Blue Light versus Green Light Autofluorescence: Lesion Size of Areas with Geographic Atrophy

Blue-light fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging is currently widely used for assessing dry age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). However, at this wavelength, the fovea appears as circular zone of marked hypofluorescence, due to the absorption of macular pigment (MP). This dark spot could be misinterpreted as an atrophic area and could lead to difficulties in identifying small, central changes. The purpose of the study was to analyze differences in image quality, FAF patterns, and lesion size, when using conventional blue-light (Λ(1) = 488 nm) and green-light (Λ(2) = 514 nm) FAF.

Rapid exclusion or confirmation of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: a single-center experience with 1,291 patients

The current gold-standard for diagnosing heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is the detection of platelet-activating antibodies by means of functional assays which, since they are time consuming and not widely available, are not suited to guiding acute treatment decisions. The objective of our study was to assess the ability of more rapid immunoassays to predict the presence of functionally relevant anti-platelet factor 4/heparin-antibodies.

"Brienzi" - The blue Vivianite man of Switzerland: Time since death estimation of an adipocere body

In 1996, a cadaver in adipocere condition was discovered in a bay of the Brienzer See in Switzerland. The torso was named "Brienzi" following the "Iceman" Ötzi. Several outer parts of the body were incrusted; the incrustation was in blue color. Further investigations showed that the bluish covering of parts of the adipocere torso were a mineral known as Vivianite. Vivianite (Fe(3)(PO(4))(2-)(H(2)O)(8)) is an iron phosphate mineral with needle lengths between 100 and 150μm. It is normally associated in a context with organic archaeological and geological materials (some hundreds to millions of years old). Hitherto, it is only described in three cases of human remains. We were able to reconstruct the following facts about 'Brienzi': The man drowned in Lake Brienz or in one of its tributaries during the 1700s. The body was subsequently covered with sedimentation and thus buried under water. An earthquake produced an underwater landslide which eventually exposed the corpse.

The efficacy of non-directive supportive therapy for adult depression: A meta-analysis

The effects of non-directive supportive therapy (NDST) for adult depression have been examined in a considerable number of studies, but no meta-analysis of these studies has been conducted. We selected 31 studies on NDST from a comprehensive database of trials, examining psychotherapies for adult depression, and conducted meta-analyses in which NDST was compared with control groups, other psychotherapies and pharmacotherapy. We found that NDST is effective in the treatment of depression in adults (g=0.58; 95% CI: 0.45-0.72). NDST was less effective than other psychological treatments (differential effect size g=-0.20; 95% CI: -0.32 to -0.08, p<0.01), but these differences were no longer present after controlling for researcher allegiance. We estimated that extra-therapeutic factors (those processes operating in waiting-list and care-as-usual controls) were responsible for 33.3% of the overall improvement, non-specific factors (the effects of NDST compared with control groups) for 49.6%, and specific factors (the effects of NDST compared with other therapies) for 17.1%. NDST has a considerable effect on symptoms of depression. Most of the effect of therapy for adult depression is realized by non-specific factors, and our results suggest that the contribution of specific effects is limited at best.

Does a pleiotropic gene explain deafness and blue irises in white cats?

The prevalence of deafness is high in cat populations in which the dominant white gene is segregating. The objective of this study was to investigate whether there is a gene that is responsible for deafness as well as for blue eyes and to establish a plausible mode of inheritance. For this purpose, data from an experimental colony with deaf cats were analyzed. The hearing status was determined by acoustically evoked brain stem responses (BAER). Complex segregation analyses were conducted to find out the most probable mode of inheritance using maximum likelihood procedures. The prevalence of deafness and partial hearing in the experimental colony was 67% and 29%, respectively. The results of the bivariate segregation analysis support the hypothesis of a pleiotropic major gene segregating for deafness and blue iris colour. The high heritability coefficients for both traits, 0.55 and 0.75 respectively, indicate that beside the major gene there is an important influence of polygenic effects.

Quantitative analysis of OCT characteristics in patients with achromatopsia and blue-cone monochromatism

PURPOSE: To quantify optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the central retina in patients with blue-cone monochromatism (BCM) and achromatopsia (ACH) compared with healthy control individuals. METHODS: The study included 15 patients with ACH, 6 with BCM, and 20 control subjects. Diagnosis of BCM and ACH was established by visual acuity testing, morphologic examination, color vision testing, and Ganzfeld ERG recording. OCT images were acquired with the Stratus OCT 3 (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Oberkochen, Germany). Foveal OCT images were analyzed by calculating longitudinal reflectivity profiles (LRPs) from scan lines. Profiles were analyzed quantitatively to determine foveal thickness and distances between reflectivity layers. RESULTS: Patients with ACH and BCM had a mean visual acuity of 20/200 and 20/60, respectively. Color vision testing results were characteristic of the diseases. The LRPs of control subjects yielded four peaks (P1-P4), presumably representing the RPE (P1), the ovoid region of the photoreceptors (P2), the external limiting membrane (ELM) (P3), and the internal limiting membrane (P4). In patients with ACH, P2 was absent, but foveal thickness (P1-P4) did not differ significantly from that in the control subjects (187 +/- 20 vs. 192 +/- 14 microm, respectively). The distance from P1 to P3 did not differ significantly (78 +/- 10 vs. 82 +/- 5 microm) between ACH and controls subjects. In patients with BCM, P3 was lacking, and P2 advanced toward P1 compared with the control subjects (32 +/- 6 vs. 48 +/- 4 microm). Foveal thickness (153 +/- 16 microm) was significantly reduced compared with that in control subjects and patients with ACH. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative OCT image analysis reveals distinct patterns for controls subjects and patients with ACH and BCM, respectively. Quantitative analysis of OCT imaging can be useful in differentiating retinal diseases affecting photoreceptors. Foveal thickness is similar in both normal subjects and patients with ACH but is decreased in patients with BCM.