Renal Denervation Update From the International Sympathetic Nervous System Summit:JACC State-of-the-Art Review

Three recent renal denervation studies in both drug-naïve and drug-treated hypertensive patients demonstrated a significant reduction of ambulatory blood pressure compared with respective sham control groups. Improved trial design, selection of relevant patient cohorts, and optimized interventional procedures have likely contributed to these positive findings. However, substantial variability in the blood pressure response to renal denervation can still be observed and remains a challenging and important problem. The International Sympathetic Nervous System Summit was convened to bring together experts in both experimental and clinical medicine to discuss the current evidence base, novel developments in our understanding of neural interplay, procedural aspects, monitoring of technical success, and others. Identification of relevant trends in the field and initiation of tailored and combined experimental and clinical research efforts will help to address remaining questions and provide much-needed evidence to guide clinical use of renal denervation for hypertension treatment and other potential indications

Graduate recital, baritone. Lohmeier, P. J., 1986

Recorded during a live performance at Dalton Center Recital Hall, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, March 25, 1986, the 302nd concert of the School of Music's 1985-1986 season.Phillip John Lohmeier, baritone ; Steven Morris, piano.In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Music degree in performance, Western Michigan University, 1986.Information from performance program.Presti omai l'Egizia terra from Giulio Cesare / George Frideric Handel -- Vier Erneste Gesänge, op. 121. Denn es gehet dem Menschen ; Ich wandte mich ; O Tod, wie bitter bist du ; Wenn ich mit Menschen / Johannes Brahms -- Histoires naturelles. Le Paon ; Le Grillon ; Le Cygne / Maurice Ravel -- Five songs on poems of Whitman. Sometimes with one I love ; Look down, fair moon ; Gliding o'er all ; Reconciliation ; Gods / Ned Rorem -- Vedro mentr'io sospiro from Le nozze di Figaro / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Alcohol Abuse Is Associated With Alterations in Corneal Endothelial Cell Morphology

PURPOSE: Alcohol consumption is highly prevalent throughout the world. We sought to detect, in a large sample of cornea donors, whether alcohol abuse is associated with changes in corneal endothelial morphology after accounting for other comorbidities including tobacco use. METHODS: At a single eye bank, 10,322 eyes from a total of 5624 unique donors underwent imaging with a Konan CellChek D specular microscope. Demographic information and medical history were associated with each tissue. Images were analyzed using a standardized protocol for assessment of endothelial cell density, hexagonality, and variation. In this retrospective analysis, a multivariable regression was conducted to assess for an association between alcohol abuse and corneal endothelial metrics. Measurements were averaged across eyes for each donor. Bonferroni corrections were applied to account for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Among 5624 donors, the mean (standard deviation) endothelial cell density was 2785 (383.0) cells/mm2. Indicators of alcohol abuse were present in 1382 donors (24.5%). In a multivariable regression model that included age, sex, tobacco use, history of cataract surgery, and diabetes mellitus, alcohol abuse was associated with a decrease of 60.9 cells/mm2 [95% confidence interval (CI), -83.0 to -38.7 cells/mm2, P = 7.6 × 10-8], an increase in the coefficient of variation by 0.0048 (95% CI, 0.17-0.79, P = 0.002), and a decrease in percent hexagonality by 0.93% (95% CI, -1.3 to -0.6, P = 4.5 × 10-7). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol abuse is associated with significant alterations to corneal endothelial density and morphology

Comparison of Corneal Endothelial Cell Density and Morphology With Optisol-GS and Life4C Storage Media in the Eye Bank: A 5-Year Retrospective Analysis

Purpose: Optisol-GS and Life4C are corneal storage media used by eye banks worldwide. We sought to determine whether either solution was associated with superior corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) or morphology in a large cohort of donor corneas. Methods: From January 2016 to December 2020, 10,316 corneas from 5624 unique donors were acquired and analyzed at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank. In April 2019, Life4C replaced Optisol-GS as the sole storage medium. We compared ECD and morphology before and after April 2019 and excluded corneas processed within the transition period. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses accounted for age, sex, tobacco use, heavy alcohol use, and diabetes. Only right corneas were analyzed to account for the correlation between eyes. Results: Of 5042 right corneas analyzed, 3486 were stored in Optisol-GS and 1556 in Life4C. There was no significant difference in ECD across groups (2794 vs. 2793 cells/mm 2 in Optisol-GS and Life4C, P = 0.88). In multivariate analyses, there was no significant difference in corneal ECD (0.6 cells/mm 2 higher with Life4C, P = 0.96) or hexagonality (0.22% higher with Life4C, P = 0.31). However, the coefficient of variation was significantly lower in the Life4C group (−0.0039, P = 0.03). After adjustment for above factors, corneas in Life4C demonstrated a 3.1% decreased likelihood of exhibiting coefficient of variation (CV) values greater than 0.40 ( P = 0.009). Conclusions: This study demonstrates comparable and favorable outcomes using both storage media and confirms their overall efficacy. The decreased CV in Life4C is not of clinically significant magnitude but merits further research in clinical and long-term settings