Prevalence of dry eye disease in an urban community

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> To determine the prevalence of dry eye disease in an urban community in the Philippines.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>METHODS:</strong> This was a community-based cross-sectional study. Convenience sampling was conducted on residents of Barangay 733, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. One hundred fifty-seven participants, 19 years old and above, underwent investigator-led interview using a dry-eye questionnaire, followed by dry-eye examination consisting fluorescein tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal staining with fluorescein, conjunctival and posterior lid margin staining (PLM) with lissamine green, and Schirmer I test with and without anesthesia.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Of the 157 participants recruited, 148 (94%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 52.35 years; 95 (64.2%) were females and 53 (35.8%) males. Thirty-four (22.9%) were diagnosed with dry eye disease, and the most common symptom reported was itching (76%). Those with dry eye had significantly higher ocular surface disease index score and subjective grading of ocular discomfort compared with those without the disease. Mean TBUT for those without dry eye was 12.74 seconds compared with 8.84 seconds for the dry eye group. The mean fluorescein corneal staining scores were 2 and 20 for the none and the dry eye groups respectively. The mean lissamine green conjunctival staining scores were 14 and 55 respectively. A positive PLM sign was present in 67.6% with dry eye vs. 5.6% in the none dry eye group. Mean Schirmer I test without anesthesia was 18.53 mm and 17.09 mm in the none and dry eye groups respectively. Mean Schirmer I test with anesthesia was 13.36 mm vs. 11.94 mm respectively.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> The prevalence rate of dry eye disease in an urban community in Manila was 22.9%. This figure was similar to those reported by neighboring Asian countries.</p>

Angle-supported intraocular-lens implantation for the correction of moderate to high myopia

Objectives@#This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of an angle-supported phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) for the treatment of moderate to high myopia.@*Methods @#This is a case series of 13 eyes of 8 patients with moderate to high myopia that underwent implantation of an acrylic, angle-supported PIOL. The main outcome measures were manifest refraction, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), endothelial-cell count (ECC), intraocular pressure (IOP), and adverse events.@*Results@#The mean spherical equivalent (SE) improved from –11.79 ± 4.12 diopters (D) preoperatively to –0.08 ± 0.58 D postoperatively (p = 0.000), UCVA from 0.016 ± 0.015 to 0.79 ± 0.29 postoperatively (p = 0.000), and BCVA from 0.76 ± 0.33 to 0.86 ± 0.27 (p = 0.017). The ECC slightly decreased from 3033.57 ± 367.71 cells/mm2 preoperatively to 2947 ± 279.86 cells/mm2 (2.8% loss) postoperatively (p = 0.400). The mean preoperative IOP was 16.36 ± 3.53 mm Hg while the mean three-month postoperative IOP was 15.72 ± 4.15 mm Hg (p = 0.659). Two (15%) eyes experienced transient postoperative IOP rise on the day of the surgery, which resolved by postoperative day 1 using topical timolol maleate. The mean follow-up was 2.54 ± 1.39 months (range, 1 to 5 months).@*Conclusion@#Acrylic angle-supported phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) implantation is an effective and safe method of correcting moderate to high myopia.

[Data from the Wroclaw region about thyroid diseases and use of prophylactic iodine after the reactor accident in Czernobyl]. / Dane z terenu województwa wroclawskiego o chorobach tarczycy i zastosowaniu profilaktyki jodowej w nastepstwie skazenia radiojodem po awarii reaktora w Czarnobylu.

The radiological contamination of Wroclaw Region after Czernobyl accident was evaluated as moderate. In the frame of Research Programme MZ-XVII 4310 persons (2012 men and 2298 women) were randomly selected and investigated. Among them were 1525 children up to 16 years old. 925 children and 854 adults took potassium iodide; only minority in April but majority between May 1st and May 5th. Side effects was rare phenomenon seen in about 5% of those who ingested potassium iodide and in majority of cases was very mild (with rash and vomiting as most common clinical symptoms). Only 13 persons with side effects have visited physicians. Among 955 women aged 19-40 years 71 were pregnant in May 1986. 55 of them delivered on time, 3 before time. Average health state of newborns was 9.1 according to Apgar scale. 10 women have had spontaneous abortion and 3 decided to terminate pregnancy in first 6 weeks. The physical examination revealed the presence of diffuse goiter in 384 persons and of nodular goiter in 23 persons. In majority of cases the goiter was small, OB or I. according to WHO classification.

Research priorities for the care of the veteran patient.

The purpose of this project was to identify research priorities for the care of the veteran patient as identified by 367 various members of the Veterans Administration Nursing Service using the Delphi technique. A total of 1558 items were obtained and these were classified into categories from which 73 specific statements were written. Highest mean scores were obtained for items relating to interventions to decrease repeated admissions, care of the terminally ill, patient compliance, patient education, staffing, care planning, continuity post-hospitalization, quality nursing care, staff satisfaction, health promotion, and nursing intervention to assist patients and family in coping with illnesses.

Potential antihypertensive benzimidazole derivatives.

A series of benzimidazole derivatives was synthesized and tested for their hypotensive activity. The most interesting compounds were: BS1/81 (2-guanidino-benzimidazole) and BS1/84 (2-guanidino-5-aminobenzimidazole dihydrochloride), which effects were comparable to those of aminophylline. It was found that substitution of guanidine nitrogen atom with phenyl group caused a distinct decrease of activity while cyclization of guanidine rest to pyrimidine ring caused only a small decrease of activity.

Potential acetylcholinesterase reactivators: pyridine and alpha-oxooxime derivatives.

The synthesis and pharmacological screening in vitro and in vivo of pyridine-2-carbaldoxime derivatives I and alpha-oxooximes II are described. Four compounds elicited reactivating effect on phosphorylated acetylcholinesterase comparable with that of pralidoxime used as reference substance. Among the compounds tested, interesting structures are those of oximes bearing a thioether substituent [RA 49 (Table 1) and RA 59 (Table 2)] chloro derivative of MINA [RA 55 (Table 2)] and dipyridyl glyoxime methiodide RA 56 (Table 1).

Arylbiguanides and dihydro-s-triazines as potential hypotensive agents.

Series of dihydrotriazines and arylbiguanides were synthetized and tested for their hypotensive effect. Compounds I and II in doses corresponding to 0.2 of their LD50 produced small hypotension. The biguanides exerted the hypotensive effect when given in a dose of 0.05 of their LD50, but the effect was weaker than that of aminophylline.

[Experimental evaluation of two-sided velour vascular prostheses of Polish production]. / Doswiadczalna ocena protez naczyniowych dwustronnie welurowych krajowej produkcji.

The experiments were performed on nine mongrel dogs. The authors used straight crenated grafts of diameters 6 and 12 mm. In 6 dogs were implanted into abdominal aorta below an origin of renal arteries and above its bifurcation. Autopsy was performed after 49, 62, 98 days. The authors evaluated the implant examining it with two methods: macroscopic and histopathologic. In addition were 6 experiments made with three dogs. The grafts were placed extracorporealy between canulated artery and femoral vein. The authors measured the volume of transudated blood, the time of transudation and degree of grafts flexibility marked by the alongation. In was stated that tested double veloured grafts of Polish production are softer and more flexible than those produced so far. The edges of the tested grafts have higher shred resistance during the sewing procedure. Their more regular texture results in smaller degree of transudation: after initial typical preclotting the grafts "sweat" evenly and quickly stops the transudation. In authors opinion the grafts should be clinically evaluated in treatment of peripheral blood vessels diseases.

Potential acetylcholinesterase reactivators: oxime and amidoxime derivatives.

Out of 12 oximes and amidoximes (3 of which were new to the literature) the following showed a distinct antilethal effect in DFP poisoning: RA14 (1-methylbenzimidazole-2-aldoxime methiodide), RA14 (pyridine-4-aldoxime dodecyl bromide), and RA24 (pyridine-2-aldoxime dodecyl bromide). These compounds also reactivated acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in vitro, but had no effect on this enzyme in vivo. Moreover, addition of the dodecyl chain to pyridinealdoxtimes, or in a less degree replacement of the pyridine ring with benzimidazole in aldoximes, distinctly increased acute toxicity and lipophilicity when compared with the parent pyridine compounds, along with protective action in DFP poisoning.

New amidine derivatives of indole.

A series of new derivatives of indole of expected biological activity was prepared. Amidines 7 and 8 were obtained from the corresponding nitriles 3 and 4 and iminoethers 6.

Antimalarial compounds. XIV. New derivatives of 2-bromo-N,N-bis-(diethylaminoethyl)-4,5-dimethoxyanaline (RC 12).

The molecule of RC 12 which was found previously to exhibit antimalarial activity has been modified, by replacing groups in positions 1 and 2 by NHAr, S-Ar, NO2, sulfonamido and other substituents. The new derivatives (Table 1) were tested for toxicity and antimalarial activity agains Plasmodium berghei in mice (Table 2).

Antimalarial compounds. XIII. New derivatives of phenyl chloromethyl sulfone.

A series of chloromethylsulfonyl derivatives of amines, biguanides and amidineureas (Scheme 1) has been prepared and their antimalarial properties investigated.