Evaluation of the Spot Vision Screener in School-Aged Children.

Purpose: To determine the accuracy of the Spot Vision Screener (Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY) in children 6 years and older and recommend device thresholds to improve its accuracy for the detection of refractive error.

Methods: The Spot Vision Screener results were compared with three gold standard conditions of increasingly narrow refractive error criterion. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the Spot Vision Screener in detecting each gold standard criterion were calculated.

CD38-NADAxis Regulates Immunotherapeutic Anti-Tumor T Cell Response.

Heightened effector function and prolonged persistence, the key attributes of Th1 and Th17 cells, respectively, are key features of potent anti-tumor T cells. Here, we established ex vivo culture conditions to generate hybrid Th1/17 cells, which persisted long-term in vivo while maintaining their effector function. Using transcriptomics and metabolic profiling approaches, we showed that the enhanced anti-tumor property of Th1/17 cells was dependent on the increased NAD-dependent activity of the histone deacetylase Sirt1.

Blocking TCR restimulation induced necroptosis in adoptively transferred T cells improves tumor control.

Advancements in adoptive cell transfer therapy (ACT) has led to the use of T cells engineered with tumor specific T cell receptors, which after rapid expansion can be obtained in sufficient numbers for treating patients. However, due to massive proliferation these cells are close to replicative senescence, exhibit exhausted phenotype, and also display increased susceptibility to activation induced cell death. We have previously shown that tumor reactive T cells undergo caspase-independent cell death upon TCR restimulation with cognate antigen, which involves reactive oxygen species and c-jun N-terminal kinase.

Prospective Evaluation of Photoscreeners in the Pseudophakic Eyes of Children.

Purpose: To compare refractive data of Plusoptix AO9 (Plusoptix, Inc., Atlanta, GA) and Spot (Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY) photoscreeners with retinoscopy in pseudophakic eyes of children.

Methods: In this prospective study, patients underwent testing with the Plusoptix and Spot photoscreeners prior to their examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist masked to the results of both photoscreeners.

Regulation of nitric oxide production by δ-opioid receptors during glaucomatous injury.

To determine the roles of nitric oxide in glaucomatous injury and its regulation by δ-opioid-receptor activation, animals were treated with: 1) a selective inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor (aminoguanidine; AG; 25 mg/kg, i.p.); 2) δ-opioid-receptor agonist (SNC-121; 1 mg/kg, i.