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The goal of this study was to quantitatively assess retinal thickness using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) after subretinal implantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium in a porcine model. The implant is called CPCB-RPE1 for the California Project to Cure Blindness-Retinal Pigment Epithelium 1. Data were derived from previous experiments on 14 minipigs that received either subretinal implantation of CPCB-RPE1 (n = 11) or subretinal bleb formation alone (sham; n = 3) using previously described methods and procedures (Brant Fernandes et al. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 47:342-51, 2016; Martynova et al. (2016) Koss et al. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 254:1553-65, 2016; Hu et al. Ophthalmic Res 48:186-91, 2016; Martynova et al. ARVO Abstract 2016. SD-OCT retinal thickness (RT) and sublayer thickness over the implant were compared with topographically similar preimplantation regions as described previously Martynova et al. ARVO Abstract 2016. Imaging results were compared to postmortem histology using hematoxylin-eosin staining. RT overlying the CPCB-RPE1 postimplantation was not significantly different from preimplantation (308 ± 72 μm vs 292 ± 41 μm; p = 0.44). RT was not significantly different before and after implantation in any retinal sublayer at 1 month. Histology demonstrated grossly normal retinal anatomy as well as photoreceptor interdigitation with RPE.

Background: The relationship of health risk behavior and disease in adulthood to the breadth of exposure to childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, and household dysfunction during childhood has not previously been described., Methods: A questionnaire about adverse childhood experiences was mailed to 13,494 adults who had completed a standardized medical evaluation at a large HMO; 9,508 (70.5%) responded. Seven categories of adverse childhood experiences were studied: psychological, physical, or sexual abuse; violence against mother; or living with household members who were substance abusers, mentally ill or suicidal, or ever imprisoned. The number of categories of these adverse childhood experiences was then compared to measures of adult risk behavior, health status, and disease. Logistic regression was used to adjust for effects of demographic factors on the association between the cumulative number of categories of childhood exposures (range: 0-7) and risk factors for the leading causes of death in adult life., Results: More than half of respondents reported at least one, and one-fourth reported > or = 2 categories of childhood exposures. We found a graded relationship between the number of categories of childhood exposure and each of the adult health risk behaviors and diseases that were studied (P < .001). Persons who had experienced four or more categories of childhood exposure, compared to those who had experienced none, had 4- to 12-fold increased health risks for alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, and suicide attempt; a 2- to 4-fold increase in smoking, poor self-rated health, > or = 50 sexual intercourse partners, and sexually transmitted disease; and 1.4- to 1.6-fold increase in physical inactivity and severe obesity. The number of categories of adverse childhood exposures showed a graded relationship to the presence of adult diseases including ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, and liver disease. The seven categories of adverse childhood experiences were strongly interrelated and persons with multiple categories of childhood exposure were likely to have multiple health risk factors later in life., Conclusions: We found a strong graded relationship between the breadth of exposure to abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and multiple risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults.

We examined the incidence and mortality of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients receiving emergency medical care at a large metropolitan medical center. The patients were classified into eight high-risk categories and monitored prospectively until discharge or death. Over a period of 12 months, 11,112 such patients entered the emergency room. Of 4926 who were admitted to the hospital acutely ill, 90 (2%) developed ARDS. Thirty-six percent of these survived. ARDS occurred in 25% of patients admitted with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and mortality in these patients was 86%. Aspiration pneumonia was the primary cause of ARDS in 37% of the patients, who also had a similar mortality rate (85%). Mortality was also high in patients with multisystem organ failure or with ARDS and disseminated intravascular coagulation. These results indicate that there probably is a relatively low incidence of ARDS among hospital patients admitted with high-risk diagnoses.