Meldgaardputnam1759

d for eyes at FS prior to the occurrence of LMH or FRD. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51574-582.].

To investigate the effect of patient sex on presentation and outcomes of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).

Retrospective chart review cohort study of 188 eyes with BRVO and cystoid macular edema (CME); 81 treatment-naïve eyes were selected for subgroup analysis.

Males had better visual acuity (VA) in the BRVO eye at baseline compared to females (log-MAR 0.49 ± 0.47 vs. 0.62 ± 0.53; P = .04); this was not present at the final visit (males 0.41 ± 0.40 vs. females 0.59 ± 0.60; P = .10). In treatment-naïve eyes, both sexes had similar VA at baseline (males 0.42 ± 0.29 vs. JAK drugs females 0.59 ± 0.46; P = .09); however, at the final visit, males had better VA compared to females (0.38 ± 0.43 vs. 0.66 ± 0.67; P = .03). On average, males received more anti-VEGF injections when adjusting for follow-up (P = .04).

Significant sex differences in VA and treatment of eyes with BRVO and CME were noted. Further investigation is needed to understand sex differences in eyes with BRVO and CME. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51564-572.].

Significant sex differences in VA and treatment of eyes with BRVO and CME were noted. Further investigation is needed to understand sex differences in eyes with BRVO and CME. link2 [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51564-572.].

To determine the risk factors associated with developing proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) from combat ocular injuries in U.S. service members.

Retrospective review of associated risk factors and outcomes of PVR within the Walter Reed Ocular Trauma Database. Ocular injuries in U.S. service members wounded during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2001 to 2011 were assessed, and of these all cases of PVR were studied. Principal outcome measures were the risk factors associated with PVR development and rate of final visual acuity (VA) less than 20/200.

Eight hundred ninety eyes of 651 U.S. service members were evaluated. A total of 76 eyes (8.5%) of 66 patients developed PVR. Five patients had bilateral PVR. Nineteen patients had bilateral eye injuries. Sixty-one eyes (80.2%) had a final VA less than 20/200. PVR was found to be a significant risk factor for a poor final VA (P < .001). Retinal detachment (RD) was found in 52 eyes (68.4%) of patients. In patients with a RD, intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) (P < .001), unsuccessful repair (P = .002), and macular hemorrhage (P = .04) were significant risk factors for the development of PVR. Time to initial retina surgery was not found to be a risk factor for PVR development (P = .5). Time to initial retina surgery was available in 41 patients and the time to surgery on average was 22.56 days (range 3 to 87 days).

PVR occurs frequently in combat trauma and is a significant cause of poor final VA. In patients with PVR and RD, injuries caused by an IOFB, macular hemorrhage, or unsuccessful repair were significant risk factors for the development of PVR. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51556-563.].

PVR occurs frequently in combat trauma and is a significant cause of poor final VA. In patients with PVR and RD, injuries caused by an IOFB, macular hemorrhage, or unsuccessful repair were significant risk factors for the development of PVR. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51556-563.].

To evaluate the surgical outcomes of epiretinal membrane (ERM) associated with combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (CHRRPE) after vitrectomy and membrane peel.

A retrospective review of 15 patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling. link3 No plasmin enzyme was used.

The mean age at surgery was 10 years old, with an average follow-up of 5.7 years. The average preoperative visual acuity (VA) was 20/514. The average postoperative VA was 20/138 (P = .0251) at 1-year follow-up and 20/89 (P = .0025) on the latest exam on final follow-up. VA was improved in 14 patients (93%) and deteriorated in one patient (7%). All 15 patients (100%) had improvement of retinal/macular anatomy postoperatively.

In the treatment of patients with ERM due to CHRRPE, vitrectomy with membrane peeling without plasmin injection can result in improved VA and retinal structure. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51546-554.].

In the treatment of patients with ERM due to CHRRPE, vitrectomy with membrane peeling without plasmin injection can result in improved VA and retinal structure. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51546-554.].The authors present their concerns surrounding data presented in studies from 2018 and 2020 regarding very low dose bevacizumab for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51542-544.].Translocation and long-distance transport of phytohormones are considered important processes for phytohormone responses, as well as their synthesis and signaling. Here, we report on the dual function of OsSWEET3a, a bidirectional sugar transporter from clade I of the rice SWEET family of proteins, as both a gibberellin (GA) and a glucose transporter. OsSWEET3a efficiently transports GAs in the C13-hydroxylation pathway of GA biosynthesis. Both knockout and overexpression lines of OsSWEET3a showed defects in germination and early shoot development, which were partially restored by GA, especially GA20. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR, GUS staining and in situ hybridization revealed that OsSWEET3a was expressed in vascular bundles in basal parts of the seedlings. OsSWEET3a expression was co-localized with OsGA20ox1 expression in the vascular bundles but not with OsGA3ox2, whose expression was restricted to leaf primordia and young leaves. These results suggest that OsSWEET3a is expressed in the vascular tissue of basal parts of seedlings and is involved in the transport of both GA20 and glucose to young leaves, where GA20 is possibly converted to the bioactive GA1 form by OsGA3ox2, during early plant development. We also indicated that such GA transport activities of SWEET proteins have sporadically appeared in the evolution of plants GA transporters in Arabidopsis have evolved from sucrose transporters, while those in rice and sorghum have evolved from glucose transporters.

Patients with HIV (PWH) can present with new or worsening symptoms associated with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection shortly after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation as MAC immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (MAC-IRIS). In this study, we assessed the utility of several laboratory tests as predictors of MAC-IRIS.

PWH with clinical and histologic and/or microbiologic evidence of MAC-IRIS were identified and followed up to 96 weeks post-ART initiation within a prospective study of 206 ART-naïve patients with CD4 <100 cells/µL.

Fifteen (7.3%) patients presented with MAC-IRIS within a median interval of 26 days after ART initiation. Patients who developed MAC-IRIS had lower BMI, lower hemoglobin levels, a higher alkaline phosphatase and increased CD38 frequency and MFI on CD8 + T-cells, at the time of ART initiation compared to non-MAC IRIS patients. A decision tree inference model revealed that stratifying patients based on levels of alkaline phosphatase and D-dimer could predict the likelihood of MAC-IRIS. A binary logistic regression demonstrated that higher levels of alkaline phosphatase at baseline were associated with increased risk of MAC-IRIS development.

High alkaline phosphatase levels and increased CD8 + T-cell activation with low CD4 counts at ART initiation should warrant suspicion for subsequent development of MAC-IRIS.

High alkaline phosphatase levels and increased CD8 + T-cell activation with low CD4 counts at ART initiation should warrant suspicion for subsequent development of MAC-IRIS.

It is well known that green tea made from fully developed leaves located at the base of young shoots is of lower quality than that made from the still developing leaves located on the top of the shoot. It has additionally been shown that plant shading can significantly improve green tea quality. Here, we aimed to get more insight into the effects of shading on the overall metabolome in different parts of the tea shoots. To do this, field-grown tea plants were shaded by coverage with either a straw layer or a black net, both blocking the daylight intensity for more than 90%. Both the first (i.e. still developing) leaf and the fourth (i.e. fully developed) leaf, as well as the stem of young shoots were harvested and subjected to complementary untargeted metabolomics approaches, using accurate mass LC-Orbitrap-Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) for profiling both semi-polar and lipid-soluble compounds and GC-TOF-MS for profiling polar compounds. In total, 1419 metabolites were detected. Shading resulted in a decreased ratio of polyphenols to amino acids (which improves the quality of green tea) and lower levels of galloylated catechins in the shoots. The positive effect of shading on the amino acid/catechin ratio was more pronounced in the fully developed (fourth) than in the developing (first) leaves. Furthermore, many metabolites, especially organic acids, carbohydrates and amino acids, showed differential or opposite responses to the shading treatments between the three shoot tissues investigated, suggesting a within-plant spatial regulation or transport/redistribution of carbon and nitrogen resources between the tissues of the growing young shoots. This work provides new insight into the spatial effects of shading on tea plants, which could further help to increase tea quality by improving cultivation measures for plant shading.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued emergency use authorization (EUA) of convalescent plasma (CP) for the treatment of COVID-19 hospitalized patients based on a non-peer reviewed open label observational study. Issuance of an EUA without a proven randomized control trial (RCT) sets a dangerous precedent since the premature action drives health care providers and patients away from RCTs that are essential for determining the efficacy and safety of CP. More caution should have been taken based on what was learned from the recently rescinded EUA of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine debacle which was approved initially based on an anecdotal report. The FDA approval process for determining efficacy and safety must be based solely on data from RCTs to sustain public and professional trust for future treatment or vaccine efforts to be successful.Social determinants of health, including poverty, contribute significantly to health outcomes in the United States; however, their impact on pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes is poorly understood. We aimed to identify the association between neighborhood poverty and HCT outcomes for pediatric allogeneic HCT recipients in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database. We assembled 2 pediatric cohorts undergoing first allogeneic HCT from 2006 to 2015 at age ≤18 years, including 2053 children with malignant disease and 1696 children with nonmalignant disease. Neighborhood poverty exposure was defined a priori per the US Census definition as living in a high-poverty ZIP code (≥20% of persons below 100% federal poverty level) and used as the primary predictor in all analyses. Our primary outcome was overall survival (OS), defined as the time from HCT until death resulting from any cause. Secondary outcomes included relapse and transplantation-related mortality (TRM) in malignant disease, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, and infection in the first 100 days post-HCT.