Comparison between autologous serum eye drops and punctal occlusion for treatment of dry eye syndrome

Background: Dried cornea condition characterized with mispreception regarding eye coat because of slit insufficiency otherwise unreasonable vanishing that makes harm to dried surfaces also visual shell which related to manifestations regarding visual inconvenience.Purpose: Comparing efficiency and safety of AS eye drops and Punctal occlusion for management of dry eye syndrome.Patients and Methods: A prospective study was conducted in, (Al-Hussein and Bab-Elsheryia hospitals), a sum of 40 eyes of 40 patients suffering from Dry eye (24 males, 16 females) were recruited in this study. The first group contain 20 eyes that undergo AS eye drops. The 2nd group contain 20 eyes that undergo Punctal occlusion.Results: The visual acuity in the first group before treatment was 3.5/9.3 ± 1.91/9.2 (mean ± standard deviation) and after treatment in the second visit was 5.25/10 ± 3.75/10 (P < 0.01) with standard improvement 2 Snellen lines. In the second group visual acuity before treatment was 2.85/9.1 ± 2.04/9.2 and after treatment in the second visit was 4.65/9.2 ± 4.37/10, the normal increase is 3 visual letters. The VA become better in both groups Conclusion: In summary, both two methods of management have similar efficiency in reducing discomfortable sensation in dry eyes, and almost have equivalent and improve in subjective symptoms. Punctual occlusion shows many benefits in conserving natural tears and enhancing tear quality and seemed to be better on tear film stabilization. AS eye drops and punctual occlusion improved BCV

Investigating the associations between executive compensation and firm performance: Agency theory or tournament theory

Abstract Purpose – While there have been extensive empirical investigations of pay-performance sensitivity, the perspective of performance-pay has received less attention to date. While executive compensation is sensitive to firm performance, firm performance is also likely to be affected by executive compensation. Adopting multiple theoretical perspectives, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether executive compensation has a greater influence on firm performance or whether the latter has a greater influence on compensation. Design/methodology/approach – Using data from a five-year period (2010-2014) for Financial Times and Stock Exchange 350 companies, the authors employ a set of simultaneous equation modelling to jointly investigate, after accounting for endogeneity problem, the mutual association of executive compensation and firm performance by employing four control variables (board size, non-executive directors, leverage and boardroom ownership). Findings – The authors find strong evidence for the greater influence of executive compensation on firm performance than the pay-performance framework. This finding supports the tournament theory compared with the agency perspective. Research limitations/implications – Inevitably, there are limitations in a wide-ranging study of this nature that could be addressed in future research. As any empirical study utilising company data, there may be concerns to the effect of survivorship bias and the manner in which companies have reorganised, if there is any, themselves during the period under examination. There are also issues as to missing data, some measures relating to both executive compensation and corporate governance are not provided by the BoardEx database. Practical implications – The study results provide evidence that using the tournament perspective by remuneration committees as a guide for determining executive compensation helps in achieving better performance. This helps in developing appropriate mechanisms for setting executive remuneration. Originality/value – This paper combines an empirical investigation of the frameworks of pay-performance and performance-pay and develops a system of six simultaneous equations to examine the associations between executive compensation and firm performance. Keywords Firm performance, Executive compensation, FTSE 350, Simultaneous equations modelling Paper type Research pape

Solutions of Some Difference Equations Systems and Periodicity

In this article, analysis and investigation have been conducted on the periodic nature as well as the type of the solutions of the subsequent schemes of rational difference equations with a nonzero real numbers initial conditions

Case Report: Multiple pterygium syndrome with marked pterygia of the fingers and MRI changes in the spine

We report a two years old Egyptian girl, the first birth of consanguineous marriage with clinical findings consistent with the diagnosis of the autosomal recessive multiple pterygium syndrome (Escobar) (growth retardation, craniofacial dysmorphism, multiple pterygia, kyphoscoliosis, multiple joint contractures especially affecting the lower limbs). What characterizes out patient was the extensive pterygia of the fingers which kept them permanently flexed, while they were very mild in the neck, axillary folds and knee joints. Our patient suffered also from mental retardation although mentality is commonly reported to be normal in this syndrome. MRI of the spine revealed widened spinal canal and engorged intraspinal vessels, which were not reported before.Keywords: Multiple pterygium syndrome; Joint contractures; Kyphoscoliosis; Autosomal recessiv

Study of the Effect of Geomembranes on the Interaction between the Soil and Underground Structures

Geomembranes are one of the most widely used insulation materials in various civil engineering applications. Failure due to the slippage between geomembranes and the interfacing soils was detected at some cases. This paper presents the results of a series of laboratory tests carried out to investigate the factors controlling the developed interface stresses strength between the soil and geomembranes. In order to quantify the effect of different commonly used isolation membranes on the behavior and stability of buried concrete structures, laboratory studies by using modified direct shear apparatus is performed and integrated and the reduction in the shear resistance between the soil and different types of isolation geomembranes is determined. Graded sand with well-rounded particles was used in the experimental program. Shear tests were conducted under a normal stress range of about 25-100 kPa. The effect of the geomembranes on the peak and residual interface shear strengths is highlighted. Test’s results indicate development of peak interface shear resistance at a small strain and constant residual interface shear resistance at large strain. It was found that the developed peak and residual interface friction angles between the sand and the geomembranes interfaces ranged from 59 % to 82 % of the corresponding peak and residual interface friction angles between sand and un-protected concrete

Maternal risk factors in young Egyptian mothers of Down syndrome

Introduction: We investigated the possible maternal risk factors that mayincrease the incidence of Down syndrome (DS) in young Egyptian mothers(younger than 35 years) especially methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR) enzyme C677T polymorphism.Subjects and Methods: The study included 200 mothers of karyotypicallyascertained non-disjunction DS attending Genetics clinic, Children’s hospital, Ain Shams University (100 mothers were < 35 years and 100 mothers ≥ 35 years). 50 mothers of none-DS children served as a control group. For all cases, history was taken laying stress on: Parental ages at conception, maternal grandparent’s ages at conception of mother, DS birth order, history of oral contraceptive use 6 months before conception, genital infection, vitamin supplementation and smoking or exposure to irradiation.Results: MTHFR C677T mutational analysis was done to twenty DS motherswith ages ≤ 35 years revealed that 35% of young mothers had C677T mutation (10% had homozygous mutation and 25% had heterozygous mutation). MTHFR C677T polymorphism was found to be a possible maternal genetic risk factor for DS although statistically non-significant.Other maternal risk factors included the use of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) 6 months before pregnancy which was significantly higher only in DSmothers ≥ 35 years. on the other hand, parental consanguinity, maternal grandparents’ ages, the presence of genital infection and birth order did not show a significant difference between young and old mothers of DS.Conclusion: MTHFR C677T could not be considered as a maternal risk factor in young Egyptian mothers of DS. The risk effect may depend on gene-environment interaction between the genotype and dietary intake in particular folic acid consumption which should be further studied on a larger scale population including other MTHFR polymorphisms and environmental factors. Other risk factors may include the use of OCP in older mothers. Parents consanguinity, paternal age and maternal grandparents’ ages were not found to be risk factors in DS in this study.Keywords: Down syndrome, risk factors, mothers, MTHFR

Preliminary report on theNeurology workload ina central hospital in Sudan.

Introduction: Identification of the local pattern of neurological diseases is expected to help setting the priorities for good planning of management and public education.Objectives: To identify the pattern of neurological disorders in a second biggest central hospital in Sudan.Methodology: Review of the diagnosis of 170 patients, seen in the out patients neuro-clinic and the neurology ward from March 2010 to February 2011, was done. Patients who were in follow up by other neuro-clinics were excluded.Results: The male to female ratio was 1:1 Patients who were 20-60 years old comprised 54%.About 50% of patients live in Omdurman city. Motor symptoms were the most common presenting symptoms forming 64.1% followed by cranial nerves symptoms 27.6%. Stroke was the commonestencountered diagnosis seen in 20.7%, followed by epilepsy in 16.6%, headache in 9.6%, movement disorders in 7.7%, peripheral neuropathy in 3.6%, demylination in 1.8%, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) 1.8% and tumours in 1.2% patients. Stroke was more common in patients from East Sudan and Epilepsy was more common in patients from West Sudan. Vascular and degenerative changes were the commonest abnormalities seen in imaging studies. Demyelination and neoplasms were more common in females.Conclusion: Stroke, epilepsy and headache were the commonest neurological disorders met in Omdurman Teaching Hospital.Key words: general hospital, neurology department, neurological disorders