Blur adaptation: clinical and refractive considerations

The human visual system is amenable to a number of adaptive processes; one such process, or collection of processes, is the adaptation to blur. Blur adaptation can be observed as an improvement in vision under degraded conditions, and these changes occur relatively rapidly following exposure to blur. The potential important future directions of this research area and the clinical implications of blur adaptation are discussed.     

Mucinous adenocarcinoma arising from chronic perianal fistula

Perianal mucinous adenocarcinoma is a rare tumour which may be associated with long‐standing chronic perianal sepsis. Early diagnosis is challenging and is based on a high index of clinical suspicion and specific histological features. Definitive treatment is surgical, in the form of an abdomino‐perineal resection. We hereby describe a case of a perianal mucinous adenocarcinoma arising from long‐standing recurrent perianal fistula and complement this with a brief review of the literature pertaining in particular to the management of this condition.     

“Inorganic and Organometallic Clusters and Polymers: Syntheses and Applications” Symposium

Conference Reports: This section contains reports on topical conferences. Reports are usually written at the request of the editorial office, but unsolicited contributions are also welcome. Suggestions should be sent to the editorial office of the Macromolecular journals, preferably by E‐mail to macromol@wiley‐vch.de.     

Recurrent pregnancy loss due to familial and non-familial habitual molar pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: To present a series of women with recurrent molar pregnancies, including rare familial cases, and discuss etiology and treatment options. METHODS: We performed a detailed clinical evaluation and pedigree analysis of five Egyptian women with recurrent pregnancy loss due to molar pregnancy. RESULTS: The women had a history of four to nine consecutive hydatidiform moles but of no viable pregnancies. Two of the women had molar pregnancies with different husbands who themselves had viable offspring from previous wives; and three of them, who belonged to a family with extensive intermarriage, had a pedigree consistent with an autosomal recessive maternal-effect mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent pregnancy loss due to habitual molar pregnancy is uncommon and familial cases are extremely rare. The etiology of this disorder is not well understood but likely results from a maternal-effect mutation. Management options are limited, especially for couples who desire to have their own genetic offspring.     

Prefabrication of bone by vascular induction: an experimental study in rabbits.

The various methods of prefabricating flaps include vascular induction through staged transfer; pretransfer delay, expansion, and grafting; the use of alloplastic materials; and tissue bioengineering. In this experimental study, vascular induction was used to provide an axial vascular pedicle to randomly nourished tissue. Twenty-six New Zealand rabbits, ages and weights ranging between 6 months-1 year and 1.5-3.5 kg, respectively, were used. The sex difference was not considered. The deep inferior epigastric artery and vein were used to carry blood and were placed into a segment of femur to prefabricate the bone. Four weeks later, the viability of the segment of bone prefabricated by new axial pedicle was shown by scintigraphic study, and the new axial pedicle was ready for free transfer.     

Serum ionic fluoride levels in haemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients

High serum fluoride (F-) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with risk of renal osteodystrophy and other bone changes. This study was done to determine F- in normal healthy controls and patients with ESRD on haemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). Seventeen healthy controls (12 males, 5 females) and 39 ESRD patients on dialysis (17 males, 22 females) were recruited in the study in a community with 47.4 +/- 3.28 microM/l (range 44-51 microM/l) of F- content in drinking water. Control subjects showed a mean serum F- concentration of 1.08 +/- 0.350 microM/l. Males in control group showed slightly higher F- levels (1.15 +/- 0.334, range 0.55-1.9 microM/l) than females (0.92 +/- 0.370, range 0.6-1.5 microM/l). Mean serum F- concentration did not correlate significantly with age and sex among control subjects, whereas such correlation was observed in patients with ESRD on dialysis. Mean serum F- concentration was significantly higher in patients on dialysis (2.67 +/- 1.09, range 0.8-5.2 microM/l) than normal controls. When grouped according to sex, the mean serum F- concentration in males (3.05 +/- 1.04, range 1.8-5.2 microM/l) was significantly higher than females (2.38 +/- 1.08, range 0.8-5.2 microM/l). When patients were grouped according to age, it was observed that F- concentration was significantly higher in patients with age groups 21-70 (2.86 +/- 1.05) than those with age group 13-20 years (1.42 +/- 0.531). Thus F- concentration correlated with age and sex, being higher in males and above 20 years. Despite appreciable clearance of F- (39-90%) across the peritoneum, patients on CAPD showed higher serum F- concentration than those on HD (3.1 +/- 1.97 vs 2.5 +/- 1.137 microM/l). Of the total 39 patients on dialysis 39% had their serum F- concentration above 3.0 microM/l, posing the risk of renal osteodystrophy.