Sheep practice eye for ophthalmic surgery training in skills laboratory

Pig eyes are not available for surgical practice in the Middle East and Central Asia. We reviewed the literature to select an alternative animal practice eye based on biometry, availability, expense, and the ethical issue of animal sacrifice. Twenty enucleated sheep eyes were studied with an ultrasonography immersion technique, and a variety of techniques for globe harvesting were tested and compared. The sheep eye was judged to be the best practical choice for ophthalmic surgery practice and the "bone shattering" exenteration maneuver, the most efficient harvesting method. Several anterior segment procedures were performed in the sheep eyes. Introduction of this sheep model would be instrumental in the development of ophthalmology skills laboratories and surgical training in Middle Eastern and Central Asian regions. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.     

Anetoderma treated with combined 595-nm pulsed-dye laser and 1550-nm non-ablative fractionated laser

Anetoderma is a skin disorder characterized by a focal loss of dermal elastic tissue whereby patients present with soft, depressible lesions. We postulated that a series of combination treatment using the 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) and the 1550-nm non-ablative fractionated laser (NAFL) would improve the anetoderma lesions. Our patient with biopsy proven anetoderma received 3 treatments with a combination of 595-nm PDL and 1550-nm NAFL spaced 3 weeks apart. Skin biopsies were performed at baseline and immediately prior to the third treatment. Stains for hematoxylin and eosin and Verhoeff Van Gieson (VVG) were performed. Improvement in lesion color, texture, and overall appearance was noted after the second treatment and continued following the third treatment. Post-treatment VVG staining demonstrated an increase in dermal elastin fibers and a decrease in elastin fiber fragmentation. Thus, the combination of 595-nm PDL and 1550-nm NAFL should be considered as a treatment modality for anetoderma.     

Erroneous diagnosis of primary fibrosarcoma of the breast: The value of the multidisciplinary breast team approach

Diagnostic errors occur in the preanalytic, analytic, and postanalytic phases of specimen processing. Correlating clinical and imaging information with gross and microscopic findings is crucial to limit errors and unnecessary treatment. Herein, we report the case of a 54-year-old woman who presented with left breast bloody nipple discharge and subsequently underwent central duct excision. Pathology revealed a high-grade sarcoma. The patient presented to our institution for further management. Upon secondary pathology review and DNA fingerprinting analysis, the correct interpretation was rendered. Our case demonstrates the importance of clinical correlation and review of pathology slides prior to definitive therapy.     

Evaluating the Correlation Between the Survival Rate of Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Expression of p53 and Cyclin D1 Biomarkers Along with Other Prognostic Factors

Objective

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the survival rate of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and expression of two biomarkers along with age, gender, tumor margin, depth of invasion, site of tumor, tumor diameter, tumor grade, number of involved nodes, and vascular invasion.

Materials and Methods

In this retrospective survey, medical records of patients referred to the Shohada-e Tajrish hospital during 2001 to 2005 were reviewed and subjects with definite diagnosis of SCC were included. Required data were extracted from the patients’ records, and their prepared paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were collected under supervision of two pathologists. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis was performed at the Firoozgar hospital in Tehran, Iran.

Results

The studied population included 20 men (74%) and 7 women (26%). The mean age at diagnosis was 58 ± 22. Results showed significantly higher survival rates in women compared to men (85.7 vs. 40%) (p = 0.001) and in patients with well-differentiated tumors compared to poor-differentiated cases (20 vs. 5%) (p = 0.004). No significant relationship was found between p53 expression and prognostic factors like age, gender, the site, grade, and size of the tumor, depth of invasion, involvement of lymph nodes, and vascular invasion.

Conclusion

Positivity of p53 and cyclin D1 was not found to be predictive of survival in patients with esophageal SCC which might be due to the small sample size of the present survey. Further investigations with larger sample populations and longer follow-ups are required to evaluate this correlation.

     

Ocular Manifestations,Conventional Fundus Fluorescein Angiographic Findings,and Relationship Between Angiographic Findings and Visual Acuity in Behçet’s Disease

Purpose: Evaluating the ocular manifestation and fundus fluorescein angiography (FA) findings of patients with Behçet’s disease as well as the relationship between visual acuity and angiographic findings. Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients with Behçet’s disease seen at the Farabi Eye Hospital. Results: Forty-six patients (92 eyes) with mean age of 33.41 ± 10.67 were included. The most frequent presenting symptom and sign were reduced vision (76%) and uveitis (87%), respectively. Panuveitis was the most frequent type of uveitis (76%). Among patients with FA, vasculitis was the most common finding (87%) and it was significantly more severe among patients with visual acuity less than 20/200. Macular leakage (P = 0.001), arterial narrowing (P = 0.000), and posterior retinal vasculitis (P = 0.002) on FA were all associated with worsening final visual acuity. Conclusion: The most common ocular findings in Behçet’s disease were panuveitis and vasculitis. Location of vasculitis, arterial narrowing, and macular leakage on initial FA may predict visual prognosis.     

Effects of clozapine and sulpiride on morphine state-dependent memory in the step-down passive avoidance test

The effects of antipsychotic drugs sulpiride and clozapine on morphine state-dependent memory of passive avoidance task were examined in mice. Post-training administration of morphine (5 mg/kg) led to state-dependent learning with impaired memory retrieval on the test day which was reversed by pre-test administration of the same dose of the opioid (5 mg/kg). In animals where memory was impaired by post-training morphine, the administration of either sulpiride or clozapine before pre-test morphine reduced the improvement of memory produced by the opioid. Co-administration of sulpiride with clozapine did not potentiate their antagonistic response. In conclusion, the inhibition of improvement of memory retrieval by morphine treatment on the test day by the two dopamine receptor antagonists seems to be induced through two different receptor mechanisms.