Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies novel loci that influence cupping and the glaucomatous process

Glaucoma is characterized by irreversible optic nerve degeneration and is the most frequent cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Here, the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium conducts a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of vertical cup-disc ratio (VCDR), an important disease-related optic nerve parameter. In 21,094 individuals of European ancestry and 6,784 individuals of Asian ancestry, we identify 10 new loci associated with variation in VCDR. In a separate risk-score analysis of five case-control studies, Caucasians in the highest quintile have a 2.5-fold increased risk of primary open-angle glaucoma as compared with those in the lowest quintile. This study has more than doubled the known loci associated with optic disc cupping and will allow greater understanding of mechanisms involved in this common blinding condition

Understanding the super-spreading events of SARS in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION: It has been noted that SARS transmission is characterised by a few super-spreading events (SSEs) giving rise to a disproportionate number of secondary cases. Clinical and environmental features surrounding the index cases involved were compared with cases in non- SSEs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on 231 cases of probable SARS admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) were used. Index cases directly causing 10 or more secondary cases were classified as having been involved in SSEs; all others were defined as non-SSEs. RESULTS: Only 5 cases were involved in SSEs; all 5 were isolated on day 5 of illness or later, and spent at least a brief period in a non-isolation ward; in contrast, amongst the 226 non-SSE cases, only 40.7% and 4.0% were isolated late and admitted to non-isolation wards respectively, and only 3.1% had both these environmental features present; the differences were highly significant (P = 0.012, P <0.001 and P <0.001 by Fisher's Exact test). When compared to 7 non-SSE cases with delayed isolation and an admission to non-isolation wards, SSEs were more likely to have co-morbid disease or require ICU care at time of isolation (P = 0.045 for both factors). CONCLUSION: SSEs were likely due to a conglomeration of environmental factors of delayed isolation and admission to a non-isolation ward, coupled with severe disease stage at time of isolation

Outcomes and Complications of Scleral-Fixated Intraocular Lens Combined with Ahmed Tube Surgery

10.1155/2018/9824035JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY201

Outcomes and Complications of Scleral-Fixated Intraocular Lens Combined with Ahmed Tube Surgery

Background. To evaluate the outcome and complications of transscleral suture-fixated posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implantation combined with Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) surgery in Asian eyes. Design. This was a retrospective study that included 22 eyes from 22 participants. The surgeries were performed at Singapore’s National University Hospital. Participants underwent an Ahmed tube surgery, together with transscleral suture-fixated posterior chamber intraocular lens. Main Outcome Measures. Complete success was defined as 6 ≤ intraocular pressure (IOP) ≤ 21 mmHg without medications at the last follow-up visit, with no reoperation required and no progression to no perception of light (NPL). Results. At the last follow-up, there was a significant reduction in mean IOP (22.4 ± 6.5 mmHg versus 13.9 ± 3.9 mmHg; p<0.001) and mean number of intraocular pressure-lowering medications (2.45 ± 1.30 versus 0.05 ± 0.21; p<0.001). There was no significant change in visual acuity [1.43 ± 1.21 (LogMAR) versus 1.09 ± 1.31 (p=0.204)]. Sixteen eyes (72.7%) achieved complete success. The 3 commonest complications were bullous keratopathy, choroidal detachment, and displacement of intraocular lens. Conclusion and Relevance. This technique showed good success for intraocular pressure control and vision preservation. Postoperative complications were relatively common although most were self-limiting. Patients at increased risk of trabeculectomy failure may be suitable for this procedure

Micropulse versus continuous wave transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation in refractory glaucoma: A randomized exploratory study

Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology43140-4

Collaborative analytics for predicting expressway-traffic congestion

There are many ways to build a predictive model from data. Besides the numerous classification or regression algorithms to choose from, there are countless possibilities of useful data transformation prior to modeling. To assist in discovering good predictive analytics workflows, we introduced recently a collaborative analytics system that allows workflow sharing and reuse. We designed a recommendation engine for the system to enable matching of analytics needs with relevant workflows stored in repository. The engine relies on meta-predictive modeling of traffic-analysis workflow-characteristics. In this paper, we present a feasibility study of applying this collaborative analytics system to predict traffic congestion. Different ways to build predictive models from traffic dataset are pooled as shared workflows. We demonstrate that through dynamic recommendation of workflows that are suitable for the real-time varying traffic data, a reliable congestion prediction can be achieved. The promising results showcase that systematic collaboration among data scientists made possible by our system can be a powerful tool to produce very accurate prediction from data

Two-Year Outcomes of the Paul Glaucoma Implant for Treatment of Glaucoma

10.1097/IJG.0000000000001998JOURNAL OF GLAUCOMA316449-45

Are heart doses associated with survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received post-operative thoracic radiotherapy? A national population-based study

10.1097/MD.0000000000017020MEDICINE983

Meta-analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies Identifies Novel Loci Associated With Optic Disc Morphology.

Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common optic neuropathy and an important cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The optic nerve head or optic disc is divided in two parts: a central cup (without nerve fibers) surrounded by the neuroretinal rim (containing axons of the retinal ganglion cells). The International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies consisting of 17,248 individuals of European ancestry and 6,841 individuals of Asian ancestry. The outcomes of the genome-wide association studies were disc area and cup area. These specific measurements describe optic nerve morphology in another way than the vertical cup-disc ratio, which is a clinically used measurement, and may shed light on new glaucoma mechanisms. We identified 10 new loci associated with disc area (CDC42BPA, F5, DIRC3, RARB, ABI3BP, DCAF4L2, ELP4, TMTC2, NR2F2, and HORMAD2) and another 10 new loci associated with cup area (DHRS3, TRIB2, EFEMP1, FLNB, FAM101, DDHD1, ASB7, KPNB1, BCAS3, and TRIOBP). The new genes participate in a number of pathways and future work is likely to identify more functions related to the pathogenesis of glaucoma