Retinal protection from LED-backlit screen lights by short wavelength absorption filters

Background: Ocular exposure to intense light or long-time exposure to low-intensity short-wavelength lights may cause eye injury. Excessive levels of blue light induce photochemical damage to the retinal pigment and degeneration of photoreceptors of the outer segments. Currently, people spend a lot of time watching LED screens that emit high proportions of blue light. This study aims to assess the effects of light emitted by LED tablet screens on pigmented rat retinas with and without optical filters. Methods: Commercially available tablets were used for exposure experiments on three groups of rats. One was exposed to tablet screens, the other was exposed to the tablet screens with a selective filter and the other was a control group. Structure, gene expression (including life/death, extracellular matrix degradation, growth factors, and oxidative stress related genes), and immunohistochemistry in the retina were compared among groups. Results: There was a reduction of the thickness of the external nuclear layer and changes in the genes involved in cell survival and death, extracellular matrix turnover, growth factors, inflammation, and oxidative stress, leading decrease in cell density and retinal damage in the first group. Modulation of gene changes was observed when the LED light of screens was modified with an optical filter. Conclusions: The use of short-wavelength selective filters on the screens contribute to reduce LED light-induced damage in the rat retina

Ultrasound findings of lung ultrasonography in COVID-19: A systematic review.

To identify the defining lung ultrasound (LUS) findings of COVID-19, and establish its association to the initial severity of the disease and prognostic outcomes. Systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. We queried PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Database and Scopus using the terms ((coronavirus) OR (covid-19) OR (sars AND cov AND 2) OR (2019-nCoV)) AND (("lung ultrasound") OR (LUS)), from 31st of December 2019 to 31st of January 2021. PCR-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, obtained from original studies with at least 10 participants 18 years old or older, were included. Risk of bias and applicability was evaluated with QUADAS-2. We found 1333 articles, from which 66 articles were included, with a pooled population of 4687 patients. The most examined findings were at least 3 B-lines, confluent B-lines, subpleural consolidation, pleural effusion and bilateral or unilateral distribution. B-lines, its confluent presentation and pleural abnormalities are the most frequent findings. LUS score was higher in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and emergency department (ED), and it was associated with a higher risk of developing unfavorable outcomes (death, ICU admission or need for mechanical ventilation). LUS findings and/or the LUS score had a good negative predictive value in the diagnosis of COVID-19 compared to RT-PCR. The most frequent ultrasound findings of COVID-19 are B-lines and pleural abnormalities. High LUS score is associated with developing unfavorable outcomes. The inclusion of pleural effusion in the LUS score and the standardisation of the imaging protocol in COVID-19 LUS remains to be defined

Intelligence Artificielle et système d'identification sur le territoire du Rhin supérieur

Efficient identity management is not only a concern of the virtual world but also paramount for modern open societies like the European Union. Non-intrusive, AI-based techniques of continuous authentication have recently been proposed to increase the security, efficiency and user friendliness of online systems and services. We introduce the research project aura.ai that will investigate how to transfer and apply these novel means of AI-based authentication in the public transportation area of the Upper-Rhine region

Intelligence Artificielle et système d'identification sur le territoire du Rhin supérieur

Efficient identity management is not only a concern of the virtual world but also paramount for modern open societies like the European Union. Non-intrusive, AI-based techniques of continuous authentication have recently been proposed to increase the security, efficiency and user friendliness of online systems and services. We introduce the research project aura.ai that will investigate how to transfer and apply these novel means of AI-based authentication in the public transportation area of the Upper-Rhine region

Global Longitudinal Strain Predicts Outcomes in Patients with Reduced Left Ventricular Function Undergoing Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Repair

Background: The timing and selection of optimal candidates for mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge valve repair remains to be fully determined, especially in cases with severely depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The objective of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of myocardial strain (LVGLS) in this setting. Methods: Retrospectively, 172 consecutive patients with LVEF ≤40% and severe MR treated with MitraClip were included. Four groups were generated according to the LVEF (≥30%) and median LVGLS. The primary end-point was cardiovascular mortality. Results: Procedural success was high (96.5%) and complications were rare. At one-year follow-up, 82.5% of patients maintained MR grade ≤2, 79.2% were at a NYHA class ≤II and a reduction of 80% in heart failure admissions was observed in all groups. Interestingly, among patients with a more depressed LVEF, LVGLS was found to be an independent predictor for cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.1–10, p = 0.023). Conclusions: Mitral valve repair with MitraClip is safe and it improves the mid-term functional class of patients regardless of LVEF. LVGLS can help in the selection of optimal candidates and timing for this procedure, as well as in the recognition of those patients with worse prognoses

Global Longitudinal Strain Predicts Outcomes in Patients with Reduced Left Ventricular Function Undergoing Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Repair

UDTAULIBackground: The timing and selection of optimal candidates for mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge valve repair remains to be fully determined, especially in cases with severely depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The objective of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of myocardial strain (LVGLS) in this setting. Methods: Retrospectively, 172 consecutive patients with LVEF ≤40% and severe MR treated with MitraClip were included. Four groups were generated according to the LVEF (<30% or ≥ 30%) and median LVGLS. The primary end-point was cardiovascular mortality. Results: Procedural success was high (96.5%) and complications were rare. At one-year follow-up, 82.5% of patients maintained MR grade ≤2, 79.2% were at a NYHA class ≤II and a reduction of 80% in heart failure admissions was observed in all groups. Interestingly, among patients with a more depressed LVEF, LVGLS was found to be an independent predictor for cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.1-10, p = 0.023). Conclusions: Mitral valve repair with MitraClip is safe and it improves the mid-term functional class of patients regardless of LVEF. LVGLS can help in the selection of optimal candidates and timing for this procedure, as well as in the recognition of those patients with worse prognoses

La Vega de Granada : pasado y presente : proyecto de investigación educativa

Esta publicación obtuvo una Mención Especial en los Premios Joaquín Guichot a investigaciones, experiencias y materiales sobre Andalucía y su cultura en la edición XXII del curso 2008/2009Se presenta un trabajo interdisciplinar, que se basa en el acercamiento al entorno del alumnado de secundaria, mediante la reconstrucción de la década de los años 30 del s. XX en algunas localidades de la Vega de Granada, donde acontecimientos políticos, económicos, sociales y culturales provocaron cambios sustanciales en la sociedad de la época.AndalucíaES