Ultrasonographic classification and phacoemulsification of white senile cataracts

OBJECTIVE: To classify the white senile cataracts and report the results of phacoemulsification of white cataracts. DESIGN: Prospective, noncomparative case series. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eyes were included. INTERVENTION: White cataracts were examined biomicroscopically before surgery, and their acoustic structure was analyzed with standardized A-scan echography. White cataract surgery was performed with phacoemulsification via a superior temporal near-limbus corneal approach using a bimanual divide-and-conquer or stop-and-chop technique. Patients were followed after surgery for a period of 9 months. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The A-scan acoustic structure of white cataracts; successful accomplishment of capsulorrhexis; mean phacoemulsification time, power, and energy; intraoperative and postoperative complications of phacoemulsification; and visual acuity at 9 months after surgery. RESULTS: White senile cataracts were categorized into three different types. Type I included intumescent, white cataracts with cortex liquefaction and high internal acoustic reflections (44 eyes), type II included white cataracts with voluminous nuclei, little amount of whitish solid cortex, and low internal acoustic reflections (49 eyes), and type III included white cataracts with fibrosed anterior capsule and low internal echospikes (7 eyes). Circular capsulorrhexis was completed in 79 eyes and was significantly less successful in eyes with type I intumescent, white cataracts compared with type II white cataracts (P = 0.0034). Mean phacoemulsification time and energy were higher in type II and type III white cataracts. Posterior capsule rupture occurred in ten eyes, and three of these eyes were complicated by vitreous loss. In 95 eyes, the posterior chamber lens was implanted in the capsular bag and in five eyes in the sulcus. After surgery, a transient corneal edema developed in 31 eyes. At the final 6-month examination, the mean postoperative visual acuity was 20/30. CONCLUSION: Current phacoemulsification techniques can safely manage eyes with senile white cataracts. The increased risk of difficulty with continuous capsulorrhexis in type-I and type-III white cataracts and the substantial nuclear hardness in type-II and mainly type-III white cataracts would suggest that current phacoemulsification techniques might not be as successful in these patients as they are in ordinary earlier cataracts.     

Laboratory evaluation of modern plastic brackets

The aim of the study was to evaluate some properties of modern orthodontic plastic brackets. Seven bracket brands [Aesthetik-Line (AL), Avalon (AV), Brillant (BR), Elegance (EL), OrthoFlex (OF), Silkon Plus (SL), and Spirit MB (SP)] were included in the study. The properties tested were chemical composition, base morphology, slot roughness, Vickers hardness (VH), and shear bond strength (SBS) with enamel.According to the results, the brackets were composed of polyurethane (AV and OF), polyoxymethylene (BR), and Ca-Al-silicate fibre glass-reinforced polycarbonate (AL, EL, SL, and SP). Metallic slots were composed of austenitic stainless steel (EL and SP) and Ag-Cu alloy (AV). The base morphology exhibited distinct designs, employing parallel retentive canals (AV, EL, and OF) or round-angled square protrusions with major retentive elements (AL, BR, and SP) or a combination of both (SL). The SP metallic slot demonstrated the lowest Sz values. No significant differences were found in VH among the brackets before water immersion (19.6-16.9 VH). After 12 weeks immersion, the brackets showed a significant hardness reduction (16.6-12.9 HV). SBS ranged between 111 and 193 N (8-14 MPa) for all brackets, except from SP (59 N/5 MPa). The predominant failure mode was mixed adhesive and cohesive. Most of the plastic brackets presented a base structure capable of adequate bonding to enamel, regardless of their differences in composition. Slot roughness showed differences among groups. All the brackets demonstrated plasticization after prolonged water storage.     

Percutaneous drainage of chest abscesses in children

Seven patients ranging in age from 3 to 18 years underwent percutaneous drainage of eight intrathoracic abscesses. Five of the abscesses were mediastinal or paramediastinal and resulted from esophageal perforation or esophageal anastomotic leakage. The abscesses resolved in each case, with a mean catheter drainage time of 28 days and no need for surgical intervention. Three of the abscesses were intrapulmonary, and each lay adjacent to a pleural surface. All three lung abscesses resolved within 19-24 days, without thoracotomy or wedge resection.     

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms in rheumatoid arthritis and Felty's syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether promoter polymorphisms associated with variation in interleukin-10 (IL-10) production are relevant to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or Felty's syndrome (FS). METHODS: DNA was obtained from 44 FS patients, 117 RA patients and 295 controls. The promoter region between -533 and - 1120 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and polymorphisms detected by restriction enzyme digest or sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing. RESULTS: We found no significant difference in allele or haplotype frequencies between the groups. CONCLUSION: There is no association between FS or RA and these recently identified IL-10 promoter polymorphisms. Other genetic or environmental factors could explain the alterations in IL-10 levels seen in these conditions.      

The impact of symptom severity on the cost of Alzheimer's disease

OBJECTIVES: ITo examine the economic impact of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as the disease progresses on patients' medical costs and caregivers' productivity. DESIGN: A 12-page, self-administered mail survey, fielded in November 1999. SETTING: Households with AD caregivers, selected from a nationwide (U.S.) consumer database. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand seven hundred fifteen caregivers of noninstitutionalized AD patients. MEASUREMENTS: Disease progression was measured using a scale of symptom frequency and measures of instrumental and physical functioning. Cost components included hospital days, physician visits, and emergency room visits. Lost productivity was assessed using hours per week that caregivers provided care and the number of days that they missed from work because of caregiving. RESULTS: The direct costs of caring for AD patients for 6 months totaled $3,129, whereas the indirect costs were $26,080. Patients with more-frequent symptoms used all healthcare resources, including the hospital, emergency room, and physicians, more often than those with less-frequent symptoms. Those with lower levels of physical and instrumental functioning also used the hospital and physicians more often than those with higher levels of physical and instrumental functioning. Caregivers of these more severely impaired patients spent more hours providing care and reported missing more work than those caring for higher-functioning patients. These relationships remained after controlling for potentially confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: This large study of patients at all stages of AD shows that the direct and indirect costs of AD are considerably lower for patients with fewer symptoms. Longitudinal studies will determine the impact on the overall cost of care of interventions that reduce symptoms and maintain patients at earlier stages of the disease.     

Gastrocolic fistula secondary to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs abuse in a cirrhotic patient

Gastrocolic fistula is rarely described in the literature. It has been associated with a variety of diseases and recently with benign gastric ulcers related to the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs'). The present case represents the first report of gastrocolic fistula due to NSAIDs in a cirrhotic patient. This is in keeping with the established knowledge that cirrhotic patients constitute a high-risk group of patients when treated with NSAIDs'. Review of the literature shows that this condition warrants a complete diagnostic work-up to exclude more ominous underlined diseases.