Treatment of Myopia with Atropine 0.125% Once Every Night Compared with Atropine 0.125% Every Other Night: A Pilot Study.

(1) Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of myopia treatment in children using atropine 0.125% once every two nights (QON) compared with atropine 0.125% once every night (HS). (2) Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the medical records of two groups of children with myopia. Group 1 comprised children treated with atropine 0.125% QON, while group 2 included children treated with atropine 0.125% HS. The first 6 months of data of outcome measurements were subtracted as washout periods in those children undergoing both atropine QON and HS treatment. The independent t-test and Pearson's chi-square test were used to compare the baseline clinical characteristics between the two groups. A generalized estimating equations (GEE) model was used to determine the factors that influence treatment effects. (3) Results: The average baseline ages of group 1 (38 eyes from 19 patients) and group 2 (130 eyes from 65 patients) were 10.6 and 10.2 years, respectively. There were no significant differences in axial length (AL) or cycloplegic spherical equivalent (SEq) at baseline or changes of them after 16.9 months of follow-up. GEE showed that the frequency of atropine 0.125% use has no association with annual AL (QON vs. HS: 0.16 ± 0.10 vs. 0.18 ± 0.12) and SEq (QON vs. HS: -0.29 ± 0.44 vs. -0.34 ± 0.36) changes in all children with myopia. It also showed that older baseline age (B = -0.020, p < 0.001) was associated with lesser AL elongation. (4) Conclusion: The treatment effects of atropine 0.125% HS and QON were similar in this pilot study. The use of atropine 0.125% QON may be an alternative strategy for children who cannot tolerate the side effects of atropine 0.125% HS. This observation should be confirmed with further large-scale studies.

Higher HbA1c may reduce axial length elongation in myopic children: a comparison cohort study.

AIMS: To compare the annual axial length (AL) changes in myopic children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and those without diabetes. METHODS: There are two groups of myopic children in this retrospective cohort study. Group 1 consisted of myopic children with T1DM (44 eyes of 22 patients). Group 2 comprised age-matched myopic children without diabetes (44 eyes of 22 children). These two groups were compared with regard to their baseline clinical characteristics. A generalized estimating equations (GEE) model was also used to determine the most likely factor that contributed to the results. RESULTS: The average ages of group 1 and group 2 were 14.8 and 14.6 years, respectively. Children in group 1 had significantly slower annual AL changes (0.051 mm/year vs 0.103 mm/year; 50.5% slower, P = 0.011) and shorter baseline AL (23.97 vs 25.19 mm, P < 0.001) than those in group 2. GEE also showed that serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level (B = -0.023, P = 0.039) was the most important factor in reducing AL elongation in group 1 myopic children. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term higher HbA1c level may reduce AL elongation. A strict blood sugar control strategy in clinical practice is warranted to axial myopia progression in T1DM children.

Complicated acute appendicitis in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with adverse events or complications in various gastrointestinal diseases. In this study, we examined whether diabetic patients had higher risk for the development of complicated acute appendicitis than nondiabetic patients. The relevant risk factors also were determined. METHODS: A retrospective study enrolling diabetic and nondiabetic patients who acquired acute appendicitis was conducted at a single institution over a 5-year period. RESULTS: We identified 1,184 patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Seventy-one patients were found to have DM. Diabetic patients were older, had a higher risk of developing complicated acute appendicitis (CAA), and had a more prolonged hospital stay compared with nondiabetic patients. On further examination by multivariate logistic regression analysis, DM was an independent risk factor for CAA after adjusting for age and sex. Of the 71 diabetic patients, 46 patients (64.8%) were found to have CAA. The mean age of diabetic patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis (DM/UAA) and CAA (DM/CAA) had no significant difference. The duration from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis was significantly longer in the DM/CAA than in the DM/UAA group. The mean length of hospital stay also was significantly longer in the DM/CAA than in the DM/UAA group. DM/CAA patients were found to have a higher rate of history of diabetic nephropathy as well as a higher serum creatinine level and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate than DM/UAA patients. There was no statistical significance regarding patients older or younger than 60 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that diabetic patients had a higher risk for the development of CAA and a subsequently longer hospital stay than nondiabetic patients. Age was not an independent risk factor for the development of CAA in diabetic patients in our study. Delayed diagnosis, and probably a history of diabetic nephropathy, as well as poorer renal function were risk factors for the development of CAA in diabetic patients. The single most important risk factor was the duration from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis. Once CAA developed, the length of hospital stay was prolonged significantly.

Rapidly propagating descending necrotizing mediastinitis as a consequence of intravenous drug use.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a devastating complication of cervical or odontogenic infections that can spread downward to the mediastinum through anatomic spaces. We report the case of an intravenous drug user who presented with rapidly propagating acute pericarditis and DNM as the early presentations of pyomyositis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and deep neck infection. The patient was successfully treated with antibiotics and surgical drainage. Clinicians should be aware that pathogens injected into the carotid sheath may spread to the mediastinum and/or pericardium and manifest as DNM and/or pericarditis prior to infectious signs and symptoms at the site of injection.