Contribution and significance of Heidelberg retinal tomography II in diagnostics of ocular hypertension and its conversion into primary open-angle glaucoma

Background/Aim. A term 'ocular hypertension' is used when IOP is found to be > 21 mmHg on two consecutive occasions, in the absence of detectable glaucomatous damage. The aim of this study was to determine the significance and contribution of Heidelberg Retinal Tomography II (HRT II) results that show very early, subtle changes in retinal neurofibre layers (RNFL) in the optic nerve head that are specific for glaucoma itself (the loss of neuroretinal rim area and an increase of Cup/Disc ratio), but are not possible to register by an ophthalmoscope. Also, when the results of the functional tests remain unchanged, that confirms the conversion of ocular hypertension into glaucoma. Methods. During a 5-year study period (2002-2007), 29 patients with ocular hypertension were examined. The frequency of control examinations, based on the presence of risk factors for glaucoma development, was 3-6 months. The examination also included IOP measurements with Goldmann Applanation Tonometry (GAT), central corneal thickness (CCT) determination by pachymetry, the examination of chamber angle using indirect gonioscopy, visual field tests by computerized perimetry and also papillae nervi optici (PNO) examination by using HRT II. The application of HRT II enables a great number of stereometric parameters of optic disc, the most important being the rim area and Cup/Disc (C/D) ratio, which was followed during the control examination by each segment, as well as PNO in global. Results. In the examination period, three cases of conversion of ocular hypertension into a primary open-angle glaucoma were found. In the group of patients with ocular hypertension, HRT II results after six months did not show a significant increase in C/D ratio. No significant loss of rim area or rim volume was found either. In three cases of conversion, HRT II results after 3 months showed an increase of C/D ratio and also a significant loss in rim volume at first examination (0.413) comparing to the last one. Conclusion. In diagnosing ocular hypertension and its conversion to glaucoma, HRT II is used for quantitative evaluation of retinal topography and for quantitative monitoring of topographical changes, especially regarding the increase of C/D ratio and loss of rim volume tissue, which enables to see and register subtle structural changes in optic nerve head and RNFL that are so characteristic for glaucoma, which cannot be seen by an ophthalmoscope. With these results, according to risk factors for glaucoma, one can confirm the diagnosis of ocular hypertension and its conversion to primary open-angle glaucoma. In this study HRT II revealed conversion of ocular hypertension into glaucoma in 10% of the patients

Acquiring vulnerability indicators to geo-hydrological hazards: An example of mobile phone-based data collection

Abstract Geo-hydrological risk reduction is a key issue for local governments in Italy. In this context, a collaboration was undertaken between multiple actors in the La Spezia municipality aimed at: (i) monitoring building characteristics, using specific and valuable indicators, and (ii) increasing the knowledge of geo-hydrological hazards across residents and local land planners (iii) implementing local emergency civil protection plan. An extensive mobile data collection was carried out through apps specifically developed for Android and IOS mobile devices. The digital forms were differentiated on the basis of the potential hazard: one of 46 fields and one of 125 fields designed for buildings respectively located in flood prone areas and in medium to very high landslide susceptibility areas. The digital version of the forms was designed using the Open Data Kit (ODK) and GISCloud client-server approach. All the collected data, including geospatial locations and images, were automatically sent to a central server, stored and organized in a database. Geospatial data-analysis and maps resulted useful in evaluating possible impacts to exposed buildings to potential geo-hydrological processes. The proposed public participation method for data-gathering increased the knowledge across residents providing a better understanding of the urban systems, of the buildings condition and their relation respect to the geo-hydrological risk. The method can be considered as part of the decision support systems for civil protection purposes to better planning geo-hydrological mitigation measures. The application of mobile technology for data collection can be effectively used when local government resources are limited

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome – a case report and differential diagnosis of uveitis and meningitis

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada sindrom je autoimuna, multisistemska bolest i važan uzrok uveitisa. Ovim prikazom bolesnika naglašavamo važnost pouzdane dijagnostike te uključivanje autoimunih bolesti u diferencijalnu dijagnozu sindroma uveitisa i meningitisa.Vogt-Koyanagi -Harada syndrome is an autoimmune, multisystem disease and important cause of uveitis. In this case report we address the significance of reliable diagnostics and including autoimmune diseases in differential diagnosis of uveitis and meningitis syndrome

Evaluation of accessions of the olive collection in Vodnjan

U Vodnjanu su podizanjem Nacionalne kolekcije masline 2011. godine od 58 primki omogućena nova komparativna znanstveno-stručna istraživanja gospodarskih i bioloških karakteristika genotipova masline koje predstavljaju glavninu biodiverziteta masline u RH te glavne introducirane i svjetski poznate sorte. Cilj ovog rada je bio utvrditi u 2017. godini vegetativni i generativni rast pojedine primke masline u kolekciji Vodnjan. Intenzitet cvatnje ocijenjen je za 53 primke s maksimalnom ocjenom 4 dok je za samo 5 primki cvatnja bila ocijenjena nižim ocjenama. Prikazani su rezultati s primkama najvišeg prosječnog uroda po stablu od 4741 g i najnižeg od 21 g. Najmanji promjer debla iznosio je 4,21 cm, a najveći 6,23 cm. Najmanji prosječni prirast iznosio je 264 cm, dok je najveći iznosio 4753 cm. Usporedbom ovih rezultata s rezultatima iz 2016. godine utvrđeno je povećanje prosječnog promjera debla za 32,02 %, dok je prosječna duljina grana povećana za 127,33 %.During the collection of the National Collection of 58 olive trees in Vodnjan, new scientific research has been opened with the aim of creating new varieties and thus the technologies that will contribute to the production of better quality and the production of olive trees in the Republic of Croatia. The aim of the study was to determine the vegetative increment of a particular olive variety, to analyze certain parameters (maturity index, trunk diameter, branch length, degree of contamination) and ultimately by statistical method to point to the changes that occurred between 2016 and 2017. years. The results obtained were comparatively compared to the results of certain parameters on the olive collection in Vodnjan in the vegetation 2016/2017

Evaluation of accessions of the olive collection in Vodnjan

U Vodnjanu su podizanjem Nacionalne kolekcije masline 2011. godine od 58 primki omogućena nova komparativna znanstveno-stručna istraživanja gospodarskih i bioloških karakteristika genotipova masline koje predstavljaju glavninu biodiverziteta masline u RH te glavne introducirane i svjetski poznate sorte. Cilj ovog rada je bio utvrditi u 2017. godini vegetativni i generativni rast pojedine primke masline u kolekciji Vodnjan. Intenzitet cvatnje ocijenjen je za 53 primke s maksimalnom ocjenom 4 dok je za samo 5 primki cvatnja bila ocijenjena nižim ocjenama. Prikazani su rezultati s primkama najvišeg prosječnog uroda po stablu od 4741 g i najnižeg od 21 g. Najmanji promjer debla iznosio je 4,21 cm, a najveći 6,23 cm. Najmanji prosječni prirast iznosio je 264 cm, dok je najveći iznosio 4753 cm. Usporedbom ovih rezultata s rezultatima iz 2016. godine utvrđeno je povećanje prosječnog promjera debla za 32,02 %, dok je prosječna duljina grana povećana za 127,33 %.During the collection of the National Collection of 58 olive trees in Vodnjan, new scientific research has been opened with the aim of creating new varieties and thus the technologies that will contribute to the production of better quality and the production of olive trees in the Republic of Croatia. The aim of the study was to determine the vegetative increment of a particular olive variety, to analyze certain parameters (maturity index, trunk diameter, branch length, degree of contamination) and ultimately by statistical method to point to the changes that occurred between 2016 and 2017. years. The results obtained were comparatively compared to the results of certain parameters on the olive collection in Vodnjan in the vegetation 2016/2017

Evaluation of accessions of the olive collection in Vodnjan

U Vodnjanu su podizanjem Nacionalne kolekcije masline 2011. godine od 58 primki omogućena nova komparativna znanstveno-stručna istraživanja gospodarskih i bioloških karakteristika genotipova masline koje predstavljaju glavninu biodiverziteta masline u RH te glavne introducirane i svjetski poznate sorte. Cilj ovog rada je bio utvrditi u 2017. godini vegetativni i generativni rast pojedine primke masline u kolekciji Vodnjan. Intenzitet cvatnje ocijenjen je za 53 primke s maksimalnom ocjenom 4 dok je za samo 5 primki cvatnja bila ocijenjena nižim ocjenama. Prikazani su rezultati s primkama najvišeg prosječnog uroda po stablu od 4741 g i najnižeg od 21 g. Najmanji promjer debla iznosio je 4,21 cm, a najveći 6,23 cm. Najmanji prosječni prirast iznosio je 264 cm, dok je najveći iznosio 4753 cm. Usporedbom ovih rezultata s rezultatima iz 2016. godine utvrđeno je povećanje prosječnog promjera debla za 32,02 %, dok je prosječna duljina grana povećana za 127,33 %.During the collection of the National Collection of 58 olive trees in Vodnjan, new scientific research has been opened with the aim of creating new varieties and thus the technologies that will contribute to the production of better quality and the production of olive trees in the Republic of Croatia. The aim of the study was to determine the vegetative increment of a particular olive variety, to analyze certain parameters (maturity index, trunk diameter, branch length, degree of contamination) and ultimately by statistical method to point to the changes that occurred between 2016 and 2017. years. The results obtained were comparatively compared to the results of certain parameters on the olive collection in Vodnjan in the vegetation 2016/2017

MISTAKES IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF PRIMARY ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA: CASE REPORT

Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a leading cause of blindness globally. It is a condition that is responsible for nearly half of patients who have a bilateral blindness caused by glaucoma. PACG is highly prevalent in Asian countries, as compared with Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), which is reported as the predominant disease among Whites, but prevalence of PACG in Europe has been underestimated previously. Early detection by effective screening and appropriate prophylaxis and treatment may prevent blindness from angle-closure glaucoma. The purpose of this study was to present through the cases of 3 patients with PACG the importance of each phase of glaucoma: diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

Comparing characteristics of the optic nerve head among subjects with suspected glaucoma in different ages of onset

Introduction/Objective. Evaluation of the optic nerve head (ONH) is an inevitable procedure in the diagnosis of glaucoma. One of the most common imaging techniques for a quantitative assessment of the topography of the ONH is the Heidelberg retinal tomography II (HRT II). The aim of this study was to determine quantitative stereometric parameters of the ONH by using the HRT II and to investigate any damage of neuroretinal rim in children with suspected glaucoma and compared these data with the group of adults with suspected glaucoma. Methods. This comparative study included 167 (167 eyes) children aged 11±3 years with suspected juvenile glaucoma and 175 adult participants (175 eyes), aged 60±3 years, also with suspected glaucoma, examined between January 2013 and April 2014. Optic nerve head topography and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurements were assessed using a HRT II. Results. Data analysis in this study showed that the average mean values for children/adults were: disc area (mm2) 2.828±0.489/2.663±0.412 (p<0.001); rim area (mm2) 1.873±0.391/1.667±0.275 (p<0.001); cup/disc area ratio 0.369±0.125/0.369±0.101 (p=0.530); mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (mm) 0.223±0.078/0.219±0.055 (p=0.494). Statistically significant difference in damage of neuroretinal rim, between children and adults, was found in temporal (T) and temporal-inferior (Ti) segments. Conclusions. There were differences in some of the investigated quantitative parameters of the ONH between children and adults, as optic disc size, cup and rim area and rim volume. By using MRA, difference in the damage of the neuroretinal rim, when comparing children and adult optic discs appeared only in T and Ti segments, which means that optic disc cupping has spread more in children than in adults