Survival of penetrating keratoplasty: a claims-based longitudinal analysis.

Objectives: To report real-world long-term survival of primary penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in the United States and analyze risk factors associated with failure.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal cohort study using a large commercial insurance database.

Participants: Ten million patients enrolled in the database from 2011 to 2017 were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes for PK.

Preserving Vision in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Health Equity.

The coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has overwhelmed our healthcare systems and caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. Black and Hispanic individuals comprise a disproportionate number of those deaths, primarily because of pre-existing health conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and asthma. Health inequities that underlie these disparities also exist within ophthalmology around the world, and more ophthalmologists should advocate for healthcare reform that advances health equity.

Chronic stress pathology and ketamine-induced alterations in functional connectivity in major depressive disorder: An abridged review of the clinical evidence.

A paradigm shift in the conceptualization of the neurobiology of depression and the serendipitous discovery of ketamine's rapid-acting antidepressant (RAAD) effects has ushered in a new era of innovative research and novel drug development. Since the initial discovery of ketamine's RAAD effects, multiple studies have supported its short-term efficacy for fast-tracked improvements in treatment-resistant depression. Evidence from MRI studies have repeatedly demonstrated functional connectivity alterations in stress- and trauma-related disorders suggesting this may be a viable biomarker of chronic stress pathology (CSP).

Clear Lensectomy, Goniosynechiolysis and Hydrus Microstent in a Patient with Mixed Mechanism Glaucoma.

Purpose: To report a case of a patient with mixed mechanism glaucoma and a clear lens who was successfully surgically treated with combination cataract extraction, goniosynechiolysis and the Hydrus stent.

Observation: A 59-year-old Afro-Latino woman with a history of mixed mechanism glaucoma. She was taking latanoprost OU QHS.

Improving Support for Family Caregivers of People with a Serious Illness in the United States: Strategic Agenda and Call to Action.

An estimated 30% of the adult American population are caregivers and many of the people they support live with serious illnesses. Caregivers provide an average of 20 hours of services per week and are heavily involved in assisting with activities of daily living. This input represents considerable economic value to the health care system and to the well-being of communities.

Sub-millimeter variation in human locus coeruleus is associated with dimensional measures of psychopathology: An in vivo ultra-high field 7-Tesla MRI study.

The locus coeruleus (LC) has a long-established role in the attentional and arousal response to threat, and in the emergence of pathological anxiety in pre-clinical models. However, human evidence of links between LC function and pathological anxiety has been restricted by limitations in discerning LC with current neuroimaging techniques. We combined ultra-high field 7-Tesla and 0.

Combined microinvasive glaucoma surgery in osteogenesis imperfecta patient with refractory open angle glaucoma.

Purpose: To report a case of refractory open angle glaucoma (POAG) in an osteogenesis imperfecta patient who was successfully treated with combination microinvasive glaucoma surgery: combined kahook blade goniotomy and ciliary sulcus suprachoroidal microtube insertion.

Observation: A 57-year-old woman with a history of osteoporosis, breast cancer, osteogenesis imperfecta, with uncontrolled POAG in right more than left. Anterior segment examination revealed thin blue sclera, the optic nerve examination revealed glaucomatous cupping with cup to disc ration of 0.

Gender-Specific Trends in Ophthalmologist Medicare Collections.

Purpose: To assess the factors influencing the Medicare collections disparity between male and female ophthalmologists.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: The Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data from 2012-2015 were combined with the 2015 Physician Compare National Downloadable file and US Census data.

Ketamine normalizes subgenual cingulate cortex hyper-activity in depression.

Mounting evidence supports the rapid antidepressant efficacy of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, ketamine, for treating major depressive disorder (MDD); however, its neural mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) hyper-activity during rest has been consistently implicated in the pathophysiology of MDD, potentially driven in part by excessive hippocampal gluatmatergic efferents to sgACC. Reduction of sgACC activity has been associated with successful antidepressant treatment.

Artificial intelligence and neural networks in urology: current clinical applications.

Introduction: As we enter the era of "big data," an increasing amount of complex health-care data will become available. These data are often redundant, "noisy," and characterized by wide variability. In order to offer a precise and transversal view of a clinical scenario the artificial intelligence (AI) with machine learning (ML) algorithms and Artificial neuron networks (ANNs) process were adopted, with a promising wide diffusion in the near future.

White Matter Abnormalities Linked to Interferon, Stress Response, and Energy Metabolism Gene Expression Changes in Older HIV-Positive Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy.

Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) remains a significant cause of morbidity in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals despite highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). White matter abnormalities have emerged as a key component of age-related neurodegeneration, and accumulating evidence suggests they play a role in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Viral persistence in the brain induces chronic inflammation associated with lymphocytic infiltration, microglial proliferation, myelin loss, and cerebrovascular lesions.

Technical innovations to optimize continence recovery after robotic assisted radical prostatectomy.

Urinary incontinence is one of the most significant causes of concern among patients who get surgical treatment for prostate cancer, even after the introduction of the robot. The aim of this study is to summarize current knowledge of the factors influencing urinary continence (UC) and the technical innovations to optimize UC recovery after robotic assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). A non-systematic review was conducted from January 2000 to October 2018 to identify original and review articles in English describing the anatomy of the prostate and pelvis.

Neurocognitive SuperAging in Older Adults Living With HIV: Demographic, Neuromedical and Everyday Functioning Correlates.

Objectives: Studies of neurocognitively elite older adults, termed SuperAgers, have identified clinical predictors and neurobiological indicators of resilience against age-related neurocognitive decline. Despite rising rates of older persons living with HIV (PLWH), SuperAging (SA) in PLWH remains undefined. We aimed to establish neuropsychological criteria for SA in PLWH and examined clinically relevant correlates of SA.

The Misclassification of Medical Marijuana.

Marijuana has a complicated legal, social, and economic history in the United States, as well as an uncertain future. Marijuana has been consistently tied to racial minority groups since its arrival in the United States in the 1900s, and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions further propagated that notion. AG Sessions even recently wrote a memo that directly contradicted Obama-era policy, demonstrating that the current legal status of marijuana in both state and federal government is currently up for debate.

Posterior, Anterior, and Periurethral Surgical Reconstruction of Urinary Continence Mechanisms in Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy: A Description and Video Compilation of Commonly Performed Surgical Techniques.

Background: Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is hampered by side effects that may have a serious impact on quality of life, particularly stress urinary incontinence. Continence rates may be improved by surgical reconstruction of the pelvic floor.

Objective: Video illustrations of different surgical techniques may be particularly worthwhile for practicing urologists in understanding the pelvic-floor anatomy and in the training of residents and fellows in urology.

Ex Vivo Hyperspectral Autofluorescence Imaging and Localization of Fluorophores in Human Eyes with Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

To characterize fluorophore signals from drusen and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and their changes in age related macular degeneration (AMD), the authors describe advances in ex vivo hyperspectral autofluorescence (AF) imaging of human eye tissue. Ten RPE flatmounts from eyes with AMD and 10 from eyes without AMD underwent 40× hyperspectral AF microscopic imaging. The number of excitation wavelengths tested was initially two (436 nm and 480 nm), then increased to three (436 nm, 480 nm, and 505 nm).

Hemochromatosis (HFE) Gene Variants Are Associated with Increased Mitochondrial DNA Levels During HIV-1 Infection and Antiretroviral Therapy.

Some HIV-associated complications involve mitochondrial dysfunction and may be less common in individuals with iron-loading HFE (hemochromatosis gene) variants. We evaluated HFE 845A and 187G alleles in relation to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 85 individuals with HIV infection on uninterrupted antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 15 or more consecutive weeks. Carriers of HFE gene variants (N = 24) had significantly higher mtDNA levels than noncarriers (N = 61), after adjusting for age, race, sex, and type of ART [adjusted β-coefficient 297, p-value < .

Variability of Leg Kinematics during Overground Walking in Persons with Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury.

Incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) often leads to partial disruption of spinal pathways that are important for motor control of walking. Persons with iSCI present with deficits in walking ability in part because of inconsistent leg kinematics during stepping. Although kinematic variability is important for normal walking, growing evidence indicates that excessive variability may limit walking ability and increase reliance on assistive devices (AD) after iSCI.

Cancer screening information at community health fairs: What the participants do with information they receive.

Background: To assess participants' reasons for seeking cancer screening information at community health fairs and what they do with the information they receive.

Design And Methods: Mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was used. Community health fairs are organized in underserved New York City neighbourhoods.

Interventions and Outcomes in Patients with Infectious scleritis: A 10-Year Perspective.

: To identify interventional factors associated with improved visual results and faster time to resolution for patients with scleritis. : Retrospective study analyzing inciting factors, therapeutic modalities, and outcomes of patients with scleritis. : A total of 24 patients were analyzed; 22 were treated as outpatients.

Positive correlation between pesticide sales and central nervous system and cardiovascular congenital abnormalities in Brazil.

Background: This study investigated the association between pesticide exposure in Brazil (2005-2013) with rates of central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular system (CVS) congenital abnormalities in 2014.

Method: An exposure variable was established from data on production and sales of pesticides (kg) per crop area (ha) for 2012 and 2013 years. The Brazilian states were divided into three categories: high, medium, and low pesticide use and rate ratios were estimated for each group of states (CI: 95 %).