Evaluation of the ocular surface in asymptomatic glaucoma patients on topical medications and following trabeculectomy - A cross-sectional study

Purpose: This present prospective, cross-sectional study aims to comprehensively evaluate the ocular surface in asymptomatic patients with diffuse blebs after trabeculectomy versus chronic anti?glaucoma medication use and compare it with the age?matched normal population. Methods: Objective clinical evaluation was done by tear film break?up time (TBUT) and Schirmer’s test (ST) in the three groups– trabeculectomy >6 months with a diffuse bleb (Wurzburg bleb classification score ?10), chronic anti?glaucoma medication (AGM >6 months) group, and normal population. In all groups, tear film osmolarity was checked with the TearLab® device (TearLab Corp., CA, USA), and subjective evaluation was performed by administering Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. Patients already on chronic lubricants or any other drug for the treatment of dry eyes (viz. steroids, cyclosporin) or having symptoms suggestive of an abnormal ocular surface, who had undergone refractive or intraocular surgery, and contact lens users were excluded. Results: In total, 104 subjects/eyes were recruited over 6 weeks. Thirty?six eyes recruited in the trab group were compared with 33 eyes studied in the AGM group, and both these groups were compared to 35 normal eyes. When compared to normals, TBUT and ST were significantly lower (P = 0.003 and 0.014) and osmolarity and OSDI were statistically significantly higher (P = 0.007 and 0.003) in the AGM group, whereas only TBUT was statistically significantly different (P = 0.009) when the trab group was compared to normals. Also, when the trab group was compared to the AGM group, ST was found to be higher (P = 0.003) and osmolarity was lower (P = 0.034). Conclusion: To conclude, ocular surface is affected even in asymptomatic patients on AGM but near normalcy is possible following trabeculectomy when blebs are diffuse.

Comparison between Anneroth’s & Broder’s Grading Systems in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Relation to Histopathological Prognostic Factors

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a commonly occurring head and neck cancer. It has a high prevalence, and is associated with a high mortality rate. OSCC occurs due to many etiological factors, but smoking and alcohol remain the most common risk factors. The histological grading of tumors has been used to predict the clinical behaviour of OSCC. Broder’s initiated quantitative grading in cancer. Anneroth’s and Hansen developed another grading system for grading of OSCC’s. With this background, a study was undertaken to compare between Anneroth’s & Broder’s grading systems in oral squamous cell carcinoma in relation to histopathological prognostic factors. Material & Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on 50 formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks of the confirmed cases of Oral squamous cell carcinoma in the archives of department of oral pathology, Govt. Dental College & Hospital, Srinagar. The cases were evaluated on the basis of Broder’s & Anneroth’s grading systems for OSCC & the comparison of the systems was made pertaining to histopathological prognostic parameters. Results: In our study according to Anneroth’s system maximum cases comes under grade III while in Broder’s system maximum cases are in grade I & II. Conclusion: Anneroth’s classification provides us a detailed analysis of grading the cases according to scoring of each parameter. Thus, it is more informative than Broder’s grading system.

Assessment of the postoperative effect of corneal cross-linking on keratoconus using the ABCD grading system

Purpose: To monitor the changes in the ABCD grading system during a one?year follow?up after a corneal cross?linking (CXL) procedure. Methods: This prospective study included 30 eyes of 25 patients with keratoconus, who received the CXL treatment. The patients with a history of ocular trauma or surgery and other corneal pathology were excluded from the study. The patients were examined at the baseline visit and followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months after the CXL. All the patients underwent a standard CXL procedure with visual acuity and Scheimpflug tomography testing at each visit. The corneal parameters and ABCD grading were monitored throughout the follow?up period. Results: There were no significant changes of parameter A and anterior radius curvature (ARC) in the ABCD grading system. Parameters B and D showed progression postoperatively, with an improvement of parameter D on the final visit. Parameter C showed a statistically significant increase at all three post?CXL visits, but a constant gradual decrease in the value over time. Conclusion: The ABCD grading system can be very useful in monitoring the progression of keratoconus (KC), but it can also help in monitoring the efficacy of corneal cross?linking. The anterior surface parameters in the ABCD grading system did not show progression in the post?CXL period, and parameters C and D showed improvement and stability a year after the procedure.

Relationship of whole blood zinc levels to acne severity among Filipinos 18-25 years old: A cross-sectional comparative study in a tertiary government hospital

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>INTRODUCTION:</strong> Acne Vulgaris is one of the most common dermatologic diagnoses in the world. It can persist for years, result in permanent scarring, and have serious adverse effects on psychosocial development.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVES:</strong> This study aims to determine the relationship between whole blood zinc levels and severity of acne.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>METHODS:</strong> This is a cross-sectional comparative study. Whole blood zinc levels of 30 patients with acne vulgaris divided into mild (n=10), moderate (n=10), and severe (n=10), and 10 healthy patients were measured. Acne severity was evaluated using the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A total of 40 patients participated in this study. The mean whole blood zinc level in acne patients and non-acne patients were 5.03 ± 1.92 mcg/mL and 7.39 ± 0.79 mcg/mL, respectively. The mean zinc level of the controls was significantly higher compared to that of the acne patients (p=0.0006). Furthermore, mean whole blood zinc level of the patients with severe acne was significantly lower compared to that of the controls, mild acne and moderate acne (p<0.001). Adjusting for age and sex, there is a significant association between severity of acne vulgaris and blood zinc levels (p<0.0001). Specifically, the mean blood zinc level of the patients with moderate and severe acne were significantly lower compared to that of the control group (p=0.019 and p<0.001, respectively).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Whole blood zinc levels were inversely correlated with acne vulgaris severity in the Filipino population. Further studies are recommended to determine the role of zinc in the pathogenesis of acne and the effects of oral zinc supplementation on acne patients.</p>

Homologación lingüística al idioma español, en población chilena, de la herramienta Sunnybrook Facial Grading System para evaluar parálisis facial. Estudio piloto

Resumen Introducción: La parálisis facial es una patología muy común. La escala "Sunnybrook Facial Grading System" (SFGS) se ha posicionado como una herramienta útil y confiable para su evaluación y evolución. Objetivo: Homologar lingüísticamente desde el idioma inglés al español la escala SFGS en una muestra de población chilena. Material y Método: Tres kinesiólogos chilenos con dominio comprobado del idioma inglés tradujeron la escala SFGS al español. Un comité creó una primera versión de la SFGS en español. Posteriormente, un profesional del Instituto Chileno-Británico tradujo la primera versión nuevamente al inglés (retrotraducción). El comité definió la segunda versión de la SFGS. Finalmente, los investigadores llevaron a cabo los pilotajes. Resultados: En dos pruebas piloto, veinte sujetos respondieron correctamente el total de las expresiones solicitadas. Conclusión: Esta versión de la escala SFGS homologada lingüísticamente al español puede ser aplicada a la población chilena.

Abstract Introduction: Facial paralysis is a very common pathology. The Sunnybrook Facial Grading System (SFGS) scale has positioned itself as a useful and reliable tool for its evaluation and follow up. Aim: To linguistically homologate the SFGS scale in a sample of the Chilean population from English to Spanish. Material and Method: Three Chilean kinesiologists with English proficiency translated the SFGS scale into Spanish. A committee developed a first version of the SFGS in Spanish. Subsequently, a professional from the Chilean-British Institute translated the first version back into English (back-translation). The committee defined the second version of the SFGS. Finally, the investigators carried out the pilots. Results: In two pilot tests, twenty subjects correctly answered the total of the expressions requested. Conclusion: This version of the SFGS scale linguistically homologated to Spanish can be applied to the Chilean population.

Curative effect evaluation by using Andrews' six elements for completed orthodontic treatment cases / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To assess the treatment outcome of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment by using Andrews' six elements and the American Board of Orthodontic (ABO) objective grading system (OGS); to determine whether Andrews' six elements can be used as a new assessment system for patients who completed their orthodontic treatment.@*METHODS@#A total of 160 patients who completed their orthodontic treatment were included in the study. The participants were randomly selected from patients who completed their orthodontic procedures in Kunming Medical University Affiliated Stomatological Hospital during the period of 2015 to 2019. The retrospective completed cases were examined in accordance with the Andrews' six elements and ABO measuring scales. Scores were assigned to each tooth in each category. All the measurement items in both evaluation criteria, the composite category score, and the total score were calculated. The passing and potential passing rates of the completed cases were compared with two measuring scales via the Chi-square test.@*RESULTS@#The passing rate for the evaluation of cases by using the Andrews' six elements measuring scale was 83.8%, and that for the evaluation of cases by using the ABO measuring scale was 86.3%. The differences in achieving the standard between the cases of Andrews' six elements and ABO-OGS via the Chi-square test were statistically insignificant (@*CONCLUSIONS@#The performance of Andrews' six elements was comparable with that of ABO-OGS in assessing the treatment outcome of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment. Andrews' six elements can be used as a new system for assessing the treatment outcome of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment. It demonstrated particular advantage in controlling facial profile, and had just completed material of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment it can measure. The Andrews' six elements measuring scale is convenient to disseminate and use.

Evaluación cualitativa de la ampolla de filtración / Qualitative evaluation of filtering blebs

Se realizó una búsqueda sobre la evaluación cualitativa de la ampolla de filtración. La ampolla conjuntival es la parte visible de la cirugía filtrante, y su morfología es un indicador de factores que pueden determinar el resultado hipotensor de la cirugía y las posibles complicaciones posoperatorias. Se han desarrollado diversos estudios que relacionan la evaluación clínica de su morfología y el control de la presión intraocular, y se han establecido varios sistemas de puntuación, entre ellas: Wuerzburg Bleb Classification Score, Moorfields Bleb Grading System, Indiana Bleb Appearance Grading Scale y métodos de imagen para evaluar el segmento anterior (biomicroscopia ultrasónica, Tomografía retinal de Heidenberg y tomografía de coherencia óptica). Estos métodos proporcionan una herramienta útil para el seguimiento de la cirugía filtrante y su documentación(AU)

A review was conducted on the qualitative evaluation of the filtering bleb. The conjunctival bleb is the visible part of filtration surgery, and its morphology is an indicator of factors which may determine the hypotensive result of surgery and the possible postoperative complications. Various studies have been conducted which relate the clinical evaluation of its morphology and intraocular pressure control. Several grading systems have thus been established: Wuerzburg Bleb Classification Score, Moorfields Bleb Grading System, Indiana Bleb Appearance Grading Scale and imaging methods to evaluate the anterior segment (ultrasound biomicroscopy, Heidenberg retinal tomography and optical coherence tomography). These methods are a useful tool for the follow-up of filtration surgery and its documentation(AU)

Extra hepatic bile duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a retrospective study

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), being one of the most common performed surgical procedure among the basic surgeries. Incidence of common bile duct (CBD) injury as high as 1.4-3% has been reported in some studies. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and predictors of CBD injury who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Methods: A retrospective observational study conducted at Heritage Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh India. Data was collected for a period of 1 year between March 2019 till 2020.Results: In majority of laparoscopic cholecystectomy we encountered moderate degree of difficulty. Extra hepatic bile duct injuries occurred in 1.4% of cases and were classified according to Strasberg classification. Type A injury was most common followed by type E2. Most major bile duct injuries were recognized intraoperatively. No mortality was noted in our study.Conclusions: Bile duct injuries is a major complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy with significant morbidity and mortality, reduced survival impaired quality of life and subsequent litigations. Majority of bile duct injuries, results mainly from the surgeon’s inexperience, misinterpretation of anatomy and poor surgical techniques.

Efficacy and Safety of Azithromycin in Moderate Acne Vulgaris

@#Introduction: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis caused by Propionibacterium acnes. Clinicians are constantly attempting to discover the best antibiotic regimes in treating acne vulgaris. This study compares two regimens in terms of efficacy, tolerability, compliance and recurrence rate to make recommendation on which is the best regime. Methods: An open-labelled prospective randomized investigator-blinded interventional study was carried on moderate acne vulgaris patients. Patients were assigned to treatment arm at enrolment followed by follow-up and maintenance visits. Demographic data were collected at enrolment and questionnaire enquiring acne condition, general health and quality of life impairment were filled at every visit followed by blinded dermatologist assessment. Antibiotic tablets were provided based on assigned arm until follow-up 3. Results: 26 mild acne vulgaris patients aged 17 to 29 years were recruited. Physician assessment based on GAGS and photo assessment analysis showed an overall significant change (p<0.05) with decreasing trend indicating that the treatment is statistically effective. However, no significant differences (p>0.05) were found between regimens. Similarly, patient self-perceived assessment and CADI assessment also showed overall significant changes (p<0.05) with increasing trend indicating improvement in acne condition but no significant differences (p<0.05) between regimens. Conclusion: Neither regimen were significantly more efficacious than another. In view of cost, oral azithromycin 500mg daily for consecutive 4 days monthly is suggested as a better option.

A Case Report- Management Of Ardita Through Ayurveda

Ardita is considered among eighty vataja nanatamaj vikara by Acharya Charaka. The objective of present study was to find out the effective Ayurvedic management in Ardita. A 15 yrs. old female patient reported to outpatient department of kaumarbhritya A&U Tibbia College & hospital with complaints of right side deviation of mouth and difficulty in eating through left side of mouth. The patient was diagnosed as Ardita on the basis of history and examination and treated on the line of Ardita chikitsa. The patient was given dashmoola kwath, kumar kalyan ras and Anu tailam pratimarsha nasya. There is significant improvement in presenting complaints. Before starting the treatment the Sunnyook facial grading score of facial nerve was 17 and after commencement of 30 days treatment it was 73. There was no side effect observed during and after the treatment

Reliability of society of fetal urology and Onen grading system in fetal hydronephrosis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability of the Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) and Onen grading systems for fetal hydronephrosis in prenatal ultrasound according to the level of experience of the examiner. METHODS: We reviewed the prenatal ultrasound images of 146 fetuses (292 kidneys) that were diagnosed as having hydronephrosis between January 2005 and December 2014. One expert and two trainees assessed the prenatal renal ultrasound images using the SFU and Onen grading systems. The three examiners independently assessed each ultrasound image with both grading systems and reassessed the same images after 7 to 14 days. Cohen's kappa statistic was used to estimate intra- and inter-observer reliability in prenatal ultrasound images according to training level. RESULTS: The intra-observer reliability of the SFU grading system (κ 0.873–0.945) showed almost perfect agreement and that of the Onen grading system (κ 0.749–0.913) showed substantial to almost perfect agreement. The overall inter-observer reliability of the SFU grading system (κ 0.620–0.825) showed substantial to almost perfect agreement and that of the Onen grading system (κ 0.618–0.724) showed substantial agreement. The weighted kappa value of inter-observer agreement was 0.223 to 0.400 for SFU grade 1 and 0.064 to 0.346 for SFU grade 3. For Onen grading, the inter-observer agreement was 0.012 to 0.214 for grade 2 and 0.193 to 0.334 for grade 3. CONCLUSION: Both the SFU and Onen grading systems showed good intra-observer agreement in prenatal ultrasonography. The inter-observer agreement was decreased in SFU grades 1 and 3 and Onen grades 2 and 3. Therefore, more focus should be given to SFU grades 1 and 3 and Onen grades 2 and 3 for trainees.

Recommendation for the Peripheral Blood Cell Morphology Report

There is considerable heterogeneity in the peripheral blood smear reports across different diagnostic laboratories, despite following the guidelines published by the International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH). As standardization of reports can facilitate communication and consequently the diagnostic efficiency in both laboratories and clinics, the standardization committee of the Korean Society for Laboratory Hematology aimed to establish a detailed guideline for the standardization of peripheral blood smear reports. Based on the ICSH guidelines, additional issues on describing and grading the peripheral blood smear findings were discussed. In this report, the proposed guideline is briefly described.

Characteristics of Chinese Medicine Education Under British Education System in New Zealand / 中国结合医学杂志

With the globalisation of Chinese medicine (CM), the local CM education institutions were established in many other countries outside of China. These CM education institutions have formed a new mode in CM education after integrating with local culture, law and national conditions. This article takes New Zealand CM education institutions as an example to discuss the characteristics of CM education under the British education system, aiming to provide ideas on CM education in China and other countries.

Reproducibility of intravoxel incoherent motion in body DWI technique for normal lumbar disc scanning / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the reproducibility of magnetic resonance intravoxel incoherent motion in body diffusionG weighted imaging (IVIMGDWI)for normal lumbar disc scanning.Methods 50 healthy volunteers were enrolled with informed consent,30 males and 20 females,2 5.20±2.04 years old.Using 3.0T MR on the lumbar spine,the sagittal T1 WI,the sagittal,axial T2 WI and sagittal IVIMGDWI sequences were scanned once,then the second sagittal IVIMGDWI sequence was scanned after 4 hours.The IVIMGDWI sequence used 10 b values (0,10,20,40,60,80,100,200,400,600 s/mm2 ).The discs were graded according to the Pfirrmann grading standard.The ADCfast ,ADCslow ,and f values of each intervertebral disc were measured by two doctors at the postGprocessing workstation.Paired tGtest was used to analyze whether there was a difference between the two scans.The intraGgroup correlation coefficient (ICC)was used to analyze the consistency of the ADCfast ,ADCslow ,and f values of the two acquisitions (P＜0.05)and the consistency of the ADCfast ,ADCslow,and f values between the different doctors (P＜0.05).The IVIMGDWI imaging was evaluated to measure the repeatability of normal lumbar discs. Results Of the 50 healthy volunteers,230 intervertebral discs matched the criteria(Pfirrmann gradeⅠandⅡ).The ADCslowvalue between the two scans was significantly different (t＝2.460,P＜0.05),and the differences in ADCfast and f values were not significant (t＝－0.418,1.273,P＞0.05). The consistency of ADCfast ,ADCslow ,and f values for the two scans were generally (ICC＝0.478,0.306,0.316,P＜0.05 ).Different observers had good consistency in the measurement of interverG tebral disc ADCfast ,ADCslow,and f values (ICC＝0.929,0.909, 0.9 1 1 ,P＜0.05).Conclusion The IVIMGDWI imaging has good consistency in the measurement of normal lumbar disc between different observers.The consistency of IVIMGDWI in two scans of normal lumbar intervertebral discs is general,which may be due to the time interval between the two scans.Because ADCslow represents the diffusion of water molecules in tissues,the microenvironment in the lumbar intervertebral disc has changed,resulting in the difference of ADCslow value.As for the problem that different scanning time may lead to the change of IVIMGDWI data,we will study it further.

Correlative cytohistologic study of breast carcinoma with special reference to oestrogen and progesterone receptor status

Breast carcinoma is the second major killer next to lung carcinoma in female population, and the incidence is on rise. The current study is undertaken to underscore the importance of a low-cost and easy technique like fine-needle aspiration to identify and to grade carcinoma cytologically using Robinson's grading system and Fisher's modification of Black's nuclear grading system and compare with standard Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) histologic grading system and hormonal receptor status, as these are an important prognostic factor determining the therapy and outcome. The study found that Robinson's cytological grading system is superior to Fischer's modification of Black's nuclear grading, and the former system lined in congruence with the SBR histologic grade of tumour.

Key factors affecting the correlation between improving work efficiency and emergency department overcrowding in the tertiary level A hospitals / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the current status of overcrowding in emergency departments of Tertiary level A hospitals in order to discover and analyze key factors limiting the performance efficiency of staff to raise a suggestion of improvements.Methods The data regarding the distribution of the total number of available beds and total number of patients registered were collected from 19 tertiary level A hospitals to construct a regression model correlating variables including number of patients waiting,time of appointment and number of patients delivered by ambulances.The national grading system of crowdedness for emergency departments was used to estimate the NEDOCS_ BJ value for Beijing Friendship Hospital.Results Statistical analyses of key factors hampering the work efficiency and correlation between ESI triage and clinical decisions revealed overcrowding in the emergency department in a pattern across hospitals and time periods.The extent of overcrowding can be alleviated by way of increase in performance efficiency.Conclusions The proposed improvements regarding the hierarchical medical system,the development of treatment plans,and working procedure were recommended.

Acne Severity Scoring Using Deep Learning / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit, mainly on the face. It can have various clinical manifestations and should be appropriately treated based on the severity. In Korea, the ‘Korea Acne Severity Rating System (KAGS)’ is a standardized index to determine the severity of acne according to specific Korean characteristics. However, the actual use of the KAGS in clinical settings has been limited. OBJECTIVE: We sought to analyze whether we could effectively measure acne severity using a deep learning algorithm, which is an image learning method. METHODS: Acne severity was classified into three levels of mild, moderate, and severe based on the KAGS, and learning and verification were performed using the CNN (Convolutional Neural Network), a deep learning technique. RESULTS: GoogLeNet's Inception-v3 algorithm showed the highest accuracy at 86.7%. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that the use of a deep learning algorithm may facilitate the scoring of acne severity.

Clinical Observation of Jian Huan Tong Tiao Needling for Peripheral Facial Paralysis in Acute Stage / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy between Jian Huan Tong Tiao needling (acupuncture at both healthy and affected sides) and acupuncture at the affected side alone in treating peripheral facial paralysis (FP) in acute stage, and to provide evidences for the acupuncture treatment of peripheral FP in acute stage.Method Fifty patients were randomized into a Jian Huan Tong Tiao needling group (25 cases) and an affected side needling group (25 cases). By selecting the same acupoints, the Jian Huan Tong Tiao needling group received acupuncture at both sides, while the affected side needling group received acupuncture only at the affected side, once every other day, successively for 4 weeks. House-Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve grading system was used to score the facial nerve function before and after the treatment, and the therapeutic efficacies were compared between the two groups.Result The facial nerve function was improved in both groups, while the therapeutic efficacy was superior in the Jian Huan Tong Tiao needling group to that in the affected side needling group (P<0.05); after 2-week treatment, the H-B score was higher in the Jian Huan Tong Tiao needling group than in the affected side needling group (P<0.05); of the recovered cases, the relapse rate was lower in theJian Huan Tong Tiao needling group than in the affected side needling group (P<0.05). Conclusion Jian Huan Tong Tiao needling can boost the recovery of the facial nerve function in peripheral FP, reduce the relapse rate, and produce a higher therapeutic efficacy than needling the affected side alone.

The effects of modulated medium frequency current therapy combined with infrared therapy on patients of acute facial neuritis / 天津医药

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of modulated medium frequency current therapy (MMFCT) combined with infrared therapy on patients of acute facial neuritis. Methods A total of forty-six patients with acute facial neuritis were divided into two groups (observation group and control group) randomly and medially. Every patient received medication. Meanwhile, observation group received MMFCT and infrared therapy. Before the treatment, and after two and four weeks of treatment, Portmann scale were used to evaluate the autonomic movements of the facial expression muscles on both sides. After 4 weeks of treatment, the outcome was evaluated by House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system. Results There were no significant differences in Portmann scales before treatment between two groups. Portmann scales were higher in observation group than those of control group after two and four weeks of treatment (P<0.05). With the duration of treatment, Portmann scales were increased successively in two groups. The significant difference was found in multiple comparisons between groups. After 4 weeks of treatment, the efficacy was significant in the observation group, compared with control group, the difference was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Modulated medium frequency current therapy combined with infrared therapy have a better effect than isolated medication.

Rapid assessment study of active trachoma in Shaanxi Province / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of trachoma in Shaanxi Province and provide basic data for the prevention and treatment of trachoma.<p>METHODS: Four suspected areas with high prevalence of trachoma including Kengzhen in Jiaxian Yulin, Luochuan of Yan'an, Nanzheng county of Hanzhong, Shangzhou distract in Shangluo, were selected by Blindness Prevention Office of Shaanxi Province. A random sample of 200 pupils aged 6 to 8 was examined by ophthalmic officers using the World Health Organization(WHO)simplified clinical grading system.<p>RESULTS: No infection of active trachoma was detected in 200 pupils.<p>CONCLUSION: No epidemic areas of active trachoma were found. Based on the data of this study,trachoma is no longer considered as a public health problem in Shaanxi Province.