Evaluation of Intereye Corneal Asymmetry in Patients with Keratoconus. A Scheimpflug Imaging Study

Purpose: To assess the correlation between keratoconus severity and intereye asymmetry of pachymetric data and posterior elevation values and to evaluate their combined accuracy in discriminating normal corneas from those with keratoconus. Methods: This study included 97 patients: 65 subjects with bilateral normal corneas (NC) and 32 with keratoconus (KC). Central corneal thickness (CCT), thinnest corneal thickness (ThCT) and posterior elevation (PE) at the thinnest point of the cornea were measured in both eyes using Scheimpflug imaging. Intereye asymmetry and its correlation with keratoconus severity were calculated for each variable. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to compare predictive accuracy of different variables for keratoconus. Results: In normal eyes, intereye differences were significantly lower compared with the keratoconus eyes (p<0.001, for CCT, ThCT and PE). There was a significant exponential correlation between disease severity and intereye asymmetry of steep keratometry (r(2) = 0.55, p<0.001), CCT (r(2) = 0.39, p<0.001), ThCT (r(2) = 0.48, p<0.001) and PE (r(2) = 0.64, p<0.001). After adjustment for keratoconus severity, asymmetry in thinnest pachymetry proved to be the best parameter to characterize intereye corneal asymmetry in keratoconus. This variable had high accuracy and significantly better discriminating ability (AUROC: 0.99) for KC than posterior elevation (AUROC: 0.96), ThCT (AUROC: 0.94) or CCT (AUROC: 0.92) alone. Conclusions: There is an increased intereye asymmetry in keratometry, pachymetry and posterior corneal elevation values in keratoconic patients compared to subjects with normal corneas. Keratoconus patients with more severe disease are also more asymmetric in their disease status which should be taken into account during clinical care

Seabird Modulations of Isotopic Nitrogen on Islands

The transport of nutrients by migratory animals across ecosystem boundaries can significantly enrich recipient food webs, thereby shaping the ecosystems’ structure and function. To illustrate the potential role of islands in enabling the transfer of matter across ecosystem boundaries to be gauged, we investigated the influence of seabirds on nitrogen input on islands. Basing our study on four widely differing islands in terms of their biogeography and ecological characteristics, sampled at different spatial and temporal intervals, we analyzed the nitrogen isotopic values of the main terrestrial ecosystem compartments (vascular plants, arthropods, lizards and rodents) and their relationship to seabird values. For each island, the isotopic values of the ecosystem were driven by those of seabirds, which ultimately corresponded to changes in their marine prey. First, terrestrial compartments sampled within seabird colonies were the most enriched in δ15N compared with those collected at various distances outside colonies. Second, isotopic values of the whole terrestrial ecosystems changed over time, reflecting the values of seabirds and their prey, showing a fast turnover throughout the ecosystems. Our results demonstrate that seabird-derived nutrients not only spread across the terrestrial ecosystems and trophic webs, but also modulate their isotopic values locally and temporally on these islands. The wealth of experimental possibilities in insular ecosystems justifies greater use of these model systems to further our understanding of the modalities of trans-boundary nutrient transfers

Automatic Filtering and Substantiation of Drug Safety Signals

Drug safety issues pose serious health threats to the population and constitute a major cause of mortality worldwide. Due to the prominent implications to both public health and the pharmaceutical industry, it is of great importance to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which an adverse drug reaction can be potentially elicited. These mechanisms can be investigated by placing the pharmaco-epidemiologically detected adverse drug reaction in an information-rich context and by exploiting all currently available biomedical knowledge to substantiate it. We present a computational framework for the biological annotation of potential adverse drug reactions. First, the proposed framework investigates previous evidences on the drug-event association in the context of biomedical literature (signal filtering). Then, it seeks to provide a biological explanation (signal substantiation) by exploring mechanistic connections that might explain why a drug produces a specific adverse reaction. The mechanistic connections include the activity of the drug, related compounds and drug metabolites on protein targets, the association of protein targets to clinical events, and the annotation of proteins (both protein targets and proteins associated with clinical events) to biological pathways. Hence, the workflows for signal filtering and substantiation integrate modules for literature and database mining, in silico drug-target profiling, and analyses based on gene-disease networks and biological pathways. Application examples of these workflows carried out on selected cases of drug safety signals are discussed. The methodology and workflows presented offer a novel approach to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying adverse drug reactions

Quantitative measures of leaf epidermal cells as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool for the identification of Stanhopea species (Orchidaceae) International Journal of

Mediciones cuantitativas en las células epidérmicas de la hoja como herramienta taxonómica y filogenética para la identificación de especies de Stanhopea (Orchidaceae) A Ab bs st tr ra ac ct t. . Orchids of the genus Stanhopea are currently identified only by their floral structure characteristics. A statistical analysis of a significant number of species of this genus disclosed that measurements of adaxial and abaxial epidermal cell surface areas can be correlated with specific recognized species by a leaf printing method. This allows an objectively either positive or nearly positive confirmation of the identity of a species in the absence of flowers and without damage to plants. When ordering the mean values obtained for these surface areas in each species in a decreasing order, a correlation was observed in a hierarchical way that went from primitive to more advanced floral forms. This reflects the evolutionary radiation of the genus. It is established that in Stanhopea, the presence of large leaf epidermal cells on species from South America represents a primitive evolutionary condition that became to smaller cells in evolutionarily more recent individuals as the genus radiated towards Mexico. ( 114 análisis estadístico de un número significativo de especies de este género reveló que las áreas promedio de las células epidérmicas adaxiales y abaxiales se pueden correlacionar con especies específicamente reconocidas utilizando un método de impresión de la hoja. Esto permitiría una confirmación positiva o casi positiva de la identidad de una especie de modo objetivo, en ausencia de flores y sin daño a las plantas. Al ordenar los valores obtenidos para dichas áreas de las células epidérmicas en cada especie en un orden descendente, se observó una correlación de modo jerárquico que va de las formas florales primitivas a las formas más avanzadas. Esto reflejó una radiación evolutiva del género. Se establece que en Stanhopea, las grandes células epidérmicas presentes en las hojas de especies de Sudamérica representan una condición evolutiva primitiva que fue cambiando a células más pequeñas en individuos evolutivamente más recientes a medida que el género se expandió hacia México. P Pa al la ab br ra as s c cl la av ve e: : Stanhopea, taxonomía cuantitativa, morfometría, impresión de hoja, Orchidaceae

Physical Fitness and Self-Rated Health in Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study.

Self-rated health (SRH) is an independent determinant for all-cause mortality. We aimed to examine the independent and combined associations of components of physical fitness with SRH at baseline (cross-sectional) and two years later (longitudinal) in children and adolescents. Spanish youth (N = 1378) aged 8 to 17.9 years participated at baseline. The dropout rate at 2-year follow-up was 19.5% (n = 270). Participants were categorized as either children (8 to 11.9 years age) or adolescents (12 to 17.9 years age). The ALPHA health- related fitness test battery for youth was used to assess physical fitness, and SRH was measured by a single-item question. Cumulative link, ANOVA and ANCOVA models were fitted to analyze the data. Cardiorespiratory fitness, relative upper body isometric muscular strength, muscular strength score, and global physical fitness were positively associated with SRH in children (OR, 1.048; 95% CI, 1.020-1.076; OR, 18.921; 95% CI, 3.47-104.355; OR, 1.213; 95% CI, 1.117-1.319, and OR, 1.170; 95% CI, 1.081-1.266, respectively; all

Physical Fitness and Self-Rated Health in Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study

Self-rated health (SRH) is an independent determinant for all-cause mortality. We aimed to examine the independent and combined associations of components of physical fitness with SRH at baseline (cross-sectional) and two years later (longitudinal) in children and adolescents. Spanish youth (N = 1378) aged 8 to 17.9 years participated at baseline. The dropout rate at 2-year follow-up was 19.5% (n = 270). Participants were categorized as either children (8 to 11.9 years age) or adolescents (12 to 17.9 years age). The ALPHA health- related fitness test battery for youth was used to assess physical fitness, and SRH was measured by a single-item question. Cumulative link, ANOVA and ANCOVA models were fitted to analyze the data. Cardiorespiratory fitness, relative upper body isometric muscular strength, muscular strength score, and global physical fitness were positively associated with SRH in children (OR, 1.048; 95% CI, 1.020&ndash;1.076; OR, 18.921; 95% CI, 3.47&ndash;104.355; OR, 1.213; 95% CI, 1.117&ndash;1.319, and OR, 1.170; 95% CI, 1.081&ndash;1.266, respectively; all p &lt; 0.001) and adolescents (OR, 1.057; 95% CI, 1.037&ndash;1.076; OR, 5.707; 95% CI, 1.122&ndash;29.205; OR, 1.169; 95% CI, 1.070&ndash;1.278, and OR, 1.154 95% CI, 1.100&ndash;1.210, respectively; all p &lt; 0.001); and motor fitness was positively associated with SRH only in adolescents at baseline (OR, 1.192; 95% CI, 1.066&ndash;1.309; p &lt; 0.01). Cardiorespiratory fitness and global physical fitness were positively associated with SRH in children two years later (OR, 1.056; 95% CI, 1.023&ndash;1.091; p &lt; 0.001; and OR, 1.082; 95% CI, 1.031&ndash;1.136; p &lt; 0.01; respectively). Only cardiorespiratory fitness was independently associated with SRH in children and adolescents at baseline (OR, 1.059; 95% CI, 1.029&ndash;1.090; and OR, 1.073; 95% CI, 1.050&ndash;1.097, respectively; both p &lt; 0.001) and two years later (OR, 1.075; 95% CI, 1.040&ndash;1.112; p &lt; 0.001; and OR, 1.043; 95% CI, 1.014&ndash;1.074; p &lt; 0.01, respectively). A high level of cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline or maintaining high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness from the baseline to 2-year follow-up were associated with a higher level of SRH at 2-year follow-up in children (p &lt; 0.01) and adolescents (p &lt; 0.05). These findings emphasize the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness as strong predictor of present and future SRH in youth. Intervention programs to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness level of the youth population are urgently needed for present and future youth&rsquo;s health