376 research outputs found
Geographic variations in microbial keratitis: an analysis of the peer-reviewed literature
No full textThe epidemiology of microbial keratitis has been investigated in several studies by analysis of organisms cultured from corneal scrapes. However, a comparison of the frequency of different organisms causing keratitis in different parts of the world is lacking. The authors present a review incorporating an analysis of data from studies worldwide. The data provide a comparison of the frequency of culture-positive organisms found in different parts of the world. Associations between a country's gross national income and types of causative organism are explored. The highest proportion of bacterial corneal ulcers was reported in studies from North America, Australia, The Netherlands and Singapore. The highest proportion of staphylococcal ulcers was found in a study from Paraguay, while the highest proportion of pseudomonas ulcers was reported in a study from Bangkok. The highest proportions of fungal infections were found in studies from India and Nepal. The Spearman correlation coefficient demonstrated statistically significant correlations between gross national income and percentages of bacterial (0.85 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.91, p<0.0001)), fungal (–0.81 (95% CI ?0.90 to ?0.66, p<0.0001)) and streptococcal (?0.43 (95% CI ?0.66 to ?0.12, p=0.009)) isolates
Is the incidence of dementia declining?
No full textAction on preventative health could lower the risk of dementia for future generations, argues this report.
Executive summary
The world-wide projections of the prevalence of dementia in the coming decades have been a source of great concern to health systems and societies around the world. The World Alzheimer Report 2010 estimated that there were 36 million people with dementia in 2010, with an expected doubling every 20 years to nearly 115 million in 2050. These sobering figures are based on assumptions that the age-adjusted prevalence of dementia would remain constant and the population would continue to age at the current rate.
The assumption that the incidence of dementia will remain stable is now being put into question. There is emerging evidence to suggest that the incidence of dementia in older individuals may be declining. It appears that this change may be recent and has possibly occurred only in the last one to two decades. It may also be restricted so far to high income countries, although data from low and middle income countries are lacking.
The reasons for this change are not understood, but education, more stimulating environments and better control of vascular risk factors may have contributed. The data are still preliminary and more studies are needed to establish the extent of this change and understand its causes. It should be noted that the decline is not large enough to offset the increase in prevalence of dementia due to the ageing of the population and therefore investment and efforts to develop better treatments and care for people with dementia need to continue.
The fact that dementia rates are malleable is an encouraging finding but the reduction cannot be taken for granted as gains in population health can easily be lost if societies do not remain vigilant and continually proactive. These preliminary findings provide a strong argument for large scale Government investment in dementia-prevention strategies, which should start from early life
Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev model as Liouville quantum mechanics
No full textAbstractWe show that the proper inclusion of soft reparameterization modes in the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev model of N randomly interacting Majorana fermions reduces its long-time behavior to that of Liouville quantum mechanics. As a result, all zero temperature correlation functions decay with the universal exponent ∝τ−3/2 for times larger than the inverse single particle level spacing τ≫NlnN. In the particular case of the single particle Green function this behavior is manifestation of the zero-bias anomaly, or scaling in energy as ϵ1/2. We also present exact diagonalization study supporting our conclusions
Extracellular vesicles from mouse trophoblast cells: effects on neural progenitor cells and potential participants in the placenta-brain Axis
No full textThe fetal brain of the mouse is thought to be dependent upon the placenta as a source of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) and other factors. How factors reach the developing brain remains uncertain but are postulated here to be part of the cargo carried by placental extracellular vesicles (EV). We have analyzed the protein, catecholamine, and small RNA content of EV from mouse trophoblast stem cells (TSC) and TSC differentiated into parietal trophoblast giant cells (pTGC), potential primary purveyors of 5-HT. We have examined how exposure of mouse neural progenitor cells (NPC) to EV from either TSC or pTGC affect their transcriptome profiles. The EV from TB cells contained relatively high amounts of 5-HT, as well as dopamine and norepinephrine, but there were no significant differences between EV derived from pTGC and from TSC. Content of miRNA and small nucleolar (sno)RNA, however, did differ according to EV source, and snoRNA were upregulated in EV from pTGC. The primary inferred targets of the miRNA from both pTGC and TSC were mRNA enriched in the fetal brain. NPC readily internalized EV, leading to changes in their transcriptome profiles. Transcripts regulated were mainly ones enriched in neural tissues. The transcripts in EV-treated NPC that demonstrated a likely complementarity with miRNA in EV were mainly up- rather than down-regulated, with functions linked to neuronal processes. Our results are consistent with placenta-derived EV providing direct support for fetal brain development and being an integral part of the placenta-brain axis.This is a manuscript of an article published as Jessica A Kinkade, Arun S Seetharam, Shrikesh Sachdev, Nathan J Bivens, Brett S Phinney, Gabriela Grigorean, R Michael Roberts, Geetu Tuteja, Cheryl S Rosenfeld, Extracellular vesicles from mouse trophoblast cells: effects on neural progenitor cells and potential participants in the placenta-brain Axis, Biology of Reproduction, 2023;, ioad146, https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioad146. © The Author(s) 2023. Posted with permission
Improvement in Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Following Multiwavelength Photobiomodulation Treatment – Case Report
No full textAbstract Introduction Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a condition where fluid build-up accumulates underneath the retina, resulting in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) detachment and vision loss. Irreversible retinal functional and anatomical changes are possible consequences. Research into novel strategies to aid in recovery are of interest. Photobiomodulation (PBM) uses light wavelengths to improve cellular function and shows positive effects in several conditions including those with edema. Methods This prospective case report details a 39-year-old woman with CSCR. Multiwavelength PBM treatment was initiated with the Valeda® Light Delivery System. A series of treatment included nine sessions delivered over 3–5 weeks. Follow-up treatments were conducted. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measures were taken. The patient has been followed for approximately 1 year. Results The patient presented with blurred vision and a BCVA score of 65 letters in the left eye. After 3 weeks of observation, the patient’s vision had further declined two lines on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart to 55 letters. Fluorescein angiography was performed, confirming CSCR diagnosis, and PBM was initiated. PBM treatment improved BCVA and fluid build-up in the RPE within 1 week of treatment (three treatment sessions). Following the full series of treatment (nine PBM treatment sessions), fluid was completely resolved and BCVA scored at 80 letters. The patient had a repeat PBM treatment series ~ 6 months later and has shown stable vision and no fluid present on OCT scan. The patient was seen again ~ 1 year later with continued stable vision and no fluid detection. Conclusions PBM is a non-invasive treatment option that may provide benefit in CSCR to resolve fluid build-up, macular change, and vision loss. Research into PBM as an immediate treatment option for CSCR, especially those with chronic presentations or those posed to have irreversible damage, is warranted to confirm effectiveness
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