Three-snip punctoplasty versus perforated plugs for management of lacrimal punctal stenosis.

PURPOSE: To compare rectangular three-snip punctoplasty and polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated perforated punctal plugs for treatment of acquired lacrimal punctal stenosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective comparative non-randomized interventional study, 80 eyes with acquired lacrimal punctal stenosis were classified into two groups. Group A was treated by insertion of polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated perforated punctal plugs (FCI ophthalmics)™ and Group B was treated by rectangular three-snip punctoplasty. The study was done in Minia University Hospital between January 2018 and April 2019. Exclusion criteria included allergic punctal stenosis, lid malposition, and lacrimal obstruction distal to the punctum. All patients were subjected to complete history taking, slit lamp examination of tear meniscus height, fluorescein dye disappearance test, punctal position, shape, size, grading of stenosis, and grading of epiphora. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 43.85 ± 14.93 years. They were 30 females and 10 males. Eepiphora Grade 3 or 4, improved postoperatively to Grade 0 or 1 in 97.5% of eyes in Group A versus 55% of eyes in Group B. All eyes (100%) in Group A versus 21 eyes (52.5%) in Group B improved regarding fluorescein dye disappearance test grade (p < 0.001). Restenosis did not occur after plug removal, while it occurred in 10% of eyes subjected to three-snip punctoplasty. CONCLUSION: Perforated punctal plugs and three-snip punctoplasty are safe and effective in treatment of punctal stenosis. However, perforated plugs are less invasive, better tolerated, and have more stable results compared to three-snip punctoplasty.

A comprehensive review of epilepsy in the Arab world.

PURPOSE: We conducted a comprehensive review of the epidemiology of epilepsy in the Arab world. METHODS: Epidemiological literature about epilepsy from 22 countries of the Arab League was searched in French and English using several keywords (specific and wider) and combinations, individually for each country. The search was conducted on Google first and then on PubMed. The results are presented as counts, proportions, and medians along with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Unpaired t-test with unequal variance and regressions were performed, altogether and individually, for lifetime and active epilepsy prevalence as well as incidence. RESULTS: Google provided 21 prevalence, four camp and nine incidence estimates while PubMed provided ten such estimates; none of them was identified by Google. No epidemiological data about epilepsy was found from 10/22 countries. Excluding pediatric studies, 13 prevalence estimates from six countries were identified. Including pediatric studies, 21 estimates from nine countries were found. Median lifetime and active epilepsy prevalence were 7.5/1000 (95% CI 2.6-12.3, range 1.9-12.9) and 4.4/1000 (95% CI 2.1-9.3, range 2.1-9.3), respectively, excluding pediatric studies (1984-2014, N=244081). Median incidence was 56.0/100,000 (n=9, N=122484, 95% CI 13.7-147.9, range 10.4-190). CONCLUSION: The fact that no epidemiological data about epilepsy is available in the public domain for almost one half of all Arab countries offers opportunities for future research. This thorough review of existing literature demonstrates a prevalence of epilepsy three times higher than previously reported for this region. The median incidence is similar to other regions of the world, e.g. North America. Google yielded additional valuable sources not indexed in PubMed and provided pertinent references more quickly.

Rhabdomyolysis as the first manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is a known complication of anti-retroviral medications. The presence of RTA in treatment naive-HIV patients is rare. A 49-year-old Caucasian woman presented with recurrent non-anion gap metabolic acidosis, AKI, rhabdomyolysis and hypokalemia on several occasions. Diagnosis of acquired distal RTA due to HIV was made given the history and laboratory data. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of HIV diagnosed with an initial presentation of rhabdomyolysis. We believe that acute renal failure was due to hypokalemia precipitating rhabdomyolysis caused by HIV-induced dRTA which was further exacerbated by amphetamine use.

The mental health of internally displaced persons: an epidemiological study of adults in two settlements in Central Sudan.

AIMS: There is a scarcity of data on mental health problems among Sudanese internally displaced persons (IDPs). This study aims to assess the prevalence of mental disorders of IDPs in Sudan, and to determine and compare the association between mental disorders and socio-demographic variables between the rural and urban long-term IDP populations. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was implemented in two IDP areas in Central Sudan. Data were collected during face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires to assess socio-demographic factors and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to determine psychiatric diagnoses. A total of 1,876 adults were enrolled from both study areas. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of having any mental health disorder in the IDP population was 52.9%. The most common disorders were major depressive disorder (24.3%), generalized anxiety disorder (23.6%), social phobia (14.2%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (12.3%). Years of displacement and education were associated with different mental disorders between the two areas, and there were no gender differences in prevalence of mental disorders in either area. CONCLUSION: This study shows high prevalence rates of mental disorders in both urban and rural IDP populations in Sudan, indicating a need to explore the circumstances for these high rates and to develop appropriate responses.