Keratouveitis as a First Presentation of Relapsing Polychondritis

This paper provides images and a description of an unusual manifestation of relapsing polychondritis presenting initially with isolated ocular signs, mimicking infective keratitis. We present an interventional case report of a 75-year-old man who presented with marked left ocular irritation and photophobia. Ophthalmological examination disclosed corneal intrastromal infiltrate and hypopyon which failed to respond to intensive antimicrobial drops. He later went on to develop bilateral auricular chondritis. Relapsing polychondritis was diagnosed. Treatment with topical and oral corticosteroids resulted in marked improvement of the corneal infiltrate and resolution of the auricular inflammation. The paper highlights the importance of considering connective tissue inflammatory conditions in any stromal keratitis unresponsive to antimicrobial treatment

HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS OF HEAT GENERATING WIRE USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

This paper describes the numerical results of the heat transfer from heat generating wire at different conditions by finite element method. The parametric effects on heat transfer were investigated. The varied parameters included ambient conditions, as well as the shape of the cross-section. The numerical results show that the type of the medium where the heat generating wire immerges has strong effects on the heatdissipation rate. As the size of the diameter the heat dissipation to the ambient is decreased. The effects of free convection conditions on the wire surface are also significant. However, the effect of the shape of the cross-section is not very strong. The results presented in this paper provide useful information for the application of heat generating wire

Stabilization of Bilateral Progressive Rheumatoid Corneal Melt with Infliximab

Purpose. To report the use of infliximab in the rapid stabilization of a case of progressive, bilateral rheumatoid peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) that failed to respond to conventional immunosuppressive therapy. Methods. A single interventional case report. Results. A patient with rheumatoid arthritis presented with bilateral PUK following a 2-month history of ocular discomfort and redness. His systemic prednisolone (PDN) and methotrexate (MTX) were increased and, despite an initial favorable response, bilateral recurrent corneal perforations ensued. Both eyes underwent cyanoacrylate glue repair, amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT), and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). Recurrence of the disease and bilateral perforations of the second PKP in both eyes prompted administration of intravenous infliximab immediately after the fourth PKP. The disease activity rapidly settled in both eyes, and at eighteen-month followup, after 12 infliximab infusions, the PUK remains quiescent with no further graft thinning or perforation. Conclusion. Infliximab can be used to arrest the progression of severe bilateral rheumatoid PUK in cases that are refractory to conventional treatment

Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acanthamoeba Keratitis

This paper aims to review the recent literature describing Acanthamoeba keratitis and outline current thoughts on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment as well as currently emerging diagnostic and treatment modalities

Prevalence of Aggression and its correlation to psychopathology of first episode of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder: Study of 100 cases

Background: Persons with mental illness especially psychosis are considered aggressive. Objective: Present study aims to explore the prevalence of aggression and its correlation with the psychopathology in patients with first episode of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Material & Method: Sample consist 100 patients in first episode with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders according to DSM-IV TR. Case Record Form, Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS), Modified Overt Aggression Scale(MOAS), Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAS) were administered. Result: 68% of male and 51% of female patients showed some type of aggression. Aggression positively correlated with positive symptoms and general psychopathology scale of PANSS. Aggression correlated with psychopathology more than aggressive personality traits. Conclusion: In present study, aggression was prevalent in schizophrenia and its spectrum disorders. It directly has a positive correlation with positive symptoms scale of PANSS.. However, larger community based studies are needed to replicate our findings

Intraocular Lens Opacification following Intracameral Injection of Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator to Treat Inflammatory Membranes after Cataract Surgery

Purpose. To report 7 cases of intraocular lens (IOL) opacification following treatment of postoperative anterior chamber fibrin with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) after cataract surgery. Methods. Retrospective case series of 7 eyes in 7 patients who developed IOL opacification after receiving rtPA for anterior chamber inflammatory membrane formation resulting from phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Three explanted IOLs were investigated with light microscopy, histochemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray spectrometry. Results. All patients underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery and posterior chamber hydrophilic IOL implantation. Anterior chamber inflammatory membranes developed between 1 and 4 weeks of surgery and were treated with intracameral rtPA. IOL opacification was noted between 4 weeks and 6 years after rtPA treatment with reduced visual acuity, and IOL exchange was carried out in 3 patients. Light microscopy evaluation revealed diffuse fine granular deposits on the anterior surface/subsurface of IOL optic that stained positive for calcium salts. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) confirmed the presence of calcium and phosphate on the IOL. Conclusions. Intracameral rtPA, though rapidly effective in the treatment of anterior chamber inflammatory membranes following cataract surgery, may be associated with IOL opacification

Oxy-functionalization of olefins with neat and heterogenized binuclear V(IV)O and Fe(II) complexes: effect of steric hindrance on product selectivity and output in homogeneous and heterogeneous phase

Neat {[VO(sal2bz)]2; [Fe(sal2bz)(H2O)2]2·2H2O} and zeolite-Y immobilized {[VO(sal2bz)]2-Y; [Fe(sal2bz)(H2O)2]2-Y} binuclear complexes have been prepared and characterized by spectroscopic techniques (IR, UV–vis), elemental analyses (CHN, ICP-OES), thermal study (TGA), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), adsorption study (BET) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. Neat (homogeneous) and immobilized (heterogeneous) complexes were employed as catalysts in the oxidation of olefins, namely, cyclohexene, limonene and α-pinene in the presence of 30% hydrogen peroxide. 100% conversion of cyclohexene and α-pinene was obtained while limonene was oxidized up to 90%. Homogeneous catalysts showed highly selective result as neat [VO(sal2bz)]2 complex has provided 87% cyclohexane-1,2-diol and neat [Fe(sal2bz)(H2O)2]2·2H2O complex has provided 79% verbenone in oxidation of cyclohexene and α-pinene, respectively. We have observed that due to steric hindrance, formation of olefinic oxidation products increases on moving from α-pinene to limonene and limonene to cyclohexene. Additionally. recovered heterogeneous catalysts showed intact results up to two consecutive runs. Probable catalytic mechanism has been proposed for oxidation of cyclohexene

Introduction to Community Service-Learning (SRCL 1000)

Introduction to Community Service-Learning is a general elective open to first to fourth year international and domestic students from a variety of disciplines across campus. Every fall and winter semester each student volunteers at one of 30 local not-for-profit organizations for a full semester. Students are required to complete 24 hours of service as part of their course work. In this poster session, 16 not-for-profit organizations will be represented by 27 SRCL 1000 students. They will demonstrate personal reflections on their service experiences, how their experiences connect to the course work and their organizations, and what they will take back to their own communities after the course is over. Students representing the following Kamloops not-for-profit organizations: Active Care Services: Nolan Fenrich St. John Ambulance: Damilola Abiyo and Ryuki Furuta Overlander Residential Care: Glory Amukamara Ponderosa Lodge: Rahab Kariuki The Kamloops Food Bank: Yu Cao, Surkamal Singh Jhand, Xiangzhong Kong and Ruotong Shi The ReStore – Habitat for Humanity: Dion Maborekhe, Fengyi Yang and Haonan Deng Kamloops Immigrant Services: Dipak Parmar Maple Leaf School: Qian Wang and Mengyao Zhu BC SPCA: Dawei Xu TRU Sustainability Office: Akash Ghosh, Takaya Hirose, Jihoon Kim and Kosuke Masunaga TRU Horticulture: Ols Buta TRU The X Radio: Marie Gabriela Jimenez and MD Majharul Islam Sabuj Beattie School of the Arts: Makoto Iida Gemstone Care Center: Tirth Panchal Chartwell Ridgepointe: Sakina Shikama Sikh Temple: Gurpreet Pua

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Mid-term results of ponseti method for the treatment of congenital idiopathic clubfoot - (A study of 67 clubfeet with mean five year follow-up)

Abstract Background Long-term success reports by Dr. Ponseti with the Ponseti method in the treatment of congenital idiopathic clubfoot have led to a renewed interest in this method among pediatric orthopedists. The purpose of this study is to evaluate mid-term effectiveness of Ponseti method for the treatment of congenital idiopathic clubfoot. Material and Methods A total of 49 patients (67 clubfeet) were treated by Ponseti method by single orthopedic surgeon during the period of October 03 to July 07 and were studied prospectively up to July 10 (mean follow up period 5 years, minimum follow-up period of 3 years). Age at the initiation of the treatment, gender, bilaterality, severity of the initial clubfoot deformity measured by Pirani Severity Score System, total numbers of Ponseti casts before the tenotomy, details of tenotomy, compliance with brace and CTEV shoes were examined. Passive range of movements and look of club foot are evaluated with mean 5 years follow-up. Results We followed the functional Ponseti Scoring System and got good to excellent results in 44 patients - 89.79% (58 clubfeet - 86.56%) at mean five year of follow up. Parents of 32 patients (65.30%) accept the look of the clubfoot nearly normal and parents of 12 patients (24.49%) accept the look of clubfoot as normal. Of the 49 patients who responded to initial Ponseti casting, 14 patients - 28.57% (19 clubfeet - 28.35%) had relapse at varying age; out of which 9 patients - 64.29% (10 clubfeet - 52.63%) were corrected by Ponseti casting method, while 5 patients - 35.71% (9 clubfeet - 47.37%) were resistant to Ponseti method. Poor compliance with the Denis Browne splint was thought to be the main cause of failure in these patients. Conclusion Ponseti method is a safe and satisfactory treatment for congenital idiopathic clubfoot with mid- term effectiveness.</p