Influence of age on retinochoroidal healing processes after argon photocoagulation in C57bl/6j mice

PURPOSE: To analyze the influence of age on retinochoroidal wound healing processes and on glial growth factor and cytokine mRNA expression profiles observed after argon laser photocoagulation. METHODS: A cellular and morphometric study was performed that used 44 C57Bl/6J mice: 4-week-old mice (group I, n=8), 6-week-old mice (group II, n=8), 10-12-week-old mice (group III, n=14), and 1-year-old mice (group IV, n=14). All mice in these groups underwent a standard argon laser photocoagulation (50 microm, 400 mW, 0.05 s). Two separated lesions were created in each retina using a slit lamp delivery system. At 1, 3, 7, 14, 60 days, and 4 months after photocoagulation, mice from each of the four groups were sacrificed by carbon dioxide inhalation. Groups III and IV were also studied at 6, 7, and 8 months after photocoagulation. At each time point the enucleated eyes were either mounted in Tissue Tek (OCT), snap frozen and processed for immunohistochemistry or either flat mounted (left eyes of groups III and IV). To determine, by RT-PCR, the time course of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) gene expression, we delivered ten laser burns (50 microm, 400 mW, 0.05 s) to each retina in 10-12-week-old mice (group III', n=10) and 1-year-old mice (group IV', n=10). Animals from Groups III' and IV' had the same age than those from Groups III and IV, but they received ten laser impacts in each eye and served for the molecular analysis. Mice from Groups III and IV received only two laser impacts per eye and served for the cellular and morphologic study. Retinal and choroidal tissues from these treated mice were collected at 16 h, and 1, 2, 3, and 7 days after photocoagulation. Two mice of each group did not receive photocoagulation and were used as controls. RESULTS: In the cellular and morphologic study, the resultant retinal pigment epithelium interruption expanse was significantly different between the four groups. It was more concise and smaller in the oldest group IV (112.1 microm+/-11.4 versus 219.1 microm+/-12.2 in group III) p<0.0001 between groups III and IV. By contrast, while choroidal neovascularization (CNV) was mild and not readily identifiable in group I, at all time points studied, CNV was more prominent in the (1-year-old mice) Group IV than in the other groups. For instance, up to 14 days after photocoagulation, CNV reaction was statistically larger in group IV than in group III ((p=0.0049 between groups III and IV on slide sections and p<0.0001 between the same groups on flat mounts). Moreover, four months after photocoagulation, the CNV area (on slide sections) was 1,282 microm(2)+/-90 for group III and 2,999 microm(2)+/-115 for group IV (p<0.0001 between groups III and IV). Accordingly, GFAP, VEGF, and MCP-1 mRNA expression profiles, determined by RT-PCR at 16 h, 1, 2, 3, and 7 days postphotocoagulation, were modified with aging. In 1-year-old mice (group IV), GFAP mRNA expression was already significantly higher than in the younger (10-12 week) group III before photocoagulation. After laser burns, GFAP mRNA expression peaked at 16-24 h and on day 7, decreasing thereafter. VEGF mRNA expression was markedly increased after photocoagulation in old mice eyes, reaching 2.7 times its basal level at day 3, while it was only slightly increased in young mice (1.3 times its level in untreated young mice 3 days postphotocoagulation). At all time points after photocoagulation, MCP-1 mRNA expression was elevated in old mice, reaching high levels of expression at 16 h and day 3 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results were based on the study of four different age groups and included not only data from morphological observations but also from a molecular analysis of the various alterations of cytokine signaling and expression. One-year-old mice demonstrated more extensive CNV formation and a slower pace of regression after laser photocoagulation than younger mice. These were accompanied by differences in growth factors and cytokine expression profiles indicate that aging is a factor that aggravates CNV. The above results may provide some insight into possible therapeutic strategies in the future

Reference interval for immature platelet fraction on Sysmex XN haematology analyser in adult population

Introduction: The Sysmex XN-series haematology analyser has newly adopted a fluorescent channel to measure immature platelet fraction (IPF). To promote the clinical utility of this promising parameter, establishing a reliable reference interval is mandatory. According to previous studies, IPF values may be affected by the employed analyser and the ethnic background of the individual, but no differences seem to be found between individuals’ genders. Therefore, this study aimed to define the reference interval for IPF in a Spanish population following Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Materials and methods: A total of 153 healthy Caucasian adults from Spain met the inclusion criteria. IPF measurement was performed by means of a Sysmex XN-2000 haematology analyser. A non-parametric percentile method was used to calculate the reference intervals in accordance with CLSI guidelines. Results: The obtained reference interval for IPF on the Sysmex XN-2000 was 1.6–9.6% (90% confidence intervals (CIs) were 1.5–1.8 and 9.3–11.5, respectively). No significant gender difference in IPF reference intervals was observed (P = 0.101). Conclusions: This study provides, for the first time, a reference interval for IPF using a Sysmex XN-2000 in a Spanish population, ranging from 1.6 to 9.6%. These data are needed to evaluate platelet production in several conditions such as thrombocytopenia, inflammatory states and cardiovascular diseases, as well as for future research

Experimental results on strangeness production in proton-proton collisions at COSY

The production of K+ and K- mesons in elementary proton-proton collision has been investigated at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY in Juelich. A high quality proton beam with low emittance and small momentum spread permitted to study the creation of these mesons very close to the kinematical threshold. The energy dependence of the total cross section is investigated using internal beam facilities providing a high accuracy particle momentum determination as well as an external non-magnetic detection setup with a large geometrical acceptance. The determination of the four-momentum vectors for all ejectiles of each registered event gives the complete kinematical information allowing to study the interaction of the outgoing particles. Results on the performed studies of the pp --> pp K+ K-, pp --> p Lambda K+ and pp --> p Sigma0 K+ reactions will be presented and their relevance to the interpretation of heavy ion collisions will be discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, plenary talk at 6th International Conference On Strange Quarks in Matter: '2001 - A Flavorspace Odyssey' (SQM2001), Frankfurt, Germany, September 25-29, 2001, to be published in J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phy

Matter collineations of Spacetime Homogeneous G\"odel-type Metrics

The spacetime homogeneous G\"odel-type spacetimes which have four classes of metrics are studied according to their matter collineations. The obtained results are compared with Killing vectors and Ricci collineations. It is found that these spacetimes have infinite number of matter collineations in degenerate case, i.e. det$(T_{ab}) = 0$, and do not admit proper matter collineations in non-degenerate case, i.e. det$(T_{ab}) \ne 0$. The degenerate case has the new constraints on the parameters $m$ and $w$ which characterize the causality features of the G\"odel-type spacetimes.Comment: 12 pages, LaTex, no figures, Class. Quantum.Grav.20 (2003) 216

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol

Purpose To report the effectiveness of intravitreal aflibercept (IVT-AFL) treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME) in French clinical practice. Methods APOLLON (NCT02924311) was a prospective, observational cohort study of patients with DME. Effectiveness was evaluated by change from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 12 months in treatment-naïve patients (i.e., had not received any anti-vascular endothelial growth factor [anti-VEGF] agent, laser, or steroid at IVT-AFL treatment start) and previously treated patients (i.e., previously treated with anti-VEGF agents other than IVT-AFL, laser, or steroids at IVT-AFL treatment start). Secondary endpoints included change in central retinal thickness (CRT) over 12 months, frequency of injections, and proportion of patients with safety events. Results Of the 147 patients followed for at least 12 months and included in the effectiveness analysis, 52.4% (n = 77) were treatment-naïve and 47.6% (n = 70) were previously treated. Mean (standard deviation [SD]) BCVA score at baseline was 62.7 (14.3) Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters in treatment-naïve patients and 60.0 (13.7) ETDRS letters in previously treated patients. At month 12, mean (SD) change in BCVA was + 7.8 (12.3) letters in treatment-naïve patients and + 5.0 (11.3) letters in previously treated patients. Mean CRT decreased in both patient cohorts. The mean (SD) number of IVT-AFL injections at month 12 was 7.6 (2.5) for treatment-naïve patients and 7.6 (2.3) for previously treated patients. Of 388 patients included in the safety analysis, ocular treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 54.1% (n = 210) of patients. Conclusion IVT-AFL treatment was associated with improvements in functional and anatomic outcomes in both treatment-naïve and previously treated patients with DME in France

The transformation of transport policy in Great Britain? 'New Realism' and New Labour's decade of displacement activity

In a 1999 paper, Goodwin announced ‘the transformation of transport policy in Great Britain’. His central point was that consensus was emerging among policy makers and academics based on earlier work including Transport: The New Realism, which rejected previous orthodoxy that the supply of road space could and should be continually expanded to match demand. Instead a combination of investment in public transport, walking and cycling opportunities and – crucially – demand management should form the basis of transport policy to address rising vehicle use and associated increases in congestion and pollution / carbon emissions. This thinking formed the basis of the 1997 Labour government’s ‘sustainable transport’ policy, but after 13 years in power ministers neither transformed policy nor tackled longstanding transport trends. Our main aim in this paper is to revisit the concept of New Realism and re-examine its potential utility as an agent of change in British transport policy. Notwithstanding the outcome of Labour’s approach to transport policy, we find that the central tenets of the New Realism remain robust and that the main barriers to change are related to broader political and governance issues which suppress radical policy innovation

Global energy growth is outpacing decarbonization

Recent reports have highlighted the challenge of keeping global average temperatures below 2 °C and—even more so—1.5 °C (IPCC 2018). Fossil-fuel burning and cement production release ~90% of all CO2 emissions from human activities. After a three-year hiatus with stable global emissions (Jackson et al 2016; Le Quéré C et al 2018a ; IEA 2018), CO2 emissions grew by 1.6% in 2017 to 36.2 Gt (billion tonnes), and are expected to grow a further 2.7% in 2018 (range: 1.8%–3.7%) to a record 37.1 ± 2 Gt CO2 (Le Quéré et al 2018b). Additional increases in 2019 remain uncertain but appear likely because of persistent growth in oil and natural gas use and strong growth projected for the global economy. Coal use has slowed markedly in the last few years, potentially peaking, but its future trajectory remains uncertain. Despite positive progress in ~19 countries whose economies have grown over the last decade and their emissions have declined, growth in energy use from fossil-fuel sources is still outpacing the rise of low-carbon sources and activities. A robust global economy, insufficient emission reductions in developed countries, and a need for increased energy use in developing countries where per capita emissions remain far below those of wealthier nations will continue to put upward pressure on CO2 emissions. Peak emissions will occur only when total fossil CO2 emissions finally start to decline despite growth in global energy consumption, with fossil energy production replaced by rapidly growing low- or no-carbon technologies

Trombolisis en el infarto agudo del miocardio en servicio de emergencias

Introduction: cardiovascular diseases and especially the acute myocardial infarction have constituted the greatest health problems and the main death cause in many countries over decades. Objective: to determine the effectiveness of the Cuban recombinant streptokinase against morbidity and mortality of acute myocardial infarction. Material and method: an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional research was carried out of patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infraction, who attended the emergency service at Pedro Borrás University (outpatient) Clinic, from September 2009 to August 2010. The target group was made up of 56 patients with acute coronary syndrome and high ST elevation, and the sample comprised 42 thrombolized patients. The processing and analysis techniques were the distribution into absolute and relative frequencies and chi-squared test. Results: male patients at age 45-60 years predominated. The introduction of the treatment within less than six hours prevailed, being a small number of patients treated within the first hour, effective in all cases. Significant side effects were low blood pressure and atrial and ventricular premature contractions. Pain killing and the regression of ischemic electrocardiography changes predominated as reperfusion criteria. Conclusions: the use of the Cuban recombinant streptokinase contributed to the decrease in the mortality rate of acute myocardial infarction patients, which proved its effectiveness.Introducción: las enfermedades cardiovasculares y dentro de estas, el infarto agudo del miocardio han sido el mayor problema de salud y la principal causa de muerte en muchos países del mundo durante varias décadas.Objetivo: determinar la efectividad de la estreptoquinasa recombinante cubana en la morbilidad y mortalidad del infarto agudo del miocardio.Material y método: se realizó una investigación observacional, descriptiva y transversal en los pacientes con diagnóstico de Infarto Agudo del Miocardio, que acudieron al servicio de emergencias del Policlínico Universitario Pedro Borrás, entre septiembre 2009 y agosto 2010. El universo lo integraron 56 pacientes con síndrome coronario agudo con elevación del ST, y la muestra 42  pacientes trombolizados. Las técnicas de procesamiento y análisis fueron la  distribución en frecuencias absolutas y relativas y la prueba de ji cuadrado.Resultados: predominaron los pacientes del sexo masculino y edades comprendidas entre 45 y 60 años. Prevaleció la implantación del tratamiento por debajo de las seis horas, siendo tratados un número pequeño de pacientes durante la primera hora, efectiva en todos los casos.  Sobresalieron como reacciones adversas la hipotensión arterial y las contracciones auriculares y ventriculares prematuras. Preponderó la desaparición del dolor y regresión de los cambios isquémicos electrocardiográficos como criterios de reperfusión.Conclusiones: el uso de la estreptoquinasa recombinante cubana contribuyó a disminuir la mortalidad en pacientes con infarto agudo al miocardio quedando así demostrado su efectividad

Trastornos del sueño asociados a la hipertensión arterial / Sleeping Disorders associated to High Blood Pressure

Se realizó un estudio transversal con el objetivo de establecer la relación existente entre los trastornos del sueño y la Hipertensión Arterial. La muestra estuvo formada por el total de pacientes hipertensos pertenecientes a tres consultorios médicos del Policlínico Universitario Turcios Lima en el municipio de Pinar del Río, en el periodo comprendido de enero 2006 a diciembre de 2006. Para dicho estudio se aplicó una encuesta donde se recogen datos relacionados con los trastornos del sueño más frecuentes que presentaban los pacientes. Se utilizó el método estadístico de la prueba de hipótesis de comparación de proporciones para los niveles de significación hasta 1%. Se obtuvo como resultado un elevado por ciento (81,07%) de pacientes con trastornos del sueño, el insomnio y el ronquido resultaron los trastornos más frecuentes, un tercio de los pacientes refirió síntomas subjetivos de apnea obstructiva del sueño y la mitad de los pacientes ingerían psicofármacos para dormir. Palabras clave: Hipertensión arterial, trastornos de sueño, ciclo circadiano sueño-vigilia, apnea del sueño, hipersomnia, insomnio. ABSTRACTA cross-sectional study was aimed at establishing the relationship between the sleeping disorders and the high blood pressure. The sample was comprised of the total of hypertensive patients attending to three medical offices belonging to"Turcios Lima" Teaching Policlinic in Pinar del Rio municipality between January- December 2006. A survey was applied for compiling the data related to the most frequent sleeping disorders in patients .The statistical method of the hypothesis testing of comparison of proportions was used with significant levels up 1%.It was obtained a high percentage of patients with sleeping disorders (81, 07) being insomnia and snore the most frequent disorders presented, a third of patients had subjective symptoms of obstructive sleeping apnea and the half of patients used sleeping drugs Key words: High blood pressure, sleeping disorders, circadian cycle sleeping-vigil, sleeping apnea, hypersomnia, insomni