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Purpose: Retinoschisis is a distinctive condition characterized by intraretinal layer clefts, primarily associated with X‑linked recessive inheritance due to RS1 gene mutations. This study aims to uncover the RS1 mutation spectrum in a cohort of 22 X‑linked retinoschisis cases from South India and emphasizes the genotypic and phenotypic associations within patients harboring only RS1 mutations. Methods: A total of 22 probands were suspected of having X‑linked retinoschisis. All study subjects underwent ophthalmic investigations, including assessments of visual acuity, fundus examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and electroretinogram (ERG). RS1 gene screening was conducted using Sanger sequencing, and the pathogenicity of the variants was assessed through Sorting Intolerant from Tolerant (SIFT) and PolyPhen‑2 in silico tools. Results: The study found that the probands had an average visual acuity of 0.79 ± 0.39 log of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), ranging from 0.17 to 1.77. During fundus examination, the probands exhibited a characteristic spoke wheel‑like pattern in the macular region. Furthermore, OCT analysis revealed distinct alterations in the inner retinal microstructure, and ERG results consistently showed a reduction in b‑wave amplitude. Eventually, Sanger sequencing results showed hemizygous mutations in the RS1 gene in only 12 probands, including a novel missense mutation in the RS1 gene’s signal sequence. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the spectrum of RS1 mutations in X‑linked retinoschisis probands from South India. It reveals distinct genotypic–phenotypic associations and highlights the clinical manifestations associated with the disease pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We focus on the mechanism half of the policy-mechanism divide for networked control systems, and address the issue of what are the appropriate abstractions and architecture to facilitate their development and deployment. We propose an abstraction of "virtual collocation" and its realization by the software infrastructure of middleware. Control applications are to be developed as a collection of software components that communicate with each other through the middleware, called Etherware. The middleware handles the complexities of network operation, such as addressing, start-up, configuration and interfaces, by encapsulating application components in "Shells" which mediate component interactions with the rest of the system. The middleware also provides mechanisms to alleviate the effects of uncertain delays and packet losses over wireless channels, component failures, and distributed clocks. This is done through externalization of component state, with primitives to capture and reuse it for component restarts, upgrades, and migration, and through services such as clock synchronization. We further propose an accompanying use of local temporal autonomy for reliability, and describe the implementation as well as some experimental results over a traffic control testbed. Index Terms--Abstractions, architecture, mechanisms, middleware, networked control, networked embedded control systems, third generation control.

Wireless intervehicular communication will enable a broad range of applications in the future. However, multiple vehicles, multiple diverse applications, multiple vehicle manufacturers, and the mobile vehicular environment raise several issues related to utilizing the wireless medium effectively. In this paper, we present a method for efficiently communicating vehicle data among neighboring vehicles, primarily for safety applications. The 'Message Dispatcher' (MD) coordinates communication between applications and the wireless channel at the application level. It addresses technical implementation issues, business deployment considerations, and issues of extensibility and system architecture. The MD concept has become an integral part of the Society of Automotive Engineers' safety message-standardization effort. We shall describe the MD and present results illustrating its utility. We also describe a deployment in several vehicles at Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, MI. Then, using data collected from the vehicles, we investigate a predictive-coding method for data transmission using the MD. We show that this scheme can reduce wireless-channel utilization and bandwidth requirements by over 80%, as compared to regular transmission methods. Several insights for future wireless-channel usage optimization are provided. Index Terms--Communication standards, protocols, safety systems, vehicle communication, wireless.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical profile, visual outcomes, and complications among young adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent DM-T1DM) in comparison with patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) undergoing vitrectomy for complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods: A retrospective review of patients between 18 and 45 years with T1DM undergoing vitrectomy for complications of PDR between June 2017 and June 2019, with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Consecutive patients between 30 and 45 years with type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent DMT2DM) who underwent vitrectomy for the same indications were retrospectively enrolled as the control group. Results: There were 42 eyes (28 patients) in the T1DM group and 58 eyes (47 patients) in the T2DM group. The average age at operation was 35.9 ± 6.88 years and 39.8 ± 3.03 years, respectively (P < 0.001). At the end of follow-up, the mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved from 1.53 ± 0.55 to 1.30 ± 0.93 (P value 0.07) in the T1DM group and from 1.59 ± 0.46 to 1.00 ± 0.78 in the T2DM group (P = 0.0001). The rate of the primary and final reattachment was 76.2% and 88.1% in the T1DM group and 84.5% and 96.6% in the T2DM group. Preoperative macular tractional retinal detachment (MTRD) and neovascular glaucoma (NVG) in both the groups, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and lack of preoperative Pan retinal photocoagulation (PRP) in the T1DM group, hypertension (HTN) and, resurgery in the T2DM group, were risk factors for poor vision at the final follow-up. Conclusion: The visual and anatomic outcomes were poorer in the T1DM patients which could be due to the longer duration of diabetes with worse glycemic control, associated comorbidities like CKD, and a higher incidence of MTRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To report the safety and efficacy of parsplana tube insertion of Aurolab aqueous drainage implant(AADI) in patients with refractory glaucoma. Methods Charts of patients with refractory glaucoma who underwent AADI via the parsplana route between June 2014 and June 2018with a minimum follow-up of 6 months were retrospectively reviewed. Success was defined as complete when the intraocular pressure (IOP) was ≥5 and18 mmHg or IOP reduction was >30%from baseline without antiglaucoma medication (AGM) andas qualified if requiring additional AGMs. Results The study included 63 eyes of 63 patients with a mean age of 36.1±20.6 years and a mean follow-up of 19.7±15.7 months. Glaucoma postvitreoretinal surgery was the the most common aetiology (22 eyes, 35%). The mean IOP reduced from 36.6±10.7 mmHg to15.7±8.2 (57.1%), 15.02±7.3 (60%) and 17.2±8.5 mmHg (53%)at 6 months and 1 and 2 years, respectively. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed that the cumulative probabilities of failure were 8% (95% CI4.3% to 22.4%) at 6 months, 23% (95%CI12.8% to 38.6%) at 1 year, 30% (95%CI17.4% to 45.9%) at 18 months and 47% (95% CI13.4% to 64.9%) at the 2 years time points. Vitreous blocking tube tip was noted up to 8% of eyes on follow-up. Conclusion Pars plana AADI insertion is a useful procedure for the control of IOP in patients with refractory glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Among the major groups of rickettsiosis, the commonly reported diseases in India are: (a) Typhus group induced-scrub typhus, murine flea-borne typhus; (b) Spotted fever group induced-Indian tick typhus; and (c) Q fever. Though many scrub typhus outbreaks have been reported from India, only one outbreak of spotted fever-serologically proven Indian tick typhus (Rickettsia conorii)-has been reported. We report for the first time ocular manifestations of serologically proven R. conorii infection in a cluster of patients.Methods: In this retrospective study, case records patients with serologically proven Indian tick typhus (Rickettsia conorii) were reviewed for clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes.Results:: In the months of February to April 2016, a cluster of 12 patients (23 eyes) visited us with defective vision. Examination showed multifocal retinitis; mostly bilateral; patients had a history of fever approximately 4 weeks prior to onset of symptoms. After excluding other causes of multifocal retinitis, a diagnosis of rickettsial retinitis was made after Weil-Felix test (WFT) was significantly positive, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was positive for R. conorii. Course of the disease, visual outcome, and investigations are discussed. Doxycycline along with oral corticosteroids was effective in treating the condition.Conclusion:: Systematic fundus examination should be part of the routine evaluation of any patient who presents with fever and/or skin rash living in or returning from a specific endemic area. Clinical clues to diagnosing ocular rickettsiosis could be multifocal retinitis predominantly involving the posterior pole and macular involvement in the form of serous macular detachment or macular hard exudates. A positive WFT still serves as a useful and cheap diagnostic tool for laboratory diagnosis of rickettsial disease. Doxycycline along with oral corticosteroids was effective in treating the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]