Effect of superior blepharoplasty on tear film: objective evaluation with the Keratograph 5M - a pilot study

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of superior blepharoplasty on the tear film using the corneal topographer Keratograph 5M. METHODS: A prospective study was performed of 27 eyes of 14 patients with superior dermatochalasis who underwent superior blepharoplasty between May and June 2016. Conservative upper eyelid blepharoplasty was performed by an en bloc resection of anterior lamellar tissue that included skin, subcutaneous tissue, and the orbicularis oculi muscle. All the eyes were imaged using the noninvasive tear breakup time tools of the Keratograph 5M. The following parameters were recorded in each patient before and 6 weeks after surgery: first noninvasive Keratograph 5M tear breakup time (the time at which the first breakup of tears occurs) and average noninvasive Keratograph 5M tear breakup time (the average time of all breakup incidents). The exclusion criteria were ophthalmological pathology, previous eyelid surgery, use of eye drops, systemic pathology, and medication that interferes with lacrimal tears. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 65.1 years (range, 51-84); 86% were female. Student's t-test was used to compare the values of first and average noninvasive Keratograph 5M tear breakup times before and after surgery. The values for first noninvasive Keratograph 5M tear breakup time evaluated before and after surgery were not significantly different (9.04 and 8.71, respectively; p=0.926). The values for average noninvasive Keratograph 5M tear breakup time evaluated before and after surgery were also not significantly different (13.01 seconds and 13.14 seconds, respectively; p=0.835). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study suggest that upper blepharoplasty does not affect tear breakup time according to the objective evaluation of breakup time with the Keratograph 5M.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of atomic layer deposited TiO2 on the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2/w-VA-CNT nanocomposite materials

Titanium oxide (TiO2) has been widely investigated as a photocatalytic material, and the fact that its performance depends on its crystalline structure motivates further research on the relationship between preparation methods and material properties. In this work, TiO2 thin films were grown on non- functionalized wave-like patterned vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (w-VA-CNTs) via the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis revealed that the structure of the TiO2/VA-CNT nanocomposites varied from amorphous to a crystalline phase with increasing deposition temperature, suggesting a “critical deposition temperature” for the anatase crystalline phase formation. On the other hand, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies revealed that the non-functionalized carbon nanotubes were conformally and homogeneously coated with TiO2, forming a nanocomposite while preserving the morphology of the nanotubes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provided information about the surface chemistry and stoichiometry of TiO2. The photodegradation experiments under ultraviolet (UV) light on a model pollutant (Rhodamine B, RhB) revealed that the nanocomposite comprised of anatase crystalline TiO2 grown at 200 ?C (11.2 nm thickness) presented the highest degradation efficiency viz 55% with an illumination time of 240 min. Furthermore, its recyclability was also demonstrated for multiple cycles, showing good recovery and potential for practical applications.publishe

Reação à antracnose do feijoeiro-comum em ensaio de campo com inoculação artificial.

O programa de melhoramento do feijoeiro conduzido pela Embrapa e parceiros tem sido bem sucedido no desenvolvimento de linhagens resistentes à antracnose. As cultivares BRS Cometa e BRS Horizonte, as quais possuem grãos do tipo carioca, os de maior aceitação pelo mercado consumidor brasileiro, são exemplos deste sucesso.CONAF

Anthracnose resistance sources to be explored by the common bean breeding programs in Brazil.

The main goal of the present work was to evaluate common bean anthracnose resistance sources for disease reaction under greenhouse and field conditions. In addition, the tested genotypes were also screened with SCAR markers linked to R genes presented as useful for the breeding programs in Brazil

Persistent organic pollutant levels in human visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue in obese individuals - Depot differences and dysmetabolism implications

Background: The role of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with endocrine disrupting activity in the aetiology of obesity and other metabolic dysfunctions has been recently highlighted. Adipose tissue (AT) is a common site of POPs accumulation where they can induce adverse effects on human health. Objectives: To evaluate the presence of POPs in human visceral (vAT) and subcutaneous (scAT) adipose tissue in a sample of Portuguese obese patients that underwent bariatric surgery, and assess their putative association with metabolic disruption preoperatively, as well as with subsequent body mass index (BMI) reduction. Methods: AT samples (n=189) from obese patients (BMI ≥35) were collected and the levels of 13 POPs were determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD). Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected at the time of surgery. BMI variation was evaluated after 12 months and adipocyte size was measured in AT samples. Results: Our data confirm that POPs are pervasive in this obese population (96.3% of detection on both tissues), their abundance increasing with age (RS=0.310, p<0.01) and duration of obesity (RS=0.170, p<0.05). We observed a difference in AT depot POPs storage capability, with higher levels of ΣPOPs in vAT (213.9±204.2 compared to 155.1±147.4 ng/g of fat, p<0.001), extremely relevant when evaluating their metabolic impact. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between POP levels and the presence of metabolic syndrome components, namely dysglycaemia and hypertension, and more importantly with cardiovascular risk (RS=0.277, p<0.01), with relevance for vAT (RS=0.315, p<0.01). Finally, we observed an interesting relation of higher POP levels with lower weight loss in older patients. Conclusion: Our sample of obese subjects allowed us to highlight the importance of POPs stored in AT on the development of metabolic dysfunction in a context of obesity, shifting the focus to their metabolic effects and not only for their recognition as environmental obesogens