Concurrent vision and hearing impairment associated with cognitive dysfunction in a population aged 85+ years: the Ural Very Old Study.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of vision impairment, hearing impairment and dual sensory impairment (DSI) as combination of vision and hearing impairment, in association with cognitive dysfunction in a population aged 85+ years.

Methods: The cross-sectional population-based Ural Very Old Study, conducted in rural and urban Bashkortostan, Russia, between 2017 and 2020, included a detailed ocular and systemic examination with assessment of moderate to severe vision impairment (MSVI)/blindness (best-corrected visual acuity <6/18), moderate to severe hearing loss (MSHL) and cognitive function.

Setting: A rural and urban area in Bashkortostan, Russia.

Central corneal thickness and its associations in a Russian population. The Ural eye and Medical Study.

Background: To assess central corneal thickness (CCT) and its associations in a Russian population.

Methods: The population-based Ural Eye and Medical Study included 5899 (80.5%) out of 7328 eligible individuals.

Single Red Blood Cell Hydrodynamic Traps via the Generative Design.

This paper describes a generative design methodology for a micro hydrodynamic single-RBC (red blood cell) trap for applications in microfluidics-based single-cell analysis. One key challenge in single-cell microfluidic traps is to achieve desired through-slit flowrates to trap cells under implicit constraints. In this work, the cell-trapping design with validation from experimental data has been developed by the generative design methodology with an evolutionary algorithm.

Novel electroosmotic micromixer configuration based on ion-selective microsphere.

In this paper, a micromixer of a new configuration is presented, consisting of a spherical chamber in the center of which an ion-selective microsphere is placed. Stratified liquid is introduced through the chamber via inlet and outlet holes under an external pressure gradient and an external electric field is directed in such a way that the resulting electroosmotic flow is directed against the pressure-driven flow, resulting in mixing. The investigation is carried out by direct numerical simulation on a super-computer.

Axial length and its associations in the Ural Very Old Study.

To assess the distribution of axial length as surrogate for myopia and its determinants in an old population, we performed the Ural Very Old Study as a population-based cohort study. Out of 1882 eligible individuals aged 85 + years, the Ural Very Old Study performed in an urban and rural region in Bashkortostan/Russia included 1526 (81.1%) individuals undergoing ophthalmological and medical examinations with sonographic axial length measurement.

Prevalence Factors Associated With Vision Impairment and Blindness Among Individuals 85 Years and Older in Russia.

Importance: Visual performance is important for quality of life. However, vision impairment among adults 85 years and older has not been intensively examined.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of mild vision impairment (VI), moderate to severe vision impairment, and blindness and the factors associated with these conditions among a population 85 years and older.

Lipoic Acid Exacerbates Oxidative Stress and Lipid Accumulation in the Liver of Wistar Rats Fed a Hypercaloric Choline-Deficient Diet.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently estimated as the most prevalent chronic liver disease in all age groups. An increasing body of evidence obtained in experimental and clinical data indicates that oxidative stress is the most important pathogenic factor in the development of NAFLD. The study aimed to investigate the impact of α-lipoic acid (LA), widely used as an antioxidant, on the effects of a hypercaloric choline-deficient diet.

The prevalence of dry eye in a very old population.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) and Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in a very old population.

Methods: The Ural Very Old Study (UVOS), a population-based cohort study performed in rural and urban Bashkortostan/Russia, included 1526 (81.1%) out of 1882 eligible individuals aged 85+ years.

Brain oscillations evoked by sound motion.

The present study investigates the event-related oscillations underlying the motion-onset response (MOR) evoked by sounds moving at different velocities. EEG was recorded for stationary sounds and for three patterns of sound motion produced by changes in interaural time differences. We explored the effect of motion velocity on the MOR potential, and also on the event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) and inter-trial phase coherence (ITC) calculated from the time-frequency decomposition of EEG signals.

Towards Generative Design of Computationally Efficient Mathematical Models with Evolutionary Learning.

In this paper, we describe the concept of generative design approach applied to the automated evolutionary learning of mathematical models in a computationally efficient way. To formalize the problems of models' design and co-design, the generalized formulation of the modeling workflow is proposed. A parallelized evolutionary learning approach for the identification of model structure is described for the equation-based model and composite machine learning models.

The Use of the Adaptation Potential Reduction Model for Reproductive Toxicity Research In Vivo.

The modeling of adaptation potential decrease in rats due to modification of the diet's vitamin-mineral composition allows to increase animals' sensitivity to toxic load in reprotoxicological experiments. The threshold values of vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6 and mineral substances Fe and Mg in the diet, which lead to a considerable reduction of laboratory animals' adaptation potential, have been determined as 19% (from the basic level in the diet) for males and 18% for females. The efficiency of this model has been confirmed in a reprotoxicological experiment with glyphosate as a toxic factor: the action of the toxic factor against the background of reduced availability of B vitamins and salts Fe and Mg led to significant changes in such indicators of reproductive function as mating efficiency, postimplantation loss, and the total number of alive pups, while the toxic effect of glyphosate was not so pronounced against the normal level of essential substances.

Prevalence and associated factors of glaucoma in the Russian Ural Eye and Medical Study.

To assess the prevalence and associated factors of glaucoma in a Russian population. The population-based Ural Eye and Medical Study included 5899 (mean age 59.0 ± 10.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Pseudoexfoliation in a Russian Population: The Ural Eye and Medical Study.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of pseudoexfoliation (PEX) and its associations in a Russian population.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Methods: Setting: Ufa capital of Bashkortostan, Russia and a rural region in Bashkortostan.

Predictive power of late gadolinium enhancement for myocardial recovery in chronic ischaemic heart failure: a HEART sub-study.

Background: The amount of myocardial scar measured by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging predicts regional recovery in wall motion following revascularization. Previous studies have been conducted in patients with a relatively recent myocardial insult and relatively preserved left ventricular (LV) function. In this sub-study of a clinical trial, the predictive value of LGE, and other CMR-derived data, for myocardial recovery in patients with chronic severe ischaemic cardiomyopathy was assessed.

Renal artery stenosis: an innocent bystander or an independent predictor of worse outcome in patients with chronic heart failure? A magnetic resonance imaging study.

Aims: To investigate the prognostic impact of atherosclerotic renovascular disease in patients with chronic heart failure.

Methods And Results: Patients with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography. Renal artery stenosis (RAS) was defined as a luminal narrowing >50%.

Prevalence of, associations with, and prognostic value of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) among out-patients referred for the evaluation of heart failure.

Background: Prevalence, predictors, and prognostic value of right ventricular (RV) function measured by the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) symptoms with a broad range of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) are unknown.

Methods And Results: Of 1,547 patients, mean (±SD) age was 71 ± 11 years, 48% were women, median (interquartile range [IQR]) TAPSE was 18.5 (14.

Atherosclerotic disease of the abdominal aorta and its branches: prognostic implications in patients with heart failure.

Aortic atherosclerosis reduces compliance in the systemic circulation and increases peripheral resistance, afterload and left ventricular wall stress. In patients with heart failure, these changes can impair left ventricular systolic function and energy efficiency, which could reduce exercise capacity. Though the interaction and the impact of aortic atherosclerosis on left ventricular function have been investigated, its prognostic implications in patients with heart failure are unclear.

Prevalence of scarred and dysfunctional myocardium in patients with heart failure of ischaemic origin: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) can provide unique data on the transmural extent of scar/viability. We assessed the prevalence of dysfunctional myocardium, including partial thickness scar, which could contribute to left ventricular contractile dysfunction in patients with heart failure and ischaemic heart disease who denied angina symptoms.

Methods: We invited patients with ischaemic heart disease and a left ventricular ejection fraction < 50% by echocardiography to have LGE CMR.

Relationship between right ventricular volumes measured by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic impact of right ventricular (RV) size in patients with chronic heart failure.

Methods And Results: Normal volunteers (n = 80) and patients (n = 380) with left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction <45% on echocardiography and on optimal treatment for heart failure underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with measurement of LV and RV volumes, mass and ejection fraction. The mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the RV end-systolic volume index in normal subjects were used to define the normal range as: mean RV end-systolic volume index +2 SD.

Determinants and prognostic value of pulmonary arterial pressure in patients with chronic heart failure.

Aims: The epidemiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with heart failure (HF) is poorly described. Our aim was to investigate the determinants and prognostic significance of PAH in a large representative outpatient population with HF.

Methods And Results: Routine measurement of right ventricular tricuspid pressure gradient (RVTG) was attempted among unselected, consecutive referrals to an HF clinic.

Lack of diastolic reserve in patients with heart failure and normal ejection fraction.

Background: The genesis of symptoms in patients with heart failure (HF) and normal ejection fraction (HFNEF) is unclear. Most investigations of HFNEF have focused on cardiac function at rest although most of these patients are breathless only on exercise. Stress-induced impairment in systolic or diastolic function could result in these symptoms.

The effect of pharmacological stress on intraventricular dyssynchrony in left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Background: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) improves symptoms and exercise capacity in many patients with heart failure (HF) who have left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and markers of dyssynchrony. LV dyssynchrony is conventionally measured at rest but the symptoms of heart failure occur predominantly on exercise. Induction or exacerbation of dyssynchrony during stress might identify additional patients who could benefit from CRT.

Epidemiology, associated factors, and prognostic outcomes of renal artery stenosis in chronic heart failure assessed by magnetic resonance angiography.

Our aim was to determine the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality associated with the presence of significant renal artery stenosis (RAS) in patients with chronic heart failure (HF), and to explore the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and diuretics in this population during a 3-year follow-up period. We identified 97 patients with significant renal dysfunction (RD, defined as a calculated glomerular filtration rate of <60 ml/min) and 38 patients without RD, with ejection fractions of <40%. A stenosis of >50% using magnetic resonance angiography of the renal arteries was used to define significant RAS.

The effects of initiation or continuation of statin therapy on cholesterol level and all-cause mortality after the diagnosis of left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Background: Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) are known to reduce mortality and cardiac events in patients with coronary artery disease who have not progressed to left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and/or heart failure (HF). This study investigated the effect of changes in statin therapy and cholesterol level on mortality in patients with LVSD.

Methods: Data from consecutive patients with LVSD enrolled in a single local hospital HF management program were analyzed.

Prevalence of markers of heart failure in patients with atrial fibrillation and the effects of ximelagatran compared to warfarin on the incidence of morbid and fatal events: a report from the SPORTIF III and V trials.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who also have heart failure have a worse outcome but the diagnosis of heart failure is often missed.

Aim: To compare the effects of warfarin and ximelagatran on morbidity and mortality in patients with AF with and without markers of heart failure.

Methods And Results: Data for 7329 patients from two randomised controlled trials were merged.