[Brucellaspondylodiscitis and paravertebral abscess with negative serology: a case report]

Brucellosis is a common zoonosis which still remains as a major health problem in certain parts of the world. Osteoarticular involvement is the most frequent complication of brucellosis, in which the diagnosis of brucellarspondylodiscitis is often difficult, since the clinical presentation may be obscured by many other conditions. We report an uncommon case of spondylodiscitis with paravertebral abscess. The diagnosis was established by using magnetic resonance imaging that was also confirmed by positive culture. This report describes a case of a 42-year-old woman. Serodiagnosis for brucella carried out at the onset of symptoms 4 months and 1.5 months before admission were negative. When the patient was admitted to our hospital, laboratory tests showed negative agglutination, and ELISA test for brucella and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of a paravertebral abscess around the affected disc and tissue edema. Culture of needle aspiration of abscess tissue was positive for brucella melitensis

[Frequency of vision impairment and its etiology in students]

Vision impairment is an important issue in pediatric ophthalmology. Reports indicate a decrease in educational quality in students with impaired vision especially in primary school age. This study evaluates the prevalence of vision impainnent in primary schools of Mashhad in 1383-1384 educational years. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 2130, 7 to 11 year old students [1047 boys, 1083 girls] were examined. Sample size included 2 primary schools [one from each gender] from one of the 7 educational sections of Mashhad city. 150 cases were chosen from each school bearing equal proportions from all primary levels. Visual acuity was measured using Snellen chart regarding 6 meters distance. Students with visual acuity less than 811 0, which was uncorrectable with glasses, were referred to Mashhad Khatam-AI-Anbiya Hospital. In this study 5.2% of cases had different visual impairment in one or both eyes. More than half [3.1%] were referred to Mashhad Khatam-AI-Anbiya Hospital. Prevalence of amblyopia in one or both eyes was 0.8% and 3.4% of students had refractive error. Strabismus was seen in 0.3% and 0.2% were malingering. This study demonstrates the sufficiency of national program for pre school visual evaluation, especially when compared with similar previous reports