Vision Science

Lecture content and practical laboratory classes are ideally complementary. However, the types of experiments that have led to our detailed understanding of sensory neuroscience are often not amenable to classroom experimentation as they require expensive equipment, time-consuming surgeries, specialized experimental techniques, and the use of animals. While sometimes feasible in small group teaching, these experiments are not suitable for large cohorts of students. Previous attempts to expose students to sensory neuroscience experiments include: the use of electrophysiology preparations in invertebrates, data-driven simulations that do not replicate the experience of conducting an experiment, or simply observing an experiment in a research laboratory. We developed an online simulation of a visual neuroscience experiment in which extracellular recordings are made from a motion sensitive neuron. Students have control over stimulation parameters (direction and contrast) and can see and...

Stickler, A., Greil, E., Domnanich, S., Yamada, Y., Reuter, C. (2023). Entspannend oder verstörend? Die Wirkung von ASMR mit und ohne Bildmaterial. In: Fortschritte der Akustik - DAGA 2023, 49. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Akustik (S. 1220-1222). Hamburg.

Background: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) represent a significant public health issue, among which masticatory muscle pain is the most common. Current publications increasingly indicate surface electromyography (sEMG) as an effective diagnostic tool for muscle dysfunctions that may be employed in TMDs recognition. The objective of this study was to establish reference ranges for TMDs patients with masticatory muscle pain and healthy individuals in the electromyographic Functional Clenching Index (FCI) for the temporalis muscles (TAs) and masseter muscles (MMs). This research aimed to provide an additional diagnostic tool for TMDs patients. Methods: A total of 48 individuals (n = 30 women and n = 18 men) with the muscular painful form of TMDs were recruited alongside a numerically and gender-matched control group—healthy, pain-free controls. The Functional Clenching Indexwas calculated for both groups. Results: Data analysis revealed statistically significant differences with a very large effect size. Healthy individuals had higher FCI scores compared to those with TMDs. The healthy group exhibited higher threshold values compared to the TMDs group. Conclusions: For healthy individuals, the FCI ranges for TAs were between 58 and 145, while for MMs, between 72 and 210. Lower values may indicate muscle activation disorders and occur in patients with the painful, muscular form of TMDs. This is the first study to define reference ranges for electromyographic indices; therefore, caution is recommended, and the replication of this study on a larger and more culturally diverse sample is advised.

La atencion en salud y la calidad en los servicios de salud se han convertido en parte de un proceso de mejoramiento dentro del Sistema de Seguridad Social en Salud en Colombia. Es por eso que la normatividad vigente se hace cada dia mas puntual a ese respecto por considerarse de suma importancia el proceso de la consecucion y la permanencia de la salud con calidad en el contexto de nuestro pais, en el cual debe tomar parte cada uno de los entes prestadores de salud, sus profesionales y la poblacion, para que se de como consecuencia, un resultado satisfactorio en la solucion verdadera de problemas de salud en el pais. Las normas actuales pretenden dar importancia a un aspecto primordial que es el mejoramiento de los servicios de salud. En este proceso los entes prestadores y los profesionales tienen un compromiso con cada una de las partes del proceso que obliga la ley y con los usuarios como fin ultimo de la atencion. Se pretende resaltar un aspecto primordial que es el mejoramient...

A recent report by Persaud et al. [Persaud, N., McLeod, P. & Cowey, A. (2007). Post-decision wagering objectively measures awareness. Nature Neuroscience 10, 257-261] addresses a fundamental issue in consciousness science: the experimental measurement of conscious content. The authors propose a novel technique, 'post-decision wagering', in which subjects place bets on the correctness of decisions or discriminations. In this note, I critique the authors' claim that their method ''measures awareness directly''.

When we perceive a white coffee cup on our desk, we represent and are aware of that particular white coffee cup. There are many ways in which we can perceive the white coffee cup. We may be aware of the subtle pattern of different shades of white, or we may be oblivious to such details and simply perceive it to be uniformly white. We may or may not notice that the rim is slightly chipped. We can perceive it visually or via touch. By perceiving the cup, we acquire evidence for our belief that the coffee cup is on our desk. Depending on what we attend to, we might acquire evidence that its rim is chipped or that it features a subtle pattern of different shades of white. After discussing several ways in which we can analyze perception, I will argue that perception is best understood as fundamentally a matter of employing perceptual capacities. I will present the basic commitments of this view, examine the notion of capacities in play, and contrast the view with naïve realism and austere representationalism. Along the way, I will discuss generalist, particularist, and attributional accounts of perception.

Mining causes massive damage to landscape and biological components of an ecosystem. Due to extensive and unmanaged coal mining in the southern part of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve of Meghalaya, the area has been turned into degraded land since nutrient deficient sandy spoils are hostile for the growth and regeneration of plant communities. Soil is sandy to sandy loam and red, brown to dark brown in colour. The physico-chemical properties of the soil were greatly affected due to coal mining. There is an increased acidity i.e. from 6.00 in the undisturbed forest (control site) to 3.50 in the coal mine spoil since abandoned mine spoil discharge acidic water that are enriched with iron and other metals and metalloids. Apart from this, soil nutrients are greatly depleted. The core zone soils are rich in organic matter and nutrients whereas coalmine spoils show sign of degradation especially in the nutrient content.

Ocupacional: "El esquema de la fundamentación está bien conformado y preparado de una manera excelente. El documento será una base sólida para el desarrollo futuro de la promoción de los Entornos Laborales Saludables, a nivel internacional". Tom Shakespeare, Oficinas Centrales de la OMS "Excelente revisión de evidencia: recomendaciones y conclusiones buenas, claras y aplicables. " Marilyn Fingerhut: Instituto Nacional para la Salud y Seguridad Ocupacionales, USA. "¡Es un gran documento! ¡Disfruté leerlo!" Wolf Kirsten, Consultoría Internacional en Salud: "Muy bien hecho por su abordaje integral, cubriendo las áreas clave y al mismo tiempo manteniéndolo simple, sin recurrir a constructos científicos grandes y complejos."

There are numerous views about the concept of consciousness, and no consensus exists regarding its meaning. However, the latest neuroscientific developments have eliminated the misleading obstacles related to consciousness. Over the last few decades, neuroscientific efforts in determining the function of the brain and merging these findings with philosophical theories have brought a more comprehensive perception of the notion of consciousness. In addition to metaphysical or ontological views of consciousness, e.g. higher-order theories, reflexive theories, and representationalist theories, there are some brain-directed topics in this matter, which include but are not limited to neural correlates of consciousness (NCC), brain loop connectivity, and lateralization. This narrative review sheds light on cultural and historical aspects of consciousness in the old and middle ages and introduces some prominent philosophical discussions about mind and body. Also, it illustrates the correlation of brain function with states of consciousness with a focus on the roles of function and connectivity.

Esta revista incorpora la opción Online First, mediante la cual las versiones definitivas de los trabajos aceptados son publicadas en línea antes de iniciar el proceso de diseño de la revista impresa. Está pendiente la asignación del número de páginas, pero su contenido ya es citable utilizando el código doi.

Vergence eye movements align the optical axes of our two eyes onto an object of interest, thus facilitating the binocular summation of the images projected onto the left and the right retinae into a single percept. Both the computational substrate and the functional behaviour of binocular vergence eye movements have been the topic of in depth investigation. Here, we attempt to bring together what is known about computation and function by evaluating a biologically inspired model of horizontal and vertical vergence control [5] and comparing the model’s performance to that of human observers. The Computational Substrate There is a direct relationship between the sensory and motor aspects of binocular vision since vergence control shares the same computational resources of stereopsis in primary visual area V1 [6, 1]. Simple and complex V1 cells integrate visual information from the two eyes. The response of complex cells can be modelled as the squared sum of a quadrature pair of simple...

RESUMEN Objetivo: conocer la genética del glaucoma primario de ángulo abierto para la identificación de genes que permitan establecer una herramienta de diagnóstico temprano para un mejor manejo de la enfermedad. Materiales y métodos: se realizó una búsqueda sistematizada de literatura primaria en bases de datos como PubMed, SciELO y Elsevier; además, se utilizaron referentes de varios textos para algunas terminologías, cuadros y tablas de los diferentes glaucomas, para determinar las características, el diagnóstico diferencial y la identificación de los genes asociados con el desarrollo del glaucoma primario de ángulo abierto. La información seleccionada corresponde al periodo 2010-2015. Conclusiones: el glaucoma primario de ángulo abierto es una enfermedad que depende, en la mayoría de casos, de un patrón de herencia dominante, caracterizado principalmente por dos genes: el miocilina (MYOC) y el optineurina (OPTN); esto da lugar a seis locus identificados para esta enfermedad. También está relacionado con otras patologías que son factores de riesgo para desarrollar glaucoma, como la miopía alta, la diabetes mellitus, la hipertensión arterial, la etnia, entre otras manifestaciones sistémicas. De igual manera, es importante recordar que afecta la calidad de vida y que es un problema de salud pública.

El propósito de esta investigación, es identificar y describir los diferentes factores individuales que pueden desencadenar accidentes oculares en un colegio de bachillerato técnico, donde se capacitan para ejercer un oficio o arte en el futuro. Se realizo un análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo de los talleres de mecánica industrial, mecánica automotriz y metalistería, de los grados octavo, noveno y décimo, del Instituto Técnico Industrial Piloto (ITIP) de Bogotá al grupo de estudio de las jornadas mañana y tarde. Se aplico una encuesta con cuatro preguntas abiertas a 10 estudiantes de cada curso y, en las dos jornadas, las preguntas evaluaban puntos importantes como el uso de los equipos de protección, el cumplimiento de las normas de señalización, la accidentalidad ocular con el uso o no de los elementos así como la comodidad de los mismos y las posibles modificaciones. Las respuestas estaban orientadas hacia el autocuidado, obediencia del seguimiento de las normas, la experiencia...

Este documento, aborda de manera exhaustiva y multidisciplinaria las interacciones de la luz azul con los sistemas biológicos, explorando desde las bases físicas y biológicas,  hasta sus aplicaciones y efectos en salud humana. Dentro de sus líneas, se proponen algunas estrategias basadas en la evidencia, para mitigar los efectos adversos de la luz azul en la vida moderna, como el uso personalizado de filtros de bloqueo y ajustes en la exposición diaria a esta longitud de onda. Igualmente, ofrece una base sólida para  desarrollar futuras investigaciones en áreas como la Cronobiología, la Fotomedicina y el impacto ambiental de la iluminación artificial con luz LED en los sistemas biológicos.
Audiencia: Dirigido a Profesionales de la Salud,en especial a Profesionales de la Salud visual,  También a investigadores en ciencias básicas y aplicadas, como la Óptica, las Neurociencias, la Farmacología y la Biología, entre otras disciplinas en las que puede ser aplicable su contenido.

We studied a fundamental assumption in signal detection theory that is applied to motion discrimination. Using random-dot motion stimuli of 100% coherence, it is natural to represent the two directions as two normal distributions. Then a same-different task and a forced-choice task should give rise to consistent d' estimates, because both tasks share the same underlying signal detection theory model. To verify this prediction, we used 4°, 8°, and 12° as the angular difference in motion discrimination. In a between-subjects design, we found the predicted result only with the 4° angular difference. With 8° and 12°, the estimated same-different d' was 32% greater than the two-alternative forced-choice d'. In a subsequent within-subject design with counterbalancing, the first half of the data confirmed this finding. Interestingly, there was now within-subject consistency. Namely, the second task's d' was comparable to the first task's, as if the first task's ...

El ausentismo es un motivo de interés creciente, visto el actual contexto económico de competencia, haciendo que las empresas busquen medios para disminuir su ocurrencia, aumentando su rentabilidad y con esto creciendo de forma sustentada. Constatadas las innumerables variables envueltas en el proceso, se procuró estudiar el ausentismo por razones médicas odontológicas, en el servicio público y privado, analizándose la edad, sexo y función del trabajador, además del régimen de empleo que interviene en su ocurrencia. Se desenvolvió el estudio en una industria acrílica y en la alcaldía del municipio de Araçatuba,

Purpose: First, to create a standard for testing DVA using all three testing protocols (head still, object moving; head moving, object still; head and object moving). Second, to examine reliability of the tests. Third, provide normative data. Methods: Participants (n = 138) were males (n = 83) and females (n = 55) between the ages of 18-44 years old. All participants were tested on the RightEye Dynamic Visual Acuity Tests to determine reliability via Cronbach’s Alpha and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). Age related differences were also examined across variables for two groups (under 30 and over 30) using t-test analysis. Results: All Cronbach’s Alphas were above an acceptable 0.7 level for reliability, ranging from .703-.953, thus demonstrating strong reliability across all tests. All ICC’s were statistically significant. There were no significant differences for age group on all DVA variables (p > .05). Normative data for each variable report means, standard deviation...

Como parte del proyecto de investigación Aplicabilidad de las redes integradas de servicios de salud se revisan los conceptos de territorio, población y salud, como asectos para tener en cuenta en la planeación de los servicios de salud. El territorio se constituye en una unidad dinámica y homogénea en relación con la población que lo habita, y como fruto de las interacciones entre los habitantes y su entorno físico, económico y social se desarrolla una cultura y se logran diversos grados de bienestar. La población, entendida como un conglomerado organizado de seres humanos, conceptualiza la salud y manifiesta sus necesidades y expectativas relacionadas según la cultura imperante en un territorio. Esta puede expresarse desde no estar enfermo hasta considerar a la salud exigible, como un derecho relacionado con las condiciones de vida digna. Las instituciones formales o informales en cada territorio también son expresión de la cultura de dicha población y de la capacidad del Estado p...

Aristotle grants perceptible qualities the power to generate sense perception in animals. But it is unclear whether, for him, these qualities can produce any effect other than perception. In this paper, I address this issue through a novel approach. To show that they can produce non-perceptual effects, I explore contexts in his extant works where qualities appear to do causal work in nature without leading to perception in animals. This inquiry aims to demonstrate that Aristotle’s realism about qualities survives a potential threat posed by views that dispute the qualities’ causal efficacy outside perception.

There is a rapidly growing elderly population that calls for significant pressure on health systems such as Medicare, which
caters to the elderly population in millions. This is because as people age and their life spans expand, they are most likely to suffer from
chronic diseases, including heart diseases, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s diseases, hence requiring more medical attention and services and
high costs. General healthcare approaches, treatment plans, and different measures to deal with the challenges mentioned above have
been observed to be inoperative in caring for the increasing elderly patient population. For this reason, Machine Learning (ML) brings
a revolutionary solution by leveraging vast amounts of health - related data to make future health forecasts, develop individual
treatment programs, and, most significantly, cut expenses. Because of the ability of algorithms to find correlations in patient
information about the patient, ML is capable of early diagnosis of diseases patients who are likely to be hospitalized and anticipate
possible precautions. For this reason, this article looks at some significant ML approaches, like decision trees, random forests, and
neural networks, which have been successfully employed in healthcare prediction. Using factors such as demographic, clinical, and
historical data, these models are predictive in that they can predict the health outcomes of Medicare to enhance the management of its
resources better and afford more preventive measures. For instance, the readmission of patients to hospitals can be predicted by an ML
model, which can help healthcare providers use preventive measures to ensure savings on unnecessary costs. Given the results of this
research, it could be stated that the application of ML in the proper way can help not only predict changes in the health of elderly
people but also provide an individual approach to providing necessary treatment that would result in the improvement of patient’s
conditions and, therefore, stability of Medicare. Because of this, it can be considered a modern approach in healthcare management,
especially when looking into the increasing elderly population.

There are two leading theories about the ontology of dreams. One holds that dreams involve hallucinations and beliefs. The other holds that dreaming involves sensory and propositional imagining. I highlight two features of dreams which are more eas- ily explained by the imagination theory. One is that certain things seem to be true in our dreams, even though they are not represented sensorily; this is easily explained if dreams involve propositional imagining. The other is that dream narratives can be temporally segmented, involving events which take place across long spans of time; this makes sense if dreams involve sensory imagining, for we often sensorily imagine narratives during wakefulness in the same way. The two considerations are uni ed by the fact that both highlight forms of content determination characteristic of imagining.

The study was conducted on the status, distribution and morphometric measurement of rodent diversity in Jahangirnagar University campus, savar, Dhaka, from June 2015 to September 2016. Six cage traps with baits were placed in six selective sites for capturing squirrels, rats and mice. Seven species of rodent under two family were recorded in Jahangirnagar University campus. One squirrel under Sciuridae family Funambulus palmarum was recorded. Six different species of rats and mice viz. Rattus rattus, Rattus norvegicus, Bandicota bengalensis, Bandicota indica, Mus musculus and Vandeleuria oleracea were recorded in Jahangirnagar University campus. Among these Rattus rattus, Mus musculus, Vandeleuria oleracea were very common, widely distributed in different habitats. The mean body length, tail length, weight, hind-foot length, ear size of these three species were 14.83cm, 16.38cm, 118gm, 3.26cm, 1.47cm; 6.24cm, 8.02cm, 29.28gm, 1.62cm, 1.14cm; 14.22cm, 16.47cm, 106.27gm, 3.03cm, 1.71cm respectively. On the other hand Bandicota bengalensis, Rattus norvegicus were relatively common in differet habitats and their mean body length, tail length, weight, hind-foot length were respectively 15.69cm, 16.44cm, 130.57gm, 3.31cm; 14.21cm, 14.74cm, 128.42gm, 3.37cm. Bandicota indica was relatively less common in different habitat and confined only at the edge of wetlands and cultivated land and attained mean body length, tail length, weight, hind-foot length 26.5cm, 25.35cm, 488.5gm, 5.7cm respectively. Funambulus palmarum was common but gradually decreased by human disturbance and food scarcity.

La atencion en salud y la calidad en los servicios de salud se han convertido en parte de un proceso de mejoramiento dentro del Sistema de Seguridad Social en Salud en Colombia. Es por eso que la normatividad vigente se hace cada dia mas puntual a ese respecto por considerarse de suma importancia el proceso de la consecucion y la permanencia de la salud con calidad en el contexto de nuestro pais, en el cual debe tomar parte cada uno de los entes prestadores de salud, sus profesionales y la poblacion, para que se de como consecuencia, un resultado satisfactorio en la solucion verdadera de problemas de salud en el pais. Las normas actuales pretenden dar importancia a un aspecto primordial que es el mejoramiento de los servicios de salud. En este proceso los entes prestadores y los profesionales tienen un compromiso con cada una de las partes del proceso que obliga la ley y con los usuarios como fin ultimo de la atencion. Se pretende resaltar un aspecto primordial que es el mejoramient...

Esta investigación descriptiva buscaba conocer prevalencia de la conjuntivitis alérgica en dos instituciones médicas de Bogotá y tres de Cundianamarca durante marzo de 2006 y febrero de 2007. Metodología: la muestra del presente estudio fue de 813 pacientes que asistieron a la consulta de optometría y oftalmología de los hospitales Rafael Uribe Uribe y el centro Médico San Camilo de Bogotá y al hospital El Salvador de Ubaté, San Rafael de Girardot y Mario Gaitán Yanguas de Soacha, estos tres de Cundinamarca. Para los pacientes de este estudio el método de recolección de datos fue el de realización de examen clínico optométrico realizado durante todos los meses del estudio en cada uno de los servicios de optometría de los hospitales mencionados; previa estandarización de la prueba. Resultados: se observó que la prevalencia de conjuntivitis alérgica, fue del 21.8% en el grupo de edad de 0 – 17 años, del 18 % en el grupo de edad entre 18 – 35 años y del 9.8 % a en el grupo de 36 – 53 a...

Objetivo: elaborar una línea de base epidemiológica y conocer las condiciones socioeconómicas y de morbilidad de los pacientes atendidos en la consulta de optometría en las zonas del Tolima donde se realiza la práctica de último semestre de los estudiantes del programa de Optometría de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad de La Salle durante el año 2010. El estudio es observacional descriptivo. Se tomó como población objeto la reportada en los rips de cadainstitución en 2010 que asistió a la consulta de optometría dentro del convenio docencia-servicio en el programa de extensión de la Universidad de La Salle en su programa de Optometría. Materiales y métodos: la técnica de recolección de datos utilizada fue la observación y el instrumento de recolección fue el formato de los rips, además de una encuesta realizada a los usuarios y a la comunidad para determinar las condiciones socioeconómicas dentro de la población. Para ladeterminación de la morbilidad visual se tom...

The belief that the "scientific method" provides a degree of certitude not available in the humanities or social sciences helps to attract many students to careers in engineering. An important goal, then, of an interdisciplinary program at an engineering college is to subject a simplistic notion of the "scientific method" to appropriate scrutiny. The course "Light and Vision" described here attempts to open science, engineering and management studies at WPI to the ideas of writers like Thomas Kuhn and Gerald Holton concerning how ideas and innovations in science arise.

For at least a century, philosophers have introduced questions about consciousness, and more generally the mind-body problem, by appealing to the "felt" quality of mental states, a notion that is supposed to be immediate and intuitive, but turns out to be exceedingly difficult to articulate more precisely. Philosophers sometimes speak of "qualia" or "raw feels", even if only to argue that there are no such things; more frequently they just wave their hands by referring to "what it's like" to have a certain kind of experience. 1 But without such notions, we could not even begin to frame the so-called "hard problem of consciousness", the problem of how this aspect of consciousness can be accounted for within a naturalistic approach to the mind. At the same time, it should be clear that the notion itself is of interest in its own right, which is my concern here. To avoid building in any particular commitment one way or the other from the start, I will speak simply about the way in which the perceptible qualities of objects appear to us in perceptual experience or about their appearances for short. Accordingly, I will take "the phenomenal character" of an experience to refer to how perceptible qualities appear in that experience, whatever one's analysis. The question all theories face, then, is what are appearances more exactly? If one asks what Greek philosophers had to say about this supposedly obvious feature of experience, though, a responsible answer is surprisingly elusive. They have much to say, of course, about the perceptible qualities of objects and how we perceive them, as well as how they might be perceived differently by different perceivers or on different occasions-one need only consider Protagoras or Gorgias or Democritus to realise that Greek philosophers engaged with these issues from early on. 2 On the other hand, discussions of the phenomenal character of experience as such, as a concern in its own right, are exceedingly thin on the ground, even when philosophers focus explicitly on the gulf between appearance and reality in epistemological contexts, as in ancient scepticism; answers to our question are still largely a matter of inference and interpretation. 3 Explicit textual evidence is so scarce, in fact, that it even led one scholar to declare the mind-body problem was not

Tear break-up time (TBUT) is a crucial indicator of ocular surface health, often used in diagnosing dry eye syndrome. Traditional assessment methods may not be accessible in rural areas due to the high cost of advanced diagnostic machines. This study investigates the reliability and accuracy of keratometers and autorefractometers for measuring non-invasive TBUT in a cohort of 200 patients. Our findings indicate a strong correlation between TBUT values from these tools and the conventional invasive TBUT test, demonstrating their potential utility in resource-limited settings.

When you approach an object, it looms in your visual field. When you move around it, its profile changes. In these and many other ways, how things look depends on what you do. Competent perceivers are not surprised by these changes in appearance as they move. Of course, objects don't usually appear to grow as we approach them; nor does it look as though they change their shape when we move. Perceptual constancy-size and shape constancy-coexists with perspectival nonconstancy. Two tomatoes, at different distances from us, may visibly differ in their apparent size even as we plainly see their sameness of size; a silver dollar may look elliptical-when we view it from an angle, or when it is tilted in respect of us-even though it also looks, plainly, circular.

In the past decade, the notion of a neural correlate of consciousness (or NCC) has become a focal point for scientific research on consciousness (Metzinger, 2000a). A growing number of investigators believe that the first step toward a science of consciousness is to discover the neural correlates of consciousness. Indeed, Francis Crick has gone so far as to proclaim that ‘we ... need to discover the neural correlates of consciousness.... For this task the primate visual system seems especially attractive.... No longer need one spend time attempting ... to endure the tedium of philosophers perpetually disagreeing with each other. Consciousness is now largely a scientific problem’ (Crick, 1996, p. 486). Yet the question of what it means to be a neural correlate of consciousness is actually far from straightforward, for it involves fundamental empirical, methodological, and philosophical issues about the nature of consciousness and its relationship to the brain. Even if one assumes, as...

Introduction and objective:
Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are disorders of the temporomandibular joint and the masticatory muscles. The most common symptom associated with TMDs is pain. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of TMDs in the adult population of Eastern Europe.

Material and methods:
The study included individuals aged 20–30 years at the time of examination. A total of 440 were enrolled in the study, including 339 women and 101 men, with an average age of 24 ± 2 years. Data analyzed included gender, age, and the type of TMD, divided into three groups: Group 1: Myofascial pain disorders, Group 2: Arthralgia, arthritis, and joint degeneration and Group 3: Disc displacement disorders.

Results:
It was found that 277 individuals (62.95%) were healthy and did not have TMDs. Conversely, 163 (37.05%) exhibited at least one form of TMDs. Among the women, 133 had TMDs symptoms (representing 39.23% of the female population). Group 1 (Myofascial pain disorders): 83 individuals (50.92% of those with TMDs) were classified into this group – 72 women and 11 men. Group 2 (Arthralgia, arthritis, and joint degeneration): 29 individuals (17.79% of those with TMDs) were classified into this grou – 27 women and 2 men. Group 3 (Disc displacement disorders): 92 individuals (56.44% of those with TMDs) were classified into this group – 74 women and 18 men. The provided data includes individuals with mixed TMDs.

Conclusions:
The prevalence of TMDs was observed at 37.05% of those examined. The most common forms of TMDs were the disc form, followed by the muscular form. The ratio of women to men was 4.4 to 1.

The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the environmental, economic, and social elements that essentially mold health outcomes for individuals and communities. These factors include safe housing, quality education, employment, nutritious food, transportation, and social support systems. Addressing SDOH is essential to ensuring health equity among vulnerable populations and enhancing overall community well-being. By focusing on these determinants, communities can reduce chronic diseases, decrease emergency room visits, and encourage healthier lifestyles. A comprehensive approach to SDOH empowers people to take better care of their health while building resilience within the community. For healthcare organizations, addressing SDOH means not only improving patient outcomes but also reducing healthcare costs. Preventive care initiatives that tackle root causes like food insecurity and unstable housing result in fewer acute interventions and lower hospital readmissions, which could significantly reduce costs. This aligns with value-based care models, which prioritize long-term health outcomes over service volume. Data collection and analysis are crucial to fully capturing the benefits of SDOH. Healthcare systems should incorporate social risk assessments into electronic health records (EHR) and other clinical platforms to better understand and respond to patients' social needs. Targeted interventions, such as referrals to community services, can be developed based on this data. Community organizations and local governments are key partners in this effort, providing deep insights into local social needs and helping to create more effective interventions. Government support is critical to addressing SDOH on a large scale. Public policy and funding will be needed to drive systemic change and prioritize social determinants like housing stability and food security. When healthcare organizations, communities, and governments collaborate, sustainable solutions can be created that improve public health, lower healthcare costs, and strengthen communities. This paper explores how a holistic, data-informed approach to SDOH fosters health and equity across communities.

Introducción Actualmente, en medicina somos capaces de evaluar el funcionamiento de nuestro sistema visual mediante diversos métodos. Sin embargo, los sistemas de optotipos para valorar la agudeza visual son el método más utilizado por el médico general; por ser una prueba fiable, rápida y sencilla de hacer. Conocer la calidad de nuestra visión ha sido importante para las actividades en las que nos involucramos. Así, diversos trabajos pueden exigir un alto requerimiento de agudeza visual o bien sólo un mínimo de ella; de forma que podemos garantizar que quien realice esa labor tenga la visión suficiente para realizarla o de otro modo se encuentre limitado para llevarla a cabo. La necesidad de una buena agudeza visual para tareas específicas no es nueva. A lo largo de la historia se han desempeñado profesiones en las que era obligatorio tener buena visión. Por ejemplo: un cazador, vigilante o soldado difícilmente podía hacer bien su trabajo si tenía mala agudeza visual. Por esta razó...

Introducción: en la clínica de optometría de la Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, se presentó un caso clínico de rinoconjuntivitis alérgica persistente monocular en un paciente de 13 años de edad, diagnosticado y tratado como conjuntivitis bacteriana por varias instancias médicas previas a nuestra consulta. Se analizó el caso al considerar los signos y síntomas, así como la evolución de la patología. Objetivo: desarrollar un diagnóstico diferencial entre conjuntivitis alérgica crónica con rinoconjuntivitis alérgica persistente, a partir de un proceso diagnosticado como infeccioso. Método: valoración a través de biomicroscopia, revisión de fosas nasales y garganta y, como apoyo al diagnóstico, exudado conjuntival. Resultados: después de efectuar la valoración clínica del paciente, se diagnosticó rinitis alérgica crónica; así, se remitió al médico general para tratamiento sistémico y se administró un tratamiento local con an...

Shifting agriculture has been regarded as the cause of degradation to most types of natural resources in the Eastern Himalayas. Attempts have been made by certain agencies to abolish the system or find alternatives but failed. Physical barriers arising from rugged topography along with the socio-economic conditions are the major hindrances for improved agricultural systems. Discussions on problems related to shifting agriculture and natural resources conservations have been made based on literature review and researches conducted in the region. Rainfall and vegetative cover being the major determinants of erosion intensity in the region, hydrological engineering model for on-farm soil conservation practices has been developed to control runoff, enhance rainfall interception and retain soil moisture and organic matter. Measures for on-site soil conservation include the use of locally available resources with the application of simple technology and economically inexpensive for the ig...