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Purpose To test if relaxin deficiency affects ocular structure and function we investigated expression of relaxin (Rln) and RXFP receptors (Rxfp1, Rxfp2), and compared ocular phenotypes in relaxin gene knockout (Rln-/-) and wild type (Rln+/+) mice.Materials and Methods Rln, Rxfp1 and Rxfp2 mRNA expression was detected in ocular tissues of Rln+/+ mice using RT-PCR. The eyes of 11 Rln-/- and 5 Rln+/+ male mice were investigated. Corneal and retinal thickness was assessed using optical coherence tomography. Intraocular pressure was measured using a rebound tonometer. Retinal, choroidal and sclera morphology and thickness were evaluated histologically. Eyes were collected and fixed for immunofluorescence staining or used for RNA extraction to evaluate mRNA expression using real-time PCR.Results Rln mRNA was expressed only in the retina, whereas Rxfp1 transcripts were detected in the retina, cornea and sclera/choroid. Rxfp2 was only present in the cornea. None of these genes were expressed in the lacrimal gland, eand fluid transport between cells.Background While the etiology of rosacea is multifactorial, it is not surprising that treatment has been controversial. Pulsed dye laser (PDL) has been successfully used to treat vascular components of rosacea. Ivermectin 1% cream is an emerging treatment of rosacea.Objective To provide a comprehensive clinical and dermatoscopic comparative study between the efficacy and safety of pulsed dye laser alone versus its combination with topical ivermectin 1% in the treatment of rosacea.Materials and methods Thirty Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (n = 15) treated with 585 nm PDL, and group B (n = 15) treated with 585 nm PDL and topical ivermectin 1% cream. All patients received four laser treatments with a 4-week interval. The efficacy of treatment was assessed by photographs and dermoscopic photomicrographs at baseline and 3 months after the final treatment. The patient's level of satisfaction was also recorded.Results At the 3-month follow-up, group B induced better clinical improvement than group A. However, this difference was not significant. No serious adverse events were observed in either treatment group.Conclusion This study supports the efficacy of PDL treatment for patients with rosacea. PDL could be more effective when combined with ivermectin 1% cream.Purpose Permanent or temporary speech loss can occur due to a variety of medical conditions and often requires individuals to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies and technologies to support communication. The use of AAC in medical and rehabilitation settings is critical to ensure the health, safety and psychological well-being of communicatively vulnerable individuals.Method This study surveyed the perceived importance of communication messages within five categories (Basic Needs, Patient-Provider Specific Communication, Social, Feelings, and Messages for Young Children) by individuals with disability who have undergone recent medical care as well as by rehabilitation care providers.Results Results indicated that, with only a few exceptions, participants with disability more frequently selected all of the messages listed under the Patient-Provider Specific, Social, and Feelings categories compared to rehabilitation care providers' responses. Additionally, the individuals with disabmunication options for individuals in medical settings.Objective The current study sought to explore audiologists' use of the Ida Institute Motivation Tools to help them identify clients' readiness for change within initial assessment appointments.Design The study involved a mixed methods intervention design. Data were collected pre- and post-training audiologists to use the Ida Motivation tools in their appointments. Appointments were video-recorded and analysed using conversation analysis. Clients and audiologists also completed questionnaires within each appointment to measure clients' readiness-for-change.Study sample Participants included 5 audiologists and 22 adult clients from two Audiology clinics.Results Audiologists incorporated the Ida Motivation tools into the post-training appointments without a significant increase in appointment time. The Ida tools solicited responses from clients that displayed their ambivalence regarding hearing rehabilitation/aids within their talk. Post-training, audiologists' perceptions of clients' stage of readiness were not significantly more likely to match clients' self-reported stage on the URICA.Conclusions The Ida Motivation tools may be useful to solicit clients' ambivalent feelings towards hearing rehabilitation/aids, however, it is important for audiologists to actively listen for ambivalence within clients' interactional responses to the tools in order judge clients' readiness.Purpose to compare the posture-related intraocular pressure (IOP) changes in pseudo-exfoliation glaucoma (PXFG) and in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients using the EyeOP, a novel Goldmann Applanation Tonometer (GAT) and to investigate the effect of ab externo trabeculectomy on these changes.Methods Prospective, non-randomized, controlled, observational study.IOP was measured in sitting and in left lateral decubitus positions (LLDP), using GAT, GAT-EyeOP and Tonopen XL. Main Outcome Measure Posture-related IOP differences between groups.Results Thirty-two eyes of 32 PXFG patients (21 non-operated, 11 post-trabeculectomy) and 47 eyes of 47 POAG patients (18 non-operated, 29 post-trabeculectomy) were included. Among non-operated patients, the average increase in GAT IOP between positions (∆IOP) was 2&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.86&nbsp;mmHg for the PXFG group and 1.9&nbsp;±&nbsp;2.84&nbsp;mmHg for the POAG group (P =&nbsp;.87). The ∆IOP among operated patients (1.72&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.9) was slightly less than in non-operated (1.6&nbsp;±&nbsp;2.69; P =&nbsp;.905). Generally, in the LLDP, the mean difference between GAT and Tonopen XL IOP measurements was 1.9&nbsp;±&nbsp;3.83&nbsp;mmHg (r&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.643; P less then &nbsp;.001). A similar correlation was demonstrated between tonometers when measured in the sitting position.Conclusions Both PXFG and POAG patients have increased IOP in LLDP as compared to an upright position, with no statistically significant difference between groups. Trabeculectomy had no significant effect on the ∆IOP.Abbreviations PXFG pseudo-exfoliation glaucoma; POAG primary open-angle glaucoma; IOP intraocular pressure; GAT goldmann applanation tonometer; LLDP left lateral decubitus position; ∆IOP average increase in IOP between positions; TM trabecular meshwork; CCT central corneal thickness; MMC Mitomycin C.Abdominal and pelvic adhesions are common post-operative complications. Despite new medical technologies, these adhesions are appearing to be unavoidable and little is known about their causation; for example, why certain patients/or tissues are more prone to adhesions. There have been no clinical studies about increasing the risk adhesions in obese patients, but there is some evidence about the molecular mechanisms involving visceral fat (VF) that may lead to profibrotic conditions. VF is an endocrine/inflammatory organ which produces many biologically active molecules such as adipokines and inflammatory cytokines. Inflammatory conditions, oxidative stress, and the expression some fibrotic molecules in the VF may induce pathological conditions in the abdominal cavity that predispose to the formation of fibrotic bands.Gene therapy for airway diseases requires efficient delivery of nucleic acids to the airways. In small animal models, gene delivery reagents are commonly delivered as a bolus dose. However, large animal models are often more relevant for the transition from preclinical studies to human trials. Aerosolizing viral vectors to the lungs of large animals can maximize anatomical distribution. Here, we describe a technique for aerosolization of viral vectors to the airways of newborn pigs. Briefly, a pig is anesthetized and intubated with an endotracheal tube, and a microsprayer is passed through the endotracheal tube. A fine mist is then sprayed into the distal trachea. Widespread and uniform distribution of transgene expression is critical for developing successful lung gene therapy treatments.Objective The objective of the mapping project was to develop an expert derived map between the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) clinical modifications (CM) and the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) to be able to relate AIS severity to ICD coded data road traffic collision data in EU datasets. The maps were developed to enable the identification of serious AIS3+ injury and provide details of the mapping process for assumptions to be made about injury severity from mass datasets. This article describes in detail the mapping process of the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes to the Abbreviated Injury Scale 2005, Update 2008 (AIS08) codes to identify injury with an AIS severity of 3 or more (AIS3+ severity) to determine 'serious' (MAIS3+) road traffic injuries.Methods Over 19,000 ICD codes were mapped fromident there were 'problem' codes that could not be easily mapped to an AIS code to reflect severity. Problem maps affect the specificity of the map and severity when used to translate historical data in large datasets.Conclusions The Association for the Advancement in Automotive Medicine, AAAM-endorsed expert-derived map offers a unique tool to road safety researchers to establish the number of MAIS3+ serious injuries occurring on the roads. The detailed process offered in this paper will enable researchers to understand the decision making and identify limitations when using the AIS08/ICD map on country-specific data. The results could inform protocols for dealing with problem codes to enable country comparisons of MAIS3+ serious injury rates.This study examines the convergent validity of the substantive scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) in the Veteran Affairs (VA) population. The sample includes test protocols drawn from all administrations of the MMPI-2-RF or MMPI-2 entered into the electronic medical record system between January 1, 2008 and May 31, 2015 at any VA across the United States. After excluding invalid protocols, substantive scale scores were correlated with external measures of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder if they were administered within |14| days of the MMPI-2/-RF. Results supported the convergent validity of the MMPI-2-RF emotional dysfunction domain scores. Discriminant validity for the remaining MMPI-2-RF substantive scale scores was also adequate. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.Species of the genus Trichoderma are filamentous fungi commonly used in research, industry and agriculture. Trichoderma reesei strains are prominent producers of cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes as well as being expression hosts; several other species such as T. atroviride might be exploited as biocontrol agents. A careful preparation of Trichoderma inocula, which consists mainly of conidia (asexual spores), is of immense importance. Conidia concentration is still mostly determined with the help of a hemocytometer; however, as a more accurate and time-saving alternative, absorbance can be used to estimate fungal spore counts. We established a spectrophotometric method for fast and reliable preparation of Trichoderma inocula by evaluating the effect of size, shape and pigmentation of the conidia at different wavelengths.