5-year efficacy of all surface laser ablation with cross-linking (ASLA-XTRA) for the treatment of myopia.

The purpose of our study is to examine the long (5-year) efficacy of the all surface laser ablation (ASLA) combined with accelerated cross-linking (CXL) for the treatment of myopia without the use of mitomycin-C (MMC). This retrospective study consisted of 202 eyes of 118 myopic (SD: 2.41, range: - 1.50 to - 12.75 D) patients (44 males, 74 females). Mean age was 28.50 years (SD: 6.45, range: 18 to 51 years) that underwent ASLA with accelerated CXL for the treatment of their myopia. The patients underwent routine postoperative assessment on the 1st, 3rd, 7th day and in the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th month, 30th month (±6 months), 4th and 5th year. The mean spherical equivalent (SEq) refractive error changed from - 6.41 ± 2.41 D preoperatively to - 0.02 ± 0.53 D at 5 years postoperatively. The haze score was 0.18, 0.25 and 0.28 at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. At 12 months after the treatment, no eyes had significant corneal haze and in all the following postoperative time intervals the haze traces were gone. ASLA combined with accelerated CXL (ASLA-XTRA) appears to be safe, efficacious and offering very good refractive results. The potential additional benefits of this modality are the stabilizing effect of the refraction and its sterilization effect on the treated cornea without the potential side effects of MMC

Large Eddy Simulations of a Set of Experiments with Water Spray-Hot Air Jet Plume Interactions

© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. Large eddy simulations of water spray-hot air jet plume interactions, as obtained with FireFOAM 2.2.x, are presented. Three hot air jet plumes, with thermal powers of 1.6, 2.1 and 2.6 kW, are examined, interacting with a water spray with discharge rate of 0.084 lpm. A systematic comparison between simulations and experiments involving only the hot air jet plumes, the water spray alone and the combination of the two has been performed in order to evaluate the predictive capabilities of FireFOAM. Overall, the code is capable of predicting well the mean values of the hot air jet plumes but deviations are evident for the rms values. Discrepancies in the predictions of the volume fluxes in the near-field for the water spray alone case are observed if the experimentally reported injection angle is used. Improvements are observed if the injection angle is modified based on the experimentally reported data in the near-field. The interactions between the hot air jet plumes and water sprays, are characterized by the location of the interaction region. The interaction boundary moves up from the base of the plume by increasing the convective heat release rates. The simulation results follow the experimental trend but deviate up to 26% due to the differences in the predicted hot air jet plumes and spray characteristics.status: publishe

Systematic study of the 12C(3He,p)14N reaction for NRA applications

The differential cross sections of the first two proton groups of the 12C(3He,p)14N reaction were determined within the 3He energy range 1.34–2.86 MeV and for backward angles from 107o107o to 164o with 2o steps using two double sided silicon strip detectors. The results are presented in graphical form and they are also given as tables in the Appendix. Aiming to assist in the enrichment of the reaction database and the improvement of the differential cross section data quality, the determined cross sections were benchmarked with the measurement of thick target reaction yields from a pure glassy carbon target at two 3He energies, 2.0 and 2.7 MeV. Furthermore, the data were accompanied by R-Matrix theory calculations, allowing for cross section data interpolation with sufficient accuracy

Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization for Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Multi-Center Experience of 154 Consecutive Embolizations.

BACKGROUND:Middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization has emerged as a promising treatment for chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH). OBJECTIVE:To determine the safety and efficacy of MMA embolization. METHODS:Consecutive patients who underwent MMA embolization for cSDH (primary treatment or recurrence after conventional surgery) at 15 centers were included. Clinical details and follow-up were collected prospectively. Primary clinical and radiographic outcomes were the proportion of patients requiring additional surgical treatment within 90 d after index treatment and proportion with \u3e 50% cSDH thickness reduction on follow-up computed tomography imaging within 90 d. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale and modified Rankin Scale were also clinical outcomes. RESULTS:A total of 138 patients were included (mean age: 69.8, 29% female). A total of 15 patients underwent bilateral interventions for 154 total embolizations (66.7% primary treatment). At presentation, 30.4% and 23.9% of patients were on antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy, respectively. Median admission cSDH thickness was 14 mm. A total of 46.1% of embolizations were performed under general anesthesia, and 97.4% of procedures were successfully completed. A total of 70.2% of embolizations used particles, and 25.3% used liquid embolics with no significant outcome difference between embolization materials (P \u3e .05). On last follow-up (mean 94.9 d), median cSDH thickness was 4 mm (71% median thickness reduction). A total of 70.8% of patients had \u3e50% improvement on imaging (31.9% improved clinically), and 9 patients (6.5%) required further cSDH treatment. There were 16 complications with 9 (6.5%) because of continued hematoma expansion. Mortality rate was 4.4%, mostly unrelated to the index procedure but because of underlying comorbidities. CONCLUSION:MMA embolization may provide a safe and efficacious minimally invasive alternative to conventional surgical techniques