Comparison of the reliability of multifocal visual evoked cortical potentials generated by pattern reversal and pattern pulse stimulation

This study compared the effectiveness of the multifocal visual evoked cortical potentials (mfVEP) elicited by pattern pulse stimulation with that of pattern reversal in producing reliable responses (signal-to-noise ratio >1.359). Participants were 14 healthy subjects. Visual stimulation was obtained using a 60-sector dartboard display consisting of 6 concentric rings presented in either pulse or reversal mode. Each sector, consisting of 16 checks at 99% Michelson contrast and 80 cd/m² mean luminance, was controlled by a binary m-sequence in the time domain. The signal-to-noise ratio was generally larger in the pattern reversal than in the pattern pulse mode. The number of reliable responses was similar in the central sectors for the two stimulation modes. At the periphery, pattern reversal showed a larger number of reliable responses. Pattern pulse stimuli performed similarly to pattern reversal stimuli to generate reliable waveforms in R1 and R2. The advantage of using both protocols to study mfVEP responses is their complementarity: in some patients, reliable waveforms in specific sectors may be obtained with only one of the two methods. The joint analysis of pattern reversal and pattern pulse stimuli increased the rate of reliability for central sectors by 7.14% in R1, 5.35% in R2, 4.76% in R3, 3.57% in R4, 2.97% in R5, and 1.78% in R6. From R1 to R4 the reliability to generate mfVEPs was above 70% when using both protocols. Thus, for a very high reliability and thorough examination of visual performance, it is recommended to use both stimulation protocols

Contributions of the Melanopsin-Expressing Ganglion Cells, Cones, and Rods to the Pupillary Light Response in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Purpose: To investigate the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the contribution of inner and outer retinal photoreceptors to the pupillary light response (PLR). Methods: Ninety-three eyes from 27 patients with OSA and 25 healthy controls were tested. OSA severity was graded according to the apnea-hypopnea index. PLR was measured monocularly with an eye tracker in a Ganzfeld in response to 1-second blue (470 nm) and red (640 nm) flashes at -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, and 2.4 log cd/m2. Peak pupil constriction amplitude, peak latency, and the postillumination pupil response were measured. The Cambridge Colour Test, standard automatic perimetry, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, polysomnography, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used. Results: OSA patients have a significantly decreased peak pupil constriction amplitude for blue stimuli at -3, -2, -1, 1 log cd/m2 and at all red flash luminances (P < 0.050), revealing reduction of outer retina contributions to PLR. OSA patients showed reduced peak latency for blue (-2, 0, 2, 2.4 log cd/m2) and red stimuli (-2, 0 log cd/m2; P < 0.040). No significant difference was found in the melanopsin-mediated PLR. Conclusions: This study is the first to evaluate the inner and outer retinal contributions to PLR in OSA patients. The results showed that the outer retinal photoreceptor contributions to PLR were affected in moderate and severe OSA patients. In contrast, the inner retina contributions to PLR are preserved

MutSa expression predicts a lower disease-free survival in malignant salivary gland tumors:an immunohistochemical study

Appropriate DNA replication is vital to maintain cell integrity at the genomic level. Malfunction on DNA repair mechanisms can have implications related to tumor behavior. Our aim was to evaluate the expression of key complexes of the DNA mismatch-repair system MutS? (hMSH2-hMSH6) and MutS? (hMSH2-hMSH3) in a panel comprising the most common benign and malignant salivary gland tumors (SGT), and to determine their association with disease-free survival. Ten cases of normal salivary gland (NSG) and 92 of SGT (54 benign and 38 malignant) were retrieved. Immunohistochemistry was performed for hMSH2, hMSH3, hMSH6. Scanned slides were digitally analyzed based on the percentage of positive cells with nuclear staining. Cases were further classified in MutS?high and MutS?high based on hMSH2-hMSH6 and hMSH3-hMSH6 expression, respectively. hMSH3 expression was lower in malignant SGT compared to NSG and benign cases. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) cases with perineural invasion presented a lower percentage of hMSH3 positive cells. hMSH6 was downregulated in both benign and malignant SGT compared to NSG. Malignant SGT cases with MutS?high expression had lower disease-free survival compared to MutS?low cases. A 10.26-fold increased risk of presenting local recurrence was observed. Our findings suggest that a lack of hMSH3 protein function is associated with a more aggressive phenotype (malignancy and perineural invasion) and that MutS? overexpression predicts a poor clinical outcome in malignant SGT

Scientific production in pharmaceutical care: comparison between Brazil, USA and Spain

The aim of this study was to estimate the evolution of the field of Pharmaceutical Care (PC) by measuring the quality and quantity of the scientific production on the topic of PC in Brazil compared to two pioneering countries in the field, the United States of America (USA) and Spain. The databases Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, Lilacs and SciELO were used as sources for the literature search. Pharmaceutical Care, or the appropriate translations, was used as the search term for the literature search, which was limited to articles published between 1990 and 2009. A score of quality (SQ) was calculated using variables such as impact factor and the frequency of the citations. We included 3265 articles published in 544 journals. We found that there was a steady increase in scientific production since 1990 and that the USA had a higher quality of scientific production than Spain, whereas the Spain produced the highest quantity of articles. In comparison, the Brazilian production of scientific publications on PC is low in terms of both quality and quantity but has increased steadily since 2002. Nevertheless, Brazil has not yet reached the level of the USA or Spain. In conclusion, Brazil's scientific production has evolved over the second decade studied in this work, with particularly high levels of production in the last five years. However, an increase in the quantity and quality of the publications should be encouraged.O objetivo deste estudo foi estimar a evolução da área de atenção farmacêutica (AF) através da medição da qualidade e quantidade da produção científica na área de AF no Brasil, comparando-a com os países pioneiros no ramo: Estados Unidos da América (EUA) e Espanha. Os bancos de dados Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, Lilacs e SciELO foram usados como fontes para a pesquisa. AF ou as respectivas traduções foram usadas como descritor para a pesquisa bibliográfica sendo incluídos artigos publicados no período de 1990 a 2009. A pontuação da qualidade (PQ) foi calculada, utilizando variáveis como fator de impacto e frequência das citações. Foram cincluídos 3.265 artigos publicados em 544 revistas. Verificou-se um aumento constante na produção científica desde 1990 sendo que os EUA possuíam maior qualidade, enquanto a maior quantidade de artigos foi produzida na Espanha. Em comparação, a produção brasileira na AF é baixa em qualidade e quantidade, mas tem aumentado desde 2002. Apesar disso, o Brasil ainda não atingiu o nível dos EUA ou Espanha. Em conclusão, o Brasil apresentou expressiva evolução na última década com maior desenvolvimento nos últimos cinco anos. Entretanto, melhoria na quanitdade e qualidade das publicações deve ser incentivada