Comparative Evaluation of Lamina Cribrosa Anatomical Parameters with Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Defects In Primary Open-angle Glaucoma Cases And Controls

OBJECTIVES To assess the lamina cribrosa (LC) anterior lamina cribrosa depth (ALCD), lamina cribrosa thickness (LCT) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) cases and age-matched controls and to compare these anatomical variables among POAG cases and age-matched controls. METHODOLOGY The case-control study was researched at Al-Ain Eye Institute, Karachi, in four month’s duration (November 2018 till February 2019). Expert eye specialist recruited 57 POAG cases and 46 age-matched healthy controls. Observation of intraocular pressure (IOP) and open angle was done using Goldmann tonometry and Slit-lamp biomicroscopy with stereoscopic ophthalmoscopy respectively. Visual field parameters of mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) measured using Humphrey Field Analyzer. Highly sensitive spectral domain ocular coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging (EDI-OCT) was used to determine ALCD, LCT and RNFLT. RESULTS Statistically significant results were produced by RNFLT defects when it is compared in groups of mild with moderate cases of POAG (P-value 0.037). ALCD and LCT did display an association with RNFLT defects but did not produced statistically significant results. CONCLUSION Assessments of ALCD and LCT can provide important prognostic evidence about RNFLT and can assist in future planning of mild and moderate cases suffering from POAG

Variation of PEFR with height, weight and waist-hip ratio in medical students

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of our study was to assess the variation of PEFR with various medical students of Karachi, PakistanDESIGN: Cross-sectional studySetting: Medical students of Karachi Medical and Dental CollegeParticipants: 276 non-smoker healthy medical students composed of 168 females and 108 males.VARIABLE PARAMETERS: They include mean age, body height and body weight and PEFR. They were marked separately for each genderRESULTS: The mean waist hip ratio in females was observed to be 0.843±0.111in relation with that of mean PEFR value 452.97±65.84 L/min, whereas in males the mean waist hip ratio was 0.864±0.028 in relation with that of mean PEFR value 445.93±66.49 L/min. Also there is a statistically significant variation in PEFR with an increase in waist hip ratio. The mean height of males was 173.63 ±7.5 cm and weight was 61.81 ±11.25 Kg while mean height of females was 158.56±7.3 cm and weight was 49.33±9.04 Kg. PEFR is positively correlated with increase in height and weight up to a certain limit.CONCLUSION: The study concludes that PEFR is affected positively by variation in waist hip ratio; moreover young females have more waist hip ratio and PEFR values than their young male counterparts. A large sample size with accurate peak flow meter is required along with ethnic consideration of the study population for better, accurate and clear results