Prefoveal floaters as a differential diagnosis to optic neuritis: "mouches dormantes"

This case series describes a new optical coherence tomography (OCT) specific observation relevant to the differential diagnosis of patients with suspected optic neuritis. A tiny prefoveal floater, only detectable by OCT, was found responsible for the symptoms in three patients, one of whom had been referred with unilateral delayed visual evoked potentials. This case series suggests that with increased use of OCT in routine clinical care, entoptic phenomena can be demonstrated as a relevant differential diagnosis to optic neuritis. Patients should be explained the benign nature of their symptoms

Avaliação da estratégia de tratamento parcial do rebanho no controle da mosca-dos-chifres.

A mosca-dos-chifres (MDC) destaca-se dentre os principais ectoparasitos que acometem a pecuária de corte nacional. Seu controle é realizado quase exclusivamente com produtos inseticidas, o que tem levado a sérios problemas de resíduos e resistência. Alternativas não químicas e redução do uso de inseticidas tornam-se essenciais ao controle sustentável deste parasito. O presente estudo avaliou a eficiência do tratamento parcial do rebanho como estratégia de controle da MDC. Quatro experimentos foram conduzidos, utilizando produtos de diferentes classes inseticidas: lactona macrocíclica (ivermectina), fenilpirazol (fipronil), piretróide cipermetrina) e organofosforado+piretróide (clorpirifós+cipermetrina), em formulações pour-on. Em cada experimento, 200 vacas Nelore foram distribuídas em quatro grupos, para avaliação do tratamento de 20%, 50% e 100% do rebanho, além de um grupo não tratado. Contagens periódicas da MDC foram realizadas nos dias 0, 3, 7, 14, 21 e 28 em todos os animais. A eficácia dos produtos nos grupos tratados integralmente foi superior a 90% (exceto pela cipermetrina) ao final da 1ª semana pós-tratamento, sendo de modo geral superior a dos tratados parcialmente nas duas semanas iniciais. Nos grupos tratados parcialmente, a eficácia foi geralmente maior nos grupos com maior frequência de animais tratados. Independente da classe inseticida aplicada e do percentual de animais tratados (20% ou 50%), o tratamento parcial do rebanho apresentou três características principais: a) rápida e acentuada redução das infestações em todo o rebanho, b) menores níveis de redução das infestações e c) menor período de proteção, em relação ao tratamento de todo o rebanho. Apesar da redução no uso de inseticidas e do menor custo, a viabilidade do tratamento parcial do rebanho, como estratégia de controle da MDC, se limita a situações onde um menor nível e período de eficácia sejam aceitáveis, caso contrário, tratamentos adicionais podem ser necessários, comprometendo as vantagens da estratégia. As implicações do tratamento parcial do rebanho no desenvolvimento e manejo da resistência a inseticidas devem ser avaliadas. The horn fly stands out among the main ectoparasites that affect national beef cattle. This livestock pest is controlled almost exclusively by insecticide products, which has led to serious residue and resistance issues. Non-chemical alternatives and reduction of insecticide use are essential for a sustainable control of this parasite. This study evaluated the efficiency of partial herd treatment as a strategy for controlling horn flies. Four experiments were conducted using products from different insecticide classes: macrocyclic lactone (ivermectin) phenylpyrazole (fipronil), pyrethroid (cypermethrin), and an organophosphate-pyrethroid mixture (chlorpyrifos + cypermethrin), in pour-on formulations. In each experiment, 200 Nelore cows were distributed in four groups for evaluation of the treatment of 20, 50, and 100% of the herd, besides an untreated group. Periodic fly counts were performed on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 in all animals. Product efficacy in the full-treated herd exceeded 90% (except for cypermethrin) at the end of the 1st week after treatment, being mostly higher than in partially treated groups in the first two weeks. In the groups partially treated, efficacy was generally higher in the groups with the largest frequency of treated animals. Regardless of the insecticide class and the percentage of treated animals (20% or 50%), the partial treatment of the herd showed three main features: a) fast and marked reduction in infestations throughout the herd, b) lower reduction of horn fly infestations, and c) shorter period of protection, when compared to the full herd treatment. Despite reduction in insecticide use and lower costs, viability of partial herd treatment as a strategy for controlling the horn fly is limited to situations where a lower level and protection period are acceptable; otherwise, the need for additional treatments tends to compromise the advantages of the strategy. The implications of partial herd treatment in the development and management of insecticide resistance should be evaluated.bitstream/item/129471/1/BP125.pd

Clinical review of retinotopy

Two observations made 29 years apart are the cornerstones of this review on the contributions of Dr Gordon T. Plant to understanding pathology affecting the optic nerve. The first observation laid the anatomical basis in 1990 for the interpretation of optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in 2009. Retinal OCT offers clinicians detailed in vivo structural imaging of individual retinal layers. This has led to novel observations which were impossible to make using ophthalmoscopy. The technique also helps to re-introduce the anatomically grounded concept of retinotopy to clinical practise. This review employs illustrations of the anatomical basis for retinotopy through detailed translational histological studies and multimodal brain-eye imaging studies. The paths of the prelaminar and postlaminar axons forming the optic nerve and their postsynaptic path from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus to the primary visual cortex in humans are described. With the mapped neuroanatomy in mind we use OCT-MRI pairings to discuss the patterns of neurodegeneration in eye and brain that are a consequence of the hard wired retinotopy: anterograde and retrograde axonal degeneration which can, within the visual system, propagate trans-synaptically. The technical advances of OCT and MRI for the first time enable us to trace axonal degeneration through the entire visual system at spectacular resolution. In conclusion, the neuroanatomical insights provided by the combination of OCT and MRI allows us to separate incidental findings from sinister pathology and provides new opportunities to tailor and monitor novel neuroprotective strategies

Aumento das infestações pela mosca-dos-chifres em bovinos nelore no Pantanal Sul-Mato-Grossense.

Após sua introdução no norte do país na década de 70, a mosca-dos-chifres (Haematobia irritans) chegou à região Centro-Oeste no início dos anos 90. No Pantanal, sua presença foi registrada pela primeira vez em 1991 (Barros, 1992), demandando conhecimento sobre sua ecologia e controle.bitstream/CPAP-2009-09/56780/1/CT80.pdfFormato eletrônico

Progression of Anterograde Trans-Synaptic Degeneration in the Human Retina Is Modulated by Axonal Convergence and Divergence.

In the visual pathway of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the inner nuclear layer (INL) of the retina is a tight barrier for retrograde trans-synaptic degeneration. In this observational, retrospective cross-sectional study, segmented macular spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) volume scans were reviewed to investigate if this observation also holds true for anterograde trans-synaptic degeneration. Significant thinning was found in all retinal layers in patients with outer retinal diseases compared with the healthy controls, while there was no significant attenuation of the outer retina in patients with MS. In contrast to the tight barrier function observed with retrograde trans-synaptic degeneration, the INL appears to be more permissive for the propagation of anterograde trans-synaptic degeneration. We speculate that this may be due to the size of the area affected and be explained by convergence and divergence of axons within the retinal layers. These findings are likely relevant to future restorative stem cell treatment of the outer retinal layers, as time may matter

Bohmian description of a decaying quantum system

We present a Bohmian description of a decaying quantum system. A particle is initially confined in a region around the origin which is surrounded by a repulsive potential barrier. The particle leaks out in time tunneling through the barrier. We determine Bohm trajectories with which we can visualize various features of the decaying system.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Multidimensional Cosmology: Spatially Homogeneous models of dimension 4+1

In this paper we classify all 4+1 cosmological models where the spatial hypersurfaces are connected and simply connected homogeneous Riemannian manifolds. These models come in two categories, multiply transitive and simply transitive models. There are in all five different multiply transitive models which cannot be considered as a special case of a simply transitive model. The classification of simply transitive models, relies heavily upon the classification of the four dimensional (real) Lie algebras. For the orthogonal case, we derive all the equations of motion and give some examples of exact solutions. Also the problem of how these models can be compactified in context with the Kaluza-Klein mechanism, is addressed.Comment: 24 pages, no figures; Refs added, typos corrected. To appear in CQ

The prevalence of internuclear ophthalmoparesis in a population-based cohort of individuals with multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND: Internuclear ophthalmoparesis (INO) occurs in 15-52% of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is reliably detected by infrared oculography. Methods for diagnosing INO with infrared oculography and the association between INO and MS characteristics need confirmation. We aimed to describe INO prevalence and the clinical characteristics of individuals with MS and INO in a population-based cohort of individuals with MS born in the year 1966 (Project Y). METHODS: Previously described thresholds for the versional dysconjugacy index (VDI), assessed with standardized infrared oculography, were used to detect INO in participants of project Y. Clinical characteristics, visual functioning and complaints were compared between individuals with MS with INO and individuals with MS without INO. RESULTS: Two-hundred-twenty individuals with MS and 110 healthy controls were included. VDI values exceeding the threshold for INO presented in 53 (24%) individuals with MS and 19 controls (13%). INO was associated with male sex, greater disability, worse cognition and worse arm function in individuals with MS. There was no association with disease duration, visual functioning or complaints. CONCLUSIONS: INO is prevalent among individuals with MS aged fifty-three and related to clinical characteristics of MS. INO was more frequently detected in healthy controls than previous studies, implying that oculography based diagnosis of INO requires further refinement