Anatomical and Visual Effects of Implantable Phakic Contact Lens on Correction of Myopia

Purpose: To evaluate the anatomical effects of implantable phakic contact lens (IPCL) (Care Group, India) on anterior segment and its visual outcomes .Patients and methods: In a prospective interventional case series study, 60 highly myopic eyes of 32 patients were subjected to IPCL implantation in the Ophthalmology Department of Minia University Hospital, Egypt from January 2019 to June 2021. All patients had complete ophthalmic examination and were followed up for 1 year. Pentacam was used for preoperative and postoperative estimation of anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber angle (ACA), anterior chamber volume (ACV) and IPCL vault in the 1st, 3rd, and 12th months. Assessment of corneal endothelium was done using specular microscope preoperatively and after 12 months. Preoperative and postoperative refraction and visual acuity were measured. Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in ACD, ACA, and ACV. There was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative mean intraocular pressure (IOP) by the 12th month (P=0.163). The mean preoperative endothelial cell count (ECD) was significantly reduced from 2929.3±248 cells/mm2 to 2737.9±303 cells/mm2 at the 12th month (P<0.001). with a statistically highly significant improvement of mean Log Mar uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) from 1.48±0.19 preoperatively to 0.46±0.11 by the end of follow up (P<0.001) with insignificant difference between preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and postoperative UCVA (P=0.209). In the 12th month, the mean vault was 240±540 μm. No sight threatening complications occurred.Conclusion: Although IPCL induced anatomical changes, it was safe and effective for correction of high myopia.

Dietary Fat Intake and KRAS Mutations in Colorectal Cancer in a Moroccan Population

Epidemiologic data support an association between diet and mutations in the Kirsten-ras (KRAS) gene involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. This study aimed to explore the associations between fat intake and KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 13 in cases of CRC in the Moroccan population. A multicenter case-series study nested in a large-scale Moroccan CRC case-control study was conducted. Among all CRC cases recruited, 151 specimens were available for the DNA mutation analysis. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cis) for KRAS mutation status according to the fat intake variables. A KRAS mutation was detected in the CRC tumor of 34.4% of the patients among whom 65.4% had a single mutation at codon 12 and 34.6% had a single mutation at codon 13. Compared to low levels of consumption, a positive association was observed between high polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) consumption (>16.9 g/day) and prevalence of KRAS mutations (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.01–4.59). No statistically significant associations were observed for total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and KRAS mutations. The results of this study suggest that PUFA may be relevant in the etiology of CRC, possibly through the generation of G > A transitions at the KRAS oncogene. Further studies are needed to verify and explain this finding.

In-depth cardiovascular and pulmonary assessments in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case series study

Objective To perform an in-depth assessment of cardiovascular and pulmonary outcomes in a series of 5 post discharged multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) survivors. Methods Data were collected ≅1.9 month after hospital discharge at a tertiary hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. All patients (7-18 years; 3 females) fulfilled the MIS-C diagnosis according to CDC. The battery of tests included: 13 N-ammonia PET-CT imaging, standard echocardiography, brachial flow-mediated dilation using a Doppler ultrasound, cardiopulmonary exercise test, and blood markers. Results Upon PET-CT scans, two patients exhibited severe perfusion defect developed in the left ventricular cavity suggesting extensive myocardial ischemia, and one patient showed persistent mild pericardial effusion. Other two patients had endothelial dysfunction. All patients exhibited abnormal cardiopulmonary reserve during exercise (e.g., low VO2peak). Three patients had abnormal values for D-dimer and fibrinogen. Conclusion This study reveals novel pathological findings in MIS-C patients, which may help optimize treatment protocols in this condition.

Idiopathic multifocal choroiditis (MFC): aggressive and prolonged therapy with multiple immunosuppressive agents is needed to halt the progression of active disease. An offbeat review and a case series

Background and purpose Idiopathic multifocal choroiditis (MFC) is part of the group of choriocapillaritis entities. The clinical definition of the disease has evolved with time. The aim of this article was to undertake a review on MFC, on its present-day appraisal and nomenclature and we also report a series of patients with emphasis on the clinical presentation and the importance of vigorous immunosuppressive management. Methods A review of the literature and a retrospective case series study which was performed in the Centre for Ophthalmic Specialised care (COS), Lausanne, Switzerland. Patients diagnosed from 1994 to 2020 with idiopathic multifocal choroiditis (MFC) treated with multiple immunosuppressants were included. Exclusion criteria were insufficient follow up and cases not treated with vigorous immunosuppressive therapy. Imaging analysis included spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) / enhanced depth imaging OCT (EDI-OCT), OCT angiography (OCT-A). Fluorescein and Indocyanine angiography (FA, ICGA) before and after the instauration of treatment. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), routine ocular examination, laser flare photometry (LFP) were performed at presentation and follow-up. Immunosuppression comprised at minimum two among the following agents: prednisone, cyclosporine, azathioprine, mycophenolic acid or infliximab. Mean duration of therapy was calculated. Results 26 (52 eyes) of 2102 new patients (1.24%) were diagnosed with MFC. 25 (96%) patients were female and 1 (4%) was male. 43/52 (82%) eyes were myopic with a mean dioptre of − 5.87 ± 2.94, six (12%) eyes were hypermetropic with mean dioptres 2.0 ± 2.68 and three (6%) were emmetropic. 14/52 (27%) eyes had at least 1 anti-VEGF injection because of choroidal neovascularisation (CNVs), 1 eye had a phototherapy laser and 37/52 (71%) had no complication of CNVs during the follow-up. 5/26 (19%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria for our study. Mean age was 26.4 ± 9.3 years. Snellen best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at presentation was 0.955+/-0.26. Mean follow up was 84+/-55 months. LFP at presentation was 6.34 ± 2.94 ph/ms. None of four patients with prolonged treatment and prolonged follow-up showed disease activity. One patient still under therapy after 4 months’ follow-up still showed an active neovascular membrane. Conclusion Treatment with multiple immunosuppressive agents was shown to stop the progression of the disease.

Frequency of Complications Following Cataract Surgery in Diabetic Patients at Tertiary Care Hospital

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of complications following cataract surgery in diabetic patients admitted in the ophthalmology unit. METHODOLOGY: A prospective descriptive interventional case series study was conducted after approval of the ethical committee, from June 2017-June 2020 at the Ophthalmology department MTI-MMC. A total of 129 patients from either gender were enrolled in study. All the study patients went through detailed history and complete ocular examination. After necessary investigations, surgical procedure was carried out. Results were analyzed through the SPSS-24 version. RESULTS: Out of the total 129 eyes of the diabetic patients, fifty-nine (45.7%) were males and seventy (54.3%) were females with a ratio of 1:1.2. Uveitis leads the chart in complications found in twenty (15.50%) eyes while PODR being the least common found in only ten (7.75%) eyes. Worse visual acuity was observed in fourteen (10.85%) eyes. Striate keratopathy and posterior capsule opacification were found in sixteen (12.40%) and fifteen (11.62%) eyes respectively. Among the patients, 15.7% were having more than one complication during follow-up visits and eighty-eight (68.2%) eyes were found to have none complication. The age group 51-60 years observed frequent complications as compared to other groups. Similarly female gender (38.57%) has frequent complications as compared to males (2.7%). CONCLUSION: The study concludes Uveitis as the most common complication observed in 15.50% 0f the eyes while worse visual acuity (10.85%) and progression of diabetic retinopathy (7.75%) being the least common. Striate keratopathy was found in 12.40% while posterior capsule opacification in 11.62% of the eyes.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis in children: a multicenter case series

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate demographic, clinical, laboratory, imaging, histopathology characteristics, and treatment responses of children with Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO). Methods Retrospective multi-center case series study of pediatric patients diagnosed with CNO treated at five tertiary centers in south China. Results Totally there were 18 patients diagnosed as CNO between 2014 and 2020. The median age of onset was 9.2 years (range 3.7–13.1) and 55.6% were female. Median delay in diagnosis was 10.9 months (range 1.0–72.0). The most frequent presenting symptoms were bone pain (100%) and fever (44.4%). Most patients had more than one lesion (median of 5, range 1–7). Most frequently affected bones were tibiofibula (88.9%) and femur (77.8%). The MRI characteristics mainly presented as bone edema and hyperintensity in bone marrow. Bone biopsy was conducted in 11 patients (61.1%) with inflammatory cells infiltration manifested as chronic osteomyelitis, and none showed bacterial infection or tumor. In treatment, non-steroid anti-inflamatory drugs (NSAIDs) is used as the first-line drug followed by steriods, methotexate (MTX), salazosulfadimidine (SASP), Bisphosphonates and TNF-α inhibitor. Two refractory cases received combination therapy with Bisphosphonates and TNF-α inhibitor, and achieved good therapeutic effect. Conclusions The present study described a multicenter series of CNO from south China and highlighted the clinical features, laboratory tests, imaging characteristics and treatment outcomes. Increasing awareness of this disease is important to decrease time to diagnosis, improve access to treatment, and reduce complications.