Serum Vitamin D Levels and Dry Eye Disease in Postmenopausal Women: A Case-Control Study at a Tertiary Care Center in Rural Haryana.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of Vitamin-D insufficiency and high susceptibility to dry eye disease (DED) in postmenopausal women (PMW), correlation between DED and Vitamin D has not been explored in PMW in any Indian study. Aims and Objectives: To explore the correlation between serum Vitamin D levels in PMW with and without DED, in a hospital-based population in rural Haryana. Materials and Methods: Subjective (ocular surface disease index [OSDI] questionnaire) and objective clinical tests were undertaken for DED diagnosis. 25(OH) Vitamin D was measured in serum using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; insufficient (10-30 ng/ml) and deficient (<10 ng/ml). Descriptive statistics were analyzed by mean ± standard deviation for continuous and frequencies for the categorical variables; Student's t-test used to find out mean difference in Vitamin D levels; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: One hundred and forty PMW (60.1 ± 5.32 years) were included; Group-A (Controls; no DED; n: 70); Group-B (Cases; DED diagnosed by OSDI scores; n: 70); Subgroup-B1 (clinical tests negative; n: 30) and B2 (clinical tests positive; n: 40). There was no statistically significant difference in OSDI scores between B1 and B2. Significantly lower mean Vitamin D levels were found in cases (14.36 ± 4.08 ng/ml) as compared to controls (19.19 ± 6.4 ng/ml) (P = 0.001) and in B2 (13.15 ± 3.51 ng/ml) as compared to B1 (15.57 ± 4.66 ng/ml) (P = 0.01). Conclusion: There were significantly low levels of Vitamin-D in clinically established DED. Evaluating Vitamin D levels as a part of the dry eye workup in PMW is recommended. OSDI scores were not aligned with the clinical test scores; questionnaire-based tests alone may not be sufficient for diagnosing DED.

Learning Preference of Medical Undergraduate Students: A Multi-Institutional Survey.

This cross-sectional multi-institutional study was conducted to analyze learning preference among medical undergraduate students (n=1659) in four colleges in Haryana. VARK questionnaire (v8.01) was administered through designated study leaders of the respective institutes. The most preferred learning modality was kinesthetic (21.7%), which favors experiential form of learning, most suited for teaching-learning of skills in medical curriculum. More information on the learning preference of medical students is needed to optimize learning outcomes.

Near-peer-assisted learning for training undergraduate medical students in clinical ophthalmology skills.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to formally evaluate near-peer-assisted learning (NPAL) for teaching clinical ophthalmology skills to second-year undergraduate medical students through their fellow medical interns. METHODS: Interns posted at the department of ophthalmology were included as tutors after an initial sensitization and assessment. Second-year undergraduate students were included as tutees. Sessions were conducted for pre-identified clinical skills in batches of 3-5 tutees each. Perceptions of tutors and tutees were captured on a 5-point Likert scale (Kirkpatrick level-1) and evaluated. Tutors were assessed by directly observed procedural skills (DOPS) and tutees by pre- and post-session scores and performance of the respective clinical skills (Kirkpatrick level-2). RESULTS: A total of 21 of 24 tutors and 82 of 100 tutees responded to the evaluation questionnaire. Tutors perceived themselves as knowledgeable and useful as instructors; scores of second DOPS session significantly improved compared to the first (p = 0.001) for all clinical skills. Tutees found the NPAL sessions effective for learning clinical skills. Pre- and post-test scores significantly improved (p = 0.001), and all clinical skills were satisfactorily performed in the end-of-term exam. CONCLUSION: NPAL was perceived as an effective teaching-learning method by both tutees and tutors, and all clinical skills were performed successfully. NPAL can serve as a useful adjunct to traditional teaching for clinical training of small groups and can help alleviate teaching pressures on already burdened clinical faculty in Indian Medical colleges.

A pilot study of the implementation and evaluation of a leadership program for medical undergraduate students: Lessons learned.

BACKGROUND: Most Indian medical schools lack formal leadership training though students are expected to evolve into leaders. The Student Leadership Program (SLP) was designed and evaluated with an objective to incorporate and strengthen leadership skills in undergraduates and to initiate change in organizational practice through the development of a Student Leadership Society. METHODS: The SLP was designed using best evidence guidelines in medical education. Competencies and learning outcomes were identified in four domains: reflective writing, self-management, team management, and experiential learning. A stepwise program was implemented over 6 months in which participants wrote reflections at the end of each program session. So as to gain objective evidence of behavioral change in participants in relation to the leadership training, their reflections were qualitatively analyzed and corresponding codes and themes were derived. RESULTS: We describe the content and stepwise process of implementation of our pilot leadership program, which included 24 final-year students. Results of qualitative analysis are presented in relation to the domains of self-management, team management, and evaluation of experimental learning. Among the findings were: students viewed assertive skills training as the most powerful learning experience within self-management, and in team management, the session on "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for understanding one's own leadership style" was seen as the most powerful learning tool, while the session on conflict management was the most difficult in this domain. A Student Leadership Society was instituted. DISCUSSION: In this study, students' reflections helped us better understand factors (the "how" and "why") that make leadership training more effective. The SLP, with a strong evidence base, achieved the intended learning outcomes. A Student Leadership Society was constituted as a networking platform to explore the long-term effects of leadership training on organizational practice. The content and process of our pilot leadership program and lessons learned through understanding of students' perspectives should be applicable to subsequent iterations of student leadership development programs here and in other settings.

Framework to Incorporate Leadership Training in Competency-Based Undergraduate Curriculum for the Indian Medical Graduate.

The new competency-based curriculum recognized the importance of leadership skills in physicians and has outlined competencies that would lead to attaining this goal. To prepare the Indian medical graduates as effective healthcare leader, there is no universal approach; it is desirable that the institutes organize the leadership competencies into an institutional framework and integrate these vertically and horizontally in their curriculum in a longitudinal manner. We describe the rationale for incorporating formal leadership training in the new competency-based undergraduate curriculum and propose a longitudinal curricular template utilizing a mixed/multi-modality approach to teach and apply leadership competencies.

Aberrant regeneration of third nerve with characteristic lid signs: operating the normal fellow eye.

A young female with old traumatic third nerve palsy presented with characteristic lid signs of aberrant regeneration of third nerve. There was noticeable disparity in the lid aperture and surgery on the normal fellow eye was undertaken to offer the patient a satisfactory aesthetic appearance.

Clinical procedural skills assessment during internship in ophthalmology.

INTRODUCTION: Directly observed procedural skills (DOPS) is a unique method for assessment since it tests the trainee's ability to apply his knowledge and skills in performing a particular procedure and provides an assessment of the practical work performed by the trainee on a 'real' patient under supervision of an experienced faculty. The study aims to make use of DOPS rating for assessment and further improvement in procedural skills in interns in Ophthalmology rotational posting. METHODS: A prospective study was planned and 15 interns on 2 weeks' rotational posting in the department of Ophthalmology were included by purposive sampling over a duration of 2 months. Four clinical procedural skills were identified and in the second week of posting, the interns were assessed by three DOPS encounters at an interval of 2 days for each clinical skill. The DOPS ratings were analyzed quantitatively using R-statistical software by repeated measure ANOVA and Banfuroni test. RESULTS: A total of 180 DOPS were undertaken for 15 interns in 4 core areas of ophthalmic examination. The mean overall DOPS rating for DOPS-1 was 3.70±0.82, DOPS-2, 3.83±1.82 and DOPS-3, 4.93±1.65; the difference in DOPS rating between the first and second encounter was not statistically significant (p=0.497), between the second and the third and between the first and the third were statistically significant (p=0.000 in both cases) using Banfuroni test. The overall difference was also statistically significant (p=0.000) using repeated measure ANOVA. Both the assessor and intern satisfaction increased significantly from the first to the third DOPS, but not statistically significant between the first and the second and between the second and the third DOPS. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant improvement in interns' clinical skills through repeated DOPS and the method was well accepted by both the students and the faculty. Internship period can be well utilized for improving clinical skills and novel performance assessment methods like DOPS might prove to be highly beneficial in ensuring adequacy of learning during internship and also to assess their readiness for accepting professional responsibilities in future.

Myopic Shift After Intraocular Lens Implantation in Children Less Than Two Years of Age.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the myopic shift over a period of 2 years following implantation of intraocular lens (IOL) in children less than 2 years of age with axial length less than 22 mm. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of records of children below 2 years of age with axial length less than 22 mm who had undergone cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation over a period of 7 years was undertaken. Mean myopic shift was analyzed at 6 months, in first year, second year and end of 2 years following surgery. RESULTS: Total 40 eyes of 23 children were included (mean age 13.55±7.38 months); with mean myopic shift at end of 2 years -2.35±2.15. Myopic shift in eyes with undercorrection in range of 3-4 D (group-I) and 5-7 D (group-II) was compared using Mann-Whitney test. Mean myopic shift at end of 2 years was -2.93±2.55 in group-I and -1.88±1.77 in group-II (p value not significant). There was no significant difference in myopic shift between two groups at 6 months and 1 year; a borderline significant difference was found in second year (p= 0.04). CONCLUSION: In our study amount of myopic shift in first two years in children with axial length less than 22 mm is below the expected normal. There was not much significant difference in the myopic shift over a period of 2 years in eyes, which were undercorrected by 3-4 D against those with 5-7 D. Thus aiming for less residual hyperopia by less undercorrection did not increase myopic shift. Thus high-level hyperopic glasses in the early years could be avoided and help in prevention of amblyopia after paediatric cataract surgery.

Anomalous Lateral Rectus Muscle Band in a Case of Duane Retraction Syndrome.

Anomalous orbital structures are suspected in restrictive strabismus with features of severe globe retractions, overshoots, or synergistic movements. We report a case of suspected Duane syndrome that was found to have an anomalous band beneath the lateral rectus muscle. Such abnormal structures are rare, but it is important to identify and manage them to optimize outcomes.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ISCHEMIA-MODIFIED ALBUMIN AS A SIMPLE MEASURE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ITS DISCRIMINATORY ABILITY IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: Oxidative stress (OXS) plays critical role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DRP). Increased concentrations of serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) have been demonstrated as a novel and inexpensive measure of oxidative stress. Although few pilot studies have reported increased IMA in DRP, the available literature is limited to comprehensively describe the potential significance of IMA in predicting DRP. METHODS: The authors performed a meta-analysis to investigate IMA in DRP compared with control and diabetes mellitus subjects. The authors also performed a meta-analysis of area under curve for IMA. PubMed (Medline), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer Link, and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant studies in serum IMA in DRP. The authors obtained five observational studies. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 and MEDCALC 15.8 software to present the pooled-overall effect size as standardized mean difference and overall area under curve value of IMA. RESULTS: Random-effects meta-analysis indicated a significant increase in serum IMA in patients with DRP compared with control (standardized mean difference = 2.48, P < 0.0001) and diabetes mellitus groups (standardized mean difference = 1.43, P < 0.0001). Our results also show that IMA can significantly predict the development of DRP (area under curve = 0.86, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Serum IMA may be useful as a simple marker in monitoring of oxidative stress status in DRP and showed significant discriminatory ability in DRP. Future comparative studies in large are needed to further investigate IMA in different types of DRP; proliferative and nonproliferative.

Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) and albumin adjusted-IMA (AAIMA) as biomarkers for diabetic retinopathy.

INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress has important role in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) has been recently considered as a marker of oxidative damage in diabetes. However, there is scarcity of published information about both IMA and albumin adjusted-IMA (AAIMA) in DR patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the serum levels of IMA and AAIMA in patients with DR and in healthy controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a cross sectional study. Serum was obtained to measure lipids, albumin and IMA from the the patients with DR and non-diabetic subjects. The IMA level was measured by a colorimetric albumin cobalt binding (ACB) assay and the values were presented as absorbance units (ABSU). The IMA levels were adjusted for albumin interference and the AAIMA by using a formula [Individual serum albumin/median albumin concentration of the population X IMA]. RESULTS: This study was done on 18 DR and 20 non- diabetic patients. The mean Serum IMA values in DR group and controls were 0.50±0.17 and 0.32±0.17, respectively (P=0.002). The mean serum AAIMA values in DR group and controls were 0.48±0.20 and 0.32±0.17, respectively (P=0.01). The albumin and HDL- Cholesterol levels were significantly lower in DR patients compared to controls (p=0.004 and p=0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The level of IMA and AAIMA were higher in cases of DR compared to that of non-diabetic subjects. The levels of albumin and HDL-Cholesterol were lower in DR patients compared to controls.

Expression of P-glycoprotein in human retinoblastoma and its clinical significance.

Retinoblastoma is the most common malignant intraocular tumor of childhood. Drug resistance and relapses are major problems with chemotherapy, which is regarded as the mainstay of globe preserving treatment in retinoblastoma. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression has been reported to be associated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis in various malignancies. We analyzed P-gp expression in retinoblastoma specimens, enucleated either primarily or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting, and correlated with the histopathological findings. Variables were statistically analyzed by Fischer's exact and chi-square tests. Tumor tissues were collected from enucleated eyes of 24 children. Fifteen of these were primarily enucleated (group I), and nine (group II) had received chemotherapy prior to enucleation. P-gp was expressed in 4/15 (26.7 %) eyes in group I and in 5/9 (55.6 %) eyes in group II. P-gp was highly expressed in group II as compared to group I. There was no correlation between P-gp expression and tumor differentiation, invasion, or laterality. In conclusion, there was markedly high expression of P-gp in eyes with retinoblastoma enucleated after chemotherapy. This may possibly play a role in chemoresistance or it may be that chemotherapy might have induced high expression. These findings may have important implications for the treatment of retinoblastoma patients but need further prospective investigations in a larger patient population.

Results of late surgical intervention in children with early-onset bilateral cataracts.

BACKGROUND: Cataracts are a major cause of childhood blindness globally. Although surgically treatable, it is unclear whether children would benefit from such interventions beyond the first few years of life, which are believed to constitute 'critical' periods for visual development. AIMS: To study visual acuity outcomes after late treatment of early-onset cataracts and also to determine whether there are longitudinal changes in postoperative acuity. METHODS: We identified 53 children with dense cataracts with an onset within the first half-year after birth through a survey of over 20,000 rural children in India. All had accompanying nystagmus and were older than 8 years of age at the time of treatment. They underwent bilateral cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation. We then assessed their best-corrected visual acuity 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: 48 children from the pool of 53 showed improvement in their visual acuity after surgery. Our longitudinal assessments demonstrated further improvements in visual acuity for the majority of these children proceeding from the 6-week to 6-month assessment. Interestingly, older children in our subject pool did not differ significantly from the younger ones in the extent of improvement they exhibit. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our results demonstrate that not only can significant vision be acquired until late in childhood, but that neural processes underlying even basic aspects of vision like resolution acuity remain malleable until at least adolescence. These data argue for the provision of cataract treatment to all children, irrespective of their age.

Extraocular retinoblastoma in Indian children: clinical, imaging and histopathological features.

AIM: TO STUDY EYES WITH EXTRAOCULAR DISSEMINATION (EORB), WITH THE FOLLOWING AIMS: first to establish the mean lag period and to understand various reasons for delayed presentation, second to study their imaging profiles and third to analyze histopathological features of eyes enucleated after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: Prospective study of clinical and imaging features of EORBs (stage III and IV International Retinoblastoma Staging System) presenting to a tertiary eye care centre. Histopathological features of eyes enucleated after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed. A pictorial illustration of the varied imaging profile of EORB was also presented. RESULTS: Over a period of one year, 97 eyes were diagnosed with retinoblastoma; 32 children (36 eyes) (37.1%) had EORB. Mean age 3.6±1.9 years, 71.9% males, 71.9% unilateral, 3.1% with positive family history and 40.6% with metastasis. On imaging, there was extrascleral involvement in 22.2%, involvement of orbital part of optic nerve in 33.3%, involvement of central nervous system in 27.8% and orbital wall involvement in 2.9% eyes. On histopathological analysis of eyes enucleated after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 25.0% had no residual viable tumour tissue and rest all tumours were poorly differentiated. CONCLUSION: There are very few human malignancies where definitive treatment is started without any confirmed histopathological diagnosis and imaging plays an important role in diagnosis and appropriate staging of the disease. Chemotherapy has a variable effect on EORB, 75.0% of eyes with EORB had residual viable tumour tissue when enucleated after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Impact of low vision rehabilitation on functional vision performance of children with visual impairment.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of low vision rehabilitation on functional vision of children with visual impairment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The LV Prasad-Functional Vision Questionnaire, designed specifically to measure functional performance of visually impaired children of developing countries, was used to assess the level of difficulty in performing various tasks pre and post visual rehabilitation in children with documented visual impairment. Chi-square test was used to assess the impact of rehabilitation intervention on functional vision performance; a P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: LogMAR visual acuity prior to the introduction of low vision devices (LVDs) was 0.90 ± 0.05 for distance and for near it was 0.61 ± 0.05. After the intervention, the acuities improved significantly for distance (0.2 ± 0.27; P < 0.0001) and near (0.42 ± 0.17; P = 0.001). The most common reported difficulties were related to their academic activities like copying from the blackboard (80%), reading textbook at arm's length (77.2%), and writing along a straight line (77.2%). Absolute raw score of disability pre-LVD was 15.05 which improved to 7.58 post-LVD. An improvement in functional vision post visual rehabilitation was especially found in those activities related to their studying lifestyle like copying from the blackboard (P < 0.0001), reading textbook at arm's length (P < 0.0001), and writing along a straight line (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: In our study group, there was a significant improvement in functional vision post visual rehabilitation, especially with those activities which are related to their academic output. It is important for these children to have an early visual rehabilitation to decrease the impairment associated with these decreased visual output and to enhance their learning abilities.