Analysis of retinal image quality for peripheral vision in humans and pigeons (Columba livia)

Retinal image quality for peripheral as well as central visual field locations has been investigated in humans and an animal model (Columba livia) with wide- angle, panoramic vision because of its laterally oriented eyes. The goal was to determine whether the retinal image is maintained at a higher quality away from the fovea in pigeons as compared to humans. In this thesis, the HSWFS (Hart- mann Shack Wavefront Sensor) has been implemented with the correspondent validation and application for measuring ocular aberrations in the human and avian eye. Using a modified HSWFS, the refractive error and total amount of ocular aberra- tions were measured for 20 pigeons along the horizontal meridian and for another 8 pigeons in the vertical meridian at three positions along the horizontal meridian. The HOA( High order aberrations) of 10 humans were measured at peripheral locations (±35 ◦) in the upper visual field and along the horizontal meridian. The anaesthetized animal’s head position was controlled by a stereotaxic head holder capable of horizontal and vertical rotation. Measured eccentricities were(±60◦) from the fovea in the horizontal meridian and +35 ◦ and -25 ◦ along each of the three vertical meridians. In pigeons, the LOA (astigmatism) on the horizontal meridian increase slightly from the center towards the far periphery but are relatively constant for ±20◦ around the fovea, whereas defocus remains almost constant. Vertical meridian measurements are consistent with the previously reported myopia in the lower visual field. Compared with measurements in human subjects, the overall values of RMS are much lower in the pigeon at all corresponding eccentricities. Off-axis vision is generally dominated by defocus and astigmatism. In pigeons, however, defocus along the horizontal meridian does not change dramatically whereas, along the vertical meridian, the presence of a lower field myopia is confirmed. Astigmatism of the eye for increasing eccentricity (horizontally and vertically) is consistently lower then expected theoretically and when compared with humans. This demonstrates that the visual optics of the pigeon are more fully corrected for peripheral vision than in humans

CCR7 as a novel therapeutic target in t-cell PROLYMPHOCYTIC leukemia

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a poor prognostic disease with very limited options of efficient therapies. Most patients are refractory to chemotherapies and despite high response rates after alemtuzumab, virtually all patients relapse. Therefore, there is an unmet medical need for novel therapies in T-PLL. As the chemokine receptor CCR7 is a molecule expressed in a wide range of malignancies and relevant in many tumor processes, the present study addressed the biologic role of this receptor in T-PLL. Furthermore, we elucidated the mechanisms of action mediated by an anti-CCR7 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and evaluated whether its anti-tumor activity would warrant development towards clinical applications in T-PLL. Our results demonstrate that CCR7 is a prognostic biomarker for overall survival in T-PLL patients and a functional receptor involved in the migration, invasion, and survival of leukemic cells. Targeting CCR7 with a mAb inhibited ligand-mediated signaling pathways and induced tumor cell killing in primary samples. In addition, directing antibodies against CCR7 was highly effective in T-cell leukemia xenograft models. Together, these findings make CCR7 an attractive molecule for novel mAb-based therapeutic applications in T-PLL, a disease where recent drug screen efforts and studies addressing new compounds have focused on chemotherapy or small molecules.Peer reviewe

Insertion of S1 iliosacral screws in the computed tomography room: An alternative to improve safety in the percutaneous management of posterior pelvic ring injuries

Pelvis; Iliosacral screw; Computed tomographyPelvis; Tornillo iliosacro; Tomografía computarizadaPelvis; Cargol iliosacre; Tomografia computaritzadaIntroducción La principal complicación de la osteosíntesis percutánea con tornillos iliosacros es la malposición del implante, que puede ocasionar lesiones vasculares y nerviosas. La variabilidad anatómica del sacro puede dificultar la inserción del tornillo bajo control fluoroscópico. De entre los métodos descritos para mejorar la precisión de esta técnica, destaca el uso de la tomografía computarizada (TC). El objetivo del estudio es comparar los resultados de la implantación de tornillos iliosacros con fluoroscopia y TC. Metodología Estudio de cohortes retrospectivo sobre 66 tornillos iliosacros implantados en 56 pacientes durante 11 años. Los tornillos fueron introducidos con fluoroscopia en el quirófano o con TC en el área de radiodiagnóstico. Recogimos datos sobre las características de los pacientes, sus lesiones, el tratamiento y los resultados clínicos y radiológicos. Resultados Cuarenta y siete tornillos fueron implantados con fluoroscopia y 19 con TC. El 18,2% de los tornillos perforaba el corredor S1. Todos ellos se intervinieron con fluoroscopia (0 vs. 34%; p < 0,01). Pese a ello, los intervenidos en TC acumulaban más criterios de dismorfismo sacro que los intervenidos con fluoroscopia (2,2 vs. 1,6; p = 0,02). El corredor S1 en la TC axial era más estrecho en aquellos en que se había producido una perforación (18,8 vs. 21,0 mm; p = 0,02). Dos casos con perforación desarrollaron una radiculalgia S1. Fue necesario retirar 2 tornillos endopélvicos. Conclusión Aconsejamos el uso de la guía por TC para la inserción de tornillos iliosacros en pacientes con sacros displásicos o corredores estrechos en S1 en instalaciones que no dispongan de otros métodos de navegación.Introduction The main complication of percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation is implant malposition, which can lead to vascular and nerve damage. The anatomical variability of the sacrum can make screw insertion difficult under fluoroscopic guidance. Among the methods described to improve the accuracy of this technique, stands out the use of computed tomography (CT). The aim of this study is to compare the results of iliosacral screw insertion with fluoroscopy or CT navigation. Methodology Retrospective cohort study of 66 iliosacral screws in 56 patients during 11 years. The screws were inserted with fluoroscopy in the operating room or with CT in the radiodiagnosis area. We collected data on patient characteristics, lesions, treatment, and clinical and radiological results. Results Forty-seven screws were inserted with fluoroscopy and 19 with CT. A percentage of 18.2 of screws perforated the S1 osseous corridor. All of them were inserted with fluoroscopy guidance (0 vs. 34%; p < 0.01). Those operated with CT accumulated more sacral dysmorphism criteria than those operated with fluoroscopy (2.2 vs. 1.6; p = 0.02). The S1 corridor on the axial CT view was narrower in those in whom perforation had occurred (18.8 vs. 21.0 mm; p = 0.02). Two cases with perforation developed S1 radiculalgia. Two endopelvic screws had to be removed. Conclusion We advise the use of CT guidance for iliosacral screw insertion in patients with sacral dysmorphism or narrow S1 corridors in facilities where other navigation methods are not available

Is it really advantageous to operate proximal femoral fractures within 48 h from diagnosis? – A multicentric retrospective study exploiting COVID pandemic-related delays in time to surgery

Objectives: Hip fractures in the elderly are common injuries that need timely surgical management. Since the beginning of the pandemic, patients with a proximal femoral fracture (PFF) experienced a delay in time to surgery. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate a possible variation in mortality in patients with PFF when comparing COVID-19 negative versus positive. Methods: This is a multicentric and retrospective study including 3232 patients with PFF who underwent surgical management. The variables taken into account were age, gender, the time elapsed between arrival at the emergency room and intervention, pre-operative American Society of Anesthesiology score, pre-operative cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and 10-day/1-month/6-month mortality. For 2020, we had an additional column, “COVID-19 swab positivity.” Results: COVID-19 infection represents an independent mortality risk factor in patients with PFFs. Despite the delay in time-to-surgery occurring in 2020, no statistically significant variation in terms of mortality was detected. Within our sample, a statistically significant difference was not detected in terms of mortality at 6 months, in patients operated within and beyond 48 h, as well as no difference between those operated within or after 12/24/72 h. The mortality rate among subjects with PFF who tested positive for COVID-19 was statistically significantly higher than in patients with PFF who tested. COVID-19 positivity resulted in an independent factor for mortality after PFF. Conclusion: Despite the most recent literature recommending operating PFF patients as soon as possible, no significant difference in mortality was found among patients operated before or after 48 h from diagnosis

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia