IMI - Clinical Myopia Control Trials and Instrumentation Report

The evidence-basis based on existing myopia control trials along with the supporting academic literature were reviewed; this informed recommendations on the outcomes suggested from clinical trials aimed at slowing myopia progression to show the effectiveness of treatments and the impact on patients. These outcomes were classified as primary (refractive error and/or axial length), secondary (patient reported outcomes and treatment compliance), and exploratory (peripheral refraction, accommodative changes, ocular alignment, pupil size, outdoor activity/lighting levels, anterior and posterior segment imaging, and tissue biomechanics). The currently available instrumentation, which the literature has shown to best achieve the primary and secondary outcomes, was reviewed and critiqued. Issues relating to study design and patient selection were also identified. These findings and consensus from the International Myopia Institute members led to final recommendations to inform future instrumentation development and to guide clinical trial protocols

A Simple HEPA Filtering Facepiece

Shortages of efficient filtering facepiece respirators leave the public vulnerable to transmission of infectious diseases in small particle aerosols. This study demonstrates that a high-filtration-efficiency facepiece capable of filtering out >95% of 0.05μm particles while being worn can be simply produced with available materials

Calibration sphere for low-frequency parametric sonars

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 121 (2007): 1482-1490, doi:10.1121/1.2434244.The problem of calibrating parametric sonar systems at low difference frequencies used in backscattering applications is addressed. A particular parametric sonar is considered: the Simrad TOPAS PS18 Parametric Sub-bottom Profiler. This generates difference-frequency signals in the band 0.5–6 kHz. A standard target is specified according to optimization conditions based on maximizing the target strength consistent with the target strength being independent of orientation and the target being physically manageable. The second condition is expressed as the target having an immersion weight less than 200 N. The result is a 280-mm-diam sphere of aluminum. Its target strength varies from −43.4 dB at 0.5 kHz to −20.2 dB at 6 kHz. Maximum excursions in target strength over the frequency band due to uncertainty in material properties of the sphere are of order ±0.1 dB. Maximum excursions in target strength due to variations in mass density and sound speed of the immersion medium are larger, but can be eliminated by attention to the hydrographic conditions. The results are also applicable to the standard-target calibration of conventional sonars operating at low-kilohertz frequencies

IMI 2021 Yearly Digest

PURPOSE. The International Myopia Institute (IMI) Yearly Digest highlights new research considered to be of importance since the publication of the first series of IMI white papers. METHODS. A literature search was conducted for articles on myopia between 2019 and mid-2020 to inform definitions and classifications, experimental models, genetics, interventions, clinical trials, and clinical management. Conference abstracts from key meetings in the same period were also considered. RESULTS. One thousand articles on myopia have been published between 2019 and mid-2020. Key advances include the use of the definition of premyopia in studies currently under way to test interventions in myopia, new definitions in the field of pathologicmyopia, the role of new pharmacologic treatments in experimental models such as intraocular pressure-lowering latanoprost, a large meta-analysis of refractive error identifying 336 new genetic loci, new clinical interventions such as the defocus incorporated multisegment spectacles and combination therapy with low-dose atropine and orthokeratology (OK), normative standards in refractive error, the ethical dilemma of a placebo control group when myopia control treatments are established, reporting the physical metric of myopia reduction versus a percentage reduction, comparison of the risk of pediatric OK wear with risk of vision impairment in myopia, the justification of preventing myopic and axial length increase versus quality of life, and future vision loss. CONCLUSIONS. Large amounts of research in myopia have been published since the IMI 2019 white papers were released. The yearly digest serves to highlight the latest research and advances in myopia.Peer reviewe

Progress in Assessing Air Pollutant Risks from In Vitro Exposures: Matching Ozone Dose and Effect in Human Airway Cells

In vitro exposures to air pollutants could, in theory, facilitate a rapid and detailed assessment of molecular mechanisms of toxicity. However, it is difficult to ensure that the dose of a gaseous pollutant to cells in tissue culture is similar to that of the same cells during in vivo exposure of a living person. The goal of the present study was to compare the dose and effect of O3 in airway cells of humans exposed in vivo to that of human cells exposed in vitro. Ten subjects breathed labeled O3 (18O3, 0.3 ppm, 2 h) while exercising intermittently. Bronchial brush biopsies and lung lavage fluids were collected 1 h post exposure for in vivo data whereas in vitro data were obtained from primary cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to 0.25–1.0 ppm 18O3 for 2 h. The O3 dose to the cells was defined as the level of 18O incorporation and the O3 effect as the fold increase in expression of inflammatory marker genes (IL-8 and COX-2). Dose and effect in cells removed from in vivo exposed subjects were lower than in cells exposed to the same 18O3 concentration in vitro suggesting upper airway O3 scrubbing in vivo. Cells collected by lavage as well as previous studies in monkeys show that cells deeper in the lung receive a higher O3 dose than cells in the bronchus. We conclude that the methods used herein show promise for replicating and comparing the in vivo dose and effect of O3 in an in vitro system

A Review of Pink Salmon in the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans

The Northern Hemisphere Pink Salmon Expert Group Meeting was held on October 2–3, 2022 in Vancouver, Canada, immediately preceding the International Year of the Salmon (IYS) Synthesis Symposium. The rapid expansion of pink salmon was the theme for the meeting, and experts came together to discuss the current state of knowledge for pink salmon. Specific topics of focus included the range expansion into the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, trends in distribution and abundance, research and monitoring approaches, potential inter-specific interactions, mitigation efforts, and plans for future collaborations. The outcomes of the meeting were presented at the IYS Synthesis Symposium and are further disseminated through this NPAFC Technical Report. The Executive Summary section of this report provides a brief background, a condensed overview of each topic, and concludes with overarching takeaway messages that are intended to guide future collaborations.publishedVersio

A Review of Pink Salmon in the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans

The Northern Hemisphere Pink Salmon Expert Group Meeting was held on October 2–3, 2022 in Vancouver, Canada, immediately preceding the International Year of the Salmon (IYS) Synthesis Symposium. The rapid expansion of pink salmon was the theme for the meeting, and experts came together to discuss the current state of knowledge for pink salmon. Specific topics of focus included the range expansion into the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, trends in distribution and abundance, research and monitoring approaches, potential inter-specific interactions, mitigation efforts, and plans for future collaborations. The outcomes of the meeting were presented at the IYS Synthesis Symposium and are further disseminated through this NPAFC Technical Report. The Executive Summary section of this report provides a brief background, a condensed overview of each topic, and concludes with overarching takeaway messages that are intended to guide future collaborations.publishedVersio