Abnormal morphologic changes are observed in aqueous tear deficiency that are more severe in Sjögren syndrome. The distinct changes of corneal nerves include increased nerve number, tortuosity, and chances of branching, suggesting an attempted nerve regeneration. A strong correlation exists between the changes of nerve morphology and the degree of dry eye. These results provide some possible evidence for the abnormal corneal sensation in dry eye.

Changing to SC MTX results in increased long-chain MTXGlu(n). However, it takes at least 6 months for RBC steady-state concentrations to be achieved. Increased long-chain MTXGlu(n) concentrations were significantly associated with reduced disease activity.

Despite extensive progress in the development of robust artificial membranes addressing the oil pollution issue, the current solutions are susceptible to limited functionalities, such as inability to separate small emulsions and poor resistance to notorious biological contaminants and fouling as a result of the complexity in their operating environments. Here a facile one‐step approach is reported to engineer a novel composite membrane that spans a wide range of functional properties. By tailoring the surface structure, chemical composition, and harnessing the synergistic cooperation of nonadhesion ability of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and silver nanoparticles embedded in the PEG matrixes (PEG‐Ag NPs membrane), the designed membrane allows for high separation efficiency (>99.9%) in a wide range of operating conditions, as well as enhanced antimicrobial and antimarine fouling activities. It is anticipated that the facile fabrication and multifunctional performances will bring this membrane a step closer to practical applications including the clean‐up of oil spills, waste water treatment, fuel purification, and the separation of commercially relevant emulsions.

The objective of this study was to explore the efficacy of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in differentiating intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) from ischemic stroke (IS). Suspicious patients of acute stroke were screened and finally diagnosed by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Blood samples were collected within 2-6 h after onset of symptoms, and serum GFAP level was determined by ELISA assay. The functional outcome for the patients was determined by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 90 days after onset of symptoms. 43 ICH patients and 65 IS patients were enrolled. GFAP concentration in ICH group was significantly higher than in IS group (p < 0.001). Significant correlation was found when comparing GFAP with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) (r = 0.418, p = 0.005) and hemorrhage volume (r = 0.840, p < 0.001) in ICH group, while such correlation was not observed in IS group. ROC analysis indicated that GFAP level at the cut-point of 0.7 ng/ml yielded an AUC of 0.901 (95 % CI 0.828-0.950) with high sensitivity (86.0 %) and specificity (76.9 %) to differentiate ICH from IS. Patients with higher serum GFAP concentration in ICH group experienced poorer functional disability (r = 0.755, p < 0.001), while this phenomenon was not observed in IS group (r = -0.114, p = 0.368). ROC curve analysis found that GFAP level at the cut-point of 1.04 ng/ml yielded an AUC of 0.936 (95 % CI 0.817-0.988) in identifying patients with poor functional outcome, at the sensitivity and specificity of 95.7 and 80.0 %, respectively. GFAP test is a promising technique for diagnosis of ICH from IS and prediction of short-term functional outcomes.

RATIONALE: Dupilumab, a human IL-4R-a mAb inhibiting IL-4 and IL-13, key drivers of type 2-mediated inflammation, is approved for uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults and in the USA for patients aged > _12 years with moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma. In a phase 2a study, dupilumab improved endoscopic, radiologic, clinical, and patient-reported outcomes in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) patients. For the first time we report results from a phase 3 dupilumab study (SINUS-24; NCT02912468) in severe CRSwNP patients (with/without comorbid asthma) on daily intranasal mometasone furoate (MFNS). METHODS: Adults with CRSwNP previously treated with systemic corticosteroids (SCS) and/or surgery (n 5 276) were randomized 1:1 to subcutaneous dupilumab 300mg or placebo every 2 weeks for 24 weeks. Outcomes included change from baseline to Week 24 in nasal polyp score (NPS), patient-reported nasal congestion (NC), CT Lund-Mackay (LMK), UPSIT smell test, SNOT-22, FEV 1 , and ACQ-6 scores. RESULTS: Mean [SD] baseline values were comparable in dupilumab/ placebo for NPS (5.64 [1.23] / 5.86 [1.31]), NC (2.26[0.57]/2.45[0.55]),