Retrospective analysis of misdiagnosis of cytomegalovirus retinitis

Abstract Background Initial misdiagnosis of cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) may lead to irreversible loss of vision and systemic deterioration. We retrospectively reported some misdiagnosis related to CMVR. Methods The medical records of 92 consecutive patients diagnosed or misdiagnosed as CMVR were reviewed retrospectively at the ophthalmology department of Beijing youan hospital from July 2017 to October 2019. The primary outcome measure was to evaluate cases with CMVR who were initially misdiagnosed or who were misdiagnosed as CMVR. Results In 8 (8.7%) out of the 92 patients, the initial diagnosis was incorrect. The median age of the eight patients was 37.5 years (range 20-46 yeas). All (7/7, 100%) patients were male. Patients with CMVR were initially misdiagnosed as diabetic retinopathy (1/92,1.1%), branch retinal vein occlusion (1/92,1.1%), ischemic optic neuropathy (1/92,1.1%), Behcet′s disease (1/92,1.1%), iridocyclitis (2/92, 2.3%), and progressive outer retinal necrosis (1/92,1.1%). One patient with binocular renal retinopathy and chronic renal insufficiency was misdiagnosed as CMVR (1/92,1.1%). All patients presented binocular involvement (sixteen eyes), and two patients (four eyes) presented pan-retinal involvement. Fourteen eyes (14/16, 87.5%) had optic disc or macular area involved. One patient is blind, and two patients had a low vision when the diagnosis is finally clear. Five patients had systemic symptoms. Seven patients were finally diagnosed with AIDS showing an extremely low level of CD4 + T lymphocyte: median of 5 cells/ul (range 1-9 cells/ul). Conclusion The misdiagnosis of CMVR can occur in young male patients. The ophthalmologist should pay more attention to CMVR and systemic symptoms insulting to avoid deterioration of vision and delaying in the management of systemic conditions.

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Improvement of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Doubleblind Clinical Trial by Escitalopram in Male Patients

Current Psychopharmacologye ◽

10.2174/2211556009999200513074605 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 211-217

Author(s):

Saeed S. Shafti

Keyword(s):

Negative Symptoms ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Psychiatric Rehabilitation ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Neuronal Uptake ◽

Hamilton Depression Scale ◽

Male Patients ◽

The Mean

Background: The negative symptoms of schizophrenia remain a major clinical trouble against psychiatric rehabilitation and available therapeutic treatments. Objective: Escitalopram is known as the most selective SSRI with minimal effects on norepinephrine and dopamine neuronal uptake. The aim of the present study is to assess the effect of escitalopram on negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: This study was an eight-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of escitalopram set against placebo, as an add-on medication, in the treatment of 50 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. While the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms was used as the primary outcome measure, the Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms, the Simpson-Angus Scale and the Hamilton Depression Scale, as well, were used as a secondary measure for evaluation of positive, extrapyramidal and depressive symptoms, respectively. Results: The primary outcome of the present assessment was a significant reduction in the mean total score of the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) in the target group, compared to placebo, at the end of eight weeks. In this regard, most of the subscales of SANS, as well, demonstrated significant improvements by escitalopram. Conclusion: According to the findings, escitalopram can be helpful, as add-on medication, in amelioration of negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

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Study of the therapeutic efficacy and safety of intralesional tranexamic acid (25 mg/ml) for the treatment of melasma in male patients: A single centered “before-after” observational study

International Journal of Research in Dermatology ◽

10.18203/issn.2455-4529.intjresdermatol20214209 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 827

Author(s):

Yog R. Verma ◽

Karaninder S. Mehta ◽

Pushpinder S. Chauhan ◽

Vikram K. Mahajan ◽

Monika Chandel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tranexamic Acid ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Outcome Measure ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Great Tendency ◽

Time Saving ◽

Male Patients

Background: Melasma is a common and difficult to treat hypermelanosis of poorly understood etiopathogenesis with great tendency to relapse. Tranexamic acid (TA) has been used in various formulations for its treatment, but there is paucity of studies/data and no consensus on the optimum dosage of intradermal TA, especially among the male patients. To study the efficacy and safety of intralesional TA 25 mg/ml for the treatment of melasma in male patients.Methods: Total 58 males were enrolled for study from July 2019 to June 2020. TA in 25 mg/ml strength injection and about 0.05 ml was injected intradermally at 1 cm apart on the entire melasma lesion, not exceeding 50 mg per visit and repeated every 4 weekly for 12 weeks. The percentage reduction in MASI was the primary outcome measure. It was determined every 4th week till 12 weeks and finally at 24 weeks for recurrence.Results: Mean MASI decreased from baseline score of 8.42±5.63 to 6.71±4.65, 5.09±3.59 and 3.41±3.06 at the follow up week 4, 8 and 12 respectively with a significant decrease from 8th week onwards. Majority of the patients were satisfied with their improvement after treatment (67.2%) without any significant adverse effects.Conclusions: However, the TA was found to effective in all the three histopathological types of melasma but the dermal melasma was least responsive as well as earliest to relapse. We recommend monthly therapy at 25 mg/ml as more efficacious, time saving and cost effective to all the three types of melasma.

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Comparative study of intracranial access in thrombectomy using next generation 0.088 inch guide catheter technology

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-017341 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. neurintsurg-2021-017341

Author(s):

Devin V Bageac ◽

Blake S Gershon ◽

Jan Vargas ◽

Maxim Mokin ◽

Zeguang Ren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Outcome ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Control Group ◽

Anterior Circulation ◽

Guide Catheter ◽

Catheter Failure ◽

Catheter Technology ◽

Intracranial Vasculature

BackgroundMost conventional 0.088 inch guide catheters cannot safely navigate intracranial vasculature. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of stroke thrombectomy using a novel 0.088 inch guide catheter designed for intracranial navigation.MethodsThis is a multicenter retrospective study, which included patients over 18 years old who underwent thrombectomy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusions. Technical outcomes for patients treated using the TracStar Large Distal Platform (TracStar LDP) or earlier generation TRX LDP were compared with a matched cohort of patients treated with other commonly used guide catheters. The primary outcome measure was device-related complications. Secondary outcome measures included guide catheter failure and time between groin puncture and clot engagement.ResultsEach study arm included 45 patients. The TracStar group was non-inferior to the control group with regard to device-related complications (6.8% vs 8.9%), and the average time to clot engagement was 8.89 min shorter (14.29 vs 23.18 min; p=0.0017). There were no statistically significant differences with regard to other technical outcomes, including time to recanalization (modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) ≥2B). The TracStar was successfully advanced into the intracranial internal carotid artery in 33 cases (73.33%); in three cases (6.67%), it was swapped for an alternate catheter. Successful reperfusion (mTICI 2B-3) was achieved in 95.56% of cases. Ninety-day follow-up data were available for 86.67% of patients, among whom 46.15% had an modified Rankin Score of 0–2%, and 10.26% were deceased.ConclusionsTracstar LDP is safe for use during stroke thrombectomy and was associated with decreased time to clot engagement. Intracranial access was regularly achieved.

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Intracameral Bevacizumab Versus Sub-Tenon’s Mitomycin C as Adjuncts to Trabeculectomy: 3-Year Results of a Prospective Randomized Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10102054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 2054

Author(s):

Gerasimos Kopsinis ◽

Dimitrios Tsoukanas ◽

Dimitra Kopsini ◽

Theodoros Filippopoulos

Keyword(s):

Mitomycin C ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Randomized Study ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Complication Rates ◽

Filtration Surgery ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Exfoliative Glaucoma

Conjunctival wound healing determines success after filtration surgery and the quest for better antifibrotic agents remains active. This study compares intracameral bevacizumab to sub-Tenon’s mitomycin C (MMC) in trabeculectomy. Primary open-angle or exfoliative glaucoma patients were randomized to either bevacizumab (n = 50 eyes) or MMC (n = 50 eyes). The primary outcome measure was complete success, defined as Intraocular Pressure (IOP) > 5 mmHg and ≤ 21 mmHg with a minimum 20% reduction from baseline without medications. Average IOP and glaucoma medications decreased significantly in both groups at all follow-up points compared to baseline (p < 0.001), without significant difference between groups at 3 years (IOP: bevacizumab group from 29 ± 9.4 to 15 ± 3.4 mmHg, MMC group from 28.3 ± 8.7 to 15.4 ± 3.8 mmHg, p = 0.60; Medications: bevacizumab group from 3.5 ± 0.9 to 0.5 ± 1, MMC group from 3.6 ± 0.7 to 0.6 ± 1.1, p = 0.70). Complete success, although similar between groups at 3 years (66% vs. 64%), was significantly higher for bevacizumab at months 6 and 12 (96% vs. 82%, p = 0.03; 88% vs. 72%, p = 0.04, respectively) with fewer patients requiring medications at months 6, 9 and 12 (4% vs. 18%, p = 0.03; 6% vs. 20%, p = 0.04; 8% vs. 24%, p = 0.03, respectively). Complication rates were similar between groups. In conclusion, intracameral bevacizumab appears to provide similar long-term efficacy and safety results as sub-Tenon’s MMC after trabeculectomy.

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120 Genicular Nerve Radio-Frequency Ablation in The Treatment of Anterior Knee Pain in Patients with Osteoarthritis of The Knee Joint: Systematic Review

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab134.532 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

M Farrugia ◽

C Tinning

Keyword(s):

Knee Pain ◽

Anterior Knee Pain ◽

Comparative Studies ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Final Analysis ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Sensory Innervation ◽

Osteoarthritis Of The Knee ◽

Pain Scores ◽

Anterior Knee

Abstract Anterior knee pain is one of the main symptoms in osteoarthritis, resulting from the rich sensory innervation of its capsule. Pain control can be difficult to achieve, with non-responders to conservative and medical therapy often requiring a total knee replacement. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a novel technique that could be beneficial in managing anterior knee pain by targeting the genicular nerves around the knee; however, its routine use is not included in current guidelines. A literature search identified fifty-two results, which underwent screening using a study protocol and the final literature sources, of varying levels of evidence, underwent critical appraisal and analysis. The primary outcome included the significant improvement of pain scores from baseline, against their respective control treatments. The ten studies included in the final analysis consisted of seven comparative studies and three non-comparative studies. Literature showed significant improvement in their mean pain scores, all meeting the primary outcome measure. Most studies also showed significant improvement from the control treatments used. Current literature shows evidence that genicular nerve RFA is an effective and safe treatment modality in the management of anterior knee pain secondary to osteoarthritis. However, the literature available is limited and further comparative studies are required.

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Randomized controlled trial of convalescent plasma therapy against standard therapy in patients with severe COVID-19 disease

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89444-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Manaf AlQahtani ◽

Abdulkarim Abdulrahman ◽

Abdulrahman Almadani ◽

Salman Yousif Alali ◽

Alaa Mahmood Al Zamrooni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Standard Therapy ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Pilot Trial ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Open Label ◽

Plasma Therapy

AbstractConvalescent plasma (CP) therapy in COVID-19 disease may improve clinical outcome in severe disease. This pilot study was undertaken to inform feasibility and safety of further definitive studies. This was a prospective, interventional and randomized open label pilot trial in patients with severe COVID-19. Twenty COVID-19 patients received two 200 ml transfusions of convalescent patient CP over 24-h compared with 20 who received standard of care. The primary outcome was the requirement for ventilation (non-invasive or mechanical ventilation). The secondary outcomes were biochemical parameters and mortality at 28 days. The CP group were a higher risk group with higher ferritin levels (p < 0.05) though respiratory indices did not differ. The primary outcome measure was required in 6 controls and 4 patients on CP (risk ratio 0.67, 95% CI 0.22–2.0, p = 0.72); mean time on ventilation (NIV or MV) did not differ. There were no differences in secondary measures at the end of the study. Two patients died in the control and one patient in the CP arm. There were no significant differences in the primary or secondary outcome measures between CP and standard therapy, although a larger definitive study is needed for confirmation. However, the study did show that CP therapy appears to be safe in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hypoxia.Clinical trials registration NCT04356534: 22/04/2020.

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Clinical impact of left and right axis deviations with narrow QRS complex on 3-year outcomes in a hospital-based population in Japan

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-88259-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuta Seko ◽

Takao Kato ◽

Yuhei Yamaji ◽

Yoshisumi Haruna ◽

Eisaku Nakane ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Events ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Outcome Measure ◽

Conduction Block ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Excess Risk ◽

Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events ◽

Prognostic Impact ◽

Axis Deviation ◽

The Right

AbstractWhile the prognostic impact of QRS axis deviation has been assessed, it has never been investigated in patients without conduction block. Thus, we evaluated the prognostic impact of QRS-axis deviation in patients without conduction block. We retrospectively analyzed 3353 patients who had undergone both scheduled transthoracic echocardiography and electrocardiography in 2013 in a hospital-based population, after excluding patients with a QRS duration of ≥ 110 ms, pacemaker placement, and an QRS-axis − 90° to − 180° (northwest axis). The study population was categorized into three groups depending on the mean frontal plane QRS axis as follows: patients with left axis deviation (N = 171), those with right axis deviation (N = 94), and those with normal axis (N = 3088). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events. The cumulative 3-year incidence of the primary outcome measure was significantly higher in the left axis deviation group (26.4% in the left axis deviation, 22.7% in the right axis deviation, and 18.4% in the normal axis groups, log-rank P = 0.004). After adjusting for confounders, the excess risk of primary outcome measure remained significant in the left axis deviation group (hazard ratio [HR] 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–1.95; P = 0.02), while the excess risk of primary outcome measure was not significant in the right axis deviation group (HR 1.22; 95% CI 0.76–1.96; P = 0.41). Left axis deviation was associated with a higher risk of a composite of all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events in hospital-based patients without conduction block in Japan.

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Proof-of-concept single-arm trial of bevacizumab therapy for brain arteriovenous malformation

BMJ Neurology Open ◽

10.1136/bmjno-2020-000114 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. e000114

Author(s):

Rachel Muster ◽

Nerissa Ko ◽

Wade Smith ◽

Hua Su ◽

Melissa A Dickey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Drug Effects ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Vascular Endothelial ◽

Bevacizumab Treatment ◽

Registration Number ◽

Endothelial Growth Factor ◽

Dose Dependent ◽

Radiographic Changes

Brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) are relatively rare, although their potential for secondary intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) makes their diagnosis and management essential to the community. Currently, invasive therapies (surgical resection, stereotactic radiosurgery and endovascular embolisation) are the only interventions that offer a reduction in ICH risk. There is no designated medical therapy for bAVM, although there is growing animal and human evidence supporting a role for bevacizumab to reduce the size of AVMs. In this single-arm pilot study, two patients with large bAVMs (deemed unresectable by an interdisciplinary team) received bevacizumab 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. Due to limitations of external funding, the intended sample size of 10 participants was not reached. Primary outcome measure was change in bAVM volume from baseline at 26 and 52 weeks. No change in bAVM volume was observed 26 or 52 weeks after bevacizumab treatment. No clinically important adverse events were observed during the 52-week study period. There were no observed instances of ICH. Sera vascular endothelial growth factor levels were reduced at 26 weeks and returned to baseline at 52 weeks. This pilot study is the first to test bevacizumab for patients with bAVMs. Bevacizumab therapy was well tolerated in both subjects. No radiographic changes were observed over the 52-week study period. Subsequent larger clinical trials are in order to assess for dose-dependent efficacy and rarer adverse drug effects.Trial registration number: NCT02314377.

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Computerised cognitive–behavioural therapy for adults with intellectual disability: randomised controlled trial

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.117.198630 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 211 (2) ◽

pp. 95-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Patricia Cooney ◽

Catherine Jackman ◽

David Coyle ◽

Gary O'Reilly

Keyword(s):

Intellectual Disability ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Outcome Measure ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Behavioural Therapy ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Cognitive Behavioural ◽

Randomised Controlled

BackgroundDespite the evidence base for computer-assisted cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) in the general population, it has not yet been adapted for use with adults who have an intellectual disability.AimsTo evaluate the utility of a CBT computer game for adults who have an intellectual disability.MethodA 2 × 3 (group × time) randomised controlled trial design was used. Fifty-two adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability and anxiety or depression were randomly allocated to two groups: computerised CBT (cCBT) or psychiatric treatment as usual (TAU), and assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. Forty-nine participants were included in the final analysis.ResultsA significant group x time interaction was observed on the primary outcome measure of anxiety (Glasgow Anxiety Scale for people with an Intellectual Disability), favouring cCBT over TAU, but not on the primary outcome measure of depression (Glasgow Depression Scale for people with a Learning Disability). A medium effect size for anxiety symptoms was observed at post-treatment and a large effect size was observed after follow-up. Reliability of Change Indices indicated that the intervention produced clinically significant change in the cCBT group in comparison with TAU.ConclusionsAs the first application of cCBT for adults with intellectual disability, this intervention appears to be a useful treatment option to reduce anxiety symptoms in this population.

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