Astigmatism Profile in a Large Series of Brazilian Patients.

PURPOSE: To assess anterior, posterior, and total corneal astigmatism in a large sample of Brazilian patients. METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, all patients whose corneas were imaged with the Galilei G6 (Ziemer Ophthalmology) between January 2017 and February 2019 at HOPE Eye Hospital, in Recife, Brazil, were eligible to participate. Anterior, posterior, and total corneal astigmatism values were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 3,253 eyes of 1,919 patients. The mean magnitude of the anterior, posterior, and total corneal astigmatism was 1.50 ± 1.11, 0.34 ± 0.15, and 1.29 ± 0.98 diopters (D), respectively. Corneal astigmatism was greater than 0.50 D in the anterior cornea of 86.3% of eyes (2,807 eyes) and in the posterior cornea of 13.2% of eyes (429 eyes). Vertical alignment of the steepest corneal meridian was observed in the anterior cornea of 74.5% of eyes (2,423 eyes) and in the posterior cornea of 93.1% of eyes (3,029 eyes). The correlation between the astigmatism magnitude of the anterior and posterior cornea was strong when the steep anterior meridian was aligned vertically (r = 0.720; P < .001), and absent when it was aligned horizontally (r = 0.102; P = .036). CONCLUSIONS: Corneal astigmatism values in the Brazilian population were similar to those found in other ethnicities, suggesting that toric calculators, nomograms, coefficients of adjustment, and formulas that were developed based on astigmatism values of other populations may be used in Brazilian patients with comparable accuracy. [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(1):56-60.].

Oculomotor nerve palsy in an asymptomatic child with COVID-19.

We report the case of a 2-year-old girl with acute-onset divergent strabismus and ptosis in the right eye. She had an exotropia of 45Δ for near, eyelid ptosis affecting the visual axis, adduction, limitations of up- and downgaze, and a discrete mydriasis in the right eye. Neurological conditions were ruled out. Serology was positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The patient was managed conservatively with ocular physiotherapy and close visual acuity monitoring. On follow-up examination at 1 month, there was marked improvement of the exotropia (25Δ for near), adduction, ptosis, and mydriasis.

Benznidazole: Hero or villain of cellular immune response in chronic Chagas disease patients?

Although the treatment of chronic Chagas disease (CCD) patients with Benznidazole (Bz) is still controversial, its use may prevent or delay the progression of the disease to the most severe forms. One of the main factors that can influence the effectiveness of the treatment is the possible cooperation between drug effect and the host immune response. Herein, we evaluated the immune response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and submitted to Bz treatment. Blood samples of CCD patients (n = 7) and non-infected individuals (n = 6) were drawn to obtain PBMCs. After cell culture, the supernatants were harvested and stored, and the cell analyzed by flow cytometer. The results showed that Bz positively regulated the molecular process of cell activation (CD80) and antigen presentation (HLA-DR), increased phagocytosis receptor and macrophage activation (CD64), and did not induce an exacerbated immune response. In conclusion, these results highlight the relevance of using Bz that, despite not being a true hero, it is also not a villain, as it presents a wide range of pharmacological/immunological response interactions, important for the immune balance in the clinical progression of CCD.

A trypsin inhibitor from Moringa oleifera flower extract is cytotoxic to Trypanosoma cruzi with high selectivity over mammalian cells.

In this study, Moringa oleifera flower extract and a trypsin inhibitor (MoFTI) isolated from it were evaluated for anti-protozoal activity against Trypanosoma cruzi and cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. The presence of flavonoids was remarkable in the HPLC fingerprints of the extract at 254 and 360 nm. Amino acid sequences of peptides derived from in-gel digestion of MoFTI were determined. Both the extract and MoFTI caused lysis of T. cruzi trypomastigotes with LC50/24 h of 54.18 ± 6.62 and 41.20 ± 4.28 µg/mL, respectively. High selectivity indices (7.9 to >12) for T. cruzi cells over murine peritoneal macrophages and Vero cells were found for the extract and MoFTI. The results show that MoFTI is a trypanocidal principle of the flower extract.