Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Plasma Eyedrops for the Treatment of Recalcitrant Dry Eye Disease Patients.

BACKGROUND: Dry eye disease is a significant disease in Singapore. While there have been studies using allogenic cord serum for the treatment of dry eye disease, treatment of dry eyes with allogenic umbilical cord plasma drops has yet to be started in Singapore. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of umbilical cord plasma eyedrops for the treatment of recalcitrant dry eyes in a local Singaporean context. METHODS: This is an observational, longitudinal, interventional study for dry eye patients who did not show clear improvement after standard therapy. Patients were recruited from 2020 to 2023 from the dry eye clinic of the Singapore National Eye Center. Umbilical cord plasma was delivered frozen to patients and stored in home freezers. All participants underwent a standardized clinical evaluation for dry eye, and data were collected. RESULTS: There were 40 participants (7 males and 33 females). The duration of follow-up was 5.52 ± 1.57 months. Kerato-epitheliopathy staining score, TBUT (tear breakup time), and SPEED (Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness Questionnaire) scores significantly improved after treatment. No statistically significant improvement was found in terms of visual acuity, according to Schirmer's score. CONCLUSION: Cord plasma eye drops significantly improved kerato-epitheliopathy staining scores in recalcitrant dry eye patients. Allogeneic plasma is a promising form of treatment for recalcitrant dry eye.

Podiatric assessment in children and adults with epidermolysis bullosa: are foot and ankle patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) able to measure the severity of podiatric involvement among EB patients?

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) represents a group of rare genetic skin fragility disorders characterized by (muco) cutaneous blistering upon minimal mechanical trauma. Ninety percent of EB patients experience podiatric symptoms which may affect physical functioning and emotional well-being. To date, an EB-specific podiatric assessment has not been outlined to guide clinicians in the assessment of EB podiatric involvement. This review describes the podiatric involvement of patients with EB and assesses the relevance of validated foot and ankle patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in measuring podiatric severity among EB patients. A literature review was conducted to identify systematic reviews and clinical studies investigating foot health and podiatric manifestations using validated foot health PROMs across foot and ankle conditions. Limited studies have documented the significance of podiatric involvement among EB patients. Existing EB-specific PROMs are not region-specific for assessing podiatric involvement. Among the foot and ankle PROMs, the Foot Health Status Questionnaire, Foot Function Index, and Manchester Oxford Foot Questionnaire were identified as potentially appropriate for assessing podiatric severity among EB patients, each with its strengths and limitations in assessment. However, they have not been widely validated for assessing dermatology-related diseases. An evaluation of the relevance of each identified PROM to EB podiatric assessment would enable future development of an appropriate EB-specific podiatric assessment tool that would guide management.

Early Abdominal Ectopic Pregnancy Masquerading as a Missed Miscarriage.

A 43-year-old lady, gravida 2 para 0, presented to our emergency department with complaints of vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal pain. Her urine pregnancy test was positive. She was unable to recall her last menstrual period. A trans-vaginal ultrasound revealed a pregnancy with a crown rump length of 47 mm corresponding to 11.4 weeks with no fetal heartbeat detected. She was diagnosed with a missed miscarriage and was sent for a second confirmatory scan. The repeat scan was concordant with the initial scan and she was counseled for an evacuation of uterus. Her serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin level was 45,195 IU/L and her hemoglobin level was 6.5 g/dL. She underwent an evacuation of uterus as planned, but the Hegar dilator was only able to be advanced to a cavity length of 6 cm with minimal products of conception obtained. A bedside ultrasound was performed and it showed that the Hegar dilator was in the uterine cavity but not in continuity with the gestational sac and fetus. The diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy was made and the surgery was converted to a diagnostic laparoscopy. On entry into the abdominal cavity, there was frank hemoperitoneum with adhesions limiting access to the pelvis, therefore decision was made to convert to laparotomy. The findings at laparotomy revealed a large inflamed left tubo-ovarian complex with tubal rupture and expulsion of the entire fetus and placenta into the Pouch of Douglas (POD). The diagnosis of a secondary implantation of the ectopic pregnancy in the POD after tubal rupture was confirmed and we performed adhesiolysis and left salpingectomy. The patient recovered uneventfully and the final histology showed products of conception within the lumen of the left fallopian tube in keeping with ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy.

Streptococcus pyogenes aortic aneurysm infection: forgotten but not gone.

Historically, Streptococcus pyogenes was a common cause of endocarditis and infected aortic aneurysm. Today, endovascular infections due to this organism have become exceedingly rare. We report the first case of aortic aneurysm infection due to S. pyogenes treated with initial endoluminal repair, review previous reports and discuss current treatment options.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio predicts medium-term survival following elective major vascular surgery: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The systemic nature of atherosclerosis compromises medium-term survival following major vascular surgery. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple index of systemic inflammatory burden which correlates with survival following percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective major vascular surgery in 2 tertiary vascular units were identified from prospectively maintained databases. Factors associated with 2-year mortality were assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Over a 4-year period, 1021 patients underwent elective major vascular surgery (carotid endarterectomy, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, lower limb revascularization). Two-year mortality was 11.2%. In multivariate analysis, preoperative NLR > 5 was independently associated with 2-year mortality (multivariate odds ratio [OR] 2.21; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-4.01). CONCLUSION: Preoperative NLR identifies patients at increased risk of death within 2 years of major vascular surgery. This simple index may facilitate targeted preventive measures for high-risk patients.

Body dissatisfaction, maternal appraisal, and depressive symptoms in Hong Kong adolescents.

Body dissatisfaction, its risk factors and association with depressed mood have been well investigated in the West. However, more studies are needed to examine further the relation between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms and the factors influencing body dissatisfaction in non-Western cultures. The present study examined in a sample of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents the relation between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms, and the relation of maternal appraisal of their adolescent's figure to the adolescent's body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms. We obtained information from 379 boys and 254 girls about their body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms. Their mothers provided information about their appraisal of their adolescent's body shape and size compared to ideal. Body dissatisfaction was related to depressive symptoms in girls (B = 2.58, p <.01), but not in boys (B = -0.08, p >.10). Negative maternal appraisal did not have direct effects on adolescents' depressive symptoms (B = 0.14, p =.75), but the association between negative maternal appraisal and body dissatisfaction was significantly stronger in adolescents whose ideal was smaller than they perceived themselves to be (B = 0.32, p <.01) than those whose ideal was larger than their own perception (B = 0.14, p < .01). Our findings suggest that maternal appraisal had indirect effects on mood, acting through adolescents' body dissatisfaction, and that body dissatisfaction may be a sex-specific risk factor for depression. This study points to the need for testing and adapting programs to reduce body dissatisfaction particularly in girls at risk for depression, and to raise mothers' awareness of the link between their negative appraisals and their adolescents' body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms.

The association between adolescents' depressive symptoms, maternal negative affect, and family relationships in Hong Kong: cross-sectional and longitudinal findings.

This study investigated the bidirectional relationships of adolescents' and maternal mood, and the moderating effect by gender and perceived family relationships on these relationships. Data were obtained from 626 adolescent-mother dyads and follow-up data were collected one year later from a subset. Adolescents reported their depressive symptoms, and their mothers reported their negative affect. Adolescents described their perception of family relationships. Maternal negative affect and adolescents' depressive symptoms were significantly correlated at baseline. This association was moderated by gender and family relationships. The association was stronger in mother-daughter compared to mother-son dyads. In families where relationships were reported to be poor, adolescent depressive symptoms were uniformly high, regardless of maternal negative affect. However, in families where relationships were good, maternal negative affect was associated with higher adolescents' depressive symptoms. In longitudinal analyses, adolescents' mood at baseline was found to relate to maternal negative affect at follow-up. Family relationships at baseline were also associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms at follow-up. However, there was no prediction from maternal negative affect at baseline to adolescents' depressive symptoms at follow-up. Gender and quality of family relationships did not moderate the longitudinal relationships between adolescents' depressive symptoms and maternal negative affect in either direction.

Factor structure of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale in Hong Kong adolescents.

We present data from the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) for 2 samples of Hong Kong community adolescents (combined N = 1,385). The 4 positive affect items related poorly to the remainder of the scale. Using 16 items, the data were consistent with 2 models with highly correlated factors: (a) a 2-factor model, 1 of which merged somatic and affective items, and (b) a 3-factor model separating somatic, depressed, and interpersonal items. Correlations with related constructs provide preliminary support of validity. Hong Kong adolescents are influenced both by traditional concepts of mind-body holism and Western psychological models separating psychological and somatic symptoms.

Repeat suicide attempts in Hong Kong community adolescents.

It has been well documented that a history of suicide attempts confers risk for subsequent attempts; however, efforts to explain how variables may change after a previous attempt and in turn relate to future suicide attempts are rare in the literature. This study presents longitudinal data on adolescent suicide attempts in Hong Kong, and examines whether the data support the "crescendo" model to explain repeat suicide attempts. One thousand and ninety-nine community adolescents aged 12-18 years were evaluated at two assessment points 12 months apart (T1 and T2). The study assessed (1) risk factors at T1 for a suicide attempt between T1 and T2, (2) whether a suicide attempt during the 12 months prior to T1 predicted an attempt between the two assessment points, and (3) whether the indicators of distress worsened from T1 to T2 if an attempt had taken place in the interim. The results indicated that: (1) depressive symptoms, substance use, and suicidal ideation measured at T1 were independent predictors of a suicide attempt between T1 and T2; (2) suicide attempt in the year prior to T1 predicted suicide attempt between T1 and T2 after controlling for other predictors; and (3) suicide attempt between T1 and T2 was a predictive factor for a negative change from T1 to T2 in substance use, suicidal ideation, family relationships, depression, anxiety, and life stress. These findings are consistent with the "crescendo" model proposing that the risk of repeat attempts is enhanced following a previous suicide attempt.

Risk factors associated with suicide attempts and other self-injury among Hong Kong adolescents.

This study examined 1,361 Chinese adolescents who reported self-injurious behaviors. Groups A and B both acknowledged deliberate self-injury, but only Group A had made a suicide attempt. Group C reported accidental self-injury. Deliberate self-injurers (Groups A and B) were more frequently girls, older, and with more suicidal ideation. Group A had more psychopathology, environmental and suicide-related risk factors than group B and C. Group C had higher depressive symptoms than noninjured controls. The study clarifies differences among self-injurious behavior groups based on expressed deliberate self-injury and self-reported suicide attempt. These three groups appear to present a continuum of risk.

Exposure to suicide and suicidal behaviors among Hong Kong adolescents.

Suicidal behaviors (deliberate self-injury with the intent to hurt or kill oneself) have been little examined outside the West. The aims of this study were to (a) determine the correlates of suicidal behaviors, and (b) examine whether depression and suicide ideation moderated the effects of exposure to completed and attempted suicide on suicidal behaviors among a community sample of Hong Kong youth ages 12-17. Adolescents responded to questions regarding self-injurious behaviors, and also indicated presence of intention to hurt or kill themselves in the past 12 months. Based on their responses, two groups of interest were formed: 96 youths reported both self-injurious behaviors and the intent to hurt or kill themselves, and formed the "suicidal behaviors" group; and, 1213 adolescents reported neither self-injurious behaviors nor intent to hurt self or die, and formed the control group. The participants also responded to questions about depressive symptoms, anxiety, suicidal ideation and attempt, alcohol/drug use, stressful life events, and family relationships. They indicated whether anyone they knew had attempted or completed suicide in the previous 12 months. Logistic regression indicated that depressive symptoms, stressful life events, suicidal ideation and exposure to suicide attempt (but not completed suicide) contributed unique variance to the presence of suicidal behaviors, after controlling for demographic variables. Depression (and at trend levels, suicidal ideation) moderated the effect of exposure to suicide attempt by others on suicidal behaviors. Our results indicate that completed suicide in the social network increases risk for suicidal behaviors, but not when other risk factors are controlled. By contrast, a suicide attempt independently increases risk for suicidal behaviors. Furthermore, those youths who experience depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation are at particularly high risk for engaging in suicidal behaviors when an exposure to suicide attempt occurs.

Depressive symptoms among Hong Kong adolescents: relation to atypical sexual feelings and behaviors, gender dissatisfaction, pubertal timing, and family and peer relationships.

A representative community sample of Hong Kong boys (n = 1,024) and girls (n = 1,403), age 14-18 years, provided information regarding same-sex attraction, gender dissatisfaction, pubertal timing, early experience with sexual intercourse, and depressive symptoms. They also rated the quality of their family and peer relationships and self-perceived attractiveness. Depressive symptoms were higher in youths reporting same-sex attraction, gender dissatisfaction, early pubertal maturation, and early sexual intercourse. Family relationships were less satisfactory for those who reported same-sex attraction, gender dissatisfaction, and early sexual intercourse, and peer relationships were also worse for those who reported gender dissatisfaction. In multivariate analyses, same-sex attraction, early sexual intercourse, and early pubertal maturation were unique and direct contributors to depressive symptoms; however, gender dissatisfaction's association with depressive symptoms was largely accounted for by shared correlations with negative family and peer relationships. The multivariate model explained 11% of the variance of depressive symptoms. These findings offer a preliminary documentation of the prevalence and correlates of atypical sexual self-assessments and behavior among adolescents in Hong Kong. Such information is important if theories of sexual identity and risk factors for depressive symptoms are to have cross-cultural utility.