Argon laser versus erbium:YAG laser in the treatment of xanthelasma palpebrarum

Xanthelasma palpebrarum is the most common of the xanthomas with asymptomatic, symmetrical, bilateral, soft, yellow, polygonal papules around the eyelids. Though it is a benign lesion causing no functional disturbance, it is esthetically annoying. The surgical laser offers an extremely elegant and powerful solution to this problem. To evaluate the effectiveness of erbium:YAG and argon lasers in the treatment of xanthelasma lesions. Forty patients were included in the study. Twenty patients [15 patients were bilateral with 30 eyes either in the upper or lower lid and 5 patients were unilateral] were treated with erbium:YAG laser. Another 20 patients [10 patients were bilateral with 20 eyes and 10 patients were unilateral] were treated with argon laser. In the majority of treated patients [either treated with erbium:YAG or argon laser], xanthelasma lesions were completely disappeared or significantly decreased in size. Two patients showed pigmentary changes in the form of hypopigmentation with erbium:YAG laser [one case], another case showed hyperpigmentation. No intraoperative complication was observed. No significant scar or recurrence was observed. Argon laser in xanthelasma is an easy, effective, and safe method of treatment for small lesions and YAG laser is more better for large lesions than argon laser

Electrophysiological study of myopia

To investigate the characteristics of retinal function in myopia using full-field electroretinogram [ERG] and multifocal ERG [MF-ERG] and to determine the correlation among MF-ERG, ocular axis length, retinal thickness and degree of myopia. Twenty emmetropes [20] and sixty-eight myopes [68] underwent manifest refraction, A- and B-scan, fundus examination, fluorescein angiography [FA], optical coherence tomography [OCT], full field ERG and MF-ERG. The amplitudes and implicit times of ERG were determined. The results were further analyzed by comparing ocular axis length, refraction, retinal thickness, and macular function detected by ERG parameters. There was a significant difference in implicit times of MF-ERG of an emmetrope and a moderate and high myopia whereas implicit times of mild myopia patients and emmetropes were similar. There was a statistically significant difference in amplitude densities of first positive peak of MF-ERG P[1] wave between an emmetrope and a moderate and high myopia. In central ring and four quadrants, amplitude densities showed negative correlation to ocular axis length and diopter of myopia. There was no statistically significant difference between the average retinal thickness in emmetropic and physiological myopic eyes [low, medium, high], but there was significant difference between physiological and pathological myopia. Decreased foveal function as determined by MF-ERG is associated with high degree of myopia. Retinal function impairment is correlated with increase in the diopter of myopia, decrease of corrected visual acuity [VA], elongation of ocular axis and increased macular degeneration

Renal functional and histomorphological evaluation of cyclosporin A-verapamil interaction in male rats

Cyclosporin A [CyA] therapy is often associated with nephrotoxicity partly due to abnormalities in intracellular calcium signaling. Pharmacological, biochemical, and histopathological studies were undertaken in the present study to investigate the potential protective effect of the L-type calcium channel blocker, verapamil [VER], against CyA -induced renal damage. Rats were treated for 10 days with olive oil [control], CyA [20 mg/kg, orally], VER [10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally], or CyA plus VER. The vascular reactivity of the isolated perfused kidney to endothelium-dependent and independent relaxation induced by acetylcholine [ACh] and sodium nitroprusside [SNP], respectively; was evaluated ACh [100 nmol] caused 77.23 +/- 8.11% reduction in the renal perfusion pressure and this effect was significantly reduced by CyA treatment [51.99 +/- 5.13%]. In contrast, vasodilatory responses to SNP [100 micro M] were significantly potentiated in CyA-treated compared to control rats [95.28 +/- 5.38% vs. 43.79 +/- 2.69%]. CyA increased plasma urea and creatinine, indices of renal function, and caused moderate renal tubular vacuolization. Unlike CyA. treatment with VER produced no change in the studied parameters. In rats co-treated with CyA and VER, the attenuation in ACh relaxation was maintained [54.01 +/- 7.31%] whereas the potentiation of SNP relaxation was exaggerated [13 7.31 +/- 17.68%], and microscopical abnormalities were aggravated compared with CyA -treated rats. The present results indicate that, contrary to our expectations, VER exacerbates rather than ameliorates functional and structural features of CyA nephrotoxicity in rats

Efficacy of endoscopic biopsies in the differention between different types of colitis. [a retrospective and prospective study]

This study was undertaken on 80 cases of colitis and 5 control cases. The study subjects were subdivided into 2 groups [GI] included 50 consecutive patients from Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine. They were subjected to detailed history taking, thorough clinical examination, stool analysis, colonoscopy and biopsy. [GII] included 30 retrospective cases collected from the files of Pathology department. All specimens were subjected to routine histopathological examination. They were classified into Schistosomal colitis [26 cases -32.5%], amaebic colitis [16 cases - 20%], acute self limited colitis [ASLC] [3 cases - 3.75%], Crohn's disease [CD] [11 cases - 13.75%], chronic ulcerative colitis [CUC] [14 cases - 17.5%], collagenous colitis [one case - 1.25%] and colitis with non-specific pathologic changes [9 cases - 11.25%]. For CD, skip lesions and cobblestones were the main diagnostic endoscopic findings which were detected in 5 cases only, while the diffuse wet glaring mucosa from blood, mucus were the main findings in UC and ASLC. Microscopically, maintenance of glands architecture with persevered goblet cell population despite heavy deposition of the lamina propria by inflammatory cells mainly histiocytes that extended into the submucosa were the main diagnostic points of CD. While glands destruction and atrophy associated with cryptitis and inflammatory infiltrates mainly plasma cells were the main features of CUC. In cases of ASLC, history of acute colitis associated with preserved gland architecture, edema and inflammatory infiltrate mainly PNL that localized predominantly in the lower half of the mucosa were the main features. For collagenous colitis, chronic watery diarrhea with microscopic detection of subepithelial layer of collagen were the diagnostic signs. Accordingly we could conclude that proper diagnosis of colitis and subsequently proper management could be reached in almost every case with colitis but it rests on clinical, endoscopic, and pathological correlation provided that full colonoscopic examination was undertaken and sufficient number of biopsies of full thickness mucosa and at least part of the submucosa were taken from the proper sites

Schistosomal nephropathy: effect of cyclosporine A [Csa] in murine schistosomiasis mansoni

The effect of ciclosporin A [CsA] on schistosomal nephropathy in infected mice with Schistosomal mansoni [S. Mansonj] has been investigated. Infected mice were orally treated with 50 mg/kg body weight of CsA for 5 consecutive days at the 8[th], 12[th], 16[th] week postinfection [p.i.]. Four weeks after drug therapy, CsA aborted and retarded the progression of glomerular injury in all stages of the disease; particularly with early drug therapy. This was evidenced by the reduction in electron dense deposits and weak positivity by fluorescent microscope. This response was accompanied by amelioration of hepatosplenomegaly. The effects of CsA could be related to its known immunosuppressive effect on T-helper [Th] cells. Moreover, CsA had a profound anti-schistosomal activity as demonstrated by the significant decrease in worm burden specially female worms, and the increase in the percentage of mature and dead eggs in intestinal mucosa in this study. So, CsA would ameliorate the glomerular lesion in early stages of schistosomal nephropathy, mainly by its immunosuppressive effect, but in later stages, the direct anti-schistosomicidal effect would take the upper hand