Bladder and Kidney Cancer Diagnosis and Survival Increase With Medicare Eligibility at Age 65.

Introduction: Medicare eligibility at 65 has been associated with increased diagnosis and survival for certain cancers due to greater health care utilization. We aim to assess for a similar "Medicare effect" for bladder and kidney cancers, which has not been previously established.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer from 2000-2018 at ages 60-69 years were identified with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid Protects Retinal and Visual Function in a Mouse Model of Type 1 Diabetes.

Purpose: Previous studies demonstrated that systemic treatment with tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is protective in in vivo mouse models of retinal degeneration and in culture models of hyperglycemia. This study tested the hypothesis that TUDCA will preserve visual and retinal function in a mouse model of early diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: Adult C57BL/6J mice were treated with streptozotocin (STZ) and made diabetic at 8-10 weeks of age.

TrkB signalling pathway mediates the protective effects of exercise in the diabetic rat retina.

Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss. Treatment options for early retinopathy are sparse. Exercise protects dying photoreceptors in models of retinal degeneration, thereby preserving vision.

Laparoscopic Management of Penetrating Thoracoabdominal Trauma.

Background: Traumatic thoracoabdominal injuries can involve multiple organs and multiple cavities, which increases the complexity of surgical management. Traditionally, these injuries required laparotomy and thoracotomy. However, minimally invasive intervention may be reasonable for stable patients.

Comparative Perioperative Outcomes in Septuagenarians and Octogenarians Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer-Do Outcomes Differ?

Background: Treatment choice for muscle invasive bladder cancer continues to be radical cystectomy. However, radical cystectomy carries a relatively high risk of morbidity and mortality compared with other urological procedures.

Objective: To compare surgical complications following radical cystectomy in septuagenarians and octogenarians.

Progesterone modulates diabetes/hyperglycemia-induced changes in the central nervous system and sciatic nerve.

We investigated the effect of progesterone (P4) treatment on diabetes/hyperglycemia-induced pathological changes in brain, spinal cord and sciatic nerve tissue in male rats. Animals were rendered hyperglycemic by a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ). P4 treatment was started after hyperglycemia was confirmed and body weight and blood glucose levels were monitored once/week for 5weeks.

Association of Body Length with Ocular Parameters in Mice.

Purpose: To determine the association between changes in body length with ocular refraction, corneal radii, axial length, and lens thickness in two different mouse strains.

Methods: Body length, ocular refraction, corneal radii, axial length, and lens thickness were measured for two inbred mouse strains: 129S1/SvJ (n = 7) and C57BL/6 J (n = 10) from 4 to 12 weeks of age. Body length, from tip of nose to base of tail, was obtained using a digital camera.

In Vivo Imaging of Retinal Oxidative Stress Using a Reactive Oxygen Species-Activated Fluorescent Probe.

Purpose: In vivo methods for detecting oxidative stress in the eye would improve screening and monitoring of the leading causes of blindness: diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: To develop an in vivo biomarker for oxidative stress in the eye, we tested the efficacy of a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-activated, near-infrared hydrocyanine-800CW (H-800CW) fluorescent probe in light-induced retinal degeneration (LIRD) mouse models. After intravitreal delivery in LIRD rats, fluorescent microscopy was used to confirm that the oxidized H-800CW appeared in the same retinal layers as an established ROS marker (dichlorofluorescein).

TAK-242, an antagonist for Toll-like receptor 4, protects against acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) contributes to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and is a potential target for the treatment of ischemic stroke. This experiment is to evaluate the effect of an exogenous TLR4 antagonist, TAK-242, against acute cerebral I/R injury. A mouse model of cerebral I/R was induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion.