Prevalence of ocular findings regardless of visual acuity status in older adults from the Brazilian Amazon Region.

Recently, it has been recommended that population-based studies report not only frequencies of vision impairment and blindness but also any ocular abnormalities that might lead an individual to seek for eyecare services. The current study aimed to determine prevalence of ocular findings regardless of visual acuity (VA) status in older adults from the Brazilian Amazon Region. Disturbances were grouped into: Eyelids; Anterior Segment; Posterior Segment; Increased intraocular pressure; and Overall Globe. The presence of an ocular finding was considered positive when any abnormality was noted, regardless of VA. Refractive errors were not considered. A total 2384 eligible persons were enumerated and 2041 (85.6%) examined. The prevalence of ocular disturbances in either eye was 87.0% and was associated with male gender, older age, lower education, and rural residence. Overall, main findings were pterygium, cataract, and pinguecula, occurring in 58.8%, 45.4% and 17.4%, respectively. Among individuals with 20/20 VA in both eyes, the most frequent findings were pterygium, pinguecula, and glaucoma cupping, occurring in 47.4%, 31.2% and 6.5%, respectively. The high prevalence of ocular findings observed in this population reinforces that different conditions might not immediately decrease VA but can indicate risk and/or discomfort symptoms and should be considered when planning public health ophthalmic services.

Pterygium in adults from the Brazilian Amazon Region: prevalence, visual status and refractive errors.

AIMS: To determine prevalence of pterygium, its role as main cause of unilateral and bilateral visual impairment and blindness and its impact on refractive errors from adults living in a high ultraviolet exposure area in the Brazilian Amazon Region. METHODS: Cluster sampling was used in randomly selecting subjects ≥45 years of age from urban and rural areas of Parintins city. Eligible subjects were enumerated through a door-to-door household survey and invited for an eye exam including refraction. Pterygium was assessed considering location (nasal, temporal or both) and size (<3 mm or ≥3 mm reaching or not pupillary margin). RESULTS: A total of 2384 persons were enumerated and 2041 (85.6%) were examined. Prevalence of pterygium was 58.8% (95% CI 53.8% to 63.7%) and associated with male gender (OR=1.63; 95% CI 1.37 to 1.94; p=0.001), while higher education was a protective factor (OR=0.63; 95% CI 0.44 to 0.92; p=0.018). Older age and rural residence were associated with pterygium ≥3 mm reaching or not pupillary margin, while higher education was a protective factor for pterygium ≥3 mm reaching pupillary margin. Prevalence of pterygium as cause of visual impairment and blindness was 14.3% and 3.9%, respectively. Significantly higher hyperopic refractive errors were found in eyes with pterygium ≥3 mm reaching or not pupillary margin. CONCLUSIONS: Pterygium was highly prevalent and the second cause of visual impairment and blindness after provision of refractive correction. Risk factors for pterygium were male gender, advanced age, lower education and rural residency. Strategies to provide pterygium early detection and proper management should be considered by healthcare authorities in this population.

Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment and Blindness in Adults Aged 45 Years and Older from Parintins: The Brazilian Amazon Region Eye Survey.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness in adults aged 45 years and older from Parintins, Brazilian Amazon Region. Methods: A random cluster sampling method was used to identify subjects 45 years of age and older from urban and rural census sectors of Parintins city, Amazonas State, from March 2014 to May 2015. Participants underwent a detailed ocular examination, including presenting (PVA) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). The main cause of PVA<20/32 per eye was determined. Results: A total of 2384 subjects were enumerated and 2041 (85.6%) examined. The prevalence of presenting mild visual impairment - MiVI (<20/32 - ≥20/63) in the better-seeing eye was 17.0% [95% CI: 15.3-18.7%], and 8.5% [95% CI: 7.3-9.7%] with best correction. The prevalence of presenting moderate visual impairment - MVI (<20/63 - ≥20/200) was 18.4% [95% CI: 16.2-20.6%], and 6.9% [95% CI: 5.8-8.0%] with best correction. The prevalence of presenting bilateral VA <20/200 was 4.3% [95% CI: 3.6-5.0%], and 3.3% [95% CI: 2.5-4.0%] with best correction and increased with older age. Cataract (47.8%) and glaucoma (7.5%) were its main causes. In less severely affected eyes, uncorrected refractive errors (MVI: 42.6%; MiVI: 79.0%), cataract (MVI: 40.6%; MiVI: 13.7%) and pterygium (MVI: 7.6%; MiVI: 2.7%) were the main causes. Conclusions: Most cases of visual impairment in Parintins are either preventable or treatable, and public health initiatives should target cataract surgical services and refraction with spectacle provision.

Vision Status in Older Adults: The Brazilian Amazon Region Eye Survey.

Older adults living in remote areas with limited access to health services are at higher risk to develop visual impairment and blindness. We conducted a population-based survey to determine the vision status in subjects 45 years of age and older from urban and rural areas of Parintins city, Brazilian Amazon Region. Participants underwent ophthalmic examination, including uncorrected (UCVA), presenting (PVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Vision status was described as lines of visual acuity (VA) impairment and lines of VA improvement from UCVA to BCVA and from PVA to BCVA in the better-seeing eye. A total of 2384 subjects were enumerated, 2041 (85.6%) were examined, with reliable VA measurements obtained from 2025 participants. Vision status in lines of VA impairment was (mean ± standard deviation): 3.44 ± 3.53 for UCVA, 2.85 ± 3.52 for PVA and 1.50 ± 3.51 for BCVA. Female gender, older age and lower education were associated with ≥6 lines of UCVA impairment. Lines of improvement ≥3 was found in 626 (30.9%) participants and associated with female gender and rural residency. In conclusion, a third of participants could have at least three lines of VA improvement with proper refraction. Strategies to improve access to eye care and affordable glasses are needed.

Adjustable versus non-adjustable suture techniques for concomitant horizontal strabismus: a comparative study.

PURPOSE: To compare the surgical results of adjustable and non-adjustable horizontal strabismus surgery for concomitant horizontal strabismus. METHODS: The charts of 231 patients, who underwent horizontal strabismus surgery, selected using probabilistic sampling, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical technique used and strabismus type. The adjustable suture technique was used for 107 patients (Group 1), and non-adjustable or conventional surgery was performed in the remaining 124 patients (Group 2). Patients with esotropia (ET) or exotropia (XT) of <55 prism diopters (PD) at distance were included. The following exclusion criteria were applied: all intermittent or vertical deviations, anisotropias >5 PD, syndromes, restrictive or paretic strabismus, reoperations, botulinum toxin injection, and patients postoperatively followed up for <3 months. Surgical success was set to a range between orthotropia and an esodeviation of up to 10 PD for both ET and XT. RESULTS: An amblyopia rate >50% was present in all subgroups. Significant differences between strabismus groups submitted to adjustable technique and non-adjustable on postoperative day 1 were observed (p=0.00 for ET and p=0.01 for XT) and at the last visit for the XT group with a follow-up of at least 1 year (p=0.05). CONCLUSION: The adjustable suture technique produced a higher success rate than non-adjustable strabismus surgery for both ET and XT groups on postoperative day 1. For XT patients, the adjustable suture technique appears to produce better surgical results than non-adjustable surgery, when the surgical goal is long-lasting maintenance of a small hypercorrection.

Adjustable versus non-adjustable suture techniques for concomitant horizontal strabismus: a comparative study / Estudo comparativo das técnicas de sutura ajustável e não ajustável para o estrabismo comitante horizontal

ABSTRACT Purpose: To compare the surgical results of adjustable and non-adjustable horizontal strabismus surgery for concomitant horizontal strabismus. Methods: The charts of 231 patients, who underwent horizontal strabismus surgery, selected using probabilistic sampling, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical technique used and strabismus type. The adjustable suture technique was used for 107 patients (Group 1), and non-adjustable or conventional surgery was performed in the remaining 124 patients (Group 2). Patients with esotropia (ET) or exotropia (XT) of <55 prism diopters (PD) at distance were included. The following exclusion criteria were applied: all intermittent or vertical deviations, anisotropias >5 PD, syndromes, restrictive or paretic strabismus, reoperations, botulinum toxin injection, and patients postoperatively followed up for <3 months. Surgical success was set to a range between orthotropia and an esodeviation of up to 10 PD for both ET and XT. Results: An amblyopia rate >50% was present in all subgroups. Significant differences between strabismus groups submitted to adjustable technique and non-adjustable on postoperative day 1 were observed (p=0.00 for ET and p=0.01 for XT) and at the last visit for the XT group with a follow-up of at least 1 year (p=0.05). Conclusion: The adjustable suture technique produced a higher success rate than non-adjustable strabismus surgery for both ET and XT groups on postoperative day 1. For XT patients, the adjustable suture technique appears to produce better surgical results than non-adjustable surgery, when the surgical goal is long-lasting maintenance of a small hypercorrection.

RESUMO Objetivo: Comparar os resultados cirúrgicos das técnicas com sutura ajustável e não-justável na cirurgia do estrabismo comitante horizontal. Métodos: Os prontuários de 231 pacientes, submetidos à cirurgia do estrabismo horizontal ao longo de 25 anos e selecionados por amostragem aleatorizada foram revisados retrospectivamente. Os pacientes do estudo foram divididos em dois subgrupos de acordo com a técnica cirúrgica empregada e o tipo de estrabismo. Foram selecionados 107 pacientes submetidos à técnica ajustável (Grupo 1) e 124 patientes submetidos a técnica não ajustável ou convencional (Grupo 2). Foram incluídos esotropias (ET) ou exotropias (XT) com menos de 55 dioptrias prismáticas (DP), medidos para longe. Críterios de exclusão rigorosos foram adotados: todos os desvios intermitentes, desvios verticais, anisotropias maiores que 5 DP, síndromes, estrabismos paréticos ou restritivos, reoperações, injeção de toxina botulínica e pacientes seguidos no pós-operatório inferior a 3 meses. O sucesso cirúrgico foi definido como faixa situada entre ortotropia e esodesvio de até 10 DP, tanto para as esotropias quanto para as exotropias. Resultados: Um índice de ambliopia maior que 50% foi encontrado em todos os subgrupos. O teste do chi- quadrado revelou diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos de estrabismo submetidos às técnicas com sutura ajustável e não ajustável, no primeiro dia pós-operatório (p=0,00 for ET and p=0,01 for XT) e à última visita para o grupo dos XT, seguidos por pelo menos um ano (p=0,05). Conclusão: A técnica com sutura ajustável produziu maiores índices de sucesso do que a cirurgia de estrabismo não ajustável, para ambos os grupos ET e XT no primeiro dia pós-operatório. Para pacientes com XT, a técnica com sutura ajustável parece produzir melhores resultados cirúrgicos, quando objetiva a manutenção de uma pequena hipercorreção no pós-operatório tardio.

Return to work after renal transplantation: a study of the Brazilian Public Social Security System.

BACKGROUND: Return to work is an objective parameter used worldwide to evaluate the success of organ transplantation and is especially feasible after renal transplantation. This study sought to describe the frequency of return to work after renal transplantation and related characteristics. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of 511 isolated kidney transplant recipients was recruited from a Brazilian referral center from January 2005 to December 2009; all were matched to the public social security database to determine inclusion and benefit awards, as well as the rate of resumption of contributions to the public social security system, a surrogate marker of work rehabilitation. Characteristics associated with work return were analyzed. RESULTS: No social security records were found for 28 subjects. The remaining 483 subjects had a mean age of 45±13 years; 62% were male; 401 (83%) received some public social security benefit; 298 were paying dues and could, therefore, receive temporary or permanent disability benefits. Of these, 78 subjects made social security payments after transplantation, resulting in a work return rate of 26% (95% confidence interval, 21-32). Younger age, living donor graft, and chronic glomerulonephritis were significantly associated with return to work. CONCLUSION: In Brazil, most renal transplant recipients are on social security benefits, but only a small proportion return to work after surgery. Clinical characteristics may help define work resumption trends.

Differing patterns of temporal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize and quantify the patterns of temporal lobe atrophy in AD vs semantic dementia and to relate the findings to the cognitive profiles. Medial temporal lobe atrophy is well described in AD. In temporal variant frontotemporal dementia (semantic dementia), clinical studies suggest polar and inferolateral temporal atrophy with hippocampal sparing, but quantification is largely lacking. METHODS: A volumetric method for quantifying multiple temporal structures was applied to 26 patients with probable AD, 18 patients with semantic dementia, and 21 matched control subjects. RESULTS: The authors confirmed the expected bilateral hippocampal atrophy in AD relative to controls, with involvement of the amygdala bilaterally and the right parahippocampal gyrus. Contrary to expectations, patients with semantic dementia had asymmetric hippocampal atrophy, more extensive than AD on the left. As predicted, the semantic dementia group showed more severe involvement of the temporal pole bilaterally and the left amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus (including the entorhinal cortex), fusiform gyrus, and the inferior and middle temporal gyri. Performance on semantic association tasks correlated with the size of the left fusiform gyrus, whereas naming appeared to depend upon a wider left temporal network. Episodic memory measures, with the exception of recognition memory for faces, did not correlate with temporal measures. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal atrophy is not specific for AD but is also seen in semantic dementia. Distinguishing the patients with semantic dementia was the severe global but asymmetric (left > right) atrophy of the amygdala, temporal pole, and fusiform and inferolateral temporal gyri. These findings have implications for diagnosis and understanding of the cognitive deficits in AD and semantic dementia.

Early detection and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and depression with neuropsychological tasks.

The development of novel treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD), aimed at ameliorating symptoms and modifying disease processes, increases the need for early diagnosis. Neuropsychological deficits such as poor episodic memory are a consistent feature of early-in-the-course AD, but they overlap with the cognitive impairments in other disorders such as depression, making differential diagnosis difficult. Computerised and traditional tests of memory, attention and executive function were given to four subject groups: mild AD (n = 26); questionable dementia (QD; n = 43); major depression (n = 37) and healthy controls (n = 39). A visuo-spatial associative learning test accurately distinguished AD from depressed/control subjects and revealed an apparent sub-group of QD patients who performed like AD patients. QD patients' performance correlated with the degree of subsequent global cognitive decline. Elements of contextual and cued recall may account for the task's sensitivity and specificity for AD.

No right to speak? The relationship between object naming and semantic impairment: neuropsychological evidence and a computational model.

The processes required for object naming were addressed in a study of patients with semantic dementia (a selective decline of semantic memory resulting from progressive temporal lobe atrophy) and in a computational model of single-word production. Although all patients with semantic dementia are impaired in both single-word production and comprehension, previous reports had indicated two different patterns: (a) a parallel decline in accuracy of naming and comprehension, with frequent semantic naming errors, suggesting a purely semantic basis for the anomia and (b) a dramatic progressive anomia without commensurate decline in comprehension, which might suggest a mainly postsemantic source of the anomia. Longitudinal data for 16 patients with semantic dementia reflected these two profiles, but with the following additional important specifications: (1) despite a few relatively extreme versions of one or other profile, the full set of cases formed a continuum in the extent of anomia for a given degree of degraded comprehension; (2) the degree of disparity between these two abilities was associated with relative asymmetry in laterality of atrophy: a parallel decline in the two measures characterized patients with greater right- than left-temporal atrophy, while disproportionate anomia occurred with a predominance of atrophy in the left-temporal lobe. In an implemented computational model of naming, semantic representations were distributed across simulated left- and right-temporal regions, but the semantic units on the left were more strongly connected to left-lateralized phonological representations. Asymmetric damage to semantic units reproduced the longitudinal patient profiles of naming relative to comprehension, plus additional characteristics of the patients' naming performance. On the basis of both the neuropsychological and computational evidence, we propose that semantic impairment alone can account for the full range of word production deficits described here.

Semantic knowledge and episodic memory for faces in semantic dementia.

Previous studies have documented poor recognition memory for faces in patients with semantic dementia. Preserved face recognition memory was found in this study, however, so long as atrophy was confined predominantly to the left temporal lobe. Patients with structural damage to the right temporal lobe were typically impaired, with the status of the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus (including the perirhinal cortex) on the right being critical. Two single-case studies of patients with predominantly left temporal lobe pathology confirmed good recognition memory for famous faces, even if semantic knowledge about the celebrities depicted was severely degraded. An effect of semantic knowledge on recognition memory became apparent only when perceptually different photographs of the famous people were used at study and test. These results support the view that new episodic learning typically draws on information from both perceptual and semantic systems.

Temporal lobe rating scale: application to Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia.

OBJECTIVES: Temporal lobe atrophy as assessed by MRI can be measured in several ways. Volumetric measurements are quantitative but very time consuming and require extensive training to perform, so are not easily transferable to clinical practice. Visual rating scales, by contrast, are quick and widely applicable. Although medial temporal lobe atrophy is well described in Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is uncertain how early these changes can be detected and whether they discriminate AD from other neurodegenerative diseases, most notably frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The objectives were (1) to develop a widely applicable temporal lobe rating scale, and (2) to characterise and quantify the patterns of temporal lobe atrophy in AD versus temporal and frontal variants of FTD. METHODS: The temporal lobe assessments were made using an established hippocampal rating scale extended to incorporate additional temporal regions. This was firstly validated with volumetric analysis and then applied to 30 probable AD, 30 FTD (consisting of 17 temporal variant (semantic dementia) and 13 frontal variant) and 18 control coronal MRI images. RESULTS: Bilateral hippocampal atrophy was found in 50% of the patients with AD. Contrary to expectations, patients with semantic dementia also had hippocampal atrophy, which for the left side exceeded that seen in AD; other regions (temporal pole, parahippocampal gyrus, and lateral temporal lobe), spared in AD, were severely atrophied in this group. The patients with frontal variant FTD occupied an intermediate position and were largely indistinguishable from AD. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal atrophy is, therefore, not specific for AD. Semantic dementia can be distinguished from AD, by the presence of severe bilateral atrophy of the temporal pole, parahippocampal and lateral regions. These findings have implications for the differential diagnosis of dementias.

Rasmussen's syndrome in a 54 year old female: more support for an adult variant.

Rasmussen's syndrome, a syndrome of chronic focal encephalitis, is usually considered to be a disease of childhood. Typical features include intractable focal seizures and progressive unilateral neurological deficits with radiological evidence of focal cortical atrophy. This report documents the case of the oldest patient yet described in the literature with Rasmussen's syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed gadolinium enhancing tissue, not previously described in this condition.

Atypical and typical presentations of Alzheimer's disease: a clinical, neuropsychological, neuroimaging and pathological study of 13 cases.

There has been increasing awareness that some slowly progressive focal cortical syndromes can be the presenting features of Alzheimer's disease, but pathological evidence has been sparse. This clinico-pathological series presents our experience with pathologically proven atypical as well as typical Alzheimer's disease presentations. We report and compare four patterns of presentation: a typical pattern with initial amnesic syndrome (n = 4 cases), progressive visual dysfunction (n = 1), progressive biparietal syndrome (n = 2) and progressive aphasia (n = 6). The aphasic presentations include both fluent and non-fluent aphasic syndromes. The neuropsychological profiles and neuroimaging clearly reflect the presenting clinical features, and show a close relationship to the distribution of pathology in these cases. Of note was the sparing of medial temporal structures (hippocampus and/or entorhinal cortex) in several aphasic cases and the severe occipito-parietal involvement in those with prominent visuospatial disorders at presentation. Our data demonstrate the wide spectrum of Alzheimer's disease presentations. The recognition of atypical presentations of Alzheimer's disease is important when attempting to make an early accurate pre-morbid diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease.