Rasch development and validation of the "Medellín Dry Eye Inventory" (ME·Dry), an instrument to measure multidimensional quality of life compromise in patients with dry eye disease.

Purpose: Dry eye disease (DED) is a common condition that affects the quality of life. There is a great need for better-developed scales that comply with Rasch model requirements. Methods: Prospective study including patients with DED. A series of focus groups were performed to determine the best items to be included. A Rasch modeling methodology was used to validate the Medellín Dry Eye Inventory (ME·Dry). After iterative analysis and scale modification, a final version of the scale was attained which complied with the Rasch analysis expectations. Correlation between the different subscales of the ME·Dry and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) was evaluated through Spearman correlation. Results: A total of 166 patients with DED were included. Rasch modeling demonstrated an excellent behavior for the ME·Dry, including four subscales: Symptoms, Triggers, Activity Limitation, and Emotional Compromise. Infit and Outfit parameters were all between 0.50 and 1.50, with excellent category utilization. Person and item separation and reliability were excellent for all subscales. There was a need for a category collapsing for the Emotional Compromise subscale. There was a strong correlation between the different subscales of the ME·Dry except for the Emotional Compromise subscale, which seems to be independent. Conclusion: The ME·Dry is a reliable scale, complying with the Rasch model expectations, that allows for a reliable measurement of quality of life compromise in patients with DED. Emotional compromise secondary to DED does not seem to correlate with disease severity as assessed by the other quality-of-life subscales.

Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography for early glaucoma assessment: analysis of macular ganglion cell complex versus peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the glaucoma discrimination ability of macular inner retinal layer (MIRL) thickness with that of conventional peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness as measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in patients with early glaucoma. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 67 patients with early glaucoma (visual field mean deviation index ≥-6 dB), and 56 healthy subjects were prospectively enrolled. METHODS: All patients underwent MIRL thickness measurement (ganglion cell complex [GCC] scan) and pRNFL thickness measurement (3.45 mm scan) by SD-OCT. Whenever both eyes were eligible, one was randomly selected. Receiver operating characteristic curves and sensitivities at fixed specificities were generated for different parameters. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of each parameter were compared. RESULTS: The average mean deviation for the glaucomatous eyes was -2.5 ± 1.6 dB. The AUCs for average (0.815); superior (0.807); and inferior (0.788) MIRL thicknesses were not significantly different (p ≥ 0.18). The AUCs for average (0.735); superior (0.728); and inferior (0.697) pRNFL thicknesses were also similar (p ≥ 0.15). Average MIRL thickness had a significantly larger AUC compared to average pRNFL thickness analysis (0.815 vs 0.735; p = 0.03). Sensitivities at 80% specificity for average MIRL and pRNFL thicknesses were 66.7% (cutoff, 89.9 µm) and 62.9% (cutoff, 111.8 µm), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The GCC scan showed a similar or even a slightly better ability to discriminate between healthy and early glaucomatous eyes compared to the pRNFL scan. Different from previous analyses considering total macular thickness, the GCC macular scan seems to be a useful tool for identification of early structural damage in patients with glaucoma.

Produçäo de xilanases por espécies de Aspergillus cultivados em sabugo de milho / Xylanase production by aspergillus isolates grown on corn cob

Resumo: A produçäo de xilanases (E.C. 3.2.1.8) por diferentes espécies de fungos pertencentes ao gênero Aspergillus isolados de solo foi investigada utilizando-se sabugo de milho como substrato. As espécies, aparentemente näo celulolíticas, podem ser utilizadas na industria de polpaçäo. As maiores atividades xilanolíticas foram obtidas em culturaas com sabugo de milho nas concentraçöes de 3 a 5 (por cento). A adiçäo de xilano ou B-metil-xilosídeo na concentraçäo de 0,2 (por cento) aumentou a produçäo das enzimas. A análise dos produtos de hidrólise do xilamo demonstrou que o principal produto formado foi xilose (au)