Topiramate-induced bilateral acute angle closure glaucoma and myopic shift

Topiramate (TPM) shows idiosyncratic adverse reaction of peripheral ciliochoroidal effusion leading to acute angle closure glaucoma (AACG), which should be diagnosed and managed at the earliest to prevent irreversible visual loss. We report, a case of TPM-induced bilateral AACG and myopic shift, which was reversed by omitting TPM and administering antiglaucoma medications.

Steroid induced central serous retinopathy following follicular unit extraction in androgenic alopecia

Dermatologists for various conditions and procedures commonly use corticosteroids worldwide. The development of central serous retinopathy is a lesser known complication occurring in <10% of the cases with steroid use. This case report highlights the development of central serous retinopathy after prescribing low dose of prednisolone 20 mg per day for androgenic alopecia during post-surgical follicular unit extraction (FUE) surgery follow-up that recovered spontaneously after gradual withdrawal of steroids. Therefore, awareness is required for its early detection and management as it has a potential of causing irreversible visual impairment

Antidepressants-a possibly risk factor for cataract development: a cross-sectional study

Background: Few studies have reported the role of antidepressants as cataractogenic in humans.Methods: It’s a hospital based descriptive, cross-sectional study. 45 Patients were screened for antidepressant use and diminution of vision, 6 were dropped out. 39 patients with 78 eyes were finally enrolled. They were divided into two goups i.e., Group-I, with cataract (N=53) and Group-II, without cataract (N=25). Three clusters of antidepressants were assessed e.g., SSRI, SNRI and TCA with therapeutic dose (TD) and non-therapeutic dose (NTD) range. Psychiatric illness was diagnosed on DSM-5 and severity of depression on HAM-D. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was converted from Snellen units to logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (log MAR) for statistical analysis. Cataract changes in eyes were seen on slit-lamp and classified on Lens opacities classification system-III (LOCS-III) criteria.Results: A total 78 eyes of thirty-nine (39) patients were evaluated. Thirty (38.46%) and forty-eight (61.53%) eyes belonged to males and females, respectively. Mean age of males (n=7) was 41.8±2.3 years and females (n=32) 40.2±1.0 years. In Group-I, out of (N=53) eyes that developed cataract 33 were females (62.26%) as compared to males 20 (37.7%). Group -II, out of (N=25) eyes, females without cataract were 15 (60%) as compared to males 10 (40%).  Therapeutic dose (TD) of antidepressants (AD) in Group-I had more cataract 37 (69.81%) as compared to non-therapeutic dose (NTD) 16 (30.1%). Most of the eyes with cataract 35 (66.03%) had AD exposure of more than 1 year that was possibly associated with increased risk of cataract development (OR 2.10; 95% CI, 0.79-5.55). Amongst users of antidepressants, SSRI was associated with increased risk of cataract development (OR 2.4; 95% CI, 0.72–7.94) with a female preponderance (OR 1.1; 95% CI, 0.41–2.91). Maximum number of eyes 34 (64.15%) that developed cataract had BCVA of ≥6/12 and minimum of 2 (3.77%) eyes had BCVA of ≤6/36. LOCS-III revealed 38 (71.69%) eyes (71.69%) having peripheral cortical cataract and 15 (28.30%) posterior sub-capsular cataract.Conclusions: There is a possible risk of association of cataract amongst user of antidepressants. The AD use of more than 1 year or longer had increased risk for development of cataract with a female preponderance. The highest risk was observed in the users of SSRI as compared to SNRI and TCA. Treatment exposure with antidepressant was longer for mild depression having more than two episodes

Transcriptional Pausing Factor m1bp Regulates Cellular Homeostasis by Suppressing Autophagy and Apoptosis in \u3cem\u3eDrosophila \u3c/em\u3eEye

During organogenesis cellular homeostasis plays a crucial role in patterning and growth. The role of promoter proximal pausing of RNA polymerase II, which regulates transcription of several developmental genes by GAGA factor or Motif 1 Binding Protein (M1BP), has not been fully understood in cellular homeostasis. Earlier, we reported that M1BP, a functional homolog of ZKSCAN3, regulates wingless (wg) and caspase-dependent cell death (apoptosis) in the Drosophila eye. Further, blocking apoptosis does not fully rescue the M1BPRNAi phenotype of reduced eye. Therefore, we looked for other possible mechanism(s). In a forward genetic screen, members of the Jun-amino-terminal-(NH2)-Kinase (JNK) pathway were identified. Downregulation of M1BP ectopically induces JNK, a pro-death pathway, known to activate both apoptosis and caspase-independent (autophagy) cell death. Activation of JNK pathway components can enhance M1BPRNAi phenotype and vice-versa. Downregulation of M1BP ectopically induced JNK signaling, which leads to apoptosis and autophagy. Apoptosis and autophagy are regulated independently by their genetic circuitry. Here, we found that blocking either apoptosis or autophagy alone rescues the reduced eye phenotype of M1BP downregulation; whereas, blocking both apoptosis and autophagy together significantly rescues the M1BP reduced eye phenotype to near wild-type in nearly 85% progeny. This data suggests that the cellular homeostasis response demonstrated by two independent cell death mechanisms, apoptosis and autophagy, can be regulated by a common transcriptional pausing mechanism orchestrated by M1BP. Since these fundamental processes are conserved in higher organisms, this novel functional link between M1BP and regulation of both apoptosis and autophagy can be extrapolated to humans

Kikuchi Fujimoto lymphadenitis- an uncommon entity in the surgical outpatients: a case report

Kikuchi Fujimoto lymphadenitis is a benign self-limiting disease with subacute necrotizing lymphadenopathy of unknown cause. The clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical features point to viral etiology hence delaying diagnosis commonly. Clinicians and pathologists awareness of this disorder may prevent misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. We describe here a case of a young woman admitted under our care with fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. Cervical lymph node biopsy revealed the rare clinical disorder of Kikuchi Fujimoto lymphadenitis which is not thought of as a primary cause of lymphadenopathy in the Indian subcontinent where tuberculosis is widely prevalent

Plasmon-mediated, highly enhanced photocatalytic degradation of industrial textile dyes using hybrid ZnO@Ag core–shell nanorods

Hybrid ZnO@Ag core–shell heterojunction nanorods were synthesized using a novel, facile two-step process based on hydrothermal and seed mediated growth techniques. The material was characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), room temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy (RTPL), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The hybrid ZnO@Ag core–shell nanorods were comprised of one-dimensional (1D) ZnO nanorods serving as a core material, over which surface-doped Ag nanoclusters (2.5 nm) were anchored as a heterogeneous shell. The presence of oxygen vacancies and Zn interstitials were confirmed by RTPL and Raman spectroscopic analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the hybrid ZnO@Ag core–shell nanorods was studied in comparison to bare ZnO nanorods using standard R6G dye and industrial textile dyes such as Congo red and Amido black 10B under UV and visible light (solar) irradiations. Moreover, the material was tested for real time industrial textile effluents under ambient conditions and was found to be highly efficient. The enhanced photocatalytic property observed for ZnO@Ag hybrid core–shell nanorods is attributed to a phenomenal increase in oxygen related defects in the core that generate photo-induced charge carriers and the presence of plasmonic Ag nanoclusters in the shell, which act as a sink for the photo-induced charge carriers

Objective Analysis of Marker Bias in Higher Education

Marker bias has been a serious factor contributing to discrepancy in assessments. In this study we analyze one year students' results in a Business Faculty within an Australian university to understand the extent of variation induced by marker bias in multiple marker scenarios. The study shows interesting insights regarding the marking trends of a particular marker, and shows variations among markers in a particular course. The study paves the way for quantification of marker variation through objective analysis

What do we know about chronic kidney disease in India: first report of the Indian CKD registry

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are no national data on the magnitude and pattern of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in India. The Indian CKD Registry documents the demographics, etiological spectrum, practice patterns, variations and special characteristics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data was collected for this cross-sectional study in a standardized format according to predetermined criteria. Of the 52,273 adult patients, 35.5%, 27.9%, 25.6% and 11% patients came from South, North, West and East zones respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age was 50.1 ± 14.6 years, with M:F ratio of 70:30. Patients from North Zone were younger and those from the East Zone older. Diabetic nephropathy was the commonest cause (31%), followed by CKD of undetermined etiology (16%), chronic glomerulonephritis (14%) and hypertensive nephrosclerosis (13%). About 48% cases presented in Stage V; they were younger than those in Stages III-IV. Diabetic nephropathy patients were older, more likely to present in earlier stages of CKD and had a higher frequency of males; whereas those with CKD of unexplained etiology were younger, had more females and more frequently presented in Stage V. Patients in lower income groups had more advanced CKD at presentation. Patients presenting to public sector hospitals were poorer, younger, and more frequently had CKD of unknown etiology.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This report confirms the emergence of diabetic nephropathy as the pre-eminent cause in India. Patients with CKD of unknown etiology are younger, poorer and more likely to present with advanced CKD. There were some geographic variations.</p