Ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence in age-related macular degeneration.

Background: Establish accuracy and reproducibility of subjective grading in ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and determine if an association exists between peripheral FAF abnormalities and AMD.

Methods: This was a prospective, single-blinded case-control study. Patients were consecutively recruited for the study.

Malnutrition Predicts Infectious and Wound Complications Following Posterior Lumbar Spinal Fusion.

Study Design: A retrospective review of data collected prospectively by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP).

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between preoperative hypoalbuminemia, a marker for malnutrition, and complications during the 30 days following posterior lumbar fusion surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Malnutrition is a potentially modifiable risk factor that may contribute to complications following spinal surgery.

Adenosine triphosphate is released during injurious mechanical ventilation and contributes to lung edema.

Background: Extracellular nucleotides mediate many cellular functions and are released in response to mechanical stress in vitro. It is unknown whether adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is released in vivo during mechanical ventilation (MV). We hypothesized that stress from high-pressure MV would increase airway ATP, contributing to MV-associated lung edema.

Prenatal diagnosis using fetal cells from the maternal circulation.

Current prenatal diagnosis relies on invasive methods such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Because these methods carry a low, but finite risk of pregnancy loss, noninvasive genetic screening techniques are the focus of intense research. Isolating fetal cells from maternal blood for genetic analysis is the least invasive method currently being investigated.