Outcome of optical penetrating keratoplasties at a tertiary care eye institute in Western India

Aim:

To study the indications, risk factors, postoperative course, and long-term survival of corneal transplants done for optical purposes.

Design:

Retrospective case series.

Materials and Methods:

Data were obtained by reviewing the records of 181 patients operated at our institute (H.V. Desai Eye Hospital) between October 2005 and October 2007 for optical penetrating keratoplasty. Patients with less than one year of follow up, pediatric cases, therapeutic, tectonic, and lamellar keratoplasties were excluded. Kaplan Meier survival analysis was used to calculate median survival time of grafts and to see correlation between nine variables viz. age, gender, corneal vascularization, previous failed grafts, previous Herpes Simplex keratitis, post-perforation corneal scars, donor tissue quality, graft size, type of surgery and follow-up. These variables were also used for univariate and multivariate analysis using Cox Proportional Hazard Regression Modeling.

Results:

Median survival of the cohort was 27 months (95% confidence interval: 20.47-33.52). One- and two-year survival rates were 65% and 52.5%, respectively. Median survival was significantly lower in poor prognosis cases (14 months) than good prognosis cases (27 months, P = 0.0405). Graft survival was lower in vascularized corneas (18.55 months, P = 0.030) and in post-perforation corneal scars (17.96 months, P = 0.09, borderline significance). Multivariate analysis showed that the same factors were predictive of graft failure.

Conclusion:

Long-term survival of grafts at our center is different from centers in western world. More high-risk cases, paucity of excellent quality donor corneas, and differences in patient profile could be the contributory factors.     

吴江市某电子厂职业病危害因素的识别与检测

目的对吴江市某电子厂职业病危害因素进行识别和检测,对超标岗位或工种提出控制措施。方法对该厂生产岗位或工种存在的职业病危害因素进行现场调查和检测。结果对该厂苯、甲苯、噪声、高温等18种职业病危害因素进行检测,发现印刷6车间的印刷岗苯检测结果不符合GBZ 2.1-2007的要求,印刷7车间的检验岗甲醇检测结果不符合GBZ2.1-2007的要求;射出车间的4个检测点的噪声检测结果不符合GBZ 2.2-2007的要求,射出车间的6个检测点的高温检测结果不符合GBZ 2.2-2007的要求。结论该厂应加强印刷车间印刷和检验工人呼吸防护,改善印刷车间的作业环境,做好射出车间的防暑降温和防噪声工作,保护注塑和碎料工人的职业健康。     

量化考核对围手术期抗菌药物预防性应用的影响

目的 评价量化考核对围术期抗菌药物预防性应用的影响.方法 选择2009-2011年第一季度出院病例,每月随机抽查各手术科室约10.0％当月出院病例,对围手术期抗菌药物应用情况进行质量考核,对是否按围手术期时机用药、用药是否＜3d、是否联合用药等进行量化考核,纳入全院综合目标考核中.结果 1704例手术患者,应用抗菌药物1687例,按围手术期时机使用抗菌药物比率大幅度提高,由2009年第一季度32.4％上升至2011年第一季度94.9％;术后使用抗菌药物＞3 d的使用率下降,由2009年第一季度100.0％下降为2011年1季度56,7％;联合用药使用率下降,由2009年第一季度35.2％下降为2011度年第一季度3.2％.结论 量化考核能改善围术期抗菌药物预防性应用,有效促进按围手术期时机使用抗菌药物,缩短预防用药时间,减少联合用药.     

Health plan effects on patient assessments of medicaid managed care among racial/ethnic minorities

OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent to which racial/ethnic differences in Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (CAHPS) ratings and reports of Medicaid managed care can be attributed to differential treatment by the same health plans (within-plan differences) as opposed to racial/ethnic minorities being disproportionately enrolled in plans with lower quality of care (between-plan differences). DESIGN: Data are from the National CAHPS Benchmarking Database (NCBD) 3.0. Data were analyzed using linear regression models to determine the overall effects, within-plan effects, and between-plan effects of race/ethnicity and language on patient assessments of care. Standard errors were adjusted for nonresponse weights and the clustered nature of the data. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: A total of 49,327 adults enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans in 14 states from 1999 to 2000. MAIN RESULTS: Non-English speakers reported worse experiences compared to those of whites, while Asian non-English speakers had the lowest scores for most reports and ratings of care. An analysis of between-plan effects showed that African Americans, Hispanic-Spanish speakers, American Indian/Whites, and White-Other language were more likely than White-English speakers to be clustered in worse plans as rated by consumers. However, the majority of the observed racial/ethnic differences in CAHPS reports and ratings of care are attributable to within-plan effects. The ratio of between to within variance of racial/ethnic effects ranged from 0.07 (provider communication) to 0.42 (health plan rating). CONCLUSIONS: The observed racial/ethnic differences in CAHPS ratings and reports of care are more a result of different experiences with care for people enrolled in the same plans than a result of racial/ethnic minorities being enrolled in plans with worse experiences. Health care organizations should engage in quality improvement activities to address the observed racial/ethnic disparities in assessments of care.     

Late events following repair of aortic coarctation with resection and end-to-end anastomosis: A twenty-five-year experience

Summary From November 24, 1964 through July 3, 1979, 81 patients underwent coarctation repair with resection and end-to-end anastomosis. Mean age at operation was 13.4 years, with a range of 4 months to 55 years. Thirty-two patients (39%) had associated cardiac defects. There were no hospital deaths. Eighty of the 81 hospital survivors were followed (99%) for a total of 10 780 months postoperatively, at a mean of 134.6 (±7.1) months. There was one late death (1.3%) of a ruptured berry aneurysm at 120 months after repair. Actuarial survival was 100% at 10 years and 92.9±7% at 20 years. Five patients (6.3%) required late re-repair at a mean of 142.8 months postoperatively, range 85 months to 195 months. Actuarial freedom from reoperation was 97±2.0% at 5 years and 91.7±3.6% at 20 years. Earlier age at initial repair (P=0.002), higher mean transrepair gradient (P=0.005), and late hypertension (P=0.08) were associated with re-coarctation. The hazard function for reoperation according to age at initial repair revealed a single early risk phase with a plateau starting at 7 years of age and zero hazard after 10 years of age.We conclude that correction of coarctation of the aorta using resection and end-to-end anastomosis permits a long history of event-free survival and continues to be an excellent method of repair.     

Effects of lifestyle changes on adults with prediabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims

To assess the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of lifestyle intervention, compared with treatment as usual in people with prediabetes as defined by the American Diabetes Association. For older studies, we used the 1985 World Health Organization definition.

A Comparison of Factors Associated with Running-Related Injuries between Adult and Adolescent Runners

BackgroundThere are multiple personal and environmental factors that influence the risk of developing running-related injuries (RRIs). However, it is unclear how these key clinical factors differ between adult and adolescent runners.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to compare anthropometric, training, and self-reported outcomes among adult and adolescent runners with and without lower extremity musculoskeletal RRIs.Study DesignCross-sectional study.MethodsQuestionnaire responses and clinical assessment data were extracted from 38 adult runners (F: 25, M: 13; median age: 23 [range 18-36]) and 91 adolescent runners (F: 56, M: 35; median age: 15 [range 14-16]) who underwent a physical injury prevention evaluation at a hospital-affiliated sports injury prevention center between 2013 and 2021. Participants were sub-grouped into those with (adults: 25; adolescents: 38) and those without (adults: 13; adolescents: 53) a history of self-reported RRIs based on questionnaire responses. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) covarying for gender were conducted to compare outcomes across groups.ResultsAdult runners had lower Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™) scores (mean differences [MD]: -1.4, p=0.01), were more likely to report intentional weight-loss to improve athletic performance (% difference: 33.0%; p:<.001), and more frequently included resistance training into their training routines (% difference: 21.0%, p=0.01) compared to adolescents. Those with a history of RRIs were more likely to report intentional weight-loss compared to uninjured runners (% difference: 21.3; p=0.02) and had shorter single leg bridge durations than those without RRIs (RRI: 57.9±30, uninjured: 72.0±44, p=0.01).ConclusionThe findings indicate that addressing aspects of biomechanics identified by the FMS™ and behaviors of weight loss as an effort to improve performance may represent targets for the prevention of RRIs for adult and adolescent runners, given the association with history of RRIs.Level of Evidence3     

Sedentary behavior and the risk of stroke: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis

Background and aimsThe sedentary behavior in people's daily life has continued to increase in recent years, causing many studies to focus on its relationship with diseases. Several studies have shown that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between sedentary behavior and the risk of stroke.Methods and resultsTwo independent investigators searched for prospective cohort studies on the association between sedentary behavior and stroke risk, published before February 2022. We pooled adjusted effect size and performed the dose-response analysis by random-effect model. Seven studies with 677,614 participants and 15,135 stroke events during a median follow-up of 12.2 years were included. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) of stroke was 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09–1.24) with no significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0%, p for heterogeneity = 0.983). In dose-response analysis, a nonlinear association between sedentary behavior and stroke risk was discovered. Stroke risk began to increase when sedentary time exceeded 3.7 h/d (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.97–1.05). And when reached 11 h/d, a significantly increased risk of stroke was observed (HR, 1.21; 95% CI 1.12–1.31).ConclusionA nonlinear association was found in the dose-response analysis, with increased risk only when sedentary time exceeded a certain level. Further research is needed to explain the biological mechanisms by which sedentary time above a certain threshold significantly increases stroke risk. (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022311544)