Surgical and Functional Results of Hybrid 25-27-Gauge Vitrectomy Combined with Coaxial 2.2 mm Small Incision Cataract Surgery

Purpose. To investigate outcomes after coaxial 2.2 mm small incision cataract surgery combined with hybrid 25-27-gauge vitrectomy in eyes with vitreoretinal disease and age-related cataract. Methods. A single-center, retrospective case series study of 55 subjects (55 eyes) with a mean age of 70 years who underwent combined small incision phacoemulsification, intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, and hybrid 25-27-gauge vitrectomy during the 12-month period to December 2014. Intraoperative and postoperative complications and visual results were the main outcome measures. Results. The mean follow-up period was 6 months (range: 2–18 months). Intraoperative findings were 3 retinal breaks (5.5%). No cases required corneal or scleral suture or conversion to larger-gauge vitrectomy. Postoperative complications consisted of posterior capsule opacification (12.7%), elevated intraocular pressure >30 mmHg (1.8%), and fibrin reaction (5.5%). There were no cases of hypotony (<7 mmHg), IOL decentration, or postoperative endophthalmitis. Visual acuity (mean ± SD) improved from 0.52±0.6 logMAR preoperatively to 0.22±0.46 logMAR at final postoperative visit (P<0.0001). Conclusion. Surgical and visual outcomes suggest hybrid 25-27-gauge vitrectomy combined with small incision phacoemulsification and IOL implantation is feasible, safe, and effective as a one-step surgical procedure for the management of vitreoretinal pathologies and concurrent cataract

A virtual reality paradigm to assess episodic memory: Validation-dataset for six parallel versions and a structured behavioral assessment

In the epilepsy monitoring unit of the Department of Neurology at the University Clinic of Salzburg 20 adult patients were recruited to participate in a validation of 6 parallel versions of the virtual reality test for episodic memory. Patients were tested up to 7 times, i.e. twice a day, in the morning and evening, beginning on Monday evening. Each session consisted of learning a new town and immediate recall for this town. All sessions but the first one included also delayed recall of the previously learned town and a recognition test. Recall included the sub-scales what, details, when, egocentric where and allocentric where. Recognition memory was tested by presenting the patients 30 sentences of which 15 were true and 15 were false. While not all patients completed the full testing schedule, at immediate recall for 9 patients a full data set (7 sessions) is available. All patients were free of antiepileptic medication (N = 19) or medication was kept constant across the week (N = 1). This data can be used to demonstrate the feasibility to use the virtual reality test in the epilepsy monitoring unit e.g. to monitor effects of seizures or medication on episodic memory.Yvonne Höller's research was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) : T 798-B27 and by the Research Fund of the Paracelsus Medical University : A-16/02/021-HÖL .Peer reviewe

Strategy for the management of diabetic macular edema: the European Vitreo-Retinal Society macular edema study

Objective. To compare the efficacy of different therapies in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Design. Nonrandomized, multicenter clinical study. Participants. 86 retina specialists from 29 countries provided clinical information on 2,603 patients with macular edema including 870 patients with DME. Methods. Reported data included the type and number of treatment(s) performed, the pre-and posttreatment visual acuities, and other clinical findings.The results were analyzed by the French INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies). Main Outcome Measures. Mean change of visual acuity and mean number of treatments performed. Results.The change in visual acuity over time in response to each treatment was plotted in second order polynomial regression trend lines. Intravitreal triamcinolone monotherapy resulted in some improvement in vision. Treatmentwith threshold or subthreshold grid laser also resulted in minimal vision gain. Anti-VEGF therapy resulted in more significant visual improvement. Treatment with pars plana vitrectomy and internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling alone resulted in an improvement in vision greater than that observed with anti-VEGF injection alone. In our DME study, treatment with vitrectomy and ILM peeling alone resulted in the better visual improvement compared to other therapies

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Quantification of age-related changes of a-tocopherol in lysosomal membranes in murine tissues and human fibroblasts

Considering the biological function of α-tocopherol (α-Toc) as a potent protective factor against oxidative stress, this antioxidant is in the focus of aging research. To understand the role of α-Toc during aging we investigated α-Toc concentrations in young and aged primary human fibroblasts after supplementation with RRR-α-Toc. Additionally, α-Toc contents were determined in brain, kidney, and liver tissue of 10 week-, 18 month-, and 24 month-old mice, which were fed a standard diet containing 100 mg/kg dl-α-tocopheryl acetate. α-Toc concentrations in isolated lysosomes and the expression of the α-Toc transport proteins Niemann Pick C1 (NPC1), Niemann Pick C2 (NPC2), and lipoprotein lipase were also analyzed. Obtained data show a significant age-related increase of α-Toc in murine liver, kidney, and brain tissue as well as in human dermal fibroblasts. Also liver and kidney lysosomes are marked by elevated α-Toc contents with aging. NPC1 and NPC2 protein amounts are significantly decreased in adult and aged murine kidney tissue. Also aged human dermal fibroblasts show decreased NPC1 amounts. Supplementation of young and aged fibroblasts led also to decreased NPC1 amounts, suggesting a direct role of this protein in α-Toc distribution. Our results indicate an age-dependent increase of α-Toc in different murine tissues as well as in human fibroblasts. Furthermore saturation and intracellular distribution of α-Toc seem to be strongly dependent on the availability of this vitamin as well as on the presence of the lysosomal protein NPC1

Li2Sr[MnN]2: a magnetically ordered metallic nitride

Li2Sr[MnN](2) single crystals were successfully grown out of Li-rich flux. The crystal structure was determined by single-crystal x-ray diffraction and revealed almost linear -N - Mn - N - Mn- chains as central structural motif. Tetragonal blocks of air and moisture-sensitive nitridomanganate were employed for electrical transport, heat capacity, and anisotropic magnetization measurements. Both the electronic and magnetic properties are most remarkable, in particular the linear increase of the magnetic susceptibility with temperature that is reminiscent of underdoped cuprate and Fe-based superconductors. Clear indications for antiferromagnetic ordering at T-N = 290 K were obtained. Metallic transport behavior is experimentally observed in accordance with electronic band structure calculations

Cognitive effects of montelukast : A pharmaco-eeg study

Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by the research fund of the Paracelsus Medical University, grant number R-16/02/078-HIS. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Montelukast is a well-established antiasthmatic drug with little side effects. It is a leukotriene receptor antagonist and recent research suggests cognitive benefits from its anti-inflammatory actions on the central nervous system. However, changes in brain activity were not directly shown so far in humans. This study aims to document changes in brain activity that are associated with cognitive improvement during treatment with Montelukast. We recorded EEG and conducted neuropsychological tests in 12 asthma-patients aged 38–73 years before and after 8 weeks of treatment with Montelukast. We found no significant changes on neuropsychological scales for memory, attention, and mood. In the EEG, we found decreased entropy at follow up during rest (p < 0.005). During episodic memory acquisition we found decreased entropy (p < 0.01) and acceleration of the background rhythm (p < 0.05). During visual attention performance, we detected an increase in gamma power (p < 0.005) and slowing of the background rhythm (p < 0.05). The study is limited by its small sample size, young age and absence of baseline cognitive impairment of the participants. Unspecific changes in brain activity were not accompanied by cognitive improvement. Future studies should examine elderly patients with cognitive impairment in a double-blind study with longer-term treatment by Montelukast.Montelukast is a well-established antiasthmatic drug with little side effects. It is a leukotriene receptor antagonist and recent research suggests cognitive benefits from its anti-inflammatory actions on the central nervous system. However, changes in brain activity were not directly shown so far in humans. This study aims to document changes in brain activity that are associated with cognitive improvement during treatment with Montelukast. We recorded EEG and conducted neuropsychological tests in 12 asthma-patients aged 38–73 years before and after 8 weeks of treatment with Montelukast. We found no significant changes on neuropsychological scales for memory, attention, and mood. In the EEG, we found decreased entropy at follow up during rest (p < 0.005). During episodic memory acquisition we found decreased entropy (p < 0.01) and acceleration of the background rhythm (p < 0.05). During visual attention performance, we detected an increase in gamma power (p < 0.005) and slowing of the background rhythm (p < 0.05). The study is limited by its small sample size, young age and absence of baseline cognitive impairment of the participants. Unspecific changes in brain activity were not accompanied by cognitive improvement. Future studies should examine elderly patients with cognitive impairment in a double-blind study with longer-term treatment by Montelukast.Peer reviewe

First operation of the KATRIN experiment with tritium

The determination of the neutrino mass is one of the major challenges in astroparticle physics today. Direct neutrino mass experiments, based solely on the kinematics of β β -decay, provide a largely model-independent probe to the neutrino mass scale. The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment is designed to directly measure the effective electron antineutrino mass with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV 0.2 eV (90% 90% CL). In this work we report on the first operation of KATRIN with tritium which took place in 2018. During this commissioning phase of the tritium circulation system, excellent agreement of the theoretical prediction with the recorded spectra was found and stable conditions over a time period of 13 days could be established. These results are an essential prerequisite for the subsequent neutrino mass measurements with KATRIN in 2019