321 participants with anti-Ro antibody positive mothers. Median age at survey completion: 6 years, 51% female, 50% (n=162) NLE. No significant difference in any disease prevalence between children with and without NLE manifestations (p = 0.57) nor between children born to mothers with and without a rheumatic disease (p = 0.11). Disease prevalence was similar between the NLE and CHILD cohorts, allergic disease 30% vs 22%, p= 0.25, neurodevelopmental conditions 5% vs 2%, p=0.45, autoimmune disease 4% vs 2%, p=0.68.

CONCLUSIONS: In a large, multiethnic cohort of infants born to anti-Ro antibody positive mothers, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of allergic, neurodevelopmental, or autoimmune diseases between children with and without NLE, nor between those born to anti-Ro antibody positive mothers and a population-based, non-NLE cohort.

PMID:39981584 | DOI:10.1002/acr.25510

Chin Med J (Engl). 2025 Feb 21. doi: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000003549. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Visual input significantly influences cerebral activity related to locomotor navigation, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze the effects of chronic visual impairment and its rehabilitation on sensorimotor integration during level walking in patients with age-related cataract.

METHODS: This prospective case series enrolled 14 female patients (68.4 ± 4.7 years) with age-related cataract, scheduled for consecutive cataract surgeries at the Department of Ophthalmology in Peking University Third Hospital from June 2019 to June 2020. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals during level walking were recorded using a portable EEG system before and 4 weeks after visual restoration. Walking speed was assessed using the Footscan system. Spectral power of the theta and alpha bands was analyzed with repeated-measures analysis of variance, with Assignment (rest and walking), Phase (preoperative and postoperative), and Electrode sites (F3, Fz, F4, O1, and O2) as within-subject factors.

RESULTS: Compared to the visual impairment state, theta band power significantly decreased after visual restoration (13.16 ± 1.58 μV2vs. 23.65 ± 3.48 μV2, P = 0.018). Theta activity was notably reduced during walking (17.24 ± 2.43 μV2vs. 37.86 ± 6.62 μV2, P = 0.017), while theta power at rest was not statistically significant difference between the two phases (9.44 ± 1.24 μV2vs. 9.08 ± 1.74 μV2, P = 0.864). Changes in walking speed were correlated with alterations in theta power at O1 (r = -0.574, P = 0.032) and O2 (r = -0.648, P = 0.012) during rest. Alpha band power remained stable during walking and was unaffected by visual status.

CONCLUSIONS: Chronic visual impairment from age-related cataract triggers enhanced cerebral activation of sensorimotor integration to compensate for visual decline during locomotion. This cerebral over-activation is effectively alleviated by visual restoration.

PMID:39981564 | DOI:10.1097/CM9.0000000000003549

Ecol Evol. 2025 Feb 20;15(2):e71013. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71013. eCollection 2025 Feb.

ABSTRACT

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that infects cervid species by direct and environmental transmission and is invariably fatal. CWD spread can be promoted by the attraction of animals to “hotspots” such as hay bales and grain bags stored in fields and at farm sites. The density and location of hotspots may impact contact rates. We used an individual-based movement model of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to investigate the effects of density and configuration of hotspots (hereafter artificial attractants, AA) on contact rates at a constant density of 1 deer/km² during winter. The model tracks when two deer from the same or different groups come into contact under 6 AA densities (0-1 AA/km²) and 6 AA configurations. We compared placing AA randomly versus clustered around farms, and removing them randomly versus biased by proximity to preferred habitat. Overall, the number of unique contacts per individual and the number of unique deer visiting an AA increased, and the number of AAs used by each deer decreased as AA density declined. Selectively removing field attractants near preferred habitat resulted in a larger increase in contacts per deer, with deer contacting more and different individuals, fewer deer using the remaining AA, and fewer visits per AA than random removal. There was a greater increase in contact rates when reducing AA density at farms by randomly removing all AA at a farm compared to randomly removing individual AA across farms. Deer responses to AA removal may not be as straightforward as originally believed. Deer contacts may increase, not decrease, with AA removal because deer are attracted to the remaining AA. Under moderate deer densities, AA removal may require a broad-scale, “all or nothing” approach to prevent deer from concentrating at remaining AA, but concomitantly lowering deer density needs further assessment.

PMID:39981545 | PMC:PMC11840243 | DOI:10.1002/ece3.71013

J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2025 Jan 31;6(2):100034. doi: 10.1016/j.acepjo.2024.100034. eCollection 2025 Apr.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Changes to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) evaluation and management (E/M) documentation guidelines implemented on January 1, 2023, were primarily meant to address dissatisfaction with the prior system; however, it was not known how the changes might alter billing distributions. In this study, we compare the proportion of visits for each E/M code before and after the enactment of the changes across 5 emergency departments (EDs) to determine the effects on billing.

METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational analysis of all ED visits for patients over 18 years across 5 EDs from January 1 to March 31 in the years 2021, 2022, and 2023. In the primary analysis, we compared the distribution of visits for each of the studied CPT E/M codes in the 3 months before and after the enactment of the changes, utilizing a multivariate mixed-effect Poisson regression model. In our secondary analysis, we aimed to determine if the results differed when looking at academic and community sites separately.

RESULTS: Across all hospitals, visits coded as level 4 and level 5 comprised a significantly higher proportion of all visits in the postimplementation period (relative risk = 1.40 for level 4 and relative risk = 1.17 for level 5). The proportion of visits coded as levels 1, 2, and 3 significantly decreased in the postimplementation period, while those coded as critical care did not change. The same general trends were found in both academic and community settings separately, although with less statistical significance, particularly at the academic sites.

CONCLUSION: In this observational analysis, we found that overall CPT E/M levels increased after the implementation of the new documentation guidelines, relieving apprehension that the documentation changes may lead to a decrease in reimbursement.

PMID:39981504 | PMC:PMC11841088 | DOI:10.1016/j.acepjo.2024.100034

J Nonlinear Sci. 2025;35(2):44. doi: 10.1007/s00332-025-10140-z. Epub 2025 Feb 18.

ABSTRACT

An instationary drift-diffusion system for the electron, hole, and oxygen vacancy densities, coupled to the Poisson equation for the electric potential, is analyzed in a bounded domain with mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. The electron and hole densities are governed by Fermi-Dirac statistics, while the oxygen vacancy density is governed by Blakemore statistics. The equations model the charge carrier dynamics in memristive devices used in semiconductor technology. The global existence of weak solutions is proved in up to three space dimensions. The proof is based on the free energy inequality, an iteration argument to improve the integrability of the densities, and estimations of the Fermi-Dirac integral. Under a physically realistic elliptic regularity condition, it is proved that the densities are bounded.

PMID:39981502 | PMC:PMC11836105 | DOI:10.1007/s00332-025-10140-z