Tolerance to refractive error with a new extended depth of focus intraocular lens.

Purpose: To evaluate the tolerance to refractive errors of a new purely refractive extended depth of focus (EDF) intraocular lens (IOL), TECNIS PureSee™ IOL, using preclinical and clinical metrics.

Methods: Preclinical evaluation included computer simulations of visual acuity (sVA) and dysphotopsia profile of different IOL designs (refractive EDF, diffractive EDF, multifocal, standard, and enhanced monofocals) using an appropriate eye model with and without ±0.50 D defocus and/or +0.

Non-uniform temporal scaling of developmental processes in the mammalian cortex.

The time that it takes the brain to develop is highly variable across animals. Although staging systems equate major developmental milestones between mammalian species, it remains unclear how distinct processes of cortical development scale within these timeframes. Here, we compare the timing of cortical development in two mammals of similar size but different developmental pace: eutherian mice and marsupial fat-tailed dunnarts.

Cortical activity emerges in region-specific patterns during early brain development.

The development of precise neural circuits in the brain requires spontaneous patterns of neural activity prior to functional maturation. In the rodent cerebral cortex, patchwork and wave patterns of activity develop in somatosensory and visual regions, respectively, and are present at birth. However, whether such activity patterns occur in noneutherian mammals, as well as when and how they arise during development, remain open questions relevant for understanding brain formation in health and disease.

Cortical activity emerges in region-specific patterns during early brain development.

Unlabelled: The development of precise neural circuits in the brain requires spontaneous patterns of neural activity prior to functional maturation. In the rodent cerebral cortex patchwork and wave patterns of activity develop in somatosensory and visual regions, respectively, and are present at birth. However, whether such activity patterns occur in non-eutherian mammals, as well as when and how they arise during development remain open questions relevant to understand brain formation in health and disease.

Capturing nystagmus in the emergency room: posterior circulation stroke versus acute vestibular neuritis.

Objectives: To compare acute nystagmus characteristics of posterior circulation stroke (PCS) and acute vestibular neuritis (AVN) in the emergency room (ER) within 24 h of presentation.

Methods: ER-based video-nystagmography (VNG) was conducted, recording ictal nystagmus in 101 patients with PCS (on imaging) and 104 patients with AVN, diagnosed on accepted clinical and vestibular test criteria.

Results: Patients with stroke in the brainstem (38/101, affecting midbrain (n = 7), pons (n = 19), and medulla (n = 12)), cerebellum (31/101), both (15/101) or other locations (17/101) were recruited.

Capturing vertigo in the emergency room: three tools to double the rate of diagnosis.

Objective: Many patients attending the emergency room (ER) with vertigo, leave without a diagnosis. We assessed whether the three tools could improve ER diagnosis of vertigo.

Methods: A prospective observational study was undertaken on 539 patients presenting to ER with vertigo.

TB risk by time since U.S. entry among non-U.S.-born residents of Washington State, USA.

Progress towards TB elimination in the United States will require improved detection and treatment of latent TB infection among non-U.S.-born residents who remain at disproportionate risk of TB disease.

Environmental Enrichment Rescues Visually-Mediated Behavior in Ten-m3 Knockout Mice During an Early Critical Period.

Environmental enrichment (EE) has been shown to promote neural plasticity. Its capacity to induce functional repair in models which exhibit profound sensory deficits due to aberrant axonal guidance has not been well-characterized. Ten-m3 knockout (KO) mice exhibit a highly-stereotyped miswiring of ipsilateral retinogeniculate axons and associated profound deficits in binocularly-mediated visual behavior.

Managing the transition from paediatric to adult care for HIV, Kenya.

Expansion of access to diagnosis and treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and a high incidence of HIV infection in adolescence has resulted in a growing population of adolescents and young adults living with HIV. The prevalence of poor retention in care, insufficient viral suppression and loss to follow-up are higher among adolescents and young adults compared with other age groups. Poor outcomes could be attributed to psychosocial changes during adolescence, but also to poor transitional care from paediatric to adult HIV services.

Screening for breast cancer-related lymphoedema: self-assessment of symptoms and signs.

Introduction: In the absence of monitoring programs, those at risk of developing breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL) must detect its development. However, the efficacy of self-assessment for BCRL has not been widely investigated. This study will determine if symptoms and signs of BCRL are associated with lymphoedema detected by bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) and whether those with and without BCRL can accurately assess the signs of its presence.

Capturing acute vertigo: A vestibular event monitor.

Objective: To facilitate the diagnosis of vestibular disorders by patient-initiated capture of ictal nystagmus.

Methods: Adults from an Australian neurology outpatient clinic reporting recurrent vertigo were recruited prospectively and taught to self-record spontaneous and positional nystagmus at home while symptomatic, using miniature video-oculography goggles. Consenting patients with ictal videorecordings and a final unblinded clinical diagnosis of Ménière disease (MD), vestibular migraine (VM), or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) were included.

Climate change and the health of older people in Australia: A scoping review on the role of mobile applications (apps) in ameliorating impact.

Objectives: Due to the impact of climate change, mobile applications (apps) providing information about the external environment have the potential to improve the health of older people. The purpose of this research was to undertake a scoping review of the evidence on the usability, feasibility and effectiveness of mobile apps to encourage access to activities outside the home in older people.

Methods: A search of databases was undertaken with relevant keywords.

The Methuselah Effect: The Pernicious Impact of Unreported Deaths on Old-Age Mortality Estimates.

We examine inferences about old-age mortality that arise when researchers use survey data matched to death records. We show that even small rates of failure to match respondents can lead to substantial bias in the measurement of mortality rates at older ages. This type of measurement error is consequential for three strands in the demographic literature: (1) the deceleration in mortality rates at old ages; (2) the black-white mortality crossover; and (3) the relatively low rate of old-age mortality among Hispanics, often called the "Hispanic paradox.

Current knowledge of scoliosis in physiotherapy students trained in the United Kingdom.

Background: It has been highlighted in both Poland and the United States of America (USA) that knowledge of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) among physiotherapy students is limited with respect to the 2011 International Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) guidelines. Early detection of scoliosis and correct initial management is essential in effective care, and thus physiotherapists should be aware of the basic criteria for diagnosis and indications for treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the basic knowledge of IS in physiotherapy students trained in the United Kingdom (UK).

Combining forward and backward mortality estimation.

Demographers often form estimates by combining information from two data sources-a challenging problem when one or both data sources are incomplete. A classic example entails the construction of death probabilities, which requires death counts for the subpopulations under study and corresponding base population estimates. Approaches typically entail 'back projection', as in Wrigley and Schofield's seminal analysis of historical English data, or 'inverse' or 'forward projection' as used by Lee in his important reanalysis of that work, both published in the 1980s.

The Aortic Root Replacement Procedure: 12-year Experience from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons Database.

Background: The aortic root replacement procedure (ARR), is often considered the gold standard in the management of aortic root and ascending aorta aneurysms. Our aim was to review the Australian experience with this procedure to ascertain early and late outcomes of mortality and morbidity.

Methods: We reviewed the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons' (ANZSCTS) database for patients undergoing ARR.

Early and Late Outcomes Following Valve Sparing Aortic Root Reconstruction: The ANZSCTS Database.

Background: Valve sparing aortic root reconstruction (VSARR) has become an alternative to traditional aortic root replacement with a valved conduit. There have been various modifications but the two broad types are aortic root reimplantation and the aortic root remodelling procedure. We present the early and late outcomes following valve sparing aortic root reconstruction surgery in Australia.

The Impact of the Great Migration on Mortality of African Americans: Evidence from the Deep South.

Unlabelled: The Great Migration-the massive migration of African Americans out of the rural South to largely urban locations in the North, Midwest, and West-was a landmark event in U.S.

History: Our paper shows that this migration increased mortality of African Americans born in the early twentieth century South.

The effect of early-life education on later-life mortality.

Many studies link cross-state variation in compulsory schooling laws to early-life educational attainment, thereby providing a plausible way to investigate the causal impact of education on various lifetime outcomes. We use this strategy to estimate the effect of education on older-age mortality of individuals born in the early twentieth century U.S.

Comparison of the Safety and Efficacy of On-Pump (ONCAB) versus Off-Pump (OPCAB) Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery in the Elderly: A Review of the ANZSCTS Database.

Background: The elderly population (age >70 years) incurs greater mortality and morbidity following CABG. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) may mitigate these outcomes. A retrospective analysis of the results of OPCAB in this population was performed.

Outcomes of On-Pump versus Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery in the High Risk (AusSCORE > 5).

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) has been established as the preferred intervention for coronary revascularisation in the high-risk population. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) may further reduce mortality and morbidity in this population subgroup. This study presents the largest series of high-risk (AusSCORE > 5) OPCAB patients in Australia and New Zealand.

Predictive Inference Using Latent Variables with Covariates.

Plausible values (PVs) are a standard multiple imputation tool for analysis of large education survey data, which measures latent proficiency variables. When latent proficiency is the dependent variable, we reconsider the standard institutionally generated PV methodology and find it applies with greater generality than shown previously. When latent proficiency is an independent variable, we show that the standard institutional PV methodology produces biased inference because the institutional conditioning model places restrictions on the form of the secondary analysts' model.