Systems with occlusion capabilities, such as those used in vision augmentation, image processing, and optical see-through head-mounted display (OST-HMD), have gained popularity. Achieving precise (hard-edge) occlusion in these systems is challenging, often requiring complex optical designs and bulky volumes. On the other hand, utilizing a single transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) is a simple approach to create occlusion masks. However, the generated mask will appear defocused (soft-edge) resulting in insufficient blocking or occlusion leakage. In our work, we delve into the perception of soft-edge occlusion by the human visual system and present a preference-based optimal expansion method that minimizes perceived occlusion leakage. In a user study involving 20 participants, we made a noteworthy observation that the human eye perceives a sharper edge blur of the occlusion mask when individuals see through it and gaze at a far distance, in contrast to the camera system's observation. Moreover, our study revealed significant individual differences in the perception of soft-edge masks in human vision when focusing. These differences may lead to varying degrees of demand for mask size among individuals. Our evaluation demonstrates that our method successfully accounts for individual differences and achieves optimal masking effects at arbitrary distances and pupil sizes.
ABSTRACTObjectivesAnticholinergic drugs can cause cognitive impairment. The risk of dementia associated with anticholinergics compared to beta‐3 agonists (mirabegron and vibegron) has not been extensively investigated in the super‐aging society of Japan. This study evaluated the association between the dementia risk and anticholinergics compared to beta‐3 agonists in older adults with overactive bladder in Japan.MethodsThis study had 1,493,202 participants from the Longevity Improvement & Fair Evidence Study, which includes claim data in Japan from 2014 to 2022. The participants included 13,448 anticholinergic drug users and 24,669 beta‐3 agonist users diagnosed with overactive bladder and aged ≥ 65 years. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals being adjusted for confounding variables to evaluate the impact of anticholinergic drugs compared to beta‐3 agonists prescribed at index date to patients with overactive bladder.ResultsAmong the beta‐3 agonist and anticholinergic drug users, the mean (standard deviation) age was 78.9 (6.7) and 78.8 (7.0) years, and the percentage of men was 47.2% and 39.7%, respectively. In the beta‐3 agonist group, 2130 participants were newly diagnosed with dementia during the 51,605 person‐years of follow‐up from the index date, whereas in the anticholinergic drug group, 1826 participants were diagnosed during the 34,929 person‐years of follow‐up. In the Cox proportional hazard regression model, there was an increased risk of dementia in the anticholinergic drug group compared to the beta‐3 agonist group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–1.30). The increased risk remained identical when Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) model was used for the analysis (aHR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.11–1.28).ConclusionsCompared to beta‐3 agonists, anticholinergic drugs are associated with an increased risk of dementia in older adults with overactive bladder, in Japan. These findings suggest that beta‐3 agonists may have a lower risk of dementia than anticholinergics and have potential to be a good alternative opinion for older people with OAB, which warrants further study.
Background The causes underlying out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are rarely investigated. This study aimed to investigate causes of OHCA in CRITICAL (Comprehensive Registry of In‐Hospital Intensive Care for OHCA Survival), a multicenter OHCA registry in Osaka, Japan. Methods Nontraumatic patients with OHCA (by CARES [Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival] criteria) aged 18 to 90 years between July 1, 2012 and December 31, 2020 were included. By Japanese law, all patients with OHCA (resuscitated or not) must be transported to the emergency department where death is declared if resuscitation is unsuccessful; this latter group was considered presumed sudden cardiac deaths whereas those surviving to hospitalization were considered resuscitated OHCA. We compared underlying causes of OHCA in presumed sudden cardiac deaths, survivors of OHCA (alive 30 days after the event), and nonsurvivors of OHCA (died during hospitalization). Causes were confirmed when autopsy or postresuscitation hospital workup was performed and probable when determined by attending physician impression (partial workup). Results Of 12 252 total OHCAs, 8005 (65.3%) were. presumed sudden cardiac deaths, 4247 (34.7%) were resuscitated, and 1293 (10.6%) were survivors. Resuscitated OHCA cardiac causes comprised 73.2% (n=3110) and noncardiac causes 26.8% (n=1137). Cardiac cause, most commonly acute coronary syndrome, was more prevalent in survivors of OHCA than nonsurvivors (85.7% [n=1137] versus 67.8% [n=2002]; P<0.001). Although 40.4% of the survived at 30 days cases were acute coronary syndrome, cerebrovascular disease accounted for 9.8% of nonsurvivors of OHCA and nearly one fifth (n=144, 17.8%) of middle‐aged cases. Conclusions Cardiac cause was more common in survivors than cases dying in the emergency room (sudden deaths) or in hospital after initial resuscitation (nonsurvivors of OHCA). Causes in nonsurvivors of OHCA who died in hospital were more heterogeneous than those of survivors of OHCA, especially cerebrovascular emergencies.
Aim: We aimed to assess the association between base excess (BE) levels and neurological outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), accounting for the time from cardiac arrest onset to blood sampling. Methods: This multicentre study was conducted in Osaka, Japan, and enrolled consecutive patients with OHCA who were transported to 16 medical centres between 2012 and 2021. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with witnessed OHCA and available BE measurements upon hospital arrival were examined. Patients were stratified into Q1 (BE ≤ −21.1 mmol/L), Q2 (−21.1 < BE ≤ −15.7 mmol/L), Q3 (−15.7 < BE ≤ −10.4 mmol/L) and Q4 (BE > −10.4 mmol/L) groups based on BE levels. The primary outcome was 1-month survival with a favourable neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Category scale score: 1 or 2). Results: Among the 23,854 patients with OHCA, only 6066 were included in the final analysis. Approximately 3.2 %, 4.7 %, 9.9 % and 23.7 % of patients in the Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 groups, respectively, achieved favourable neurological outcomes at 1 month. Compared with Q4, the adjusted odds ratio for a favourable neurological outcome in Q1 was 0.13. Subgroup analysis revealed a significant interaction between prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and neurological outcomes; neurological outcomes worsened as BE decreased in patients with ROSC but not in those without ROSC. Conclusion: Lower BE levels upon hospital arrival are associated with poorer neurological outcomes and may serve as prognostic indicators in patients with OHCA who achieved prehospital ROSC.
