A combination of suprachoroidal injection of triamcinolone using a custom-made needle and intravitreal Ziv-aflibercept every eight weeks to manage naïve/denovo central DME: a single-center retrospective case series.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown promising effects of combining intravitreal bevacizumab and suprachoroidal injection of triamcinolone acetonide in treating DME. However, further research is needed. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of combining both intravitreal Ziv-aflibercept and suprachoroidal injection of triamcinolone acetonide using a custom-made needle in naïve and de novo central diabetic macular edema (DME) patients every eight weeks for 24 weeks. METHODS: Central macular thickness was measured via spectral domain-optical coherence tomography, and best-corrected visual acuity was measured via a Snellen chart at baseline and at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 24 weeks postinjection. Additionally, cataract progression, intraocular pressure (IOP), and ocular safety were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 10 eyes of 6 patients were treated with suprachoroidal injections of triamcinolone acteonid combined with an intravitreal injection of Ziv-aflibercept. Vision improved from 0.69 log minimum angle of resolution (MAR) at baseline to 0.39 log MAR after treatment. Central macular thickness significantly decreased from 462.3 ± 166 µm at baseline to 362.7 ± 77.6 µm at 24 weeks postinjection. CONCLUSION: Suprachoroidal injection of triamcinolone using a custom-made needle with the intravitreal agent Ziv-aflibercept to treat de novo/naïve central DME has favorable outcomes and adequate safety results. Moreover, this study demonstrated the benefit of adapting the previous treatment combination for extending the interval between anti-VEGF treatments from 4 to 8 weeks, which could prevent further expenses, especially in low-income countries.However, large multicenter randomized clinical trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to assess this treatment route, especially in low-income and resourced countries.

A 5-year-old Syrian female was born with Oguchi disease: a rare case report.

Oguchi disease is a rare autosomal recessive disease that causes congenital stationary blindness, which is distinguished by the Mizuo-Nakamura phenomenon and caused by mutations of rhodopsin kinase gene or the arrestin gene. Case presentation: A 5-year-old Syrian female complains of stationary night blindness, investigated by fundus photo and optical coherence photograph and diagnosed as Oguchi disease. Discussion: Oguchi disease is an autosomal recessive retinal disorder causing stationary nyctalopia. It is characterized by Mizuo-Nakamura phenomenon, which is the alteration of fundus reflex color from golden-yellow to normal with dark adaptation. Literature reports suggest that mutations in rhodopsin kinase or arrestin genes may cause Oguchi's disease. Conclusions: Optical coherence tomography is of great importance in Oguchi's disease. Optical coherence tomography usually shows an absence of the inner and outer segments line in the extrafoveal area during a partly dark-adaptation phase.

A rare case of gastric duplication cyst in a male paediatric Caucasian patient: a case report.

Anywhere in the alimentary canal, you can find a gastric duplication cyst, a spherical muscle formation lined by mucosal membrane. It is an uncommon example of a group of congenital intestinal abnormalities. Gastric cysts typically develop on the stomach's greater curvature. A Caucasian 4-year-old boy came in with his family after experiencing colicky central stomach pain for 2 days, along with vomiting for 4 days, decreased oral intake, a temperature of up to 38.5°C and regular bowel movements. A region of the transverse colon with degraded and inflammatory serosa covered in omentum with black necrotic sections was seen during the procedure.

Hybrid threshold laser to treat diabetic macular edema: A retrospective analysis single center cohort study.

Background: Diabetic patients suffers from reduction of vision that one of its main causes is clinically significant macular edema (CSME).The purpose of this study to determine if hybrid threshold can reduce macular thickness in Diabetic Macular Edema. Materials and methods: This study is a retrospective analysis single center cohort study. 12 eyes in 10 patients diagnosed with diabetic macular edema using SD-OCT treated with Hybridthreshold laser as the leaking microaneurysms were treated with threshold laser on the 5% duty cycle settings.A complete fundus exam, including best-corrected visual acuity changes, and monthly measuring retinal thickness using SD-OCT for 24 weeks follow up. Results: Reduction of retinal thickness from 336.58 ± 86.26 µm to 264.33 ± 61.41 µm (p = 0.02) at 24 weeks follow up without significant changes of best-corrected visual acuity from 0.16 LogMAR to 0.08 LogMAR (p = 0.2) with minimal scar formation in 24 weeks follow up. Conclusion: 532 nm Hybridthreshold laser reduces macular thickness up to 20% and stabilizes diabetic macular edema for 24 weeks follow up.

Facial defects reconstruction by titanium mesh bending using 3D printing technology: A report of two cases.

Introduction: Facial injuries and deformities have received special attention during the previous decades for their functional, esthetic impairment, surgical challenges related to the location of the intervention, and their relationship to a lower survival rate. Moreover, there have been many surgical reconstructive methods due to the different materials and tools available and thus the final results following the surgical intervention. Case presentation: This study was conducted on two patients with severe war injuries; they both suffered from a significant loss in one or more of the following bones: the zygomatic bone, maxilla, nasal bone, infraorbital rim, and mandible. They were treated using preshaped 3D titanium mesh implants that were made using polylactic acid (PLA) material. The final shape was identified depending on pregenerated multislice 3D modeling using computed tomography (CT) scan. Clinical discussion and conclusion: The patient-specific titanium implants produced using polylactic acid (PLA) have been an important option for reconstructive surgical interventions in facial injuries. It has achieved a better outcome in comparison with manual bent titanium mesh in terms of anatomical symmetry, overall operating time, functional and esthetic impairment. These points helped achieve better care for both civilian and war injuries associated with bone loss.

Suprachoroidal injection of triamcinolone acetonide using a custom-made needle to treat diabetic macular edema post pars plana vitrectomy: a case series.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetic macular edema (DME), the most common cause of diabetes-related visual impairment, may occur following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) to manage proliferative diabetic retinopathy complications. This retrospective single-centre case series evaluated the efficacy and safety of injecting 4 mg/0.1 ml triamcinolone into the suprachoroidal space using a custom-made needle to treat DME post PPV. METHODS: Data regarding central macular thickness (CMT) using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography and best-corrected visual acuity (by Snellen chart) at baseline (pre-injection), and at 1, 4, and 8 weeks following injection were analysed, along with intraocular pressure (IOP), cataract progression, and ocular safety. RESULTS: Eleven eyes in 10 patients received 11 suprachoroidal injections. Vision improvement was noted (0.75 log minimum angle of resolution (MAR) at baseline to 0.40 log MAR after treatment). CMT reduced significantly from 456.45 ± 113.42 µm at baseline to 247.63 ± 53.40 µm at 8 weeks following injection. No rise in IOP, or cataract development in the single treated phakic eye, was observed during 8 weeks of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Suprachoroidal injection of triamcinolone using a custom-made needle to treat DME post PPV shows promising results with acceptable safety outcomes. Large clinical trials with longer follow-up are needed to evaluate this treatment option for countries with limited health-care resources.

A manually made needle for treating Pseudophakic cystoid macular edema by injecting triamcinolone acetonide in the suprachoroidal space: A case report.

PURPOSE: This case was conducted to report the effectiveness and security of a manually made needle to inject triamcinolone acetonide in the suprachoroidal space (SCS) in a 52-year-old female with pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) in the challenging socio-economical situations in Syria. METHODS: This case report is an interventional case of a 52-year-old female presented with a four-week history of reduced vision secondary to Pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME). The patient attended Marashi Eye Clinic Center for a clinical examination and followed up with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) at baseline. The patient was treated by one injection of triamcinolone acetonide and followed up within one week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 24 weeks in the suprachoroidal space (SCS) using a manually made needle with assessing the efficacy and potential ocular complications. RESULTS: The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) had improved significantly from baseline 20/60 to 20/30 at 24 weeks with a complete anatomical resolution of macular edema at 24 weeks from baseline. No ocular complications were noticed during the study period. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Injecting triamcinolone acetonide in suprachoroidal space (SCS) using a manually made needle plays an essential role in treating Pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) without compromising security and efficiency.

Managing solar retinopathy with suprachoroidal triamcinolone acetonide injection in a young girl: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Solar retinopathy is a disease that causes photochemical toxicity in the retinal fovea tissues, leading to an acute decrease of vision. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report is an interventional case of an asymptomatic 17-year-old Caucasian female with a history of suddenly decreased vision due to solar retinopathy. The patient was managed with a custom-made needle injection of triamcinolone acetonide in the suprachoroidal space. Four months post suprachoroidal injection showed an anatomical and functional improvement in the ellipsoid zone layer through optical coherence tomography signal reappearance. In addition, the best-corrected visual acuity had improved from 0.1 to 1.0 on the Snellen chart with the disappearance of the scotoma. However, there was a mild increase in intraocular pressure after this procedure, controlled with topical hypertensive eye drops. CONCLUSION: Suprachoroidal triamcinolone acetonide injection using a custom-made needle showed both functional and anatomical improvement of macular changes post-solar retinopathy, with acceptable safety outcomes in a young female.

Normal values of antistreptolysin O for adults ages 30 to 70 in Syria: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Group A Streptococcus is a very common pathogen which infects a large scale of people around the world causing many symptoms such as scarlet fever, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Most strains of group A and many other strains of group C and G Streptococcus bacteria secreted antigen called Streptolysin O. Anti-streptolysin O (ASO) is an antibody produced against streptolysin O that rises after 1 week of infection by streptococcus bacteria, which helps in diagnosing this type of infectious diseases. We conducted a Cross-Sectional study to determine the Upper Limit of Normal (ULN) for healthy adult in Aleppo, Syria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sero-epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted from September to October in 2019. ASO titers were determined on 267 healthy patients' companions who visited Aleppo University Hospital. Geometric mean titer and Upper Limit of Normal of ASO were calculated according to sex, age and residency. Upper Limit of Normal were defined as the 80th percentile. RESULTS: Out of 267 participants; 126 (45.7%) were males and 150 (54.3) were females. The Upper Limit of Normal for total participants was 210.8 IU/ml. There was no significant difference (P-value > 0.05) among males (204.6 IU/ml) and females (225.8 IU/ml). In contrast to sex, there was a significant difference (P-value < 0.05) according to age groups, where the highest Upper Limit of Normal was in the 30-39 age group (256.0 IU/ml). CONCLUSION: ASO test is a common, easy, cheap method, so getting enough data about it is very important in the developing countries (such as Syria). In Aleppo, Syria we found that the ULN was higher than ULN from other studies. There was no significant difference according to sex and residency. On the other hand, there was significant difference according to age groups.

Migraine and tension-type headache among undergraduate medical, dental and pharmaceutical students of University of Aleppo: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Headache disorders are among the most common 10 causes of disability worldwide according to the global burden of disease survey 2010. Headache is also wildly common among universities students when compared with other populations. The purpose of this study is to assess headache prevalence among Aleppo University medical, dental and pharmaceutical undergraduate students. METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among medical, dental and pharmaceutical students at Aleppo University, Syria. We determined the type of headache according to the International Classification of Headache Disorder-III. The total number of participants was 2068. A χ2 test was used to evaluate the association between the categorical outcomes. P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Out of 2068 participants, 1604 (77.6%) were medical students, 205 (9.9%) were dental students and 259 (12.5%) were pharmaceutical students. The effect on daily activities was higher in chronic tension headache (96.7%) and migraine without aura (94.6%) than migraine with aura (91.3) and episodic tension headache (85.1%). Out of 1191 who had a headache, only 188 (15.9%) had a medical consultation. CONCLUSIONS: There was no a statistically significant difference in prevalence of tension headache and migraine according to faculties. There was a statistically significant difference in patients with migraine according to academic year, living with family and smoking. The effect on daily activities was higher in chronic tension-type headache and migraine without aura. There is a significant lack of medical consultation among students and most of them took over the counter analgesics depending on personal choice.