Herein we describe a staged surgical technique consisting of penetrating sclerokeratoplasty (PSKP) followed by penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and present its clinical course and complications over two years of follow-up. A 23-year-old man presented with cosmetically unacceptable protrusion of the globe corresponding to the cornea and sclera. PSKP was performed transplanting a full-thickness beveled 13 mm corneoscleral tectonic graft. Hypotony developed subsequently and was successfully managed medically, however corneal graft failure occurred. After 15 months, a 7.5 mm PKP was performed for optical reasons, which subsequently remained clear with a healthy epithelium. In this particular case, cosmetic, tectonic, therapeutic, and optical requirements were met. PSKP is a surgical procedure which entails a high rate of complications but may be the only alternative when the main goal of intervention is restoration of the globe in complicated cases such as our patient. A staphyloma is a localized defect in the eye wall with protrusion of uveal tissue due to alterations in scleral thickness and structure. Most staphylomas occur in the posterior pole, usually due to pathological or degenerative myopia.Anterior staphylomas are less frequent. They generally occur after longstanding mistreated or untreated infections in a previously healthy eye and are commonly associated with fungal corneal ulcers. In other cases, they may follow chronic inflammatory diseases such as necrotizing scleritis. Due to their uncommon occurrence, very few case reports in the literature have discussed their management.Penetrating sclerokeratoplasty (PSKP) is a surgical technique that consists of replacing the anterior one-third of the eye wall with a full-thickness corneoscleral graft of variable size, depending on the extent of the staphyloma. This procedure was first described in 1956 and achieves a clear graft in 50% of cases over a 3.5 year period.4A 23-year-old male farmer from Chiapas, Mexico with no history of previous eye surgery was referred with protrusion of his right eye. Two years earlier, the patient had experienced redness in the same eye for which he had received multiple topical and systemic medications with no improvement. The inflammation eventually evolved into the condition he presented with. In addition to poor visual acuity (light perception), the corneoscleral protrusion was cosmetically unpleasant and precluded complete eyelid closure, resulting in chronic foreign body sensation . ExaminaThe first surgical step was a PSKP with beveled margins. In order to maintain the structure of the recipient angle, both donor and recipient tissues were prepared freehand. The recipient eye underwent a 360° peritomy with relaxing conjunctival incisions. Then, a circumferential 50% deep beveled scleral incision was made 2.5 mm peripheral to the limbus, until the peripheral cornea was reached. Next, a 360° sclerokeratectomy was performed. The crystalline lens was found to be displaced forward with absent zonular support, leading to spontaneous intracapsular extraction. Anterior dry vitrectomy was performed due to vitreous prolapse following cataract extraction. The donor graft was prepared leaving a 3 mm scleral rim attached to the cornea; the scleral margin was beveled such that a large mushroom-shape pattern was created. The donor graft was sutured to the beveled recipient scleral bed with 10-0 nylon and 7-0 vicryl sutures to promote scleral vascularization. The overlying conjunctiva was sutured with 10-0 nylon sutures. After the procedure, the graft remained clear with a formed anterior chamber and a smooth donor-recipient interface covered with conjunctiva .On the second postoperative day, ocular hypertension developed and medical treatment was initiated. After three months (October 2008), hypotony occurred spontaneously and the anti-glaucoma agents were discontinued. B-scan ultrasonography revealed choroidal thickening and treatment with high dose topical and transseptal depot steroids, and 1% atropine was initiated. Six months after the procedure (February 2009), the graft lost transparency . FifteenThe graft remained clear with a healthy epithelium and normal IOP . At thisAcquired anterior staphylomas usually follow untreated fungal ulcers in developing countries; nevertheless other microorganisms such as Pseudomonas or Acanthamoeba have also been implicated as the cause.PKP as a second procedure demonstrates high rates of failure and rejection, and should be considered as a high risk procedure. These concerns may be circumvented by performing a keratoprosthesisJacob et alAcquired anterior staphylomas are rarely seen in developed countries. Low education and poor sanitary conditions in a patient with no access to appropriate health care, may rarely lead to such a condition. The treatment of acquired anterior staphylomas is complex and involves high-risk procedures such as PSKP. Cosmetic, tectonic, therapeutic, and optical considerations must be met and most likely, more than one procedure is needed. PSKP offers excellent tectonic, therapeutic, and cosmetic rehabilitation, albeit with limited optical advantages in the long term. PSKP entails a high rate of complications, but is the only alternative for restoring the globe in advanced cases such as the patient reported herein. Keratoprosthesis may benefit patients if a second surgical procedure is required, but is rarely available and often not reccomended in developing countries.


DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DARU) is one of the 47 scientific journals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). When the journal was launched in 1991, articles were published in the Persian language; English abstracts were then added in 1995, and finally it completed the transition to publishing in the English language for both abstracts and full-text in early 1999.The main scope of this journal is to serve as a platform for all areas of drug conception, design, manufacturing, classification and assessment. DARU welcomes outstanding studies from basic research to clinical investigations as original papers, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, general reviews, mini-reviews, short communications, and editorials from the global scientific community.http://www.icmje.org), Committee on Publication Ethics , World Association of Medical Editors , and European Association of Science Editors  and request authors to meet these guidelines in submitting their manuscripts. For clinical trials, this journal requires registration in a public trials registry also.DARU considers guidelines provided by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors  were accepted and 41 (56%) were rejected. The average review time has been 23 days.DARU is indexed and abstracted in many abstracting and indexing databases such as ISI Web of Science, PubMed Central, Scopus, Excerpta Medica/EMBASE, Scirus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Biological Abstracts (BIOSIS), EBSCO, Asian Science Citation Network (ASCN), CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), Free Medical Journals, Global Health, Google Scholar, HINARI, Index Copernicus, Index Medicus for WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), Natural Product Extracts (NAPRALERT), Open J-Gate, SIR.Publication as the final important stage of any scientific research is necessary for development of sciences and knowledge of the world. By publication, world scientists talk to each other and share their idea, thoughts, findings, and opinions. The science of pharmacy is not an exclusive and thus we need all scientists of the world to consider this journal as one of their favorite to share their studies with others. The editorial board and managers of this journal try their best to develop knowledge and technology in the field of pharmacy in the globe by adhering higher standards of editing and publication to meet the needs of academics, researchers and professionals.


The EPMA Journal[The Editorial Board and BioMed Central team have been working together to develop a journal-specific outline for research articles suitable for publication in A Journal. The purThe EPMA Journal, authors should consider the following aspects:When preparing a research manuscript for 1. The research topic must be in keeping with the aims and scope of the journal , i.e. de2. A research manuscript should be dedicated to the development of PPPM-related technologies and demonstrate an innovation that might be presented by hybrid technologies (e.g. complementary imaging), a reasonable combination of diagnostic approaches , advanced therapy targeting and innovative drug delivery systems, which present real progress beyond the state of the art in diagnostics, patient stratification and personalisation of treatments.The EPMA Journal focuses on an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach in educating professionals. The reason for this is that the PPPM objectives can only be achieved through a close collaboration between several professional groups. Consequently, even the most sophisticated approaches and technologies should be described in a way that is understandable to young professionals and specialists active in other biomedical fields outside of the author’s area of expertise. For this reason, it is highly recommended to make use of high-quality illustration materials, such as images and graphs, to introduce innovative technologies, new approaches, proposed molecular, subcellular and cellular mechanisms, etc.3. The manuscript should be presented to the highest didactic level. The EPMA Journal does not aim to compete with or duplicate the work of other journals dedicated to individual types of technologies, discovery of single biomarkers, drug targeting, medical imaging and so on. The journal promotes the use and amalgamation of knowledge collected in individual scientific and technological branches in order to create integrative PPPM-related approaches that have potentials to advance health care. Therefore, any scientific and technological innovation presented in research manuscripts submitted to The EPMA Journal should consider the context of PPPM integration and the advancement of medical services. Consequently, the following article sections are asked to be included and these points should be considered prior to submission of a manuscript:• Introductory overview of the topic: this section should demonstrate the relevance of the article for the integrative field of PPPM. A detailed field overview with citations to all relevant literature is requested to inform the reader of the state of the art and demonstrate current deficits relevant to health care quality.• A detailed analysis of the achieved results is an obligatory section of the manuscript to demonstrate the robustness of the discovery.• An interpretation of the discovery should be provided in the context of PPPM followed by the spectrum of functions proposed for its potential utilisation in health care.• Expert recommendations are requested to outline perspectives for concomitant developments in the field and related branches.The Editorial Board is confident that our current initiative will become well understood and strongly supported by the journal readers and authors.


Brain, Mind and Consciousness: An Interdisciplinary International PerspectiveMens Sana Monographs, along with the World Psychiatric Association [Philosophy and Humanities Section] and the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, co-sponsored an International Seminar on Mind, Brain and Consciousness. It was conducted by VPM´s Joshi-Bedekar College of Arts and Commerce, at its campus at Thane, Maharashtra, India, 13 to 15 January, 2010. MSM 2011, titled, Brain, Mind and Consciousness: An Interdisciplinary International Perspective, is based on the papers presented there, which have been peer-reviewed and substantially revised to conform to MSM guidelines and standards. It has contributions from philosophers, psychiatrists, psychologists, neurosurgeons and other neuroscientists, even an anthropologist.The MSM, Ajai R. Singh, Shakuntala A. Singh, write an extended editorial: Brain-Mind Dyad, Human Experience, the Consciousness Tetrad and Lattice of Mental Operations: And, Further, The Need to Integrate Knowledge from Diverse Disciplines [p6].The Editors of American Journal of Psychiatry [1992-2005] writes on, ´A Journey into Chaos: Creativity and the Unconscious´ [p42]Nancy C. Andreasen, MD, PhD, Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, USA, and Past Editor, R. Balasubramanian, Chairman, Indian Philosophical Congress and President, Afro-Asian Philosophy Association writes a paper, ´Consciousness, Cognition and the Cognitive Apparatus in the Vedānta Tradition´ [p54].Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology and Special Advisor for Values-Based Practice, Department of Health, London, writes a paper, ´Neuroscience and values: a case study illustrating developments in policy, training and research in the UK and internationally´ [p79].K.W.M. Fulford, Dphil, FRCP, FRCPsych, Fellow of St Cross College, Member of the Philosophy Faculty and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, University of Oxford; Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Mental Health, University of Warwick; Editor, American Journal of Psychology, writes on, ‘What Should Be the Roles of Conscious States and Brain States in Theories of Mental Activity?´ [p93].Donelson E. Dulany, Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of Illinois and Past Editor [1988-2009], George E. Vaillant, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women´s Hospital, writes on,´ The Neuro-Endocrine System And Stress, Emotions, Thoughts And Feelings´ [p113].Sunil K. Pandya, M.S., Neurosurgeon, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, India, writes a paper on, ´Understanding Brain, Mind and Soul: Contributions from Neurology and Neurosurgery´ [p129].William Hirstein, Chair, Philosophy Department, Elmhurst College, Illinois, USA, writes a paper on, ´The Contribution of Prefrontal Executive Processes to Creating a Sense of Self´ [p150].Horacio Fabrega Jr., Professor of Psychiatry and Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, USA., writes on, ´Sickness and Healing and the Evolutionary Foundations of Mind and Minding´ [p159].Alfredo Pereira Jr., Adjunct Professor on Philosophy of Science, Institute of Biosciences, State University of São Paulo (UNESP), Campus Rubião Jr., Botucatu-SP, Brasil; Maria Alice Ornellas Pereira, Adjunct Professor on Psychiatric Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, State University of São Paulo (UNESP), Botucatu-SP and Fábio Augusto Furlan, Professor of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of Marília, Marília-SP, write a paper on, ´Recent Advances in Brain Physiology and Cognitive Processing´ [p183].Metapsychology Online Reviews, writes a paper on, ´Bridging the Gap between Philosophers of Mind and Brain Researchers: The Example of Addiction´ [p193].Christian Perring, Professor of Philosophy at Dowling College, New York, USA, and Editor, Neeta Mehta, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, KET´s V. G. Vaze College, Mumbai, India, writes on, ´Mind-Body Dualism: A Critique from a Health Perspective´ [p202].Avinash De Sousa, MD, DPM, DPC, DHA, MBA (Human Resource Development), MSc (Psychotherapy and Counselling), Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, Mumbai, India, writes a paper, ´Freudian Theory and Consciousness: A Conceptual Analysis´ [p210].Manoj Patharkar, Assistant Professor, Joshi Bedekar College, Thane, India, writes a paper on, ´From Data Processing to Mental Organs: An Interdisciplinary Path to Cognitive Neuroscience´ [p218].O. Olugbile, FRCPsych., and M.P. Zachariah, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos State, Nigeria, write a paper on, ´The Relationship between Creativity and Mental Disorder in an African Setting´ [p225].Daniel A. Drubach, Alejandro A. Rabinstein, Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; and Jennifer Molano, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, write a paper on, ´Free Will, Freedom of Choice and Fronto-temporal Lobar Degeneration´ [p238].Gabriel José Corrêa Mograbi, Professor of Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind and Epistemology at Federal University of Mato Grosso, writes on, ´Neural Basis Of Decision-Making And Assessment: Issues On Testability And Philosophical Relevance´ [p251].Nilanjan Das, Graduate Student, Department of Philosophy, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India, writes on, ´The Concept of Thinking: A Reappraisal of Ryle´s Work [p260]Namita Nimbalkar, PhD, Head, Department of Philosophy; Director, Gandhian Studies Centre, Birla College, Kalyan, Maharashtra, India, writes a paper, ´John Locke on Personal Identity´ [p268].Gabriel José Corrêa Mograbi, Professor of Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind and Epistemology at Federal University Of Mato Grosso, writes another paper, ´Meditation And The Brain: Attention, Control And Emotion´ [p276].Raison de etre of Our Existence´ is a recent discussion in which Ajai Singh, Richard Godwin, Gabriel Mograbi, R. Balsubramanian, Veena Garyali participate [p284].´ A Discussion in the Mind_Brain_Consciousness Group: Let´s Study the Structure that is the Very Ajai R. Singh, Editor, MSM, writes in journalology, ´Science, Names Giving and Names Calling: Change NDM-1 to PCM´ [p294]. He also writes, ´Template for MSM Submissions,´ a guide to writers/researchers who wish to submit their writings to MSM [p320].Mind, Consciousness and the Brain: Contributions from Indian Thought [p324].The Journal puts out a Call for Papers for MSM 2012 Theme Monograph on Some other information to share:American Journal of Psychiatry; Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry and Director of its Neuroimaging Research Center and the Mental Health Clinical Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, has joined the Honorary International Advisory Board of MSM from 2 Jan 2010. MSM has great pleasure in welcoming her to the Board. [Available at:http://www.msmonographs.org/aboutus.asp]Prof Nancy C. Andreasen MD, PhD, Past Editor, http://www.msmonographs.org/backissues.asp, Most popular articles at http://www.msmonographs.org/showstats.asp?a=ts, Most cited articles at http://www.msmonographs.org/showstats.asp?a=tc. All articles now have a DOI, and are available HTML Full text, PDF, Mobile Full Text, Epub, and Sword Plug in for Repository. Medknow Publications is doing a great job of maintaining the website and publishing the Journal.Kindly do spare some time to see the various features at the Journal website www.msmonographs.org. You can view archives at MSM always had some special features, like Authors´ bios with their photograph, and ´Questions that this paper raises.´ An abstract at the beginning, and concluding remarks and take home message at the end were made for ease of comprehension for readers, and for precision in authors. Since 2010, authors have to also submit a flowchart of their papers, a pictorial representation of how the thought flows through their writing. This is to add further clarity and precision to write-ups and ease of comprehension for readers. Also, authors are strongly recommended to quote recent works, and at least 50% of their references are expected to be 2000 and later. This is to make write-ups as contemporary as possible.MSM features in the Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_Sana_Monographs.MSM 2010 editorial “Modern Medicine: Towards Prevention, Cure, Well-being and Longevity” Available at http://www.msmonographs.org/article.asp?issn=0973-1229;year=2010;volume=8;issue=1;spage=17;epage=29;aulast=Singh] has been translated in Portuguese and republished in June 2010 by Revista Latinoamericana de Psicopatologia Fundamental, with permission, as “Medicina moderna: rumo à prevenÇão, à cura, ao bem-estar e à longevidade” MSM 2006 has been earlier reviewed by the Indian Journal of Psychiatry Available at http://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5545;year=2007;volume=49;issue=1;spage=71;epage=72;aulast=Bhide]MSM 2006 editorial, ´What is a good editorial?´ Available at http://www.msmonographs.org/article.asp?issn=0973-1229;year=2006;volume=4;issue=1;spage=14;epage=17;aulast=Singh] had been republished, with permission, as an editorial in Indian Journal of Pharmacology Available at http://www.ijp-online.com/article.asp?issn=0253-7613;year=2006;volume=38;issue=6;spage=381;epage=382;aulast=Singh]An earlier http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&term=%22Mens%20Sana%20Monogr%22%5Bjour%5D and [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/issues/193894]. This is really heartening news. We thank all our authors, our Honorary International Editorial Board Members, our Board of Peer Reviewers, our Subscribers, our Publishers (Medknow Publications) and our readers and supporters who stood by us all through. We take this opportunity to further our commitment to the understanding of ´medicine, mental health, mind, man and their matrix´.As we go to press, our publisher informs us that MSM is now indexed with PubMed and PubMed Central. See We also thank all those who have sent congratulatory messages and called to convey their good wishes.It all makes it seems so worthwhile. Hope you continue with us all the wayThe Editors, MSMmensanamonographs@yahoo.co.uk30 January 2011.


To assess repeatability of the Zhongshan Assessment Program (ZAP) software measurement of Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (ASOCT) images and correlate with graft trephine diameter following Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK)Retrospectively evaluated interventional case series. 121 consecutive eyes undergoing DSAEK over a 26 month period underwent ASOCT imaging 1month after their surgery. ASOCT images were processed using ZAP software which measured the graft and cornea parameters including anterior and posterior graft arc length and cord length, posterior cornea arc length (PCAL) and anterior chamber width.The graft measurements showed good repeatability on ASOCT using ZAP with high intra class coefficient and small variation in the coefficient of variation. On ASOCT, the mean recipient PCAL was 12.99+/−0.69mm and the anterior chamber width was 11.16+/−0.57mm. The mean Graft anterior arc length was 9.69+/−0.66mm and the mean Graft anterior cord length was 8.92+/−2.94mm. The mean graft posterior arc length was 9.24+/−0.75mm and the mean graft posterior cord length was 8.15+/−0.57mm. Graft posterior arc length  correlated best with intra-operative graft trephine diameter. The mean ratio of posterior graft arc length to PCAL was 0.712 +/− 0.056.We have validated the repeatability of the ZAP software for DSAEK graft measurements from ASOCT images and shown that the graft arc length parameters calculated from the ASOCT images correlate well with the intra-operative graft trephine diameter. This software may help surgeons determine the optimal DSAEK graft size based on pre-operative ASOCT measurements of the recipient eye. Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), the main form of endothelial keratoplasty in which a posterior lamellar graft is attached to the posterior corneal surface is rapidly becoming the surgical alternative to penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for patients with corneal endothelial failure ,2. The sAnterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) is a non-contact imaging technique that obtains high-resolution cross-sectional images of the cornea and anterior chamber. The ability of anterior segment OCT to render tissue planes with high axial resolution is potentially useful in evaluating the cornea after corneal lamellar procedures . ASOCT hThe aim of this study was to (i) assess the reproducibility of post DSAEK graft measurements using the modified ZAP (Zhongshan Assessment Program) software (ii) to validate the measurements obtained from the ZAP readings and correlate this with intra-operative graft trephine measurements; (iii) to retrospectively analyze the graft sizing in our first 121 DSAEK cases to assess the size of the DSAEK graft in relation to the posterior corneal arc length (PCAL).Approval for the study was granted by the Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Eye Research Institute institutional review board. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects before enrollment. One hundred and twenty one consecutive eyes undergoing DSAEK at the Singapore National Eye centre over a 26 month period, performed by a single corneal surgeon (DT), had ASOCT imaging performed one month after their surgery.DSAEK was performed using a similar technique, as described by Price , with thAnterior Segment images were scanned with the Zeiss Visante ASOCT  within the first month post operation, with informed consent obtained from all participants, as part of our IRB approved study on DSAEK. The details of ASOCT imaging technology have been described previously -16. To cAll ASOCT images were assessed by one ophthalmologist (GT). For each image, the image file was opened using the Zhongshan Assessment Program and first, the two scleral spurs were identified, defined as the anatomical junction between the inner wall of the trabecular meshwork and the sclera Figure  19-21].-21.19-21The Zhongshan Assessment Program  is a proprietary non-commercially available anterior segment image processing software developed at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic centre, Guangzhou, China. This software may be requested free from the authors. The software automatically extracted the 300 x 600 8-bit greyscale (intensities from 0 to 255) image portion of the output file and performed noise and contrast conditioning . A binarParametric and non-parametric tests were used to compare continuous variables according to data distribution. Spearman’s Rho correlation, linear regression and logistic regression analyses were used to assess factors relating to the posterior corneal arc length. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Bland-Altman analysis was performed to analyze intra-observer agreement. Analysis of repeat measurements was done looking at limits of agreement, coefficient of variation and intraclass coefficient. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS and microsoft® Excel software.A total of 121 eyes underwent DSAEK and had ASOCT done. 12 (9.9%) eyes were excluded because the ASOCT image was of insufficient quality to identify the sclera spur or to process the image with ZAP software. The remaining 109 eyes (56 right and 53 left) of 104 patients were included in this study. The mean age was 66.17+/−11.58 years and 53.2% were male . The Sheets Glide insertion technique was used in 93 patients (85.3%) with acceptable ASOCT images. Mean pre-operative donor endothelial cell count was 2881.54 +/− 240.78 and the mean graft thickness was 194.50 +/− 43.10 um  and the mean ratio of anterior graft arc length to posterior cornea arc length was 0.745 +/−0.051 (range 0.618 to 0.859).2 (0.697) for determining posterior graft arc length.Bivariate correlation showed that intraoperative graft trephine diameter correlated with graft anterior arc length, graft anterior cord length, graft posterior arc length and graft posterior cord length  Table . The intExamining the trend of graft size, we found that the posterior graft arc length increased with posterior cornea arc length. However, we noted that in our series, eyes with larger posterior cornea arc length, the ratio of graft posterior arc length to posterior cornea arc length was less than eyes with smaller posterior cornea arc length. Figure .We have previously shown the utility of the ZAP software in providing reproducible measurements of posterior cornea arc lengths from ASOCT images . In thisAlthough useful in providing anatomical detail of anterior segment structures, ASOCT does have its limitations. Images need to be dewarped with software algorithms to correct for index transitions , and calth percentile (13.52mm), the ratio of graft posterior arc length to posterior cornea arc length was less than the mean (0.712) in 70.4% of these eyes. This suggests that 70.4% of grafts in patients with PCAL> 13.5mm were undersized.Most of the grafts in this series were performed in eyes with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy where larger grafts with greater replacement of functional cornea endothelial cells were desirable. In our series, the mean ratio of posterior graft arc length to recipient posterior cornea arc length was 0.712 +/− 0.056 (Range 0.504 to 0.852). There was a small negative trend between the ratio of posterior graft arc length to posterior cornea arc length and the posterior cornea arc length, which suggested that we could have used larger grafts in eyes with larger posterior corneal arc lengths  Program Grant [NMRC/TCR/002 - SERI/2008 - TCR 621/41/2008].The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2342/12/19/prepub


Journal of Medical Physics (JMP) in the year 1996. During the past two decades, the technology has changed dramatically not only in the science of medical physics but in the technique of journal production, promotion and presentation of scientific contents. The days of journal printers working on the camera-ready copy are long over. Now everything is electronic and therefore, the up-gradation of the journal became overdue. Having accepted the responsibility of Resident Editorship of JMP with effect from January 2006, an effort was made to publish JMP online. For this, the publication of JMP is entrusted to a publisher – Medknow Publications Pvt. Ltd.A quarterly publication of the Association of Medical Physicists of India (AMPI), which started in the year of 1976 in the form of AMPI Medical Physics Bulletin under the dynamic Editorship of Dr. U Madhvanth, took a quantum leap forward to become I am delighted to see the publication of JMP with a new look that incorporated the elements of original design and a new layout of printing format. The most attractive development for the journal is that the full text is now published online, in addition to the printed hard copies. Readers are encouraged to visit the website of the journal. The new development is the use of web-based online submission and peer review system for the manuscript submission. The authors can submit the papers easily from anywhere in the world and then track the progress of the manuscripts within the system. It is needless to point out that publication online will enable the journal to reach a much wider readership than has been possible with the print alone. The online journal can be networked within a subscribing institution, permitting the readers to search and browse on their desk.For the success of the journal, it is necessary to gather together a highly reputable Editorial Board, covering all topics of the scope of the journal. The members of the Editorial Board, who are from different parts of the world, are well known for their expertise in their respective fields of Medical Physics. Many of these continue from the former Board of Editors with a few new additions.A major change in the policy of refereeing is that these members of the Editorial Board undertake the refereeing of most of the manuscripts and hunting for a referee outside the Board, with little obligation to JMP, is minimized. The commitment of the members of the Board for refereeing is bound to enhance the standard and the speed of publication. All papers, whether invited or contributory, go to two referees who not only provide recommendations regarding acceptance, revision, rejection, etc, but also provide their comprehensive and positive comments for the authors. The comments enable many papers to be raised to an acceptable standard and minimize the rejection of good work for the lack of the art of presentation.The new era under a reputed publisher and the dedicated editorial team looks very bright and will take the journal to new heights. With this, I look forward to your valuable scientific contributions and cooperation.


The Board of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education (NVMO) is extremely proud to welcome the readers of this first issue of Perspectives on Medical Education to take part in one of the Association’s most important channels of communication.Since its inception 40 years ago, in 1972, NVMO has avidly promoted the two major causes and targets of its existence and mission: development and research of medical education. After about 10 years, an independent Netherlands Journal of Medical Education (TMO) was launched, and after about 20 years the first national conference was held, two major platforms for communication with and for the medical education community at large. As is reflected in its membership of 1,200 and rising, the Association has flourished nationally and in recent years has embarked on international activities. Since 2008, many NVMO Special Interest Groups have contributed to an NVMO guest series in our esteemed sister-journal Medical Teacher, and numerous NVMO members have published in international journals in the past decades. We are now ready for the next step.On this occasion we wish to compliment the Editor and Editorial Board of our Journal on their vision, planning and execution of the transition of TMO to PME. We have already witnessed enthusiasm in the past year in a small international group of expert colleagues who were informed about this initiative, and we trust that PME will meet with similar enthusiasm among international readers and authors in the years to come. NVMO is more than happy to share and exchange ideas and research in the broad field of medical education. Not only does NVMO include all health professions education in its mission, ‘Netherlands’ has long included our Dutch speaking Flemish neighbours. We are now ready to officially welcome the international community.


Actinidia Lindl. spp.) and banana store a large amount of starch that is released as soluble sugars only after the fruit has reached maturity. By integrating metabolites measured by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, enzyme activities measured by a robot-based platform, and transcript data sets during fruit development of Actinidia deliciosa genotypes contrasting in starch concentration and size, this study identified the metabolic changes occurring during kiwifruit development, including the metabolic hallmarks of starch accumulation and turnover. At cell division, a rise in glucose (Glc) concentration was associated with neutral invertase (NI) activity, and the decline of both Glc and NI activity defined the transition to the cell expansion and starch accumulation phase. The high transcript levels of β-amylase 9 (BAM9) during cell division, prior to net starch accumulation, and the correlation between sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activity and sucrose suggest the occurrence of sucrose cycling and starch turnover. ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) is identified as a key enzyme for starch accumulation in kiwifruit berries, as high-starch genotypes had 2- to 5-fold higher AGPase activity, which was maintained over a longer period of time and was also associated with enhanced and extended transcription of the AGPase large subunit 4 (APL4). The data also revealed that SPS and galactinol might affect kiwifruit starch accumulation, and suggest that phloem unloading into kiwifruit is symplastic. These results are relevant to the genetic improvement of quality traits such as sweetness and sugar/acid balance in a range of fruit species.Tomato, melon, grape, peach, and strawberry primarily accumulate soluble sugars during fruit development. In contrast, kiwifruit ( Actinidia Lindl. spp.) is one of the few new fruit crops successfully adopted by international markets in recent years. It has become a high value export crop for a number of countries including New Zealand, Italy, and Chile. The success of kiwifruit has been largely based on a single cultivar, Actinidia deliciosa ‘Hayward’, which has a distinctive appearance and flavour, compared with other fruit types, as well as health benefits from high concentrations of vitamin C and fibre , consumer acceptability, and grower returns . Net staSolanum lycopersicum L.) (Vitis vinifera L.) (Fragaria×ananassa (Weston) Duchesne ex Rozier (pro sp.)] (Cucumis L.) (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch]  which accumulate all or most carbon as soluble sugars  in Suc cycling and starch turnover, respectively.This comprehensive analysis of the Suc to starch metabolic pathway during kiwifruit development combines data on primary metabolites, transcripts, and enzyme activities to identify changes between developmental stages and regulatory steps that affect carbohydrate accumulation. This work examines the hallmarks of starch accumulation in the kiwifruit berry by investigating why certain kiwifruit genotypes are able to accumulate twice the amount of starch during fruit development compared with others (Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C.F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson var. deliciosa genotypes characterized in this study were selected from a larger group of 24 genotypes , snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at –80 °C for transcript analysis.A. deliciosa genotypes was selected to give one individual each representing the extremes in starch concentration (high and low) and fruit size  . This experimental design minimizes the dilution effect of different rates of fresh weight (FW) growth that could hamper the identification of factors affecting starch accumulation. Fruit outer pericarp samples were collected in six biological replicates, at five different fruit developmental stages , snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at –80 °C for metabolite, enzyme activity, and transcript analysis. FW, dry weight (DW), and DM were measured on sampled fruit as described in In the 2009 HY, a subset of four Supplementary Table S3 at JXB online shows their correspondence to the BBCH scale . Mass spectra were cross-referenced with those of authentic standards in the Golm Metabolome Database  quantification, a third aliquot of extract was analysed by ion chromatography (IC). The methanol was blown off using a stream of nitrogen gas, and samples were redissolved in ultrapure water and analysed on a DIONEX ICS-3000 Reagent-Free™ IC (RFIC™) system with a CarboPac PA20 column ( –1).For soluble sugar . The crude extract was centrifuged for 10min at 3500rpm at 4 °C. Extract aliquots were further diluted with extraction buffer to obtain the optimal dilution for each enzyme (Supplementary Table S5 at JXB online). Enzyme activities were assayed immediately with established protocols (Supplementary Table S6 at JXB online), giving higher priority to more unstable enzymes (i.e. SPS and SUSY).Samples were ground in liquid nitrogen and aliquots (~40mg FW) of frozen powder were extracted after addition of 10mg of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone and vigorous vortexing in 500 µl of ice-cold extraction buffer  were normalized on a zero to one scale. Then a regression analysis slope for each enzyme was calculated.Supplementary Table S7 at JXB online) were designed using Primer3 software (EF1α) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) were the housekeeping genes. Target gene transcripts were normalized to PP2A  and its probability (P). The correlation analysis was run in pairs of genotypes from the same starch group including the genotypes’ mean values of all developmental stages. Significant correlations (P < 0.05) were visualized in matrices using Multi Experiment Viewer software version 4.8.1 (n=10). Therefore, heat maps show all correlations whose unadjusted P-value is <0.05, also allowing a fair comparison with literature data  were analysed with physical measurements , growth indexes [FW relative growth rate (RGR) and DW RGR], and metabolites  by a redundancy analysis (RDA), a principal component analysis (PCA) of multivariate regression predicted values that integrates independent data sets , whereas all the other sugars detected had lower concentrations. Planteose, a major sugar in kiwifruit leaves  decreased during cell expansion, whereas aspartate increased , H. MalaThe majority of the selected soluble enzymes of Suc, starch, and amino acid metabolism were cytosolic. NI activity , B had aTo test which enzymes may have a key role in fruit starch accumulation, the correlation coefficients were estimated for the enzymes of the Suc to starch pathway: AGPase, 0.23; SUSY, 0.10; PGM, 0.19; PGI, 0.13; UGPase, –0.06; HK, 0.14; and fructokinase (FK), 0.12. Enzymes outside the Suc to starch pathway, but important for carbohydrate dynamics, gave the following coefficients: SPS, 0.50; acid invertase (AI), –0.20; NI, –0.33.Supplementary Fig. S2 at JXB online). Only shikimate dehydrogenase (SDH) increased again during cell expansion. Both glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were higher in high-starch genotypes than in low-starch genotypes.All three amino acid metabolism enzymes measured fell 3-fold during cell division (Actinidia EST (expressed sequence tag) database : α-amylase , AGPase , AI , β-amylase , Dof zinc finger transcription factor (DOF2), FK , hexose transporter , HK , NI , sucrose non-fermenting kinase (SnRK1), sucrose transporter , and SUSY .The PFR AMY2, BAM9, SUSA, SUS1, INK, APL1, APL2, APL4, SUC3, SUC4, STP1, STP3, STP7, INV3, FK4, FK6, and SPS Family A (SPSA) were cytosolic, AMY3, BAM3, APS1, DOF2, and HKL1 were plastidial, CWINV1 and AMY1 were apoplastic, and HK1 was associated with the mitochondria. A homologue of the tomato LIN5 cell wall invertase, reported to be critical in phloem Suc unloading . Kiwifruit cell wall invertase CWINV1 was only expressed in vegetative tissue (data not shown).Based on the TargetP predicted location of the enzymes from transcripts (Supplementary Table S2 at JXB online) were surveyed during fruit development . Genes present in fruit tissues, showing differential transcript abundance between high- and low-starch genotypes, or overall high expression levels, were analysed further. The transcript abundance of 21 genes meeting these criteria (plus SPSA) was measured in the same samples used for metabolic and enzyme activity profiling  and low-starch (G25 and G17) genotypes were compared.Correlations were calculated to assess the associations between metabolite, enzyme, and transcript during P < 0.05) are shown in Supplementary Fig. S4 at JXB online. For both genotype groups, Suc was positively correlated to DM but not to starch concentration; Tre was positively correlated to Glc; Rha was positively correlated to starch, Gol, Fru, planteose, and DM; planteose was positively correlated to Gal; and starch was positively correlated to Gol. In low-starch genotypes only, starch was positively correlated to Glc and Tre.Significant metabolite  correlations . The majority of the correlations were positive, but NI was negatively correlated to 10 other enzymes and positively correlated to AI.Enzyme activities were highly correlated to one another during development in both genotype groups . For both genotype groups, SUSA transcripts were positively correlated to AMY3, INV3, and APS1, as were FK4 transcripts to INK, SUS1, STP1, STP14, and HK3. SUS1 transcripts were positively correlated to BAM9 and HK3 in both high- and low-starch genotypes and to APL4 in high-starch genotypes only. SUSA transcripts were negatively correlated to BAM9 in both genotype groups.Transcripts only had a limited number of significant correlations (P < 0.05) are shown in Significant metabolite to enzyme correlations (P < 0.05) metabolite to transcript  and transcript to enzyme  correlations were scarce, with little consistency between high- and low-starch genotypes and no correlations between genes and their respective enzyme activity.Significant  measured for 10 genotypes with contrasting starch concentrations  also peaked at cell division and was highly transcribed (AMY2 (cytosolic) transcripts was present throughout fruit development  and Arabidopsis , Suc and hexoses started to accumulate  increased significantly. As AMY3 is the only plastidial α-amylase  could be a candidate for starch degradation in heterotrophic tissues as its transcripts significantly increased by 154 DAA  and were strongly up-regulated in ripening kiwifruit (At harvest 154 DAA), kiwifruit are considered ‘mature’ but unripe . There have been various reports of correlations between SPS enzyme activity and Suc  were generally infrequent, and no correlations between transcript levels and their respective enzyme activities were observed. Previous studies of metabolism profiling in other fruit or systems (Metabolite to transcript or enzyme to transcript correlations (LIN5) into cultivated tomato showed its critical role for Suc apoplastic unloading  family sugar, was found by GC-TOF-MS  and quanaffinose . In thislanteose , B. FollA. deliciosa high-starch genotypes (G3 and G30) with low-starch genotypes (G25 and G17) during fruit development shows that higher rates of starch accumulation are consistently associated with higher final starch concentrations, despite differences in fruit size. The 2- to 5-fold higher AGPase activity found in high-starch genotypes, which was also maintained for a longer period of time, was a determinant of high starch concentration (APL4 transcripts (APL4 and APS1) and starch/DM (AgpL) that also conferred higher AGPase activity to the high-starch tomato line  Merr.], whereas the overexpression of a maize SPS gene in tomato fruit increased starch accumulation .Figure S2. Kiwifruit soluble enzyme activities associated with amino acid metabolism (2009 samples).Figure S3. Heat map of fruit developmental transcript variations in 10 Actinidia deliciosa genotypes for a selection of carbohydrate metabolism genes (2007 samples).Figure S4. Metabolite correlations in fruit outer pericarp of Actinidia deliciosa genotypes (2009 samples).Figure S5. Enzyme activity correlations in fruit outer pericarp of Actinidia deliciosa genotypes (2009 samples).Figure S6. Transcript correlations in fruit outer pericarp of Actinidia deliciosa genotypes (2009 samples).Figure S7. Hierarchical cluster analysis of metabolite to transcript correlations in fruit outer pericarp of Actinidia deliciosa genotypes (2009 samples).Figure S8. Transcript to enzyme correlations in fruit outer pericarp of Actinidia deliciosa genotypes (2009 samples).Table S1. List of Actinidia deliciosa fruit sample types involved in the present study.Table S2. List of Actinidia deliciosa fruit samples included in the redundancy analysis.Table S3. Actinidia deliciosa fruit developmental stages sampled in 2009 harvest year, with relative BBCH stage and description.Table S4. Enzyme extraction buffer composition.Table S5. Dilution of extraction buffer to tissue fresh weight used for each kiwifruit enzymatic assay.Table S6. Methods adopted for enzyme activity assays.Table S7. List of primers used for transcript abundance analysis, with respective GenBank identification.Table S8. Effects on correlation analyses of adjustment of critical significance thresholds for Pearson’s correlation coefficients to control the false discovery rate.


To write what is worth publishing, to find honest people to publish it, and get sensible people to read it, are the three great difficulties in being an author .th century and their own printers in the 19th century. In the 20th century, they coped with a remarkable technological shift in printing and book manufacturing technology from hot metal to cold setting.Scholarly journals have been the basic tool for scientific communication for over three centuries, since the Flemish itinerant craftsman William Caxton and his assistant Wynkyn de Worde set up his heavy wood and metal German designed printing press in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral in 1476. Scientific societies publish and distribute these journals to their members as a part of their subscription. With the huge investments in basic scientific research which occurred after the Second World War, the scientific societies had great difficulty in keeping pace with the phenomenal growth in the number of publications that sprouted. Journals catering to new disciplines arose when researchers in these specialised areas found it difficult to get their works published in the journals which kept to traditional views of the boundaries of disciplines [st century, the focus in publishing is on information management and not technology. Publishers create content, and they manage, add value to, stretch, recycle, translate, and transmit it. In addition, they have been successful from a very early stage in distancing themselves from delivery technology and leaving the task of managing ever-obsolescing technology, the mechanics of distribution and delivery, to others.In the 21Despite these achievements, publishers and journals face challenges on account of the following:Research is increasingly becoming more international and more collaborative. This has been driven by the scientific advantages of sharing knowledge and know-how beyond a single institution; lower costs of air travel and communication; increased use of information technology; national policies encouraging international collaboration; need for higher international standing,; and graduate student study abroad programmes. This trend is reflected in both an increase in the average number of authors and institutions on an article, and in the proportion of foreign addresses. . The aveFrom the perspective of the publishing industry, the basis of all content management is a clear system of ownership and reward for use. Despite the Web, the industry feels that information never has been, never could be, and never should be free. They also contend that the value of information depends both on its intrinsic nature and its timeliness. It has to be both authoritative  and accessible. What publishers do essentially is guarantee the former and ensure the latter.Publishers have always dealt with this quite effectively and many new technologies favour publishers. ‘Watermarking’ technologies for identifying text-ownership, for example, the Digital Object Identifier enable flexible, trackable dissemination of published works in many forms and media. They will certainly widen access and use. Print-on-demand digital printing that allows print runs as low as five being economical means that no book need ever go out-of-print again. Use of this technology will make it possible for any book to be individually custom-printed and bound for a customer at a bookshop terminal while they wait.They enable almost instant access to millions of pages of information, entertainment, and education. This has added to the challenges of scientific publishing . The majHowever, some argue that  publishiIn addition, issues of authenticity and confidence which are particularly important to users, is another downside cited for electronic publishing. Without a physical artefact, how sure are the readers that what they are viewing is the original document as intended by its author, owner or publisher without a physical artefact? Graham has identified the possibility of three types of document change :Accidental – loss of the final version and changes made during copying;Well-intentioned – updates, restructuring;Fraudulent – changes of one’s own work to cover one’s tracks or change of evidence for a variety of reasons, or damage to the work of another.Despite the gloom and the doom of electronic publishing and the Internet, publishing in general has shown that it is a dynamic, growing industry. It is estimated that worldwide annual revenues generated from English-language Scientific, Technical and Medical journal are estimated at around USD 5 billion in 2004 [As researchers and biomedical professionals, we all agree on the importance of research in our society. However, we are also aware that the values accruing from the research process are dependent on others being able to use this information and even further its benefits. Therefore, publishing has an important role in being a medium for the dissemination of knowledge. However, as with any medium of communication, there is an urgent need for raising the level of awareness and skills of editors, reviewers, and authors in the developing countries.biij). The major stakeholders in the biomedical publishing world, authors, editors, reviewers, copyeditors, designers, publishers, and librarians participated in this very important workshop. It set benchmarks in biomedical publishing. There were more than 100 delegates from 14 countries.To re-examine publishing in the biomedical arena, a Workshop on Publishing for Biomedical Journal Editors and Reviewers: Publishing in a global competitive world  was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The workshop was organised by the University of Malaya Research Imaging Centre (UMRIC) and Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal (The objectives of this workshop were:To improve the skills of editors and reviewersTo review the current status of biomedical journal publishingTo assess the problems and constraints facing biomedical journalsTo develop guidelines for quality of biomedical journal publishingTo promote a code of ethics for biomedical journal publishingTo analyse trends in journal publishingTo promote collaboration and networking among editors of biomedical journalsThe meeting provided a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas and new developments. The need for biomedical journals to be current and relevant in the wake of rapid technological advancements and the question of how instantaneously should crucial clinical information be communicated to physicians and, ultimately, to their patients were raised at the workshop. How much publishing time should we, as medical editors, allocate for a medical research article before it is published? How long should the process of cataloguing, review, page layout, and design hold back crucial clinical results? Do we have definite answers to these crucial questions? Unfortunately, we do not. We also cannot be certain that we can provide the answers to these questions. There are just too many conflicting variables to take into account. However, we can be certain of the philosophy behind this complicated and lengthy process. That is, to ensure the publication of a world-class biomedical journal, keeping our professional integrity intact.This common quest for professional integrity led to this opportune gathering of the major stakeholders in the biomedical publishing world. We have tasked some of the best talents in the field of biomedical publishing to discuss and create a comprehensive program that covers the entire process of publishing biomedical journals in today’s world.http://www.biij.org/biomedical-imaging-intervention-journal-resources.aspThe topics ranged from responsibilities of authors, editors and reviewers; the role of editors and reviewers; editorial independence and governance; the peer review process; publication ethics; manuscripts for the evidence-based medicine era; developments in international journal publishing; the art of copy editing; the publishing cycle to Open Access Online Publishing. All the presentations are available as AVI or MP4 files at The co-sponsors of the meeting included British Medical Journal, Canadian Medical Association Journal, The College of Pathologists, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, Elsevier, Hong Kong Medical Journal, Medical Journal of Australia, Medical Journal of Malaysia, Singapore Medical Journal, Taylor and Francis, and Thomson Scientific.We are indeed witnessing a very exciting phase in biomedical journal publishing.


There is information missing from the Funding section. The complete funding information is:This work was supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) grants 24-2007-388 (TLD) and 24-2007-362 (VK). Additional support was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant MOP 64386 (TLD) and the National Institutes of Health grant R01 CA100660 (VK). L. Subramanian was the recipient of Summer Research Training Program Studentship from the University of Western Ontario, H. Blumenfeld was the recipient of a Schulich Graduate Enhancement Scholarship and Department of Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Entrance Fellowship, and R. Tohn was the recipient of a Schulich Graduate Enhancement Scholarship, Department of Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Entrance Fellowship, and Ontario Graduate Scholarship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.


By definition, a hypothesis is a premise or assumption that is not yet verified or validated. The author looking to publish a bona fide hypothesis cannot do so by simply providing outline tables of raw data or pictures of tissues as proof . But, isUnfortunately, visual impairment is a global and ubiquitous health problem. Thus far, there are a number of ophthalmology journals and hundreds of other journals that publish articles related to visual sciences to overcome the ocular problems and find novel solution and control of ophthalmic diseases as well as improve quality of life. Moreover, specialized ophthalmic hypotheses journal does not yet exist in the global forum. Although many scientific journals have special sections for publishing ideas and novel hypotheses, there appears to be an unoccupied niche for specialized journals like ours which has a wider scope. Medical Hypothesis, Discovery & Innovation (MEHDI) Ophthalmology Journal is an international peer-review journal in which we publish evidence-based ideas and hypotheses in the realm of ophthalmology and visual sciences. We look for discoveries, minimal invasive surgeries, new modalities of treatment, software, innovative instruments, and any texts that contain creativity and ideas in ophthalmology and visual sciences in order to publish them for maximum visibility. Journal has already been registered in well-known databases such as Index Copernicus, Genomics journal seek, Ulrich's, Research gate, Pubs Hub, RoMEO UK, and it will be soon registered in other reliable databases.It is our belief that current and novel ideas deserve more credit; that they should be published in a timely manner, perhaps with some fanfare, if warranted. The idea being postulated must be argued in a clear and compelling manner at our journal. Reform movements always have some opposition therefore our journal provides space for critiques and publishes articles in a logical form in the ideology, and even for challenging ideas too. Usually, a researcher is concerned about others in making his discoveries and is therefore tremendously eager to have his ideas published as quickly as possible. Therefore, in our model, the average reviewing process would be 29 working days from submission to decision to respect the concern of scientists. Public Knowledge Project (PKP) management software administers publication in this journal and is one of the most reliable software packages in journal management. Many reliable scientific journals use that same software in order to improve the scholarly and public quality of academic research through the improvement of innovative online environments. This journal has several other interesting characteristics:● Journal would also publish researches with no positive results as we believe that science is not merely about publishing positive outcomes. In some instances, if the researcher has negative results, these findings are seen as valuable so that another researcher does not waste his time conducting the same study. ● Looking back on the current era, observers are unlikely to regard it as a ‘golden age’ of various developments in medical sciences  and majo● Sometimes, we publish innovative laboratory processes and techniques in testing in order to improve the methodology and design of future studies. ● It is important to consider new ideas from a broader perspective; that we shouldn’t necessarily limit ourselves to the current content in laboratories. For instance, a researcher might perform extensive research in molecular sciences on a special enzyme, gene or a biochemical pathway and ignore the social determinants of diseases. We believe that it is critically important to widen the field of ideas from molecular to population-based studies. In this case, with all due respect to molecular sciences, our journal anticipates ideas and hypotheses that focus on social and psychological issues as well.● Journal proves that publication of similar specialty and subspecialty areas are required. A team is working to establish the feasibility of journals with same goal in optometry and seven sub specialized sections.● As of now, this journal tries to classify and publish subspecialty papers. In this volume, major articles which have been published are in the anterior segment section and in future issues we will work subspecialties on the retina, glaucoma, basic science, etc. ● Sometimes, other journals do not allow for the publishing of new ideas and hypotheses. They ask for evidence and up-to-date references for even small sentences. In our journal, ideas with merit are published immediately if they are new, practical, and well described. ● In some issues, due to the importance of some of the subjects, we publish invited papers. As an example, the pervasiveness of poverty throughout the world has meant that many diseases cannot be controlled. For that reason, we invite researchers who have ideas on how to best solve or mitigate against this universal crisis to submit their manuscripts to the journal.● This journal attributes high importance to the exchanging of information and discussions in the published papers as there might be new ideas emerging from those discussions, and those ideas could be a causal factor in future positive change. Ideas from other researchers across the world are a welcome contribution.As stated, we are fan of new ideas; however, the opinions that are published in this journal are solely those of the authors. The publication of them does not mean full approval of their hypotheses; nor are they the opinion of the editorial board and Editors-in-Chiefs. The validity and vigorousness of references at the end of articles are also considered as we hope to provide a good forum for authors to source new ideas.Essentially, hypotheses are not necessarily theoretical issues. There might be cases when a physician observes an unknown disease or syndrome in his clinic and if the findings are remarkable enough, he might submit them in a manuscript. If the paper has been prepared in a logical manner and there is evidence based on scientific fact, we would publish it in our journal immediately. Our emphasis is on high quality articles which we would have journal-indexed in distinguished databases immediately so that they would have maximum visibility. The journal also publishes ideas that might have only a theoretical basis. In addition, if a researcher tests the idea published in the journal in a scientific framework, and submits his findings to the journal based on the fact presented at our former issues, that paper would be immediately published as well.Articles that do not have fresh ideas or were not prepared logically, and/or were not able to convey their meaning to the reader would not be published. At the same time, this journal is highly sensitive to science misconduct and if there are indications of fraud and plagiarism in a paper, it would not be published and/or simply retracted. Our goal is that after reading the paper, new ideas are formed in the reader’s mind which in turn will generate positive changes in a honestly situation. Perhaps, at the end of each year, the accumulation of applied ideas could be published as a book, such as “Death Can be Cured” which was a product of papers published in Medical Hypothesis .We believe that, if only one scientific change could be achieved, or a major medical problem solved from the hundreds of ideas and hypotheses that will be published in the journal, the editorial team would feel that they have made a noteworthy contribution.The editorial board of this journal includes elected university professors, lecturers, and researchers who have already published valuable scientific studies. As evident in their titles and affiliations, the board has been selected from five continents and a number of the members are presidents of prestigious ophthalmology societies from all around the world. And finally, our major goal is to push ophthalmology forward by presenting innovative ideas and discoveries. On behalf of the editorial team, we welcome potential subscripts and we hope our presence in the variety of scientific journals would build the groundwork toward new changes in life, health and medicine. It is our hope that the papers prove to be valuable; certainly worth the time it takes to read them.The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.


Introduction. The mechanical strength and the surface hardness of commercially available yttrium-doped zirconia were investigated. Furthermore, a comparative study of eight different ceramic veneers, to be used for the production of two-layered all-ceramic restorative systems, was carried out. Materials and Methods. Four types of zirconia specimens were analyzed, according to a standard ISO procedure (ISO 6872). Besides, two-layered zirconia-veneer specimens were prepared for three-point bending tests. Results. A strong effect of the surface roughness on the mechanical strength of zirconia specimens was observed. Finally, a comparative study of eight commercially available veneering ceramics shows different modes of failure between the selected veneers. Conclusion. The results indicate that close attention should be paid to the preparation of zirconia-based crowns and bridges by CAD/CAM process, because surface roughness has an important effect on the mechanical strength of the material. Finally, the results of the mechanical tests on two-layered specimens represent an important support to the choice of the veneering ceramic. The use of advanced ceramics as restorative dental materials is strongly increasing, owing to the introduction of Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) milling techniques which allow the fabrication of large and complex restorations with very high-dimensional accuracy , 2. The Among the ceramic materials for dental applications, the zirconia-based ones are very widespread, because of their transformation toughening capabilities , 6. The aim of the present study is to analyze the mechanical behavior of commercially available Y-TZP ceramics for dental applications and to estimate the effects of different processing conditions, which usually occur during production by CAD/CAM techniques. In addition to this, eight commercially available ceramic veneers, to be used for the production of all-ceramic restorations in combination with Y-TZP structures, were analyzed by using three-point bending tests on two-layered specimens. Finally, a systematic comparative analysis of the eight selected ceramic veneers was carried out.The mechanical strength of a commercial yttria-stabilized zirconia, to be used as core material for the production of crowns and bridges in combination with CAD/CAM techniques, was analyzed by three-point bending tests on standard specimens. Furthermore, the mechanical behavior of eight different types of veneering ceramics was analyzed by flexural tests of two-layered zirconia-veneer specimens and microhardness measurements.l) = 25 mm, width (b) = 5 mm, and thickness (t) = 2 mm, were prepared for flexural tests; all dimensions were measured with an accuracy of ±0.02 mm. The specimens were cut from presintered blocks by using a high-speed cutting machine, provided with a diamond disk (ϕ  63 mm), and their size was properly increased in order to take into account the material shrinkage which occurs in the subsequent sintering process.The bending tests of zirconia-based core material were carried out following standard ISO procedures and recommendations (ISO 6872). Beam specimens, with length  by using a universal testing machine (Instron 8500), with a 5 kN load cell, controlled by a TestStar II (MTS) controller. In order to analyze the effect of surface finishing and coloring process on the flexural strength, four different specimen types were produced and tested, for example, Type A, Type B, Type C, and Type D .Type A specimens were tested when sintered. Type B specimens were colored before sintering, by using commercial dyes. Type C specimens were polished after sintering; in particular, surface polishing was done by using water-cooled carborundum disks, with progressively finer alumina grits, ranging between 400, 800, and 1200, respectively. Type D specimens were colored, sintered, and polished. As the surface condition can have a great influence on the mechanical behavior of the core material, the surface roughness of each specimen type was measured by using a contact measuring system . The surface roughness was measured along the longitudinal and transversal direction of the specimens. Five measurements for each direction were carried out, with a traveling distance of 2 mm.l = 25 mm, width b = 5 mm, and total thickness t = 2.2 mm, were made by coating 1.1 mm thick zirconia core layers with identical thickness veneering ceramics, by following the manufacturer's directions and instructions. It is worth noting that zirconia substrates were coated and sintered without any preliminary surface treatment.Flexural tests of two-layered core/veneer specimens, for each veneering ceramic analyzed, were carried out by using the same equipment and testing parameters described in the previous section. The specimens, with length The specimens were analyzed by three-point bending tests, with a test span equal to 15 mm, and the load was applied on the veneer surface; that is, the veneer layer is subjected to compressive stress. In order to carry out a comparative analysis between the eight selected veneering ceramics, the total strain energy per unit volume was calculated.In fact, this energetic parameter allows a comparative study between the different types of core/veneer specimens, as it describes the overall mechanical behavior of the two-layered system. The total strain energy per unit volume was calculated from the experimentally measured load-deflection curves, by considering the volume of the specimen between the test spans.The results, concerning the experimental tests carried out on zirconia core specimens and on two-layered core/veneer systems, are described in this section. In particular, the results of bending tests performed on zirconia specimens are firstly discussed; then, a comparative analysis of the eight selected ceramic veneers is given. t-test at a 95% confidence level was done in order to analyze the difference in strength between the four types of specimens. Twenty specimens for each type listed in t-test which indicates a significant difference in strength between polished and nonpolished specimens, while the coloring process does not significantly affect the mechanical strength.Simultaneous failure of zirconia and veneer (Type F). Complete interfacial debonding of the veneer (Type D).Serrated fracture of the ceramic veneer (Type S), that is, the crack spreads in the veneer, approaches the zirconia-veneer interface, and then kinks again into the veneer.Ten two-layered specimens for each veneering ceramic were analyzed by three-point bending tests. Three different failure mechanisms have been observed as shown in Pf (Type-F). In this case, the crack, initiated in the zirconia substrate, was only able to extend in the veneer, and interfacial fracture did not occur. It is therefore believed that the material systems, which consistently showed this failure mechanism, were characterized by stronger interactions at the veneer/zirconia interface. On the other hand, nonmonotonic curves with one or multiple intermediate peaks at the load Ppi  were also observed and classified as Type D and Type S mechanisms. In both cases, the crack was able to deflect at the zirconia-veneer interface, and therefore interfacial failure did occur. However, while for Type D the deflected crack proceeded all the way along the interface, for Type S it oscillated between the interface and the veneer. The reason for this behavior could be addressed to the relative proportion of interfacial to veneer fracture toughness. Indeed, for a tougher veneer the deflected crack could be entrapped at the interface. However, some of the investigated bimaterial systems have shown multiple failure mechanisms , that is, when P = Pf, as well as the strain energy at specimen damage uptot, that is, for P = Pp. It is worth noting that the first peak load is considered to calculate uptot when the load displacement curve has multiple peaks, that is, in the case of serrated fracture  and to the corresponding volume expansion [The zirconia-based ceramic materials are the most promising for dental application, because of their transformation toughening capabilities , 6. In pxpansion . More spxpansion , 9. It ixpansion –13. Furtxpansion –17.In the present study, the authors analyzed the mechanical behavior of a commercial yttria-stabilized zirconia for dental application (Kavo Everest Bio ZS Blank), as well as its interaction with eight commercial veneering ceramics.Weibull moduli). More accurate surface polishing, that is, smaller values of surface roughness, could further increase the mechanical strength of the material [The effects of surface roughness as well as of the coloring process on the mechanical strength of the stabilized zirconia, analyzed by standard three-point bending tests, were firstly examined. The results indicate that surface roughness plays a critical role in the mechanical strength of zirconia structures, because a strong increase in the average flexural strength, from about 700 MPa to 1000 MPa, is observed after a mechanical polishing treatment of the test specimens. The results also show that the flexural strength of the polished specimens is characterized by smaller standard deviations , has no significant effects on the mechanical strength of the zirconia specimens. As zirconia-based structures are normally used in combination with veneering ceramics for the production of all-ceramic restorations, the mechanical behavior of eight commercial ceramic veneers has been analyzed by three-point bending tests of two-layered zirconia-veneer specimens, and comparative studies of the selected ceramics have been carried out. The results achieved by means of bending tests show the following three different failure mechanisms for the selected ceramic veneers [Furthermore, the results show that the coloring process, carried out by using a commercial coloring liquid ( veneers –15: (i) Ra) close to the that obtained from CAM milling process [It is worth noting that the effects of surface roughness, at the core/veneer interface, on the adhesion mechanisms were not analyzed in this investigation; however, even if it is expected to play a significant role in failure mechanisms of all-ceramic restorations, the surface morphology of the zirconia dental frames, obtained from CAD-CAM techniques, is not modified prior to ceramic veneering, due to both economic and technological issues. Therefore, this work was aimed at the identification of the best combinations of core/veneer, based on a reference surface condition, with roughness values ( process .On the contrary, the gingival surfaces of dental bridges are normally not veneered and, consequently, the roughness of the zirconia frame plays a very important role in the mechanical strength, because they are subjected to tensile stresses during chewing; therefore, high care should be devoted to both milling and/or possible postmilling laboratory procedures of zirconia frames in order to avoid the formation of rough surfaces, especially in the connector area, where geometric discontinuities and sources of stress concentration are present.The results of this research indicate that close attention should be paid to the preparation procedure of zirconia-based crowns and bridges by CAD/CAM process, with the aim of obtaining smooth surfaces, because a strong effect of surface roughness on the mechanical strength was observed. Furthermore, no significant effects of the coloring process on the mechanical behavior were measured. Finally, comparative studies of several commercial ceramic veneers, to be used for the realization of all-ceramic systems, show different mechanical behavior and failure modes between the selected veneers. Further studies should be carried out to measure the wear properties of the ceramic veneers, as well as the interaction with natural enamel.


The aim of this study was to compare the stiffness characteristics of Taylor Spatial Frame (TSF) fixed with transverse wires and half pins.Experiments were carried out at the biomechanics laboratory at Cardiff University. All mechanical testing was performed with a servo hydraulic test frame (MTS 858 Mini Bionix II(R), MTS Corp., Mineapolis, USA). Custom built mounts were used to attach the bone rigidly to the one end of machine and the TSF ring to the other. Rings were fixed with 1.8 mm transverse wires or hydroxy-apatite coated 6.5 mm half pins in 45degrees, 60degrees, 75degrees and 90degrees divergence angles. Bone was loaded with axial load to 400 N and torque to 20 Nm in an indestructible manner. Load/displacement curve data were analyzed for slope and axial and angular displacements.For larger diameter rings (180 mm), for axial stiffness there was no statistically significant difference between the transverse wires (4 wires with 2 rings) and the half pins (2 pins with 1 ring) (p > 0.05). For 155 mm internal diameter rings, half pins provided statistically higher axial stiffness than transverse wires (p = 0.036). The half pins show significantly more torsion stiffness in both ring diameters (p < 0.05) in comparison to transverse wires. As in axial stiffness, small diameter rings show increased stiffness in torsion. There is increase in axial and torsion stiffness with the increase in the divergence angle between the wires or pins (p < 0.05).Half pins provide greater stiffness to TSF frames and allow for axial micro motion as well. This work provides a rationale for clinical decision making about the use of tensioned transverse wires in comparison to half pins in construction of a TSF frame The Taylor Spatial Frame  is an advanced orthopaedic modality based on a Stewart platform . It is uAlthough TSF is a form of ring fixator, the principles of deformity correction and the material characteristics of the construction are entirely different to the other ring fixators available to Orthopaedic community. Traditionally the ring fixators have been constructed using transverse wires. Transverse wires can cause damage to nerves and blood vessels. Impalement of muscles is often a complication from this technique. In compThere is little data on comparative biomechanics of half pins and transverse wires as fixation elements in the TSF. There are some studies in literature evaluating the clinical outcome of TSF, but theThe aim of this study was to compare the axial and torsion biomechanics of TSF rings fixed with half pins and transverse wires. This study was designed to address the following research questions:1)Comparison of axial and torsional stiffness characteristics of TSF with half pins and transverse wires.2)Variation of the stiffness characteristics with variation in the divergence angle from 45 to 90 degrees for both wires and half pins3)Variation of the stiffness characteristics with change of ring size from 155 mm to 180 mm internal diameter.®, MTS Corp., Minneapolis, USA).The experiments were carried out at the Biomechanics laboratory, School of Engineering, Cardiff University. All mechanical testing was performed with a servo hydraulic test frame  was used for tensioning the transverse wires. Tests were also performed with an additional ring mounted with 2 transverse wires, as is common in clinical practice. These 2 rings, mounted with 2 wires each, were connected to each other with rods and acted as a single assembly. For tests using half pins, 6.5 mm (section diameter) hydroxy-apatite coated half-pins were fixed onto the rings using rancho cubes. Half pins were inserted bi-cortically. The wires or pins crossed in the centre of tibia and the tibia was positioned in the centre of the ring. New wires were used for all experiments. Half pins were replaced only if there was any visible deformation in them.Component variables evaluated were ring diameter (155 mm and 180 mm) and wire or pin divergence angle . This resulted in 24 constructs based on 2 ring sizes, 4 divergence angles and 3 configurations . Each construct was evaluated for axial and torsional biomechanics. The tests were repeated thrice on each fixation and the results were averaged. Experiments were performed in a random sequence.Based on the literature review -9 and toMain Outcome measures: axial and angular deformation characteristics as a result of axial and rotational (torque) load respectively were compared for the described constructs. Displacement of the bone in relation to the pre - load position was recorded by the MTS test frame. Load/displacement data was obtained for each individual ring fixation and the curves were analyzed for slope, axial and angular displacements. The slope of the regression line of these average data points is defined as the stiffness (load/deformation). Stiffness values for various fixations were compared. Data was stored using excel and was analysed on SPSS software . The data were analysed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and individual differences were determined using a post hoc test. Students t test was used to compare the corresponding stiffness values of rings fixed with half pins and transverse wires between two specific groups. A p value of ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant.Stiffness was calculated from load displacement curve by linear regression between 250 and 300 N loading. This provided an intermittent linear portion in the curve which coTable Force required to produce 1 mm displacement was also analysed for all the configurations. This reflects clinically important range of displacements and the associated fixator stiffness. ResultsTorsional stiffness table  was calcThis study suggests that the transverse wires (with accessory ring) and half pins provide comparable axial stiffness for 180 mm rings. Based on Table Though the pins provide comparable or more stiffness than transverse wires, they allow some axial movements as well. As shown in Table The half pins show significantly more torsion stiffness in both ring diameters (p < 0.05) in comparison to transverse wires as shown in Table Table When the ring size is decreased to 155 mm the axial stiffness of the half pin construct is significantly more than the transverse wires construct (with an accessory ring). With smaller ring size, half pins are significantly stiffer than transverse wires (with accessory ring), whereas with larger diameter the two were comparable as demonstrated in Table Wire tension is a major influence on the stiffness of ring fixators. In thisThere are some studies in literature evaluating the clinical outcome of TSF-22, but It is very difficult to compare the results of different studies on ring fixators because not only the fixator construction characteristics but also the loading modes are usually different. The difIt can be difficult to appropriately determine construct stiffness for non linear behaviour. The data can be transformed logrythmatically to determine stiffness at multiple points along the load displacement curve with an assumption of linearity at each point,13. The This study had some potential limitations. All tests were performed on calf bones. There could be a difference between the biomechanical characteristics of human and calf bones. Orienti has concluded from his work that the in vitro model does not realistically simulate the behaviour of external fixation pins implanted in ex-vivo bone. The cadNew transverse wires were used for all tests. However the same half pins were repeatedly used to limit the costs. They were discarded only if any damage was obvious. This may affect the results to some extent. Random order of tests and repetition of tests decreased the bias in the results.The stiffness was tested under experimental conditions and the bone was centrally fixed within the ring. In clinical practice this may often not be possible due the bone shape and the surrounding soft tissues. Podolsky and Chao illustrated that eccentric placement of bone within the rings has no adverse effects. The autOnly axial and torsional stiffness was tested in our study. These two are the most crucial forces acting on the lower limb fixators. Bending stiffness is more dependant on the connecting rods/struts between the rings rather than the fixation elements like transverse wires and half pins. Moreover, tests for evaluating bending stiffness were not possible on the available MTS 858 Mini Bionix machine.Torsional stiffness was tested without any coupled axial preload. Further work can be performed to analyse the torsional stiffness characteristics with applied axial preloads to simulate weight bearing along with torsional stress.These experiments were performed in a controlled manner and provide an estimate of stiffness. Bone loading during mobilisation and physiological conditions can be eccentric and combination of various forces. The study has not evaluated the biomechanics of the combined use of half pins and transverses wires in a hybrid frame. This work provides a rationale for clinical decision making about the use of tensioned transverse wires in comparison to half pins in construction of a TSF frame.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.AK coordinated the study, carried out the experiments, analysed the result and drafted the manuscript. CB and SE designed the setup and helped to perform the tests. HT & KH conceptualised the study, analysed the results and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


AGS-003 is an autologous dendritic cell immunotherapy consisting of matured DC co-electroporated with amplified autologous tumor RNA and synthetic CD40L RNA. A Phase 2 trial evaluated AGS-003-induced T cell immunity in RCC patients in combination with sunitinib. A comprehensive immune analysis using an unbiased bioinformatics approach to analyze multi-color flow cytometry data on longitudinal blood draws identified statistically significant correlates between T cell responses and overall survival.Immune monitoring using multi-color flow cytometry was performed on subjects receiving at least five doses of AGS-003 (n=14). The large data sets where analyzed using a novel bioinformatics methodology consisting of an adaptation of binary tree-structured vector quantization (BTSVQ). BTSVQ implements two-way unsupervised clustering to partition cytotoxic T cell (CTL) subsets into related groups without consideration of clinical outcomes. This approach identified an AGS-003-induced central/memory CTL signature defined by the co-expression of CD28, CD27, and CCR7 receptors in the absence of CD45RA expression. Furthermore, increases in absolute numbers of antigen-reactive CD28+CCR7+CD27+CD45RA- CTL after five doses of AGS-003 correlated with survival. Importantly, these CTL consist of proliferating CTL secreting multiple cytokines with lytic activity. We further identified a pre-treatment CTL signature and post-treatment CTL signature, with both subsets lacking the CD28 receptor, as inversely correlated with survival. One patient treated long term with AGS-003 maintained multi-functional CD28+CCR7+CD45RA- CTL outwards to 3 years post-treatment resulting in patient survival in excess of 30 months.These observations confirm the in vivo mechanism of action of AGS-003 and provide early biomarkers that could predict long-term clinical outcome. BTSVQ analysis identified multi-functional CTL correlating with clinical outcome. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report correlating changes in the magnitude of an adaptive immune response post DC immunotherapy with clinical outcome. Data presented herein shows the durability of the AGS-003 induced immune response, present after quarterly dosing with AGS-003. Furthermore, our immune monitoring platform will serve as the basis to correlate immune responses and clinical efficacy in RCC patients receiving AGS-003 in the ongoing randomized Phase 3 ADAPT study using AGS-003 in combination with standard treatment.


As a main cause of mortality in developed countries, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is known as silent killer with a considerable cost to be dedicated for its treatment. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) is a common remedy for CAD for which different blood vessels are used as a detour. There is a lack of knowledge about mechanical properties of human blood vessels used for CABG, and while these properties have a great impact on long-term patency of a CABG. Thus, studying these properties, especially those of human umbilical veins which have not been considered yet, looks utterly necessary.Umbilical vein, as well as human Saphenous vein, are respectively obtained after cesarean and CABG. First, histological tests were performed to investigate different fiber contents of the samples. Having prepared samples carefully, force-displacement results of samples were rendered to real stress–strain measurements and then a fourth-order polynomial was used to prove the non-linear behavior of these two vessels.Results were analyzed in two directions, i.e. circumferentially and longitudinally, which then were compared with each other. The comparison between stiffness and elasticity of these veins showed that Saphenous vein’s stiffness is much higher than that of umbilical vein and also, it is less stretchable. Furthermore, for both vessels, longitudinal stiffness was higher than that of circumferential and in stark contrast, stretch ratio in circumferential direction came much higher than longitudinal orientation.Blood pressure is very high in the region of aorta, so there should be a stiff blood vessel in this area and previous investigations showed that stiffer vessels would have a better influence on the flow of bypass. To this end, the current study has made an attempt to compare these two blood vessels’ stiffness, finding that Saphenous vein is stiffer than umbilical vein which is somehow as stiff as rat aortic vessels. As blood vessel’s stiffness is directly related to elastin and mainly collagen content, results showed the lower amount of these two contents in umbilical vein regarding Saphenous vein. Coronary Artery Disease is the main cause of mortality in developed countries. In 2006, according to American Heart Association (AHA), more than 80,000,000 American adults experienced at least one type of cardiovascular disease. Among these, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) had the greatest proportion of mortality with 425,000 among 831,000 . Curve fitting on the stress-stretch results of these veins gave us a better sight and the possibility of a clearer comparison between these two veins. These coefficients were greater in the SV showing that SV is stiffer than HUV. The applied method can be established as one of the standard methods for all types of soft tissues and the coefficients of these equations can be listed in different tables in terms of various parameters. Thereby, comparison between two different vessels is easily possible and can be used as a quick reference. Consider the Assoul’s study on aortic vessels of rat as an example; these coefficients are depicted in TableMeasuring of the samples, there were local anatomical changes in wall thickness, but we assumed samples to be like a uniform pipe and this may have slightly affected the results. Although the number of truly-tested samples was not enough, the present research work represents an acceptable view of the stiffness of HUV. Initial length of specimens were also measured at 0.1(N) and this may slightly affect the stress and stretch ratio for different vessels.Referring to many studies which have focused on the effect of elongation rate, applied rate of elongation in current study was quite low (1(%/s)). For instance, Assoul had a comprehensive scrutiny on the rate of frequency (1–7.5 (Hz)) in cyclic tension and rate of elongation (1–10 (%/s)) in direct tension for rat thoracic aorta reporting no correlation between rate of elongation and elastic moduli. RossmanTo sum up, higher stretches in grafts in addition to cyclic loads boosts the hypothesis that aneurysm or even rupture in the less stiff vessels may take place sooner, especially when considering high, pulsatile pressure in the aorta. Before harvest, HUV experiences lower blood pressure than SV and higher blood pressure leads to greater amounts of fibers, and consequently greater stiffness. Thus, as a result of low stiffness in this vessel in comparison with SV, if we use this vessel for bypass operation, there would be higher chances of bypass aneurysm by the time as previous experiences have shown,21,25. ATo make vessels stiffer, chemical intervention or physical reinforcement such as wrapping and tissue engineering, as an emerging field, is widely applied nowadays that can be our next step in development of the decent graft.The main purpose of this study was to further investigate and to compare two blood vessels’ stiffness and appraise the feasibility of HUV as a detour in CABG. In this study, we categorized three main methods for determination of elastomechanical properties of blood vessels and universal testing machine is used for obtaining stress-stretch results. Due to large deformation problems, engineering relations for stress and stretch were found to be inappropriate and then Cauchy stress–strain formulation was introduced.HUV’s stiffness was found to be much lower than those of SV making it indecent for CABG purpose. Apparently, one reason that makes the mammary artery a better vessel for CABG is its stiffness that leads to a better long-term patency.It was also observed that HUV does not enjoy a uniform thickness along its cross section which must be taken into account. Thus, its lower stiffness as well as inhomogeneous thickness are two main downsides of HUV and because of high pulsatile pressure in the coronary, it is a susceptible vessel to early aneurysm or even rupture in CABG.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.The protocol of test was prepared with BAH and HAT. Tests were performed with BAH and mathematical models were obtained with MN and BAH. All of the members participated in analyzing the results. Writing and modification of article was all of the authors’ responsibility. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.