ABSTRACT
·AIM: To observe the efficacy of vitamin A palmitate eye gel and carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops on prevention of dry eye after phacoemulsification. ·METHODS: Ninety patients ( ninety eyes ) with age-related cataract enrolled in our hospital from March 2016 to August 2017 were performed phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation. They were randomly divided into three groups as control group ( n = 30 ), treated group Ⅰ ( n=30) and treated group Ⅱ ( n=30). The control group was administered with tobramycin and dexamethasone eye drops for 15d as the basis therapy. In treated group Ⅰ, patients were administered with carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops for 30d based on the treatment of the control group. The treated groupⅡ was administered with vitamin A palmitate eye gel for 30d on the basis of the treated group Ⅰ. The dry eye symptom score, corneal fluorescence ( FL ) staining scores, breakup time of tear film ( BUT) and Schirmer Ⅰtest ( SⅠt) without topical anesthesia were examined in 1d before operation and 15d and 30d after operation. · RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in subjective symptom scores of dry eye, BUT values, FL scores, and SⅠt values among the three groups before treatment (P>0. 05). After treatment, dry eye symptom scores, FL scores, and S Ⅰ t values increased at first and then decreased with time. BUT values decreased at first and then increased. Fifteen and thirty days after surgery, dry eye symptom scores, FL scores, and SⅠt values were significantly lower in the treated group Ⅰ and the treated group Ⅱ than in the control group. While BUT values were significantly higher than that in the control group. The dry eye symptom scores and S Ⅰ t value of treated group Ⅱ were significantly lower than the treated groupⅠ, and the BUT value was significantly higher than that of the treated group Ⅰ(P<0. 05). · CONCLUSION: Phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation has a certain damage of ocular surface tissue on the initial stage. The application of vitamin A palmitate eye gel combined carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops can improve the dry eye symptoms.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Transplant rates in Singapore have been falling and there is limited information on baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of living kidney donors nationally. This study aimed to determine the safety of living kidney donor transplant in Singapore by exploring the proportion of donors that meets international selection guidelines and describing short-term clinical outcomes.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>We analysed 472 donors who underwent nephrectomies from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014 from the Donor Care Registry. We described donor characteristics against 5 international guidelines and measured post-nephrectomy outcomes in 150 local donors for up to 24 months. A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the baseline variables associated with poorer outcomes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were more foreign than local donors, with differences in gender and hospital types. Selection was generally aligned with international recommendations although 3.0% (using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology [CKD-EPI] equation) to 8.5% (using radionuclide and creatinine clearance methods) of donors had inappropriate baseline estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) forage. Post-procedure, many foreign donors were lost to follow-up. Over 24 months, eGFR decreased by 33.8% from baseline before recovering gradually to 29.6%. During this period, only 2 donors were admitted for renal or urological conditions and there were no cases of end-stage renal failure or deaths. A lower baseline eGFR (HR: 1.05; 95% Cl, 1.02 to 1.09) and older age (HR: 1.04; 95% Cl, 1.00 to 1.08) were associated with a post-nephrectomy eGFR of less than 60 mL/kg/1.73 m.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Kidney donation is safe in Singapore. Donor selection is in keeping with international guidelines and short-term outcomes are comparable to other cohorts.</p>
ABSTRACT
<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>We presented the findings from 2 seroprevalence studies conducted 6 years apart, so as to determine changes in the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity rate and immunity to hepatitis B virus (HBV) among Singapore residents aged 18 to 69 years, and to assess the impact of a 4-year catch-up hepatitis B immunisation programme for adolescents and young adults launched in 2001.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>Two hepatitis B seroprevalence studies (HBSS) were conducted in 1999 and 2005 based on stored blood samples collected from 4698 participants aged 18 to 69 years during the national health survey (NHS) 1998 and from 3460 participants during the NHS 2004, respectively. Serology for HBsAg, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) were tested by enzyme immunoassay in HBSS 1999 and electrochemiluminescence in HBSS 2005.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The overall age-standardised prevalence of HBsAg among Singapore residents aged 18 to 69 years decreased significantly from 4.0% in HBSS 1999 to 2.8% in HBSS 2005 (P = 0.002). The age-standardised prevalence of HBsAg in males (4.9% in 1999) and Chinese (4.7% in 1999) both decreased significantly to 2.7% and 2.8%, respectively in 2005. The overall age-standardised population immunity to HBV (anti-HBs >10 mIU/ml) increased from 39.7% in 1999 to 42.1% in 2005 (P = 0.019). In particular, the age-specific prevalence of anti-HBs showed a significant increase among those in the age group of 18 to 29 years from 27.9% in 1999 to 41.7% in 2005 (P <0.001) and among those in the age group of 30 to 39 years from 39.9% in 1999 to 44.7% in 2005 (P = 0.021).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There was an overall decline in the HBsAg positivity rate as well as an overall increase in population immunity to HBV. Following the 4-year catch-up immunisation programme, there was a significant increase in the immunity to HBV infection in the younger population aged 18 to 29 years.</p>