Function and morphology in macular retinoschisis associated with optic disc pit in a child before and after its spontaneous resolution

Optic disc pit (ODP) is a rare congenital defect within the optic nerve head. Macula elevation associated with ODP develops in 75-93% of the adult patients. Macular involvement in children with optic disc pit is rare, and only a few cases have been published to date. In the present case, we have observed morphology and function of the central retina in a child with ODP-associated macular detachment and following its spontaneous resolution. An 8-year-old white boy diagnosed with a macular detachment in an eye with an ODP. Optical coherent tomography (OCT) and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), as well as visual acuity and visual field, were performed in the follow-up of the unilateral schisis—like retinal detachment. A large retinoschisis associated with ODP in a child showed a tendency to spontaneously resolve at 3months, which was confirmed on OCT. At this time, an mfERG revealed markedly reduced responses. Despite morphologic reattachment at follow-up and improvement in visual acuity, increased mfERG responses were still not the same as in the fellow healthy eye. In contrast to the OCT which is very helpful to assess the extent of the neurosensory detachment, the mfERG offers an additional tool for follow-up of retinal function in this disorder. The good visual outcome in our patient shows that in the presence of residual retinal function on mfERG and in the absence of further lesions on OCT, follow-up is a valid option in children with an ODP-associated macular detachmen

The Tiger Foundation: A Profile in Engaged Philanthropy

Tiger Management was one of the most successful hedge funds of the 1990s. But founder Julian Robertson also wanted to foster a lifelong commitment to giving back among his staff. So in 1990, he created Tiger Foundation with a unique dual mission: To provide financial support to the top nonprofit organizations serving New York City's neediest families;To encourage active, informed philanthropy among the staff at the firm The Foundation marries the rigor and analytics of the investment process to grantor/grantee relationships. Individual trustees not only pore over analytics compiled by Foundation staff, but also meet their grantees face to face and champion them at trustee meetings.The result is nothing short of transformative -- for the organizations Tiger funds and for the decision makers

Dialogue and Deliberation as Agonistic Resistance: Designing Interactional Processes to Reconstitute Collective Identities

This essay develops a theory of public dialogue and deliberation as agonistic resistance to authoritarian governance.Where authoritarian regimes value strict obedience to authority at the expense of freedom, deliberative democracy is predicated on the decentralization of power and the exercise of personal and political freedoms. As such, practices of dialogue and deliberation stand in direct contradiction to the values of authoritarian governance and hold the potential to constitute collective identities in ways that undermine the very conditions needed for authoritarianism to gain traction. Specifically, this essay argues that authoritarianism flourishes when particular in-group/out-group boundaries can be reified, thereby constituting a clear “us” defined against a threatening “them.” However, through the intimate achievement of dialogic and deliberative moments, various social identity roles can be made salient, which can soften group boundaries and help people to feel a sense of immediacy, respect, and connection with those who previously seemed Other

The effect of filtering on the two-global-flash mfERG: identifying the optimal range of frequency for detecting glaucomatous retinal dysfunction

Purpose: To study the effects of filtering bandwidth on the two-global-flash multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) responses in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) compared with control subjects. Methods: A two-global-flash mfERG (VERIS 6.06™, FMS III) was recorded in 20 healthy subjects and 22 POAG patients with a band-pass filter (BPF) of 1-300Hz (103 Hexagons, M-sequence stimulus: Lmax 100cd/m2, Lmin0.5). This would suggest a filter setting of 10-300Hz for mfERG recordings in POAG. However, when a filter setting of 10-300Hz was compared to 1-300Hz, with a filter setting of 10-300Hz, the DC in POAG differed more (p0.5). Thus, we applied a filter setting of 1-200Hz, which seemed to be most sensitive in detecting glaucomatous retinal dysfunction (p<0.0001). Conclusions: A filter setting of 1-200Hz appears most sensitive to detect glaucomatous damage if using a two-global-flash mfERG: using a band-pass filter a with lower low-frequency cut-off, containing the 10Hz component, may be especially important in the small induced components that show glaucomatous damage most sensitively. High frequencies of 100-300Hz also contain information that differentiates glaucoma from normal and thus should be included in the analysi

The promise and perils of interracial dialogue

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others. The gruesome murders of Black people by police officers and white vigilantes have sparked uprisings across the United States, with participants calling for racial justice, revolution, and large-scale changes to address systemic racism. In light of these events, more white and non-Black people of color are looking for antiracism resources to educate themselves about anti-Blackness. There seems to be a greater willingness to talk honestly about racial injustice and inequities in our country. At this pivotal moment, interracial dialogue may be a critical piece of our collective healing. This essay explores how a trauma-centered approach to interracial dialogues, with a focus on collaborative action, may serve as a tool for social change, while also reflecting on the limitations and challenges of such dialogues

Change in well-being amongst participants in a four-month pedometer-based workplace health program

Background: There is increasing uptake of workplace physical activity programs to prevent chronic disease. While they are frequently evaluated for improvement in biomedical risk factors there has been little evaluation of additional benefits for psychosocial health. We aimed to evaluate whether participation in a four-month, team-based, pedometer-based workplace health program known to improve biomedical risk factors is associated with an improvement in well-being, immediately after the program and eight-months after program completion.Methods. At baseline (2008), 762 adults (aged 40 ± 10 SD years, 42% male) employed in primarily sedentary occupations and voluntarily enrolled in a physical activity program were recruited from ten Australian worksites. Data was collected at baseline, at the completion of the four-month program and eight-months after program completion. The outcome was the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5), a self-administered five-item scale that can be dichotomised as 'poor' (less than 52%) or 'positive' (more than or equal to 52%) well-being.Results: At baseline, 75% of participants had positive well-being (mean: 60 ± 19 SD WHO-5 units). On average, well-being improved immediately after the health program (+3.5 units, p < 0.001) and was sustained eight-months later (+3.4 units from baseline, p < 0.001). In the 25% with poor well-being at baseline, 49.5% moved into the positive well-being category immediately after program completion, sustained eight-months later (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Clinically relevant immediate and sustained improvements in well-being were observed after participation in the health program. These results suggest that participation in workplace programs, such as the one evaluated here, also has the potential to improve well-being

Incidence of cardiovascular risk factors by education level 2000-2005 : the Australian diabetes, obesity and lifestyle (AusDiab) cohort study

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with a higher prevalence of major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, few longitudinal studies have examined the association between SES and CVD risk factors over time. We aimed to determine whether SES, using education as a proxy, is associated with the onset of CVD risk factors over 5 years in an Australian adult cohort study. Participants in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study (AusDiab) study aged 25 years and over who attended both baseline and 5-year follow-up examinations (n=5 967) were categorised according to educational attainment. Cardiovascular risk factor data at both time points were ascertained through questionnaire and physical measurement. Women with lower education had a greater risk of progressing from normal weight to overweight or obesity than those with higher education (age-adjusted OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.06-2.31). Both men and women with lower education were more likely to develop diabetes (age-adjusted OR from higher education 1.75, 95% CI 1.14-2.71 and 3.01, 95% CI 1.26-7.20, respectively). A lower level of education was associated with a greater number of risk factors accumulated over time in women (OR of progressing from having two or less risk factors at baseline to three or more at follow up, 2.04, 95% 1.32-3.14). In this Australian population-based study, lower educational attainment was associated with an increased risk of developing both individual and total CVD risk factors over a 5-year period. These findings suggest that SES inequalities in CVD will persist into the future.<br /

Zapadalność i wskaźniki śmiertelności dla pierwszego w¿yciu udaru mózgu – porównanie dwóch warszawskich badań populacyjnych

Background and purpose According to official statistics, the stroke mortality rate has remained high in Eastern European countries for a few decades. It has been shown that also in Poland stroke mortality failed to decline in the period 1984 to 1992. Since that time, stroke management in our country has changed, especially in the cities, where stroke units have been developed. The aim of the present study was to compare incidence and case fatality rates, estimated on the basis of two prospective population-based studies performed in Warsaw in 1991/1992 and 2005. Material and methods Incidence rates and case fatality rates for the first-ever-in-a-lifetime stroke have been estimated on the basis of two population-based studies: the Warsaw Stroke Registry (population 182 649) conducted in 1991 and 1992, and the European Register of Stroke (population 120 186) – registration in 2005. In both studies data were standardized to the European population by the direct methods. Results Contrary to the incidence rates, which did not change significantly between 1991/1992 and 2005, 30-day and 1-year case fatality rates decreased significantly from 43% to 14.9% and from 59.7% to 33.1%, respectively. Conclusions Comparison of data from two population-based prospective stroke registries showed that stroke case fatality and mortality significantly decreased. This may be associated with the better management of patients in the acute phase of stroke and implementation of secondary prevention strategies for stroke.Wstęp i cel pracy Zgodnie z oficjalnymi statystykami, w Europie Wschodniej od kilku dziesięcioleci wskaźniki umieralności i śmiertelności z powodu udaru mózgu są bardzo wysokie. We wcześniejszych badaniach epidemiologicznych prowadzonych w Polsce w latach 1984–1992 nie stwierdzono spadku umieralności z powodu udaru. Od tamtego czasu istotnie zmieniła się jednak opieka nad chorymi na udar mózgu, szczególnie w miastach, gdzie stworzone zostały oddziały udarowe. Celem tej pracy jest porównanie wskaźników zapadalności i śmiertelności z powodu udaru mózgu na podstawie dwóch badań populacyjnych prowadzonych w Warszawie w latach 1991/1992 i 2005 r. Materiał i metody Na podstawie dwóch badań populacyjnych: Warszawskiego Rejestru Udarów (liczebność populacji – 182 649), prowadzonego w latach 1991/1992, i badania populacyjnego prowadzonego w ramach projektu European Registers of Stroke (liczebność populacji – 120 186) w roku 2005, porównywano wskaźniki zapadalności i śmiertelności z powodu pierwszego w życiu udaru mózgu. W obu badaniach wskaźniki standaryzowano do populacji europejskiej metodą bezpośrednią. Wyniki Wskaźniki zapadalności nie zmieniły się istotnie pomiędzy latami 1991–1992 a 2005 r., natomiast wskaźniki śmiertelności 30-dniowej i rocznej znamiennie zmniejszyły się odpowiednio z 43% do 14,9% i z 59,7% do 33,1%. Wnioski Porównanie danych z dwóch populacyjnych rejestrów pierwszego w życiu udaru mózgu pokazało wyraźne zmniejszenie wskaźników śmiertelności. Może to wynikać z poprawy opieki nad pacjentami z udarem mózgu w fazie ostrej, jak również z wdrażania zasad profilaktyki wtórnej udaru mózgu

Estimating the proportion of metabolic health outcomes attributable to obesity: a cross-sectional exploration of body mass index and waist circumference combinations

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that a substantial subgroup of the population who have a high-risk waist circumference (WC) do not have an obese body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to explore whether including those with a non-obese BMI but high risk WC as \u27obese\u27 improves prediction of adiposity-related metabolic outcomes. METHODS: Eleven thousand, two hundred forty-seven participants were recruited. Height, weight and WC were measured. Ten thousand, six hundred fifty-nine participants with complete data were included. Adiposity categories were defined as: BMI(N)/WC(N), BMI(N)/WC(O), BMI(O)/WC(N), and BMI(O)/WC(O) (N&thinsp;=&thinsp;non-obese and O&thinsp;=&thinsp;obese). Population attributable fraction, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. RESULTS: Participants were on average 48&nbsp;years old and 50&nbsp;% were men. The proportions of BMI(N)/WC(N), BMI(N)/WC(O), BMI(O)/WC(N) and BMI(O)/WC(O) were 68, 12, 2 and 18&nbsp;%, respectively. A lower proportion of diabetes was attributable to obesity defined using BMI alone compared to BMI and WC combined (32&nbsp;% vs 47&nbsp;%). AUC for diabetes was also lower when obesity was defined using BMI alone (0.62 vs 0.66). Similar results were observed for all outcomes. The odds for hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes and CVD were increased for those with BMI(N)/WC(O) (OR range 1.8-2.7) and BMI(O)/WC(O) (OR 1.9-4.9) compared to those with BMI(N)/WC(N). CONCLUSIONS: Current population monitoring, assessing obesity by BMI only, misses a proportion of the population who are at increased health risk through excess adiposity. Improved identification of those at increased health risk needs to be considered for better prioritisation of policy and resources

A Groundbased Imaging Study of Galaxies Causing DLA, subDLA, and LLS Absorption in Quasar Spectra

We present results from a search for galaxies that give rise to damped Lyman alpha (DLA), subDLA, and Lyman limit system (LLS) absorption at redshifts 0.1 ~< z ~< 1 in the spectra of background quasars. The sample was formed from a larger sample of strong MgII absorbers (W_0^(2796) >= 0.3 A) whose HI column densities were determined by measuring the Ly-alpha line in HST UV spectra. Photometric redshifts, galaxy colors, and proximity to the quasar sightline, in decreasing order of importance, were used to identify galaxies responsible for the absorption. Our sample includes 80 absorption systems for which the absorbing galaxies have been identified, of which 54 are presented here for the first time. The main results of this study are: (i) the surface density of galaxies falls off exponentially with increasing impact parameter, b, from the quasar sightline relative to a constant background of galaxies, with an e-folding length of ~46 kpc. Galaxies with b >~ 100 kpc calculated at the absorption redshift are statistically consistent with being unrelated to the absorption system. (ii) log N(HI) is inversely correlated with b at the 3.0 sigma level of significance. DLA galaxies are found systematically closer to the quasar sightline, by a factor of two, than are galaxies which give rise to subDLAs or LLSs. The median impact parameter is 17.4 kpc for the DLA galaxy sample, 33.3 kpc for the subDLA sample, and 36.4 kpc for the LLS sample. (iii) Absorber galaxy luminosity relative to L*, L/L*, is not significantly correlated with W_0^(2796), log N(HI), or b. (iv) DLA, subDLA, and LLS galaxies comprise a mix of spectral types, but are inferred to be predominantly late type galaxies based on their spectral energy distributions. The implications of these results are discussed. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA