End-of-day dryness, corneal sensitivity and blink rate in contact lens wearers

Purpose: To study the relationship among the variables intensity ofthe end-of-day (EOD) dryness, corneal sensitivity and blink rate in soft contact lens (CL) wearers. Methods: Thirty-eight soft CL wearers (25 women and 13 men; mean age 27.1 ± 7.2 years) were enrolled. EOD dryness was assessed using a scale of 0–5 (0, none to 5, very intense). Mechanical and thermal (heat and cold) sensitivity were measured using a Belmonte’s gas esthesiometer. The blink rate was recorded using a video camera while subjects were wearing a hydrogel CL and watching a film for 90 min in a controlled environmental chamber. Results: A significant inverse correlation was found between EOD dryness and mechanical sensitivity (r: −0.39; p = 0.02); however, there were no significant correlations between EOD dryness and thermal sensitivity. A significant (r: 0.56; p < 0.001) correlation also was observed between EOD dryness and blink rate, but no correlations were found between blink rate and mechanical or thermal sensitivity. Conclusions: CL wearers with higher corneal sensitivity to mechanical stimulation reported more EOD dryness with habitual CL wear. Moreover, subjects reporting more EOD dryness had an increased blink rates during wear of a standard CL type. The increased blink rate could act to improve the ocular surface environment and relieve symptoms

Biotechnological approaches for yield improvement of anticancer alkaloids in the plant Catharanthus roseus

Dissertação de mestrado em Biologia Molecular, Biotecnologia e Bioempreendedorismo em Plantas

Improving diagnostic yield in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding - how virtual chromoendoscopy may be the answer

Background and aim: A significant proportion of patients presenting with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) have negative small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) examinations, and yet remain at risk of rebleeding. We aimed to evaluate whether a second-look review of SBCE images using flexible spectral color enhancement (FICE) may improve the detection of potentially bleeding lesions. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective, single-center study including consecutive patients with OGIB subjected to SBCE, whose standard white light examination was nondiagnostic. Each SBCE was reviewed using FICE 1. New findings were labeled as either P1 or P2 lesions according to bleeding potential. Patients were followed up to assess the incidence of rebleeding. Results: A total of 42 consecutive patients were included. Sixteen patients (38%) experienced rebleeding after a mean follow-up of 26 months. Review of SBCE images using FICE 1 enabled the identification of previously unrecognized P2 lesions, mainly angioectasias, in nine patients (21%) and P1 lesions, mainly erosions, in 26 patients (62%). Among patients who experienced rebleeding, 13/16 (81%) were diagnosed with P1 lesions with FICE 1 (P=0.043), whereas 3/16 (19%) had confirmed nondiagnostic SBCE and only 1/16 (6%) had newly diagnosed P2 (plus P1) lesions. An alternative source of bleeding outside the small bowel was found in only 3/16 (19%) patients with rebleeding during the follow-up. Conclusion: In a significant proportion of patients with OGIB, FICE 1 may detect potentially bleeding lesions previously missed under conventional white light SBCE. Review of nondiagnostic SBCE with FICE 1 may be a valuable strategy to obviate the need for further investigations in patients with OGIB, particularly for those who experience rebleeding.