Myopia control: short-term effect of 0.01% atropine vs. defocus incorporated multiple segment lenses-a retrospective study in European children.

PURPOSE: To compare 0.01% atropine with DIMS spectacle lenses in the prevention of myopia progression in European children. METHODS: This was a retrospective study including data from pediatric European patients with myopia. From November 2021 to March 2022, only 0.01% atropine was prescribed because DIMS lenses were still not available in Portugal. From March to October 2022, only DIMS spectacle lenses were prescribed due to patients' parents' preference. Myopia progression endpoints were axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent (SE) differences between before and 6 months after treatment. AL and SE evolution were compared using a general linear model with repeated measures. RESULTS: The study included 98 eyes from 50 patients: 47 in the atropine group and 51 in the DIMS group. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in terms of initial AL, initial SE, sex or age. The mean AL elongation at 6 months was 0.057 mm in the atropine group (SD = 0.118) and 0.002 mm (SD = 0.077) in the DIMS group. SE progression was - 0.098 (SD = 0.232) D in the atropine group and - 0.039 (SD = 0.105) D in the DIMS group. AL elongation was significantly lower in the DIMS lens group (p = 0.038, partial Eta2 = 0.045). There was no difference in SE progression between groups (p = 0.302, partial Eta2 = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Comparison between 0.01% atropine eyedrops and DIMS spectacle lenses for slowing the progression of myopia favored DIMS lenses in terms of AL elongation in a short-term follow-up. There was no difference in terms of SE between groups.

Reshaping in vitro Models of Breast Tissue: Integration of Stromal and Parenchymal Compartments in 3D Printed Hydrogels.

Breast tissue consists of an epithelial parenchyma embedded in stroma, of heterogeneous and complex composition, undergoing several morphological and functional alterations throughout females' lifespan. Improved knowledge on the crosstalk between parenchymal and stromal mammary cells should provide important insights on breast tissue dynamics, both under healthy and diseased states. Here, we describe an advanced 3D in vitro model of breast tissue, combining multiple components, namely stromal cells and their extracellular matrix (ECM), as well as parenchymal epithelial cells, in a hybrid system. To build the model, porous scaffolds were produced by extrusion 3D printing of peptide-modified alginate hydrogels, and then populated with human mammary fibroblasts. Seeded fibroblasts were able to adhere, spread and produce endogenous ECM, providing adequate coverage of the scaffold surface, without obstructing the pores. On a second stage, a peptide-modified alginate pre-gel laden with mammary gland epithelial cells was used to fill the scaffold's pores, forming a hydrogel in situ by ionic crosslinking. Throughout time, epithelial cells formed prototypical mammary acini-like structures, in close proximity with fibroblasts and their ECM. This generated a heterotypic 3D model that partially recreates both stromal and parenchymal compartments of breast tissue, promoting cell-cell and cell-matrix crosstalk. Furthermore, the hybrid system could be easily dissolved for cell recovery and subsequent analysis by standard cellular/molecular assays. In particular, we show that retrieved cell populations could be discriminated by flow cytometry using cell-type specific markers. This integrative 3D model stands out as a promising in vitro platform for studying breast stroma-parenchyma interactions, both under physiological and pathological settings.

Stroke after transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the stroke rate after transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) with the MitraClip, comparing it with surgical mitral valve repair (SMVR) and optimal medical treatment (OMT). METHODS AND RESULTS: In December 2018, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials for studies comparing TMVR with SMVR and/or OMT for the treatment of severe mitral regurgitation. Random-effects and cumulative meta-analysis was performed. Ten studies were included (seven of TMVR versus SMVR and three of TMVR versus OMT), providing a total of 1,881 patients and 61 pooled strokes (16 in TMVR versus SMVR and 45 in TMVR versus OMT). There was no difference in stroke incidence between TMVR and SMVR (pooled OR 0.49 [0.17, 1.42], p=0.19). However, there was a trend towards a lower stroke risk in TMVR. For TMVR versus OMT, no difference in stroke rate was identified (pooled OR 1.09 [0.60, 1.97], p=0.79). Post-procedure de novo atrial fibrillation was more frequent in SMVR when compared with TMVR. CONCLUSIONS: Despite both a low number of pooled stroke events and the failure to reach the pre-specified statistical significance, there was a trend for a lower post-procedure stroke rate in TMVR when compared with SMVR and a similar one between TMVR and OMT alone.

A co-culture system with three different primary human cell populations reveals that biomaterials and MSC modulate macrophage-driven fibroblast recruitment.

The biological response to implanted biomaterials is a complex and highly coordinated phenomenon involving many different cell types that interact within 3D microenvironments. Here, we increased the complexity of a 3D platform to include at least 3 cell types that play a role in the host response upon scaffold implantation. With this system, it was possible to address how immune responses triggered by 3D biomaterials mediate recruitment of stromal cells that promote tissue regeneration, mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC), or a foreign body response, fibroblasts. Primary human macrophages yielded the highest fibroblast recruitment when interacting with chitosan scaffolds but not polylactic acid. Interestingly, when there were MSC and fibroblasts in the same environment, macrophages in chitosan scaffolds again promoted a significant increase on fibroblast recruitment, but not of MSC. However, macrophages that were firstly allowed to interact with MSC within the scaffolds were no longer able to recruit fibroblasts. This study illustrates the potential to use different scaffolds to regulate the dynamics of recruitment of proregenerative or fibrotic cell types through immunomodulation. Overall, this work strengths the idea that ex vivo predictive systems need to consider the different players involved in the biological response to biomaterials and that timing of arrival of specific cell types will affect the outcome.