Comparing the stromal demarcation line depth in standard versus high-intensity corneal CXL using anterior segment OCT

Paper no. 10466PURPOSE: To compare the depth of the corneal stromal demarcation line at center and periphery in standard versus high intensity collagen cross-linking (CXL) using Visante (Carl-Zeiss Meditec) anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). METHODS: Cases with keratoconus or post-LASIK ectasia with CXL performed by a single surgeon in a private setting tertiary hospital during a 24 month period (November 2011 to November 2013) were retrospectively reviewed. Cases were divided into Group 1: standard 30 minutes CXL with average intensity 3.0 mW/cm² and Group 2: high intensity 10 minutes ...postprin

Effects of corticosterone and amyloid-beta on proteins essential for synaptic function: Implications for depression and Alzheimer's disease.

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The Complete Genome Sequence of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’, the Bacterium Associated with Potato Zebra Chip Disease

Zebra Chip (ZC) is an emerging plant disease that causes aboveground decline of potato shoots and generally results in unusable tubers. This disease has led to multi-million dollar losses for growers in the central and western United States over the past decade and impacts the livelihood of potato farmers in Mexico and New Zealand. ZC is associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’, a fastidious alpha-proteobacterium that is transmitted by a phloem-feeding psyllid vector, Bactericera cockerelli Sulc. Research on this disease has been hampered by a lack of robust culture methods and paucity of genome sequence information for ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’. Here we present the sequence of the 1.26 Mbp metagenome of ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’, based on DNA isolated from potato psyllids. The coding inventory of the ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ genome was analyzed and compared to related Rhizobiaceae to better understand ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ physiology and identify potential targets to develop improved treatment strategies. This analysis revealed a number of unique transporters and pathways, all potentially contributing to ZC pathogenesis. Some of these factors may have been acquired through horizontal gene transfer. Taxonomically, ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ is related to ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, a suspected causative agent of citrus huanglongbing, yet many genome rearrangements and several gene gains/losses are evident when comparing these two Liberibacter. species. Relative to ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ probably has reduced capacity for nucleic acid modification, increased amino acid and vitamin biosynthesis functionalities, and gained a high-affinity iron transport system characteristic of several pathogenic microbes

The action of methimazole and L-thyroxine in radioiodine therapy: A prospective study on the incidence of hypothyroidism

Thiourea drugs have been postulated to possess radioprotective property. We studied the effect of adjunctive antithyroid drugs (ATD) and L-thyroxine (L-T4) on the result of radioiodine (RAI) 131I therapy and determined the incidence of hypothyroidism and relapse of hyperthyroidism. One hundred and fifty-nine patients with Graves' disease were randomized prospectively to receive either RAI alone or adjunctive ATD in a form of block-replacement regimen of methimazole (MMI) plus L-T4 for 6 months. The patients were observed for a mean period of 4.6 (range 2-10) years. The incidence of permanent hypothyroidism was studied and the effect of ATD on iodine kinetics was analyzed. The cumulative incidence of hypothyroidism in the ATD group was significantly lower than the RAI group (p = 0.0009), and the difference is accounted by a reduction of early hypothyroidism within 12 months from 20.2 to 3.7% (p = 0.003). The incidence of late hypothyroidism was similar between the two groups. Treatment with ATD did not affect the one dose cure rate with RAI (61.2 vs 55.5%, p = NS), but the time to achieve euthyroidism was significantly earlier with adjunctive ATD (2 vs 8 weeks, p < 0.02). The incidence of relapse within the first year after one dose was also similar between the two groups (38.7 vs 44.5 %, p = NS). Comparing the kinetics of the therapeutic dose with a tracer dose, patients receiving MMI were found to be underdosed by 22% (p = 0.003) and the biological half-life was significantly shortened. We conclude that ATD rendered euthyroidism earlier without com-promising the one dose cure rate of RAI. It also reduced the incidence of RAI-induced hypothyroidism by preventing early hypothyroidism. We advocate adjunctive ATD in view of the more liberal prescription of RAI to young patients.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Effects of dopants on the electrical behavior of grain boundary in metal-induced crystallized polysilicon film

The effects of doping on the electrical behavior of grain boundary in large grain polysilicon-on-insulator (LPSOI) film formed by metal-induced lateral crystallization (MILC) with nickel is studied. It is found that N-channel MOSFETs formed on LPSOI film exhibits larger leakage current and more susceptible to punchthrough compared with P-channel MOSFETs. Strong correlation between leakage current of the devices and the electrical property of a single longitudinal grain boundary is observed. Through careful process calibration and experimental characterization, the effects of dopant on nickel atom diffusion and final transistor characteristics are reported

A dosimetric comparison of the use of equally spaced beam (ESB), beam angle optimization (BAO), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in head and neck cancers treated by intensity modulated radiotherapy

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