Abstracts

Purpose: To analyse trends in the incidence of registered age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) in the UK since 1950 and to compare these to trends in registration of other blinding diseases —cataract, glaucoma and optic atrophy over the same time period. Methods: Calculation of standardised registration ratios for ARMD, cataract, glaucoma and optic atrophy using published registratoin data from 1950 onwards. SRRs for each sex separately were calculated, adjusting for age in 5 year age-groups. Results: The absolute number of people registered blind annually has more than doubled since 1950. After adjustment for age, annual registration rates for blindness have fallen over the past 40 years, particularly with respect to cataract and glaucoma. Standardised registration ratios for ARMD exhibit a different pattern, increasing, but not consistently, over the same time period. Conclusions: These oberservations are consistent with the hypothesis that the incidence of registrable ARMD is increasing. Changes in the diagnosis and detection of this disease, however, cannot be excluded as an alternative explantation. Analysis of trends in national registration statistics may be useful for monitoring changes in the distribution of blinding eye disease in the population.     

眶部嗜酸性血管中心纤维化症：病例报道和文献回顾

目的：报道1例罕见的眼眶眶部嗜酸性血管中心纤维化症（EAF），并进行文献回顾。设计：干预性的病例报道。方法：一61岁男性患者，右眼球周水肿和无痛性眼球突出6周。检查发现右眼非轴性突出、颞侧眼球移位和右眼内转轻微受限。主要观察指标：临床表现、放射学和组织学发现。结果：眼眶成像显示右眼内侧眶组织内团块且累及中部筛骨小房。眶组织活检发现大量嗜酸性粒细胞浸润、洋葱皮样血管和血管周围的纤维化。     

Does the site of anastomosis for esophagectomy affect long‐term quality of life?

Long‐term survival after esophagectomy is improving, and hence, quality of life (QOL) of these patients has become a priority. There has been extensive debate regarding the optimal site of surgical anastomosis (cervical or intrathoracic). We aimed to evaluate the impact of anastomotic site on long‐term QOL postesophagectomy. Quality of life questionnaires (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer [EORTC] C‐30 and OG‐25) were sent to patients surviving over 3 years following esophagectomy. The data were analyzed by site of esophagogastric anastomosis: intrathoracic or cervical. EORTC C‐30 data were compared against the reference population data. Of the patients, 62 responded (82%) with a median time postsurgery of 6.1 years (range 3–12 years). Patient demographics were comparable. There was no significant difference between cervical or intrathoracic anastomosis groups for functional or symptom scores, focusing on dysphagia (cervical = 8.8 vs. intrathoracic = 17.6, P = 0.24), odynophagia (cervical = 13.4 vs. intrathoracic = 16.1, P = 0.68) and swallowing problems (cervical = 8.1 vs. intrathoracic = 13.4, P = 0.32). There was no difference in overall health score between groups (cervical = 70.5 vs. intrathoracic = 71.6, P = 0.46). Overall general health score was comparable with the reference population (esophagectomy group P = 70.9 ± 22.1 vs. reference population = 71.2 ± 22.4, P = 0.93). There is no difference in long‐term QOL after esophagectomy between patients with a cervical or intrathoracic anastomosis. Scores compare favorably with EORTC reference data. Survival after esophagectomy is associated with recovery of QOL in the long term, regardless of site of anastomosis and despite worse gastrointestinal‐related symptoms.     

The international sinonasal microbiome study: A multicentre,multinational characterization of sinonasal bacterial ecology

The sinonasal microbiome remains poorly defined, with our current knowledge based on a few cohort studies whose findings are inconsistent. Furthermore, the variability of the sinus microbiome across geographical divides remains unexplored. We characterize the sinonasal microbiome and its geographical variations in both health and disease using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 410 individuals from across the world. Although the sinus microbial ecology is highly variable between individuals, we identify a core microbiome comprised of Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Haemophilus and Moraxella species in both healthy and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) cohorts. Corynebacterium (mean relative abundance = 44.02%) and Staphylococcus (mean relative abundance = 27.34%) appear particularly dominant in the majority of patients sampled. Amongst patients suffering from CRS with nasal polyps, a statistically significant reduction in relative abundance of Corynebacterium (40.29% vs 50.43%; P = .02) was identified. Despite some measured differences in microbiome composition and diversity between some of the participating centres in our cohort, these differences would not alter the general pattern of core organisms described. Nevertheless, atypical or unusual organisms reported in short-read amplicon sequencing studies and that are not part of the core microbiome should be interpreted with caution. The delineation of the sinonasal microbiome and standardized methodology described within our study will enable further characterization and translational application of the sinus microbiota.