Changing from preserved, to preservative-free cyclosporine 0.1% enhanced triple glaucoma therapy: impact on ocular surface disease-a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Halting and reversing glaucoma therapy-related ocular surface disease (GTR-OSD) will improve the success of long-term medical therapy, impacting millions of patients worldwide.

Methods: A single-centre, masked, prospective, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of 41 well-controlled open-angle glaucoma subjects with moderate to severe GTR-OSD on preserved latanoprost and dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination (DTFC) therapy was conducted. Subjects were randomized to preservative-free (PF) tafluprost and DTFC with either placebo or cyclosporine 0.

Probabilistic Forecasts Using Expert Judgment: The Road to Recovery From COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on many industries around the world including tourism and policy makers are interested in mapping out what the recovery path will look like. We propose a novel statistical methodology for generating scenario-based probabilistic forecasts based on a large survey of 443 tourism experts and stakeholders. The scenarios map out pessimistic, most-likely and optimistic paths to recovery.

Design and Validation of a New Smartphone-Based Reading Speed App (GDRS-Test) for the Greek Speaking Population.

Purpose: To present a novel smartphone-based application (GDRS-test, Greek Digital Reading Speed - test) for the assessment of reading speed, to evaluate, whether this test could be easily and reliably used by patients with visual impairment and normal individuals serving as an adjunctive tool for their visual examination.

Patients And Methods: One hundred and five visually impaired and 32 normal eyes were examined. Depending on existing active ocular pathology, patients were divided into a non-macular and a macular group, We examined the reading performance for continuous text (MNREAD chart) and random unrelated words of the new smartphone-based reading speed app, monocularly.

Prompt recovery after surgical treatment of pulmonary and aortic valve endocarditis in a patient with acute heart failure.

Infective endocarditis remains a medical challenge among urgent cases of cardiac disease. Multi-valvular endocarditis is uncommon and simultaneous right and left-sided valvular involvement, particularly affecting the pulmonary valve, is scarcely reported. A rare case of a patient with subacute myelodysplastic syndrome, who presented with endocarditis involving both aortic and pulmonary valves, complicated with new-onset heart failure, is described.

Atrial fibrillation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - A contemporary mini-review.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) represents the most common genetically inherited cardiovascular disorder and a leading cause of heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in HCM patients, primarily due to the process of left atrium dilatation and remodeling. Its presence typically leads to progressive functional decline, increased frequency of heart failure hospitalizations, and increased thromboembolic risk.

Correction: Harmonic organisation conveys both universal and culture-specific cues for emotional expression in music.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Longer-term impacts of trading restrictions on alcohol-related violence: insights from New South Wales, Australia.

Background And Aims: In February 2014, the government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, introduced new restrictions (known as the 'lockout laws') on the sale of alcohol in licensed premises in two of Sydney's most prominent entertainment districts, Kings Cross (KX) and the central business district (CBD). This study aimed to determine: (i) whether the introduction of the lockout laws was the point at which the time pattern of the assault series in the KX and CBD entertainment precincts changed; (ii) whether the apparent reduction in assault in these precincts persists when we control for common variations in assault across the entire state of NSW; (iii) whether the reduction in assault in the KX and CBD entertainment precincts resulted in a displacement of the assault problem into other areas; and (iv) whether there is a net reduction in assault after taking any spill-over or displacement effects into account.

Design: Structural break analysis was used to determine the date at which the time pattern of assaults changed.

The contribution of wet labs in the education of ophthalmologists.

Background: The need for pre-training in experimental eye surgery is considered necessary. It is an essential way to assess trainees in ophthalmology based on their instrument and tissue handling and skills. This article aims to underline this necessity and demonstrate the ocular health professionals' opinion on this issue.

Impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on hospital presentations and admissions in the context of low community transmission: evidence from time series analysis in Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Melbourne, Australia, successfully halted exponential transmission of COVID-19 via two strict lockdowns during 2020. The impact of such restrictions on healthcare-seeking behaviour is not comprehensively understood, but is of global importance. We explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute, subacute and emergency department (ED) presentations/admissions within a tertiary, metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia, over two waves of community transmission (1 March to 20 September 2020).

A modern approach to aortic valve insufficiency: Aortic root restoration via HAART 300 internal annuloplasty ring.

Background And Aim Of The Study: HAART 300 is an internal geometric annuloplasty ring. The safety and efficacy of this novel device in aortic valve (AV) repair in a single referral center are reported.

Methods: Twenty patients with trileaflet AV insufficiency with ascending aorta and/or aortic root enlargement were included.

Updated knowledge and practical implementations of stress echocardiography in ischemic and non-ischemic cardiac diseases: An expert consensus of the Working Group of Echocardiography of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology.

Stress echocardiography (SE) is a well established and valid technique, widely used for the diagnostic evaluation of patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiac diseases. This statement of the Echocardiography Working Group of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology summarizes the consensus of the writing group regarding the applications of SE, based on the expertise of their members and on a critical review of present medical literature. The main objectives of the consensus document include a comprehensive review of SE methodology and training-which focus on the preparation, the protocols used, the analysis of the SE images, and updated, evidence-based knowledge about SE applications on ischemic and nonischemic heart diseases, such as in cardiomyopathies, heart failure, and valvular heart disease.

Sweetness is in the ear of the beholder: chord preference across United Kingdom and Pakistani listeners.

The majority of research in the field of music perception has been conducted with Western participants, and it has remained unclear which aspects of music perception are culture dependent, and which are universal. The current study compared how participants unfamiliar with Western music (people from the Khowar and Kalash tribes native to Northwest Pakistan with minimal exposure to Western music) perceive affect (positive versus negative) in musical chords compared with United Kingdom (UK) listeners, as well as the overall preference for these chords. The stimuli consisted of four distinct chord types (major, minor, augmented, and chromatic) and were played as both vertical blocks (pitches presented concurrently) and arpeggios (pitches presented successively).

Harmonic organisation conveys both universal and culture-specific cues for emotional expression in music.

Previous research conducted on the cross-cultural perception of music and its emotional content has established that emotions can be communicated across cultures at least on a rudimentary level. Here, we report a cross-cultural study with participants originating from two tribes in northwest Pakistan (Khow and Kalash) and the United Kingdom, with both groups being naïve to the music of the other respective culture. We explored how participants assessed emotional connotations of various Western and non-Western harmonisation styles, and whether cultural familiarity with a harmonic idiom such as major and minor mode would consistently relate to emotion communication.

Retroperitoneal Abscess Formation Extending to the Lumbar Area After Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy.

Renal rupture and retroperitoneal abscess formation after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is a rare and potentially life-threatening complication if left untreated with a high morbidity rate. In this study, we present a rare case of renal rupture after SWL, with formation of an extensive retroperitoneal abscess extending to the left abdominal and lumbar area. A 48-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the outpatient department with left abdominal and lumbar redness and swelling caused by renal rupture and massive perinephric abscess formation, 10 days after SWL treatment of her left renal pelvic stones.

Preservative-free tafluprost/timolol fixed combination: comparative 24-h efficacy administered morning or evening in open-angle glaucoma patients.

: Ideal dosing for the preservative-free (PF) tafluprost/timolol fixed combination (TTFC) remains to be elucidated. : This study was a prospective, observer-masked, placebo-controlled, crossover, comparison in 42 consecutive open-angle glaucoma patients whose intraocular pressure (IOP) was insufficiently controlled with preserved latanoprost monotherapy (mean 24-h IOP >20 mmHg). Patients were randomized to either morning (08:00) or evening (20:00) PF TTFC for 3 months and then crossed over.

Valsalva retinopathy associated with intranasal cocaine abuse: A case report.

Introduction: The purpose of this report is to describe a case of Valsalva retinopathy in an intranasal cocaine user.

Case Report: A 49-year-old male presented with a history of sudden loss of vision and inferior visual field defect in his left eye. Clinical evaluation of the affected eye showed best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 and fundus examination revealed a preretinal hemorrhage superior to the disk with multiple intraretinal hemorrhages in and around the posterior pole.

A Review of the Clinical Usefulness of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty in Exfoliative Glaucoma.

In the last decade, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has been commonly used in the management of several different types of glaucoma, as either primary or adjunct therapy. The technique has an excellent safety profile and is at least as effective as argon laser trabeculoplasty. Although the actual mechanism of action of SLT remains unclear, evidence has shown that it does not induce morphologically evident trabecular meshwork alterations.

The use of Amplatz renal dilators in the minimally invasive management of complex urethral strictures.

Introduction: To present the outcomes of using Amplatz renal dilators in the management of complex urethral strictures.

Material And Methods: From September 2011 to August 2015, 34 patients with complex urethral strictures were treated with Amplatz renal dilators assisted with internal urethrotomy. Evaluation included uroflowmetry, IPSS and post-void residual volume measurement.

Retinal vessel morphology in rheumatoid arthritis: Association with systemic inflammation, subclinical atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular risk.

Objective: Quantification of retinal vessel morphology has emerged as a marker of cardiovascular health. We examined retinal microvascular diameters in RA, particularly in regard to systemic inflammation, subclinical atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular risk.

Methods: Retinal images from RA patients and controls were processed using computerized software, to obtain CRAE and CRVE and AVR.

Graphic kinematics, visual virtual work and elastographics.

In this paper, recent progress in graphic statics is combined with Williot displacement diagrams to create a graphical description of both statics and kinematics for two- and three-dimensional pin-jointed trusses. We begin with reciprocal form and force diagrams. The force diagram is dissected into its component cells which are then translated relative to each other.

Cardiac transplantation: towards a new noninvasive approach of cardiac allograft rejection.

Cardiac allograft rejection (CAR) may occur after transplantation and remains silent, until hemodynamic deterioration takes place. Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is applied to early detect CAR. Although, flexible bioptoms have decreased the incidence of lethal complications, EMB remains an invasive procedure carrying risk of tamponade and permanent heart block.

Aerial Oxidation of a V(IV)-Iminopyridine Hydroquinonate Complex: A Trap for the V(IV)-Semiquinonate Radical Intermediate.

The reaction of 2,5-bis[N,N'-bis(2-pyridyl-aminomethyl)aminomethyl]-p-hydroquinone (H2bpymah) with VO(2+) salts in acetonitrile or water at a low pH (2.2-3.5) results in the isolation of [{V(IV)(O)(Cl)}2(μ-bpymah)], the p-semiquinonate complex [{V(IV)(O)(Cl)}2(μ-bpymas)](OH), the cyclic mixed-valent hexanuclear compound [{V(V)(O)(μ-O)V(IV)(O)}(μ-bpymah)]3, and [(V(V)O2)2(μ-bpymah)].

Inhaled nitric oxide plus iloprost in the setting of post-left assist device right heart dysfunction.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction may complicate the implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). We examined whether inhaled vasodilators can sufficiently reduce RV afterload, avoiding the need for temporary RV mechanical support.

Methods: The study includes 7 patients with RV dysfunction after LVAD insertion.

Circuit design and simulation of a transmit beamforming ASIC for high-frequency ultrasonic imaging systems.

This paper describes the design of a programmable transmit beamformer application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with 8 channels for ultrasound imaging systems. The system uses a 20-MHz reference clock. A digital delay-locked loop (DLL) was designed with 50 variable delay elements, each of which provides a clock with different phase from a single reference.