To assess the association of the vitreomacular interface with outcomes of eyes treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
...Prospective cohort study within a multicenter, randomized clinical trial.
Patients enrolled in the Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (CATT).
Treatment was assigned randomly as either ranibizumab or bevacizumab and as 3 different regimens for dosing over a 2-year period. Masked readers at a reading center assessed optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans at baseline and follow-up for vitreomacular traction (VMT) and vitreomacular adhesion (VMA), fluid, and central thickness. Visual acuity (VA) was measured by masked, certified examiners.
Anatomic features and VA at baseline and 1 and 2 years and number of treatments.
At baseline, 143 patient eyes (12.8%) had VMT or VMA. Compared with those with neither (n = 972), patients with VMT or VMA were younger (mean ± standard error, 75.5 ± 0.6 vs. 79.7 ± 0.24 years; P < 0.0001) and more likely to be male (52.4% vs. 36.2%; P = 0.0003), to be cigarette smokers (68.5% vs. 55.3%; P = 0.003), and to have subretinal fluid on OCT (86.7% vs. 81.0%; P = 0.047). Vitreomacular interface status was not associated with VA at baseline or follow-up. Among eyes treated as needed (n = 598) and followed up for 2 years (n = 516), the mean number of injections was 15.4 ± 0.9 for eyes having VMT at baseline or during follow-up (n = 60), 13.8 ± 0.7 for eyes with VMA at baseline or follow-up (n = 79), and 12.9 ± 0.4 (P = 0.02) for eyes without VMT or VMA (n = 377). In addition, the mean number of injections in eyes treated as needed increased from 13.0 ± 0.3 when VMT was not observed to 13.6 ± 1.3 when observed once and to 17 ± 1.2 when observed more than once during follow-up. At 2 years, geographic atrophy developed in a lower percentage of eyes with VMT or VMA at baseline (11.7%) than with neither condition (22.5%; P = 0.005).
In eyes in the CATT, VMT and VMA were infrequent. At baseline and follow-up, VMT or VMA were not associated with VA. Eyes with VMT or VMA treated as needed required on average 2 more injections over 2 years.
It is well known that Fe-N-C catalysts reach a significantly better ORR activity in alkaline compared to acidic electrolyte. This advantage makes the material of interest for application in alkaline ...fuel cells. Beside this, for Pt/C catalyst it is known that the performance in acid can be significantly enhanced through ionic liquid modification following the Solid Catalysts with Ionic Liquid Layer (SCILL) concept. In our current study we combine both advantages and investigate for two Fe-N-C catalysts prepared either with or without sulfur in the precursor mixture the effect of IL modification. The unmodified catalysts are characterized using X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), 57Fe Mößbauer and Raman spectroscopy as well as N2 sorption. The electrochemical behavior of the unmodified catalyst and with different pore-filling degrees of ionic liquid (IL) is analysed with respect to double layer capacitance, ORR activity and stability in accelerated stress tests mimicking the load-cycle conditions.
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•Modification of two types of Fe-N-C catalysts by an ionic liquid.•IL modification leads to improved activity and stability for a sulfur-free catalyst.•Strong correlation between the double layer capacitance and the activity.
Background Ophthalmologists are commonly asked to interpret appearance of retinal hemorrhages (RH) in children with suspected traumatic head injury. We sought to determine the natural history of RH ...in young children with head trauma and to identify patterns suggestive of chronicity in order to help establish timing of suspected traumatic injury. Methods The medical records of children <2 years of age with abusive or accidental head trauma and RH on initial fundus examination who had 1 or more follow-up examination were retrospectively reviewed. Types of RH (intraretinal, preretinal) were noted; intraretinal hemorrhage (IRH) severity was graded as mild (0-10), moderate (10-20), or severe (>20, too numerous to count TNTC). Results A total of 91 eyes of 52 children were studied. All eyes had IRH (62 eyes with TNTC). In all but one eye, IRH resolved to none or mild within 1-2 weeks. TNTC IRH did not persist beyond a few days. The longest an isolated IRH persisted was 32 days. Preretinal hemorrhage (PRH) was present in 68 eyes, persisting 5-111 days. On initial examination, 25% of eyes had only IRH, 75% both PRH and IRH; no eyes had only PRH. At 2 weeks, 3% had only IRH, 18% both, and 45% only PRH. In no eyes did RH worsen. Conclusions IRH clears rapidly, whereas PRH may persist for many weeks. The presence of TNTC IRHs indicates that trauma occurred within a few days prior to examination, whereas the presence of PRH with no or few IRHs suggests days to weeks since trauma. To accurately identify these patterns, eye examinations should be completed as soon as possible after admission, preferably within 24-48 hours.
Ionic liquid (IL) can significantly boost the ORR performance of Fe-N-C electrocatalysts, and the IL boosting effect can be well maintained and gets even more pronounced at elevated operating ...temperatures.
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•The presence of IL can significantly boost the ORR performance of Fe-N-C catalysts.•The IL boosting effect gets more pronounced relative to that at room temperature.•The filling behavior of IL was studied using combined N2 and water vapor sorption.
Modifying solid catalysts with an ionic liquid layer is an effective approach for boosting the performance of both Pt-based and non-precious metal catalysts toward the oxygen reduction reaction. While most studies operated at room temperature it remains unclear whether the IL-associated boosting effect can be maintained at elevated temperature, which is of high relevance for practical applications in low temperature fuel cells. Herein, Fe-N-C catalysts were modified by introducing small amounts of hydrophobic ionic liquid, resulting in boosted electrocatalytic activity towards the alkaline oxygen reduction reaction at room temperature. It is demonstrated that the boosting effect can be maintained and even strengthened when increasing the electrolyte temperature up to 70 °C. These findings show for the first time that the incorporation of ionic liquid is a suited method to obtain advanced noble metal-free electrocatalysts that can be applied at operating temperature condition.
Allergic rhinitis is the most common clinical presentation of allergy, affecting 400 million people worldwide, with increasing incidence in westernized countries
. To elucidate the genetic ...architecture and understand the underlying disease mechanisms, we carried out a meta-analysis of allergic rhinitis in 59,762 cases and 152,358 controls of European ancestry and identified a total of 41 risk loci for allergic rhinitis, including 20 loci not previously associated with allergic rhinitis, which were confirmed in a replication phase of 60,720 cases and 618,527 controls. Functional annotation implicated genes involved in various immune pathways, and fine mapping of the HLA region suggested amino acid variants important for antigen binding. We further performed genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses of allergic sensitization against inhalant allergens and nonallergic rhinitis, which suggested shared genetic mechanisms across rhinitis-related traits. Future studies of the identified loci and genes might identify novel targets for treatment and prevention of allergic rhinitis.
HDM2 regulates p53 by binding to its transactivation domain and promoting its ubiquitin‐dependent degradation. Crystallographic analysis of the HDM2/p53 complex revealed that three hydrophobic ...residues (F19, W23, L26) along one face of the p53 helical peptide are essential for binding (see picture). Terphenyl‐based antagonists mimic the α‐helical region of p53 and disrupt HDM2/p53 complexation.
High-power supercapacitors require excellent electrolyte mobility within the pore network and high electrical conductivity for maximum capacitance and efficiency. Achieving high power typically ...requires sacrificing energy densities, as the latter demands a high specific surface area and narrow porosity that impedes ion transport. We present a novel solution for this optimization problem: a nanostructured core–shell carbonaceous material that exhibits a microporous carbon core surrounded by a mesoporous, graphitic shell. Our tunable synthesis parameters yielded a structure that features either a sharp or a gradual transition between the core and shell sections. Electrochemical supercapacitor testing using organic electrolyte revealed that these novel core–shell materials outperform carbons with homogeneous pore structures. The hybrid core–shell materials showed a combination of good capacitance retention, typical for the carbon present in the shell and high specific capacitance, typical for the core material. These materials achieved power densities in excess of 40 kW kg−1 at energy densities reaching 27 Wh kg−1.
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•Novel core–shell carbonaceous material.•Sharp transition or gradual change.•High specific surface area combined with good mass transfer.•Increasing power density without dropping energy density.
New hollow core particles of mesoporous/graphitic carbon were successfully prepared from carbon core-shell particles, through selective removal of the core. Electrocatalysts prepared by dispersing ...platinum on these hollow core materials showed remarkably high dispersion. The combination of high dispersion with short pore diffusion length allowed to obtain high mass specific activity in methanol electro-oxidation (ca. 390AgPt−1), along with excellent long-term stability. These novel carbon nanostructures show great promise as Pt catalyst support for methanol oxidation.
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•Novel Pt on hollow carbon core catalysts•High activity through high dispersion and mass transfer•High stability in methanol electro-oxidation
Abstract Purpose The arguments about whether posterior-substituting prostheses or cruciate-retaining prostheses are superior to the other after total knee arthroplasty never stop. This meta-analysis ...was conducted to evaluate the clinical effects of these two different designs. Methods The study was performed according to the guidelines described in the Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Methodological features were collected and extracted by two reviewers independently. Results Nine randomized controlled trials with 1261 knees were eligible for pooled analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated there were no statistical differences in the Knee Society Score, Hospital for Special Surgery, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities index, tibial component alignment, femoral component alignment, tibial posterior slope, joint line, and incidence of complications with short-to medium-term follow-up ( p > 0.01). Statistically difference in postoperative range of motion (WMD: 4.34°, 95% CI: 3.18° to 5.50°) in favor of PS prostheses was found between groups ( p < 0.01). Conclusion The findings indicate there were no significant statistical differences in knee scores, radiological outcomes, and complications between the two types of implants. Statistically significant difference in postoperative ROM was found between the two groups, but no clinical difference.
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