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PURPOSE Autologous serum tears (AST) contain growth factors and vitamins similar to those in healthy tears and are an effective treatment option for ocular surface disease. This study determined the differences in composition of AST in patients with systemic diseases versus patients with localized ocular surface diseases and the effects on ocular surface symptom improvement. METHOD An observational study was performed on 53 patients with either systemic diseases (Group I) or localized ocular surface diseases (Group II) who were prescribed AST. Concentrations of epidermal growth factor (EGF), interleukin 8 (IL-8), fibronectin, vitamin A, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined through ELISA assays from patients in both groups. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores were calculated prior to and 6 weeks after initiation of treatment with AST for new patients. RESULTS The average concentration of EGF in Group I (29.39 pg/ml ± 52.85 pg/ml) was significantly lower than in Group II (88.04 pg/ml ±113.75 pg/ml) (p  less then  0.05). Levels of fibronectin, IL-8, and vitamin A were similar in both groups. There was a 24% reduction in OSDI score 6 weeks after initiation in Group I compared to a 36% reduction reported in Group II (p = 0.065). The OSDI score was reduced significantly after the treatment in all subjects (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION Serum tears are a promising therapy for management of ocular surface disease and associated symptoms. The differences between levels of EGF in patients with localized ocular surface disease and systemic inflammatory disease may account for differences in therapeutic outcome. OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to present the clinical characteristics of aetiological and risk factors of ischemic stroke (IS) in young adults in order to provide reference to the early prevention and management. SF2312 PATIENTS AND METHODS Data of young IS patients aged 18-50 years who were admitted to our tertiary stroke center were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic and clinical characteristics, and risk factors/aetiologies were assessed. Differences of clinical characteristics between the young (18-34 years) and old (35-50 years) age groups were investigated. RESULTS 343 consecutive inpatients were recruited (mean age 43.8 years). 40 patients (11.7 %) were in the young age group. The prevalence of smoking, diabetes and hypertension accounted for 49.0 %, 24.8 % and 36.2 % respectively, with higher rates in old age group (all p  less then  0.05). Hyperlipidemia and drinking took up 34.4 % and 45.2 %, with no statistical difference between age groups. 56 patients (16.3 %) were in the "large-artery atherosclerosis" category, and higher percentage of patients was in the old age group (17.8 % vs 5.0 %, p  less then  0.05). 9.9 % of the patients were classified as the "cardioembolism category, and higher percentage of patients was in the young age group (20.0 % vs 8.6 %, p  less then  0.05). 46 patients (13.4 %) were diagnosed as small vessel occlusion, with similar prevalence in the young and old age group. 15 patients (4.6 %) had other determined causes and 192 patients (56.0 %) were due to undetermined cause. CONCLUSION the traditional vascular risk factors are frequent and increases with age in young stroke. Further investigation on the 'rare' risk factor and etiology would beneficial. V.The framework for developmental toxicity testing has remained largely unchanged for over 50 years and although it remains invaluable in assessing potential risks in pregnancy, knowledge gaps exist, and some outcomes do not necessarily correlate with clinical experience. Advances in omics, in silico approaches and alternative assays are providing opportunities to enhance our understanding of embryo-fetal development and the prediction of potential risks associated with the use of medicines in pregnancy. A workshop organised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), "Predicting the Safety of Medicines in Pregnancy - a New Era?", was attended by delegates representing regulatory authorities, academia, industry, patients, funding bodies and software developers to consider how to improve the quality of and access to nonclinical developmental toxicity data and how to use this data to better predict the safety of medicines in human pregnancy. The workshop delegates concluded that based on comparative data to date alternative methodologies are currently no more predictive than conventional methods and not qualified for use in regulatory submissions. To advance the development and qualification of alternative methodologies, there is a requirement for better coordinated multidisciplinary cross-sector interactions coupled with data sharing. Furthermore, a better understanding of human developmental biology and the incorporation of this knowledge into the development of alternative methodologies is essential to enhance the prediction of adverse outcomes for human development. The output of the workshop was a series of recommendations aimed at supporting multidisciplinary efforts to develop and validate these alternative methodologies. Phthalates are commonly used plasticizers and additives that are found in plastic containers, children's toys and medical equipment. Phthalates are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals and exposure to phthalates has been associated with several human health risks including reproductive defects. Most studies focus on a single phthalate; however, humans are exposed to a mixture of phthalates daily. We hypothesized that prenatal exposure to an environmentally relevant phthalate mixture would lead to changes in uterine morphology and function in mice in a multi-generational manner. To test this hypothesis, pregnant CD-1 dams were orally dosed with vehicle or a phthalate mixture (20 μg/kg/day, 200 μg/kg/day, 200 mg/kg/day, and 500 mg/kg/day) from gestational day 10.5 to parturition. The mixture contained 35 % diethyl phthalate, 21 % di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, 15 % dibutyl phthalate, 15 % diisononyl phthalate, 8% diisobutyl phthalate, and 5% benzylbutyl phthalate. The F1 pups were maintained and mated to produce two more generations (F2 and F3).