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The article "EEG patterns in long-term Brahmakumari meditators and their possible significance" discusses a study on the EEG patterns of long-term Brahmakumari meditators. The study found that during meditation, the meditators exhibited increased theta and alpha waves in specific areas of the brain, indicating a deep state of relaxation and calmness. The article acknowledges the limitations of the study, such as the small sample size, but overall, the findings support previous research on the effects of meditation on brain activity. [Extracted from the article]

Black holes are believed to have the fast scrambling properties of random matrices. If the fuzzball proposal is to be a viable model for quantum black holes, it should reproduce this expectation. This is considered challenging, because it is natural for the modes on a fuzzball microstate to follow Poisson statistics. In a previous paper, we noted a potential loophole here, thanks to the modes depending not just on the n-quantum number, but also on the J-quantum numbers of the compact dimensions. For a free scalar field ϕ, by imposing a Dirichlet boundary condition ϕ = 0 at the stretched horizon, we showed that this J-dependence leads to a linear ramp in the Spectral Form Factor (SFF). Despite this, the status of level repulsion remained mysterious. In this letter, motivated by the profile functions of BPS fuzzballs, we consider a generic profile ϕ = ϕ0(θ) instead of ϕ = 0 at the stretched horizon. For various notions of genericity (eg. when the Fourier coefficients of ϕ0(θ) are suitably Gaussian distributed), we find that the J-dependence of the spectrum exhibits striking evidence of level repulsion, along with the linear ramp. We also find that varying the profile leads to natural interpolations between Poisson and Wigner-Dyson(WD)-like spectra. The linear ramp in our previous work can be understood as arising via an extreme version of level repulsion in such a limiting spectrum. We also explain how the stretched horizon/fuzzball is different in these aspects from simply putting a cut-off in flat space or AdS (i.e., without a horizon). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease is generally asymptomatic at earlier stages. At an early stage, there is an extensive progression in the neuropathological hallmarks, although, at this stage, diagnosis is not possible with currently available diagnostic methods. Therefore, the pressing need is for susceptibility risk biomarkers that can aid in better diagnosis and therapeutics as well can objectively serve to measure the endpoint of disease progression. The role of small extracellular vesicles (sEV) in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases could be potent in playing a revolutionary role in biomarker discovery. Methods: In our study, the salivary sEV were efficiently isolated by chemical precipitation combined with ultrafiltration from subjects (PD = 70, healthy controls = 26, and prodromal PD = 08), followed by antibody-based validation with CD63, CD9, GAPDH, Flotillin-1, and L1CAM. Morphological characterization of the isolated sEV through transmission electron microscopy. The quantification of sEV was achieved by fluorescence (lipid-binding dye-labeled) nanoparticle tracking analysis and antibody-based (CD63 Alexa fluor 488 tagged sEV) nanoparticle tracking analysis. The total alpha-synuclein (α-synTotal) in salivary sEVs cargo was quantified by ELISA. The disease severity staging confirmation for n = 18 clinically diagnosed Parkinson's disease patients was done by 99mTc-TRODAT-single-photon emission computed tomography. Results: We observed a significant increase in total sEVs concentration in PD patients than in the healthy control (HC), where fluorescence lipid-binding dye-tagged sEV were observed to be higher in PD (p = 0.0001) than in the HC using NTA with a sensitivity of 94.34%. In the prodromal PD cases, the fluorescence lipid-binding dye-tagged sEV concentration was found to be higher (p = 0.008) than in HC. This result was validated through anti-CD63 tagged sEV (p = 0.0006) with similar sensitivity of 94.12%. We further validated our findings with the ELISA based on α-synTotal concentration in sEV, where it was observed to be higher in PD (p = 0.004) with a sensitivity of 88.24%. The caudate binding ratios in 99mTc-TRODAT-SPECT represent a positive correlation with sEV concentration (r = 0.8117 with p = 0.0112). Conclusions: In this study, for the first time, we have found that the fluorescence-tagged sEV has the potential to screen the progression of disease with clinically acceptable sensitivity and can be a potent early detection method for PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia/lymphoma (ALL) is a systemic disease which primarily involves bone marrow or lymphoid organs. Extranodal presentation of ALL is uncommon, and ALL presenting as a dural mass is exceedingly rare. Here we present a case of primary dural B-cell ALL which was preoperatively diagnosed as meningioma on clinico-radiological grounds. A 27-year-old female patient presented with left hemicranial headache for one month's duration along with progressive vision loss of in both eye and altered behaviour. Contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) suggest dural based mass with dural tail sign. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed B-cell ALL. Further systemic investigations didn't suggest any peripheral blood, bone marrow or lymph node involvement. To the best of our knowledge, only two cases of primary dural ALL have been reported in the literature so far. This report highlights the diagnostic difficulty in extramedullary precursor lymphoid neoplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular condition, but the diagnosis relative to other ocular conditions and the evaluation of severity of the condition has often been difficult. This challenge can be due to clinical signs and symptoms not always correlating with each other. An understanding of the various components which create the condition, as well as the diagnostic measures used to evaluate these components, is useful to the clinician working with DED patients. This review paper will discuss traditional diagnostic options, diagnostic imaging, and Advanced Point of Care testing capabilities to determine the severity level of dry eye disease more adequately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Regenerative Endodontic Procedure (REP) is one of the latest biological procedures for successfully treating immature non vital teeth. Treating non vital immature teeth in children with associated bone resorption poses a challenge. In the present case, a 10-year-old male patient presented with an immature pulpally involved right permanent first molar, exhibiting a periapical radiolucency measuring 2×3.2×10.5 mm (distal root) and 4.4×5.2×10.5 mm (mesial root). The molar was non-surgically treated using a minimally invasive REP approach, aiming for anatomical healing and root completion. Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) was applied over a blood clot used as a scaffold. The radiolucency decreased significantly to a size of 0.9×1.3×0.2 mm (distal root) and 1×0.4×0.2 mm (mesial root). Continuous root formation was also observed, resulting in complete resolution of the Apical Bone Defect (ABD). The mesial and distal roots progressed from Nolla stage 8 (2/3rd of root formation) to Nolla stage 9 (root formation complete) over a twelve-month period. Three-dimensional (3D) analysis was employed to explain pathosis and the healing of lesions from every aspect. The present case demonstrates that REP may be the treatment of choice for managing non vital immature permanent posterior teeth with severe ABD in a paediatric patients, particularly when the surgical approach is contraindicated due to the presence of other developing structures. Furthermore, long-term follow-up is required, and the type of healing and root completion may vary depending on the stage of root formation, disinfection, and coronal seal achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Respiratory muscle weakness is proportional to the degree of thyroid function and is reversible by replacement therapy with thyroxine. Aim To evaluate the changes in pulmonary functions in newly diagnosed hypothyroid patients as compare with healthy controls by spirometry and to observe the improvement in pulmonary functions after hormone replacement therapy. Patients and methods A total of 30 newly diagnosed hypothyroid patients and 30 healthy controls of age between 18 to 50 years of either sex were included in our study. Clinical criteria and biochemical tests were registered, and spirometry was done. Results Approximately 17% of the hypothyroid patients were normal, whereas 33% had mild restrictive lung impairment and the rest 50% had moderate to severe restrictive impairment on spirometry. Conclusion On comparing the hypothyroid patients with normal healthy person of same age group through spirometer, the ventilatory functions were diminished and these pulmonary functions improved after levothyroxine therapy for 6 months but could not reach the normal healthy values. A spirometric evaluation should be considered in hypothyroid patients, even in the absence of respiratory illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though cholesterol is the most prevalent and essential sterol in mammalian cellular membranes, its precursors, post-synthesis cholesterol products, as well as its oxidized derivatives play many other important physiological roles. Using a non-invasive in situ technique, time-resolved small angle neutron scattering, we report on the rate of membrane desorption and corresponding activation energy for this process for a series of sterol precursors and post-synthesis cholesterol products that vary from cholesterol by the number and position of double bonds in B ring of cholesterol's steroid core. In addition, we report on sterols that have oxidation modifications in ring A and ring B of the steroid core. We find that sterols that differ in position or the number of double bonds in ring B have similar time and energy characteristics, while oxysterols have faster transfer rates and lower activation energies than cholesterol in a manner generally consistent with known sterol characteristics, like Log P, the n-octanol/water partitioning coefficient. We find, however, that membrane/water partitioning which is dependent on lipid-sterol interactions is a better predictor, shown by the correlation of the sterols' tilt modulus with both the desorption rates and activation energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To characterize the clinical outcomes of a novel ab interno minimally invasive procedure with the STREAMLINE® Surgical System for creation of incisional goniotomies and canal of Schlemm viscodilation in eyes with mild to severe primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: In a prospective, single-arm, first-in-human case series, 20 eyes of 20 subjects with mild to severe POAG underwent creation of incisional goniotomies and canal of Schlemm viscodilation following phacoemulsification cataract extraction after washout of all intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medications. The angle surgery portion was performed with a single-use handpiece tipped with a microcannula that creates precise goniotomies through the trabecular meshwork into the canal of Schlemm and delivers a small volume of ophthalmic viscosurgical device directly into the canal via precise catheterization. Outcomes in this interim analysis included mean reduction in IOP and medications through 6 months of follow-up, as well as the proportion of eyes achieving IOP reduction ≥ 20% from baseline. Results: At month 6, mean IOP reduction of ≥ 20% from baseline was achieved in 89.5% of eyes (17/19). Mean (standard deviation) medicated IOP at screening was 16.3 (3.6) mmHg and unmedicated baseline IOP (after washout) was 23.5 (2.5) mmHg. Mean IOP was significantly reduced from baseline through 6 months of follow-up to 14.7 (2.4) mmHg (p< 0.001), representing an IOP reduction of 8.8 mmHg (36.9%). Overall, 57.9% (11/19) of eyes decreased dependence on IOP-lowering medications by at least one medication, and 42.1% (8/19) were medication free. Mean medication use was reduced from 2.0 (0.8) at screening to 1.1 (1.1) at 6 months (p< 0.001). Three eyes had transient IOP spikes treated with topical medications. Conclusion: The creation of incisional goniotomies and canal of Schlemm viscodilation safely and effectively reduced IOP and the need for IOP-lowering medications by both clinically and statistically significant magnitudes in eyes with mild to severe POAG undergoing concomitant phacoemulsification cataract extraction through the first 6 months of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To determine the efficacy of widely available subtype clinical tests to characterize evaporative dry eye disease (EDED) related to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) compared to normal and to validate those clinical cut points in an independent sample. Methods. A diagnostic accuracy study (52 subjects), an investigator-masked study, was followed by a larger independent sample (364 subjects) analysis to confirm efficacy in normal and EDED subjects. All subjects were 18 years of age and older and were classified using a battery of clinical tests for dry eye that included symptoms, tear meniscus height, tear stability, ocular staining, evaporative-specific tests, and the Schirmer I test. Results. Normal (nondry eye; n = 26) and EDED (n = 26) subjects completed the efficacy study. The global tests of tear breakup time, staining, and symptoms all produced AUCs ≥ 0.70, representing acceptable discrimination. EDED-specific tests of eyelid marginal signs, gland secretion quality, and gland loss did not demonstrate acceptable test efficacy or differences between normal and EDED subjects. In a larger, independent sample of normal and EDED subjects, gland secretion quality and eyelid marginal score achieved acceptable diagnostic levels: AUCs of 0.789 (CI: 0.734–0.844) and 0.729 (CI: 0.648–0.810), respectively, but not lipid interferometry grade or lower eyelid gland dropout estimated using meiboscopy. Conclusions. Meibomian gland secretion quality is an efficient and useful functional indicator in EDED and should be incorporated into core outcome sets for this dry eye subtype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a rapid and accurate first-line diagnostic modality in lymphadenopathy. Aims: To determine the utility of FNAC for the diagnosis of lymphoma and highlight the various pitfalls in morphological interpretation. Settings and Design: This was a retrospective study of 3 years duration in which cytology diagnosis was compared with the follow-up histopathology diagnosis wherever available. Results: A cytodiagnosis of lymphoma was made in a total of 868 cases (2.8%) out of nearly 33,000 FNAC performed during the study period; 556 (64.1%) cases were diagnosed as non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), 198 (22.8%) as Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and in 114 (13.1%) cases, a cytological diagnosis of lymphoma without further categorization was given. Histopathological reports were available in 348 cases, with an overall concordance rate of 93.1% (324), which was slightly higher in the HL cases (95.8%) as compared to NHL (91.7%). Twenty-four cases (6.9%) showed discordant cytological diagnosis with subsequent histopathology. The main reasons for the erroneous diagnosis were the over-interpretation of the germinal center cells as atypical lymphoid cells, over-interpretation of immunoblasts with prominent nucleoli as Hodgkin cells, and sheets of monomorphic lymphoid cells interpreted as low-grade lymphoma. Conclusion: Cytomorphology alone can make a correct basic diagnosis of lymphoma with a high degree of accuracy. The errors in interpretation can be further reduced by careful attention to the diagnostic pitfalls and common differential diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a model independent analysis of Leptonic CP violation for some well-known mixing scenarios. In particular, we considered modified schemes for bimaximal (BM), democratic (DC), hexagonal (HG) and tribimaximal (TBM) mixing for our numerical investigation. These model independent corrections to mixing matrices are parametrized in terms of complex rotation matrices (U) with related modified PMNS matrix of the forms U i j l ⋅ V M , V M ⋅ U i j r where U i j l , r is a complex rotation in i j sector and V M is unperturbed mixing scheme. We present generic formulae for mixing angles, Dirac CP phase (δ CP ) and Jarlskog invariant (J CP ) in terms of correction parameters. The parameter space of each modified mixing case is scanned for fitting neutrino mixing angles using χ 2 approach and the corresponding predictions for Leptonic CP phase (δ CP ) and Jarlskog invariant (J CP ) has been evaluated from allowed parameter space. The obtained ranges are reported for all viable cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to evaluate the stress levels in patients suffering from COVID 19. 100 COVID 19 patients with age >15 years of both genders were included in the study after taking written informed consent. All the subjects were administered Perceived Stress Scale questionnaire to fill and scores were calculated. 82% of the subjects were suffering from high stress while 16% were in moderate category and only 2% reported low perceived stress. As far as age wise distribution of subjects was considered, 36% were < 40 years of age, 32% were between 40 – 60 years and 32% were more 60 years of age. Out of the females 43% had high stress, 3% had moderate and none were in low stress category. While in males 39% had high stress, 13% had moderate and 2% reported low stress. There was a significant increase in the perceived stress score in females as compared to males (33.08 + 4.29 vs 30.57 + 5.27; p <0.01). So, there is a need to assess the stress in all COVID 19 patients and regular counselling and psychotherapy should be done specially in female patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal transplant (RT) is the preferred treatment modality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, it is associated with a significant rate of complications. Early diagnosis and management of these complications are essential to prevent graft loss. Herein, we describe a case of a 48-year-old male who developed ESRD due to underlying autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease and underwent an RT. A routine renal dynamic scintigraphy (RDS) performed on day 4 posttransplant showed a focal minute area of radiotracer accumulation on the delayed static images raising suspicion for urinoma. However, it was deemed normal considering the normal renogram curve and stable clinical condition of the patient. However, on day 9 posttransplant, in view of clinical deterioration marked by decreasing urine output and rising serum creatinine levels, ultrasonography - kidney, ureter, and bladder (USG-KUB) and a repeat RDS were performed. Although the USG-KUB described a peri-nephric fluid collection, the nature of the collection could not be determined. RDS confirmed that the collection was urinoma. On retrospective analysis, the focal area of increased radiotracer uptake corresponded to the site of initial suspicion, although there was an increase in the size of the same. In experienced hands, RDS thus proves to be a highly sensitive tool for the diagnosis of urinoma, much before the clinical complications set in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a case of cardiac arrest during femtosecond laser enabled penetrating keratoplasty (FLEK) in a young, healthy patient with no known cardiac risk factors and discusses the risk of cardiac arrest during intraocular surgery. A healthy 22-year-old man who underwent repeat FLEK under general anaesthesia developed bradycardia and subsequent cardiac arrest while open sky during surgery. After resuscitation and completion of the transplant surgery, the patient recovered and the graft has survived with excellent uncorrected visual acuity over 1 year after surgery. Understanding the risks of cardiac arrest and death during intraocular surgery is imperative to discussing the systemic risks of surgery during the preoperative informed consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence of Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been increasing nowadays owing to increase in its risk factors. Modified Berlin’s Questionnaire is a standard tool to assess the risk of OSA in Indian setting. The present study was designed to assess the risk of OSA in young adults. 1500 subjects of both genders between 18 to 30 years of age were recruited, their BMI and blood pressure were measured and they were administered screening questionnaire first. Those who gave one or more positive response were administered modified Berlin questionnaire. The overall risk of OSA in the young adult population was 5.93%. The risk was higher in males as compared to females with odds ratio of 2.1. So, an individual having hypertension, obesity, snoring and wake time tireness should be administered the Modified Berlin’s Questionnaire to assess the risk of developing OSA to prevent development of OSA in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Read the original article Chester T, Garg S, Johnston J, Ayers B, Gupta P. I Clin Ophthalmol i . 2023;17:1587-1604. Page 1587, author list, the text "Brandon Ayers" should read "Brandon Ayres". [Extracted from the article]

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a poorly differentiated, aggressive form of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The clinical presentation of this disease is varied and may be nodal, extranodal, or both. BL of the breast, either primary or secondary, with bilateral breast involvement, is extremely rare. Herein, we present a case of BL in a 27-year-old male with unusual bilateral breast involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To compare the preoperative measurements of the anterior chamber depth (ACD) by the IOLMaster and Catalys; additionally, to compare the accuracy of the IOL power calculated by the Barrett Universal II formula using the two different measurements. Setting. University of California, Irvine, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute in Irvine, California. Design. Retrospective comparative study. Methods. This study included 144 eyes of 90 patients with a mean age of 72.0 years (range 40.8 to 92.1 years) that underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery using Catalys. Preoperative measurements of ACD were taken by the IOLMaster and Catalys. Manifest refraction and refractive spherical equivalent were measured 1 month postoperatively. Expected refractive results were compared with actual postoperative refractive results. Results. The correlation between the ACD values from the two devices was good (r = 0.80). The Catalys ACD measurements yielded a larger ACD compared to the IOLMaster, with a mean difference of 0.22 mm (P<0.0001). The correlation between the postoperative and predicted RSE of the implanted IOL power was excellent (r = 0.96). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean absolute error derived from the IOLMaster, 0.37 diopter (D) ± 0.34 (SD), and the Catalys, 0.37 ± 0.35 D (P=0.50). Conclusions. The Catalys biometry yielded a significantly larger ACD value than the IOLMaster. This difference in ACD value, however, did not reflect in a statistically significant difference in IOL power calculation and refractive prediction error using the Barrett Universal II Formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a systematic analysis of perturbative Hexagonal (HG) mixing for describing recent global fit neutrino mixing data with normal and inverted hierarchy. The corrections to unperturbed mixing are parametrized in terms of small orthogonal rotations (R) with modified PMNS matrix of the forms R α β l ⋅ V HG , V HG ⋅ R α β r , V HG ⋅ R α β r ⋅ R γ δ r , R α β l ⋅ R γ δ l ⋅ V HG , R α β l ⋅ V HG ⋅ R γ δ r . Here, R α β l , r is rotation in i j sector and V HG is unperturbed Hexagonal mixing matrix. The detailed numerical investigation of all possible cases is performed with scanning of parameter space using χ 2 approach. We found that the perturbative schemes governed by single rotation are unable to fit the mixing angle data even at 3 σ level. The mixing schemes which involve two rotation matrices only R 1 2 l ⋅ R 1 3 l ⋅ V HG , R 1 3 l ⋅ R 1 2 l ⋅ V HG , R 1 3 l ⋅ V HG ⋅ R 1 2 r , R 1 2 l ⋅ V HG ⋅ R 1 2 r , R 1 3 l ⋅ V HG ⋅ R 1 3 r are successful in fitting all neutrino mixing angles within 1 σ range for normal hierarchy (NH). However for inverted hierarchy (IH), only R 1 3 l ⋅ V HG ⋅ R 1 3 r is most preferable as it can fit all mixing angles at 1 σ level. The remaining perturbative cases are either excluded at 3 σ level or successful in producing mixing angles only at 2 – 3 σ level. To study the impact of phase parameter, we also looked into CP violating effects for single rotation case. The predicted value of δ CP lies in the range 3 9. 0 ∘ (4 0. 4 ∘) ≤ | δ CP | ≤ 7 8. 7 ∘ (7 9. 2 ∘) for U 1 2 l ⋅ V HM and U 1 3 l ⋅ V HM case with normal (inverted) hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in young population which has a direct effect on their cardiovascular health resulting in development of hypertension, dyslipidemia and peripheral vascular diseases at an early stage of life. Aim: To determine association of BMI with Cardiac output and peripheral blood flow in young adult males. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross sectional study done in Department of Physiology, Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur between August to September 2015 under ICMR STS project. A total of 90 males with age 17-25 years with no history of smoking, alcoholism, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular or respiratory diseases were enrolled. BMI (kg/m2) was calculated and equal numbers of subjects were categorised into three groups according to BMI (South Asian Standards): Non obese (BMI<22.9 kg/m2), Overweight (BMI between 23-24.9 kg/m2) and Obese (BMI=25 kg/m2). Cardiac output and peripheral blood flow of forearm and calf were measured using Non Invasive Continuous Cardiac Output and Peripheral Blood Flow Monitor (NIVOMON) series. The data were analysed statistically by using oneway ANOVA test. Results: Cardiac output was significantly more in obese group compared to overweight and normal BMI group (5.7±0.43 vs. 5.26±0.54 vs. 4.95±0.65 L/min, p<0.01). Forearm and calf blood flow of both limbs were significantly less in obese group compared to overweight and normal (p<0.01). Conclusion: Obese subjects have increased cardiac output which may lead to cardiac complications like left ventricular hypertrophy and high output cardiac failure in future. Inspite of increased cardiac output, peripheral blood flow was decreased in obese subjects which may be due to endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerotic vasoconstriction which may result in peripheral artery disease in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on anterior segment with fluorescein staining of the damaged cornea epithelium being the criterion standard for diagnosis. Topics include custom smartphone-based adjuncts being produced in improving portability and accessibility of the cobalt blue light; and smartphone application facilitating remote examinations and home monitoring of certain ocular pathology.

A 13-year-old adolescent male presented with an episode of rectal bleed. He has had five such episodes in the past year where he witnessed black tarry stools mixed with fresh blood, painless, not associated with fever or hematemesis. Clinical examination revealed pallor and a soft, non-tender abdomen. Vitals were stable. Blood investigations revealed haemoglobin of 102g/L, WBC count of 10 X 109/L and platelet count of 165 x 109/L. The clotting screen was normal. Upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy revealed no abnormality. The patient underwent Tc-99m pertechnetate scintigraphy to look for Meckel's Diverticulum in view of painless lower GI bleed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of intraoperative wavefront aberrometry versus optical biometry alone for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation in eyes undergoing cataract surgery with monofocal IOL implantation.Methods: Preoperative data were obtained with the IOLMaster. Intraoperative aphakic measurements and IOL power calculations were obtained in some patients with the optiwave refractive analysis (ORA) system. Analysis was performed to determine the accuracy of monofocal IOL power prediction and postoperative manifest refraction at 1 month of the ORA versus IOLMaster.Results: Two hundred and ninety-five eyes reviewed, 61 had only preoperative IOLMaster measurements and 234 had both IOLMaster and ORA measurements. Of these 234 eyes, 6 were excluded, 107 had the same recommended IOL power by ORA and IOLMaster. Sixty-four percent of these eyes were within ±0.5D. 95 eyes had IOL power implantation based on ORA instead of IOLMaster. Seventy percent of these eyes were within ±0.5D of target refraction. 26 eyes had IOL power chosen based on IOLMaster predictions instead of ORA. Sixty-five percent were within ±0.5D. In the group with IOLMaster without ORA measurements, 80% of eyes were within ±0.5D of target refraction. The absolute error was statistically smaller in those eyes where the ORA and IOLMaster recommended the same IOL power based on preoperative target refraction compared to instances in which IOL selection was based on ORA or IOLMaster alone. Neither prediction errors were statistically different between the ORA and IOLMaster alone.Conclusion: Intraoperative wavefront aberrometry with the ORA system provides postoperative refractive results comparable to conventional biometry with the IOLMaster for monofocal IOL selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop and discuss a methodology for batch-level analysis of hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (hsSRS) data sets of human meibum in the CH-stretching vibrational range. The analysis consists of two steps. The first step uses a training set ( n=19) to determine chemically meaningful reference spectra that jointly constitute a basis set for the sample. This procedure makes use of batch-level vertex component analysis, followed by unsupervised k-means clustering to express the data set in terms of spectra that represent lipid and protein mixtures in changing proportions. The second step uses a random forest classifier to rapidly classify hsSRS stacks in terms of the pre-determined basis set. The overall procedure allows a rapid quantitative analysis of large hsSRS data sets, enabling a direct comparison among samples using a single set of reference spectra. We apply this procedure to assess 50 specimens of expressed human meibum, rich in both protein and lipid, and show that the batch-level analysis reveals marked variation among samples that potentially correlate with meibum health quality. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]