Transthyretin levels in the vitreous correlate with change in visual acuity after vitrectomy

Background/aim: Little is known about biochemical markers related to change in visual acuity after vitrectomy. The potential use of transthyretin (TTR), a carrier of the retinol/retinol-binding protein, as a biochemical marker protein, was investigated. Methods: TTR was measured using immunonephelometry in a group of patients (n = 77) in longstanding (> 1 week) retinal detachment (n = 29), fresh (< 1 week) retinal detachment (n = 17), macular holes (n = 20) or diabetic retinopathy (n = 11). Vitreous samples were taken at the start of every vitrectomy procedure. For reference values, cadaver specimens (n = 73) were used. Results: Reference values for vitreous TTR (median 18 mg/l; IQR 4 to 24 mg/l) comprised 2.2% of reference values for vitreous protein levels (median 538 mg/l; IQR 269 to 987 mg/l). Vitreous TTR values of patients were comparable in all disorders. Vitreous TTR values were higher in phakic (median 22.5 mg/l; IQR 10 to 27 mg/l) than in pseudophakic patients (median 12 mg/l; IQR 8 to 19 mg/l; p = 0.06). Postoperative change in visual acuity correlated well with vitreous TTR values found peroperatively (r(s) = 0.408; p = 0.012). Both change in visual acuity and lens status were the only variables which proved to explain the variance of TTR (multiple correlation coefficient: 0.494; phakic status: t = 2.767; p = 0.0084; and change in visual acuity t = 2.924: p = 0.0056). Conclusion: Vitreous fluid concentrations of TTR can be regarded as a biochemical marker for retinal function

An on-demand oxygen flow meter for enhanced patient comfort and reduced oxygen cost in hospitals

Background: Hypoxemia is currently treated in hospital wards with oxygen, released continuously by "conventional" flow meters. A new type of hybrid flow meter allows to switch between on-demand and continuous mode. The aim of this observational study was to assess whether this new device reduces oxygen expenditure, is well accepted in a hospital setting and improves patient comfort during oxygen therapy. Methods: Oxygen was administered in hypoxemic patients with conventional or hybrid flow meters to maintain an oxygen saturation of >= 92% over a 12-week period. Every two weeks conventional and hybrid flow meters were switched. The overall oxygen delivery to the ward was continuously measured with a data logging device installed in the main oxygen pipeline and corrected for multiple confounding factors. Humidity measurements, for which a sensor placed in front of one of the nostrils, and patient questionnaires, were used to assess patient comfort during continuous and on-demand flow. Results: Overall oxygen delivery decreased by 39% when switching from continuous flow to on-demand therapy after correction for confounding factors. Continuous flows significantly decreased relative humidity more than equivalent on-demand settings and the latter tended to increase comfort. Conclusions: Hybrid flow meters cause a significant reduction in oxygen delivery in a hospital ward, which may lead to financial savings. Using the on-demand technology also lowers the dryness of the upper airways (and may increase patient comfort), while maintaining an adequate oxygenation

Cultural differences in the persuasiveness of evidence types and evidence quality

Contains fulltext : 43917.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)21 p

A systematic analysis of user experience dimensions for interactive digital narratives

Providing intelligent feedback to aid authoring has been proposed as a way to speed up authoring, give the author more control, and to enable the authoring of more complex interactive narratives. However, there is little research investigating what concrete feedback items would be useful for interactive digital narrative (IDN) creators. In this paper, we discuss potentially useful feedback items in relation to authoring goals and concerns. We perform a systematic literature review to make a list of concrete feedback items of interest related to the most emphasised concern of authoring - the effect of the interactive narrative on the user. We identify 47 User Experience (UX) dimensions in the IDN literature that could serve as useful feedback items, covering 8 categories - Agency, Cognition, Immersion, Affect, Drama, Rewards, Motivation and Dissonance. This list combines and untangles how different IDN researchers have interpreted and expressed interest in the complex idea of UX in the past decade and gives us insight into what concrete aspects of UX might be useful to estimate via automated feedback

Normative theories of argumentation: are some norms better than others?

Norms—that is, specifications of what we ought to do—play a critical role in the study of informal argumentation, as they do in studies of judgment, decision-making and reasoning more generally. Specifically, they guide a recurring theme: are people rational? Though rules and standards have been central to the study of reasoning, and behavior more generally, there has been little discussion within psychology about why (or indeed if) they should be considered normative despite the considerable philosophical literature that bears on this topic. In the current paper, we ask what makes something a norm, with consideration both of norms in general and a specific example: norms for informal argumentation. We conclude that it is both possible and desirable to invoke norms for rational argument, and that a Bayesian approach provides solid normative principles with which to do so