Comparison of three separate one-step soft contact lens solutions in relation to patient sensitivity

Three new contact lens solutions have recently been approved by the FDA for one-step disinfection of soft contact lenses: Alcon\u27s Opti-OneTM, Allergan\u27s COMPLETE®, and Ciba\u27s Quick CARE™. These solutions are indicated for use in the disinfection, daily cleaning, rinsing and storing of soft contact lenses. They are approved for direct placement on the eye with soft contact lenses. This investigation compared the relationship between the three solutions and subjective ocular comfort/sensitivity. Ninety subjects participated in one of three experimental sessions to compare the ophthalmic solutions. Ratings for ocular surface sensitivity to OptiOneTM, Quick CARE™, and COMPLETE®, demonstrated no statistically significant change from pre-instillation to post-instillation conditions. In addition, there was no consistent pattern of preference for one solution over another. In fact, in direct comparison of solutions, over forty percent of subjects reported no difference in ocular comfort

Irreversible Quantum Mechanics in the Neutral K-System

The neutral Kaon system is used to test the quantum theory of resonance scattering and decay phenomena. The two dimensional Lee-Oehme-Yang theory with complex Hamiltonian is obtained by truncating the complex basis vector expansion of the exact theory in Rigged Hilbert space. This can be done for K_1 and K_2 as well as for K_S and K_L, depending upon whether one chooses the (self-adjoint, semi-bounded) Hamiltonian as commuting or non-commuting with CP. As an unexpected curiosity one can show that the exact theory (without truncation) predicts long-time 2 pion decays of the neutral Kaon system even if the Hamiltonian conserves CP.Comment: 36 pages, 1 PostScript figure include

Direct CP, T and/or CPT violations in the K^0-\bar{K^0} system - Implications of the recent KTeV results on 2π2\pi decays -

The recent results on the CP violating parameters Re(e'/e) and \Delta\phi = \phi_{00}-\phi_{+-} reported by the KTeV Collaboration are analyzed with a view to constrain CP, T and CPT violations in a decay process. Combining with some relevant data compiled by the Particle Data Group, we find Re(e_2-e_0) = (0.85 +- 3.11)*10^{-4} and Im(e_2-e_0) = (3.2 +- 0.7)*10^{-4}, where Re(e_I) and Im(e_I) represent respectively CP/CPT and CP/T violations in decay of K^0 and \bar{K^0} into a 2\pi state with isospin I.Comment: 7 pages, No figure

Predicting the Spatio-Temporal Response of Recurrent Glioblastoma Treated With Rhenium-186 Labelled Nanoliposomes

Rhenium-186 (186Re) labeled nanoliposome (RNL) therapy for recurrent glioblastoma patients has shown promise to improve outcomes by locally delivering radiation to affected areas. To optimize the delivery of RNL, we have developed a framework to predict patient-specific response to RNL using image-guided mathematical models. METHODS: We calibrated a family of reaction-diffusion type models with multi-modality imaging data from ten patients (NCR01906385) to predict the spatio-temporal dynamics of each patient\u27s tumor. The data consisted of longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to estimate tumor burden and local RNL activity, respectively. The optimal model from the family was selected and used to predict future growth. A simplified version of the model was used in a leave-one-out analysis to predict the development of an individual patient\u27s tumor, based on cohort parameters. RESULTS: Across the cohort, predictions using patient-specific parameters with the selected model were able to achieve Spearman correlation coefficients (SCC) of 0.98 and 0.93 for tumor volume and total cell number, respectively, when compared to the measured data. Predictions utilizing the leave-one-out method achieved SCCs of 0.89 and 0.88 for volume and total cell number across the population, respectively. CONCLUSION: We have shown that patient-specific calibrations of a biology-based mathematical model can be used to make early predictions of response to RNL therapy. Furthermore, the leave-one-out framework indicates that radiation doses determined by SPECT can be used to assign model parameters to make predictions directly following the conclusion of RNL treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This manuscript explores the application of computational models to predict response to radionuclide therapy in glioblastoma. There are few, to our knowledge, examples of mathematical models used in clinical radionuclide therapy. We have tested a family of models to determine the applicability of different radiation coupling terms for response to the localized radiation delivery. We show that with patient-specific parameter estimation, we can make accurate predictions of future glioblastoma response to the treatment. As a comparison, we have shown that population trends in response can be used to forecast growth from the moment the treatment has been delivered.In addition to the high simulation and prediction accuracy our modeling methods have achieved, the evaluation of a family of models has given insight into the response dynamics of radionuclide therapy. These dynamics, while different than we had initially hypothesized, should encourage future imaging studies involving high dosage radiation treatments, with specific emphasis on the local immune and vascular response

Relaxation of the Dynamical Gluino Phase and Unambiguous Electric Dipole Moments

We propose a new axionic solution of the strong CP problem with a Peccei-Quinn mechanism using the gluino rather than quarks. The spontaneous breaking of this new global U(1) at 10^{11} GeV also generates the supersymmetry breaking scale of 1 TeV (solving the so-called \mu problem at the same time) and results in the MSSM (Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model) with R parity conservation. In this framework, electric dipole moments become calculable without ambiguity.Comment: Typos corrected and a footnote added, 10 p

N-Terminal Pro–B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in the Emergency Department: The ICON-RELOADED Study

Background Contemporary reconsideration of diagnostic N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) cutoffs for diagnosis of heart failure (HF) is needed. Objectives This study sought to evaluate the diagnostic performance of NT-proBNP for acute HF in patients with dyspnea in the emergency department (ED) setting. Methods Dyspneic patients presenting to 19 EDs in North America were enrolled and had blood drawn for subsequent NT-proBNP measurement. Primary endpoints were positive predictive values of age-stratified cutoffs (450, 900, and 1,800 pg/ml) for diagnosis of acute HF and negative predictive value of the rule-out cutoff to exclude acute HF. Secondary endpoints included sensitivity, specificity, and positive (+) and negative (−) likelihood ratios (LRs) for acute HF. Results Of 1,461 subjects, 277 (19%) were adjudicated as having acute HF. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for diagnosis of acute HF was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90 to 0.93; p < 0.001). Sensitivity for age stratified cutoffs of 450, 900, and 1,800 pg/ml was 85.7%, 79.3%, and 75.9%, respectively; specificity was 93.9%, 84.0%, and 75.0%, respectively. Positive predictive values were 53.6%, 58.4%, and 62.0%, respectively. Overall LR+ across age-dependent cutoffs was 5.99 (95% CI: 5.05 to 6.93); individual LR+ for age-dependent cutoffs was 14.08, 4.95, and 3.03, respectively. The sensitivity and negative predictive value for the rule-out cutoff of 300 pg/ml were 93.9% and 98.0%, respectively; LR− was 0.09 (95% CI: 0.05 to 0.13). Conclusions In acutely dyspneic patients seen in the ED setting, age-stratified NT-proBNP cutpoints may aid in the diagnosis of acute HF. An NT-proBNP <300 pg/ml strongly excludes the presence of acute HF

Observing Spontaneous Strong Parity Violation in Heavy-Ion Collisions

We discuss the problem of observing spontaneous parity and CP violation in collision systems. We discuss and propose observables which may be used in heavy-ion collisions to observe such violations, as well as event-by-event methods to analyze the data. Finally, we discuss simple monte-carlo models of these CP violating effects which we have used to develop our techniques and from which we derive rough estimates of sensitivities to signals which may be seen at RHIC

Testing of CP, CPT and causality violation with the light propagation in vacuum in presence of the uniform electric and magnetic fields

We have considered the structure of the fundamental symmetry violating part of the photon refractive index in vacuum in the presence of constant electric and magnetic fields. This part of the refractive index can, in principle, contain CPT symmetry breaking terms. Some of the terms violate Lorentz invariance, whereas the others violate locality and causality. Estimates of these effects, using laser experiments are considered.Comment: 12 page

T violation and the unidirectionality of time

An increasing number of experiments at the Belle, BNL, CERN, DA{\Phi}NE and SLAC accelerators are confirming the violation of time reversal invariance (T). The violation signifies a fundamental asymmetry between the past and future and calls for a major shift in the way we think about time. Here we show that processes which violate T symmetry induce destructive interference between different paths that the universe can take through time. The interference eliminates all paths except for two that represent continuously forwards and continuously backwards time evolution. Evidence from the accelerator experiments indicates which path the universe is effectively following. This work may provide fresh insight into the long-standing problem of modeling the dynamics of T violation processes. It suggests that T violation has previously unknown, large-scale physical effects and that these effects underlie the origin of the unidirectionality of time. It may have implications for the Wheeler-DeWitt equation of canonical quantum gravity. Finally it provides a view of the quantum nature of time itself.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures. Final version accepted for publishing in Foundations of Physics. The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/y3h4174jw2w78322