Clemonsballard3040

Five patients developed an anastomotic leak (two CHD and three non-CHD) of which two were clinical; all were managed conservatively. There was no case of recurrent fistula. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study did not find evidence that thoracoscopic EA repair compromised outcomes in children with congenital heart disease. A prospective multicenter study with long-term follow-up is recommended to confirm whether thoracoscopic repair in CHD is truly equivalent to the open operation. TYPE OF STUDY Therapeutic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III. PURPOSE One in 5000 newborns is diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease each year in the United States. The potential of employing neural crest stem cells to restore the enteric nervous system has been investigated. Skin-derived precursor cells (SKPs) are multipotent progenitor cells that can differentiate into neurons and gliocytes in vitro and generate enteric ganglion-like structures in rodents. Here we examined the behavior of human SKPs (hSKPs) after their transplantation into a large animal model of colonic aganglionosis. METHODS Juvenile minipigs underwent a chemical denervation of the colon to establish an aganglionosis model. The hSKPs were generated from human foreskin and were cultured in neuroglial-selective medium. Cells were labeled with a fluorescent dye and were injected into the porcine aganglionic colon. After one week, transplanted hSKPs were assessed by immunofluorescence for markers of multipotency and neuroglial differentiation. RESULTS In culture, hSKPs expressed nestin and S100b indicative of neuroglial precursors. After xenografting in pigs, hSKPs were identified in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses of the colons. The hSKPs expressed nestin and early neuroglial differentiation markers. CONCLUSIONS Human SKPs transplanted into aganglionic colon demonstrated immunophenotypes of neuroglial progenitors, suggesting their potential use for Hirschsprung disease. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Women now comprise half of medical students in Canada yet continue to be underrepresented in general radiology and its subspecialties. The underrepresentation of women in interventional radiology is even more profound. The literature has suggested various factors that might contribute to this gender disparity, including a lack of role models and mentors, exposure during early medical training, and decisions regarding work-life balance. This article explores the gender disparity among Canadian interventional radiologists, highlights the attrition of women through their radiology training, and discusses recruitment strategies to increase diversity in this rewarding field. OBJECTIVE To explore segmentation errors, image quality, and motion-associated artifacts in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM). METHODS This is a prospective observational study. We included 39 eyes affected by ERM and 40 eyes from age-matched healthy subjects. Optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCT-A) was performed in both groups. Segmentation was automatically performed by intergraded software. Ataluren purchase Segmentation was regarded as inaccurate if either border deviated from the correct plane by more than 50 μm. Presence of motion artifacts (blink lines, displacement, stretch artifacts, quilting, vessel doubling) and image quality index were reported. RESULTS Quality index score was 7.2 ± 0.9 for the ERM patients. Phakic eyes with ERM had quality index score of 7.71 ± 1.06, and pseudo-phakic eyes with ERM had a quality index score of 7.32 ± 0.85 (p = 0.22). Motion artifacts were 1.22 ± 0.7 in the study cohort. Segmentation was accurate in all healthy subjects (n = 40). Segmentation errors occurred in 64.1% of ERM patients. The inner plexiform layer was the segmentation boundary most prone to inaccurate segmentation, followed by the internal limiting membrane. Segmentation of retinal pigment epithelial layer was accurate in 96.7% of all cases. CONCLUSIONS OCT-A image quality cannot be accurately reproduced in pathological conditions, such as in ERM patients, and is prone to motion artifacts and segmentation errors. Incorrect segmentation results in anatomically incorrect en-face OCT-A images and subsequently in false quantification measures. OBJECTIVES To report on the 2003-2013 trends in sociodemographics, financial support, and use of vision care benefits by visually impaired (VI) individuals in the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). DESIGN Retrospective analysis. PARTICIPANTS ODSP recipients with a VI diagnosis from 2003 to 2013. METHODS ODSP administrative data were analyzed. VI diagnoses were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes. Diabetes was excluded and then included as part of the VI definition. RESULTS Per 100 000 population, the age-standardized number of VI recipients increased from 35 in 2003 to 39 (p less then 0.05) in 2013 when diabetes was excluded from the analyses. The mean age of VI recipients increased from 43 to 46 years. Females and married/common-law status consistently represented 42% and 23% of VI individuals, respectively. The financial value of in-kind benefits (e.g., providing shelter cost) and "cash" assistance grew in parallel over the 11 years. The total financial support in 2013 Canadian dollars increased from 81 million dollars in 2003 to 102 million dollars in 2013. Use of ODSP-provided vision care benefits ranged from 0.6% to 1.9% for eye examinations and eyeglasses, from 0.3% to 0.8% for optical visual aids, and from 3.4% to 4.2% for guide dogs. Results were strongly similar when diabetes was included in the analyses. CONCLUSIONS The ODSP-supported VI recipients and related financial support increased significantly from 2003 to 2013. The ODSP-provided vision care benefits were seldom used. Studies are needed to understand reasons for the reported increased number of VI recipients and the low use of vision care benefits. OBJECTIVE To characterize the total intraocular aqueous humour antibody profiles in cases receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) for retinal vascular disease compared with controls without retinal pathology. DESIGN Cross-sectional. PARTICIPANTS 93 aqueous humour samples 22 eyes undergoing cataract surgery (controls) and 71 eyes receiving intravitreal injections (IVI) (cases) for macular edema or neovascularization. METHODS Antibody isotyping of aqueous humour was performed using Milliplex MAP Human Isotyping Multiplex Assay. Cases and controls were compared for several outcome measures. RESULTS The primary outcome measure was total mean antibody isotype concentration quantified in the aqueous humour. Secondary outcomes included comparing aqueous humour concentrations with visual acuity, number of IVI received, type of anti-VEGF agent injected, and persistence intra-/subretinal fluid post injection. Mean immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations in cases were 19-fold higher compared with controls.