Evidence for sympathetic neural influence on human corneal epithelial function

Patients with unilateral Horner's syndrome were studied to determine the influence of sympathetic innervation on the structure and function of the human cornea. There was no difference in total corneal thickness, corneal oxygen uptake rate or corneal touch threshold between the normal and Horner's eyes of these patients. Epithelial thickness, however, was slightly but significantly greater in the Horner's eye than in the normal fellow eye (P less than 0.025). When subjected to a hypoxic "Stress Test", patients with post-ganglionic lesions showed significantly more epithelial greying and microcystic oedema (P less than 0.025 and P less than 0.01, respectively) and reported seeing smaller and brighter haloes in the Horner's eye. The cornea of the affected eye of these patients also showed a significantly shower rate of deswelling in the first hour following the "Stress Test" (P less than 0.05). These findings suggest that both in the resting state and when the cornea is physiologically challenged, the sympathetic nervous system and in particular, the terminal sympathetic neuron, has a small but significant influence on the human corneal epithelium.     

Immunohistochemistry of meningiomas including the angioblastic type

Immunohistochemical techniques were used to determine the intermediate filament content of normal arachnoidal cells, meningiomas (including the so-called hemangiopericytoma of the meninges), soft tissue hemangiopericytoma, and the normal pericyte. Arachnoid granulations and all types of meningioma stained similarly: positive for vimentin and variably positive for keratin. Soft tissue hemangiopericytomas and normal pericytes were negative for both vimentin and keratin. This suggests that the "hemangiopericytoma" of the meninges is a variant of meningioma and not of pericytic origin.     

The value of regular replacement of low water content contact lenses for extended wear

Adverse effects were evaluated in 48 myopic patients who wore low water content hydrogel lenses for an average of 48 +/- 19 weeks. Only one acute "red eye" occurred in the regular replacement group (2% of patients), whereas seven cases (15%) occurred in the non-replacement lens wearing eye. The major cause of clinical failure was giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC), but the incidence was similar in both the replaced (15%) and non-replaced (15%) lens wearing eyes. These findings indicate that the acute red eye incidence can be reduced by regular replacement, that unilateral lens replacement does not reduce the incidence of GPC and that regularly replacing low water content lenses does not minimize the chronic corneal changes that occur during extended wear.     

Health-related quality of life following percutaneous coronary intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic

Quality of Life Research - During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread public health measures were implemented to control community transmission. The association between these measures and...     

Clinical utility of PTSD,resilience, sleep,and blast as risk factors to predict poor neurobehavioral functioning following traumatic brain injury: A longitudinal study in U.S. military service members

Quality of Life Research - This study examined the clinical utility of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low resilience, poor sleep, and lifetime blast exposure as risk factors for predicting...     

Rapid,Full-Scale Change to Virtual PCIT During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implementation and Clinical Implications

Health agencies call for the immediate mobilization of existing interventions in response to numerous child and family mental health concerns that have arisen as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Answering this call, this pilot study describes the rapid, full-scale change from a primarily clinic-based Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) model to a virtual service model (i.e., I-PCIT) in an academic and community-based program in Miami, Florida. First, we describe the virtual service training model our program developed and its implementation with 17 therapists (M_Age?=?32.35, 88.2% female, 47.1% Hispanic) to enable our clinic to shift from providing virtual services to a small portion of the families served (29.1%) to all of the families served. Second, we examine the effect of I-PCIT on child and caregiver outcomes during the 2-month stay-at-home period between March 16, 2020, and May 16, 2020, in 86 families (M_ChildAge?=?4.75, 71% Hispanic). Due to the rapid nature of the current study, all active participants were transferred to virtual services, and therefore there was no comparison or control group, and outcomes represent the most recently available scores and not treatment completion. Results reveal that I-PCIT reduced child externalizing and internalizing problems and caregiver stress, and increased parenting skills and child compliance with medium to large effects even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the study examined components of our virtual service training model associated with the greatest improvements in child and caregiver outcomes. Preliminary findings revealed that locally and collaboratively developed strategies (e.g., online communities of practice, training videos and guides) had the strongest association with child and caregiver outcomes. Implications for virtual service delivery, implementation, and practice in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

     

Systemic inflammation response index predicts all-cause mortality in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis

International Urology and Nephrology - A systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) has been recently introduced as a tool for the assessment of the prognosis of several critical medical...     

Cardiovascular risk independently predicts small functional bladder storage capacity

International Urology and Nephrology - We aimed to determine the potential relationship between atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) score, which equates to 10-year risk of...