Comparison of diagnostic tests in distinct well-defined conditions related to dry eye disease

This study compares signs, symptoms and predictive tools used to diagnose dry eye disease (DED) and ocular surface disorders in six systemic well-defined and non-overlapping diseases. It is well known that these tests are problematic because of a lack of agreement between them in identifying these conditions. Accordingly, we provide here a comparative clinical profile analysis of these different diseases. A spontaneous and continuous sample of patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) (n = 27), graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) (n = 28), Graves orbitopathy (n = 28), facial palsy (n = 8), diabetes mellitus without proliferative retinopathy (n = 14) and glaucoma who chronically received topical drugs preserved with benzalkonium chloride (n = 20) were enrolled. Evaluation consisted of a comprehensive protocol encompassing: (1) structured questionnaire - Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI); (2) tear osmolarity (TearLab Osmolarity System - Ocusense); (3) tear film break-up time (TBUT); (4) fluorescein and lissamine green staining; (5) Schirmer test and (6) severity grading. One hundred and twenty five patients (aged 48.8 years-old +/- 14.1, male:female ratio = 0.4) were enrolled in the study, along with 24 age and gender matched controls. Higher scores on DED tests were obtained in Sjogren Syndrome (P<0.05), except for tear film osmolarity that was higher in diabetics (P<0.001) and fluorescein staining, that was higher in facial palsy (P<0.001). TFBUT and OSDI correlated better with other tests. The best combination of diagnostic tests for DED was OSDI, TBUT and Schirmer test (sensitivity 100%, specificity 95% and accuracy 99.3%). DED diagnostic test results present a broad range of variability among different conditions. Vital stainings and TBUT correlated best with one another whereas the best test combination to detect DED was: OSDI/TBUT/Schirmer95FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPFundacao de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e AssistAancia do Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto da Universidade de Sao Paulo (FAEPA); NAP-FTO US

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum): A reference study for the regulation of genetically modified cultivars in Brazil. Tropical Plant Biology

Abstract Global interest in sugarcane has increased significantly in recent years due to its economic impact on sustainable energy production. Sugarcane breeding and better agronomic practices have contributed to a huge increase in sugarcane yield in the last 30 years. Additional increases in sugarcane yield are expected to result from the use of biotechnology tools in the near future. Genetically modified (GM) sugarcane that incorporates genes to increase resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses could play a major role in achieving this goal. However, to bring GM sugarcane to the market, it is necessary to follow a regulatory process that will evaluate the environmental and health impacts of this crop. The regulatory review process is usually accomplished through a comparison of the biology and composition of the GM cultivar and a non-GM counterpart. This review intends to provide informaCommunicated by

A congenital myopathy of unknown origin

Parallel with the clinical and histochemical investigations, an ultrastructural examination of a muscle biopsy specimen was made, in order to detect any slight cellular alterations which cannot possibly be discovered through any other methods, and to identify a muscle disease of unknown origin

« Numénius et la tradition judéo-hellénistique : une relecture du fragment 21 F (13 dP) », Semitica et classica, 2021 (sous presse).

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