The Latest Evidence with Regards to Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery and Its Use Post 2020.

Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) was introduced with the hope of making cataract surgery safer and making the refractive result more predictable. It is only in the last four years that level 1 prospective randomised controlled trials (RCT) using current technology have been published. These, along with a meta-analysis of recent studies have shown that there seems to be little long-term visual benefit when using FLACS with monofocal lenses. The promised decrease in ultrasound energy required to remove a cataract has not been consistently demonstrated. There is level one evidence that the rate of posterior capsular rupture is less with FLACS using modern software. The round capsulotomy may be of increasing importance with the uptake of toric, multifocal and extended depth of focus lenses where a predictable capsulotomy size and precise placement of the lens becomes more important

Evaluation of harmful algal bloom outreach activities

This is the final version of the article. Available from MDPI via the link in this record.With an apparent increase of harmful algal blooms (HABs) worldwide, healthcare providers, public health personnel and coastal managers are struggling to provide scientifically-based appropriately-targeted HAB outreach and education. Since 1998, the Florida Poison Information Center-Miami, with its 24 hour/365 day/year free Aquatic Toxins Hotline (1-888-232-8635) available in several languages, has received over 25,000 HAB-related calls. As part of HAB surveillance, all possible cases of HAB-related illness among callers are reported to the Florida Health Department. This pilot study evaluated an automated call processing menu system that allows callers to access bilingual HAB information, and to speak directly with a trained Poison Information Specialist. The majority (68%) of callers reported satisfaction with the information, and many provided specific suggestions for improvement. This pilot study, the first known evaluation of use and satisfaction with HAB educational outreach materials, demonstrated that the automated system provided useful HAB-related information for the majority of callers, and decreased the routine informational call workload for the Poison Information Specialists, allowing them to focus on callers needing immediate assistance and their healthcare providers. These results will lead to improvement of this valuable HAB outreach, education and surveillance tool. Formal evaluation is recommended for future HAB outreach and educational materials.The funding for this study was provided by the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Taskforce, as well as the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Oceans and Human Health Center at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School (NSF 0CE0432368; NIEHS 1 P50 ES12736), the former National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School (NIEHS P30ES05705), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Red Tide POI (P01 ES 10594)

A Late Miocene methane-seep fauna from Kalimantan, Indonesia

This item is freely available online and the full text is attached. http://seep.paleo.pan.pl/AHS_5.htm

Impact of Prostate Volume on the Efficacy of High-Power Potassium-Titanyl-Phosphate Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate: A Retrospective, Short-Term Follow-Up Study on Evaluating Feasibility and Safety

Purpose: We determined the impact of prostate volume on the efficacy of the high-power (80 W) potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) photoselective laser vaporization of the prostate in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Materials and Methods: Patients were stratified into 3 groups according to prostate volume: `<40 g` (n = 49) and `40-59 g` (n = 49) and 60 g` (n = 22). Median follow-up was 9 months (range 6 to 21). Results: No differences in age and follow-up duration were observed in the three groups. At baseline, no significant differences were noted in the three groups in terms of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) (21.4, 19.4 and 19.1; p = 0.412) as well as the maximum flow rate (Qmax) (10.2, 9.2, and 8.6 mL/s; p = 0.291) and post-void residual (PVR) (66.2, 80.4, and 71.5 mL; p = 0.856). The mean operative times were 30.9, 46.9, and 58.6 minutes (p < 0.001) and total median energy deliveries for each group were 62.3, 97.6, and 135.9 kJ, respectively (p < 0.001). No severe intraoperative complication was observed. At the last follow-up, these parameters improved significantly regardless of prostate volume, and the IPSS (11.1, 9.4, and 12.3; p = 0.286) as well as Qmax (15.9, 15.9, and 14.2 mL/s; p = 0.690) and PVR (33.7, 28.4, and 14.2 mL; p = 0.395) were not significantly different among the groups. Conclusion: Although a larger prostate requires more time and energy delivery, photoselective laser vaporization of the prostate is safe and efficacious for patients with LUTS regardless of prostate volume.Spaliviero M, 2008, J ENDOUROL, V22, P2341, DOI 10.1089/end.2008.9708Rieken M, 2010, WORLD J UROL, V28, P53, DOI 10.1007/s00345-009-0504-zNaspro R, 2009, EUR UROL, V55, P1345, DOI 10.1016/j.eururo.2009.03.070Lee R, 2008, J UROLOGY, V180, P1551, DOI 10.1016/j.juro.2008.06.002Du CJ, 2008, J ENDOUROL, V22, P1031, DOI 10.1089/end.2007.0262Paick JS, 2007, J SEX MED, V4, P1701, DOI 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00574.xMonoski MA, 2006, UROLOGY, V68, P312, DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2006.02.020Bouchier-Hayes DM, 2006, J ENDOUROL, V20, P580Te AE, 2006, BJU INT, V97, P1229, DOI 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06197.xKrambeck AE, 2010, J ENDOUROL, V24, P433, DOI 10.1089/end.2009.0147Fu WJ, 2006, ASIAN J ANDROL, V8, P367, DOI 10.1111/j.1745-7262.2006.00134.xBarber NJ, 2006, UROLOGY, V67, P80, DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2005.07.028Bachmann A, 2005, EUR UROL, V48, P965, DOI 10.1016/j.eururo.2005.07.001Sandhu JS, 2005, J ENDOUROL, V19, P1196Sarica K, 2005, J ENDOUROL, V19, P1199Malek RS, 2005, J UROLOGY, V174, P1344, DOI 10.1097/01.ju.0000173913.41401.67Volkan T, 2005, EUR UROL, V48, P608, DOI 10.1016/j.eururo.2005.07.013Bachmann A, 2005, EUR UROL, V47, P798, DOI 10.1016/j.eururo.2005.02.003Kumar SM, 2005, J UROLOGY, V173, P511, DOI 10.1097/01.ju.0000150099.31289.d7Reich O, 2005, J UROLOGY, V173, P158, DOI 10.1097/01.ju.0000146631.14200.d4Sandhu JS, 2004, UROLOGY, V64, P1155Sulser T, 2004, J ENDOUROL, V18, P976Te AE, 2004, J UROLOGY, V172, P1404, DOI 10.1097/01.ju.0000139541.68542.f6Reich O, 2004, J UROLOGY, V171, P2502, DOI 10.1097/01.ju.0000128803.04158.76Hai MA, 2003, J ENDOUROL, V17, P93Shingleton WB, 1999, UROLOGY, V54, P1017Shingleton WB, 1998, SCAND J UROL NEPHROL, V32, P266Kuntzman RS, 1997, UROLOGY, V49, P703Kuntzman RS, 1996, UROLOGY, V48, P575

Coupling of alpha(1)-Adrenoceptors to ERK1/2 in the Human Prostate

Introduction: alpha(1)-Adrenoceptors are considered critical for the regulation of prostatic smooth muscle tone. However, previous studies suggested further alpha(1)-adrenoceptor functions besides contraction. Here, we investigated whether alpha(1)-adrenoceptors in the human prostate may activate extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2). Methods: Prostate tissues from patients undergoing radical prostatectomy were stimulated in vitro. Activation of ERK1/2 was assessed by Western blot analysis. Expression of ERK1/2 was studied by immunohistochemistry. The effect of ERK1/2 inhibition by U0126 on phenylephrine-induced contraction was studied in organ-bath experiments. Results: Stimulation of human prostate tissue with noradrenaline (30 mu M) or phenylephrine (10 mu M) resulted in ERK activation. This was reflected by increased levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2. Expression of ERK1/2 in the prostate was observed in smooth muscle cells. Incubation of prostate tissue with U0126 (30 mu M) resulted in ERK1/2 inhibition. Dose-dependent phenylephrine-induced contraction of prostate tissue was not modulated by U0126. Conclusions: alpha(1)-Adrenoceptors in the human prostate are coupled to ERK1/2. This may partially explain previous observations suggesting a role of alpha(1)-adrenoceptors in the regulation of prostate growth. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

The One Year Outcome after KTP Laser Vaporization of the Prostate According to the Calculated Vaporized Volume

The aim of this study was to develop a new simple method for measuring the vaporized volume and to evaluate the outcome of high-power potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) photoselective laser vaporization. A total of 65 patients, with a mean age of 67.7 yr (range 53 to 85), were included in the primary analysis. The vaporized volume was calculated as the pre-operative volume minus the immediate post-operative volume plus the volume of the defect. For all patients, the subjective and objective parameters improved significantly after surgery. Six and 12 months after surgery, the group with a smaller vaporized volume (<15 g) had a lower reduction of the mean International Prostate Symptom Score (P=0.006 and P=0.004) and quality of life index (P=0.006 and P=0.004) when compared to the group with a greater vaporized volume (≥15 g). There were no differences in the change of the maximum flow rate and post-void residual based on the vaporized volume. Our findings suggest that the subjective improvement, after a high-power KTP laser vaporization, may be dependent on the vaporized volume obtained after the procedure

Genetic Differences between the Determinants of Lipid Profile Phenotypes in African and European Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

Genome-wide association analysis in populations of European descent has recently found more than a hundred genetic variants affecting risk for common disease. An open question, however, is how relevant the variants discovered in Europeans are to other populations. To address this problem for cardiovascular phenotypes, we studied a cohort of 4,464 African Americans from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), in whom we genotyped both a panel of 12 recently discovered genetic variants known to predict lipid profile levels in Europeans and a panel of up to 1,447 ancestry informative markers allowing us to determine the African ancestry proportion of each individual at each position in the genome. Focusing on lipid profiles—HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG)—we identified the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) locus as harboring variants that account for interethnic variation in HDL-C and TG. In particular, we identified a novel common variant within LPL that is strongly associated with TG (p = 2.7×10−6) and explains nearly 1% of the variability in this phenotype, the most of any variant in African Americans to date. Strikingly, the extensively studied “gain-of-function” S447X mutation at LPL, which has been hypothesized to be the major determinant of the LPL-TG genetic association and is in trials for human gene therapy, has a significantly diminished strength of biological effect when it is found on a background of African rather than European ancestry. These results suggest that there are other, yet undiscovered variants at the locus that are truly causal (and are in linkage disequilibrium with S447X) or that work synergistically with S447X to modulate TG levels. Finally, we find systematically lower effect sizes for the 12 risk variants discovered in European populations on the African local ancestry background in JHS, highlighting the need for caution in the use of genetic variants for risk assessment across different populations

Effects of Elevated CO2 and N Addition on Growth and N2 Fixation of a Legume Subshrub (Caragana microphylla Lam.) in Temperate Grassland in China

It is well demonstrated that the responses of plants to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration are species-specific and dependent on environmental conditions. We investigated the responses of a subshrub legume species, Caragana microphylla Lam., to elevated CO2 and nitrogen (N) addition using open-top chambers in a semiarid temperate grassland in northern China for three years. Measured variables include leaf photosynthetic rate, shoot biomass, root biomass, symbiotic nitrogenase activity, and leaf N content. Symbiotic nitrogenase activity was determined by the C2H2 reduction method. Elevated CO2 enhanced photosynthesis and shoot biomass by 83% and 25%, respectively, and the enhancement of shoot biomass was significant only at a high N concentration. In addition, the photosynthetic capacity of C. microphylla did not show down-regulation under elevated CO2. Elevated CO2 had no significant effect on root biomass, symbiotic nitrogenase activity and leaf N content. Under elevated CO2, N addition stimulated photosynthesis and shoot biomass. By contrast, N addition strongly inhibited symbiotic nitrogenase activity and slightly increased leaf N content of C. microphylla under both CO2 levels, and had no significant effect on root biomass. The effect of elevated CO2 and N addition on C. microphylla did not show interannual variation, except for the effect of N addition on leaf N content. These results indicate that shoot growth of C. microphylla is more sensitive to elevated CO2 than is root growth. The stimulation of shoot growth of C. microphylla under elevated CO2 or N addition is not associated with changes in N2-fixation. Additionally, elevated CO2 and N addition interacted to affect shoot growth of C. microphylla with a stimulatory effect occurring only under combination of these two factors