Phylogenetic biogeography inference using dynamic paleogeography models and explicit geographic ranges.

To model distribution ranges, the most popular methods of phylogenetic biogeography divide Earth into a handful of predefined areas. Other methods use explicit geographic ranges, but unfortunately, these methods assume a static Earth, ignoring the effects of plate tectonics and the changes in the landscape. To address this limitation, I propose a method that uses explicit geographic ranges and incorporates a plate motion model and a paleolandscape model directly derived from the models used by geologists in their tectonic and paleogeographic reconstructions. The underlying geographic model is a high-resolution pixelation of a spherical Earth. Biogeographic inference is based on diffusion, approximates the effects of the landscape, uses a time-stratified model to take into account the geographic changes, and directly integrates over all probable histories. By using a simplified stochastic mapping algorithm, it is possible to infer the ancestral locations as well as the distance traveled by the ancestral lineages. For illustration, I applied the method to an empirical phylogeny of the Sapindaceae plants. This example shows that methods based on explicit geographic data, coupled with high-resolution paleogeographic models, can provide detailed reconstructions of the ancestral areas but also include inferences about the probable dispersal paths and diffusion speed across the taxon history. The method is implemented in the program PhyGeo.

Low-level red-light therapy for myopia control in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Low-Level Red-Light (LLRL) Therapy is a safe and natural way to promote healing and reduce inflammation in the body. When it comes to treating myopia in children, LLRL therapy is recent, and its efficacy and safety still are not clear. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature for LLRL was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines on November 5, 2022. Databases, including PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase were queried. A meta-analysis of random effects was conducted. Inclusion criteria included Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) or observational studies where LLRL therapy was used in children (3‒15 years old) with myopia. Exclusion criteria were studies with other ocular abnormalities. Efficacy was evaluated through the mean change in Axial Length (AL) and cycloplegic Spherical Equivalent Error (SER), while safety was evaluated by monitoring adverse effects. RESULTS: A total of 5 final studies were included (4 RCTs, and 1 observational), in which 685 total patients were analyzed. The mean age was 9.7 ± 0.66 years, with 48,2% female patients. The number of eyes in the LRLL arm is 714 and, in the control, arm is 656. LLRL showed better results in SER and AL mean change (OR = 0.58; 95% CI 0.33 to 0.83; p < 0.00001, and MD -0.33; 95% CI -0.52 to -0.13; p = 0.001, respectively), in comparison to the control group. There was no significant difference in adverse effects between groups (MD = 5.76; 95% CI 0.66 to 50.14; p = 0.11). CONCLUSION: LLRL therapy is a non-invasive, effective, and safe short-term treatment option; however, long-term evaluation, particularly in comparison to other therapies, requires additional investigation.

An extension of the best-worst method based on the spherical fuzzy sets for multi-criteria decision-making.

The ambiguous information in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and the vagueness of decision-makers for qualitative judgments necessitate accurate tools to overcome uncertainties and generate reliable solutions. As one of the latest and most powerful MCDM methods for obtaining criteria weight, the best-worst method (BWM) has been developed. Compared to other MCDM methods, such as the analytic hierarchy process, the BWM requires fewer pairwise comparisons and produces more consistent results. Consequently, the main objective of this study is to develop an extension of BWM using spherical fuzzy sets (SFS) to address MCDM problems under uncertain conditions. Hesitancy, non-membership, and membership degrees are three-dimensional functions included in the SFS. The presence of three defined degrees allows decision-makers to express their judgments more accurately. An optimization model based on nonlinear constraints is used to determine optimal spherical fuzzy weight coefficients (SF-BWM). Additionally, a consistency ratio is proposed for the SF-BWM to assess the reliability of the proposed method in comparison to other versions of BWM. SF-BWM is examined using two numerical decision-making problems. The results show that the proposed method based on the SF-BWM provided the criteria weights with the same priority as the BWM and fuzzy BWM. However, there are differences in the criteria weight values based on the SF-BWM that indicate the accuracy and reliability of the obtained results. The main advantage of using SF-BWM is providing a better consistency ratio. Based on the comparative analysis, the consistency ratio obtained for SF-BWM is threefold better than the BWM and fuzzy BWM methods, which leads to more accurate results than BWM and fuzzy BWM.

A Bayesian nonparametric model for bounded directional data on the positive orthant of the unit sphere.

Directional data appears in several branches of research. In some cases, those directional variables are only defined in subsets of the K-dimensional unit sphere. For example, in some applications, angles as measured responses are limited on the positive orthant. Analysis on subsets of the K-dimensional unit sphere is challenging and nowadays there are not many proposals that discuss this topic. Thus, from a methodological point of view, it is important to have probability distributions defined on bounded subsets of the K-dimensional unit sphere. Specifically, in this paper, we introduce a nonparametric Bayesian model to describe directional variables restricted to the first orthant. This model is based on a Dirichlet process mixture model with multivariate projected Gamma densities as kernel distributions. We show how to carry out inference for the proposed model based on a slice sampling scheme. The proposed methodology is illustrated using simulated data sets as well as a real data set.

Core-Shell Nanocables Decorated with Carbon Spherical Shells and Silver Nanoparticles for Sensing Ethinylestradiol Hormone in Water Sources and Pills.

The selective, rapid detection of low levels of hormones in drinking water and foodstuffs requires materials suitable for inexpensive sensing platforms. We report on core-shell Ag@C nanocables (NCs) decorated with carbon spherical shells (CSSs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using a hydrothermal green approach. Sensors were fabricated with homogeneous, porous films on screen-printed electrodes, which comprised a 115 nm silver core covered by a 122 nm thick carbon layer and CSSs with 168 nm in diameter. NCs and CSSs were also decorated with 10-25 nm AgNPs. The NC/CSS/AgNP sensor was used to detect ethinylestradiol using square wave voltammetry in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) over the 1.0-10.0 µM linear range with a detection limit of 0.76 µM. The sensor was then applied to detect ethinylestradiol in tap water samples and a contraceptive pill with recovery percentages between 93 and 101%. The high performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity for hormones is attributed to the synergy between the carbon nanomaterials and AgNPs, which not only increased the sensor surface area and provided sites for electron exchange but also imparted an increased surface area.

Low-level red-light therapy for myopia control in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Introduction Low-Level Red-Light (LLRL) Therapy is a safe and natural way to promote healing and reduce inflammation in the body. When it comes to treating myopia in children, LLRL therapy is recent, and its efficacy and safety still are not clear. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature for LLRL was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines on November 5, 2022. Databases, including PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase were queried. A meta-analysis of random effects was conducted. Inclusion criteria included Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) or observational studies where LLRL therapy was used in children (3‒15 years old) with myopia. Exclusion criteria were studies with other ocular abnormalities. Efficacy was evaluated through the mean change in Axial Length (AL) and cycloplegic Spherical Equivalent Error (SER), while safety was evaluated by monitoring adverse effects. Results A total of 5 final studies were included (4 RCTs, and 1 observational), in which 685 total patients were analyzed. The mean age was 9.7 ± 0.66 years, with 48,2% female patients. The number of eyes in the LRLL arm is 714 and, in the control, arm is 656. LLRL showed better results in SER and AL mean change (OR = 0.58; 95% CI 0.33 to 0.83; p < 0.00001, and MD -0.33; 95% CI -0.52 to -0.13; p = 0.001, respectively), in comparison to the control group. There was no significant difference in adverse effects between groups (MD = 5.76; 95% CI 0.66 to 50.14; p = 0.11). Conclusion LLRL therapy is a non-invasive, effective, and safe short-term treatment option; however, long-term evaluation, particularly in comparison to other therapies, requires additional investigation.

Finite-Size Relaxational Dynamics of a Spike Random Matrix Spherical Model.

We present a thorough numerical analysis of the relaxational dynamics of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spherical model with an additive non-disordered perturbation for large but finite sizes N. In the thermodynamic limit and at low temperatures, the perturbation is responsible for a phase transition from a spin glass to a ferromagnetic phase. We show that finite-size effects induce the appearance of a distinctive slow regime in the relaxation dynamics, the extension of which depends on the size of the system and also on the strength of the non-disordered perturbation. The long time dynamics are characterized by the two largest eigenvalues of a spike random matrix which defines the model, and particularly by the statistics concerning the gap between them. We characterize the finite-size statistics of the two largest eigenvalues of the spike random matrices in the different regimes, sub-critical, critical, and super-critical, confirming some known results and anticipating others, even in the less studied critical regime. We also numerically characterize the finite-size statistics of the gap, which we hope may encourage analytical work which is lacking. Finally, we compute the finite-size scaling of the long time relaxation of the energy, showing the existence of power laws with exponents that depend on the strength of the non-disordered perturbation in a way that is governed by the finite-size statistics of the gap.

Structural Behavior of Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymer P104/Water System.

A detailed study of the different structural transitions of the triblock copolymer PEO27-PPO61-PEO27 (P104) in water, in the dilute and semi-dilute regions, is addressed here as a function of temperature and P104 concentration (CP104) by mean of complimentary methods: viscosimetry, densimetry, dynamic light scattering, turbidimetry, polarized microscopy, and rheometry. The hydration profile was calculated through density and sound velocity measurements. It was possible to identify the regions where monomers exist, spherical micelle formation, elongated cylindrical micelles formation, clouding points, and liquid crystalline behavior. We report a partial phase diagram including information for P104 concentrations from 1 × 10-4 to 90 wt.% and temperatures from 20 to 75 °C that will be helpful for further interaction studies with hydrophobic molecules or active principles for drug delivery.

Development and Control of a Real Spherical Robot.

This paper presents the design and implementation of a spherical robot with an internal mechanism based on a pendulum. The design is based on significant improvements made, including an electronics upgrade, to a previous robot prototype developed in our laboratory. Such modifications do not significantly impact its corresponding simulation model previously developed in CoppeliaSim, so it can be used with minor modifications. The robot is incorporated into a real test platform designed and built for this purpose. As part of the incorporation of the robot into the platform, software codes are made to detect its position and orientation, using the system SwisTrack, to control its position and speed. This implementation allows successful testing of control algorithms previously developed by the authors for other robots such as Villela, the Integral Proportional Controller, and Reinforcement Learning.

Spherical Body Protein 4 from Babesia bigemina: A Novel Gene That Contains Conserved B-Cell Epitopes and Induces Cross-Reactive Neutralizing Antibodies in Babesia ovata.

Bovine babesiosis is a tick-transmitted disease caused by intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia. Its main causative agents in the Americas are Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis, while Babesia ovata affects cattle in Asia. All Babesia species secrete proteins stored in organelles of the apical complex, which are involved in all steps of the invasion process of vertebrate host cells. Unlike other apicomplexans, which have dense granules, babesia parasites instead have large, round intracellular organelles called spherical bodies. Evidence suggests that proteins from these organelles are released during the process of invading red blood cells, where spherical body proteins (SBPs) play an important role in cytoskeleton reorganization. In this study, we characterized the gene that encodes SBP4 in B. bigemina. This gene is transcribed and expressed in the erythrocytic stages of B. bigemina. The sbp4 gene consists of 834 nucleotides without introns that encode a protein of 277 amino acids. In silico analysis predicted a signal peptide that is cleaved at residue 20, producing a 28.88-kDa protein. The presence of a signal peptide and the absence of transmembrane domains suggest that this protein is secreted. Importantly, when cattle were immunized with recombinant B. bigemina SBP4, antibodies identified B. bigemina and B. ovata merozoites according to confocal microscopy observations and were able to neutralize parasite multiplication in vitro for both species. Four peptides with predicted B-cell epitopes were identified to be conserved in 17 different isolates from six countries. Compared with the pre-immunization sera, antibodies against these conserved peptides reduced parasite invasion in vitro by 57%, 44%, 42%, and 38% for peptides 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively (p < 0.05). Moreover, sera from cattle infected with B. bigemina cattle contained antibodies that recognized the individual peptides. All these results support the concept of spb4 as a new gene in B. bigemina that should be considered a candidate for a vaccine to control bovine babesiosis.

Impacto de la COVID-19 en la progresión de la miopía en niños / Impact of COVID-19 on myopia progression in children

Introducción: La Organización Mundial de la Salud considera a la miopía un problema de salud mundial debido a su prevalencia creciente. Se espera que afecte al 52 % de la población mundial en 2050. Objetivo: Determinar la progresión de la miopía durante la pandemia de COVID-19 con respecto al período previo al confinamiento. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y ambispectivo de una serie de 12 pacientes atendidos en la Consulta de Oftalmología Pediátrica del Instituto Cubano de Oftalmología "Ramón Pando Ferrer" antes de la pandemia y que acudieron en el período de confinamiento por la COVID-19 para su seguimiento. Las variables evaluadas fueron edad, género, antecedentes patológicos familiares de miopía, horas pantalla, equivalente esférico y biometría. Resultados: El promedio de edad fue de 9,7 años y el 58,3 por ciento correspondió al sexo femenino. El 75 por ciento de los pacientes tenían antecedentes patológicos familiares de miopía y el tiempo estimado frente a pantalla fue de 5,3 ± 0,8 h diarias. La media de la biometría se incrementó en el tiempo de 23 mm en 2019 a 25,5 mm en 2021. La diferencia de la media del equivalente esférico previo a la COVID-19 fue -0,89 y -0,84 para ojo derecho y el ojo izquierdo, respectivamente. En la etapa epidémica se percibió un aumento hasta -1,97 y -1,72. Conclusiones: El incremento del uso de los medios digitales debido al confinamiento ha causado la progresión de la miopía(AU)

Introduction: Myopia is considered a global health problem by the World Health Organization due to its increasing prevalence and is expected to affect 52 percent of the world's population by 2050. Objective: To determine the progression of myopia during the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to the pre-confinement period. Methods: A descriptive and ambispective study of a series of 12 patients treated at the Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic of the Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology "Ramón Pando Ferrer" before the pandemic and who visited the hospital during the COVID-19 confinement period for follow-up, was carried out. The variables evaluated were age, gender, family history of myopia, screen hours, spherical equivalent and biometry. Results: The average age was 9.7 years and 58.3 percent of the patients were females. Seventy-five percent of the patients had a family history of myopia and the estimated time in front of the screen was 5.3 ± 0.8 h per day. The medium biometry increased over time from 23 mm in 2019 to 25.5 mm in 2021. The difference in medium pre-COVID-19 spherical equivalent was -0.89 and -0.84 for right eye and left eye, respectively. In the epidemic stage, an increase to -1.97 and -1.72 was perceived. Conclusions: Increased use of digital media due to confinement has caused myopia progression(AU)

Success rate in micropulse diode laser treatment with regard to lens status, refractive errors, and glaucoma subtypes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC) considering different characteristics: glaucoma subtypes and lens status. METHODS: A retrospective case-series study was designed to evaluate intraocular pressure (IOP), and the number of IOP-lowering medications, used by glaucoma patients treated with MP-TSCPC between 2016 and 2019. Cases had a follow-up period of 12 months. Achieving an IOP reduction higher than 20%, or the decrease of at least one IOP-lowering medication, was considered a successful outcome. The same population was analyzed by classifying them in two groups as: glaucoma subtypes and lens status. The baseline spherical equivalent (SE) was also calculated for considering association with the achieved IOP. RESULTS: A total of 86 eyes were included. In most cases, IOP and IOP-lowering medications were decreased with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001), and all of them had a successful outcome. The percentage of IOP drop oscillated between 25.9% (open-angle glaucoma sub-group) and 37.5% (pseudoexfoliative glaucoma sub-group), 12 months after surgery. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p 0.20 and 0.32 for glaucoma subtypes and lens status, respectively). The Pearson's coefficient obtained was low for the SE and IOP association, at the 12 -month postoperative mark (- 0.009; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The MP-TSCPC treatment was successful in decreasing IOP and IOP-lowering medications, in different glaucoma subtypes. Differences between groups (glaucoma subtypes, phakic and pseudophakic eyes) were not statistically significant. No association was found between the SE and the IOP achieved value after MS-TSCPC treatment.

Fuzzy spherical truncation-based multi-linear protein descriptors: From their definition to application in structural-related predictions.

This study introduces a set of fuzzy spherically truncated three-dimensional (3D) multi-linear descriptors for proteins. These indices codify geometric structural information from kth spherically truncated spatial-(dis)similarity two-tuple and three-tuple tensors. The coefficients of these truncated tensors are calculated by applying a smoothing value to the 3D structural encoding based on the relationships between two and three amino acids of a protein embedded into a sphere. At considering, the geometrical center of the protein matches with center of the sphere, the distance between each amino acid involved in any specific interaction and the geometrical center of the protein can be computed. Then, the fuzzy membership degree of each amino acid from an spherical region of interest is computed by fuzzy membership functions (FMFs). The truncation value is finally a combination of the membership degrees from interacting amino acids, by applying the arithmetic mean as fusion rule. Several fuzzy membership functions with diverse biases on the calculation of amino acids memberships (e.g., Z-shaped (close to the center), PI-shaped (middle region), and A-Gaussian (far from the center)) were considered as well as traditional truncation functions (e.g., Switching). Such truncation functions were comparatively evaluated by exploring: 1) the frequency of membership degrees, 2) the variability and orthogonality analyses among them based on the Shannon Entropy's and Principal Component's methods, respectively, and 3) the prediction performance of alignment-free prediction of protein folding rates and structural classes. These analyses unraveled the singularity of the proposed fuzzy spherically truncated MDs with respect to the classical (non-truncated) ones and respect to the MDs truncated with traditional functions. They also showed an improved prediction power by attaining an external correlation coefficient of 95.82% in the folding rate modelling and an accuracy of 100% in distinguishing structural protein classes. These outcomes are better than the ones attained by existing approaches, justifying the theoretical contribution of this report. Thus, the fuzzy spherically truncated-based protein descriptors from MuLiMs-MCoMPAs (http://tomocomd.com/mulims-mcompas) are promising alignment-free predictors for modeling protein functions and properties.

Self-assembly in binary mixtures of spherical colloids.

Colloidal suspensions of monodisperse spherical particles have been extensively studied since one of the main advantages of these systems is their similarity to atomic ones. This property has been used successfully in basic science to understand the equilibrium and non-equilibrium behavior of model colloids and to correlate them with their atomic counterparts. In contrast, suspensions used in technological processes are usually more complex. Nevertheless, for their effective applications, it is crucial to understand their properties, such as the microstructure, dynamics, and flow behavior, as well as the mechanisms underlying their self-organization. The first step towards this knowledge is switching from monodisperse suspensions to moderately complex ones, namely binary mixtures. Therefore, the present review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the phase behavior of binary mixtures of spherical colloids with different inter-particle interactions, such as nearly hard spheres, electrostatic repulsion/attraction, depletion attraction, and attraction due to DNA hybridization. A comparison of experimental work with theoretical predictions is described for binary suspensions studied in three and two dimensions. Several open questions are outlined in the conclusions.

Modeling and Control of a Spherical Robot in the CoppeliaSim Simulator.

This article presents the development of a model of a spherical robot that rolls to move and has a single point of support with the surface. The model was developed in the CoppeliaSim simulator, which is a versatile tool for implementing this kind of experience. The model was tested under several scenarios and control goals (i.e., position control, path-following and formation control) with control strategies such as reinforcement learning, and Villela and IPC algorithms. The results of these approaches were compared using performance indexes to analyze the performance of the model under different scenarios. The model and examples with different control scenarios are available online.

Miopía en pacientes con retinopatía de la prematuridad / Myopia in patients with Retinopathy of Prematurity

Objetivos: describir el comportamiento del defecto miópico hasta el año de vida, en pacientes que desarrollaron retinopatía de la prematuridad, y determinar los principales factores de riesgo del mismo. Método: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, longitudinal, prospectivo en 37 pacientes que, habiendo sido tratados o no por retinopatía de la prematuridad, mantuvieron un seguimiento estable en consulta posterior a la fase aguda de la enfermedad. Fueron evaluadas a los seis y 12 meses de vida teniendo en cuenta las variables edad gestacional al nacer, peso al nacer, tipo de retinopatía de la prematuridad, presencia de miopía. Resultados: la mediana de edad gestacional y peso al nacer fueron 30,2 semanas y 1 287 g. A los seis meses cinco ojos de 27 pacientes (considerando solo los ojos derechos) presentaron miopía, lo cual representa el 18,5 por ciento. A los 12 meses este valor se incrementó a 44,4 por ciento. La edad gestacional y el peso al nacer no mostraron relación con el desarrollo de miopía (p = 0,072 y p = 0,397) a los 12 meses. En pacientes con retinopatía de la prematuridad grave el defecto miópico resultó más frecuente (p = 0,003). Conclusiones: la prematuridad y el peso al nacer no constituyeron variables que influyeran en la aparición de miopía. Por el contrario, la retinopatía de la prematuridad grave sí se asoció con una mayor miopía, sobre todo a los 12 meses(AU)

Objectives: to describe the behavior of the myopic defect up to one year of life, in patients who developed retinopathy of prematurity, and to determine the main risk factors for it. Method: a descriptive, longitudinal, prospective study was carried out in 37 patients who, having been treated for retinopathy of prematurity or not, maintained a stable follow-up in consultation after the acute phase of the disease. They were evaluated at 6 and 12 months of life taking into account the variables gestational age at birth, birth weight, type of retinopathy of prematurity, presence of myopia. Results: Median gestational age and birth weight were 30.2 weeks and 1287g. At 6 months, 5 eyes of 27 patients (considering only the right eyes) presented myopia, which represents 18.5 percent. At 12 months this value increased to 44.4 percent. Gestational age and birth weight were not related to the development of myopia (p = 0.072) and p = 0.397) at 12 months. In patients with severe retinopathy of prematurity, myopic defect was more frequent (p = 0.003). Conclusions: prematurity and birth weight were not variables that influenced the appearance of myopia. On the contrary, severe retinopathy of prematurity was associated with greater myopia, especially at 12 months(AU)

Effect of laser photocoagulation, antiangiogenic therapy or a combined treatment on refractive outcomes of newborns with ROP.

PURPOSE: To determine the refractive outcome after treatment with laser photocoagulation, intravitreal antiangiogenic injection or both, for the treatment of type 1 ROP and/or aggressive posterior ROP using defocus equivalent terms. These results will be compared with the spherical equivalent (SE) notation in an initial refraction (during the first 3 years after treatment) and in a final evaluation (three years after treatment). METHODS: Clinical charts review of preterm patients who developed type 1 ROP and/or aggressive posterior ROP who were treated with laser photocoagulation, intravitreal antiangiogenic injection, or both, between January 2007 and December 2014 at Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander were reviewed. Refractive error was evaluated at two different time points in three different treatment groups. RESULTS: Seventy-seven eyes (56 patients) with ROP diagnosis treated with laser, antiangiogenics or in a combined scheme were included. Median gestational age was 29 weeks (IQR = 3), median birth weight was 1100 (IQR = 335) and mean corrected age at the time of treatment was 37.3 weeks (SD 2.2). Refractive outcomes in SE terms for the first refraction had a median of -0.50 diopters and in defocus terms, 4.00 diopters (D). For the second refraction, -3.00 diopters and 4.00 diopters (D), respectively. Pearson correlation test result for the first measurement was 93% (p = 0.000) and for the second evaluation was 99% (p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Low birth weight had a statistically significant association to the increase of the refractive outcome. The high correlation between SE and DE for refractive errors allows us to confirm that DE is an appropriate metric to report refractive outcomes in this group of patients due to the presence of combined refractive ametropias.

Amplitude of movements with conical or spherical implants in anophthalmic socket.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the amplitude of movement in anophthalmic sockets reconstructed with conical or spherical orbital implants with and without an external ocular prosthesis (EOP), and whether the fornix depth could play a role. METHODS: Prospective observational study involving unilateral anophthalmic sockets evaluated the amplitude of movement with conical (20 subjects) or spherical (16) non-porous orbital implants, with and without an EOP, having the contralateral eye as the control group. Standardized photographs were obtained in the four gaze directions and measurements were performed using the Image J software. The upper and lower fornix depths were measured using rulers. RESULTS: Compared to the contralateral eye, the median movement amplitude without EOP was smaller with conical implants in supraduction (-0.88 mm, p=0.008), abduction (-2.26 mm, p<0.001) and adduction (-0.91 mm, p=0.008). Spherical implants had reduced movement only in abduction (-2.63 mm, p<0.001). Conical and spherical implants had similar amplitudes of movement in all versions, and were always smaller compared to the control. The median movement amplitude with the EOP was -3.05 mm (p=0.001) than without the EOP in abduction and -2.07 mm (p=0.020) in adduction, regardless of implant format. The fornix depth did not affect the orbital implants or EOP movement amplitude's median. CONCLUSION: Conical and spherical implants provide similar amplitude of movement and fornix depth did not have an influence on it. The amplitude of movement was significantly limited compared to the contralateral eye and was even more reduced if the EOP was in place with conical or spherical implant formats.

Estimation of ocular axial length with optometric parameters is not accurate.

Myopia is a worldwide major public concern, aside from the visual disturbance needing optical correction, myopia may be associated with open angle glaucoma, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy. The higher the myopia the higher the risk for retinal associated comorbidities, and the axial length is the more important measure to estimate risk of visual impairment. Recently a formula to predict axial length using spherical equivalent and keratometry was proposed, with the intention of categorizing the risk of visual impairment with Tideman et al. classification. PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of an axial length prediction formula in a Colombian population 8-17 years old. METHODS: Children from MIOPUR study with optical biometer axial length measure (AL), manifest refraction and keratometry were included in the analysis. Predicted axial length (PAL) was calculated with the prediction formula. A Bland-Altman assessment was conducted, and the concordance correlation coefficient was measured. Proposed classification of AL to establish risk of visual loss was used with measured AL and with PAL. The percentage of eyes misclassified was then established. RESULTS: A total of 2129 eyes were included in the analysis. Mean difference of axial length (actual AL minus PAL) was -0.516 mm (-1.559 mm - 0.528 mm). Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of 0.656 (IC95 0.636-0.675) was found between the real AL and PAL. PAL differed from measured AL by 1 mm or more in 16.58 %, and by 2 mm or more, in 0.61 % of the eyes. In myopic eyes, PAL was in average 0.426 mm longer than the AL actually measured with CCC of 0.714 (IC95 0.666-0.761). PAL differed from measured AL by 1 mm or more in 21.92 %, and by 2 mm or more, in 0.45 % of the myopic eyes. The study revealed that 15.03 % of all eyes, and 29.81 % of myopic eyes, were misclassified when PAL was used. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed axial length prediction formula was not accurate, and it did not adequately classify risk of visual impairment in myopic eyes in a group of Colombian children. We consider that it is not possible to predict the axial length based only on optometric data, such as the corneal radius of curvature and the spherical equivalent. This is very possibly related to the variability of crystalline lens power within a population.

Technical notes on prism-dioptre and Prentice's rule.

PURPOSE: To show an alternative interpretation for prism-dioptre and access Prentice's rule accuracy. METHODS: Algebraic calculation. RESULTS: The prism-dioptre can be expressed as a percentage of the distance between the prism and the plane of prismatic dislocation. Prentice's rule is an imprecise mathematical expression prone to expressive errors. CONCLUSIONS: The prism-dioptre seems to be more informative when interpreted as a percentage. Prentice's rule is more effective as a pedagogical approach for introducing the concept of spherical lenses' prismatic image dislocation rather than a method for calculating its actual value.