The Effect of Low Temperature Storage on the Lipid Quality of Fish, Either Alone or Combined with Alternative Preservation Technologies.

Marine foods are highly perishable products due to their high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can be readily oxidized to form peroxides and secondary oxidation products, thus conferring such foods undesirable organoleptic characteristics and generating harmful compounds that are detrimental to the health of consumers. The use of preservation methods that minimize lipid oxidation is required in the fishing and aquaculture industries. Low temperature storage (chilling or freezing) is one of the most commonly used preservation methods for fish and seafood, although it has been shown that the oxidation of the lipid fraction of such products is partially but not completely inhibited at low temperatures. The extent of lipid oxidation depends on the species and the storage temperature and time, among other factors. This paper reviews the effect of low temperature storage on the lipid quality of fish, either alone or in combination with other preservation techniques. The use of antioxidant additives, high hydrostatic pressure, irradiation, ozonation, ultrasounds, pulsed electric fields, and the design of novel packaging can help preserve chilled or frozen fish products, although further research is needed to develop more efficient fish preservation processes from an economic, nutritional, sensory, and sustainable standpoint.

Efficacy, safety and visual outcomes of cataract surgeries performed during blindness prevention programs in different locations in Kenya.

PURPOSE: To determine the visual outcomes achieved in terms of efficacy and safety during high-volume cataract surgery programs in different locations in Kenya. METHODS: Eight hundred eighty-one eyes of 849 patients underwent extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation in a retrospective, observational, consecutive cohort study on patients who underwent cataract surgery in five programs that a Spanish non-governmental organization conducted between 2013 and 2019 for the prevention of blindness in different geographical areas of Kenya: Thika, Athi River, Kissi, Bagavathi, and Nakuru. The programs were carried out by Spanish and Kenyan surgeons working together. RESULTS: Mean age was 66.81 ± 14.47 years. Fifty-one percent of the operated eyes (447 eyes) were women. 94% of patients belonged to six ethnic groups. The mean uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) before surgery was 1.98 ± 0.98 logMAR (20/2000), which changed to 0.82 ± 0.68 logMAR (20/150) 3 months after surgeries. The corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 0.4 ± 0.53 logMAR (20/50) 3 months after surgery, 77.5% of the patients had good visual outcomes, and 6.3% had poor outcomes. Preoperative UDVAs were significantly different with respect to the different geographical areas (Kruskal-Wallis; p < 0.001). The most common intraoperative complication was posterior capsule rupture (incidence, 4.2%, 37 of 881), and the most serious complication was expulsive hemorrhage (incidence, 0.1%, 1 of 881). CONCLUSIONS: Cataract programs performed in a middle-income country with the proper technique and standardized protocols of action improved the visual outcome of the patients. Dissimilar baseline status was found in different areas regarding preoperative visual acuities. Training programs of local surgeons should be reinforced.

Cataract surgery in surgical camps: outcomes in a rural area of Cameroon.

AIM: To assess the complications and visual outcomes of cataract surgery during an outreach eye camp in Cameroon in which two foreign ophthalmologists operate alongside a local one. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective and comparative cohort study. The patients were consecutively assigned to three groups depending on the ophthalmologist who performed the cataract surgeries. All eyes underwent manual sutureless incision cataract surgery with posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implantation under peribulbar anesthesia. Postoperative visits were scheduled for the first day, first week and second month after the procedures. Intra- and postoperative complications, best-corrected visual acuity and also refractive errors were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 263 eyes underwent cataract extraction with PCIOL implantation. The percentage of eyes in which two or more lines of corrected distance visual acuity decreased were 2.4%, 2.7% and 0% for groups A, B and C, respectively. The percentage of eyes with good visual outcome (uncorrected distance visual acuity UDVA > 20/60) were, respectively, 82.09%, 81.43% and 80.82% for the three groups. Similar results were found between the three groups regarding complications. Ocular hypertension, transient corneal edema and hyphema were the incidences registered at the first postoperative control performed 24 h after surgery. The most common complication observed 2 months after surgery was posterior capsular opacity (2.6%). CONCLUSION: High-volume cataract surgery in low- and middle-income countries may have good visual outcomes and a low rate of complications when the procedures are performed by either foreign or local ophthalmologists. SYNOPSIS: A program of high-volume cataract surgery carried out in a rural environment with few resources can give good visual outcomes in the hands of both foreign and local experienced ophthalmologists.

Safety and Efficacy of the Transition from Extracapsular Cataract Extraction to Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery in Prevention of Blindness Campaigns.

PURPOSE: To compare the safety and the visual outcomes of two experienced cataract surgeons who converted from extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) to manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) during a campaign for the prevention of blindness. METHODS: Two surgeons used the ECCE technique (ECCE group) during a campaign in Burkina Faso on 93 consecutive cataract patients with a corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) <20/80 in the best eye. Both surgeons used MSICS for the first time on 98 consecutive cases in another campaign in Kenya after theoretical instructional courses. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in CDVA at 3 months postoperatively. There were 69% of eyes with uncorrected distance visual acuity ≥20/60 in the MSICS group and 49% eyes in the ECCE group. Spherical equivalents ranged between -1D and +1D in 55% of the MSICS group versus 43% in the ECCE group. There were significant differences in the changes in the vertical component of astigmatism (J45) but not the horizontal (J0) component. There were no significant differences in the intraoperative complications. The most common postoperative complication was corneal edema on the first day in 40.86% and 19.38% of the ECCE and MSICS groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Transitioning from ECCE to MSICS for experienced cataract surgeons in surgical campaigns is safe. The rate of complications is similar for both techniques. Slightly better visual and refractive outcomes can be achieved due to the decreased induction of corneal astigmatism.

Implantable Collamer Lens for Myopia: Assessment 12 Years After Implantation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term refractive and visual stability and the risks related to the implantation of Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL; STAAR Surgical, Monrovia, CA) phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) for myopia. METHODS: This retrospective, consecutive, cumulative clinical study was performed in a group of 144 eyes implanted with ICL PIOL for myopia. Only the cases with clinical data available 12 years after the implantation were included in the series. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected distance visual acuity, spherical equivalent, refractive astigmatism, endothelial cell density, ICL vaulting, and postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean spherical equivalent refraction was -16.90±4.26 diopters (D) preoperatively and -1.77±1.93 D 12 years postoperatively. Mean CDVA at the first and last visit were 0.31±0.19 logMAR and 0.22±0.22 logMAR, respectively (Mann-Whitney U test, P<.001). Twelve years postoperatively, 8.9% of eyes had lost more than two lines of CDVA. The incidence of clinically relevant cataracts (13.88%) was significantly linked to the use of the V3 model ICL (chi-square test, P=.007). During the follow-up period, a significant reduction in PIOL vaulting was observed (Kruskal-Wallis test, P<.05), and the mean endothelial cell density decreased by 19.75%. CONCLUSIONS: The ICL PIOL provided good refractive outcomes and stability in the long term. The incidence of cataracts is low when the latest models of this PIOL are used.