Keratomycosis after incidental spillage of vegetative material into the eye: report of two cases

Fungal corneal ulcers mostly occur after incidental corneal trauma by plant leaves in farm lands or the use of topical corticosteroids or antibiotics. The infection is more prevalent among farmers and harvesters and in some parts of the world is considered as an occupational disease; however, there have been a few reports on the occurrence of such ulcers in healthy individuals after incidental spillage of vegetative material into the eye. The importance of these ulcers is their long-term and refractory course, which makes the visual prognosis unfavorable in most patients, even after appropriate antifungal therapy or ocular interventions. Herein, we present two rare cases of fungal ulcers caused by incidental spillage of vegetative material into the eye while eating nuts and corn. We also discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, as well as visual outcome reviewing the relevant literature.

Acute effect of water pipe smoke on sensitized animals

This study aimed to compare the inflammatory effects of water pipe smoke with cigarette smoke on inducing exacerbation in asthmatic murine model, under similar conditions of exposure. Thirty-six BALB-C mice in six different groups [one control group, one asthmatic group and four groups of asthmatic exposed to smoke] were entered the study. Animals were exposed to cigarette and water pipe smokes and samples were obtained after 6 and 24 hours. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid [BALF] was collected and analyzed for neutrophils, eosinophils, nitric oxide, Interferon-gamma [IFN-delta] and lnterleukin-4 [IL-4]. Serum Interferon-gamma and IL-4 were also evaluated. Both lungs were sent for histopathological examination. In all sensitized animals, BALF cytology showed a significant decrease in neutrophils and lymphocyte percentage and significant increase of eosinophils. The level of nitric oxide in all smoke exposed animals was significantly higher than sensitized controls. Water pipe smoke did not affect the IL-4 level, but cigarette smoke decreased IL-4 after 6 hours. The level of IFN-gamma in BALF decreased after 6 hours of exposure in both exposed groups and returned to baseline after 24 hours. Exacerbation of asthma by water pipe smoke is comparable to that of cigarette smoke. The mechanism of action may be through the suppression of the type 1 T helper cells

Intralenticular foreign body: a case report / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

An intralenticular foreign body is a rare condition, but the prevalence is about 5% of all intraocular foreign bodies and it can result in serious complications. We managed them according to the size, location, material type and the risk of infection. This article reported a 51year-old patient with an intralenticular metal foreign body in the left eye, who underwent phacoemulsification lens extraction with removal of the intralenticular foreign body and insertion of a posterior chamber intraocular lens. The visual outcome was good.

Bilateral idiopathic cystoid macular edema:report of four cases / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

·We report clinical manifestations,angiographic,and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings of four cases with bilateral idiopathic cystoid rnacular edema (CME).All were male with age between 30 and 52 years.All of them had compliant of bilateral visual loss during the last week.Fundus examination of their eyes showed macular edema in the posterior pole bilaterally. Fluorescein angiography revealed no specific finding in one of them and "typical petaloid pattern" in others.OCT showed subretinal fluid in all of them.All patients were managed with diagnosis of idiopathic CME,and after 6 weeks they had improved visual acuity.