optogenetics using a Utah Optrode Array with enhanced light output and spatial selectivity.

Optogenetics allows the manipulation of neural circuitswith high spatial and temporal precision. However, combining this precision with control over a significant portion of the brain is technologically challenging (especially in larger animal models).Here, we have developed, optimised, and tested, the Utah Optrode Array (UOA), an electrically addressable array of optical needles and interstitial sites illuminated by 181LEDs and used to optogenetically stimulate the brain.

3D electronic implants in subretinal space: Long-term follow-up in rodents.

Clinical results with photovoltaic subretinal prosthesis (PRIMA) demonstrated restoration of sight via electrical stimulation of the interneurons in degenerated retina, with resolution matching the 100 μm pixel size. Since scaling the pixels below 75 μm in the current bipolar planar geometry will significantly limit the penetration depth of the electric field and increase stimulation threshold, we explore the possibility of using smaller pixels based on a novel 3-dimensional honeycomb-shaped design. We assessed the long-term biocompatibility and stability of these arrays in rats by investigating the anatomical integration of the retina with flat and 3D implants and response to electrical stimulation over lifetime - up to 32-36 weeks post-implantation in aged rats.

Enhancing Prosthetic Vision by Upgrade of a Subretinal Photovoltaic Implant in situ.

In patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration, subretinal photovoltaic implant (PRIMA) provided visual acuity up to 20/440, matching its 100μm pixels size. Next-generation implants with smaller pixels should significantly improve the acuity. This study in rats evaluates removal of a subretinal implant, replacement with a newer device, and the resulting grating acuity in-vivo.

optogenetics using a Utah Optrode Array with enhanced light output and spatial selectivity.

Optogenetics allows manipulation of neural circuits with high spatial and temporal precision. However, combining this precision with control over a significant portion of the brain is technologically challenging (especially in larger animal models). Here, we have developed, optimised, and tested in vivo, the Utah Optrode Array (UOA), an electrically addressable array of optical needles and interstitial sites illuminated by 181 µLEDs and used to optogenetically stimulate the brain.

An optrode array for spatiotemporally-precise large-scale optogenetic stimulation of deep cortical layers in non-human primates.

Optogenetics has transformed studies of neural circuit function, but remains challenging to apply to non-human primates (NHPs). A major challenge is delivering intense, spatiotemporally-precise, patterned photostimulation across large volumes in deep tissue. Such stimulation is critical, for example, to modulate selectively deep-layer corticocortical feedback circuits.

Three-dimensional electro-neural interfaces electroplated on subretinal prostheses.

Retinal prosthetics offer partial restoration of sight to patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases through electrical stimulation of the remaining neurons. Decreasing the pixel size enables increasing prosthetic visual acuity, as demonstrated in animal models of retinal degeneration. However, scaling down the size of planar pixels is limited by the reduced penetration depth of the electric field in tissue.

Three-dimensional electro-neural interfaces electroplated on subretinal prostheses.

Objective: High-resolution retinal prosthetics offer partial restoration of sight to patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases through electrical stimulation of the remaining neurons. Decreasing the pixel size enables an increase in prosthetic visual acuity, as demonstrated in animal models of retinal degeneration. However, scaling down the size of planar pixels is limited by the reduced penetration depth of the electric field in tissue.

Cellular migration into a subretinal honeycomb-shaped prosthesis for high-resolution prosthetic vision.

In patients blinded by geographic atrophy, a subretinal photovoltaic implant with 100 µm pixels provided visual acuity closely matching the pixel pitch. However, such flat bipolar pixels cannot be scaled below 75 µm, limiting the attainable visual acuity. This limitation can be overcome by shaping the electric field with 3-dimensional (3-D) electrodes.

Associations of animal source foods, cardiovascular disease history, and health behaviors from the national health and nutrition examination survey: 2013-2016.

Background: Some individuals adopt vegetarian or plant-based diets to improve their health. Observational evidence suggests diets composed of higher amounts of animal-source foods (ASFs) are associated with increased risk for disease and early mortality. In many of these studies, those who ate fewer animal-source foods reported fewer disease risk factors and unhealthy behaviors, which could indicate bias.

3D electronic implants in subretinal space: long-term follow-up in rodents.

Photovoltaic subretinal prosthesis (PRIMA) enables restoration of sight via electrical stimulation of the interneurons in degenerated retina, with resolution limited by the 100 μm pixel size. Since decreasing the pixel size below 75 μm in the current bipolar geometry is impossible, we explore the possibility of using smaller pixels based on a novel 3-dimensional honeycomb-shaped design. We assessed the long-term biocompatibility and stability of these arrays in rats by investigating the anatomical integration of the retina with flat and 3D implants and response to electrical stimulation over lifetime - up to 9 months post-implantation in aged rats.

An Optrode Array for Spatiotemporally Precise Large-Scale Optogenetic Stimulation of Deep Cortical Layers in Non-human Primates.

Optogenetics has transformed studies of neural circuit function, but remains challenging to apply in non-human primates (NHPs). A major challenge is delivering intense and spatially precise patterned photostimulation across large volumes in deep tissue. Here, we have developed and validated the Utah Optrode Array (UOA) to meet this critical need.

Electronic photoreceptors enable prosthetic visual acuity matching the natural resolution in rats.

Localized stimulation of the inner retinal neurons for high-acuity prosthetic vision requires small pixels and minimal crosstalk from the neighboring electrodes. Local return electrodes within each pixel limit the crosstalk, but they over-constrain the electric field, thus precluding the efficient stimulation with subretinal pixels smaller than 55 μm. Here we demonstrate a high-resolution prosthetic vision based on a novel design of a photovoltaic array, where field confinement is achieved dynamically, leveraging the adjustable conductivity of the diodes under forward bias to turn the designated pixels into transient returns.

Photovoltaic implant simulator reveals resolution limits in subretinal prosthesis.

PRIMA, the photovoltaic subretinal prosthesis, restores central vision in patients blinded by atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with a resolution closely matching the 100m pixel size of the implant. Improvement in resolution requires smaller pixels, but the resultant electric field may not provide sufficient stimulation strength in the inner nuclear layer (INL) or may lead to excessive crosstalk between neighboring electrodes, resulting in low contrast stimulation patterns. We study the approaches to electric field shaping in the retina for prosthetic vision with higher resolution and improved contrast.

Energy Drink Use in Adolescents With and Without ADHD: Trends and Influences.

Objective: We sought to determine the frequency, reasons for, and factors associated with energy drink consumption in adolescents with or without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Design: Anonymous surveys were completed by 115 adolescents and their parents prior to appointments at two separate outpatient clinics (pediatric and psychiatric) over a three-month period. Trained staff provided surveys to be completed by adolescents and their parents on a voluntary basis, and all data was self-reported.

Comparison of reproducibility precision on mass fraction in some interlaboratory studies of methods of food analysis.

The relationship between reproducibility standard deviation and mass fraction in food analysis has been studied in compilations of statistics from collaborative trials and from proficiency tests. There was a broad tendency for both categories of statistics to follow the Horwitz function although systematic deviations from it were easily detected at both extremes of the mass fraction range (below 10 and above 10). The two compilations were found to have very similar properties over the whole range of mass fractions, that is from about 10 (0.

Vertical-junction photodiodes for smaller pixels in retinal prostheses.

To restore central vision in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration, we replace the lost photoreceptors with photovoltaic pixels, which convert light into current and stimulate the secondary retinal neurons. Clinical trials demonstrated prosthetic acuity closely matching the sampling limit of the 100m pixels, and hence smaller pixels are required for improving visual acuity. However, with smaller flat bipolar pixels, the electric field penetration depth and the photodiode responsivity significantly decrease, making the device inefficient.

Occupational Therapy in Haiti: A Pilot Study to Identify Intervention Methods Used during Short-Term Medical Missions.

Due to the shortage of occupational therapists (OTs) in Haiti and over 800,000 individuals with disabilities, most occupational therapy assessments and interventions are provided by OTs on short-term medical missions (STMMs). Learning which methods OT use to provide assessments and interventions during these STMMs is the first step to understanding how to facilitate follow-up and carry-over for clients and ensure longevity for STMMs in Haiti. This study used a cross-sectional, descriptive design to gather data on methods used by OTs.

Pharmacovigilance Assessment of Cardiac Implications of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Among Smokers.

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine the possible relationship between nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and cardiac disorder risk by comparing the rates of cardiac disorder risk of NRT with cardiac disorder risk of non-replacement drugs among smokers seeking smoking cessation.

Methods: The study used retrospective quantitative design, which involved the collection of secondary data from the adverse event reporting system (FAERS) database of the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Hospital survey on patient safety culture (HSOPSC): a multi-method approach for target-language instrument translation, adaptation, and validation to improve the equivalence of meaning for cross-cultural research.

Background: The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) is widely utilized in multiple languages across the world. Despite culture and language variations, research studies from Latin America use the Spanish language HSOPSC validated for Spain and the United States. Yet, these studies fail to report the translation method, cultural adaptation process, and the equivalence assessment strategy.

Simultaneous Electrophysiology and Fiber Photometry in Freely Behaving Mice.

electrophysiology is the gold standard technique used to investigate sub-second neural dynamics in freely behaving animals. However, monitoring cell-type-specific population activity is not a trivial task. Over the last decade, fiber photometry based on genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) has been widely adopted as a versatile tool to monitor cell-type-specific population activity .

A Comparison of Practice Patterns Among Certified and Noncertified Asthma Educators.

Background: Asthma educators are essential for providing patients with the knowledge and skills needed to control asthma. The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional survey was to examine the differences in practice patterns between certified and noncertified asthma educators.

Methods: Subjects ( = 98) included certified asthma educators ( = 66) and noncertified asthma educators ( = 32) who provided asthma education directly to patients and their families.

Multisite microLED optrode array for neural interfacing.

We present an electrically addressable optrode array capable of delivering light to 181 sites in the brain, each providing sufficient light to optogenetically excite thousands of neurons , developed with the aim to allow behavioral studies in large mammals. The device is a glass microneedle array directly integrated with a custom fabricated microLED device, which delivers light to 100 needle tips and 81 interstitial surface sites, giving two-level optogenetic excitation of neurons . Light delivery and thermal properties are evaluated, with the device capable of peak irradiances per needle site.