Ultrasound Biomicroscopy and Iris Pigment Dispersion: a Case-Control Study

Background/aims: the study involved eyes affected by pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) or pigmentary glaucoma (PG) investigated by ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM). Different iridocorneal parameters were assessed and compared to those from healthy controls. The aim was to investigate the capacity of the UBM in differentiating the cases and, potentially, in confirming the pathogenic mechanisms. Methods: patients with a first diagnosis of PDS or PG were included. A cohort of healthy volunteers, matched for sex, age and refractive errors was recruited. All underwent UBM examination and the following parameters were assessed in relaxed and stimulated accommodative state in one eye: iris-lens contact (ILC); iridocorneal angle (ICA); iris concavity (IC). A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis assessed the ability of UBM to discriminate between subjects with and without PDS/PG. Results: twenty-four eyes formed the case group, four diagnosed as PG and the remaining 20 as PDS. Twenty-five eyes entered the control group. The two groups were statistically superimposable except for baseline intraocular pressure; higher in the case group (p = .0001). All UBM parameters showed statistic differences between the two groups. ICA in near vision was the best-performing parameter reaching a sensitivity (= specificity) of 0.875 with a cut-off at 53.0°. The second most sensitive parameter was IC, still in near vision. Conclusion: all UBM parameters considered were statistically different between the two groups. ROC analysis showed ICA and IC in near vision to be the most discriminant parameters. This evidence confirms the importance of iris movements in inducing the peculiar features of PDS/PG

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in Hediste diversicolor (O.F. Müller, 1776), Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758), and surface sediments of Bafa Lake (Eastern Aegean)

In the present study, the bioaccumulation of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) in Hediste (Nereis) diversicolor (O.F. Muller, 1776) and also in the muscle and liver of Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) collected from seven stations in the Bafa Lake was investigated. Sediment samples were also collected in each site to assess heavy metal levels and to provide additional information on pollution of the lake. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in sediment, H. diversicolor, and muscle and liver of the fish were found to be in the magnitude of Cr > Pb > Zn > Cu > Cd > Hg, Zn > Cu > Cr > Pb > Hg > Cd, Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr > Hg > Cd, and Cu > Zn > Cr > Cd > Pb > Hg, respectively. Hg, Cu, and Zn in H. diversicolor and Hg and Zn in muscle and also Hg, Cd, Cu, and Zn in liver of fish accumulated in a higher degree than in sediment. There was no clear relationship between metal concentrations in sediments, polychaetes, and fish, except Cr. According to international criteria and Turkish regulations, Pb and Zn values in edible muscle of the fish collected from stations S6 and S5 exceeded the food safety limits, respectively. The results of this study suggest that these sentinel species can be considered as good anthropogenic biological indicators for heavy metal pollution along the Bafa Lake