Intraoperative injection versus sponge-applied mitomycin C during trabeculectomy: One-year study

Purpose: To determine the safety and efficacy of mitomycin C (MMC) injection versus sponge during trabeculectomy. Methods: It is a prospective analysis of patients who underwent trabeculectomy with MMC and followed up for 1 year, divided into two groups, namely, group 1- injection (n = 21), group 2-> sponge (n = 21). The same concentration of MMC was used for both groups. Inclusion criteria were trabeculectomies with MMC for intraocular pressure (IOP) control in eyes with glaucoma (primary + secondary) with a follow-up of 1 year. Results: Mean preoperative IOP in group 1 was 29.00 � 11.92 mmHg and group 2 was 25.87 � 11.09 mmHg, which reduced to 12.19 � 4.03 and 15.56 � 10.72 mmHg at final visit with P value of 0.0002 and 0.001, respectively. Mean preoperative number of antiglaucoma medications was 2.4 � 0.87 in group 1 and 2.3 � 0.96 in group 2, which reduced to 0.38 � 0.5 and 0.91 � 0.85 with P value of 0.001 and 0.0003, respectively. The complete success rate was 52.4% in the injection group and 26.1% in the sponge group at end of 1 year. Overall, success rate (complete + qualified) was 90.5% and 87% in group 1 and group 2 at final visit. All major complications were encountered in sponge group. 1 (11.1%) patient developed choroidal detachment and one had malignant glaucoma which got resolved by medical management. 33.3% cases had encapsulated bleb which received bleb needling. 44.4% cases underwent Argon laser suture lysis postoperatively. Conclusion: The MMC injection may be as safe and as effective as conventional sponge application with comparable estimated complete treatment success.

Clinical outcome of a nonvalved Aurolab aqueous drainage implant in posterior segment versus anterior chamber

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome of a nonvalved Aurolab aqueous drainage implant (AADI) in the management of refractory glaucoma. Methods: Retrospective case series of patients with refractory glaucoma underwent AADI implantation in posterior segment (PS group) or anterior chamber (AC group) with minimum follow-up of 1 year. Primary outcome criterion was success, defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) <18 or >6 mm Hg or IOP reduced to <20% from baseline, for two consecutive visits after 3 months. Failure was defined as inability to meet IOP criteria, any additional glaucoma surgery, loss of light perception, and implant explantation. Secondary outcome criteria compared groups based on mean IOP, mean glaucoma medication use, best-corrected visual acuity, and complications at each postoperative visit. Results: In the AC and PS group of 64 patients, 32 tubes each were placed. Preoperative mean IOP was 37.41 ± 8.6 and 43.38 ± 10.3 mm Hg in AC and PS, respectively. Postoperatively IOP reduced to 14.22 ± 4.9 and 15.21 ± 8.1 mm Hg in AC and PS groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Preoperative mean antiglaucoma medication changed from 2.56 ± 0.9 and 3.44 ± 0.5 to 1.03 ± 0.9 and 1.67 ± 0.5 in AC and PS, respectively, postoperatively (P < 0.001). No significant change in VA was noted in either group. At 12 months, success rate was 84% in AC group and 72% in PS group, with PS group having 2.63 times higher hazard (risk) of failure than AC group. Conclusion: AADI implantation in PS or AC is a safe and effective method for IOP control in refractory glaucoma with its low cost being of significance in developing countries.

Midterm outcome of mitomycin C augmented trabeculectomy in open angle glaucoma versus angle closure glaucoma

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C in Open angle glaucoma versus Angle closure glaucoma. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent Trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C were reviewed and followed for three years, divided into two groups: group 1: Open Angle Glaucoma (n = 41) and group 2: Angle Closure Glaucoma (n = 67). Success criterion was measured as Intraocular Pressure ?21 mmHg with (qualified) or without (complete) use of Antiglaucoma medications. Results: A total number of 108 eyes of 137 patients were undertaken. Mean preoperative Intraocular pressure in group 1 was 31.4 ± 10.5 mmHg and in group 2 was 33.1 ± 9.4, which reduced to 10.5 ± 3.4, 10.5 ± 2.6, 11.6 ± 3.6, 11.0 ± 2.7, 11.0 ± 2.7 in group 1 and 10.9 ± 2.8, 12.0 ± 3.8, 12.8 ± 4.9, 12.4 ± 3.9, 12.4 ± 3.7 in group 2 with P value = 0.566, 0.032, 0.168, 0.049, 0.049 at three, six months, one, two, three years, respectively, with P < 0.001 at each visit. The number of Antiglaucoma medications was reduced from 0.75 ± 0.89 to 0.43 ± 0.55 at 3 yrs (P = 0.002). At 36 months follow-up, overall, 50.0% and 48.2% of eyes achieved complete and qualified success, respectively. Sub-group analysis showed that the success rate was higher in group 1 (68.3%) compared to group 2 (55.2%). Overall, complications such as hypotony (1.8%), choroidal detachment (2.8%), encapsulated bleb (2.8%), and bleb leakage (1.8%) were encountered. Conclusion: Primary Trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C is a safe and effective means of controlling Intraocular Pressure in both groups with good success and low rates of sight-threatening complications.

Process of rock phosphate solubilization by Aspergillus sp PS 104 in soil amended medium.

Aspergillus sp PS 104, a soil isolate had excellent potential to solubilize rock phosphate in vitro. The process was influenced by the presence of various concentrations of local loess (red soil). The simultaneous occurrence, in our experiment, of high levels of solubilized phosphate and synthesized citric acid, together with the lowest reached pH values, confirmed the role of citric acid in the phosphate solubilization mechanism. When the soil was present, phosphate release was better correlated than citrate synthesis with H+ concentration. Changes in soluble phosphate concentration did not follow a sigmoid pattern. The ability of organism to release phosphatase was also studied. An interesting relationship was observed between the two processes of phosphate mobilization: citric acid synthesis and phosphatase production.

Antagonistic effect of fluorescent pseudomonads against Macrophomina phaseolina that causes charcoal rot of groundnut.

Maximum colony growth inhibition was observed due to Pseudomonas PS2 (74%) as compared to PS1 (71%) on trypticase soy agar (TSM) plates after 5 days of incubation. Light and scanning electron microscopic examination showed hyphal coiling, vacuolation, coagulation and granulation of cytoplasm resulting in lysis of hyphae of M. phaseolina by pseudomonads. Cell free culture filtrates of strains PS1 and PS2 restricted the growth of mycelium of M. phaseolina. PS1 and PS2 caused maximum colony growth inhibition by 57 and 61% respectively at 20% concentration of culture filtrate after 4 days of incubation. Volatile substances produced by PS1 and PS2 also inhibited the colony growth of M. phaseolina by 25 and 32%, respectively. Inhibitory effect of volatile substances, however, decreased with advancing in incubation period. Colony growth of M. phaseolina was significantly decreased by PS1 and PS2 as compared to control both in iron- sufficient and iron-deficient conditions. PS2 showed higher antagonistic activity than PS1, as evidenced by pronounced colony growth inhibition.

Rhizobia as a biological control agent against soil borne plant pathogenic fungi.

Rhizobia promote the growth of plants either directly through N2 fixation, supply of nutrients, synthesis of phytohormones and solubilization of minerals, or indirectly as a biocontrol agent by inhibiting the growth of pathogens. The biocontrol effect of rhizobia is due to the secretion of secondary metabolites such as antibiotics and HCN. Siderophore production in iron stress conditions provides rhizobia an added advantage, resulting in exclusion of pathogens due to iron starvation.

Effect of metal ions on growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and siderophore and protein production.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (GRC1) isolated from potato rhizosphere, grew better on succinate medium than tryptic soy medium and produced hydroxamate type of siderophore in iron-deficient succinate medium. When the strain GRC1 was grown in the presence of different metal ion compounds, viz. ZnSO4, MnSO4, MnCl2 and FeCl3 at 6 and 12 microM concentrations individually, ZnSO4 (12 microM) promoted siderophore production but suppressed the growth and protein content of test organism. MnCl2 and FeCl3 (12 microM) enhanced the growth, whereas MnCl2 and MnSO4 (12 microM) induced protein contents of strain GRC1.