Variation of Laminar Depth in Normal Eyes With Age and Race

PURPOSE. To determine if laminar depth (LD) and prelaminar tissue volume (PTV) are associated with age and race in healthy human eyes. METHODS. Optic nerve head images from enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of 166 normal eyes from 84 subjects of African descent (AD) and European descent (ED) were manually delineated to identify the principal surfaces: internal limiting membrane, Bruch's membrane (BM), anterior sclera (AS), and anterior surface of the lamina cribrosa. These four surfaces defined the LD and PTV using Bruch's membrane opening (BMO) and AS for reference structures. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate whether the effect of age on each outcome was differential by race. RESULTS. When age was analyzed as a continuous variable, the interaction term between age and race was statistically significant for mean LD BMO (P ¼ 0.015) and mean LD AS (P ¼ 0.0062) after adjusting for axial length and BMO area. For every 1-year increase in age, the LD AS was greater on average by 1.78 lm in AD subjects and less by 1.71 lm in ED subjects. Mean PTV was lower in the older subjects (1248 3 10 6 lm 3 AD, 881 3 10 6 lm 3 ED) compared to the younger subjects (1316 3 10 6 lm 3 AD, 1102 3 10 6 lm 3 ED) in both groups. CONCLUSIONS. With increasing age, the LD changes differently across racial groups in normal subjects. The LD in ED subjects showed a significantly decreasing slope suggesting that the lamina moves anteriorly with age in this group. Keywords: lamina cribrosa, laminar depth, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography I ndividuals of African descent (AD) have a higher prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma with worse visual outcomes from the disease compared to those of European descent (ED). 1-5 Investigation into the many possible causes of this disparity reveals racial and ethnic differences in the anatomy of the optic nerve head (ONH). 3,6-14 Variation in ONH parameters, such as larger optic discs, deeper cups, and thicker overall retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses in AD individuals

Cardiovascular inflammation in healthy women: multilevel associations with state-level prosperity, productivity and income inequality

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiovascular inflammation is a key contributor to the development of atherosclerosis and the prediction of cardiovascular events among healthy women. An emerging literature suggests biomarkers of inflammation vary by geography of residence at the state-level, and are associated with individual-level socioeconomic status. Associations between cardiovascular inflammation and state-level socioeconomic conditions have not been evaluated. The study objective is to estimate whether there are independent associations between state-level socioeconomic conditions and individual-level biomarkers of inflammation, in excess of individual-level income and clinical covariates among healthy women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The authors examined cross-sectional multilevel associations among state-level socioeconomic conditions, individual-level income, and biomarkers of inflammation among women (n = 26,029) in the Women's Health Study, a nation-wide cohort of healthy women free of cardiovascular diseases at enrollment. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and fibrinogen were measured between 1993 and 1996. Biomarker levels were examined among women within quartiles of state-level socioeconomic conditions and within categories of individual-level income.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The authors found that favorable state-level socioeconomic conditions were correlated with lower hsCRP, in excess of individual-level income (e.g. state-level real per capital gross domestic product fixed effect standardized Βeta coefficient [Std B] -0.03, 95% CI -0.05, -0.004). Individual-level income was more closely associated with sICAM-1 (Std B -0.04, 95% CI -0.06, -0.03) and fibrinogen (Std B -0.05, 95% CI -0.06, -0.03) than state-level conditions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found associations between state-level socioeconomic conditions and hsCRP among healthy women. Personal household income was more closely associated with sICAM-1 and fibrinogen than state-level socioeconomic conditions. Additional research should examine these associations in other cohorts, and investigate what more-advantaged states do differently than less-advantaged states that may influence levels of cardiovascular inflammation among healthy women.</p

The rumen microbial metagenome associated with high methane production in cattle

Acknowledgements The Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health and SRUC are funded by the Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) of the Scottish Government. The project was supported by Defra and the DA funded Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research Platform, the Technology Strategy Board (Project No: TP 5903–40240) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; BB/J004243/1, BB/J004235/1). Our thanks are due to the excellent support staff at the SRUC Beef and Sheep Research Centre, Edinburgh, and to Silvia Ramos Garcia for help in interrogating the data. MW and RR contributed equally to the paper and should be considered as joint last authors.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Green universities in China - what matters?

Abstract not availableXueliang Yuan, Jian Zuo, Donald Huising

Social acceptance of wind power: a case study of Shandong Province, China

Abstract not availableXueliang Yuan, Jian Zuo, Donald Huising

The driving visual field and a history of motor vehicle collision involvement in older drivers: A population-based examination. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015;56:132–138.

Purpose: We designed a visual field test focused on the field used while driving to examine associations between field impairment and motor vehicle collision involvement in 2,000 drivers aged 70 years or older. Methods: The “driving visual field test” involved measuring light sensitivity for 20 targets in each eye, extending 158 superiorly, 308 inferiorly, 608 temporally, and 308 nasally. The target locations were selected on the basis that they fell within the field region used when viewing through the windshield of a vehicle or viewing the dashboard while driving. Monocular fields were combined into a binocular field based on the more sensitive point from each eye. Severe impairment in the overall field or a region was defined as average sensitivity in the lowest quartile of sensitivity At-fault collision involvement for 5 years before enrollment was obtained from state records. Poisson regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted rate ratios (RRs) examining the association between field impairment and at-fault collision involvement. Results: Drivers with severe binocular field impairment in the overall driving visual field had a 40% increased rate of at-fault collision involvement (RR, 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–1.83). Impairment in the lower and left fields was associated with elevated collision rates (RR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.07–1.82 and RR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.15– 1.92, respectively), whereas impairment in the upper and right field regions was not. Conclusions: Results suggest that older drivers with severe impairment in the lower or left region of the driving visual field are more likely to have a history of at-fault collision involvement.<br/