Ocular spectrum of kite injury: A six-year trend at a tertiary eye care center

Purpose:To assess ocular morbidity attributable to kites (patang) with emphasis on the cause, type and severity of the injury, complications, and final visual outcome.Methods:All the patients with a history of kite injury during months of Makar Sankranti for consecutive 6 years (2014–2019) were included in this study. A B-scan, orbital X-ray, and CT scan were performed for extensive ocular evaluation.Results:Out of 68 patients with kite-related injury, 58 were male and 10 were female. Globe rupture (20), lid laceration (18), penetrating injury (9), wooden foreign body in the anterior or posterior chamber (7), superficial foreign body (4), hyphema (7), and vitreous hemorrhage (3) due to falling from height were noted. Factors associated with a poor final visual outcome in our study were poor initial visual acuity, globe rupture, intraocular foreign body, and development of endophthalmitis.Conclusion:Kites can cause serious preventable injuries mostly among pediatric males. The use of protective eyewear and public awareness can decrease ocular injury significantly.     

Cognitive function predicts 24-month weight loss success after bariatric surgery

BackgroundClinically significant cognitive impairment, particularly in attention/executive and memory function, is found in many patients undergoing bariatric surgery. These difficulties have previously been linked to decreased weight loss 12 months after surgery, but more protracted examination of this relationship has not yet been conducted. The present study prospectively examined the independent contribution of cognitive function to weight loss 24 months after bariatric surgery. Given the rapid rate of cognitive improvement observed after surgery, postoperative cognitive function (i.e., cognition 12 weeks after surgery, controlling for baseline cognition) was expected to predict lower body mass index (BMI) and higher percent total weight loss (%WL) at 24-month follow-up.MethodsData were collected by 3 sites of the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) parent project. Fifty-seven individuals enrolled in the LABS project who were undergoing bariatric surgery completed cognitive evaluation at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 months. BMI and %WL were calculated for 24-month postoperative follow-up.ResultsBetter cognitive function 12 weeks after surgery predicted higher %WL and lower BMI at 24 months, and specific domains of attention/executive and memory function were robustly related to decreased BMI and greater %WL at 24 months.ConclusionsResults show that cognitive performance shortly after bariatric surgery predicts greater long-term %WL and lower BMI 24 months after bariatric surgery. Further work is needed to clarify the degree to which this relationship is mediated by adherence to postoperative guidelines.     

A novel beta-globin mutation, beta Durham-NC [beta 114 Leu-->Pro], produces a dominant thalassemia-like phenotype

Mutations within exon 3 of the beta-globin gene are relatively uncommon, and many of these mutations produce a dominant thalassemia- like phenotype. We describe a novel thalassemic hemoglobinopathy caused by a single nucleotide substitution (CTG-->CCG) at codon 114 resulting in a leucine to proline substitution and designate it beta Durham-NC [beta 114 Leu-->Pro]. The mutation producing this thalassemic hemoglobinopathy is located near to the beta Showa-Yakushiji mutation (beta 110 Leu-->Pro). Both of these hemoglobinopathies share similar phenotypic features with moderately severe microcytic anemia. Using computer imaging of the hemoglobin molecule, we examined several reported point mutations within exon 3 of the beta-globin gene. These point mutations cause a single amino acid substitution in the G helix, and result in a thalassemic and/or hemolytic phenotype. Computer imaging of nine separate examples suggests that amino acid substitutions affecting side chains that project into the heme pocket may destabilize the heme moiety within the beta-globin chain, resulting in a thalassemic phenotype. Hemolytic phenotypes may be the result of decreased alpha 1 beta 1 interactions. The beta Durham-NC mutation further characterizes a novel group of thalassemias/hemoglobinopathies that are clinically difficult to identify and require accessory laboratory testing.     

Bite force and masseter muscle electromyographic activity during onset of an isometric clench in man

The surface electromyogram (EMG) of the masseter muscle and interocclusal force were recorded in six human subjects during fast and slow clenches. The simple linear force/EMG relation that applies for steady bite-force levels was inadequate to explain their relationship under conditions of changing force: a second component of force, its rate of change, was necessary. EMG/force equations for fast and slow clenches were broadly similar. The rate of change factor may account for the apparent EMG/force lag observed in earlier studies.     

EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LUNG HYPERINFLATION IN HEALTHY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN SOUTHWEST MEXICO CITY: A Pilot Study

Recent studies have indicated that exposures to methyl iodide (MeI) produce a number of effects in laboratory animals, including fetal toxicity, neurotoxicity, and degeneration of the nasal epithelium. An understanding of the mode of action by which the effects of MeI are produced is useful in guiding critical decisions used in risk assessment. These decisions include the selection of the appropriate internal dose measure(s) calculated using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, and evaluating the relevance of the observations in animals to human health. Modified Hill criteria were used to evaluate several possible mode(s) of action through which MeI produces toxicity in animals. For each endpoint, the key studies were summarized and several possible modes of action were compared to the modified Hill criteria. The available data best support the hypothesis that the fetal effects were likely associated with modulation of the thyroid hormones by iodide during development. This mode of action dictates the use of an internal dose measure in the risk assessment that is indicative of fetal iodide status, such as cumulative iodide concentration (area-under-the-curve or AUC) for iodide in fetal blood. The acute transient neurotoxicity observed in rats exposed to MeI is best supported by a mode of action involving modification of ion currents by the parent chemical in nerve cells. In the case of assessing the potential acute neurotoxicity of MeI, the peak concentration of MeI in the brain would be the appropriate internal dose measure. Finally, the nasal lesions associated with exposure to high concentrations of MeI in rats are best supported by a mode of action that involves glutathione (GSH) depletion in the nasal epithelial tissue. The daily minimum GSH level in olfactory epithelium is the most appropriate internal dose measure for use in risk assessment for this endpoint. Confidence in these modes of action is considered low for the neurotoxic effects, medium for the nasal effects, and high for the fetal effects.