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Background/Objectives:Inter-individual variability in weight loss during obesity treatment is complex and poorly understood. Here we use whole body and tissue approaches to investigate fuel oxidation characteristics in skeletal muscle fibers, cells and distinct circulating protein biomarkers before and after a high fat meal (HFM) challenge in those who lost the most (obese diet-sensitive; ODS) vs the least (obese diet-resistant; ODR) amount of weight in a highly controlled weight management program.Subjects/Methods:In 20 weight stable-matched ODS and ODR women who previously completed a standardized clinical weight loss program, we analyzed whole-body energetics and metabolic parameters in vastus lateralis biopsies and plasma samples that were obtained in the fasting state and 6 h after a defined HFM, equivalent to 35% of total daily energy requirements.Results:At baseline (fasting) and post-HFM, muscle fatty acid oxidation and maximal oxidative phosphorylation were significantly greater in ODS vs ODR, as was reactive oxygen species emission. Plasma proteomics of 1130 proteins pre and 1, 2, 5 and 6 h after the HFM demonstrated distinct group and interaction differences. Group differences identified S-formyl glutathione hydratase, heat shock 70 kDA protein 1A/B (HSP72), and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5 (eIF5) to be higher in ODS vs ODR. Group-time differences included aryl hydrocarbon interacting protein (AIP), peptidylpropyl isomerase D (PPID) and tyrosine protein-kinase Fgr, which increased in ODR vs ODS over time. HSP72 levels correlated with muscle oxidation and citrate synthase activity. These proteins circulate in exosomes; exosomes isolated from ODS plasma increased resting, leak and maximal respiration rates in C2C12 myotubes by 58%, 21% and 51%, respectively, vs those isolated from ODR plasma.Conclusions:Findings demonstrate distinct muscle metabolism and plasma proteomics in fasting and post-HFM states corresponding in diet-sensitive vs diet-resistant obese women.

The purpose of this study is to examine the cost effect of surgeon and patient discretion in regard to cataract surgery and how this affects population health care costs. A model of cataract progression was created from preexisting published data and combined with mortality data and Medicare cataract statistics to estimate the effect of mortality on decreasing the rate of cataract surgery if surgery was delayed until any cataract progression occurred. Five-year cataract progression rates were determined for a given patient age, sex, and type of cataract. Combined with 5-year death rates, delaying surgery until progression occurred resulted in a 1.1% decrease in surgery for nuclear sclerosis at age 45 that increased to a 33.8% decrease by age 90; a 1.5% decrease in surgery for cortical cataract at age 45 that increased to a 51.1% decrease by age 90; and a 1.6% decrease in surgery for posterior subcapsular at age 45 that increased to a 59.7% decrease by age 90. The effect of this decrease in surgical volume on Medicare was estimated to result in a 13% overall decrease in cataract surgery annually at a cost of ~$660 million dollars per year. Overall, we conclude that surgeon and patient discretion in regard to cataract surgery has a substantial cost effect with the potential to reduce surgical volume by as much as 13% by the decision to delay surgery as a result of patient mortality.

The NEMO 3 experiment is devoted to the search for the neutrinoless double beta decay, a leptonic number violating second order weak process which is still to be discovered. The detector has been taking data in the LSM laboratory since 2003. Latest NEMO 3 results for several double beta decay emitters are presented here. The next generation SuperNEMO project, which aims to improve sensitivity to double beta decay by two orders of magnitude using NEMO 3 technique is also briefly described.

Background The ability to view the posterior segment in keratoprosthesis (Kpro) implanted patients is limited. The purpose of this retrospective, observational study was to investigate the use of ultra-wide field (UWF) scanning laser ophthalmoscopy imaging and its utility for serial evaluation of the retina and optic nerve in patients with either a Boston type I or II Kpro. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed for patients with a Boston type I or II Kpro seen at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Images were graded for quality by two masked observers on a defined four-point scale (“Poor”, “Fair”, “Good”, or “Very good”) and assessed for visible posterior segment anatomy. Interobserver agreement was described using the Kappa statistic coefficient (κ) with 95% confidence intervals. Results A total of 19 eyes from 17 patients were included in this study. Eighteen eyes had a type I Kpro, while one eye had a type II Kpro. UWF imaging from 41 patient visits were reviewed by two observers. Interobserver agreement between the two graders was fair for image quality (κ = 0.36), moderate for visibility of the macula with discernible details (κ = 0.59), moderate for visibility of the anterior retina with discernable details (κ = 0.60), and perfect agreement for visibility of the optic nerve with discernible details (κ = 1.0). In 6 eyes, UWF imaging was performed longitudinally (range 3–9 individual visits), allowing for long-term follow-up (range 3–46 months) of posterior segment clinical pathology. Conclusions UWF imaging provides adequate and reliable visualization of the posterior segment in Kpro implanted patients. This imaging modality allowed for noninvasive longitudinal monitoring of retinal and optic nerve disease in this selected patient population.

To evaluate smoking and alcohol use as risk factors for higher-grade dysplasia in a population of patients with histopathologically proven ocular surface squamous neoplasia. This is a retrospective chart review of data extracted from a database comprising demographic information and medical diagnosis information based on International Classification of Disease codes. Outcome measures were analyzed using the Wilcoxon two-sided test, a non-parametric -test. Database review yielded 35 patients with ocular surface squamous neoplasia lesions proven by histopathologic analysis. The mean age was 64.51 years with SD 17.54 years. Patients were 28.57% female and 71.43% male. Nearly all patients were White (88.57%), and 5.71% were African American, 2.86% Hispanic, and 2.86% Other. There was no significant difference in dysplasia grade between smokers and non-smokers ( =0.7044), those who used alcohol vs did not use alcohol ( =0.2470), those who used tobacco and alcohol vs those who did not ( =0.5117), and those who used either tobacco or alcohol vs those who did not ( =0.8259). No statistically significant relationship was found between high-grade dysplasia and cigarette smoking, alcohol use, or both cigarette smoking and alcohol use.

In 2004, the NEMO collaboration has started some preliminary studies for a next-generation double beta decay experiment: SuperNEMO. The possibility to use a large gaseous TPC has been investigated using simulation and extrapolation of former experiments. In this talk, I report on the reasons why such techniques have not been selected in 2004 and led the NEMO collaboration to reuse the techniques implemented within the NEMO3 detector.

The purpose of this study is to describe the diagnosis, course, and outcome of a case of Acanthamoeba and Stenotrophomonas keratitis with a fungal keratitis in the contralateral eye. A case of Acanthamoeba and Stenotrophomonas keratitis was diagnosed with confocal microscopy and cultures with confocal diagnosis of fungal keratitis in the fellow eye. During the initial treatment of the Acanthamoeba and Stenotrophomonas keratitis, the contralateral eye developed a keratitis that demonstrated hyphae in the corneal stroma with confocal microscopy consistent with fungal keratitis. Bilateral chronic keratitis cannot be assumed to be caused by the same organism and independent cultures, and confocal microscopy needs to be performed to direct appropriate therapy.

The full data set of the NEMO-3 experiment has been used to measure the half-life of the two-neutrino double beta decay of \\[^{100}\\]Mo to the ground state of \\[^{100}\\]Ru, \\[T_{1/2} = \\left[ 6.81 \\pm 0.01\\,\\left( \\text{ stat }\\right) ^{+0.38}_{-0.40}\\,\\left( \\text{ syst }\\right) \\right] \\times 10^{18}\\] year. The two-electron energy sum, single electron energy spectra and distribution of the angle between the electrons are presented with an unprecedented statistics of \\[5\\times 10^5\\] events and a signal-to-background ratio of \\[\\sim \\] 80. Clear evidence for the Single State Dominance model is found for this nuclear transition. Limits on Majoron emitting neutrinoless double beta decay modes with spectral indices of \\[\\mathrm{n}=2,3,7\\], as well as constraints on Lorentz invariance violation and on the bosonic neutrino contribution to the two-neutrino double beta decay mode are obtained.

To describe the course and outcome of treatment of advanced Acanthamoeba sclerokeratitis with intravenous pentamidine. A case of advanced Acanthamoeba sclerokeratitis was resistant to conventional therapy and was treated with intravenous pentamidine. The eye was later removed due to incapacitating pain. The eye showed Acanthamoeba organisms within the cornea and evidence of acute and chronic inflammation throughout the remainder of the eye. The patient has survived without orbital recurrence for 2 years. This case demonstrates late inflammation with active Acanthameoba keratitis following systemic pentamidine therapy.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the combined impact of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and secretory group IIA phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) concentrations on the atherogenicity of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles among men. Subjects: Analyses were conducted in 74 mid-obese healthy men (age: (means.d.) 37.911.7 years). Methods: Plasma levels of sPLA2-IIA were measured with a commercial ELISA and VAT levels were assessed by computed tomography. Distinct subpopulations of LDL particles were characterized from whole plasma using nondenaturating 2-16% gradient gel electrophoresis. Results: Data indicated that plasma sPLA2-IIA levels were approximately 29% (P=0.007) higher among men characterized by a higher accumulation of VAT (>142 vs < = 142 cm2). Men having high plasma sPLA2-IIA levels (> = 127.2 ng/dl, the median value), were characterized by higher levels of plasma cholesterol (C) and apolipoprotein (apo) B, LDL-C, LDL-apoB, oxidized LDL (OxLDL) and by smaller LDL particles compared to men with sPLA2-IIA<127.2 ng/dl. Multiple regression analyses showed that plasma triglycerides and sPLA2-IIA levels explained 22.7 and 11.8% of the variance in LDL peak particle size, respectively. Levels of VAT and of sPLA2-IIA were the strongest correlates of OxLDL levels explaining, respectively, 15.0 and 5.5% of their variability. Conclusion: Both VAT and sPLA2-IIA levels modulate the atherogenecity of LDL by accounting for the reduction in their size and their susceptibility to oxidation.