Photorefractive keratectomy for myopic anisometropia: a retrospective study on 18 children.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) performed under topical anesthesia in children with myopic anisometropia. METHODS: Medium to high unilateral myopia was corrected in 18 patients by PRK. At the time of surgery patients were between 7 and 17 years of age (mean 10 years). All the surgical procedures were performed under topical anesthesia. Pre- and postoperative data regarding visual acuity, eye alignment, and binocular vision were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean correction (SE) obtained with excimer laser was -8.21 D (range: -2.25 to -14.50, SD 3.90). The mean preoperative best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) was 20/70, and the postoperative mean BSCVA was 20/50. A significant difference was observed between the arithmetic mean of the preoperative and postoperative BSCVA (p=0.001). Two of 18 patients improved stereopsis; furthermore, surgery variation strabismus was registered in 33.3% of the patients, following PRK. Patients were followed up for a mean of 39 months. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of medium to high unilateral myopia with PRK under local anesthesia was found effective and safe in pediatric and adolescent patients. This procedure may improve ocular alignment and stereopsis. Further studies are needed to increase the patient experience and extend follow-up time in order to assess the long-term stability of the RESULTS.

Clinical pharmacokinetics of cefotaxime and penetration in sputum, bone, and prostatic tissue.

Cefotaxime is a new powerful methoxycephalosporin with a broad anti-microbial spectrum, suitable for parenteral administration. In the present study, the concentrations of cefotaxime in serum and in bronchial secretion were determined after intramuscular injection of 1 gm every eight hours for seven days. Subjects were patients suffering from an exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. Serum levels versus time curve were interpreted in terms of a one-compartment open model. Pharmacokinetic parameters after single and multiple doses were investigated. No evidence of significant accumulation was found. Furthermore, a type of in vivo rate of killing with cefotaxime was investigated by evaluating the decrease in the number of colonies in bronchial mucus cultures daily for seven days. In two groups of volunteers who had to undergo surgery, bone and prostatic concentrations of cefotaxime were determined and correlated with serum levels.

Biosynthesis and metabolism of androgenic hormones in cancer of the prostate.

The conversion of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate into testosterone, delta4-androstenedione, and dihydrotestosterone has been measured in minced prostatic adenocarcinoma tissue from three untreated patients, two patients treated with diethylstilbestrol, and one treated with cyproterone acetate. The results obtained show that in both treated and untreated patients the dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate is actively transformed into dehydroepiandrosterone. The subsequent conversion into testosterone and dihydrotestosterone is less evident and inconstant in untreated patients and is inhibited in patients treated with diethylstilbestrol or cyproterone acetate. No formation of delta4-androstenedione was demonstrated in either treated or untreated patients.