Eye bleeding due to leech infestation in an ischemic heart-disease patient

A 49-year-old Iranian male with diagnosis of ischemic heart disease [IHD] and arterial hypertension [AH] was admitted at Emergency Ward of Vase'ee Hospital of Sabzevar, Iran. As well, the patient had red eye and left eye bleeding. On eye examination, leech infestation was found to be the cause of the eye bleeding. In the endemic regions in a patient presenting red eye and eye bleeding, leech infestation came up to be an important differential diagnosis. Therefore, to prevent leech infestation in endemic regions, local people are advised to be informed more effectively about the necessity to use safe, clean, and filtered drinking water, and a perfect scrutiny for leeches or other sources of infestation that should be undertaken before bathing

Bilateral cryptophthalmos syndactyly syndrome: report of a new case

A three-day-old Iranian female neonate being the product of an uncomplicated pregnancy was admitted to the ophthalmology office with severe abnormality of the left and right eyes. Family history, drug history and maternal diseases during pregnancy were negative and there was no history of consanguinity

Breastfeeding was normal and there was no problem of feeding and breathing. There were complete absence of both eyebrows and complete absence of lids in the left eye as well as an incomplete lid defect in the right eye. Slit lamp examination of the right eye showed remnants of incomplete upper lid margin with some eyelashes attached to the upper half of cornea. Part of anterior chamber and iris were visible from lower half of the right cornea. Pupil was not observable. Right lower lid had two layers with its inner layer attached to the lower part of cornea. Except for the pulling of the left nostril and nose toward the left cheek, other parts including the lips, mouth, tongue, palate and pharynx seemed normal. Also, she had partial syndactyly of the right hand and left foot. By parents' statement, genitourinary tract and bowel tract had no abnormality. The diagnosis was cryptophthalmos-syndactyly syndrome. The purpose of this presentation is to report a new and severe case of bilateral cryptophthalmos-syndactyly

severe and unusual clinical case of herpes simplex infection of lids, nose and lip in an immunocompetent child

A four-year-old girl referred to the ophthalmologist for evaluation of swelling and lesions on lids, nose and upper lip. In history by her mother's statement, the patient developed lesions following a severe fever. The child did not indicate other problems. Clinical examination showed swelling, vesicle lesions on lids [both eyes] and the upper lip and vesicle blister, crust and ulcerative lesions on dorsal and nasal bridge. Based on typical blister lesions of lids, nose and lip, the diagnosis was herpes simplex lesions. In a newborn, severely malnourished infants and immunocompromised persons, a serious infection may occur

The purpose of this clinical presentation is to report a severe and unusual clinical case of herpes simplex infection in an immunocompetent child

Study of factors affecting gene amplification in polymerase chain reaction

Background and Purpose: Technology has caused great progress in the novel molecular diagnosis and research methods in medical laboratory. Novel methods have also led to the higher accuracy rates in laboratory procedures, which are of considerable importance in clinical follow-up of genetic diseases. Therefore, this study is intended to investigate factors affecting gene amplification in polymerase chain reaction in order to enhance diagnostic accuracy

Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical research was conducted on 61 adenocarcinoma specimens in the cellular and molecular departments of Sabzevar and Isfahan Universities of Medical Sciences in Iran. DNA was extracted by the standard kit; then, the segment AURKA gene and P53 Gene were amplified using two pairs of specific primers and different concentration Mgcl2 in a PCR assay. PCR product was electrophoresized in agarose gel

Results: Electrophoresis of PCR product with Mgcl2 concentrations of 3 and 5 mm was better than 1.5 mm. The primer with concentration of 1 mm was better than 5 and 10 mm. From the two pairs of primers used in amplifying AURKA gene axon 4, one pair of primers was better than the other pair. From the two pairs of primers used for amplifying the axon 5 of P53 gene in PCR assay, one pair was better than the other

Conclusions: Primer type and concentration of Mgcl2 are important in amplifying genes in the polymerase chain reaction assay

Prevalence of cataract in the rural population of Sabzevar [2002-2004]

Cataract is the lens opacity which brings about vision disorders and is generally divided into four types: congenital, traumatic, secondary and age-related. It is commonly a disease of middle-age and geriatric age and the main factor in low vision and blindness throughout the world. This study is intended to survey the prevalence of cataract in the rural population of Sabzevar in Iran. This research is a cross-sectional epidemiological descriptive study. 40 villages were selected through cluster sampling and the statistical population included all rural residents in 2002-2004 [1381-1383]. 2805 subjects [with the age range of 11 days to 92 years old] participated in the primary screening which consisted of tests of visual acuity, red reflex, retinoscopy and the examination of anterior segment via torch or ophthalmoscope. Subjects with visual disorders or defected red reflex were referred to ophthalmologist for complete examinations. Mean age for 1014 male [40.5%] and 1494 female [59.5%] were 27.84 +/- 22.07 and 27.90 +/- 19.05 years respectively. The overall prevalence of cataract was 6% [confidence interval 95%]. Its prevalence in men and women were 7.8% and 4.8% respectively. Regarding the limited number of similar epidemiological studies in Iran, further studies can be helpful in estimating the magnitude of cataract and visual disorders due to cataract in the rural population since estimating the magnitude of this controllable disease can be of considerable personal, social and economical advantages

Red eye due to leech in the eye

A 65-yrs-old man referred for an ocular discomfort and red eye. The clinical diagnosis was leech in the left eye and its species confirmed as being Limnatis nilotica. Ocular leech infestation should be considered in patients with a history of swimming or washing their face in streams and lakes. Attention should also be given to ocular leech infestation in the differential diagnosis of ocular trauma with iris prolapse

Study of visual acuity and comparison of Snellen chart and retinoscopy in diagnosis of refractive errors

Refractive errors play important role in the etiology and treatment of strabismus and amblyopia. As screening is one of the common techniques in diagnosing visual disorders, children are, therefore, to be examined for the health of their vision at least once a year. This study is intended to compare the accuracy of Snellen chart and retinoscopy in diagnosis of refractive errors. The target population included guidance-school children in grade one from Sabzevar [2008 female and 2085 male subjects]. Relevant data were collected through interview and clinical examination. Visual acuity of the subjects was examined from a distance of 6m by Snellen chart and those with VA< 10/10 were examined with retinoscopy by an ophthalmologist. The mean visual acuity of both eyes in girls and boys obtained by the Snellen chart turned out to be 0.95 +/- 0.12 and 0.97 +/- 0.09 respectively. Also, 294 subjects appeared to be suffering from refractive errors. In 65% of the cases a significant difference was found between Snellen chart and retinoscopy in diagnosis of refractive errors [p<0.05]. Further research is suggested to reveal the possibility of differences of VA between girls and boys

Giant chondroid syringoma of the upper nasal orbital rim

The present study describes clinical manifestation, histopathologic findings and differential diagnosis of a first-reported case of giant chondroid syringoma [CS] of the upper nasal orbital rim. A 35-yr-old man with cranial palsy [CP] and a tumor of 3x3x4 cm in the upper nasal orbital rim of the left eye was referred to the eye clinic. The tumor was reported to have developed gradually over the years. It was removed under general anesthesia and no recurrence was observed during the one-year follow-up without any complaint from the patient. Macroscopic examination showed a whitish, irregular and relatively soft nodule of 3x2.5x 2 cm. and with calcificated spots on its section. Microscopically, tubules of various sizes were observed which were surrounded by cellular stroma and distinct areas of chondroid proliferation with no malignant changes. CS may assume a giant size, appearing as hard, slow-developing cutaneous and subcutaneous nodules on differential diagnosis. Despite favorable prognosis, the recurrence of CS is reported only in those patients whose tumors are not completely removed