INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Billions of people world wide suffer from refractive errors requiring glasses, contact lenses, or other means of correction to enable them to see better. Many people seeking permanent means to correct their vision consider undergoing corneal refractive laser surgeries (CRLS), photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK), or laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). These surgeries have been shown to improve vision, but are not without risks for complications intra-operatively and postoperatively. Few studies have looked at the long-term incidence of postoperative complications such as dry eyes and visual aberrations and the associated preoperative risk factors. It is the aim of this study to examine the long-term incidence of dry eyes and visual aberrations (starbursts, halos, glare) after CRLS, and assess for preoperative risk factors associated with the persistence of these symptoms after surgery. METHODS: This study consisted of 319 patients identified for undergoing PRK, LASEK, or LASIK, at Boston Laser between December 2009 and January 2014. The participants in this study completed a novel online questionnaire consisting of questions to assess dry eye and visual aberration symptoms, and included questions adapted from the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Postoperative dry eye symptoms were measured based on the OSDI score and a new dry eye measurement score created for this study's questionnaire. Presence or absence of visual aberration symptoms postoperatively were measured based on a score created for this study and derived from the calculation of the OSDI score. Additionally, a retrospective chart review was conducted of the 319 participants' medical charts to gather and assess for preoperative risk factors related to the long-term incidence of both dry eye and visual aberration symptoms. RESULTS: Our data found a significant association (p < 0.05) that suggests a relationship between development of long-term dry eye symptoms and the following preoperative variables: pupil size, flap thickness, and dry eye risk assessment (including: Zone Quick test values ≤ 9.0mm, contact lens use, and dry eyes with and without contact lenses). No significant association (p > 0.05) was found between the novel dry eye score and the preoperative factors, but it did approach significance with two variables, necessitating further investigation: gender and actual ablation. No significance (p >0.05) was found in the association between the preoperative dry eye risk assessment and severity of postoperative symptoms as gathered using the OSDI score. Our data found a significant association (p < 0.05) that suggests an increased risk for development of long-term visual aberrations symptoms postoperatively with the following preoperative variables: cylindrical manifest refraction, flat K, and greater actual flap thickness. As well as identifying two other possible variables that approached significance requiring further investigation: steep K and preoperative visual aberrations risk (including: spherical manifest refraction &#8805; -6.00, astigmatic manifest refraction ≥ -2.00, and pupil diameter ≥ 7.0). The data showed a significant association (p < 0.05) between postoperative symptom presence and the aforementioned preoperative visual aberrations risk. Our data showed no significance (p > 0.05) when comparing the difference between mean OSDI, dry eye, and visual aberration scores between participants grouped by years since surgery. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Our data found a significant relationship between long-term dry eye risk after CRLS and preoperative pupil size, flap thickness, and dry eye risk assessment. Similarly the data also displayed a significant association between long-term visual aberration risk after CRLS and greater preoperative cylindrical manifest refraction, flat K, and flap thickness. These findings contribute to the risk factors identified in similar short-term follow-up studies, and support the need for increased research into the risk factors and long-term incidence of dry eyes and visual aberrations after CRLS. While the data showed no significance between participants grouped by years since surgery and reported postoperative symptoms, the OSDI mean scores did approach significance (p = 0.088), suggesting that further research with a greater survey population is required.

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Orientador: Edmea Rita Temporini Nastari / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-07T08:57:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bisneto_OtavioSiqueira_M.pdf: 1532415 bytes, checksum: 54c06aa08a8469404379be1a2f2c1a08 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Objetivo: avaliar a relação entre aberrações de alta ordem, erros de refração e idade. Material e Método: realizou-se estudo retrospectivo analítico, de pacientes submetidos a exames de aberrometria. Foram incluídos neste estudo todos os sujeitos examinados no aberrômetro LADARWAVE® (Alcon, Fort Worth, Texas), no Hospital de Olhos do Paraná (Curitiba-Brasil) no período de abril de 2004 a abril de 2005, sendo o principal critério de inclusão acuidade visual corrigida ou não de 20/20 ou melhor e o principal critério de exclusão presença de cirurgia e/ou doença ocular prévia. Foram estudadas as seguintes variáveis: idade, grau de refração esféro-cilíndrica, medida do equivalente esférico, aberrações de alta ordem divididas em: coma, aberração esférica, outras e root mean square (rms) de alta ordem. Todas as variáveis foram obtidas através do exame de aberrometria realizado no aberrômetro LADARWAVE®, sob cicloplegia, considerando-se pupila de 6,5 mm. Foram avaliadas aberrações ópticas de alta ordem até a oitava ordem nos polinômios de Zernike. Os pacientes foram divididos em 6 grupos de acordo com o erro de refração e em 3 grupos de acordo com a idade. Resultados: foram avaliados 312 olhos dos quais 201 foram incluídos no estudo. A idade média desses pacientes foi de 33,9±10,1 anos variando de 7 a 62 anos. Após análise estatística, na comparação entre os grupos de acordo com o erro de refração, foi observado que os pacientes hipermétropes com astigmatismo inferior a -0,75 D (GRUPO 5) apresentaram maior quantidade de aberração esférica, e que os pacientes hipermétropes com astigmatismo superior a -0,75 D (GRUPO 6) apresentaram maior quantidade de aberrações denominadas "outras" e RMS de alta ordem. Na comparação geral entre os grupos de idade, em relação as variáveis estudadas, o grupo de pacientes com 45 ou mais anos (GRUPO C) apresentou maior quantidade de todas as aberrações estudadas. Conclusão: a) houve relação positiva, estatisticamente significativa, entre hipermetropia, com e sem astigmatismo, e aberração esférica e rms de alta ordem. b) houve relação positiva, estatisticamente significativa, entre idade e aberrações ópticas de alta ordem / Abstract: Purpose: to evaluate the relationship between high order aberrations and refraction errors, and between high order aberrations and age. Methods: an analytic retrospective study of patients that underwent aberrometry exam was done. All the subjects examined at LADARWAVE® aberrometer at Hospital de Olhos do Paraná from April 2004 to April 2005 were included in this study. The major inclusion criterion was 20/20 or better - corrected or not - visual acuity; and the major exclusion criterion, the presence of previous eye surgery or eye disease. The following variable were analyzed: age, refraction, spherical equivalent, and high order aberrations wich were: coma, spherical aberration, others, and high order root mean square (rms). All data were obtained from LADARWAVE® aberrometry exam, under ciclopegia, taking only 6.5 mm pupil results. High order aberrations up to eight order Zernike's coefficients were evaluated. Patients were divided in 6 groups according to refraction error and in 3 groups according to age. Results: out of 312 eyes, 201 were studied. The mean age of was 33.9 +- 10.1, varying from 7 to 62 years of age. After statistical analysis, it was observed that among the refraction error groups hyperopic patients with less than -0,75 D astigmatism (group 5) showed a higher amount of spherical aberration, and that hyperopic patients with more than -0,75 D astigmatism (group 6) showed a higher amount of other and high order rms aberrations. In the general comparison between the age groups, the 45 or older group (group C) showed a higher amount of all the aberrations analyzed. Conclusion: a) there was a statiscally significant positive relation between hyperopia - with or without astigmatism - and spherical aberration and high order rms. b) there was a statiscally significant positive relation between age and all aberrations analyzed. / Mestrado / Oftalmologia / Mestre em Ciências Médicas

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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Nos Ãltimos anos, o uso de pesticidas na agricultura tem aumentado e associaÃÃes entre a exposiÃÃo a produtos quÃmicos agrÃcolas e danos ao DNA e cÃncer tem sido relatados. O Brasil à um dos lÃderes mundiais na utilizaÃÃo de pesticidas, no entanto, estudos que avaliem o impacto da exposiÃÃo ocupacional a pesticidas sobre a incidÃncia e mortalidade por cÃncer ainda sÃo escassos na populaÃÃo brasileira. O teste do cometa alcalino e a anÃlise de aberraÃÃes cromossÃmicas (AC) foram utilizados para avaliar danos primÃrios ao DNA em linfÃcitos do sangue perifÃrico de trabalhadores expostos a uma mistura complexa de pesticidas em duas pequenas comunidades rurais nos municÃpios de Tianguà e Ubajara, localizados no oeste do Estado do Cearà (Nordeste do Brasil). Estes MunicÃpios estÃo entre as maiores Ãreas agrÃcolas do Estado. O teste do cometa mostrou que o Ãndice e freqÃÃncia de danos observados nos grupos expostos foram significativamente maiores em relaÃÃo aos grupos controle (P <0,05). Por outro lado, nÃo foram detectadas diferenÃas significativas em relaÃÃo a AC estruturais e numÃricas nas comunidades avaliadas. AlÃm disso, os nÃveis observados de quebras da fita de DNA e freqÃÃncias de AC, estratificadas por tempo de exposiÃÃo, nÃo foram estatisticamente diferentes nos agricultores de ambas comunidades rurais. Os resultados sugerem que os danos causados por pesticidas na Ãrea de estudo nÃo foram significativos o suficiente para induzir mutaÃÃes permanentes ou interferir na formaÃÃo do aparelho mitÃtico. Danos mÃnimos causados pelos pesticidas podem ter sido submetidos a reparo celular, explicando a ausÃncia de AC estruturais e numÃricas. As anÃlises da Ãgua do reservatÃrio que serve de fonte para irrigaÃÃo das plantaÃÃes e abastece os municÃpios da regiÃo nÃo detectou contaminaÃÃo por resÃduos de pesticidas. / In recent years, the use of pesticides in agriculture has been steadily increasing, and associations between exposure to agricultural chemicals and DNA damage and cancer have been reported. Brazil is one of the world leaders in pesticide use; however, studies that evaluate the impact of pesticide exposure on cancer incidence and mortality are very scarce in the Brazilian population. The alkaline comet assay and the chromosome aberration (CA) test were used to evaluate primary DNA damage in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of workers exposed to a complex mixture of pesticides in two small rural communities in the municipalities of Tianguà and Ubajara, located in the western part of Cearà State (Northeast Brazil), which are among the largest agricultural areas of the state. The comet assay showed that the damage index and damage frequency observed in the exposed groups were significantly higher in relation to the controls (P < 0.05). On the other hand, no differences were detected regarding structural and numerical CAs in the communities evaluated. Additionally, the observed levels of DNA strand breaks and frequencies of CAs, stratified for exposure time, were not statistically different for individuals of either rural community. Our results suggest that the damages caused by pesticides in our study area were not great enough to induce permanent mutations or to interfere with mitotic apparatus formation; minimal pesticide damages could have undergone cellular repair, explaining the absence of structural and numerical CAs. Analyses of water from the reservoir that serves as a source for irrigation of crops and supplies the cities of the region did not detect contamination by pesticides.

O alcoolismo é uma doença multifatorial que consiste numa interação de influências genéticas e ambientais, sendo um dos principais causadores de danos à saúde. Deste modo, é muito importante a realização de estudos que envolvam a investigação de danos provocados ao material genético pelo consumo excessivo de bebidas alcoólicas bem como daqueles que investiguem a susceptibilidade individual às doenças causadas pelo alcoolismo. As aberrações cromossômicas e os polimorfismos para enzimas de metabolização de xenobióticos são importantes instrumentos para estes estudos. Neste trabalho foram investigados o possível efeito clastogênico do álcool e também a possível associação entre a ocorrência dos genótipos nulos GSTM1 e GSTT1 e dos polimorfismos CYP1A1-MspI, CYP2D6-BstN1 e CYP2E1-PstI com o desenvolvimento de cirrose e pancreatite, além da freqüência da mutação TaqA1 do gene DRD2 em alcoolistas. Os indivíduos analisados foram alcoolistas com consumo diário de álcool >60g. Para a análise de AC foram analisados 26 alcoolistas e 22 indivíduos controles. Para o estudo dos polimorfismos genéticos a amostra compreendeu 124 alcoolistas crônicos e 124 controles. Os alcoolistas não-fumantes apresentaram um valor de IM maior do que os controles não-fumantes (p = 0,03). As freqüências de ACs nos alcoolistas não foram diferentes das do grupo controle. Não foram encontradas associações de risco entre os genótipos nulos dos genes GSTM1 e GSTT1, e os genótipos mutantes de CYP2D6 e CYP2E1, e o desenvolvimento de cirrose e pancreatite. O genótipo homozigoto mutante m2/m2 do gene CYP1A1 apresentou um risco significativo para o desenvolvimento de cirrose e pancratite em alcoolistas. Não foram encontradas freqüências significativas na ocorrência do alelo A1 do gene DRD2 em alcoolistas. / Alcoholism is a disease consisted of an interaction of genetic and environmental factors, being responsible for serious damage to human health. This way, studies that investigate damage caused by heavy consumption of alcohol as well those that investigate individual susceptibility originated by alcoholism are very important to our society. Chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and polymorphisms to xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes are important tools to these studies. In this work we investigated the possible clastogenic effect of alcohol and the possible association between the occurrence of null genotypes for GSTM1 and GSTT1 enzymes and polymorphisms CYP1A1-MspI, CYP2D6-BstN1 and CYP2E1-PstI with the development of cirrhosis and pancreatitis. Furthermore, we investigate the possible association of TaqA1 polymorphism for DRD2 neurotransmitter in alcoholic. Our sample consisted of alcoholic classified as heavy consumers (>60g alcohol/day). For CA assay we have analysed 26 alcoholic and 22 healthy individuals as control group. For the polymorphism study, 124 alcoholic and 124 healthy individuals were genotyped using PCR and RFLP techniques. Non-smokers alcoholics showed higher mitotic index than nonsmokers controls (p=0,03). Acs frequencies in alcoholics were similar to controls. No risk associations were found between null genotypes for GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes and mutant genotypes for CYP2D6 and CYP2E1 genes and the occurrence of cirrhosis or pancreatic disease. Homozygous mutant for CYP1A1 gene (m2/m2) presented significant risk to development of cirrhosis or pancreatic disease in alcoholic. No significant frequencies were found in the occurrence of A1 allele in alcoholic.

In a recent paper, we compared the diffraction and geometrical optical transfer functions (OTFs) of an optical imaging system, and showed that the GOTF approximates the DOTF within 10% when a primary aberration is about two waves or larger [Appl. Opt., 55, 3241-3250 (2016)]. In this paper, we determine and compare the times to calculate the DOTF by autocorrelation or digital autocorrelation of the pupil function, and by a Fourier transform (FT) of the point-spread function (PSF); and the GOTF by a FT of the geometrical PSF and its approximation, the spot diagram. Our starting point for calculating the DOTF is the wave aberrations of the system in its pupil plane, and the ray aberrations in the image plane for the GOTF. The numerical results for primary aberrations and a typical imaging system show that the direct integrations are slow, but the calculation of the DOTF by a FT of the PSF is generally faster than the GOTF calculation by a FT of the spot diagram.

The ray formalism is critical to understanding light propagation, yet current pedagogy relies on inadequate 2D representations. We present a system in which real light rays are visualized through an optical system by using a collimated laser bundle of light and a fog chamber. Implementation for remote and immersive access is enabled by leveraging a commercially available 3D viewer and gesture-based remote controlling of the tool via bi-directional communication over the Internet.

LCAT deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by low levels of plasma HDL and an inability of the enzyme lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) to esterify cholesterol. An understanding of the structure and function of the LCAT protein will add significantly to the understanding of reverse cholesterol transport. This understanding can be gained, in part, by studying different mutations within the LCAT gene and their resultant phenotypes. Recombinant DNA technology has been used to determine the nature of a mutation in an LCAT gene of a previously described homozygote with this disorder. Southern blot analysis determined there were no major rearrangements in the genomic DNA at the LCAT locus. An attempt was made to follow segregation of the mutant alleles in three generations of a large pedigree by linkage analysis. There are known polymorphisms at the haptoglobin (Hp) locus, which is linked to LCAT on the long arm of chromosome 16, and in the adenosine phosphoribotransferase (APRT) and choesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) loci which are also on the long arm of chromosome 16, but have not been shown linked to LCAT. The information gained was uninformative in this pedigree. An extensive restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) search in the immediate vicinity of the LCAT gene did not reveal any polymorphic sites. 2.4 kb of the ⋋ phage clone SF1020, obtained from one of the homozygotes, containing exons 1-5 plus 0.5 kb of DNA 5¹ to the LCAT gene, but not exon 6, was subcloned into M13 and sequenced. A cytosine to thymidine (C->T) transition was discovered in exon 4. This would result in a substitution of tryptophan for arginine at amino acid 135. The amino acid arginine is positively charged and resides in one of the most highly charged segments along the amino acid chain of the LCAT protein indicating that this region is likely involved in protein folding. Tryptophan, on the other hand is the most hydrophobic of the amino acids and would, therefore, severely disrupt the interaction of charged amino acids in that region, preventing normal folding of the LCAT protein. / Medicine, Faculty of / Medical Genetics, Department of / Graduate

Jednou z možností korekce sférické vady v elektronové mikroskopii je hexapólový korektor. Ačkoliv samotný princip korekce je poměrně dobře v literatuře popsán, jen relativně málo je věnováno samotnému seřízení hexapólového korektoru, jež je stěžejní pro správnou funkčnost. Práce je věnována analytickému rozboru vad seřízení a jejich vlivu na rozlišení obrazu za použití metody eikonálu a aberačních integrálů. Je ukázáno, že nejdůležitější roli v parazitických aberací hrají výchylky a náklon hexapólů. V závěru je pak popsáno, jakým způsobem je třeba hexapólový korektor seřídit pro odstranění parazitických vad.