Wednesday, December 13, 2023

A study from China reported a high prevalence of high myopia and pathological myopia but a lack of awareness in this patient population. Increased patient education about the disease needs to be emphasized

SICHUAN INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL EXCHANGE AND PROMOTION ASSOCIATION

Research on Perceptions of High Myopia/Pathological Myopia in China — IMAGE:
PREVALENCE AND PERCEPTION OF HIGH MYOPIA/PATHOLOGICAL MYOPIA IN CHINA
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CREDIT: THE EYE AND ENT HOSPITAL OF FUDAN UNIVERSITY, CHINA

Myopia is the most common eye disease worldwide, with prevalence rates of 25-50% among adults in the United States and Europe, and up to 85-90% among young people in Asian countries. In East Asia, myopia progresses at an amazingly rapid rate during childhood and about 24% of patients may develop high myopia by adulthood. High myopia can lead to a number of ocular complications and is an important risk factor for pathological myopia, which is usually characterised by a spherical refraction dioptre greater than -6.00 D, an axial length greater than 26mm, and a combination of pathological changes in the fundus. The prevalence of pathological myopia in young people with high myopia is about 8%, and the incidence of blindness and low vision is as high as 22.4%and 32.7% respectively. Myopia has therefore become a global public health concern.

Recently, a team of Xingtao Zhou and Jing Zhao from the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University conducted a multicentre survey on "Awareness of high and pathological myopia among myopic patients in China: A cross-sectional multicenter survey" was published in MedComm-Future Medicine, published by Wiley. 6,975 doctors and myopic patients in 161 medical institutions were surveyed online and offline, and data on the proportion of patients with myopia, high myopia, and pathological myopia in China were collected. The report also investigated the outpatient education status, doctors' expectations of patient education, patients' knowledge of high myopia and pathological myopia, and their access to related knowledge and analyzed the factors affecting patients' access to related information using multifactorial logistic regression.

The prevalence of high myopia was found to be 11.3% (22.59% with pathological myopia, and 22.45% experienced high myopia complications). 97.4% of patients with high myopia were engaged in work requiring frequent and prolonged eye use; 51.54% developed high myopia in adolescents between the ages of 11 and 20 years; 46.7% of individuals with high myopia exhibited a parental history of high myopia in one parent, while 19.6% manifested high myopia in both parents. Patients' knowledge of high and pathological myopia was insufficient; nearly half of the doctors (48.7%) believed that patients had only a vague concept of high or pathological myopia and that there were some misunderstandings. The majority of outpatients (61.4%) did not have access to specialized myopia-related education for medical staff, and almost all doctors (98.4%) agreed that there was a need to increase patient education during consultations. The majority of patients (64.5%) preferred to obtain ophthalmology-related information from general platforms (including search engines and Q&A platforms). Patients had different preferences and needs for ophthalmic information channels online, influenced by factors such as family background, medical history and knowledge of myopia.

In summary, the research team noted that despite the high prevalence of high myopia or pathological myopia in China, patient awareness remains inadequate. Therefore, there is a need to improve patient education about high myopia and pathological myopia to reduce the incidence of adverse outcomes.

See the article:

Awareness of High and Pathological Myopia among Myopic Patients in China: a Cross-Sectional Multicenter Survey

JOURNAL

MedComm – Future Medicine

DOI

10.1002/mef2.64

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Awareness of high and pathological myopia among myopic patients in China: A cross-sectional multicenter survey

Applications of lasers: A promising route towards low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays

Peer-Reviewed Publication

COMPUSCRIPT LTD

FIG 1 — IMAGE:
FIG. 1 | THE CORRESPONDING DEVELOPMENTS OF LASER APPLICATIONS IN THE FABRICATION PROCESSES OF MICRO-LED FULL-COLOR DISPLAYS: (A) NANO-PROCESSING, (B) DEFECTIVE DETECTION, (C) LASER REPAIR AND MASS TRANSFER, (D) PATTERNING AND MORPHOLOGY MODIFICATION FOR QD-CCF.

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CREDIT: OES

A new publication from Opto-Electronic Science; DOI 10.29026/oes.2023.230028 discusses the application of lasers in the fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays.

Micro-light-emitting diode (micro-LED) displays with a size smaller than 50 × 50 μm2 has been regarded as the next-generation display technology. Compared with liquid crystal displays and organic LED technology, micro-LEDs has many advantages such as long lifetimes, high efficiency, etc. Micro-LEDs also present great potential in many fields, such as virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) and smart watches. However, there remain multiple challenges to their commercialization. For example, the mass transfer yield of pixels in micro-LED displays should achieve 99.999%; researchers should develop nano-processing technologies with higher efficiency and accuracy; it is urgent to optimize the efficiency and accuracy of the defective detection and repair processes for micro-LED modules; the performance of the quantum dots color conversion layers (QD-CCFs) should be improved. In conclusion, the low cost, high precision, and high efficiency technologies for full-color micro-LED displays are essential to be developed.

For the advantages of lasers in brightness, directivity and monochromaticity, it is considered as as “the fastest knife”, “the most accurate ruler” and “the brightest light”. Recently, laser-based technology has attracted attention for their application in the manufacturing process of micro-LED full-color displays, such as chip dicing, geometric shaping, lift off, defective repair, mass-transfer and QD-CCFs modification. With the widespread application of lasers, the commercialization of full-color micro-LED displays could be vigorously promoted.

The research group of Rong Zhang / Tingzhu Wu from Xiamen University and Hao-Chung Kuo from Yang Ming Chiao Tung University reviewed the application of lasers during the fabrication processes of micro-LEDs, including nano-processing, defective detection and repair, mass transfer, and QD-CCFs, as shown in Fig. 1. In addition, the difference between laser-based technologies and traditional technologies are discussed, and the research status and application prospects of laser technologies during the fabrication processes of micro-LED full-color displays are introduced in detail, these results provide a reference towards low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays.

Traditional diamond dicing and plasma dicing technologies still face many challenges during the wafer dicing processes of micro-LEDs, thus the UV-laser dicing technology with high precision has attract great attention. For the limit of accuracy, traditional wet etching and plasma etching is only suitable for processing the geometry shape of micro-LEDs, thus the laser-based technologies such as laser drilling or laser scribing with high precision could be used for processing the nanostructures of micro-LEDs. In addition, instead of nanosecond lasers, people have used ultrafast lasers to reduce the thermal damage during LLO processes, the schematic and physical mechanism of the LLO processes is depicted in Fig. 2(a–d), and the laser machining setup is illustrated in Fig. 2 (e). As shown in Fig. 2(f), by using the high-energy pulsed laser beam to penetrate the sapphire substrate and to evenly scan the interface between the sapphire substrate and the epitaxial GaN material, the separation of the substrate and chips could be achieved. Moreover, the application of micro-LEDs in many fields still faces the challenges of high-efficiency detection, location, and removal of defects. Therefore, the PL defect detection technique using lasers with the advantage of no contact and ultrahigh detection efficiencies has attracted attention.

high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays.

The mass-transfer yield requirement for micro-LEDs should exceed 99.999%, related technological breakthroughs are the key to achieving low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays. As shown in Fig. 3(a-d), many technologies such as stamp transfer printing, Roll-to-Roll transfer, fluid self-assembly (FSA) mass transfer, two-dimensional materials-based layer transfer and laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) have been proposed. For the noncontact advantages of laser-assisted mass transfer, we summarized the principle and differences of LIFT, laser direct writing (LDW), thermomechanical selective laser-assisted die transfer (tmSLADT), and selective laser lift-off (SLLO) mass-transfer technologies, as shown in Fig. 3(e).

There are many advantages of using QD-CCFs for full-color micro-LED displays. However, the stability of QD-CCFs should be enhanced in the application of displays. In addition to the calibration of the inkjet-printing system, laser-based technologies could also be used to regulate the defect density, phase transition, grain size and other aspects of the perovskite QD-CCFs, thereby improving the performance of the micro-LED full-color displays.

# # # # # #

This work was completed by the team of Solid-State Lighting Laboratory of Xiamen University. The Solid-State Lighting Laboratory belongs to the Electronic Science Department of the School of Electronic Science and Technology of Xiamen University (National Model Microelectronics Institute), Fujian Semiconductor Lighting Engineering Technology Research Center, Fujian Province LED Lighting and Display Industry Technology Development Base, Fujian Province Photoelectric Lighting and Display Enterprise Service-oriented Manufacturing Public Service Platform, Xiamen Semiconductor Lighting Testing and Certification Center. The main research directions of the laboratory are: semiconductor lighting display detection technology, micro-LED, intelligent health lighting, visible light communication, perovskite quantum dots, research and development of testing instrument software, etc.

# # # # # #

Opto-Electronic Science (OES) is a peer-reviewed, open access, interdisciplinary and international journal published by The Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences as a sister journal of Opto-Electronic Advances (OEA, IF=9.682). OES is dedicated to providing a professional platform to promote academic exchange and accelerate innovation. OES publishes articles, reviews, and letters of the fundamental breakthroughs in basic science of optics and optoelectronics.

Fig. 2 | Diagram of LLO processes and associated laser device.

Fig. 3 | (a–d) The principles of mass transfer technologies for micro-LEDs: (a) Stamp transfer printing; (b) Roll-to-Roll; (c) FSA; (d) LIFT; (e) Schematic of the principles of LIFT, LDW, tmSLADT and SLLO mass-transfer technologies.

CREDIT

OES

More information: https://www.oejournal.org/oes

Editorial Board: https://www.oejournal.org/oes/editorialboard/list

OES is available on OE journals (https://www.oejournal.org/oes/archive)

Submission of OES may be made using ScholarOne (https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/oes)

CN 51-1800/O4

ISSN 2097-0382

Twitter: @OptoElectronAdv (https://twitter.com/OptoElectronAdv?lang=en)

WeChat: OE_Journal

# # # # # #

Lai SQ, Liu SB, Li ZL, Zhang ZN, Chen Z et al. Applications of lasers: A promising route toward low-cost fabrication of high-efficiency full-color micro-LED displays. Opto-Electron Sci 2, 230028 (2023). doi: 10.29026/oes.2023.230028

DOI

10.29026/oes.2023.230028

Deaths from heart valve infections drop across U.S. overall, but surged among young adults

Substance use disorder may be linked to more deaths from infective endocarditis among people ages 25-44, finds new study in Journal of the American Heart Association

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Research Highlights:

An analysis of death certificate data from 1999 to 2020 showed a decline in deaths related to infective endocarditis throughout most of the United States yet found an alarming increase of 2%-5% among adults ages 25-44.
There was a notable increase in the diagnosis of substance use disorder among the young adults with infective endocarditis listed as the underlying cause of death.
Three states at the epicenter of the opioid crisis— Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia — had significant increases in death rates related to infective endocarditis.

DALLAS, Dec. 13, 2023 — Death rates related to infective endocarditis declined in most adults across the U.S. within the last two decades, yet accelerated among young adults ages 25 to 44 years old, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Infective endocarditis, also called bacterial endocarditis, is an infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart lining, a heart valve or a blood vessel. The disease is rare, however, people with previous valve surgeries, heart valve abnormalities, artificial valves, congenital heart defects or previous infective endocarditis have a greater risk of developing it. It can also be a complication of injecting illicit drugs.

“Our study findings raise a public health concern, especially since the deaths in younger age groups are on the rise,” said study lead author Sudarshan Balla, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the West Virginia University Heart and Vascular Institute at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. “We speculate that this acceleration was likely, in the most part, due to the opioid crisis that has engulfed several states and involved principally younger adults.”

Researchers examined death certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Multiple Cause of Death dataset, which contains death rates and population counts for all U.S. counties. They looked for national trends in deaths caused by infective endocarditis, plus differences in deaths related to age, sex, race and geography among states from 1999-2020. Researchers also analyzed the association with substance use disorder, considering the emergence of the opioid epidemic during the study’s time frame.

The analysis found:

In the 21-year period analyzed, infective endocarditis death rates declined overall in the U.S.
Death rates increased significantly for young adults, at an average annual change of more than 5% for the 25-34 age group and more than 2% for the 35-44 age group.
In the 45-54 age category, death rates remained stagnant at 0.5%, and there was a significant decline among those aged 55 and older.
Substance use disorder associated with multiple causes of death increased drastically – between 2-fold and 7-fold among the 25-44 age group.
Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia showed an acceleration in deaths caused by infective endocarditis in contrast to other states with either a predominant decline or no change.

“We found that substance use was listed as a contributing cause that could explain the higher death rates in the younger age groups and also in the states in those who died due to endocarditis,” Balla said.

The study researchers call the rise of infective endocarditis as the underlying cause of death in adults 25-44 years old “alarming” and recommend more investigation to identify the reasons for these trends among young adults and in the three states noted. Researchers speculate the increase is connected to the opioid crisis that has engulfed several states and involves primarily younger adults.

“Comprehensive care plans for those treated for infective endocarditis should also include screening and treatment for substance use disorder,” Balla said.

To address intravenous drug use, some states have started harm reduction programs, which are public health efforts to reduce the harm from substance use and drug abuse, such as increased risk of infectious diseases like HIV, viral hepatitis, and bacterial and fungal infections. “Whether these programs make an impact is yet to be determined,” Balla said.

Researchers were limited in the medical details they could collect because of the use of death certificate data, which may contain inaccuracies, such as errors in diagnosis, data entry and cause of death. For similar reasons, researchers could not determine a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the rise in deaths caused by infective endocarditis in younger adults and substance use disorder.

Study details and design:

The study used the CDC’s Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to analyze death certificates and multiple causes of death. Infective endocarditis and substance use disorder were identified according to criteria from the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.
The age-adjusted death rate related to infective endocarditis was 26 per million persons in 1999 and 22 per million persons in 2020, representing a significant decline in the death rates related to infective endocarditis, with an average annual percent change of -0.8.

Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.

Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

Multimedia is available on the right column of release link https://newsroom.heart.org/news/deaths-from-heart-valve-infections-drop-across-u-s-overall-but-surged-among-young-adults?preview=694d01df6ab0a5705e0094129fce445f
After Dec. 13, view the manuscript online.
AHA Scientific Statement: Addiction management is key to treating heart infection in people who inject drugs (Aug. 2022)
AHA Presidential Advisory: Experts urge caution, increased education about opioid use for people with heart disease (August 2021)
AHA news release: More heart infections and strokes in the U.S. linked to national opioid epidemic (March 2021)
AHA health information: View an illustration of endocarditis
Follow AHA/ASA news on X (formerly known as Twitter) @HeartNews
Follow news from the Journal of the American Heart Association @JAHA_AHA

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

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