Purpose: To study the prevalence and time of onset of ocular complications in intermediate uveitis (IU) and to assess their effects on visual outcome in short-term and long-term follow-up.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients with IU who had a minimal follow-up of one year.
Results: 96 patients (174 eyes, 70% females) were included with a mean age at presentation of 30 years. Children constituted 38% of all patients. Mean follow- up was 64.9 months. Pars planitis was the most common form followed by sarcoidosis and multiple sclerosis. Cystoid macular edema (CME), cataract, epiretinal membrane and posterior synechiae were the most prevalent complications. Posterior synechiae, band keratopathy, cataract and papillitis at presentation were associated with worse presenting visual acuity (VA). Of the late-onset complications, glaucoma/ocular hypertension (OHT) was the most significantly associated with worse long-term VA. Most sight-threatening complications (namely CME and glaucoma) were diagnosed at presentation while late complications predominantly affected the posterior segment and included among others peripheral retinal elevations, vasoproliferative tumors, and vitreous hemorrhage. Median LogMAR VA improved at short-term and long-term follow-up, from 0.2 to 0.1 (p<0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed significant VA improvement for eyes with all the different complications except for eyes with glaucoma/OHT.
Conclusion: IU is a chronic low-grade uveitis that may be associated with protean early and late complications of the anterior or posterior segments or both. Optimal treatment regimens are imperative for the strict control of inflammation and proper management of complications thus allowing a favorable long-term prognosis. 相似文献
Resistin is an immunometabolic mediator that is elevated in several inflammatory disorders. A ligand for Toll-like receptor 4, resistin modulates the recruitment and activation of myeloid cells, notably neutrophils. Neutrophils are major drivers of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, in part due to the release of human neutrophil elastase- and myeloperoxidase-rich primary granules, leading to tissue damage. Here we assessed the relationship of resistin to CF lung disease.
Methods
Resistin levels were measured in plasma and sputum from three retrospective CF cohorts spanning a wide range of disease. We also assessed the ability of neutrophils to secrete resistin upon activation in vitro. Finally, we constructed a multivariate model assessing the relationship between resistin levels and lung function.
Results
Plasma resistin levels were only marginally higher in CF than in healthy control subjects. By contrast, sputum resistin levels were very high in CF, reaching 50–100 fold higher levels than in plasma. Among CF patients, higher plasma resistin levels were associated with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and higher sputum resistin levels were associated with CF-related diabetes. Mechanistically, in vitro release of neutrophil primary granules was concomitant with resistin secretion. Overall, sputum resistin levels were negatively correlated with CF lung function, independently of other variables (age, sex, and genotype).
Conclusions
Our data establish relationships between resistin levels in the plasma and sputum of CF patients that correlate with disease status, and identify resistin as a novel mechanistic link between neutrophilic inflammation and lung disease in CF. 相似文献
Investigation of hyperpolarized substrate metabolism has been showing utility in real‐time determination of in‐cell and in vivo enzymatic activities. Intracellular reaction rates may vary during the course of a measurement, even on the very short time scales of visibility on hyperpolarized MR, due to many factors such as the availability of the substrate and co‐factors in the intracellular space. Despite this potential variation, the kinetic analysis of hyperpolarized signals typically assumes that the same rate constant (and in many cases, the same rate) applies throughout the course of the reaction as observed via the build‐up and decay of the hyperpolarized signals. We demonstrate here an acquisition approach that can null the need for such an assumption and enable the detection of instantaneous changes in the rate of the reaction during an ex vivo hyperpolarized investigation, (i.e. in the course of the decay of one hyperpolarized substrate dose administered to a viable tissue sample ex vivo). This approach utilizes hyperpolarized product selective saturating‐excitation pulses. Similar pulses have been previously utilized in vivo for spectroscopic imaging. However, we show here favorable consequences to kinetic rate determinations in the preparations used. We implement this acquisition strategy for studies on perfused tissue slices and develop a theory that explains why this particular approach enables the determination of changes in enzymatic rates that are monitored via the chemical conversions of hyperpolarized substrates. Real‐time changes in intracellular reaction rates are demonstrated in perfused brain, liver, and xenograft breast cancer tissue slices and provide another potential differentiation parameter for tissue characterization. 相似文献
In 2011, Israel instituted financial incentives as part of a larger program to attract doctors to residency programs in peripheral hospitals.
Objective
To explore the impact of these incentives and related changes on the choices of locations for residency training in Israel.
Methods
We performed (A) an analysis of administrative data on the location of all new medical residencies in 2005–2014 (B) an internet/phone survey of residents who began specialty training in 2013–2014, with a response rate of 71%.
Results
(A) Of all entrants to residency training programs in Israel, those in peripheral hospitals constituted 16–20% in 2005–2010, 19% in 2011, 23% in 2012, and 23% in 2013; the increase consisted predominantly of physicians who were graduates of non-Israeli medical schools (B) About half of all residents in the periphery reported that the incentives contributed to their choice of residency location. About 40% of that group also reported that they had planned already in medical school to practice in the periphery, while 60% of that group (30% of all residents in the periphery) did not have such plans prior to medical school. About 70% of the residents in peripheral hospitals grew up in the periphery; for the southern periphery this was 40% and for the northern periphery this was 80%.
Conclusions
The changes instituted in 2011 apparently affected residency location preferences for a non-negligible proportion of young physicians, particularly among those who grew up in the periphery. Policymakers should consider combining targeted incentives with measures to increase the supply of physicians who grew up in the periphery. 相似文献
Diaphanospondylodysostosis (DSD) is a rare autosomal recessive skeletal disorder, characterized mainly by ossification defects in vertebrae, thorax malformations, renal cystic dysplasia and usually death in the perinatal period. DSD is caused by mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein-binding endothelial regulator (BMPER) gene. We describe the prenatal findings of a non-consanguineous Jewish couple (shared Balkan origin), with three affected fetuses that presented with malformations in the spine and chest, reduced ossification of the skull and spine, horseshoe kidney and increased nuchal translucency. The unique combination of these ultrasound (US) features raised the possibility of DSD, which was confirmed by whole exome sequencing (WES) performed on a single fetal DNA and familial segregation. In the three fetuses, a novel homozygous mutation in BMPER (c.410T?>?A; p.Val137Asp) was found. This mutation, which segregated in the family, was not found in 65 controls of Jewish Balkan origin, and in several large databases. Taken together, the combination of a detailed prenatal US examination and WES may be highly effective in confirming the diagnosis of a rare genetic disease, in this case DSD. 相似文献
Young ultra-Orthodox women in Israel have been faced in recent years with a greater risk of developing disordered eating, as they are more exposed to Westernized norms of the thin-body ideal, self-realization, and personal choice. Most are treated by mainstream Israeli psychotherapists who likely have different value systems and different perspectives on the nature of the illness, aims of treatment, and recovery. Ultra-Orthodox psychotherapists may well experience a conflict between a need to be loyal to their patients and a concomitant need to honor the values of patients’ families and the community from which they come. The current article presents a theoretical background and four case studies highlighting the complexities and controversies inherent in the treatment of these women. We conclude that both ultra-Orthodox and mainstream secular psychotherapists must be knowledgeable in regard to both Judaism and psychology, and be flexible, creative, and emphatic to all parties, to arrive at a compromised definition of recovery that can be accepted by the patient, her family, and her community. 相似文献
BACKGROUND: Placement of dental implants is considered a successful and predictable procedure. An important biological benefit is the preservation of bone height following implantation. The purpose of this study was to examine the cervical bone loss (CBL) and its correlation with implant characteristics and anatomic factors, 1 to 8 years post-implantation of immediate and delayed implants. METHODS: A total of 381 implants (144 immediate and 237 delayed) were placed in 44 edentulous patients (53 jaws) for fixed ceramometal restoration from 1989 to 1996. The mean mesial and distal cervical bone resorption of each implant was measured using panoramic radiographs, by an objective examiner using a computerized scanner before second stage surgery and 1 to 8 years (mean 3.5 years) follow-up. The length of the implant served as an internal standard. The examiner had no prior information on the examined implants. RESULTS: Total CBL was 0.78 +/- 1.22 mm. There was a significant difference (P = 0.049) between CBL of immediate implants compared to delayed ones. Implants > 13 mm showed a significantly (P < 0.001) lower CBL than shorter implants. Hydroxyapatite-coated implants had a higher CBL (P < 0.001) compared to commercially pure titanium implants (P < 0.001). The CBL of maxillary implants was higher than mandibular implants (P < 0.001). Step-wise multiple regression pr.obability tests demonstrated that implant location followed by coating, length, and timing of placement were the most important parameters for implant success (R2 = 0.102). CONCLUSION: Cervical bone loss around dental implants is influenced by location, coating, length, and implant timing. 相似文献