Objectives: How prevalent is drugged driving among Colorado drivers convicted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI)? What are the conviction rates of Colorado drivers charged with DUI, including ...impairment by marijuana's delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)? Is Colorado's THC permissible inference law effective? To answer these questions, this report analyzes data published primarily in appendices of Colorado drugged driving reports.
Methods: In 2017 Colorado began requiring annual analyses of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) offenses, including causes and judicial consequences of DUI offenses. These analyses are performed by the Division of Criminal Justice's Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) within the Department of Public Safety. Each analysis requires ORS to link toxicology and court data bases. Data linking enables reporting of charges and convictions by categories including alcohol only, THC only, and polydrug use (two or more drugs simultaneously). Reports have been published annually for 5 years, the latest published in 2023 which covers case filings for 2020.
Results: A rough estimate of one-half of the state's DUI filings were attributed to drug use and half were attributed to alcohol only. The largest component of drugged driving was polydrug impairment, rather than impairment by a single drug like THC. Conviction rates in 2020 were 91% for alcohol only, 90% for polydrug cases, and 72% for THC only. Blood drug levels and law structure (per se, permissible inference, DUI definition) affected conviction rates significantly by defendant subsets. THC conviction rates in 2020 ranged from 11% to 100%, depending on blood drug levels and the legal charges.
Conclusions: Efforts to educate the public about the dangers of drugged driving should emphasize polydrug impairment, not simply THC impairment. States should analyze data on causes and consequences of DUI arrests to understand what their drugged driving problems are and what they are not. Non-zero drug per se levels and defining DUI as "incapable of safe driving" can severely reduce the effectiveness of DUI laws.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading yet preventable causes of childhood blindness worldwide. The purpose of this review is to provide a practical template for observational and ...treatment methods in order to reduce the overall incidence of any ROP and to improve both short-term and long-term outcomes once Type 1 ROP (treatable ROP) develops.
Chitosan has been proposed as a novel excipient for transepithelial drug-delivery systems. Chitosan is thought to disrupt intercellular tight junctions, thus increasing the permeability of an ...epithelium. The effect of chitosan on tight junction complex was investigated at the molecular level.
Changes in barrier properties of Caco-2 cell monolayers, including transepithelial electrical resistance and permeability to horseradish peroxidase (HRP), were assessed in response to chitosan treatment. Changes in subcellular localization of the tight junction proteins zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) and occludin by immunofluorescence and Western blotting of cellular fractions were also assessed.
Chitosan was found to cause a dose-dependent reduction in transepithelial electrical resistance of Caco-2 monolayers of up to 83%. A corresponding increase in horseradish peroxidase permeability of up to 18 times greater than the control was also observed across the monolayer. Immunofluorescent localization of ZO-1 revealed loss of membrane-associated ZO-1 from discrete areas. Analysis of cellular fractions revealed a dose-dependent loss of ZO-1 and occludin from the cytosolic and membrane fractions into the cytoskeletal fraction. These changes did not occur because of chitosan-mediated ATP depletion.
Chitosan-mediated tight junction disruption is caused by a translocation of tight junction proteins from the membrane to the cytoskeleton.
Purpose:
To propose a working framework for patients with inherited eye diseases presenting to ophthalmologists who are interested in assisted reproductive technology and preimplantation genetic ...testing.
Methods:
Retrospective chart review and case series of three families with inherited eye diseases who successfully underwent preimplantation genetic testing, in vitro fertilization, and birth of unaffected children.
Results:
Preimplantation genetic testing was performed for three families with different inherited eye diseases, which included autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa, autosomal recessive achromatopsia, and X-linked Goltz syndrome. Preimplantation genetic testing led to the identification of unaffected embryos, which were then selected for in vitro fertilization and resulted in the birth of unaffected children.
Conclusion:
A close collaboration between patients, families, ophthalmologists, reproductive genetic counselors, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists is the ideal model for taking care of patients interested in preimplantation genetic testing for preventing the transmission of inherited eye diseases.
Optogenetics is defined as the combination of genetic and optical methods to induce or inhibit well-defined events in isolated cells, tissues, or animals. While optogenetics within ophthalmology has ...been primarily applied towards treating inherited retinal disease, there are a myriad of other applications that hold great promise for a variety of eye diseases including cellular regeneration, modulation of mitochondria and metabolism, regulation of intraocular pressure, and pain control. Supported by primary data from the authors’ work with in vitro and in vivo applications, we introduce a novel approach to metabolic regulation, Opsins to Restore Cellular ATP (ORCA). We review the fundamental constructs for ophthalmic optogenetics, present current therapeutic approaches and clinical trials, and discuss the future of subcellular and signaling pathway applications for neuroprotection and vision restoration.
•Optogenetics can be broadly applied within ophthalmology to treat retinal degenerative disease, promote cellular regeneration, modulate mitochondria and metabolism, regulate intraocular pressure, and facilitate pain control.•Several optogenetic techniques can be applied to treat ophthalmic disease. The current tools and approaches are reviewed in detail including the potential target cells and sub-cellular targets.•Exciting advancements have been made in the clinical utility of ophthalmic optogenetics. Here we outline the details of several clinical trials underway to bring this technology to patients.
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