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Abstract Introduction The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of topography-guided laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (TG-LASIK) and small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE®) for correcting myopia and myopic astigmatism. Methods In this prospective, randomized contralateral study, 34 patients (68 eyes) received TG-LASIK in one eye, and SMILE in their fellow eye. Efficacy, safety, predictability, higher-order aberrations, corneal tomography, biomechanics, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed preoperatively and up to 3 months postoperatively. Results Both platforms showed comparable efficacy at 3 months (TG-LASIK 1.08 ± 0.19; SMILE 0.98 ± 0.17, p = 0.055). However, TG-LASIK demonstrated quicker visual recovery, with 63% and 89% achieving uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) of 20/16 or better at 1 day and 1 week, respectively, compared to SMILE (34% and 63%; p 0.05). Reported symptoms of glare, halos, rings, starbursts, or dry eye did not significantly differ between groups at 3 months (p > 0.05). Overall, 59% of patients preferred their TG-LASIK treated eye at 1 month, but 65% of patients had no specific eye preference at 3 months. Conclusion TG-LASIK and SMILE demonstrate excellent and comparable efficacy, safety, and predictability at 3 months, but TG-LASIK offers faster postoperative visual recovery at 1 day and 1 week. TG-LASIK induces fewer HOAs than SMILE, but both procedures affect corneal biomechanics similarly. Trial Registration ClincialTrials.gov identifier, NCT05611294.

Working memory and recognition memory develop across adolescence, but the relationship between them is not fully understood. We investigated associations between n-back task performance and subsequent recognition memory in a community sample (8-30 yr, n = 150) using tasks from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study) to cross-sectionally assess memory in an age range that will be sampled longitudinally. We added a 24-h delay condition to assess long-term recognition. Overall working memory, immediate and long-term recognition performance peaked in adolescence. Age effects in recognition memory varied by items (old targets, old distractors, and new items) and delay (0 and 24 h). For immediate recognition, accuracy was higher for targets and new items than for distractors, with accuracy for targets peaking in adulthood and accuracy for new items peaking during adolescence. For long-term recognition, adolescents' accuracy was higher for targets than distractors, while adults showed similarly high accuracy for targets and distractors and children showed low accuracy for both. This pattern appeared to be specific to recognition of items from the high working memory load condition. The results suggest that working memory may facilitate long-term recognition of task-relevant over irrelevant items and may benefit the detection of new information during adolescence.

Abstract Real-time magnetic resonance image guided stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (MRgSBRT) is used to treat abdominal tumors. Longitudinal data is generated from daily setup images. Our study aimed to identify delta radiomic texture features extracted from these images to predict for local control in patients with liver tumors treated with MRgSBRT. Retrospective analysis of an IRB-approved database identified patients treated with MRgSBRT for primary liver and secondary metastasis histologies. Daily low field strength (0.35 T) images were retrieved, and the gross tumor volume was identified on each image. Next, images’ gray levels were equalized, and 39 s-order texture features were extracted. Delta-radiomics were calculated as the difference between feature values on the initial scan and after delivered biological effective doses (BED, α/β = 10) of 20 Gy and 40 Gy. Then, features were ranked by the Gini Index during training of a random forest model. Finally, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was estimated using a bootstrapped logistic regression with the top two features. We identified 22 patients for analysis. The median dose delivered was 50 Gy in 5 fractions. The top two features identified after delivery of BED 20 Gy were gray level co-occurrence matrix features energy and gray level size zone matrix based large zone emphasis. The model generated an AUC = 0.9011 (0.752–1.0) during bootstrapped logistic regression. The same two features were selected after delivery of a BED 40 Gy, with an AUC = 0.716 (0.600–0.786). Delta-radiomic features after a single fraction of SBRT predicted local control in this exploratory cohort. If confirmed in larger studies, these features may identify patients with radioresistant disease and provide an opportunity for physicians to alter management much sooner than standard restaging after 3 months. Expansion of the patient database is warranted for further analysis of delta-radiomic features.

Objective: The Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA) is a trainee-led cardiothoracic surgery organization in North America that has published a multitude of educational resources. However, the utilization of these resources remains unknown. Methods: Surveys were constructed, pilot-tested, and emailed to 527 current cardiothoracic trainees (12 questions) and 780 former trainees who graduated between 2012 and 2019 (16 questions). The surveys assessed the utilization of TSRA educational resources in preparing for clinical practice as well as in-training and American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) certification examinations. Results: A total of 143 (27%) current trainees and 180 (23%) recent graduates responded. A higher proportion of recent graduates compared with current trainees identified as male (84% vs 66%; P = .001) and graduated from 2- or 3-year traditional training programs (81% vs 41%; P

Research and innovation in climate modeling and climate services is essential for improving climate knowledge and information in order to transition to a more sustainable and climate-resilient society. This transition [...]

PHACE syndrome is the association of segmental facial hemangiomas with congenital arterial, brain, cardiac, and ocular anomalies. Structural brain malformations affect 41-52% of PHACE patients and can be associated with focal neurologic deficits, developmental delays, and/or intellectual disability. To better characterize the spectrum of structural brain and other intracranial anomalies in PHACE syndrome, MRI scans of the head/neck were retrospectively reviewed in 55 patients from the PHACE Syndrome International Clinical Registry and Genetic Repository. All registry patients with a diagnosis of definite PHACE syndrome who had MRI scans of satisfactory quality were included. Of 55 patients, 34 (62%) demonstrated ≥1 non-vascular intracranial anomaly; structural brain malformations were present in 19 (35%). There was no difference in the prevalence of brain anomalies between genders. Brain anomalies were more likely in patients with S1 and/or S2 distribution of facial hemangioma. The most common structural brain defects were cerebellar hypoplasia (25%) and fourth ventricle abnormalities (13%). Dandy-Walker complex and malformations of cortical development were present in 9% and 7%, respectively. Extra-axial findings such as pituitary anomalies (18%) and intracranial hemangiomas (18%) were also observed. Six patients (11%) had anomalies of the globes or optic nerve/chiasm detectable on MRI. Brain malformations comprise a diverse group of structural developmental anomalies that are common in patients with PHACE syndrome. Along with brain malformations, numerous abnormalities of the pituitary, meninges, and globes were observed, highlighting the need for careful radiologic assessment of these structures in the neuroimaging workup for PHACE syndrome.

Summary: A biohybrid patch without cellular components was implanted over large infarcted areas in severely dilated hearts. Nonpatched animals were assigned to control or losartan therapy. Patch-implanted animals responded with better morphological and functional echocardiographic endpoints, which were more evident in a subgroup of animals with very low pre-treatment ejection fraction (

Background/Objectives: This retrospective case series analyzed visual outcomes in patients with a prior history of implantable collamer lens (ICL) implantation who underwent cataract extraction (CE). A secondary aim was to investigate the relationship between vault height and the rate of cataract development. Methods: Visual acuity and refraction measurements were collected after CE at one week, one month and six months. Vault height measurements were correlated to the time until symptomatic cataracts were removed. Results: A total of 44 eyes were analyzed at six months after CE with efficacy and safety indexes of 1.20 ± 1.11 and 1.50 ± 1.06, respectively. In addition, 70% of eyes had a post-operative uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) within one line of pre-operative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). Refractive predictability at six months demonstrated that 43% and 69% of eyes were within ±0.25 D and ±0.50 D of SEQ target, respectively. Astigmatism measured by refractive cylinder was ≤0.25 D in 17% and ≤0.50 D in 34% of eyes pre-operatively compared to 40% and 60% of eyes, respectively, at six months post-operatively. Vault heights one week after ICL (p < 0.0081) and one week before CE (p < 0.0154) demonstrated a positive linear regression with the time until CE. Conclusions: This sample population achieved favorable visual outcomes six months after CE, similar to six months after ICL implantation. Patients with a history of ICL implantation will similarly have a good visual prognosis after CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posterior capsular opacification (PCO), also known as "secondary cataract", is a common complication following cataract surgery that can significantly impair visual acuity. The incidence of PCO varies widely in the literature, influenced by intraocular lens (IOL) type and patient risk factors. Neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser posterior capsulotomy is the standard treatment for PCO-related visual impairment. Recurrence of PCO after initial treatment with YAG capsulotomy, though more common in children, is rare in adults. Its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are similar to that of primary PCO, which includes proliferation, migration, and/or clustering of lens epithelial cells (LECs), with subsequent reclosure of the posterior aperture. Potential risk factors for PCO recurrence that have been speculated through a comprehensive search of the current literature include younger age, female sex, high myopia, diabetes, vitrectomized status, uveitis, low-diopter IOLs, and certain IOL types with higher water content. We present a case of recurrent PCO in a highly myopic 48-year-old male following cataract surgery and implantable collamer lens (ICL) explantation who received a hydrophobic acrylic lens with 4% water content. Surgical techniques that may reduce recurrent PCO occurrence and appropriate postoperative care are emphasized to assist surgeons in their approach to patients at high-risk for this complication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES:. We aimed to investigate whether there are differences in outcome for pediatric patients when extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is initiated on-hours compared with off-hours. DESIGN:. Retrospective cohort study. SETTING:. Ten-year period (2009–2018) in United States centers, from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry. PATIENTS:. Pediatric (>30 d and

© 2015 Bates et al.Background: Results have been conflicting whether long-term ambient hydrogen sulfide (H2S) affects lung function or is a risk factor for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Rotorua city, New Zealand, has the world's l

ObjectivesTo determine protease mutations that develop at viral failure for protease inhibitor (PI)-naive patients on a regimen containing the PI atazanavir.MethodsResistance tests on patients failing atazanavir, conducted as part of routine clinical care in a multicentre observational study, were randomly matched by subtype to resistance tests from PI-naive controls to account for natural polymorphisms. Mutations from the consensus B sequence across the protease region were analysed for association and defined using the IAS-USA 2011 classification list.ResultsFour hundred and five of 2528 (16%) patients failed therapy containing atazanavir as a first PI over a median (IQR) follow-up of 1.76 (0.84-3.15) years and 322 resistance tests were available for analysis. Recognized major atazanavir mutations were found in six atazanavir-experienced patients (P < 0.001), including I50L and N88S. The minor mutations most strongly associated with atazanavir experience were M36I, M46I, F53L, A71V, V82T and I85V (P < 0.05). Multiple novel mutations, I15S, L19T, K43T, L63P/V, K70Q, V77I and L89I/T/V, were also associated with atazanavir experience.ConclusionsViral failure on atazanavir-containing regimens was not common and major resistance mutations were rare, suggesting that adherence may be a major contributor to viral failure. Novel mutations were described that have not been previously documented.