Rapid and sustained differentiation of disease-suppressive phyllosphere microbiomes in tomato following experimental microbiome selection.

Background: Microbial-based treatments to protect plants against phytopathogens typically focus on soil-borne disease or the aboveground application of one or a few biocontrol microorganisms. However, diverse microbiomes may provide unique benefits to phytoprotection in the phyllosphere, by restricting pathogen access to niche space and/or through multiple forms of direct antagonism. We previously showed that successive experimental passaging of phyllosphere microbiomes along with the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv.

Comparison of cellular, mechanical, and optical properties of different polymers for corneal tissue engineering.

Objectives: The invention of corneal tissue engineering is essential for vision due to the lack of effective treatments and donated corneas. Finding the right polymer is crucial for reducing inflammation, ensuring biocompatibility, and mimicking natural cornea properties.

Materials And Methods: In this study, solvent casting and physical crosslinking (freeze-thaw cycles) were used to fabricate polymeric scaffolds of Polyvinyl alcohol, alginate, gelatin, carboxymethyl chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and their combinations.

Agreement between Placido Disc, Scheimpflug, and Optical Coherence Tomography-Based Measurements of Corneal Topography in Healthy Myopic Individuals.

Purpose: To evaluate the agreement between topographical and tomographic measurements of the cornea with three methods of Placido-disc, Scheimpflug, and optical coherence tomography in normal eyes with myopic refractive error candidate for keratorefractive surgery.

Methods: Subjects within the age range of 18-55 years old candidates for keratorefractive surgery with no history of systemic disorder, eye diseases except refractive errors, and ocular surgery were enrolled in the study. The intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman diagrams evaluated the agreement between different devices.

Dry eye after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (T-PRK): a comparative clinical study.

Purpose: To compare dry eye disease (DED) following PRK and T-PRK surgeries using a combined approach of subjective and objective measures, focusing on clinically meaningful outcomes and adjusted statistical modeling.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 89 eyes of patients aged over 20 years were enrolled and grouped into PRK (43 eyes) and T-PRK (46 eyes). The primary outcome was change in ocular surface diseases index (OSDI) score at 6 months.

Investigating the susceptibility profiles and in vitro combinations of caspofungin, itraconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole, clotrimazole, and amphotericin B against clinical isolates causing fungal keratitis.

Fungal keratitis is a global cause of blindness, highlighting the need to assess antifungal treatment efficacy before clinical use. This study evaluates the synergistic and antagonistic effects of antifungal agents on fungal keratitis isolates. Susceptibility testing of 35 corneal isolates including Aspergillus spp.

Adult patients with an exacerbation of asthma and a higher risk for pulmonary embolism: a cluster analysis.

Objective: Current literature acknowledges the complexity of exacerbation triggers in patients with asthma. We studied the clinical heterogeneity of patients with asthma exacerbation suspected of having pulmonary embolism using cluster analysis and compared the clusters regarding of the risks for pulmonary embolism.

Methods: In a secondary analysis of a dataset from the University of Florida, USA, individuals who experienced asthma exacerbation between June 2011 and October 2018 were included.

Causative Agents of Fungal Keratitis in Northeastern Iran: A 3-Year Tertiary Care Hospital Study.

Infectious keratitis is a significant ocular disease that, if left untreated, can lead to blindness. Fungi are among the causative agents that can result in severe symptoms. Keratitis infections are prevalent globally, with a higher incidence reported in tropical and subtropical regions.

Retinal neurovascular assessment and choroidal vascularity index in patients with keratoconus.

This study aims to evaluate the macular and the optic nerve head thickness and vascular profiles in KC patients and compare them with two groups of healthy emmetrope and subjects with myopic-astigmatism. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Khatam-Al-Anbia Eye Hospital between 2022 and 2023. Subjects aged 18 to 40 were prone to be included in the study.

Macular choroidal thickness in keratoconus.

Clinical Relevance: Expanding practitioner knowledge regarding potential changes in ocular structure of keratoconic eyes will improve the eye care practice and patient management.

Background: This study aimed to compare the difference in choroidal thickness between keratoconus patients and two control groups of myopic-astigmatism and emmetropic subjects.

Methods: A case-control study was undertaken which included 50 patients with keratoconus, 50 with myopic-astigmatism, 30 with emmetropia aged between 18 and 39 years.

Effect of Astigmatism Treatment With Three Excimer Lasers After Photorefractive Keratectomy.

Objectives: To compare astigmatism correction after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) using three excimer laser devices, Alcon Wavelight EX500, Schwind Amaris 1,050, and Technolas Teneo317 M2.

Methods: This retrospective study included 414 eyes from 414 subjects with a history of PRK performed using Alcon Wavelight (n=172), Schwind Amaris (n=122), and Technolas (n=120). Uncorrected & corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA & CDVA), and refractive status (spherical equivalent (SE) and vector analysis (J0 and J45)) were postoperatively recorded at the 6-month and 12-month examinations.

Genetic architecture and correlations between the gut microbiome and gut gene transcription in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).

Population divergence through selection can drive local adaptation in natural populations which has implications for the effective restoration of declining and extirpated populations. However, adaptation to local environmental conditions is complicated when both the host and its associated microbiomes must respond via co-evolutionary change. Nevertheless, for adaptation to occur through selection, variation in both host and microbiome traits should include additive genetic effects.

Behavioral transcriptomic effects of triploidy and probiotic therapy (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Lactococcus mixture) on juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).

Aquaculturists use polyploid fish to maximize production albeit with some unintended consequences including compromised behaviors and physiological function. Given benefits of probiotic therapies (e.g.

Fecal microbiota transplantation: current challenges and future landscapes.

SUMMARYGiven the importance of gut microbial homeostasis in maintaining health, there has been considerable interest in developing innovative therapeutic strategies for restoring gut microbiota. One such approach, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), is the main "whole gut microbiome replacement" strategy and has been integrated into clinical practice guidelines for treating recurrent infection (rCDI). Furthermore, the potential application of FMT in other indications such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), metabolic syndrome, and solid tumor malignancies is an area of intense interest and active research.

Fecal-adherent mucus is a non-invasive source of primary human MUC2 for structural and functional characterization in health and disease.

The O-glycoprotein Mucin-2 (MUC2) forms the protective colon mucus layer. While animal models have demonstrated the importance of Muc2, few studies have explored human MUC2 in similar depth. Recent studies have revealed that secreted MUC2 is bound to human feces.

Impact of a 50bp insertion/deletion polymorphism of the superoxide dismutase-1 on oxidative stress status and risk of keratoconus.

Keratoconus (KC) is characterized by the predominant primary ectatic disease, affecting the cornea, necessitating corneal transplants in some cases. While some loci associated with KC risk have been identified, the understanding of the disease remains limited. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes play a crucial role in countering the reactive oxygen species and providing protection against oxidative stress (OS).

Host species and habitat shape fish-associated bacterial communities: phylosymbiosis between fish and their microbiome.

Background: While many studies have reported that the structure of the gut and skin microbiota is driven by both species-specific and habitat-specific factors, the relative importance of host-specific versus environmental factors in wild vertebrates remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity and composition of fish skin, gut, and surrounding water bacterial communities (hereafter referred to as microbiota) and assess the extent to which host habitat and phylogeny predict microbiota similarity. Skin swabs and gut samples from 334 fish belonging to 17 species were sampled in three Laurentian Great Lakes (LGLs) habitats (Detroit River, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario).

The bidirectional relationship between opioids and the gut microbiome: Implications for opioid tolerance and clinical interventions.

Opioids are widely used in treating patients with acute and chronic pain; however, this class of drugs is also commonly abused. Opioid use disorder and associated overdoses are becoming more prevalent as the opioid crisis continues. Chronic opioid use is associated with tolerance, which decreases the efficacy of opioids over time, but also puts individuals at risk of fatal overdoses.

Comparing morphologic features and complications of main clear corneal incision between junior and senior residents observed using anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Background: Wound construction is a critical step in phacoemulsification. Using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT), we compared the morphological features and complications of main incisions made by junior or senior residents during phacoemulsification.

Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study included eyes with senile cataracts that underwent uneventful phacoemulsification with a clear corneal incision made by seven senior and eight junior ophthalmology residents.

Development and validation of a clinical model for predicting the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objectives: To develop a clinical instrument to assess carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) severity before electrodiagnostic testing.

Methods: Data from 1037 patients with CTS (39.1% male) were included.

Regulation of host gene expression by gastrointestinal tract microbiota in Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).

Differences in gut microbiome composition are linked with health, disease and ultimately host fitness; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying that relationship are not well characterized. Here, we modified the fish gut microbiota using antibiotic and probiotic feed treatments to address the effect of host microbiome on gene expression patterns. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) gut gene expression was evaluated using whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) on hindgut mucosa samples from individuals treated with antibiotic, probiotic and control diets to determine differentially expressed (DE) host genes.

Microbial community and abiotic effects on aquatic bacterial communities in north temperate lakes.

The aquatic bacterial community (BC) plays a vital role in determining the nature and rate of ecosystem function. However, the biotic and abiotic factors influencing BC structure and function are largely unknown. Hence, the current study characterizes the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on aquatic bacterial biodiversity to determine whether the dominant effects are biotic or abiotic by partitioning their relative effects across temperate Canadian lakes.

High Rate of Serotype Switching and Genetic Variations Indicates Widespread Recombination Between Clinical and Commensal Penicillin-Nonsusceptible in Tehran.

A total of 161 were collected between 2013 and 2015 in Tehran, Iran. The strains were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and minimum inhibitory concentrations, serotyped, and genotyped by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) were also typed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PBP-RFLP).

Long-term Evaluation of Corneal Biomechanical Properties After Corneal Cross-linking for Keratoconus: A 4-Year Longitudinal Study.

Purpose: To compare the long-term changes in corneal biomechanics, topography, and tomography before and 4 years after corneal cross-linking (CXL) with the Dresden protocol and correlate these changes with visual acuity.

Methods: In this longitudinal study, 18 eyes of 18 patients with progressive keratoconus who were treated with CXL were included. All patients received a standard ophthalmological examination and were examined by Placido disc-based topography, Scheimpflug tomography, and biomechanical assessments with the Corvis ST (OCULUS Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany) and Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA; Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments, Buffalo, NY) before and 4 years after CXL.