Melatonin\'s cytoprotective properties may have therapeutic implications in treating ocular diseases like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Literature data suggest that melatonin could potentially protect ocular tissues by decreasing the production of free radicals and pro-inflammatory mediators. This study aims to summarize the screened articles on melatonin\'s clinical, pharmacological, and formulation evaluation in treating ocular disorders. The identification of relevant studies on the topic in focus was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines. The studies were searched in the following databases and web search engines: Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, Reaxys, Google Scholar, Google Patents, Espacenet, and Patentscope. The search time interval was 2013-2023, with the following keywords: melatonin AND ocular OR ophthalmic AND formulation OR insert AND disease. Our key conclusion was that using melatonin-loaded nano-delivery systems enabled the improved permeation of the molecule into intraocular tissues and assured controlled release profiles. Although preclinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of developed formulations, a considerable gap has been observed in the clinical translation of the results. To overcome this failure, revising the preclinical experimental phase might be useful by selecting endpoints close to clinical ones.

The global market for AI systems used in lung tuberculosis (TB) detection has expanded significantly in recent years. Verifying their performance across diverse settings is crucial before medical organisations can invest in them and pursue safe, wide-scale deployment. The goal of this research was to synthesise the clinical evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of certified AI products designed for screening TB in chest X-rays (CXRs) compared to a microbiological reference standard.
Four databases were searched between June to September 2022. Data concerning study methodology, system characteristics, and diagnostic accuracy metrics was extracted and summarised. Study bias was evaluated using QUADAS-2 and by examining sources of funding. Forest plots for diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were constructed for the AI products individually and collectively.
10 out of 3642 studies satisfied the review criteria however only 8 were subject to meta-analysis following bias assessment. Three AI products were evaluated with a 95 % confidence interval producing the following pooled estimates for accuracy rankings: qXR v2 (sensitivity of 0.944 [0.887-0.973], specificity of 0.692 [0.549-0.805], DOR of 3.63 [3.17-4.09], Lunit INSIGHT CXR v3.1 (sensitivity of 0.853 [0.787-0.901], specificity of 0.646 [0.627-0.665], DOR of 2.37 [1.96-2.78]), and CAD4TB v3.07 (sensitivity of 0.917 [0.848-0.956], specificity of 0.371 [0.336-0.408], DOR of 1.91 [1.4-2.47]). Overall, the products had a sensitivity of 0.903 (0.859-0.934), specificity of 0.526 (0.409-0.641), and DOR of 2.31 (1.78-2.84).
Current publicly available evidence indicates considerable variability in the diagnostic accuracy of available AI products although overall they have high sensitivity and modest specificity which is improving with time. These preliminary results are limited by the small number of studies and poor coverage for low TB burden settings. More research is needed to expand the clinical evidence base for the performance of AI products.

OBJECTIVE: Herein, we seek to review the clinical applications of penile duplex Doppler ultrasound (PDDU) in sexual medicine practices and discuss the indications, protocols, advantages, and limitations of this diagnostic modality. Other more outdated diagnostic tests, such as cavernosometry, are briefly discussed to provide the reader a background of understanding on the evolution of diagnostic testing within the realm of sexual medicine.
RESULTS: PDDU has become a key diagnostic tool in the clinical evaluation of both erectile dysfunction (ED) and Peyronie\'s disease (PD). With the assistance of intracavernosal injections such as alprostadil, clinicians can utilize ultrasound technology to produce a detailed description of the hemodynamics of the patient\'s erection cycle. This information plays a pivotal role in establishing an accurate diagnosis and creating a sensible management plan for the patient. This review aims to provide a better understanding regarding the technique and interpretation of PDDU as it pertains to male sexual function.

OBJECTIVE: Handgrip strength (HGS) is an indicator of general muscular strength and in cancer patients acts as a relevant marker associated with mortality and health. This study aimed to evaluate the association between peripheral muscle function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in breast cancer (BC) survivors.
METHODS: Systematic review registered on PROSPERO under number: CRD 42021225206. The searches were carried out on MEDLINE via Pubmed, PEDro, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL via EBSCO and Science Direct databases. Observational studies evaluating the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and HRQoL in adult female BC survivors were included. No linguistic or time restrictions were applied. Two reviewers reviewed full texts for inclusion and performed data extraction and risk of bias using the Newcastle and Ottawa scale (NOS).
RESULTS: Five articles were included and involved 587 patients, mean age of 47 to 59 years. The percentage of decreased HGS ranged from 38.3% to 60.3%. HGS was associated with different quality of life measures. From meta-analysis including 220 patients, the correlation coefficient between HGS and HRQoL was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.07-0.35).
CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer survivors face decline of HGS. In this population HGS was correlated with HRQoL. However, more evidence are necessary.

UNASSIGNED: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disorder across the world, and non-invasive evaluation approaches are in need to assess NAFLD disease progression. Serum ferritin has been proposed as one of the biomarkers for NAFLD diagnosis in previous studies. This systematic review aims to identify, report, and synthesize studies that investigated the association of serum ferritin level with the various stages of NAFLD among the adult population.
UNASSIGNED: Three databases - MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus - were systematically searched to obtain potentially relevant publications before July 2022. No restrictions were applied to geographical region, study design, publication type and language. The association between serum ferritin level or different ferritin categories and the various stages of NAFLD was the primary outcome of interest. Title and abstract screenings, data extraction and coding, and quality assessment were independently completed by two authors with discrepancies resolved through discussion with a third author.
UNASSIGNED: Thirty-two studies were included and heterogeneity was considerable. The associations between serum ferritin level and the stages of hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, inflammation and ballooning and the occurrence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) were investigated but inconsistent associations were reported. Most studies identified serum ferritin to be a predictor of advanced NAFLD, while several revealed the opposite end.
UNASSIGNED: Serum ferritin could be considered to act as a non-invasive biomarker for assessing various stages of NAFLD. Nevertheless, further studies are still in need to confirm its predictive value since this study reported inconsistent associations based on the qualitative synthesis.
UNASSIGNED: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42021275630.

Background: For the most important and well-known infections spread by Ixodes ticks, Lyme borreliosis (LB) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), there are recommendations for diagnosis and management available from several health authorities and professional medical networks. However, other tick-borne microorganisms with potential to cause human disease are less known and clear recommendations on diagnosis and management are scarce. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of published studies and reviews focusing on evaluation of laboratory methods for clinical diagnosis of human tick-borne diseases (TBDs), other than acute LB and TBE. The specific aim was to evaluate the scientific support for laboratory diagnosis of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, rickettsiosis, neoehrlichiosis, babesiosis, hard tick relapsing fever, tularemia and bartonellosis, as well as tick-borne co-infections and persistent LB in spite of recommended standard antibiotic treatment. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search in 11 databases for research published from 2007 through 2017, and categorized potentially relevant references according to the predefined infections and study design. An expert group assessed the relevance and eligibility and reviewed the articles according to the QUADAS (diagnostic studies) or AMSTAR (systematic reviews) protocols, respectively. Clinical evaluations of one or several diagnostic tests and systematic reviews were included. Case reports, non-human studies and articles published in other languages than English were excluded. Results: A total of 48 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for evaluation. The majority of these studies were based on small sample sizes. There were no eligible studies for evaluation of tick-borne co-infections or for persistent LB after antibiotic treatment. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for larger evaluations of laboratory tests using clinical samples from well-defined cases taken at different time-points during the course of the diseases. Since the diseases occur at a relatively low frequency, single-center cross-sectional studies are practically not feasible, but multi-center case control studies could be a way forward.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease with heterogenous clinical manifestations. Here we review the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and propose a clinically feasible diagnostic work-up and monitoring protocol. As sarcoidosis is a systemic disease, a multidisciplinary approach is recommended for best outcomes. However, since the lungs are frequently involved, the pulmonologist is often the referral physician for diagnosis and management. When sarcoidosis is suspected, diagnosis needs to be confirmed and organ involvement/impairment assessed. This process is also required to establish whether the patient is likely to benefit from treatment, as many cases of sarcoidosis are self-limited and remit spontaneously. Whether or not treatment is started, effective regular follow-up is necessary to monitor changes in the disease, including extension, progression, remissions, flare-ups, and complications.

In this paper, some significant problems, which were found frequently in the products of autoimmune in vitro diagnostic reagents, were summarized and analyzed in detail, and meanwhile a few relevant suggestions were put forward, which should be paid attention in the process of registration and application.

OBJECTIVE: Scapulothoracic dyskinesis (SD) occurs when there is a noticeable disruption in typical position and motion of the scapula, which can result in debilitating pain. The purpose of this review is to describe the current knowledge regarding the diagnosis and management of scapulothoracic dyskinesis by providing an evidence-based overview of clinical exams and treatment modalities available for orthopedic surgeons and provide insight into which treatment modalities require further investigation.
RESULTS: SD is highly prevalent in athletes, particularly those participating in overhead activities (e.g., baseball, tennis, and swimming) and can coexist with several shoulder pathologies. A holistic approach in the diagnosis of SD has been supported in the literature; however, it is important to recognize that diagnosis is currently limited to the absence of a quantitative SD clinical assessment. The main goal of the treatment of SD is to regain proper scapular positioning and dynamics. The standard of care for the management of SD is conservative interventions aimed at optimizing scapular kinematics. Surgical intervention is only considered in the presence of concomitant pathology requiring surgery. Due to the complexity of coordinated movement of the shoulder girdle, recent literature has begun to move away from the use of traditional orthopedic tests, in favor of a more system-based approach for the diagnosis of SD. We present a concise review of clinical exams and treatment modalities available for orthopedic surgeons in the management of SD.

Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) is a common and poorly understood medical condition that significantly affects individuals\' quality of life. Many patients seek evaluation and management of their symptoms from multiple physicians. Our review aims to address diagnostic modalities, clinical evaluation, and surgical and non-surgical management. We conducted a computerised detailed search of the PubMed, Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases for reports pertaining to CSP using the Medical Subject Headings keywords \'chronic scrotal pain\', \'testicular pain\' and \'orchialgia\', and we included in the review those that fulfilled the inclusion (adult male with CSP presenting with the criteria of CSP ) and exclusion (extra-scrotal pain) criteria. After the direct causes of CSP were identified by reviewing the clinical evaluations (history taking and examination are mandatory) and the diagnostic evaluations (urine analysis is crucial and ultrasound can be helpful), the most-used medical and non-surgical treatments for CSP were tricyclic antidepressants (success rate of up to 66.6%) and spermatic block (success rate of more than 90%), and the most-used surgical procedure was microsurgical denervation of the spermatic cord (success rate of up to 70%). The evidence currently available remains rare and of low quality, making it difficult to strongly recommend individual treatment options. However, multimodal treatment modalities using physical therapy and psychotherapy may help patients and provide useful tools for coping with this condition. There are also useful non-surgical and surgical options for CSP that depend on the patient\'s state, the severity of the complaint and what options have already been tried.