Current ophthalmology practice patterns for syphilitic uveitis

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019 This is the author accepted manuscript (post print) made available in accordance with publisher copyright policy.Background Syphilitic uveitis is re-emerging alongside the systemic infection. In July 2017, an international group of uveitis-specialised ophthalmologists formed the International Ocular Syphilis Study Group to define current practice patterns. Methods 103 Study Group members based in 35 countries completed a 25-item questionnaire focused on case load, clinical presentations, use and interpretation of investigations, treatment and clinical indicators of poor prognosis. Results Members managed a mean of 6.1 patients with syphilitic uveitis in clinics that averaged 707 annual cases of uveitis (0.9%); 53.2% reported increasing numbers over the past decade. Patients presented to more members (40.2%) during secondary syphilis. Uveitis was usually posterior (60.8%) or pan (22.5%); complications included optic neuropathy, macular oedema and posterior synechiae. All members diagnosed syphilitic uveitis using serological tests (simultaneous or sequential testing algorithms), and 97.0% routinely checked for HIV co-infection. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis was ordered by 90.2% of members, and 92.7% took uveitis plus Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL) or fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-ABS) to indicate neurosyphilis. Patients were commonly co-managed with infectious disease physicians, and treated with penicillin for at least 10–14 days, plus corticosteroid. Features predicting poor outcome included optic neuropathy (86.3%) and initial misdiagnosis (63.7%). Reasons for delayed diagnosis were often practitioner-related. 82.5% of members tested every patient they managed with uveitis for syphilis. Conclusion This comprehensive report by an international group of uveitis-specialised ophthalmologists provides a current approach for the management of syphilitic uveitis

Genomics and epidemiology for gastric adenocarcinomas (GE4GAC): a Brazilian initiative to study gastric cancer

Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common type of cancer worldwide with high incidences in Asia, Central, and South American countries. This patchy distribution means that GC studies are neglected by large research centers from developed countries. The need for further understanding of this complex disease, including the local importance of epidemiological factors and the rich ancestral admixture found in Brazil, stimulated the implementation of the GE4GAC project. GE4GAC aims to embrace epidemiological, clinical, molecular and microbiological data from Brazilian controls and patients with malignant and pre-malignant gastric disease. In this letter, we summarize the main goals of the project, including subject and sample accrual and current findings