The role of maternal age & birth order on the development of unilateral and bilateral retinoblastoma: a multicentre study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Retinoblastoma is a common childhood intraocular malignancy, the bilateral form of which most commonly results from a de novo germline pathogenic variant in the RB1 gene. Both advanced maternal age and decreasing birth order are known to increase the risk of de novo germline pathogenic variants, while the influence of national wealth is understudied. This cohort study aimed to retrospectively observe whether these factors influence the ratio of bilateral retinoblastoma cases compared to unilateral retinoblastoma, thereby inferring an influence on the development of de novo germline pathogenic variants in RB1. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data from 688 patients from 11 centres in 10 countries were analysed using a series of statistical methods. RESULTS: No associations were found between advanced maternal age, birth order or GDP per capita and the ratio of bilateral to unilateral retinoblastoma cases (p values = 0.534, 0.201, 0.067, respectively), indicating that these factors do not contribute to the development of a de novo pathogenic variant. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a lack of a definitive control group and genetic testing, this study demonstrates that advanced maternal age, birth order or GDP per capita do not influence the risk of developing a bilateral retinoblastoma

Lag Time between Onset of First Symptom and Treatment of Retinoblastoma: An International Collaborative Study of 692 Patients from 10 Countries.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between lag time and outcomes in retinoblastoma (RB) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to study the effect of lag time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis of retinoblastoma (RB) in countries based on their national-income and analyse its effect on the outcomes. METHODS: We performed a prospective study of 692 patients from 11 RB centres in 10 countries from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. RESULTS: The following factors were significantly different among different countries based on national-income level: age at diagnosis of RB (p = 0.001), distance from home to nearest primary healthcare centre (p = 0.03) and mean lag time between detection of first symptom to visit to RB treatment centre (p = 0.0007). After adjusting for country income, increased lag time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis of RB was associated with higher chances of an advanced tumour at presentation (p < 0.001), higher chances of high-risk histopathology features (p = 0.003), regional lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001), systemic metastasis (p < 0.001) and death (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant difference in the lag time between onset of signs and symptoms and referral to an RB treatment centre among countries based on national income resulting in significant differences in the presenting features and clinical outcomes

Risk factors associated with abandonment of care in retinoblastoma: analysis of 692 patients from 10 countries.

BACKGROUND: Rates of care abandonment for retinoblastoma (RB) demonstrate significant geographical variation; however, other variables that place a patient at risk of abandoning care remain unclear. This study aims to identify the risk factors for care abandonment across a multinational set of patients. METHODS: A prospective, observational study of 692 patients from 11 RB centres in 10 countries was conducted from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with higher rates of care abandonment. RESULTS: Logistic regression showed a higher risk of abandoning care based on country (high-risk countries include Bangladesh (OR=18.1), Pakistan (OR=45.5) and Peru (OR=9.23), p<0.001), female sex (OR=2.39, p=0.013) and advanced clinical stage (OR=4.22, p<0.001). Enucleation as primary treatment was not associated with a higher risk of care abandonment (OR=0.59, p=0.206). CONCLUSION: Country, advanced disease and female sex were all associated with higher rates of abandonment. In this analysis, enucleation as the primary treatment was not associated with abandonment. Further research investigating cultural barriers can enable the building of targeted retention strategies unique to each country

Periocular capillary hemangioma treated with low dose oral propranolol - presentation and outcome of 30 patients

Purpose: To evaluate the presentation and outcome of periocular capillary hemangioma treated with low-dose oral propranolol.Method: Thirty cases of periocular capillary hemangioma prospectively studied from 1st June 2015 to 31st May 2017 who received oral propranolol on an outpatient basis. Hemangioma causing any threat to vision or disfigurement was included and age below 3 months and multiple lesions were excluded. Starting dose of propranolol was 1 mg/kg and increased to 2 mg/kg after 2 weeks as a maintenance dose. The tapering dose was 1 mg/kg of body weight before discontinuing the medication. Treatment was continued till the child is 1 year of age or no further change in color or size of the lesion in two successive follow-ups.&nbsp;Results: Presenting age was 6.36 &plusmn; 3.36 months (ranged 3&ndash;24 months) with female predominance (70%). In 86.6% of cases, the vision was Central Steady and Maintained and cycloplegic refraction showed marked astigmatism in 3 children which resolved after treatment. Forty-six percent of children showed color change as an initial response to treatment. Most children (33.3%) responded completely within 5 months after starting the treatment. One third patients (33.3%) showed 100% resolution, 50% showed 90% to 70% resolution. Pretreatment and post-treatment lesion size was1.60 &plusmn; 0.86 cm2 and 0.30 &plusmn; 0.40 cm2 respectively (p - value &lt; 0.0005). None showed any significant adverse effect of oral propranolol.Conclusion: Low-dose oral propranolol is an effective and cost-effective treatment modality for periocular capillary hemangioma and is safe as an outpatient basis.&nbsp

Diffuse large cell lymphoma of the lacrimal sac may mimic as acute dacryocystitis

A 36-year-old male patient presented with a firm swelling in the left lacrimal sac region with a history of recurrent episodes of acute dacryocystitis, which partly resolved with systemic antibiotics. Computed tomography showed diffuse soft tissue mass without bony erosion in the same area. Incisional biopsy confirmed diffuse large cell lymphoma of non-Hodgkin's type by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Oncologists did not detect systemic involvement, and the patient received six cycles of cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, oncovin, and prednisolone (CHOP). Epiphora was resolved, and no recurrence of the lesion was seen with subsequent dacryocystorhinostomy with intubation and was in good health for up to 3 years of follow-up. Although primary lacrimal sac lymphoma is a rare entity, high suspicion, and prompt action in atypical cases can save lives from aggressive diffuse large cell lymphoma

Visual Outcome and Complications of Late Implanted Anterior Chamber Intraocular Lens

&lt;p&gt;Aim: To observe the visual outcome and complications of late implanted anterior-chamber intraocular lens (ACIOL) in eyes with insufficient or absent posterior capsular support.Material and Methods: Observational study of 52 eyes of 51 patients over a period of 2 years. All eyes underwent late implantation of ACIOL after 3 months of primary surgery (aphakia), which were not eligible for posterior chamber IOL implantation due to different causes. Patients were kept aphakic with good anterior vitrectomy or pars plana vitrectomy for 3 months to reduce inflammation. ACIOL was then implanted with clear corneal incision after that period. Patients were observed for 18 to 48 months.Result: Mean age of the patients was 57.69±14.64 years with a female predominance (55.8%). Major indications for surgery were posterior capsular tear (57.70%) and &nbsp;subluxated crystalline lens (19.2%). Pre- and post- operative LogMar visual acuity was 1.51±0.29 and &nbsp;0.31±0.28 respectively. Ninety percent (90.04%) eyes achieved 6/18 or better vision in the Snellen chart. A total of 9 eyes (17.30%) developed some complications. No patients developed persistent raised IOP finally.Conclusion: Late implantation of secondary ACIOLs results in good visual outcome and greatly reduced some complications such as persistent rise of intraocular pressure (IOP), persistent uveitis and cystoid macular edema.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keywords:- Late Implanted Anterior Chamber Intraocular Lens (ACIOL), Posterior Capsular Support, Persistent Rise of IOP, Persistent Uveitis and Cystoid Macular Edema.&lt;/p&gt

The Effects of Breastfeeding on Retinoblastoma Development: Results from an International Multicenter Retinoblastoma Survey

The protective effects of breastfeeding on various childhood malignancies have been established but an association has not yet been determined for retinoblastoma (RB). We aimed to further investigate the role of breastfeeding in the severity of nonhereditary RB development, assessing relationship to (1) age at diagnosis, (2) ocular prognosis, measured by International Intraocular RB Classification (IIRC) or Intraocular Classification of RB (ICRB) group and success of eye salvage, and (3) extraocular involvement. Analyses were performed on a global dataset subgroup of 344 RB patients whose legal guardian(s) consented to answer a neonatal questionnaire. Patients with undetermined or mixed feeding history, family history of RB, or sporadic bilateral RB were excluded. There was no statistically significant difference between breastfed and formula-fed groups in (1) age at diagnosis (p = 0.20), (2) ocular prognosis measures of IIRC/ICRB group (p = 0.62) and success of eye salvage (p = 0.16), or (3) extraocular involvement shown by International Retinoblastoma Staging System (IRSS) at presentation (p = 0.74), lymph node involvement (p = 0.20), and distant metastases (p = 0.37). This study suggests that breastfeeding neither impacts the sporadic development nor is associated with a decrease in the severity of nonhereditary RB as measured by age at diagnosis, stage of disease, ocular prognosis, and extraocular spread. A further exploration into the impact of diet on children who develop RB is warranted

The role of maternal age & birth order on the development of unilateral and bilateral retinoblastoma: a multicentre study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Retinoblastoma is a common childhood intraocular malignancy, the bilateral form of which most commonly results from a de novo germline pathogenic variant in the RB1 gene. Both advanced maternal age and decreasing birth order are known to increase the risk of de novo germline pathogenic variants, while the influence of national wealth is understudied. This cohort study aimed to retrospectively observe whether these factors influence the ratio of bilateral retinoblastoma cases compared to unilateral retinoblastoma, thereby inferring an influence on the development of de novo germline pathogenic variants in RB1. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data from 688 patients from 11 centres in 10 countries were analysed using a series of statistical methods. RESULTS: No associations were found between advanced maternal age, birth order or GDP per capita and the ratio of bilateral to unilateral retinoblastoma cases (p values = 0.534, 0.201, 0.067, respectively), indicating that these factors do not contribute to the development of a de novo pathogenic variant. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a lack of a definitive control group and genetic testing, this study demonstrates that advanced maternal age, birth order or GDP per capita do not influence the risk of developing a bilateral retinoblastoma

Abstracts of National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020

This book presents the abstracts of the papers presented to the Online National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020 (RDMPMC-2020) held on 26th and 27th August 2020 organized by the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Science in Association with the Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. Conference Title: National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020Conference Acronym: RDMPMC-2020Conference Date: 26–27 August 2020Conference Location: Online (Virtual Mode)Conference Organizer: Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology JamshedpurCo-organizer: Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, IndiaConference Sponsor: TEQIP-

Ezetimibe added to statin therapy after acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND: Statin therapy reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular events, but whether the addition of ezetimibe, a nonstatin drug that reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption, can reduce the rate of cardiovascular events further is not known. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized trial involving 18,144 patients who had been hospitalized for an acute coronary syndrome within the preceding 10 days and had LDL cholesterol levels of 50 to 100 mg per deciliter (1.3 to 2.6 mmol per liter) if they were receiving lipid-lowering therapy or 50 to 125 mg per deciliter (1.3 to 3.2 mmol per liter) if they were not receiving lipid-lowering therapy. The combination of simvastatin (40 mg) and ezetimibe (10 mg) (simvastatin-ezetimibe) was compared with simvastatin (40 mg) and placebo (simvastatin monotherapy). The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina requiring rehospitalization, coronary revascularization ( 6530 days after randomization), or nonfatal stroke. The median follow-up was 6 years. RESULTS: The median time-weighted average LDL cholesterol level during the study was 53.7 mg per deciliter (1.4 mmol per liter) in the simvastatin-ezetimibe group, as compared with 69.5 mg per deciliter (1.8 mmol per liter) in the simvastatin-monotherapy group (P<0.001). The Kaplan-Meier event rate for the primary end point at 7 years was 32.7% in the simvastatin-ezetimibe group, as compared with 34.7% in the simvastatin-monotherapy group (absolute risk difference, 2.0 percentage points; hazard ratio, 0.936; 95% confidence interval, 0.89 to 0.99; P = 0.016). Rates of pre-specified muscle, gallbladder, and hepatic adverse effects and cancer were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: When added to statin therapy, ezetimibe resulted in incremental lowering of LDL cholesterol levels and improved cardiovascular outcomes. Moreover, lowering LDL cholesterol to levels below previous targets provided additional benefit