[Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy among non- insulin dependent diabetics patients]

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy [CAN] is the most common and important type of diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Silent myocardial infarction, respiratory failure and increased mortality are the outcomes of CAN. This study was carried out to screen the cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in non- insulin dependent diabetics patients. This descriptive - analytic study was carried on 70 [22 males, 48 females] non- insulin dependent diabetics' patients. Resting heart rate, heart rate variability, orthostatic changes in heart rate, blood pressure and corrected QT interval were recorded for each subject. The final findings were categorized as follow: 0=normal, 1=borderline and 2=CAN positive. 10 [14.3%] of patients were normal, 35 [50%] of patients were borderline and 25 [35.7%] of patients were considered cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy positive. There was significant differences between duration of diabetes and three CAN scores [P<0.05]. The systolic blood pressure alterations showed the maximum correlation with CAN scores [r=0.509]. In our study, the rate of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy was higher than other reports. The most important risk factor for cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy was more than 10 years history of diabetes mellitus

[Diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis by nested-PCR in comparison with routin microbiological culture]

To ascertain whether the use of nested-PCR [nested polymerase chain reation] technique leads to more rapid and accurate diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis. The aqueous humor and vitreous samples of 24 eyes of 24 patients with bacterial endophthalmitis were evaluated by microscopy, diagnostic aerobic culture, and Nested-PCR to detect the infectious agent. Aerobic cultures of the aqueous humor and the vitreous were positive in 1 eye [4%] and 6 eyes [25%], respectively. Using Nested-PCR, an infectious agent was detected in the aqueous humor of 14 eyes [58%] and in the vitreous of 17 eyes [70%]. Nested-PCR for eubacterial genome showed 100% correlation with bacteriologically positive specimens. Eubacterial genome was detected in 11 of 18 bacteriologically negative cultures of the vitreous. Nested-PCR on aqueous humor and vitreous samples is a powerful and reliable tool for the diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis particularly in smear and culture negative specimens