Efficacy of perceptual learning in low vision: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Visual perceptual learning (PL) shows promise for enhancing visual functions in individuals with visual impairment. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PL in improving visual function. STUDY ELIGIBILITY: Eligible studies were those examining the efficacy of PL in individuals with low vision. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: The review protocol was registered with the international Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (ID CRD42022327545) and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Screened studies were synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis and narrative synthesis following Synthesis Without Meta-analysis guidelines. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and the JBI Critical Appraisal Tool for Quasi-Experimental studies. RESULTS: Fifty studies were included, covering various visual impairments and employing different PL interventions. Most studies had low risk of bias. Meta-analysis showed significant improvement in visual search for individuals with cortical blindness (Hedges' g = 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.48 to 0.93; p=0.002); all other analyses did not show significant improvements-reading in central vision loss and cortical blindness, and visual field in peripheral vision loss and cortical blindness. However, the narrative synthesis provided evidence showing effectiveness, particularly in individuals with central vision loss and cortical blindness, demonstrating positive effects on reading, contrast sensitivity, visual field, and motion perception. LIMITATIONS: Variations in study design, PL protocols, outcome measures, and measurement methods introduced heterogeneity, limiting the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of PL in vision rehabilitation remains uncertain. Although meta-analysis results were mostly inconclusive, the narrative synthesis indicated improved visual functions following PL, consistent with individual study findings. IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: Future research should optimize intervention parameters, explore long-term effects, and assess generalizability across diverse populations and visual impairment etiologies. Larger randomized controlled trials using standardized outcome measures are needed to advance the field.

SPEctacle Correction for the TReatment of Amblyopia (SPECTRA): study protocol for a prospective non-randomised interventional trial in adults with anisometropic/mixed mechanism amblyopia.

INTRODUCTION: Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental vision disorder typically affecting one eye, resulting in compromised binocular function. While evidence-based treatments exist for children, there are no widely accepted treatments for adults. This trial aims to assess the efficacy of appropriate optical treatment in improving vision and visual functions in adults with amblyopia. This is hypothesised to significantly improve visual acuity of the amblyopic eye and other visual functions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: SPEctacle Correction for the TReatment of Amblyopia is a prospective non-randomised interventional trial. The following criteria for amblyopia will be used: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the amblyopic eye of 0.3 to 1.0 (inclusive) logMAR VA and in the fellow eye, 0.1 logMAR or better, with an interocular VA difference of ≥2 logMAR lines. Eligible participants aged 18-39 will receive full/near-full optical treatment requiring wear for at least half their waking hours for the trial duration. A difference of ≥1.00D spherical equivalent between a participant's current refractive correction and the study prescription is required for eligibility. Primary outcome is the change in amblyopic eye BCVA from baseline to 24-week postenrolment. Secondary outcomes include distance and near VA of both eyes, stereoacuity, contrast sensitivity, interocular suppression, angle of strabismus and fixation stability measured at monthly intervals. Visual evoked potentials will also be measured at baseline, week 12 and week 24. Treatment compliance and quality of life for all participants will be monitored.Analyses comparing baseline and week 24 will utilise pairwise comparisons. Linear mixed models will be fitted to the data for measures taken monthly. This allows estimates and inferences to be drawn from the coefficients of the model, while handling missing data. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Human ethics approval was obtained from the respective ethics board of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HSEARS20210915002) and the University of Waterloo (#44235). The study protocol will conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05394987; clinicaltrials.org.

Understanding the COVID-19 Vaccine Policy Terrain in Ontario Canada: A Policy Analysis of the Actors, Content, Processes, and Context.

(1) Background: Canada had a unique approach to COVID-19 vaccine policy making. The objective of this study was to understand the evolution of COVID-19 vaccination policies in Ontario, Canada, using the policy triangle framework. (2) Methods: We searched government websites and social media to identify COVID-19 vaccination policies in Ontario, Canada, which were posted between 1 October 2020, and 1 December 2021. We used the policy triangle framework to explore the policy actors, content, processes, and context. (3) Results: We reviewed 117 Canadian COVID-19 vaccine policy documents. Our review found that federal actors provided guidance, provincial actors made actionable policy, and community actors adapted policy to local contexts. The policy processes aimed to approve and distribute vaccines while continuously updating policies. The policy content focused on group prioritization and vaccine scarcity issues such as the delayed second dose and the mixed vaccine schedules. Finally, the policies were made in the context of changing vaccine science, global and national vaccine scarcity, and a growing awareness of the inequitable impacts of pandemics on specific communities. (4) Conclusions: We found that the triad of vaccine scarcity, evolving efficacy and safety data, and social inequities all contributed to the creation of vaccine policies that were difficult to efficiently communicate to the public. A lesson learned is that the need for dynamic policies must be balanced with the complexity of effective communication and on-the-ground delivery of care.

Predicting protein-ligand binding site using support vector machine with protein properties.

Identification of protein-ligand binding site is an important task in structure-based drug design and docking algorithms. In the past two decades, different approaches have been developed to predict the binding site, such as the geometric, energetic, and sequence-based methods. When scores are calculated from these methods, the algorithm for doing classification becomes very important and can affect the prediction results greatly. In this paper, the support vector machine (SVM) is used to cluster the pockets that are most likely to bind ligands with the attributes of geometric characteristics, interaction potential, offset from protein, conservation score, and properties surrounding the pockets. Our approach is compared to LIGSITE, LIGSITE(CSC), SURFNET, Fpocket, PocketFinder, Q-SiteFinder, ConCavity, and MetaPocket on the data set LigASite and 198 drug-target protein complexes. The results show that our approach improves the success rate from 60 to 80 percent at AUC measure and from 61 to 66 percent at top 1 prediction. Our method also provides more comprehensive results than the others.