A bstract Background: Despite established international guidelines on preferred teaching components for ophthalmology in undergraduate curricula, with increasingly less specialty‐based undergraduate teaching within curricula, teaching of core ophthalmology knowledge and skills may become marginalized. This survey aims to evaluate the current state of undergraduate ophthalmology teaching in Australasia and proximate Asian medical schools. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to determine the content and extent of ophthalmology teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum. The questionnaire was sent to 25 medical schools throughout Australasia and Asia. Results: Nineteen of the 25 questionnaires were returned (76% response rate). Ophthalmology teaching programmes ranged from 2 to 20 days: five (26%) medical schools having one ophthalmology attachment; six schools (32%) two attachments; and the remainder three or more. Only seven of the schools taught all 13 ophthalmology topics recommended in current curriculum guidelines. Ocular examination (100%), lens and cataract (95%) and ocular manifestations of systemic disease (95%) were the most commonly taught topics, with intraocular tumours only covered by 10 schools (53%). Students in 14 schools (74%) attended ophthalmology operating theatre, but only two schools (11%) offered attendance at optometry clinics. Ten schools (53%) required a pass in ophthalmology to complete the academic year. Conclusion: Ophthalmology may increasingly be a small, or even absent, component of undergraduate medical curricula. Despite established international ophthalmology curriculum guidelines, this survey highlights significant lack of uniformity in their implementation.
To identify the clinical features and outcomes of infectious endophthalmitis in New Zealand.A retrospective review was performed on all patients presenting at Auckland Public Hospital with presumed infectious endophthalmitis between 1996 and 2004.One hundred and six patients were diagnosed with infectious endophthalmitis over the 9-year study period. More than half the infections occurred in the perioperative setting (58.5%), with the next most common group being patients with a history of ocular trauma (18.9%). Endogenous endophthalmitis accounted for 16.0% of the cases while a small percentage arose from other causes. The mean interval between the onset of symptoms and presentation was 4.2 +/- 7.9 days. There was no significant difference in outcomes between clinical settings (P = 0.616) or between gram-positive, gram-negative and fungal infections (P = 0.090). Evisceration/enucleation was more likely in Pacific peoples and those with poor presenting visual acuity.The most common clinical scenario for patients presenting with presumed infectious endophthalmitis in this series was in the perioperative setting. We did not find that the prognosis was influenced by the microbiological isolate or clinical setting. However, those patients presenting with poor acuities typically had the worst outcomes. Pacific ethnicity was also associated with increased rate of complications.
An on-sun Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV) test site with a multiplexed current-voltage measurement capability has been installed at the University of Ottawa. Herein, we present details of the instrumentation, which is designed to provide in-situ I-V measurements of individual solar cells within a functioning, series connected, string. A 4-wire multiplexing system enables current-voltage measurements of individual cells. Where other multi-cell test systems have left cells at open-circuit or connected to a fixed resistor when not selected by the multiplexer, in this system each test cell operates within a string of cells controlled by a maximum power point tracker. This allows us to maintain the test cells at realistic operating conditions for all irradiance conditions. Using the current-voltage data, a range of parameters of interest can be monitored over time, including the solar cell temperature, photovoltaic efficiency and optical efficiency. This information is correlated with time-synchronized spectrometer and pyrheliometer data, allowing automated collection of performance data from several strings of optic/solar cell assemblies. The test site includes two 20m2, dual-axis, ring mounted solar trackers and is being used to test new CPV systems which incorporate novel lightguiding optics designed and manufactured by Morgan Solar Inc.
Abstract Determining mechanisms that naturally protect species from developing cancer is critical in order to prevent and treat cancer. Here, we describe a novel cancer-suppressing mechanism, via the secretion of bioactive factors by mammary cells, that is present in domesticated mammals with a low mammary cancer incidence. Specifically, these bioactive factors induced triple-negative breast cancer cell (TNBC) death in vitro and reduced tumorigenicity in a xenograft TNBC mouse model in vivo. RNA deep sequencing showed significant downregulation of genes associated with breast cancer progression in secretome-cultured TNBC cells. Further in-depth multi-omics analysis identified sphingomyelins as key secreted factors, and their role was confirmed via inhibition of the sphingomyelin signaling pathway. We speculate that secreted sphingomyelins in the mammary gland of mammals with a naturally low incidence of mammary cancer mediate the elimination of cancer cells. This study contributes to the growing list of protective mechanisms identified in cancer-proof species.
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