1,720,974 research outputs found
Surgical treatment of dacryocystitis by using a venous catheter
No full textPurpose: Aim of this work is to highlight the advantages of a new surgical technique performed over 15 patients affected dacryocystitis and treated by using a venous catheter. The arrangement of a 30 mm venous catheter used at the end of a dacryocystectomy (DCT) was performed in 15 patients with dacryocystitis. The venous catheter was removed at 30 days after the surgery. The use of the venous catheter allows washing the lacrimal drainage system, reducing the risk of postoperative infections and supports the recanalization of the lacrimal drainage system 30 days after surgery. The presented cases demonstrated how the technique is easy and it reduces the possibility of the post-operative infection. It could be performed under regional anesthesia. Furthermore, after the surgery the recanalization of the lacrimal drainage system with a significant reduction of the epiphora in 6 months after surgery has been observed
Scleral pockets for an innovative technique of intrascleral fixation of intraocular lens
No full textThe aim of this article is to report the results of an innovative technique for a scleral fixation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens using our new modified technique. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 15 eyes of 15 patients who underwent sutureless intrascleral intraocular lens fixation using our modified technique. We used a 23-gauge knife to perform sclerotomy and create two parallel scleral pockets for the haptics. The mean follow-up period was 3 years (3 ± 1). No complications were detected during the follow-up period. The creation of two parallel scleral pockets, parallel to the limbus, greatly simplifies the introduction of intraocular lens haptics
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Use of Lacrimal Symptoms Questionnaire After Punctoplasty Surgery: Retrospective Data of Technical Strategy
Full text linkThe goal of this study is to evaluate postpunctoplasty symptoms with lacrimal symptoms questionnaire (Lac-Q). A retrospective study was conducted on 31 patients (14 men and 17 woman) with a diagnosis of canalicular stenosis: 26 patients with unilateral occlusion and 5 patients with bilateral occlusion. The Lac-Q was administered preoperative and at 1, at 3, and at 6 months following the surgery. Moreover, the Lac-Q questionnaire was administered by an independent observer (SI). The mono-lateral and bilateral postoperative Lac-Q score showed a significant improvement of symptoms at 1, 3, and 6 months than the preoperative results. The Lac-Q questionnaire is a way to evaluate the quality of outcomes after punctoplasty surgery. In this study, all patients showed a significant improvement of symptoms after surgery
Optical coherence tomography predictors of favorable functional response in naïve diabetic macular edema eyes treated with dexamethasone implants as a first-line agent
Full text linkPurpose: To evaluate efficacy and safety of intravitreal dexamethasone 0.7 mg implant in treatment-naïve DME patients and to assess the utility of OCT structural biomarkers as predictors of functional response after treatment.
Methods: Thirty-nine eyes of 39 diabetic patients with center involving DME were enrolled. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and SS-OCT (DRI SS-OCT Triton, Topcon, Japan) to evaluate central retinal thickness (CRT), serous retinal detachment (SRD), intraretinal cysts (IRC), number of hyper-reflective spots (HRS), integrity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ), disorganization of the inner retinal layers (DRIL), vitreomacular adhesion (VMA), vitreomacular traction (VMT), and posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) were evaluated at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Multiple logistic analysis was performed to evaluate the possible OCT biomarker as predictive factors for final visual acuity improvement at the end of treatment.
Results: At 12 months after treatment, the mean BCVA improved from 51.6 ± 17.5 to 56.9 ± 17.3 ETDRS letters (p=0.03). Furthermore, there were statistically significant changes in CRT, IRC, HRS, and SRD. Nineteen patients presented a >10-letters improvement in BCVA; the presence of SRD at baseline was a predictor of good functional treatment response at 12 months (OR 2.1; 95% C.I. 1.2-4.9; p=0.001) as well as the presence of EZ integrity preoperatively (OR 1.3; 95% C.I. 0.5-2.4; p=0.001) and the absence of vitreoretinal interface alteration (OR 1.1; 95% C.I. 0.3-2.3; p=0.02). No significant changes in the IOP and lens status were observed throughout the follow-up period.
Conclusion: This study empathized the importance of structural biomarkers as predictors of favorable response and confirmed the efficacy and safety of intravitreal dexamethasone implant in treatment-naïve DME patients showing a better functional response in the presence of SRD integrity of EZ and absence of vitreoretinal alterations
The application of a venous catheter for the surgical treatment of punctal occlusion
No full textPurpose: Presentation about advantages of a new surgical technique in 20 patients with punctal occlusion with a venous catheter during punctoplasty. Methods: The arrangement of a 30-mm venous catheter used during puncoplasty surgery was performed in 10 patients with punctal occlusion. The venous catheter was removed after 15 to 45 days after surgery. Results: The use of the venous catheter supports the recanalization of the lacrimal drainage system 15 days after surgery. The venous catheter is easy to find, not expensive, and easy to use. Conclusion: The technique is performed under regional anesthesia. Furthermore, after surgery, the recanalization of the lacrimal drainage system was observed with a significant reduction of the epiphora in 6 months after surgery
Safety and Tolerability of an Eye Drop Based on 0.6% Povidone-Iodine Nanoemulsion in Dry Eye Patients
Full text linkPurpose: To evaluate safety and tolerability on the ocular surface of an anti-septic formulation containing 0.6% povidone-iodine (0.6% PVI) for a 4 week period.Methods: An observational, prospective study included 20 mild-moderate dry eye disease (DED) patients who enrolled at the Ocular Surface Disease Unit of the University of Messina, receiving 0.6% PVI eye drops for 28 days, 2 drops twice daily (BID). The assessment included the Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire; symptoms score (0 = absent to 3 = severe) for burning, ocular dryness, foreign body sensation, watery eyes, tearing, photophobia, and ocular pain; fluorescein tear break-up time (TBUT); and corneal-conjunctival staining, performed at baseline (T0), after 7 (T7) and 28 (T28). Schirmer I-test, corneal endothelial cell count, intraocular pressure, and fundus examination were performed at T0 and T28. The main outcome measures were TBUT and corneal-conjunctival staining as markers of ocular surface homeostasis. For statistical analysis, Student's T-test and Wilcoxon test were used as appropriate.Results: No significant alterations of the safety parameters were found throughout the study. Further, at T28 a significant improvement of burning, ocular dryness, foreign body sensation, and watery eyes (T0 vs. T28 P < 0.03) were observed; corneal-conjunctival staining improved at T28 (T0 vs. T28 P < 0.0001), and TBUT improved already at T7 (T0 vs. T7 P = 0.0008) lasting so till the end of the study. The only adverse event was mild burning at instillation for the first 3 days of treatment in most of the patients.Conclusions: The treatment with 0.6% PVI was safe and well tolerated in a group of patients with a damaged ocular surface
Neurosymbolic AI Approach for Dry and Wet AMD Classification Using OCT Images
No full textAccurate classification between dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is crucial for determining appropriate treatment strategies and improving patient outcomes. However, deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNNs) often face challenges when working with small datasets, particularly in the context of rare pathologies, which can hinder their robustness and generalizability. To address these issues, we employed a neurosymbolic approach that integrates medical knowledge in the form of symbolic AI, enhancing the model’s interpretability and reasoning capabilities. The aim of this study was to improve the classification of retinal conditions, specifically dry AMD, wet AMD, and healthy retinas. Our results demonstrated an overall accuracy of 93%, indicating the effectiveness of this methodology in accurately classifying retinal diseases. These findings suggest that the neurosymbolic approach holds promise for advancing diagnostic support in ophthalmology while providing a transparent decision-making framework
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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