Robinsoncampbell3594

PURPOSE To evaluate the use of the VAO adaptive optics visual simulator (Voptica SL, Murcia, Spain) for customization of spherical aberration to increase depth of focus. METHODS Through-focus visual acuity with both high- and low-contrast letters from +1.00 to -3.00 diopters (D) was measured in 17 dilated eyes with three different induced amounts of spherical aberration for a 4.5-mm pupil diameter control (0 µm), -0.15 µm, and -0.30 µm. RESULTS The defocus curves followed the same behavior with both values of contrast, but the visual acuity was 0.2 logMAR lower with low contrast. The mean values of high-contrast logMAR visual acuity at far, intermediate (67 cm), and near (40 cm) were -0.10, 0.11, and 0.37 for control, 0.04, 0.00, and 0.15 for -0.15 µm, and 0.23, 0.00, and 0.06 for -0.30 µm conditions. The 95% confidence interval ranged from ±0.14 to ±0.45 logMAR and the middle 50% of the distribution was approximately 0.2 logMAR. CONCLUSIONS Negative values of spherical aberration extend the depth of focus in different ways depending on each patient. The VAO is a new instrument that allows the visual customization of spherical aberration to enhance depth of focus. [J Refract Surg. 2020;36(4)223-229.]. Copyright 2020, SLACK Incorporated.PURPOSE To evaluate and compare the objective and subjective outcomes between bilateral implantation of the extended depth of focus (EDOF) Mini Well intraocular lens (IOL) and the aspheric monofocal Mini-4-Ready IOL (both SIFI S.p.A., Catania, Italy). METHODS This prospective comparative study included 25 patients (50 eyes) bilaterally implanted with an EDOF Mini Well IOL (EDOF group) and 25 patients (50 eyes) bilaterally implanted with a Mini-4-Ready IOL (monofocal group). Three-month follow-up data included corrected and uncorrected distance visual acuity at 4 m and 80, 67, and 40 cm. Defocus curves, subjective and objective contrast sensitivity, and objective optical quality (modulation transfer function cutoff and Strehl ratio calculated with Optical Quality Analysis System [OQAS]; Visiometrics SL, Terrassa, Spain), halometry, and reading performance were measured. Subjective visual quality was evaluated based on National Eye Institute Refractive Error Quality of Life Instrument 42 (NEI RQL-42) scores. REnofocal IOL implantation while maintaining similar levels of visual quality, except for halo perception. [J Refract Surg. 2020;36(4)214-222.]. Copyright 2020, SLACK Incorporated.Genome architecture is a complex, multidimensional property of an organism defined by the content and spatial organization of the genome's component parts. Comparative study of entire genome architecture in model organisms is shedding light on mechanisms underlying genome regulation, evolution, and diversification; but such studies require costly analytical approaches which make extensive comparative study impractical for most groups. However, lower-cost methods that measure a single architectural component (e.g., distribution of one class of repeats) have potential as a new data source for evolutionary studies insofar as that measure correlates with more complex biological phenomena, and for which it could serve as part of an explanatory framework. We investigated copy number variation (CNV) profiles in ribosomal DNA (rDNA) as a simple measure reflecting the distribution of rDNA subcomponents across the genome. We find that signatures present in rDNA CNV profiles strongly correlate with species boundaries inity Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. Antineoplastic and I inhibitor For permissions, please email journals.permissions@oup.com.Desiccation tolerance is a developmental program enabling seed survival in a dry state and is common in seeds categorized as orthodox. We focused on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and its phosphorylated form (NADP) because their continual switching between reduced (NAD(P)H) and oxidized (NAD(P)+) forms is involved in the modulation of redox signaling and the determination of the reducing power and further antioxidant responses. Norway maple and sycamore seeds representing the orthodox and recalcitrant categories, respectively, were used as models in a comparison of responses to water loss. The process of desiccation up to 10% water content (WC) was monitored in Norway maple seeds, while dehydration up to 30% WC was monitored in desiccation-sensitive sycamore seeds. Norway maple and sycamore seeds, particularly their embryonic axes, exhibited a distinct redox status during dehydration and desiccation. High NADPH levels, NAD+ accumulation, low and stable NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+ ratios expressed as reducing power, and high NADPH-dependent enzyme activity were reported in Norway maple seeds and were considered attributes of orthodox type seeds. The contrasting results of sycamore seeds contributed to their low antioxidant capacity and high sensitivity to desiccation. NADPH deficiency, low NADPH-dependent enzyme activity and lack of NAD+ accumulation were primary features of sycamore seeds, with implications for their NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+ ratios and reducing power and with effects on many seed traits. Thus, we propose that the distinct levels of pyridine nucleotides and their redox status contribute to orthodox and recalcitrant phenotype differentiation in seeds by affecting cellular redox signaling, metabolism and the antioxidant system. © The Author(s) 2020. link2 Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email journals.permissions@oup.com.INTRODUCTION Behavioral economic purchase tasks are used to estimate the reinforcing value of drugs by asking participants how much they would purchase across a range of increasing prices. We sought to validate such a task for e-cigarettes in experienced users of advanced-generation, tank-style devices. METHODS Dual users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes (N=54) and exclusive e-cigarette users (N=59) attended one session during which they completed assessments including two versions of the E-Cigarette Purchase Task one that asked how many puffs of their e-cigarette they would purchase in 24hr at varying prices and one that asked how many milliliters (mLs) of e-liquid they would purchase. We correlated purchase task outcomes with other measures of e-cigarette use. We also compared the tasks across dual and exclusive users. RESULTS Indices derived from the mLs-based task were more likely to be correlated with self-reported use rates, e-cigarette dependence, and cotinine levels than the puffs-based task. Exclusive hat participants struggle to place monetary value on a unit of consumption (i.e., puffs). Validated measures of e-cigarette reinforcement will be important as researchers and regulators determine which features of these products contribute to reinforcing efficacy. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.Phylogeny, molecular sequences, fossils, biogeography, and biome occupancy are all lines of evidence that reflect the singular evolutionary history of a clade, but they are most often studied separately, by first inferring a fossil-dated molecular phylogeny, then mapping on ancestral ranges and biomes inferred from extant species. Here we jointly model the evolution of biogeographic ranges, biome affinities, and molecular sequences, while incorporating fossils to estimate a dated phylogeny for all of the 163 extant species of the woody plant clade Viburnum (Adoxaceae) that we currently recognize in our ongoing worldwide monographic treatment of the group. Our analyses indicate that while the major Viburnum lineages evolved in the Eocene, the majority of extant species originated since the Miocene. Viburnum radiated first in Asia, in warm, broad-leaved evergreen (lucidophyllous) forests. Within Asia we infer several early shifts into more tropical forests, and multiple shifts into forests that experience prolopon, the inclusion of fossil biome data. It will be critical to take advantage of all available lines of evidence to decipher events in the distant past. The joint estimation approach developed here provides cautious hope even when fossil evidence is limited. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email journals.permissions@oup.com.BACKGROUND In human blood, mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are abundant T cells, which recognize antigens presented on non-polymorphic major histocompatibility complex-related 1 (MR1) molecules. MAIT cells are activated by mycobacteria, and prior human studies indicate that blood frequencies of MAIT cells, defined by cell surface markers, decline during TB disease, consistent with redistribution to the lungs. METHODS We tested whether frequencies of blood MAIT cells were altered in patients with TB disease relative to healthy Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-exposed controls from Peru and South Africa. We quantified their frequencies using MR1 tetramers loaded with 5-(2-oxopropylideneamino)-6-D-ribitylaminouracil (5-OP-RU). RESULTS Unlike findings from prior studies, frequencies of blood MAIT cells were similar among TB-disease patients, latent and uninfected controls. In both cohorts, frequencies of MAIT cells defined by MR1-tetramer staining and co-expression of CD161 and the T cell receptor alpha variable gene TRAV1-2 were strongly correlated. Disease severity captured by body mass index or TB disease transcriptional signatures did not correlate with MAIT cell frequencies in TB patients. DISCUSSION MR1-restrictied MAIT cells are detected at similar levels with tetramers or surface markers. link3 Unlike MHC-restricted T cells, blood frequencies of MAIT cells are poor correlates of TB disease, but may play roles in pathophysiology. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.BACKGROUND Previous pilot studies have shown the feasibility of preoperative chemotherapy in patients with medulloblastoma, but benefits and risks compared with initial surgery have not been assessed. METHODS Two therapeutic strategies were retrospectively compared in 92 patients with metastatic medulloblastoma treated at Gustave Roussy, France, between 2002 and 2015 surgery at diagnosis (n=54; group A) and surgery delayed after carboplatin and etoposide-based neoadjuvant therapy (n=38; group B). Treatment strategies were similar in both groups. RESULTS The rate of complete tumor excision was significantly higher in group B than in group A (93.3% versus 57.4%, p=0.0013). Post-operative complications, chemotherapy-associated side effects and local progressions were not increased in group B. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy led to a decrease in the primary tumor size in all patients, 4/38 patients experiencing meanwhile a distant progression. The histological review of 19 matched tumor pairs (before and after chemotherapy) showed that proliferation was reduced and histological diagnosis feasible and accurate even after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The 5-year progression-free and overall survival rates were comparable between groups. Comparison of the longitudinal neuropsychological data showed that intellectual outcome tended to be better in group B (the mean predicted intellectual quotient value was 6 points higher throughout the follow-up). CONCLUSION Preoperative chemotherapy is a safe and efficient strategy for metastatic medulloblastoma. It increases the rate of complete tumor excision and may improve the neuropsychological outcome without jeopardizing survival. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology.