Malpractice Cases Arising From Telephone Based Telemedicine Triage in Ophthalmology.

Purpose: To determine the allegation, precipitating medical issue, and outcome of telephone triage focused malpractice litigation among ophthalmologists.

Methods: The WestLaw Edge database was reviewed using terms pertaining to ophthalmology and telemedicine. The search ranged from 4/7/30 to 1/25/22.

Topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and glaucoma in 2021: where do we stand?

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) have been used for many decades in the treatment of glaucoma. Systemic CAIs were an early treatment option to lower intraocular pressure by reducing aqueous humour production; however, frequent side effects including polyuria and paresthesia contributed to the eventual development of topical CAIs. As topical drug development evolved over time, prostaglandin analogues and beta-blockers have become the gold standard of glaucoma therapies.

Vascular biomarkers from optical coherence tomography angiography and glaucoma: where do we stand in 2021?

Biomarkers of ocular blood flow originating from a wide variety of imaging modalities have been associated with glaucoma onset and progression for many decades. Advancements in imaging platforms including optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) have provided the ability to quantify vascular changes in glaucoma patients, alongside traditional measures such as retinal nerve fibre layer thickness and optic nerve head structure. Current literature on vascular biomarkers, as measured by OCTA, indicates significant relationships between glaucoma and blood flow and capillary density in the retina and ONH.

Erratum: PRAJA is overexpressed in glioblastoma and contributes to neural precursor development.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.151.

PRAJA is overexpressed in glioblastoma and contributes to neural precursor development.

PRAJA, a RING-H2 E3 ligase, is abundantly expressed in brain tissues such as the cerebellum and frontal cortex, amongst others, and more specifically in neural progenitor cells as well as in multiple cancers that include glioblastomas. However, the specific role that Praja plays in neural development and gliomas remains unclear. In this investigation, we performed bioinformatic analyses to examine Praja1 and Praja2 expression across 29 cancer types, and observed raised levels of Praja1 and Praja2 in gliomas with an inverse relationship between Praja1 and apoptotic genes and Praja substrates such as Smad3.

Sex differences in resting state neural networks of nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers.

Although several sex differences in nicotine dependence have been identified, the neural mechanisms underlying these sex differences are not clear. The present study examines sex differences in resting-state brain activity using an arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion imaging technique. Fifty-one (31 males) sated nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers underwent perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging during the resting state.

The impact of sex on brain responses to smoking cues: a perfusion fMRI study.

Background: Anecdotal and clinical theories purport that females are more responsive to smoking cues, yet few objective, neurophysiological examinations of these theories have been conducted. The current study examines the impact of sex on brain responses to smoking cues.

Methods: Fifty-one (31 males) cigarette-dependent sated smokers underwent pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeled perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging during exposure to visual smoking cues and non-smoking cues.

Acute baclofen diminishes resting baseline blood flow to limbic structures: a perfusion fMRI study.

Background: Preclinical and clinical evidence show that the GABA B agonist, baclofen is a promising treatment for addictive disorders; however, until recently its mechanism of action in the human brain was unknown. In previous work we utilized a laboratory model that included a medication versus placebo regimen to examine baclofen's actions on brain circuitry. Perfusion fMRI [measure of cerebral blood flow (CBF)] data acquired 'at rest' before and on the last day of the 21-day medication regimen showed that baclofen diminished CBF bilaterally in the VS, insula and medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC).

A VBM study demonstrating 'apparent' effects of a single dose of medication on T1-weighted MRIs.

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have interpreted longitudinal medication- or behaviorally induced changes observed on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs) as changes in neuronal structure. Although neurogenesis or atrophy certainly occurs, the use of T1-weighted scans to identify change in brain structure in vivo in humans has vulnerability: the T1 relaxation time for arterial blood and gray matter are not clearly distinguishable and therefore, apparent reported structural findings might be at least partially related to changes in blood flow or other physiological signals. To examine the hypothesis that apparent structural modifications may reflect changes introduced by additional mechanisms irrespective of potential neuronal growth/atrophy, we acquired a high-resolution T1-weighted structural scan and a 5-min perfusion fMRI scan (a measurement of blood flow), before and after administration of an acute pharmacological manipulation.