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Background: Atropine is an effective medicine for myopia prevention and control. This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of atropine on choroidal thickness (ChT) in children with myopia. Methods: Between its inception and 1 June 2023, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science were all searched, and only English literature was included. The choroidal thickness was the primary study outcome. Axial length, standardized equivalent refraction were examined as secondary outcomes. STATA 12.0 was used for data extraction and analysis. Results: A total of 307 eyes were involved in this study to evaluate the effect of atropine on ChT, axial length (AL) and standardized equivalent refraction (SER) in myopic children. Choroidal thickening was significantly higher in the atropine group than in the control group at 1 month (WMD, 6.87 mm, 95% CI, 0.04 to 13.10, P = 0.049), whereas it was significantly higher in the atropine group than in the control group at months 6 (WMD, 10.37 mm, 95% CI, −3.21 to 23.95, P = 0.135), 12 (WMD, 15.10 mm, 95% CI, −5.08 to 35.27, P = 0.143) and at final follow-up (WMD, 11.52 mm, 95% CI, −3.26 to 26.31, P = 0.127), the differences were not statistically significant. At months 1 (WMD, −0.03 mm, 95% CI, −0.04 to −0.01, P = 0.003), 6 (WMD, −0.07 mm, 95% CI, −0.01 to −0.03, P = 0.000), 12 (WMD, −0.13mm, 95% CI, −0.15 to −0.11, P = 0.843), and at final follow-up (WMD, −0.08 mm, 95% CI, −0.16 to −0.01, P = 0.127), atropine treatment was able to delay the axial elongation. At 1-month follow-up, there was no significant difference in the effect of atropine on SER in myopic children compared with the control group (WMD, 0.01D, 95% CI, −0.07 to 26.31, P = 0.127), whereas it was able to control the progression of refractive status at final follow-up (WMD, 11.52 mm, 95% CI, −3.26 to 26.31, P = 0.127). Conclusion: Limited evidence suggests that 0.01% atropine causes choroidal thickening in myopic children at 1 month of treatment. In the short term, choroidal thickness may be a predictor of the effectiveness of atropine in controlling myopia in children. 0.01% atropine is effective in controlling myopic progression in terms of SER and AL. Systematic Review Registration: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier, CRD42022381195. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of questioned document examination, determining the sequence of intersecting lines is still a technical challenge. This study aims to validate whether confocal Raman spectroscopy can determine the sequence of intersecting lines created by laser prints toner and seal ink through empirical research. The study collected 110 varieties of seal ink and 1074 test pages from 66 models of laser printers available in the Chinese market. Based on the Raman spectral characteristics of the seal ink and the microscopic morphology of the toner, 13 types of seal ink and three types of laser printers were selected for further analysis, producing 78 representative samples of intersecting lines. Confocal Raman spectroscopy was applied to the examination of these samples using a point‐scanning mode for enhanced accuracy and efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate that confocal Raman spectroscopy can non‐destructively and quickly examine the sequence of intersecting lines produced by laser printer toner and seal ink. Variations in toner forms result in differing levels of difficulty in resolving intersection problems, with the sequence of intersecting lines from toner‐dense laser printers being the easiest to ascertain. In contrast, those from printers with porous and dispersed toner present a more significant challenge in examination. This study can be corroborated with other methods proposed, and more significantly, it lays the groundwork for addressing intersection problems related to other printing or writing instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative condition that causes a range of cognitive disturbances, including mirror‐self misidentification syndrome (MSM), in which patients cannot recognize themselves in a mirror. However, the mechanism of action of MSM is not precisely known. This study aimed to explore the possible neural mechanisms of action of MSM in AD using dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI). Methods: This study included 48 AD patients, 13 in the MSM group and 35 in the non‐MSM group. The permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) was quantitatively monitored by measuring the transfer rate (Ktrans) of the contrast agent from the vasculature to the surrounding tissue using DCE‐MRI. The concentration of contrast agents in different brain regions was measured, and the Patlak model was used to calculate Ktrans. Ktrans values were compared between the left and right cerebral hemispheres in different brain areas between the MSM and non‐MSM groups. Additionally, the difference in Ktrans values between mild and severe MSM was assessed. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the risk factors for MSM. Results: The Mann‒Whitney U test was used to compare two groups and revealed elevated Ktrans values in the left thalamus, left putamen, left globus pallidus, left corona radiata, and right caudate in the MSM group (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that increased Ktrans values in the left putamen (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.04, 2.26) and left globus pallidus (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.31) may be risk factors for MSM. After dividing MSM patients into mild and moderate‐severe groups, the Ktrans values of the thalamus in the moderate‐severe group were greater than those in the mild group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed the relationship between BBB permeability and MSM in AD. MSM is associated with BBB breakdown in the left putamen and globus pallidus. The left putamen and globus pallidus may function in mirror self‐recognition. Higher BBB permeability in the thalamus may reflect the severity of AD in MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, chitosan (CS) was used as raw material to prepare CS nanospheres by emulsion cross-linking method, and the influence of process parameters on the microscopic morphology and particle size distribution of nanospheres was investigated. In addition, through the establishment of a response surface model, the influence of various process parameters on the preparation process of CS microspheres was explored, which provides basic data and theoretical basis for preparing uniform CS nanospheres and putting them into actual production to realize intelligent processing. Through scanning electron microscopy and particle size distribution test, the optimal preparation process conditions of CS nanospheres are obtained: CS concentration is 2,0%, cross-linking agent ratio is 6:100, stirring speed is 400 r/min, and the minimum particle size is 99.65 nm. The response surface model has good fitting degree, and the experimental error is small. The influence order of technological parameters is CS concentration > cross-linking agent ratio > stirring speed, and the optimal parameters are CS concentration is 1.97%, the cross-linking agent ratio is 6:100, the stirring speed is 450.29 r/min, and the predicted minimum particle size is 95.10 nm. KEYWORDS chitosan, emulsion cross-linking method, nanosphere, response surface model, 1 | INTRODUCTION Faced with global warming and the gradual reduction of fossil fuel energy, sustainable development of renewable resources has gradually become the core of social energy transformation. [1] [...]