Intracameral tissue plasminogen activator use in a large series of eyes with valved glaucoma drainage implants.

ObjectiveTo describe the efficacy and complications of intracameral tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in a large series of glaucomatous eyes with valved glaucoma drainage implants (GDIs).MethodsA retrospective analysis of 620 Ahmed and Krupin aqueous shunts implanted between December 1992 and May 2001 identified 36 eyes treated with intracameral tPA for total or imminent tube obstruction by fibrin and/or blood. For a successful ocular outcome, tPA use must prevent the need for additional glaucoma surgery to replace or revise an occluded drainage implant.ResultsIntracameral tPA successfully cleared or prevented tube occlusion by fibrin/blood clots in 32 (88.9%) of 36 eyes. Multiple tPA injections were administered in 38.9% of eyes, and the mean number of injections required to achieve successful outcomes was 1.6. The mean +/- SD tPA dose per injection was 9.8 +/- 3.1 micro g, and the mean +/- SD total tPA dose required to achieve successful outcomes was 15.5 +/- 9.9 micro g. For injections to be successful in totally occluded tubes (n = 31), the mean +/- SD intraocular pressure change 24 hours after tPA administration was -21.2 +/- 15.6 mm Hg. Significant complications, including severe hyphema, profound hypotony, and anterior chamber flattening, occurred after 10.9% of tPA administrations.ConclusionIntracameral tPA clears and prevents obstruction of valved GDIs by fibrin and/or blood clots

Digitization Coordination Workshop Report

Many larger museums and archives have begun to implement a centralized approach to digitization of collections by creating Digitization Coordinator positions. This new effort has initiated a singular vision for digitization that incorporates priorities, workflows, and resources to greatly improve the efficiency and throughput of digitization in collections. Smaller institutions are now starting to see the benefit of creating a more structured cross-disciplinary approach to digitization, allowing for better awareness and resourcing of digitization needs.The workshop brought together natural sciences digitization professionals from the USA and EU, highlighting lessons learned and best practices to realize the benefits of a coordinated approach including advocacy for digitization, accelerating digitization efficiency and, ultimately, increasing digital collections access and usability to address societal challenges, such as biodiversity decline. Insights, lessons learned and initial thoughts on best practices are described, and the supporting workshop resources are shared so that others can benefit

\u3ci\u3eDrosophila\u3c/i\u3e Muller F Elements Maintain a Distinct Set of Genomic Properties Over 40 Million Years of Evolution

The Muller F element (4.2 Mb, ~80 protein-coding genes) is an unusual autosome of Drosophila melanogaster; it is mostly heterochromatic with a low recombination rate. To investigate how these properties impact the evolution of repeats and genes, we manually improved the sequence and annotated the genes on the D. erecta, D. mojavensis, and D. grimshawi F elements and euchromatic domains from the Muller D element. We find that F elements have greater transposon density (25–50%) than euchromatic reference regions (3–11%). Among the F elements, D. grimshawi has the lowest transposon density (particularly DINE-1: 2% vs. 11–27%). F element genes have larger coding spans, more coding exons, larger introns, and lower codon bias. Comparison of the Effective Number of Codons with the Codon Adaptation Index shows that, in contrast to the other species, codon bias in D. grimshawi F element genes can be attributed primarily to selection instead of mutational biases, suggesting that density and types of transposons affect the degree of local heterochromatin formation. F element genes have lower estimated DNA melting temperatures than D element genes, potentially facilitating transcription through heterochromatin. Most F element genes (~90%) have remained on that element, but the F element has smaller syntenic blocks than genome averages (3.4–3.6 vs. 8.4–8.8 genes per block), indicating greater rates of inversion despite lower rates of recombination. Overall, the F element has maintained characteristics that are distinct from other autosomes in the Drosophila lineage, illuminating the constraints imposed by a heterochromatic milieu