Longitudinal study on visual outcome and spectacle use after intracapsular cataract extraction in Northern India

Purpose  

More than 3 million cataract extractions are undertaken in India annually. Almost 60% of these operations are intracapsular Cataract Extractions. The subsequent optical correction is provided by aphakic spectacles. The aim of this study is to assess visual outcome and perceived benefits of post-operative use of aphakic spectacles.     

Case of the month. Acute frosted angiitis

A 42-year-old woman presented with acute visual loss in the left eye with funduscopic evidence of marked retinal periphlebitis (frosted angiitis) and a macular star. Extensive serologic testing identified no etiology. The purpose of this report is to review the clinical features and systemic associations of acute frosted angiitis, a rare ophthalmologic entity.     

Surgical outcomes for robotic-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy compared to abdominal myomectomy

A retrospective cohort of 100 robotic-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy (RM) patients and 48 laparotomic myomectomy (LM) patients at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, USA was examined to compare surgical outcomes of RM with LM. Details of age, race, body mass index (BMI), procedure duration, estimated blood loss (EBL), length of stay (LOS), diameter of the largest leiomyoma and number of leiomyomata removed were collected. Procedure duration was significantly longer among RM patients (median: 194 min vs. 127.5 min; Wilcoxon rank sum (WRS) P < 0.001). EBL and LOS were both significantly greater among LM patients (EBL medians 200 vs. 100 ml, WRS P < 0.001; LOS medians 3 vs. 1, WRS P < 0.01). Among the RM patients, 39.4% had a LOS of at least 2 days compared to 89.4% among LM patients. Leiomyomata characteristics did not affect the observed associations. RM could enable widespread use of a minimally invasive approach for leiomyoma treatment.     

Role of combined immunomodulator therapy in severe steroid intolerant vernal keratoconjunctivitis

PurposeTo describe the role of combined topical cyclosporine (CsA) 0.1% and tacrolimus 0.03% in cases with severe steroid intolerant vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC).MethodsMedical records of patients with acute exacerbation of VKC and steroid intolerance referred from glaucoma to cornea clinic were reviewed from March 2017 to December 2018. Eleven patients (22 eyes), (nine with steroid-induced glaucoma, two with steroid-induced cataract and glaucoma) were found. All were started on topical CsA 0.1% QID. Due to suboptimal response at 2 weeks, topical tacrolimus 0.03% BD was also included.ResultsThe mean total subjective score at presentation was 13 ± 1.4, which reduced to 11.2 ± 1.3 at 2 weeks of topical CsA therapy and further reduced to 5 ± 0 at 2 weeks of combination therapy (p < 0.001). The mean total objective score at presentation was 9.4 ± 1.4 that reduced to 8.0 ± 1.3 at 2 weeks of topical CsA therapy and further reduced to 4.3 ± 1.6 at 2 weeks of combination therapy (p < 0.001). Similar results were obtained in a sub-group analysis including the worse eye or right eye of the cases only. The absolute change in the total subjective and objective score was much more with combination therapy. Photophobia and conjunctival hyperemia resolved within 4 weeks of combined therapy. No recurrence was observed till 6 months follow-up.ConclusionsCombined use of cyclosporine and tacrolimus may lead to rapid resolution of symptoms and reduced recurrence rate in cases with severe VKC where steroid has to be avoided.Subject terms: Immunosuppression, Allergy     

The University of Michigan Honest Broker: A Web-based Service for Clinical and Translational Research and Practice

For the success of clinical and translational science, a seamless interoperation is required between clinical and research information technology. Addressing this need, the Michigan Clinical Research Collaboratory (MCRC) was created. The MCRC employed a standards-driven Web Services architecture to create the U-M Honest Broker, which enabled sharing of clinical and research data among medical disciplines and separate institutions. Design objectives were to facilitate sharing of data, maintain a master patient index (MPI), deidentification of data, and routing data to preauthorized destination systems for use in clinical care, research, or both. This article describes the architecture and design of the U-M HB system and the successful demonstration project. Seventy percent of eligible patients were recruited for a prospective study examining the correlation between interventional cardiac catheterizations and depression. The U-M Honest Broker delivered on the promise of using structured clinical knowledge shared among providers to help clinical and translational research.     

Effect of lung volume reduction surgery on resting pulmonary hemodynamics in severe emphysema

RATIONALE: To determine the effect of medical treatment versus lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) on pulmonary hemodynamics. METHODS: Three clinical centers of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) screened patients for additional inclusion into a cardiovascular (CV) substudy. Demographics were determined, and lung function testing, six-minute-walk distance, and maximum cardiopulmonary exercise testing were done at baseline and 6 months after medical therapy or LVRS. CV substudy patients underwent right heart catheterization at rest prerandomization (baseline) and 6 months after treatment. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 110 of the 163 patients evaluated for the CV substudy were randomized in NETT (53 were ineligible), 54 to medical treatment and 56 to LVRS. Fifty-five of these patients had both baseline and repeat right heart catheterization 6 months postrandomization. Baseline demographics and lung function data revealed CV substudy patients to be similar to the remaining 1,163 randomized NETT patients in terms of age, sex, FEV(1), residual volume, diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide, Pa(O(2)), Pa(CO(2)), and six-minute-walk distance. CV substudy patients had moderate pulmonary hypertension at rest (Ppa, 24.8 +/- 4.9 mm Hg); baseline hemodynamic measurements were similar across groups. Changes from baseline pressures to 6 months post-treatment were similar across treatment groups, except for a smaller change in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure at end-expiration post-LVRS compared with medical treatment (-1.8 vs. 3.5 mm Hg, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to medical therapy, LVRS was not associated with an increase in pulmonary artery pressures.