Evaluation of aqueous flare after Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty and penetrating keratoplasty

Purpose: Evaluation of aqueous flare in patients after Descemet's Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSEK) and Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK) performed of various indications. Material and methods: In a prospective study 17 eyes in 16 patients were examined. First group consisted of 8 eyes after DSEK, second: 9 eyes after PK. The first procedure was performed of Fuch’s dystrophy - 4 eyes, bullous keratopathy – 4 eyes. The indications in the second were as follows: keratoconus – 2 eyes, corneal cicatrix without neovascularization – 3 eyes, endangering corneal perforation – 4 eyes. Examined group mean age was respectively 67 and 69 years. The overall examining time was six months after the surgery. In the paperaqueous flare was evaluated in the anterior chamber in 1st, 3rd and 6th month after keratoplasty in FM-600 Laser Flare Kowa. Abovementioned device function is based on emission and detection of light produced by diode laser. Keratoplasty was performed in general (No 9) or in local peribulbar (No 8) anaesthesia. Results: Mean aqueous flarein 1st, 3rd, and 6th month after keratoplasty is significantly lower after DSEK (14,46 +/- 4,70 ph/ms; 10,64 +/- 2,91 ph/ms; 5,98 +/- 2,53 ph/ms) in comparison with PK (18,50 +/- 5,82 ph/ms; 15,04 +/- 6,38 ph/ms; 10,68 +/- 3,83 ph/ms). In 6 months observation the mean flare value in DSEK was decreased twice in comparison with PK. Considering indication for keratoplasty mean flare measurements were respectively in 1st, 3rd and 6th month for first group: Fuchs’ dystrophy: 11,85 +/- 5,46 ph/ms; 8,28 +/- 1,80 ph/ms; 4,93 +/- 0,95 ph/ms; bullous keratopathy: 17,08 +/- 1,89 ph/ms; 13,00 +/- 1,27 ph/ms; 7,03 +/- 3,32 ph/ms. In second group respectively: keratoconus: 15,15 +/- 1,34 ph/ms; 11,95 +/- 0,49 ph/ms; 11,25 +/- 0,64 ph/ms; corneal cicatrix without neovascularization: 16,40 +/- 9,27 ph/ms; 12,13 +/- 9,85 ph/ms; 6,87 +/- 4,20 ph/ms; endangering corneal perforation: 21,75 +/- 2,54 ph/ms; 18,78 +/- 3,21 ph/ms; 13,25 +/- 1,92 ph/ms. In the analysis of indications for keratoplasty the lowest mean aqueous flare in 1st, 3rd, and 6th month after procedure was observed in the Fuchs’ dystrophy. In endangering corneal perforation mean flare values were the highest. Conclusions: Our results indirectly indicate that in examined patients after DSEK post-operative inflammatory reaction is lower than in PK. Furthermore flare values might depend on the indications for keratoplasty. The study was performed in group with various indications for keraoplasty. Further studies including protein concentration in AH after DSEK and PK performed in equal indications are needed

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Mortality

Background and purpose: Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). Results: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. Conclusions: During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT

The effect of climate change on avian offspring production: A global meta-analysis

Climate change affects timing of reproduction in many bird species, but few studies have investigated its influence on annual reproductive output. Here, we assess changes in the annual production of young by female breeders in 201 populations of 104 bird species (N = 745,962 clutches) covering all continents between 1970 and 2019. Overall, average offspring production has declined in recent decades, but considerable differences were found among species and populations. A total of 56.7% of populations showed a declining trend in offspring production (significant in 17.4%), whereas 43.3% exhibited an increase (significant in 10.4%). The results show that climatic changes affect offspring production through compounded effects on ecological and life history traits of species. Migratory and larger-bodied species experienced reduced offspring production with increasing temperatures during the chick-rearing period, whereas smaller-bodied, sedentary species tended to produce more offspring. Likewise, multi-brooded species showed increased breeding success with increasing temperatures, whereas rising temperatures were unrelated to repro- ductive success in single-brooded species. Our study suggests that rapid declines in size of bird populations reported by many studies from different parts of the world are driven only to a small degree by changes in the production of young

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Mortality.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). RESULTS: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. CONCLUSIONS: During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT

Ocena możliwości pomiarów zmian rzeźby ścian skalnych z wykorzystaniem naziemnego skaningu laserowego

Nagłe i nieoczekiwane obrywy skalne są jednym z największych zagrożeń związanych z inżynierią zboczy skalnych. Mogą one prowadzić nie tylko do znacznych zmian w środowisku, ale przede wszystkim tworzyć zagrożenie dla infrastruktury, a nawet powodować wypadki śmiertelne. Dlatego zapewnienie bezpieczeństwa zarówno w kopalniach odkrywkowych, jak i na zboczach skalnych w okolicach dróg wymaga ciągłego monitorowania stabilności ścian skalnych i określania dynamiki powstających zmian. Dynamiczny rozwój technologii pomiarowych, do których zaliczany jest naziemny skaning laserowy, pozwala na szybkie pozyskiwanie danych pomiarowych. Możliwe jest ponadto prowadzenie badań całego obiektu bez potrzeby generalizacji. Daje to nowe możliwości analizy i interpretacji uzyskanych wyników. W artykule przedstawiono wykorzystanie metody naziemnego skaningu laserowego do wyznaczenia przemieszczeń oraz objętości ubytków skalnych powstałych w wyniku erozji naturalnej i antropogenicznej. Omówienie prac poparto przykładem pomiarów prowadzonych na terenie nieczynnego kamieniołomu wapiennego „Zakrzówek” w Krakowie.Unexpected rockfalls and rock displacements belong to most signifi cant dangers related to slope engineering. It may cause not only serious changes in the environment but also, and most of all, danger for infrastructure and can even lead to fatal accidents. Therefore, ensuring security in both open-pit mining and on the rocky slopes in the area of road cuts requires instant monitoring of the stability and displacements of slopes and determining the dynamics of emerging changes. Dynamic development of surveying technologies including Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) allows fast retrieval of measurement data. The additional advantage of TLS is its ability to quickly obtain data of very high resolution and accuracy without direct contact with the examined object. Thus, it allows to carry out measurements for the whole object without the need for generalization. It off ers new possibilities for analysis and interpretation of obtained results. This paper presents the possibilities of using TLS method for marking displacements and volume of rock cavities formed as a result of natural and anthropogenic weathering. Discussed works are supported by exemplary measurements conducted in the area of abandoned limestone quarry “Zakrzówek” in Cracow

Evaluation of choroidal parameters in eyes at the first onset of acute anterior uveitis

Abstract Background Little is known about choroidal involvement in anterior uveitis. The aim of our study was to evaluate changes in choroidal thickness and volume in eyes with acute anterior uveitis (AAU) using enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) at baseline and after treatment, which were compared with healthy fellow eyes. Methods For the study, 35 individuals with unilateral acute AAU at the first onset were enrolled. Subfoveal thickness and choroidal volume were measured with EDI-OCT in nine Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) subfields before and after the completion of treatment. Moreover, axial length measurements of both eye bulbs were determined by optical biometry. Results No statistically significant differences in choroidal thickness or choroidal volume were detected between AAU eyes at baseline and after treatment and fellow eyes. Positive correlations between the values of anterior chamber flare and absolute CT changes in both temporal and inferior ETDRS fields, as well as in superior outer ring were detected. Negative correlations between age and both choroidal thickness and choroidal volume were detected in AAU eyes at baseline and after treatment, as well as in fellow eyes. Conclusions Evaluation of the choroid with EDI-OCT does not appear to be a reliable tool for the treatment monitoring of eyes with anterior uveitis

Low Power, High Dynamic Range Analogue Multiplexer for Multi-Channel Parallel Recording of Neuronal Signals Using Multi-Electrode Arrays

In the paper we present the design and test resultsof an integrated circuit combining a sample & hold circuit andan analogue multiplexer. The circuit has been designed as abuilding block for a multi-channel Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC) for recording signals from alive neuronal tissueusing high-density micro-electrode arrays (MEAs). The designis optimised with respect to critical requirements for suchapplications, i.e. short sampling time, low power dissipation, goodl inearity and high dynamic range. Presented design comprisessample&hold circuits with class AB operational amplifier, novelshift register, which allows minimising cross-coupling of the clocksignal and control logic. The circuit has been designed in 0.35µm CMOS process and has been successfully implemented in aprototype multi-channel ASIC