Macular Pigment Spatial Profiles in a Healthy Asian Population

Purpose: Reduced macular pigment optical density (MPOD) has been associated with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). MP spatial profiles tend to follow either an exponential curve or exhibit a secondary peak up to 2° eccentricity in 40% to 50% of Caucasian subjects. A higher incidence of secondary peak profiles has been reported in ethnicities with low ARMD prevalence using fundus autofluorescence image analysis. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of MP spatial profiles in healthy Asian subjects. Methods: MP spatial profiles were measured using heterochromatic flicker photometry (Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 30:470-483,2010) in 55 Asian subjects (mean age 21 ± 3 years). Secondary peak classification was based on the MPOD at 0.8° or at 1.8° being 0.10 log units (the average within subject standard deviation at each location) greater than the value predicted by the exponential fit. The remaining subjects were allocated to the single peak subgroup. The average blue light transmittance (Tav) and the average MPOD (ODav) between 0° and 1.8° were calculated. Results: According to our criterion, 25 subjects (45%) had secondary peak spatial profiles. Mean MPOD at 0.8° was significantly higher in subjects with a secondary peak (0.52 ± 0.12 log units) when compared to the single peak subgroup (0.41 ± 0.12 log units; t = -3.53, p = 0.001), but not at 0° (0.61 ± 0.13 log units versus 0.53 ± 0.19 log units; t = -1.79, p = 0.08, respectively). Percentage Tav was significantly Abstract Print View 07/01/2015 13:40 http://www.abstractsonline.com/Plan/AbstractPrintView.aspx?mID…ac-84e1-16d2b30126d4&cKey=993b1a7a-895d-4049-b8fd-0bfb18b9d371 Page 2 of 2 decreased in subjects with secondary peak profiles (40 ± 8%) compared to those with single peak profiles (46 ± 10%; t = 2.31, p = 0.03). ODav was significantly greater in subjects with secondary (0.41 ± 0.09) versus single peak profiles (0.35 ± 0.10; t = -2.29, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Significant differences in blue light transmittance and average MPOD up to 1.8° were found between exponential and secondary peak MP profiles. Subjects exhibiting a secondary peak were better protected against the damaging effects of blue light. However, the incidence of secondary peak MP profiles in Asian subjects was similar to that previously recorded in Caucasians, suggesting that factors other than racial differences in secondary peak frequency may explain the ethnic influence on ARMD prevalence

Relationship between Macular Pigment and Foveal Anatomic Architecture in an Asian Population

Purpose: The extent to which reduced macular pigment optical density (MPOD) contributes to the prevalence of age related macular degeneration (ARMD) in Caucasians compared to other ethnicities has often been questioned. Foveal architecture may be related to MPOD and hence be a contributing factor. Previous studies have reported race-linked differences in peak MPOD and its central spatial distribution. This study investigates the relationship between MPOD and foveal architecture in an adult Asian population. Methods: The spatial profile of MPOD was assessed in 55 healthy Asian subjects (mean age 21 ± 4 years) using heterochromatic flicker photometry (Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 30:470-483,2010). High-resolution macular thickness maps were obtained using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis OCT, Heidelberg, Germany). The following relationships were investigated: 1) Peak MPOD (at 0° eccentricity) and minimal foveal thickness (MFT) measured manually at the point of sharpest foveal reflex; 2) Peak MPOD and central foveal thickness (CFT: average retinal thickness within central 1mm circle of the ETDRS grid); 3) Peak MPOD and foveal width (FW: measured from crest to crest); 4) MFT and FW; 5) Average MPOD absorption (ODav; over an area subtending ±2.8° centred at the fovea) and FW; and 6) ODav and CFT. Results: The peak MPOD values (mean 0.56 ± 0.17 log units) and the corresponding MFT showed good correlation (R2 = 0.34 p<0.0005). A moderate correlation was found between peak MPOD and CFT (R2 = 0.12; p=0.01). A weaker, but significant negative correlation was found between FW and CFT (R2 = 0.22; p<0.0005) and between FW and MFT (R2 = 0.1; p=0.03). In contrast, no correlation was found between FW and peak MPOD (p=0.84), FW and ODav (p=0.406), or ODav and CFT (p=0.593). Conclusion: The current findings suggest that minimal foveal thickness is a better predictor value for MPOD compared to the central foveal thickness and average retinal thickness given by the OCT. The expectation that a larger foveal pit area may contain more macular pigment because of longer cone axon fibres is not supported by our findings in the Asian subject group. Our results suggest that differences in foveal architecture can explain some of the measured variations in MPOD

Macular pigment spatial profiles in South Asian and white subjects

Purpose: Variability in central macular pigment optical density (MPOD) has been reported amongst healthy individuals. These variations seem to be related to risk factors of age-related macular degeneration, such as female gender, smoking, and ethnicity. This study investigates the variations in MPOD spatial profiles amongst ethnicities. Methods: Using heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP), MPOD was measured at 7 retinal locations in 54 healthy young South Asian and 19 White subjects of similar age. Macular pigment spatial profiles were classified as either typical ‘exponential’, atypical ‘ring-like’ or atypical ‘central dip’. Results: Central MPOD was significantly greater in South Asian (0.56 ± 0.17) compared to White subjects (0.45 ± 0.18; P = 0.015). Integrated MPOD up to 1.8° i.e. MPODav(0-1.8) was also significantly increased in Asian (0.34 ± 0.09) versus White subjects (0.27 ± 0.10; P = 0.003). MPODav(0-1.8) was significantly increased in all subjects presenting a ring-like profile (0.35 ± 0.08) or central dip profile (0.39 ± 0.09), compared to typical exponential profiles (0.28 ± 0.09; P < 0.0005). We found a statistically significant association between ethnicity and spatial profile type (P = 0.008), whereby an exponential profile was present in 79% of White compared to 41% of the South Asian subjects. Conclusion: Central MPOD, MPODav(0-1.8), and the prevalence of atypical spatial profiles were significantly increased in South Asian compared to White subjects. Atypical profiles resulted in increased integrated MPOD up to 1.8° and may therefore offer enhanced macular protection from harmful blue light

Serum Concentrations of Myostatin and Myostatin-Interacting Proteins do not differ between young and Scarcopenic elderly men

Peer reviewedPostprin

Pulmonary infections complicating ARDS.

Pulmonary infection is one of the main complications occurring in patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Besides traditional risk factors, dysregulation of lung immune defenses and microbiota may play an important role in ARDS patients. Prone positioning does not seem to be associated with a higher risk of pulmonary infection. Although bacteria associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in ARDS patients are similar to those in patients without ARDS, atypical pathogens (Aspergillus, herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus) may also be responsible for infection in ARDS patients. Diagnosing pulmonary infection in ARDS patients is challenging, and requires a combination of clinical, biological and microbiological criteria. The role of modern tools (e.g., molecular methods, metagenomic sequencing, etc.) remains to be evaluated in this setting. One of the challenges of antimicrobial treatment is antibiotics diffusion into the lungs. Although targeted delivery of antibiotics using nebulization may be interesting, their place in ARDS patients remains to be explored. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the most severe patients is associated with a high rate of infection and raises several challenges, diagnostic issues and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics changes being at the top. Prevention of pulmonary infection is a key issue in ARDS patients, but there is no specific measure for these high-risk patients. Reinforcing preventive measures using bundles seems to be the best option

Cytologic studies of the fallopian tube in patients undergoing salpingo-oophorectomy

Background: Mounting evidence suggests the fallopian tube as the origin for ovarian high grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). We attempted to identify the tubal cytological features that allow us to distinguish malignant from benign conditions. Methods: Tubal specimens (n = 56) were collected from patients who underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) due to various clinical indications. A standard procedure to collect fallopian tube brushings from freshly received surgical specimens was developed. Cytological diagnoses were classified into three categories: benign, atypical, and suspicious for malignancy/malignant. Cytological variables of individual cells and epithelia were subjected to statistical analysis. The fallopian tube histology was used as diagnostic reference for confirmation of cytology diagnosis. Results: Among the 56 fallopian tube specimens, 2 (3.7 %) showed inadequate cellularity preventing further evaluation, 11 (20.4 %) were diagnosed as malignant or suspicious of malignancy, 7 were atypical, and 36 were benign. The presence of three dimensional clusters (p < 0.0001, Fisher's Exact Test), or prominent nucleoli (p = 0.0252, Fisher Exact test) was highly correlated with the diagnosis of malignancy. The suspicious malignant/malignant cytological diagnosis was also highly correlated with presence of HGSC with or without serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC). Conclusions: Tubal cytology may be useful for ovarian cancer screening and early detection.Depart of Pathology, University of Arizona; Mark and Jane Gibson endowment fundThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Genomic characterization of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

YesMycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae have remained, for many years, the primary species of the genus Mycobacterium of clinical and microbiological interest. The other members of the genus, referred to as nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), have long been underinvestigated. In the last decades, however, the number of reports linking various NTM species with human diseases has steadily increased and treatment difficulties have emerged. Despite the availability of whole genome sequencing technologies, limited effort has been devoted to the genetic characterization of NTM species. As a consequence, the taxonomic and phylogenetic structure of the genus remains unsettled and genomic information is lacking to support the identification of these organisms in a clinical setting. In this work, we widen the knowledge of NTMs by reconstructing and analyzing the genomes of 41 previously uncharacterized NTM species. We provide the first comprehensive characterization of the genomic diversity of NTMs and open new venues for the clinical identification of opportunistic pathogens from this genus

Experiencing, anticipating, and witnessing discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for health and wellbeing among Asian Americans

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic spurred increased racial animus toward Asians and Asian Americans (A/AA) who have since been contending with increased racism and violence. While some of the harm associated with this increased prejudice may derive from personally experienced discrimination, the COVID-19 pandemic has also been marked by an increase in vicarious exposure to discrimination as well as increased anticipation of discrimination, both of which may be taxing for the mental and physical health of A/AA. The goal of this study, accordingly, was to examine the effects of personal experiences of discrimination, vicarious exposure to discrimination, and anticipated discrimination on depressive symptoms, physical health symptoms, sleep quality, and sleep disturbances among A/AA. Results from our two-wave field survey demonstrated that experiencing and anticipating discrimination were associated with mental and physical health symptoms as well as sleep disturbances. Further, personal experiences of discrimination interacted with vicarious discrimination to determine physical health symptoms such that greater vicarious exposure weakened the relationship between experienced discrimination and physical health symptoms. These findings demonstrate the need to mobilize resources to combat the multipronged, negative implications of the recent rise in anti-Asian prejudice during the COVID-19 pandemic