PATIENT PERSISTENCY WITH TOPICAL PROSTAGLANDIN THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF GLAUCOMA

Purpose: The purpose was to evaluate persistency (time on therapy) with prostaglandin analogues in the treatment of glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Methods: This population-based, retrospective cohort study used prescription and medical claims databases from multiple managed care organizations. Patients

CLINICAL AND ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF LATANOPROST BIMATOPROST OR TRAVOPROST THERAPY IN GLAUCOMA PATIENTS: A THREE-MONTH RETRO-SPECTIVE STUDY

Purpose: To evaluate rates of hyperemia in patients treated with latanoprost, bimatoprost, or travoprost and to compare groups in IOP response and costs. Methods: This 3-month, retrospective, multicenter, non-randomized, medical chart review included patients from 10 U.S. sites, who either initiated or changed to latanoprost, bimatoprost, or travoprost for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension after January 1, 2001. Patients had follow-up data for at least 3 months fol-

Intravenous haloperidol for the treatment of intractable vomiting,cyclical vomiting,and gastroparesis

Dear editor,The incidence of emergency department(ED)visits from gastroparesis and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome has increased by two folds over the past decade.[1-3]Roldan et al[4]reported that patients with these conditions often have prolonged ED stays and are likely to be hospitalized because of the danger of dehydration and challenges inherent in relieving symptoms.Opioid analgesia is a particularly troublesome treatment modality;these conditions are often chronic with frequent recurrences,and repeated opiate therapy can cause opioid dependency and narcotic bowel syndrome.[5]Haloperidol(HP)and droperidol,members of the butyrophenone class,have potent antidopaminergic activity in the chemoreceptor trigger zone.[6,7]Intramuscular administration of HP is being used increasingly in the ED to treat nausea,vomiting secondary to gastroparesis,[6]intractable vomiting,[8]and cyclical vomiting.

The Relation between Freeway Average Speed and Speed Noise

Many factors affect the vehicular fuel consumption rate. The most significant traffic-related ones are speed, number of stops, speed noise, and acceleration noise (acceleration standard deviation). Fuel consumption models for both urban and highway traffic are used to evaluate the effect of these factors. Previous literature shows the speed and the acceleration of vehicles as well as the aerodynamic effects are the most commonly used variables in the highway fuel consumption mo dels. However, most existing models are based on the average or cruising speed and the effect of speed variation is by-and-large ignored. Incorporating the speed noise as a variable in the prediction models seems impractical because measuring it is cumbersome. However, knowing the relation between speed and speed noise may allow including the effect of speed noise in the model indirectly. To that end, this study examines the relation between speed and speed noise. The resulting mathematical relation is used to incorporate the speed noise effects in the fuel consumption model.

Macrophages and the maintenance of homeostasis

There have been many chapters written about macrophage polarization.These chapters generally focus on the role of macrophages in orchestrating immune responses by highlighting the T-cell-derived cytokines that shape these polarizing responses.This bias toward immunity is understandable,given the importance of macrophages to host defense.However,macrophages are ubiquitous and are involved in many different cellular processes,and describing them as immune cells is undoubtedly an oversimplification.It disregards their important roles in development,tissue remodeling,wound healing,angiogenesis,and metabolism,to name just a few processes.In this chapter,we propose that macrophages function as transducers in the body.According to Wikipedia,WA transducer is a device that converts energy from one form to another.^The word transducer is a term used to describe both the"sensor,which can interpret a wide range of energy forms,and the"actuator,which can switch voltages or currents to affect the environment.Macrophages are able to sense a seemingly endless variety of inputs from their environment and transduce these inputs into a variety of different response outcomes.Thus,rather than functioning as immune cells,they should be considered more broadly as cellular transducers that interpret microenvironmental changes and actuate vital tissue responses.In this chapter,we will describe some of the sensory stimuli that macrophages perceive and the responses they make to these stimuli to achieve their prime directive,which is the maintenance of homeostasis.

RELAXATION SOLVERS FOR IDEAL MHD EQUATIONS-A REVIEW

We have developed approximate Riemann solvers for ideal MHD equations based on a relaxation approach in [4], [5]. These lead to entropy consistent solutions with good properties like guaranteed positive density. We describe the extension to higher order and multiple space dimensions. Finally we show our implementation of all this into the astrophysics code FLASH.

The Great Coronavirus Pandemic of 2019−2021:the Future and the Requirement for China-America Cooperation

Over the past century,the great pandemics and most epidemics(defined as virus presence and disease induction presenting more than the expected number of infections in a population)were caused by the sudden outbreak of an RNA virus such as the pandemics of influenza,polio,and HIV/AIDS and the epidemics of influenza,Ebola,Dengue,Zika,West Nile,severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS),Middle East respiratory syndrome(MERS),and Chikungunya.Of course,there are other infections that remain endemic problems in parts of the world.

Feeding World Without Borders

Growing up in rural Iowa, before I knew the word “agriculture,” I knew that producing food for people was part of Iowans’ identity. Before I learned the concepts of borders and nations, I knew people needed to be fed. It is a deep-rooted belief, and Iowans take great pride in producing abundant, high-quality food for the world. It was no surprise that I chose agriculture for my college education and have continued down this path for my career.

Approximate Riemann Solvers and Robust High-Order Finite Volume Schemes for Multi-Dimensional Ideal MHD Equations

We design stable and high-order accurate finite volume schemes for the ideal MHD equations in multi-dimensions.We obtain excellent numerical stability due to some new elements in the algorithm.The schemes are based on three-and five-wave approximate Riemann solvers of the HLL-type,with the novelty that we allow a varying normal magnetic field.This is achieved by considering the semiconservative Godunov-Powell form of the MHD equations.We show that it is important to discretize the Godunov-Powell source term in the right way,and that the HLL-type solvers naturally provide a stable upwind discretization.Second-order versions of the ENO-and WENO-type reconstructions are proposed,together with precise modifications necessary to preserve positive pressure and density.Extending the discrete source term to second order while maintaining stability requires non-standard techniques,which we present.The first-and second-order schemes are tested on a suite of numerical experiments demonstrating impressive numerical resolution as well as stability,even on very fine meshes.

Building Leaders for a Digital Economy

What do the following US companies have in common： Amazon.com, eBay, Monster.com, Google, Kodak, Encyclopaedia Britannica, AT＆T and TV Guide？ These are all companies whose businesses have been dramatically altered by the technological developments of the last decade.