Rapidly-evolving Field Research Articles

Growth and Trends of Geometrical Optics Research Using Scientometrics Indicators

ABSTRACT Geometric Optics is a rapidly-evolving field with implications for a broad range of applications, from biomedical imaging to advanced materials engineering. This comprehensive bibliometric analysis presents an in-depth examination of global research in Geometric Optics from 2012–2021, using data from the Scopus database. The analysis reveals a total of 5,388 publications authored by 15,277 individuals, with a steady annual growth rate of 3.7% and an impressive citation impact of 11.99% per paper. The top 20 productive authors are identified, who contributed to 18.5% of global publications and 11.1% of citations, and the international collaboration networks that have emerged around key research areas are mapped. The study also reveals an expanding research landscape, with emerging areas such as nanophotonics and metamaterials gaining traction. These findings provide a comprehensive overview of the global research landscape in Geometric Optics, which can be used to guide future research and collaborative efforts. The study represents a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike, seeking to advance the field and unlock its full potential.

Educating to the “Culture” of Quantum Technologies: A Survey Study on Concepts for Public Awareness

In this article we offer a conceptual and practical contribution to the field of STEM education by investigating the concepts educators may include in Quantum Technologies (QT) outreach activities. We embed our approach in the discipline-culture (DC) framework, in which we consider the cultural nuances of QT as an important factor which must not be ignored in education efforts. To this end, a survey study by the pilot project Quantum Technologies Education For Everyone (QuTE4E), investigating key concepts for QT outreach, was conducted between December 2021 and June 2022. Here we present the results of the study, analysed through the DC framework, and consider the implications for designing QT outreach activities. The data hints at the perceived value of highlighting core concepts of Quantum Mechanics (QM), while also raising the question of whether QT sits as a discipline of Physics, Computer Science, or elsewhere. This calls for a reordering of the primacy of certain concepts (such as qubit and spin) for outreach purposes, where core concepts in QM might not be core concepts in QT, and vice versa. The results of this study provide valuable insights for those interested in learning more about this rapidly-evolving field.

Gene-Environment Analyses in a UK Biobank Skin Cancer Cohort Identifies Important SNPs in DNA Repair Genes That May Help Prognosticate Disease Risk.

Despite well-established relationships between sun exposure and skin cancer pathogenesis/progression, specific gene-environment interactions in at-risk individuals remain poorly-understood. We leveraged a UK Biobank cohort of basal cell carcinoma (BCC, n = 17,221), cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC, n = 2,331), melanoma in situ (M-is, n = 1,158), invasive melanoma (M-inv, n = 3,798), and healthy controls (n = 448,164) to quantify the synergistic involvement of genetic and environmental factors influencing disease risk. We surveyed 8,798 SNPs from 190 DNA repair genes, and 11 demographic/behavioral risk factors. Clinical analysis identified darker skin (RR = 0.01-0.65) and hair (RR = 0.27-0.63) colors as protective factors. Eleven SNPs were significantly associated with BCC, three of which were also associated with M-inv. Gene-environment analysis yielded 201 SNP-environment interactions across 90 genes (FDR-adjusted q<0.05). SNPs from the FANCA gene showed interactions with at least one clinical factor in all cancer groups, of which three (rs9926296, rs3743860, rs2376883) showed interaction with nearly every factor in BCC and M-inv. We identified novel risk factors for keratinocyte carcinomas and melanoma, highlighted the prognostic value of several FANCA alleles among individuals with a history of sunlamp use and childhood sunburns, and demonstrated the importance of combining genetic and clinical data in disease risk stratification. This study revealed genome-wide associations with important implications for understanding skin cancer risk in the context of the rapidly-evolving field of precision medicine. Major individual factors (including sex, hair and skin color, and sun protection use) were significant mediators for all skin cancers, interacting with >200 SNPs across four skin cancer types.

Single-Incision Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy with Conventional Instruments: A Surgeon’s Initial Experience

Purpose: Since the early 1990s, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the gold standard for cholecystectomy. Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is a rapidly evolving field as a bridge between traditional laparoscopic surgery and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic. The results are presented here of a single surgeon’s initial experience with single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy with conventional laparoscopic instruments through his first 11 cases. Materials and Methods: A single curved intra-umbilical 25-mm incision was made by pulling out the umbilicus. A 12-mm trocar was placed through an open approach, and the abdominal cavity was explored with a 10-mm laparoscope. One 10-mm and one 5-mm port were inserted laterally from the laparoscope port. Dissection was performed using a dissector, which was not articulated. The gallbladder was investigated with an Endograsper, which was not articulated either. The hilum was dissected, and the cystic duct and artery were clipped and divided. Results: The patients are comprised of 9 females and 2 males with a mean age of 43.3 years and mean body mass index (BMI) of 27.6 kg/m2. Open cholecystectomy was not required. The mean operative time was 69.9 min. Length of stay was only one day. All procedures were completed successfully without any perioperative or postoperative complications. In all cases, there was no need to extend the skin incision. Postoperative follow-up did not reveal any umbilical wound complications. The cosmetic results were scored as excellent by all patients. Conclusion: These results suggest that single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy is feasible, safe and effective and a promising alternative method to four-port and SILS-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy and as scarless abdominal surgery for the treatment of some patients with gallbladder disease with standard laparoscopic instruments.

Skeletal muscle’s 3rd year anniversary

Three years ago Skeletal Muscle was launched to serve scientists who study the mechanistic basis of skeletal muscle development, homeostasis and disease. At the journal’s inception, we pointed out that cellular signaling and molecular genetics had combined to allow for a tremendous increase in the understanding of the fundamental processes that are distinct to skeletal muscle, in addition to ubiquitious signaling pathways which have particular effects or import on this tissue [1]. This influx of data seemed to more than justify a journal that could provide a home for this work. The point we made three years ago is even more justified today. Novel mechanisms have been published around many aspects of basic skeletal muscle biology, and this journal has featured quite a few of these discoveries. Indeed, it was quite gratifying to see important work published quite early in Skeletal Muscle’s lifetime, papers which were rapidly downloaded thousands of times. That’s one big advantage of this journal - as an Open Access instrument, scientists can see their work disseminated widely, to any scientist, student or layperson who finds the work of interest, without any barrier or firewall. We’ve tried to make sure the journal maintains a very high standard of work, avoiding review of purely descriptive or incompletely characterized findings, and making sure all articles are fully reviewed, statistically sound and from principled authors. Indeed, we feel all prospective authors would be pleased to know that their papers would be reviewed by experts in the field, often members of our Editorial Board. And yet we’re just beginning. We thank the community for its enthusiastic support of the journal, and hope this continues and strengthens. Please let us know how we can do an even better job to present important results in this rapidly-evolving field, and please do consider Skeletal Muscle early as a high-profile setting for your manuscripts.

Enhancing trauma education worldwide through telemedicine

Advances in information and communication technologies are changing the delivery of trauma care and education. Telemedicine is a tool that can be used to deliver expert trauma care and education anywhere in the world. Trauma is a rapidly-evolving field requiring access to readily available sources of information. Through videoconferencing, physicians can participate in continuing education activities such as Grand Rounds, seminars, conferences and journal clubs. Exemplary programs have shown promising outcomes of teleconferences such as enhanced learning, professional collaborations, and networking. This review introduces the concept of telemedicine for trauma education, and highlights efforts of programs that are utilizing telemedicine to unite institutions across the world.

Inflammatory bowel disease in Asia

See article in J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2010; 25: 453–468

Welcome to Infectious Disease Reports: a message from the Editor

Welcome to the new online-only, international, Open Access, peer-reviewed journal, Infectious Disease Reports (IDR). It is a profound honor to lead this new journal, and I would like to share with you my vision for IDR and take this opportunity to encourage you to submit your work for peer review. It is a great challenge to define the scope of a new infectious disease journal given the wide breadth of our rapidly-evolving field. Infectious diseases present both ongoing and emerging threats to human health. In addition to the “usual offenders” that reap havoc on global human populations (e.g., malaria, tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS), we regularly find ourselves challenged by unexpected and emerging infectious disease threats. Recent examples include epidemics/pandemics (e.g., H1N1 influenza, Ebola virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS]); large-scale outbreaks (e.g., Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, Norovirus, other food-borne infections); antimicrobial and antiviral resistance (e.g., extremely drugresistant tuberculosis [XDR-TB], extendedspectrum beta lactamases, antiviral-resistant HIV); and the transcontinental migration/ importation of infectious agents (e.g., monkeypox, West Nile virus, tuberculosis). In this light, the scope of IDR must be broad, to capture and address the rapidly-shifting global challenges faced by the ID community. The editorial staff at IDR are committed to insuring that manuscripts published here are novel and meet the needs of a diverse audience. Because our field of infectious diseases includes longstanding problems and emerging threats, IDR seeks to publish manuscripts including: expert reviews (both invited and unsolicited) that identify current gaps in our knowledge original investigations (including basic science, translational and clinical research) case series and case reports, which are often the heralds of emerging ID threats. In addition, IDR encourages the submission of manuscripts that include the use of novel research tools or address our field from a multidisciplinary perspective. Examples of innovative areas that could be targeted for reviews or original manuscripts include studies of human microbial ecology or the use of systems biology, nanotechnology, and metagenomics to address problems in infectious diseases. I envision manuscripts in IDR addressing the following areas (in no particular order): international health/pandemics microbial pathogenesis and host immunology virology bacteriology mycology parasitology vaccinology epidemiology diagnostics (including novel, rapid, and field-based methods) treatment. The Open Access, online-only era is upon us. An exciting consequence of online access is the ease with which we can reach out across geographical, cultural, and political barriers to communicate about the latest infectious disease problems and solutions. In many international regions, Open Access is seen as a natural, financially sustainable alternative to standard publishing. PAGEPress, the publisher of IDR, is committed to offering a publication platform to developing and developed countries alike. We have populated the Editorial Board of IDR with a balance of young (emerging) and established infectious disease experts to ensure that our manuscripts are current, of wide interest, address controversies and unanswered questions, and help stimulate further advances in the field. I strongly encourage you to submit your work to IDR. I look forward to seeing IDR grow into a major infectious disease journal that makes robust contributions to controlling the global threat of human infection.

New developments in the pathology of malignant lymphoma: a review of the literature published from January to April 2008

IntroductionThe pathology of malignant lymphoma remains a rapidlyevolving field. Based on the long tradition of research intothe understanding of the biology of the tumor cells thatleads to better definition for clinicopathologic entities,resulting in new methods used by pathologists to diagnosea lymphoma, also in the first 4 months of 2008 a largeseries of papers was published. In this overview, the mostimportant of these are described shortly.Biology of lymphomaHodgkin lymphomaHodgkin lymphoma (HL) remains an elusive disease. Liu etal. described the involvement of defects in deoxyribonu-cleic acid repair in six out of eight cell lines and three outseven cases, with deletions and insertions in the RaD3-related (ATR) genes and suggest that these might preventrepair induced by oxidative stress of the inflammatoryinfiltrate in HL, thereby once again pointing to theinflammation as an important driving force of the disease[1]. Diepstra et al. showed that the tumor cells in about halfof the HL cases express human leukocyte antigen G, whichinhibits cytotoxicity. This expression was associated withloss of major histocompatibility complex class I so that bythese mechanisms, Hodgkin cells protect themselves fromkilling by the inflammatory response [2].Using cell lines from HL and anaplastic large celllymphoma (ALCL), Hirsch et al. showed that Hodgkincells are unresponsive for CD30 signaling but that in ALCLcells, CD30 stimulation causes major transcriptional alter-ations, including activation of caspases and nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated survival, in fact competing processes [3].Microribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression profiling inclassic HL (cHL) revealed that the expression of 157miRNAs in lymph nodes from 49 cHL patients and tenreactive lymph nodes separated three well-defined groups:nodular sclerosis cHL, mixed cellularity cHL, and reactivelymph nodes. The results were confirmed in a separateseries of cases and cell lines. These findings suggest thatmiRNAs play an important role in the biology of cHL [4].Using mass spectrometry, Ma et al. detected in cells andsupernatants of HL cell lines in total 1,290 proteins,including 368 secreted proteins. The secreted proteinsincluded 37 related to immune response. Several of theseproteins were also elevated in the serum of patients with HLand may serve as biomarkers after confirmatory studies [5].All these findings lead to a better understanding of whatis happening in HL importantly, since still about 10–15% ofthe patients eventually die of this lymphoma type.B cell lymphomasIt is now widely accepted that diffuse large B celllymphoma consists of at least two phenotypic subtypes,that is, the germinal center B cell-like and the activated Bcell-like groups. It has been shown that the former groupresponds favorably to chemotherapy and expresses highlevels of BCL6. But, the latter group has lower levels ofBCL6, constitutively activated nuclear factor-kappaB, andtends to be refractory to chemotherapy. Ding et al. showedthat the STAT3 gene is a transcriptional target of BCL6. As