Risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to medical staff and patients from an exposure to a COVID-19-positive ophthalmologist.

Purpose: To evaluate the risk of transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after exposure to a COVID-19+ physician in a retina clinic.

Methods: A retrospective observational study. Records of 142 patients and 11 staff members from a single retina clinic that were exposed to a COVID-19+ ophthalmologist were reviewed.

The effect of the implementation of institutional checklist on expert opinion of oxytocin use in labor.

Purpose: Oxytocin is a commonly used drug in the labor and delivery unit. There are wide variations in oxytocin use between countries and medical centers, which may reflect the lack of structured guidelines. The aim of our study was to evaluate the need of oxytocin checklist in labor and delivery unit, while assessing the management of oxytocin with and without such a checklist.

Cannabis and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Narrative Review With Considerations of Benefits and Harms.

Despite substantial controversies concerning patients' reports of benefits from cannabis for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and inconsistent research findings regarding its efficacy and adverse risks, some states have already recognized PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis. Consequently, medical cannabis can also be provided for patients with complex PTSD who experience additional posttraumatic symptoms of affective dysregulation, negative perception of the self, and difficulties in relationships due to a history of repetitive trauma. In this article, we explore cannabis use in relation to benefits versus harms that might occur relative to specific complex PTSD symptoms and comorbidities.

A 12-month prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of using the treat-and-extend regimen with intravitreal aflibercept as a Second-Line Treatment for Diabetic Macular Oedema (the TADI Study).

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept as a second-line therapy in eyes with persistent diabetic macular oedema (DMO) despite receiving initial bevacizumab treatment.

Methods: A prospective multicentre study was conducted in nine academic clinics in Israel. Starting from the first follow-up visit, a treat-and-extend regimen was applied in which the treatment intervals were extended by 2 weeks based on macular thickness using SD-OCT.

Response of ophthalmologists in Israel to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has evolved into a formidable healthcare crisis. Ophthalmologists are at daily personal risk of acquiring and transmitting the virus. Implementation of official practical and protective guidelines can be challenging and is often absent.

Prematurity as a Risk Factor of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children Younger Than Two Years: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Study Objectives: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a highly prevalent condition affecting 2% to 4% of children. However, the prevalence and characteristics of SDB in children younger than 2 years and the effect of prematurity as a risk factor remains unclear.

Methods: Children younger than 24 months referred for PSG at two medical centers between the years 2014 to 2018 were included in this retrospective analysis.

Microwaves from mobile phone induce reactive oxygen species but not DNA damage, preleukemic fusion genes and apoptosis in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.

Exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) has been associated with the increased risk of childhood leukemia, which arises from mutations induced within hematopoietic stem cells often through preleukemic fusion genes (PFG). In this study we investigated whether exposure to microwaves (MW) emitted by mobile phones could induce various biochemical markers of cellular damage including reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA single and double strand breaks, PFG, and apoptosis in umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells including CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. UCB cells were exposed to MW pulsed signals from GSM900/UMTS test-mobile phone and ROS, apoptosis, DNA damage, and PFG were analyzed using flow cytometry, automated fluorescent microscopy, imaging flow cytometry, comet assay, and RT-qPCR.

Protein Kinase A-Mediated Suppression of the Slow Afterhyperpolarizing KCa3.1 Current in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Brain insults, such as trauma, stroke, anoxia, and status epilepticus (SE), cause multiple changes in synaptic function and intrinsic properties of surviving neurons that may lead to the development of epilepsy. Experimentally, a single SE episode, induced by the convulsant pilocarpine, initiates the development of an epileptic condition resembling human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Principal hippocampal neurons from such epileptic animals display enhanced spike output in response to excitatory stimuli compared with neurons from nonepileptic animals.

Recurrent intrauterine growth restriction: characteristic placental histopathological features and association with prenatal vascular Doppler.

Purpose: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, carrying a 20% recurrence rate. The placental disease is a cardinal factor among IUGR underlying processes. This study describes placental histopathological features (HPf) characteristic of recurrent IUGR (rIUGR) and assesses association with antenatal Doppler studies.

Evaluation of antioxidant treatments for the modulation of macrophage function in the context of retinal degeneration.

Purpose: Oxidative stress and macrophages have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atrophic and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (aAMD and nvAMD). It is unclear whether oxidative injury mediates macrophage involvement in AMD. We aimed to investigate the effect of antioxidant treatments on human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDMs) from patients with AMD in models for the disease.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes following a proactive peripartum multidisciplinary management protocol for placenta creta spectrum as compared to the urgent delivery.

Background: Adherent and invasive placenta, termed Placenta Creta Spectrum (PCS), is associated with increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Incidence and risk factors for Placenta Creta are on the rise and call to optimize the obstetric care for this condition.

Objectives: We sought to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes between a ProActive Peripartum Multidisciplinary Approach (PAMA) as compared to the urgent management of the Placenta Creta Spectrum patients.

Platelet-derived growth factor activates nociceptive neurons by inhibiting M-current and contributes to inflammatory pain.

Endogenous inflammatory mediators contribute to the pathogenesis of pain by acting on nociceptors, specialized sensory neurons that detect noxious stimuli. Here, we describe a new factor mediating inflammatory pain. We show that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB applied in vitro causes repetitive firing of dissociated nociceptor-like rat dorsal root ganglion neurons and decreased their threshold for action potential generation.

Risk factors, early and late postpartum complications of retained placenta: A case control study.

Objectives: To identify risk factors and complications associated with 3 stage of labor removal of placental fragments (3 SRPF) by manual uterine revision under a strict protocol.

Study Design: Ten years retrospective register-based cohort study of vaginal deliveries. Women with 3 SRPF n = 3297 (exposed) and those without n = 97,888 (non exposed) were compared.

Severe bupropion XR abuse in a patient with long-standing bulimia nervosa and complex PTSD.

Objective: Although abuse of bupropion to achieve euphoria or a stimulant-like effect has been described in the literature, to our knowledge abuse of bupropion XR to control binge eating and reduce appetite by a patient with eating disorder has not been previously reported.

Method: We report the case of a 22-year-old woman with bulimia nervosa and complex PTSD who abused bupropion XR to doses that at peak reached 3,000-4,500 mg/day. She suffered from adverse effects including headaches, tachycardia, anxiety, insomnia, and, finally, grand mal seizures.

Combined bacteriophages and antibiotics as an efficient therapy against VRE Enterococcus faecalis in a mouse model.

Clinical applications of bacteriophage therapy have been recently gathering significant attention worldwide, used mostly as rescue therapy in cases of near-fatal antibiotic failure. Thus, clinically relevant in-vivo models presenting both short- and long-term implications of phage therapy given as rescue treatment for fulminant infections are of highest importance. In this study, a cocktail consisting of two lytic bacteriophages was used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of phage therapy as a rescue treatment for severe septic peritonitis in a mouse model.

Differential contributions of Ca -activated K channels and Na /K -ATPases to the generation of the slow afterhyperpolarization in CA1 pyramidal cells.

In many types of CNS neurons, repetitive spiking produces a slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP), providing sustained, intrinsically generated negative feedback to neuronal excitation. Changes in the sAHP have been implicated in learning behaviors, in cognitive decline in aging, and in epileptogenesis. Despite its importance in brain function, the mechanisms generating the sAHP are still controversial.

The history and promising future of phage therapy in the military service.

The continuous evolvement of bacterial resistance to most, if not all, available antibiotics is a worldwide problem. These strains, frequently isolated from military-associated environments, have created an urgent need to develop supplementary anti-infective modalities. One of the leading directions is phage therapy, which includes the administration of bacteriophages, viruses that specifically target bacteria, as biotherapies.

Students as anatomy near-peer teachers: a double-edged sword for an ancient skill.

Background: A near-peer instructors (NPI) program was designed for 1st year medical students who successfully finished the Anatomy course, in order to develop their didactic ability and teaching skills, mostly for cadaver dissection.

Methods: Graduates of the training program were administered a voluntary survey at the end of the program, annually. Best graduates of the training program were offered a NPI position in the next academic year.

Epidural analgesia at trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC): a significant adjunct to successful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).

Introduction: Epidural analgesia has been considered a risk factor for labor dystocia at trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) and uterine rupture. We evaluated the association between exposure to epidural during TOLAC and mode of delivery and maternal-neonatal outcomes.

Materials And Methods: A single center retrospective study of women that consented to TOLAC within a strict protocol between 2006 and 2013.

Prevalence of bruxism and temporomandibular disorders among orphans in southeast Uganda: A gender and age comparison.

Objectives: The aims of the current study were: (1) to assess the prevalence of oral habits, bruxism, and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) among children living in Uganda; (2) to establish whether parafunctional activities are associated with TMDs; and (3) to examine the possible impact of gender and age on the prevalence of bruxism, oral habits, and TMDs.

Methods: This study included 153 children aged 6-17 years. The study consisted of a questionnaire and a clinical examination.

Prediction value of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) serum levels and antral follicle count (AFC) in hormonal contraceptive (HC) users and non-HC users undergoing IVF-PGD treatment.

Use of hormone contraceptives (HC) is very popular in the reproductive age and, therefore, evaluation of ovarian reserve would be a useful tool to accurately evaluate the reproductive potential in HC users. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 41 HC users compared to 57 non-HC users undergoing IVF-preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) aiming to evaluate the effect of HC on the levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), small (2-5 mm), large (6-10 mm) and total antral follicle count (AFC) and the ability of these markers to predict IVF outcome. Significant differences in large AFC (p = 0.

Proangiogenic characteristics of activated macrophages from patients with age-related macular degeneration.

Macrophages were previously implicated in the pathogenesis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD). It is unclear if a specific macrophage phenotype is associated with nvAMD, and if macrophages from nvAMD patients are more pathogenic as compared with controls. To address these issues, we evaluated macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes of nvAMD patients and age-matched controls.