Modified Surgical Epikeratoplasty for Keratoglobus: Anatomic and Visual Findings

Introduction: Keratoglobus is a controversial issue and still remains as one of the ambiguous corneal disorders; it can be managed by different surgical techniques successfully; yet the risk of globe rupture is high in these patients due to corneal weakness. In cases of progressive involvement, a large corneal graft is needed due to extreme thinness of the cornea. Recent adventures in surgical techniques have led to the introduction of new managements particularly in Keratoglobus treatment such as the "tuck procedure" in which a 12 mm corneo-scleral graft is miniaturized at its peripheral margin. A pocket is formed at the limbus of the recipient and the donor graft is "tucked" into it. We present a case of epikeratoplasty in Keratoglobus management. Case:  A 45-year-old man with no history of a systemic disease underwent epikeratoplasty with the diagnosis of advanced bilateral keratoglobus since three years and six months before in the left and right eye, respectively. Pachymetry and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were recorded before and six months after surgery. The highest recorded BCVA was 5/200 before the operation, whereas it was measured 6/10 (left eye) and 4/10 (right eye) at six-month follow-up examinations. Pachymetric findings improved from 244 to 773 and 212 to 744 (thinnest points) in the left and right eyes, respectively. Conclusion: Epikeratoplasty is a relatively safe, effective and reversible extraoccular procedure in the management of keratoglobus. It can also be performed to flatten the cornea and protect it against acute corneal hydrops and perforation

Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma-associated Genetic Polymorphisms in Northeast Iran

Purpose: To evaluate the association of five different polymorphisms from a genomewide- associated study with susceptibility to glaucoma in the northeast Iranian population. Methods: Hundred and thirty patients with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) and 130 healthy controls were genotyped for the polymorphic regions with the aid of tetraamplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction. The association of these variants with the disease susceptibility was measured statistically with the logistic regression method. Results: Hundred and thirty patients with PACG (53 males, 77 females) with a mean age of 64.5 ± 6.2 years and 130 healthy control subjects (51 males, 79 females) with a mean age of 64.0 ± 5.7 years were selected for evaluation. There was a significant association between rs3816415 (P = 0.005), rs736893 (P < 0.001), rs7494379 (P < 0.001), and rs1258267 (P = 0.02) with PACG susceptibility. This association could not be shown for rs3739821. Conclusion: It was revealed that studied variants in GLIS3, EPDR1, FERMT2, and CHAT genes can contribute to the incidence of PACG. Additional studies in other populations are needed to evaluate DPM2-FAM102A

Hiv-related knowledge and stigma among the general population in the southeast of iran

Background: HIV-related stigma is a barrier to effective HIV responses among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Objectives: The current study aimed at measuring HIV-related stigma, and its associated factors among the general population in the Southeast of Iran. Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 900 individuals in Kerman, Southeast of Iran, from July to September 2016. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, including (I) demographic and background characteristics; (II) HIV-related stigma; and (III) HIV-related knowledge. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20 using descriptive statistics, as well as bivariable and multivariable linear regressions. Results: Low, moderate, and high levels of stigmatizing attitudes toward PLHIV were reported by 39.1, 57.8, and 3.1 of the participants, respectively. Female sex(beta = 0.33, P value = 0.01) and those not having a history of HIV testing (beta = 0.45, P value < 0.001) had, on average, higher levels of stigmatizing attitudes, while those with a higher level of education (beta =-0.97, P value < 0.001) had, on average, lower levels of stigmatizing attitudes. Conclusions: Gender-sensitive educational interventions need to be developed to reduce the negative attitude towards PLHIV in Iran. © 2020, Author(s)