Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Bilateral, Full-Thickness Macular Holes While Undergoing Chemotherapy, Sarah Dieter Od, Brett Garee Od Ms, Susan Zacatelco Od, Julie Henry Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Bilateral, full-thickness macular holes are a rare condition that can substantially affect quality of life. Macular hole diagnosis and treatment is key for these patients.

Case Report: A 71 year old Caucasian male presented with a chief complaint of distance blur in both eyes, worsening over the past 1-2 weeks. He had no diagnosis of diabetes. He added that his prostate cancer had spread and that his last treatment ended 9 days ago. He was ultimately diagnosed with bilateral, full-thickness macular holes. Referral to a retinal specialist for surgical management yielded good results.

Conclusion: This is …

Cefuroxime-Induced Toxic Maculopathy: A Cataract Co-Management Conundrum, Leonid Skorin Jr., Do, Od, Ms

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Cefuroxime-induced toxic maculopathy can occur when an incorrect dilution is injected intracamerally after cataract surgery. This results in a guarded visual prognosis. Cefuroxime-induced toxic maculopathy can also occur sporadically even when the medication dilution is the standard correct dosage. These patients usually recover their vision by the first postoperative week.

Case Report: A 72-year-old Caucasian female developed cefuroxime-induced toxic maculopathy after uneventful cataract surgery. Investigation of the case confirmed that she had a sporadic response to the cefuroxime. It was verified that she received the standard correct dilution of cefuroxime intracamerally. The patient showed a significant improvement in her …

Clinical And Laboratory Features That Distinguish Dengue From Other Febrile Illnesses In Endemic Populations, James Potts, Alan Rothman

Alan Rothman

OBJECTIVE: Clinicians in resource-poor countries need to identify patients with dengue using readily-available data. The objective of this systematic review was to identify clinical and laboratory features that differentiate dengue fever (DF) and/or dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) from other febrile illnesses (OFI) in dengue-endemic populations. METHOD: Systematic review of the literature from 1990 to 30 October 2007 including English publications comparing dengue and OFI. RESULTS: Among 49 studies reviewed, 34 did not meet our criteria for inclusion. Of the 15 studies included, 10 were prospective cohort studies and five were case-control studies. Seven studies assessed all ages, four assessed children …

Perceived Accessibility As A Predictor Of Youth Smoking, Chyke Doubeni, Wenjun Li, Hassan Fouayzi, Joseph Difranza

Chyke A. Doubeni

PURPOSE: Youths who smoke are more likely to perceive that cigarettes are easily accessible, but the relationship between perceived accessibility of cigarettes and the risk of smoking is not clear. The objective of this study was to determine whether perceived accessibility predicted future smoking among youths. METHODS: This study used data from the second Development and Assessment of Nicotine Dependence in Youth (DANDY-2) study, a 4-year (2002-2006) cohort study that began with 1,246 sixth-grade students in 6 Massachusetts communities. DANDY-2 comprised 11 waves of in-person interviews. A total of 1,195 students who were aged 11 to 14 years at the …

Perceived Accessibility Of Cigarettes Among Youth: A Prospective Cohort Study, Chyke Doubeni, Wenjun Li, Hassan Fouayzi, Joseph Difranza

Chyke A. Doubeni

BACKGROUND: The accessibility of tobacco for youth is difficult to measure, partly because of the varied sources of cigarettes. Perceptions about the accessibility of cigarettes assesses availability from all potential sources and has been found to predict future smoking. This study examines the determinants of perceived accessibility from the perspective of a longitudinal study. METHODS: Data were derived from the second Development and Assessment of Nicotine Dependence in Youth study, a 4-year longitudinal study of 1246 sixth-grade students who underwent up to 11 in-person interviews from 2002 to 2006. Perceived accessibility was assessed prospectively by asking students whether they agreed …

Disparities And Survival Among Breast Cancer Patients, Terry Field, Diana Buist, Chyke Doubeni, Shelley Enger, Hassan Fouayzi, Gene Hart, Eli Korner, Lois Lamerato, Donald Bachman, Jennifer Ellis, Lisa Herrinton, Mark Hornbrook, Richard Krajenta, Liyan Liu, Janice Yao

Chyke A. Doubeni

BACKGROUND: Although rates of survival for women with breast cancer have improved, the survival disparity between African American and white women in the United States has increased.

PURPOSE: To determine whether this survival disparity persists in an insured population with access to medical care.

METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we extracted data from the tumor registries of six nonprofit, integrated health care delivery systems affiliated with the Cancer Research Network and assessed the survival of African American (n = 2276) and white (n = 18 879) female enrollees who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from January 1, 1993, …

Thirty-Year Trends (1975-2005) In The Magnitude And Hospital Death Rates Associated With Complete Heart Block In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Population-Based Perspective, Hoa Nguyen, Darleen Lessard, Frederick Spencer, Jorge Yarzebski, Juan Zevallos, Joel Gore, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

BACKGROUND: The contemporary magnitude and prognostic implications of complete heart block (CHB) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are unknown. As part of a community-based study of patients hospitalized with AMI in the Worcester, MA, metropolitan area, changes over time in the incidence rates of CHB complicating AMI and the prognostic impact of CHB on short-term survival were examined.

METHODS: The study population consisted of 13,663 residents of the Worcester metropolitan area who were hospitalized with AMI at all greater Worcester medical centers during 15 annual periods between 1975 and 2005.

RESULTS: The average age of the hospitalized study …