Occurrence of solar retinopathy after religious ritual in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

PURPOSE: To present a series of patients with solar retinopathy after direct solar observation during a religious ritual in Londrina City, Paraná, Brazil. METHODS: 24 patients with visual alterations were evaluated after their participation in a religious ritual. Data of the initial and final visit after 6 months of follow-up are presented and include best corrected visual acuity, refraction, color fundus picture, macular biomicroscopy, Amsler's screen and contrast sensibility. RESULTS: A total of 24 cases was reported. Of these, 21 (87.5%) were females and 3 (12.5%) males. Age varied from 18 to 46 years. A total of 43 eyes were damaged. The lesion was bilateral in 19 (79.2%) patients and in 5 (20.8%) it was unilateral. The initial visual acuity ranged from 20/20 to 20/70, and the final visual acuity was 20/25 or better in 40 (93%) eyes. Of these, 33 (76.7%) eyes reached 20/20 or the last follow-up visit. Only 2 (4.6%) eyes presented alteration in the sensibility to contrast and 3 (6.9%) remained with persistent scotoma. CONCLUSION: This is the largest series of solar retinopathy after religious ritual. The cases herein presented showed a quite favorable evolution. However recovery of visual acuity is not complete, once scotoma and residual metamorphopsia persisted in a few patients.OBJETIVO: Relato de uma série de casos de retinopatia solar após a observação direta do sol durante ritual religioso na cidade de Londrina. MÉTODOS: 24 pacientes com alteração da visão após participarem de ritual religioso, foram avaliados quanto à acuidade visual inicial e final, após 6 meses, refração, biomicroscopia de mácula, retinografia, tela de Amsler e sensibilidade ao contraste. RESULTADOS: 24 casos foram relatados. Destes, 21 (87,5%) eram mulheres e 3 (12,5%) eram homens. A idade variou de 18 a 46 anos. Houve acometimento de 43 olhos. A lesão foi bilateral em 19 (79,2%) pacientes e unilateral em 5 (20,8%). A acuidade visual inicial variou de 20/20 a 20/70 e a final foi de 20/25, ou melhor, em 40 (93%) olhos. Destes, 33 (76,7%) olhos alcançaram 20/20. Apenas 2 (4,6%) olhos ficaram com alteração da sensibilidade ao contraste e 3 (6,9%) ficaram com escotoma persistente. CONCLUSÃO: Este é o maior relato de casos de retinopatia solar após ritual religioso. A retinopatia solar apresenta evolução bastante favorável. No entanto, a acuidade visual não apresenta recuperação completa da visão. Os pacientes podem ficar com escotoma e metamorfopsia residual.Universidade Estadual de Londrina Departamento de OftalmologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de OftalmologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de OftalmologiaSciEL

Software for Probabilistic Risk Reduction

A computer program implements a methodology, denoted probabilistic risk reduction, that is intended to aid in planning the development of complex software and/or hardware systems. This methodology integrates two complementary prior methodologies: (1) that of probabilistic risk assessment and (2) a risk-based planning methodology, implemented in a prior computer program known as Defect Detection and Prevention (DDP), in which multiple requirements and the beneficial effects of risk-mitigation actions are taken into account. The present methodology and the software are able to accommodate both process knowledge (notably of the efficacy of development practices) and product knowledge (notably of the logical structure of a system, the development of which one seeks to plan). Estimates of the costs and benefits of a planned development can be derived. Functional and non-functional aspects of software can be taken into account, and trades made among them. It becomes possible to optimize the planning process in the sense that it becomes possible to select the best suite of process steps and design choices to maximize the expectation of success while remaining within budget

Software for Generating Strip Maps from SAR Data

Jurassicprok is a computer program that generates strip-map digital elevation models and other data products from raw data acquired by an airborne synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system. This software can process data from a variety of airborne SAR systems but is designed especially for the GeoSAR system, which is a dual-frequency (P- and X-band), single-pass interferometric SAR system for measuring elevation both at the bare ground surface and top of the vegetation canopy. Jurassicprok is a modified version of software developed previously for airborne-interferometric- SAR applications. The modifications were made to accommodate P-band interferometric processing, remove approximations that are not generally valid, and reduce processor-induced mapping errors to the centimeter level. Major additions and other improvements over the prior software include the following: a) A new, highly efficient multi-stage-modified wave-domain processing algorithm for accurately motion compensating ultra-wideband data; b) Adaptive regridding algorithms based on estimated noise and actual measured topography to reduce noise while maintaining spatial resolution; c) Exact expressions for height determination from interferogram data; d) Fully calibrated volumetric correlation data based on rigorous removal of geometric and signal-to-noise decorrelation terms; e) Strip range-Doppler image output in user-specified Doppler coordinates; f) An improved phase-unwrapping and absolute-phase-determination algorithm; g) A more flexible user interface with many additional processing options; h) Increased interferogram filtering options; and i) Ability to use disk space instead of random- access memory for some processing steps

Embedding Journalists in Military Combat Units: Impact on Newspaper Story Frames and Tone

Michael Pfau is professor and chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma where Michel Haigh and Elaine Wittenberg are doctoral students. Mitchell Gettle, Michael Donnelly, Gregory Scott, and Dana Warr were students in the Department of Defense Joint Course in Communication at the University of Oklahoma when this study was conducted. All are in military public affairs: MSgt. Gettle with the 436th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, DE; Maj. Donnelly with American Forces Network, Europe; 1st Lt. Scott at the Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar; and Petty Officer 2nd Class Warr with the Seventh District PADET, Jacksonville, FL.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

fMRI and gene therapy in adults with CNGB3 mutation

Achromatopsia is an inherited retinal disease that affects 1 in 30,000-50,000 individuals and is characterised by an absence of functioning cone photoreceptors from birth. This results in severely reduced visual acuity, no colour vision, marked sensitivity to light and involuntary oscillations of the eyes (nystagmus). In most cases, a single gene mutation prevents normal development of cone photoreceptors, with mutations in the CNGB3 or CNGA3 gene being responsible for ∼80 % of all patients with achromatopsia. There are a growing number of studies investigating recovery of cone function after targeted gene therapy. These studies have provided some promise for patients with the CNGA3 mutation, but thus far have found limited or no recovery for patients with the CNGB3 mutation. Here, we developed colour-calibrated visual stimuli designed to isolate cone photoreceptor responses. We combined these with adapted fMRI techniques and pRF mapping to identify if cortical responses to cone-driven signals could be detected in 9 adult patients with the CNGB3 mutation after receiving gene therapy. We did not detect any change in brain activity after gene therapy when the 9 patients were analysed as a group. However, on an individual basis, one patient self-reported a change in colour perception, corroborated by improved performance on a psychophysical task designed to selectively identify cone function. This suggests a level of cone sensitivity that was lacking pre-treatment, further supported by a subtle but reliable change in cortical activity within their primary visual cortex

Applicability of [18F]FDG/PET for investigating rosmarinic acid preconditioning efficacy in a global stroke model in mice

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive nuclear imaging technique that uses radiotracers to track cell activity. The radiopharmaceutical 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ([18F] FDG) is most commonly used in nuclear medicine for the diagnosis of various diseases, including stroke. A stroke is a serious condition with high mortality and morbidity rates. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a promising therapeutic agent that exerts neuroprotective effects against various neurological diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the applicability of [18F]FDG/PET for investigating the neuroprotective effects of RA in case of a global stroke model in mice. The [18F]FDG/PET technique facilitates the observation of ischemia and reperfusion injuries in the brain. Moreover, the recovery of glucose metabolism in three specific brain regions, the striatum, superior colliculus, and inferior colliculus, was observed after preconditioning with RA. It was concluded that the [18F]FDG/PET technique may be useful for stroke diagnosis and the assessment of treatment response. In addition, a long-term longitudinal study using biochemical analysis in conjunction with functional imaging may provide further conclusive results regarding the effect of RA on cerebral ischemia

Large distribution and high sequence identity of a Copia‑type retrotransposon in angiosperm families

International audienceRetrotransposons are the main component of plant genomes. Recent studies have revealed the complexity of their evolutionary dynamics. Here, we have identified Copia25 in Coffea canephora, a new plant retrotransposon belonging to the Ty1-Copia superfamily. In the Coffea genomes analyzed, Copia25 is present in relatively low copy numbers and transcribed. Similarity sequence searches and PCR analyses show that this retrotransposon with LTRs (Long Terminal Repeats) is widely distributed among the Rubiaceae family and that it is also present in other distantly related species belonging to Asterids, Rosids and monocots. A particular situation is the high sequence identity found between the Copia25 sequences of Musa, a monocot, and Ixora, a dicot species (Rubiaceae). Our results reveal the complexity of the evolutionary dynamics of the ancient element Copia25 in angiosperm, involving several processes including sequence conservation, rapid turnover, stochastic losses and horizontal transfer

Planilha de coleta de dados - Câncer de colo do útero e de mama

Esta é a planilha de coleta de dados para o Programa de Prevenção do Câncer de Colo de Útero e do Câncer de Mama, desenvolvida no âmbito do curso de Especialização em Saúde da Família da UFPel - modalidade à distância