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Retinal prosthesis system is currently being developed in various places around the world. This system involved data transfer between an implanted antenna inside an eyeball and an external camera that is located just in front of the eyeball. While there are plenty of publications about the stimulating electrodes or the processing unit of the system itself, very limited amount has been published regarding the wireless communication link between the two antennas despite the fact that the electromagnetic wave will propagate through a complex medium in the form of Vitreous Humor. This paper will discuss about the constraints associated with implanting an antenna into an eyeball. An antenna design and simulation was performed with the aid of High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) and its Finite Element Method (FEM) mathematical solver in the operating frequency of 402 - 405 MHz. The antenna, which was a 4 layer microstrip antenna, was positioned at the centre of a spherical model filled with homogeneous Vitreous Humor material. Antenna performances that include return loss, bandwidth, gain, radiation pattern, and SAR value are analysed and compared against those of other implantable antennas operating in Medical Implant Communication Service (MICS) band. Free space and simulating fluid measurements were also conducted on the fabricated antenna to validate the simulation results. It was concluded that the fabricated antenna was able to produce the similar performance to the simulation results and hence at the same level as the other antennas operating in material with lower dielectric constants and conductivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometry of active denudation, commonly observed in old mountain belts, is described for the the first time in an active setting using remote sensing imagery supported by field data.We favouredthe use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1) images assisted by complementary remote sensing devices (Landsat TM), to analyse small effects of recent deformation. SAR ERS-1 images are sensitive to minute textural or topographic contrasts in an area where extremely dense vegetation earlier caused difficulties in remote sensing studies. We show that the southern flank of the western Fold-and-Thrust Belt of New Guinea in Irian Jaya is the site of an incipient and active tectonic denudation on the southern leading edge of a very recent (Pliocene-Pleistocene) orogen. The morphology described here is the result of polyphased neotectonics developed in three stages. The Pliocene collision was followed by a strike-slip environment that isolated the front of the belt, and by the currently active gravitational denudation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the NO-CO-O2 reaction over a Rh(111) catalyst by monitoring the reaction products (CO2, N2O, and N2) and the infrared (IR) intensity of surface CO and NO at various partial pressures of NO, CO and O2, and sample temperatures. The selectivity for N2O formation, apparent activation energy for product formation, and NO consumption rate during NO-CO-O2 are identical to those measured during the NO-CO reaction. The IR measurements show that during NO-CO-O2 the same two adsorbed species, NO at 1640 cm-1 and linear CO at ~2040 cm-1, are present in the same surface concentrations as during NO-CO. For this reason the NO-CO-O2 kinetics are dominated by the NO-CO kinetics, the NO consumption is rate limited by dissociation of adsorbed NO, and the N2O selectivity is dominated by surface NO coverage. In contrast, O2 consumption is adsorption rate limited with the NO-CO adsorption-desorption equilibrium controlling the vacant sites required to dissociatively adsorb O2. These kinetic and IR data of the CO-NO-O2 reaction and our interpretation of them agree with previous studies over supported Rh catalysts and thus confirm the previously proposed explanation. From RAIRS and kinetic data we estimate the rate constant for the CO+O→CO2 elementary step. The pre-exponential factor for this rate is 2×1010 s-1, a factor of 50 smaller than previous estimates. This rate constant is important to the NO-CO-O2 kinetics because it affects O coverage, which, under certain conditions, inhibits NO consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article presents a strain measurement method using a singlemode-multimode-singlemode fiber structure sensor and an optical time domain reflectometer. A strain measurement range of 0-1000 με can be achieved with a resolution of better than 10 με. Using this method, a quasi-distributed strain measurement can be carried out which is useful for a bridge or a civil structure strain monitoring. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:2576-2578, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mandibular premolar area, supernumerary teeth are a rare disorder that are rarely documented in the literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the post-surgical problems associated with the buccal and lingual techniques used to treat the extra teeth in this area. Using PubMed, PubMed Central, Science Direct, Cochrane, Wiley, and manual search, a thorough search was done to locate and identify cases and case series with extra teeth in the mandibular premolar region. For every study that was included, data on the surgical technique and postoperative problems were documented. Seven studies involving 90 patients were included. Supernumerary teeth in the mandibular premolar region were predominantly found in male patients (65.55 %), with most cases occurring in the right mandibular region (77.16 %). Postoperative complications after removing supernumerary teeth using buccal and lingual approaches were similar, with only one complication reported among the 90 cases reviewed. Although the findings suggest that surgical management of supernumerary teeth in the mandibular premolar region is relatively safe, caution is advised due to the limited sample size. Detailed pre-operative evaluation, a comprehensive treatment plan, and regular follow-up can minimize postoperative complications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Dentigerous cysts are slow-growing, asymptomatic lesions that typically form around the crowns of impacted teeth. They are not detected until they start to harm the tissues around the teeth., Aim: The present study aimed to describe surgical techniques for treating dentigerous cysts associated with ectopic teeth., Cases: Three patients with dentigerous cysts associated with ectopic teeth, their surgical approaches, and the supporting literature are presented herein. In two cases, the surgical technique used was intra-oral, and in one case was extra-oral. Under general anesthesia, dentigerous cyst enucleation and ectopic tooth removal were carried out., Discussion: In the present study, the ectopic tooth cases were all linked to dentigerous cysts. Enucleation or marsupialization treatments could be used to treat dentigerous cysts. Enucleation with the removal of the impacted tooth is the preferred treatment for dentigerous cysts., Conclusion: To perform minimally invasive surgery, the position of the ectopic teeth, the accessibility of the surgical site, the degree of bone reduction, and the simplicity of instrumentation should all be considered., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) face an increased risk of morbidity and mortality after influenza infection. Several studies have shown that the influenza vaccine effectively prevents morbidity and mortality in T2DM patients. However, there has been limited research aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the trivalent influenza vaccine in T2DM-CKD patients. This study aimed to identify Geometric Mean Titers (GMTs), seroprotection, seroconversion, safety, and efficacy. This open-label clinical trial was conducted at AMC Hospital in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia between June 2021 and July 2022. The study subjects consisted of 41 T2DM and 26 T2DM-CKD patients who were administered the trivalent influenza vaccine. There was a significant difference in the average age, with the T2DM-CKD patients being older. Median titers post-vaccination for the B/Washington virus were higher in the T2DM patients compared to the T2DM-CKD patients, and this difference was statistically significant. A majority, comprising 75.6% of the T2DM and 80.8% of the T2DM-CKD patients monitored post-influenza-vaccination, did not experience any adverse reactions. The most common reaction was the sensation of fever, with incidence rates of 12.2% in the T2DM patients and 15.4% in the T2DM-CKD patients. Furthermore, we observed that the incidence of Influenza-like Illness was highest at 7.3% in the T2DM patients and 7.7% in the T2DM-CKD patients. The trivalent influenza vaccine demonstrated equivalent safety and effectiveness in both groups.

Background: A new medication for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) called imeglimin can target all three organs involved in the pathogenesis of DM, namely the liver, skeletal muscles, and pancreas. This research seeks to examine the most efficacious and safe dose of imeglimin for the management of T2DM., Research Design and Methods: Using particular keywords, we searched the CENTRAL, Medline, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases for pertinent literature. The results of continuous variables were pooled into the mean difference (MD) and dichotomous variables into odds ratio (OR) along with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using fixed-effect models., Results: Our pooled analysis revealed that imeglimin 1000 mg twice daily [MD -0.90% p  < 0.00001] and 1500 mg twice daily [MD -0.84% p  = 0.0003] as monotherapy was associated with a higher reduction in the HbA 1c compared to placebo. This superiority was still maintained when given as combination therapy. Regrettably, there was an observed escalation in gastrointestinal AEs as the dosage of imeglimin was raised, despite the absence of a corresponding improvement in its efficacy in decreasing HbA 1c levels., Conclusions: Our study suggests that imeglimin 1000 mg twice daily may offer the most optimum therapeutic effects for glycemic control without compromising its safety profiles.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with higher severity and mortality in SARS-CoV-2 infections. Vaccination has been encouraged to boost immunity and prevent these unfortunate outcomes. Few studies have evaluated antibody levels after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with T2DM. Therefore, we examined the vaccination status and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels to identify the factors that affect the antibody levels in patients with T2DM. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital and Bandung Kiwari Hospital, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, between October and November 2022. Adult participants with and without T2DM were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using a point-of-care quantitative immunochromatographic assay. We enrolled 289 participants: 201 participants with T2DM and 88 participants without T2DM. The T2DM participants had a lower vaccination rate compared with the non-T2DM participants. However, no significant differences in antibody levels were observed between the two groups. Higher antibody levels among the T2DM participants were associated with mRNA vaccination and a history of COVID-19 illness. The lower antibody response observed among the T2DM participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suggests that such patients may need antibody level measurement and an additional booster vaccine.

Immune system dysregulation in people with diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of acquiring severe infection. We compared the clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with and without DM and estimated the effect of DM on mortality among COVID-19 patients. A retrospective cohort study collecting patients' demographic, clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and treatment outcomes from medical records was conducted in a hospital in Bandung City from March to December 2020. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the association between DM and death. A total of 664 COVID-19 patients with positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were included in this study, of whom 147 were with DM. Half of DM patients presented HbA1c ≥10%. DM patients were more likely to present with comorbidities and severe to critical conditions at admission (P <0.001). Laboratory parameters such as neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, ferritin, and lactate dehydrogenase were higher in the DM group. In the univariate analysis, variables associated with death were COVID-19 severity at baseline, neurologic disease, DM, age ≥60 years, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. DM remained associated with death (aOR 1.82; 95% CI 1.13-2.93) after adjustment with sex, age, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. In conclusion, COVID-19 patients with DM are more likely to present with a very high HbA1c, comorbidities, and severe-critical illness. Chronic inflammation in DM patients may be aggravated by the disruption of immune response caused by COVID-19, leading to worse laboratory results and poor outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Kusumawati et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background and Aims: The term metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has been established to better define patients with fatty liver disease who also present with metabolic dysfunction. However, the association between MAFLD and chronic-kidney disease (CKD) remains elusive., Methods: . We conducted systematic literature searching across multiple databases-PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar up until June 9th, 2022. The main exposure was the diagnosis of MAFLD and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) regardless of the diagnostic modalities being used. The outcome of interest was the prevalence or the incidence of CKD., Results: There were 355,886 subjects from 11 included studies with the period of follow up of 4.6-6.5 years. Meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies showed that MAFLD was associated with a higher prevalent CKD (OR 1.50, 95%CI [1.02-2.23]; test for overall effect Z = 2.04, p = 0.04; I 2  = 97.7%, p < 0.001) and incident CKD (adjusted HR 1.35, 95%CI [1.18-1.52]; test for overall effect Z = 15.47, p < 0.001; I 2  = 84.6%, p < 0.001) and did not vary between age, sex, comorbidities, study region, and follow-up duration. No difference in CKD prevalence was found between MAFLD and NAFLD patients. Significant liver fibrosis, but not steatosis in was associated with greater odds of developing CKD. More severe MAFLD was also associated with higher odds of developing CKD., Conclusion: This present meta-analysis using a large population indicates a significant association between MAFLD and the prevalence and incidence of CKD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare there was no competing interest in this study., (Copyright © 2023 Research Trust of DiabetesIndia (DiabetesIndia) and National Diabetes Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-DOC). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of using sodium glucose transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT-2i) before hospital admission on Covid-19 outcomes in diabetic patients., Methods: A literature search was conducted using specific keywords until October 24th, 2022 on 4 databases: Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov. All articles regarding SGLT-2i in diabetic patients with Covid-19 were included in the study. Outcomes in this study were calculated using random-effect models to generate pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)., Results: A total of 17 studies were included in the analysis. Our meta-analysis showed that pre-admission use of SGLT-2i was associated with reduced mortality (OR 0.69; 95 %CI: 0.56 - 0.87, p = 0.001, I 2  = 91 %) and severity of Covid-19 (OR 0.88; 95 %CI: 0.80 - 0.97, p = 0.008, I 2  = 13 %). This benefit of SGLT-2i on Covid-19 mortality was not significantly affected by patient's factors such as age (p = 0.2335), sex (p = 0.2742), hypertension (p = 0.2165), heart failure (p = 0.1616), HbA1c levels (p = 0.4924), metformin use (p = 0.6617), duration of diabetes (p = 0.7233), and BMI (p = 0.1797)., Conclusions: This study suggests that SGLT-2i as glucose lowering treatment in patients with diabetes has a positive effect on Covid-19 outcomes, therefore can be considered as an antidiabetic drug of choice, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Short Title: SGLT-2i in diabetes and Covid-19., Registration Details: CRD42022369784., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: This study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Methods: Using specific keywords, we comprehensively go through the potential articles on Europe PMC, Scopus, PubMed, and ClinicalTrials.gov sources until July 12th, 2022. We collected all clinical trials that compare tirzepatide 5, 10, or 15 mg once-weekly with placebo or other glucose lowering agents in adult patients with T2D., Results: Nine clinical trials were included. Our pooled analysis revealed the dose-dependent superiority of tirzepatide in reducing HbA 1c , ranging from -1.50% with 5 mg to -1.80% with 15 mg when compared with placebo, -0.61% with 5 mg to -0.95% with 15 mg when compared with GLP-1 receptor agonist, and -0.70% with 5 mg to 1.09% with 15 mg when compared with basal insulin. The dose-dependent superiority of tirzepatide was also seen in the bodyweight reduction effect with all comparators. These superiorities were not accompanied by increased odds of hypoglycemia, but there is an increase in gastrointestinal adverse events incidence., Conclusions: Tirzepatide has shown superiority in glycemic control and bodyweight reduction with a good safety profile in patients with T2D. Tirzepatide may become a future potential drug in the management of T2D., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report there are no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The relationship between thyroid metabolism and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) inflammation has been extensively investigated. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic properties of unspecified thyroid disorders, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism for predicting poor COVID-19 outcomes., Methods: We conducted systematic literature searching through multiple databases-PubMed, EBSCO and CENTRAL up until 27 September 2021. The main exposure was unspecified thyroid disorders, hypothyroidism or hypothyroidism on-admission status. The outcome of interest was the COVID-19 composite poor outcome that comprises severity, mortality, ICU admission and hospitalisation., Results: There were 24517 patients from 20 studies. Meta-analysis showed that thyroid disorder, regardless of its type, was associated with COVID-19 poor outcome (OR 2.92 (95% CI 2.09 - 4.08), P < 0.001; I 2 = 71%, P < 0.001). Unspecified thyroid disorder has a sensitivity of 0.17 (0.08-0.33), specificity of 0.94 (0.88-0.97) and Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.66. Hypothyroidism has a sensitivity of 0.24 (0.12-0.42), specificity of 0.92 (0.87-0.96) and AUC of 0.77. Hyperthyroidism has a sensitivity of 0.05 (0.02-0.11), specificity of 0.98 (0.88-1.00) and AUC of 0.36. In this pooled analysis, the posttest probability of unspecified thyroid disease, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism were 42%, 27% and 8% for poor outcomes, respectively., Conclusion: Thyroid disorders are associated with poor COVID-19 prognosis., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.)

Background and Aims: In this meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic properties of thyroid disorder during admission on poor prognosis and factors that may influence the relationship in patients with COVID-19., Methods: A systematic literature search of PubMed, EBSCO, and CENTRAL was conducted from inception to August 27, 2021. The main exposure was unspecified and specified thyroid disorders-hypothyroidism or hypothyroidism. The outcome of interest was the COVID-19 composite poor outcome that comprises of severity, mortality, ICU admission, and hospitalization., Results: There were 24,734 patients from 20 studies. Meta-analysis showed that thyroid disorder was associated with composite poor outcome (OR 2.87 (95% CI 2.04-4.04), p < 0.001; I 2  = 62.4%, p < 0.001). Meta regression showed that age (p = 0.047) and hypertension (p = 0.01), but not gender (p = 0.15), DM (p = 0.10), CAD/CVD (p = 0.38), obesity (p = 0.84), and COPD (p = 0.07) affected the association. Subgroup analysis showed that thyroid disorder increased risk of severe COVID-19 (OR 5.13 (95% CI 3.22-8.17), p < 0.05; I 2  = 0%, p = 0.70) and mortality (OR 2.78 (95%CI 1.31-5.90), p < 0.05; I 2  = 80%, p < 0.01). Pooled diagnostic analysis of thyroid disorder yielded a sensitivity of 0.22 (0.13-0.35), specificity of 0.92 (0.87-0.95), and AUC of 0.72. The probability of poor outcome was 38% in patients with thyroid disorder and 15% in patients without thyroid abnormality., Conclusion: On-admission thyroid disorder was associated with poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)