Brown McLean syndrome after congenital glaucoma surgery, unique case report and a literature review.

Purpose: Brown-McLean Syndrome (BMS) was first documented by Brown and McLean in 1969. To date, BMS is typically described in primarily cataract-related complications, and it is inextricably associated with long-term aphakia. Our purpose is to report a case that describes a unique association of BMS in the presence of patent peripheral iridectomy. Observation: A 35-year-old male known case of congenital glaucoma who has a history of bilateral trabeculectomy, presented to our clinic with a long history of mild progressive blurriness of vision for years. Upon examination, the patient was bilaterally phakic, with bilateral 360-degree of peripheral corneal edema sparing the center of the cornea with endothelial pigmentation and bilateral patent peripheral iridectomy in an otherwise stable ophthalmic examination. His uncorrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 20/30 in the left eye with normal intraocular pressure. Our plan was to prescribe topical medications and schedule him for regular follow-up. At the last follow-up, our patient reported no improvement in his vision, and there were no signs of clinical improvement. Conclusion and importance: This case of BMS demonstrates the importance of the potential of such a disease to develop, albeit rarely, in phakic patients who are undergoing intraocular surgery. The preventive role of PI is also questionable. Categories: Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Transplantation.

Outcomes of Single-Step Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy Compared With Alcohol-Assisted Photorefractive Keratectomy Using Wave-Light EX500 Platform.

Purpose To compare the visual outcome of transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) against alcohol-assisted PRK in treating low-to-moderate myopia with or without astigmatism. Setting Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Design This is a retrospective study. Methods Forty eyes of 22 patients with myopia from -0.75 to -6.00 diopters (D) with or without astigmatism from 0 to -3D were included in this study. Preoperative and postoperative data of 20 eyes from 11 patients who underwent transepithelial PRK were compared with 20 eyes from 11 patients who underwent alcohol-assisted PRK were collected and analyzed. The uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest spherical equivalence (SE), manifest cylinder, vector analysis of astigmatism, and efficacy and safety indices were compared between the groups at a mean follow-up of one year postoperatively. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between groups, except the transepithelial PRK group had lower cylinder values than the alcohol-assisted PRK group by 0.69D. Regression analysis was used to control for the difference in the cylinder in all outcome parameters. Both groups had similar mean UDVA (p=0.73), CDVA (p=0.98), the proportion of eyes in either group achieved (20/20, 20/25, and 20/30) UDVA (p=0.72, 0.68 and 0.31 respectively) and percentage of eyes lost two lines of CDVA (p=1.0). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in regard to both efficacy and safety indices (p=0.55 and 0.67, respectively). Both groups had similar residual SE (p=0.72), the proportion of eyes within ±0.5D of SE (p=0.29), and residual refractive astigmatism (p=0.87). Both groups had similar difference vectors, surgically induced astigmatism, and correction index (p=0.82, 0.10, and 0.26, respectively). However, the transepithelial PRK group had lower target-induced astigmatism (TIA; p=0.01), higher magnitude of error (ME; p=0.05), and higher angle of error (AE; p=0.02) than the alcohol-assisted PRK group. Conclusion Transepithelial PRK had similar visual and refractive outcomes as alcohol-assisted PRK. This approach was considered as safe and effective as alcohol-assisted PRK in treating patients with low-to-moderate myopia with or without astigmatism.

Capillary Hemangioma in Joubert Syndrome: A Case Report.

A baby girl who underwent cesarean section delivery and had a complicated postnatal course requiring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is followed in the pediatrics clinic for several months. At five months old, the baby girl was referred to an ophthalmology clinic with brain stem and cerebellum malformation consistent with the molar tooth sign (MTS) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, hypotonia, and developmental delay. She has the classic features of Joubert Syndrome (JS). Other findings not typically associated with the clinical picture of the syndrome were observed in this patient, specifically skin capillary hemangioma of the forehead. Cutaneous capillary hemangioma was an incidental finding in this JS patient and responded favorably to medical treatment with propranolol where a significant reduction in the size of the mass was observed. This incidental finding can be seen as a potential addition to the spectrum of associated findings in JS.

Incidence and Outcomes of Transplant of Infected Donor Corneal Tissues in a Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to assess donor rim culture results and predict ocular infections after corneal transplantation to determine the relationship between positive corneoscleral rim cultures and post-keratoplasty infection. DESIGN: This is a retrospective study. METHODS: The microbiology results of positive donor rim culture and clinical outcomes of all contaminated grafts at Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital (DESH) in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia between October 2016 and February 2020 were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 684 corneal transplantation procedures were performed at DESH during this period. Routine donor rim cultures were done for all cases with six positive cases (0.88%). There were five positive fungal donor rim cultures (0.73%), and one corneal rim was positive for both bacterial and fungal cultures (0.15%). Among these six patients, two patients (33.33%) who received graft positive with candida developed an infection. Both cases required further interventions but were unsuccessful and eventually ended up with re-grafting. CONCLUSION: In the sample collected, positive fungal contamination was more frequent than bacterial contamination, and the incidence of bacterial infection is relatively low compared to that of fungal infection due to contaminated grafts. Despite the limitations of our study, we support routine corneoscleral rim culture and to start prophylactic antifungal treatment in response to positive donor fungal rim culture.

Conjunctival Pediatric-Type Follicular Lymphoma in a Young Male: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Pediatric-type follicular lymphoma is a disease that affects the lymph nodes of the head and neck in the adult and pediatric patient groups. Ocular involvement is exceedingly rare, especially in the pediatrics age group; therefore, keeping a high clinical suspicion is warranted. Here, we report a rare conjunctival pediatric-type follicular lymphoma in a 15-year-old boy presenting with progressive swelling over the medial aspect of the left bulbar conjunctiva for two months. On examination, the mass was firm, mobile, well encapsulated, wide-based, and had a negative transillumination. An excisional biopsy was performed, and histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry studies revealed lymphoid tissue that was positive for CD20, CD79a, BCL6, and CD10; and negative for BCL2 and MUM1. The CD21 and CD23 positivity highlighted the presence of an expanded follicular dendritic cell meshwork. The patient was diagnosed with conjunctival pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and referred to an oncology center for further examination and treatment. This lymphoma is rare, requiring high clinical suspicion, and thus, reporting the case detail is important and valuable for ophthalmologists and general pediatrics practitioners alike.

Hepatitis-A Infection-Induced Secondary Antiphospholipid Syndrome With Neuro-ophthalmological Manifestations.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder that can affect children and adults alike, with a similar spectrum of thrombotic events, predominately deep vein thrombosis and stroke. It is characterized by recurrent arterial or venous thrombosis and recurrent fetal loss with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) like antibodies to beta-2-glycoprotein I (B-2-GPI) and anticardiolipin (aCL). The disease could be classified into primary APS in the absence of an underlying disease or secondary APS occurring secondary to autoimmune diseases, infections, malignancies, and sometimes medication use. In the absence of clinical manifestations of APS, transient non-thrombogenic antiphospholipid antibodies are seen more commonly in children, predominantly after childhood infections. Cases with clinical manifestations of APS associated with different types of infections have been reported in the literature to keep track of potential triggering causes and take measures to prevent or treat the disease manifestations. This case documents the case of hepatitis-A as a triggering viral infection, causing secondary APS in a child.

Development of Posterior Lenticonus Following the Diagnosis of Isolated Anterior Lenticonus in Alport Syndrome.

Alport syndrome is a genetic disorder that manifests as renal disease, hearing loss and ocular dysfunction. Lenticonus is one such ocular condition, in which the lens takes on an abnormal cone shape, with a protrusion either at the front or back of the lens. Both sides of the lens are rarely affected at the same time in the general patient population. Although anterior lenticonus is the type that is often reported in Alport syndrome, it is rare for such patients to have both anterior and posterior lenticonus. Here, the case of a 32-year-old male with Alport syndrome is described. The patient was diagnosed with a progressive posterior lenticonus, having been diagnosed eight years earlier with isolated anterior lenticonus. Examination of the eye revealed the typical indications of lenticonus with flecked retinopathy. The patient had co-presenting astigmatism and a refractive error, which could not be corrected by wearing contact lenses or spectacles. It is critical that such cases are anticipated and identified prior to performing surgery, so that an appropriate approach can be taken, thereby minimizing surgical complications.

Plant-Based Diet: A Potential Intervention for Heart Failure.

Heart failure is a disease that increases the likelihood of morbidity and mortality with an increased direct and indirect cost to the healthcare system. The role of diet in the development, progression and treatment of heart failure is being studied with growing interest. The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between heart failure and selected heart failure risk factors: hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and plant-based diets as a clinical intervention. The search yielded 416 published articles, among them are three studies that used a plant-based diet as an intervention for heart failure. All interventional studies showed that plant-based diets have a positive impact on heart failure in terms of improved ejection fraction and positive cardiac muscle remodelling.

Effects of the Ketogenic Diet on Glycemic Control in Diabetic Patients: Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.

Introduction The ketogenic diet is a diet that relies on reducing carbohydrate intake to a minimum while increasing fat intake. This induces a state of ketosis where it is hypothesized to favor fat metabolism for energy instead of carbohydrates. The diet is used to treat pediatric patients with seizures to control their symptoms. Today, it is used by many to help in weight loss. Extensive research is being conducted on the benefits of the diet, as it gains popularity among patients with diabetes and obesity, to evaluate its effects on glycemic control. Methods This review looks at the published literature and summarizes the interventional trials that use the ketogenic diet for glycemic control. Emphasis was on pooling the results of selected variables such as weight, glycemic control, and lipid profile. The meta-analysis was conducted by a trained statistician using the Cochrane software review manager (Revman version 5.4; Cochrane, London, UK). Results were reviewed by an independent reviewer adhering to the Cochrane Collaboration's guidelines. Results The findings of this review show a significant effect of the ketogenic diet as compared to controls in terms of weight reduction, glycemic control, and improved lipid profile. A noticeable improvement was seen in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), favoring the ketogenic diet as compared to control. Conclusion This review concludes that the ketogenic diet is superior to controls in terms of glycemic control and lipid profile improvements, and the results are significant enough to recommend it as an adjunctive treatment for type two diabetes.

Esthesioneuroblastoma: Summary of Single-center Experiences with Focus on Adjuvant Therapy and Overall Survival.

Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) is a rare malignant tumor of the nasal cavity. The genetic basis of its development is still under study and has not been fully delineated. It has varying symptoms depending on the lesion's location within the nasal cavity. The most commonly used systems for such lesions are the Kadish staging and Haymes grading systems. The objectives are to review the most recent published literature evaluating the different treatments/ combination of treatment and assess the most appropriate treatment modality that can provide the longest progression-free survival and overall survival for ENB patients. Moreover, a look at what the latest literature suggests when it comes to adjuvant treatments and their effect on survival is also key to further the body of knowledge for neurosurgeons, Ears, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physicians and all the different subspecialties that deal and serve these population of patients. The published literature was reviewed starting from 1990. The focus was made on single-center experiences given their availability and easy access. The most recently published systematic review was used as the benchmark; research published after that was included in this study. The database search in OVID was conducted using the following keywords: "Esthesioneuroblastoma", "ENB", "Olfactory Neuroblastoma", Nose neoplasm", skull base neoplasm", "radiation", and "resection". The database search found 17 papers which included 14 single-center reports, one systematic review, and two nationwide multi-center reviews. Surgery plus adjuvant radiation therapy appears to provide the best overall survival and progression-free survival especially in patients with high Kadesh grade. On the other hand, surgery alone or biopsy followed with radiation therapy provided the lower progression-free survival and overall survival from time of diagnosis. The role of chemotherapy, however, requires further investigation to assess its potentially harmful effects. The use of surgery as a stand-alone modality of treatment should be cautiously and rarely used in patients with lower staging scores and multiple negative resection margins.

Effects of Weight Loss on Psoriasis: A Review of Clinical Trials.

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the skin and joints. It typically presents as abnormal skin patches characterized by red, scaly, and very itchy spots. It affects patients in different manners with different severities ranging from small spots or spots that cover a larger area of the skin. Due to the negative impact psoriasis has on the quality of life, many patients are exploring other options that can help improve their symptoms. Among those is weight reduction. This review is aimed at providing an overview of the published clinical literature to give physicians an indication of what the answer could be. Moreover, since obesity is correlated with psoriasis vulgaris it is thus also the subject of investigation in this review. This is a literature review conducted to answer the following question: what are the effects of weight loss on the degree of plaque psoriasis recorded in clinical trials published from 1990 to December 2017. The objective of this study is to find the relationship between the severity of psoriasis and weight. Ten clinical trials met the inclusion criteria of this review and were included in the final analysis. Diet and exercise are worthy of consideration as adjunct treatments for psoriasis. Diet and exercise improve the overall health of the patients, are effective in combating oxidative stressors, and also show a positive impact on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores of patients with psoriasis.