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Objective: To report on the prevalence, correlates, and natural history of epiretinal membranes (ERM) in eyes with stage II or III/IV macular holes., Design: A subgroup analysis arising from a multicentered, controlled, randomized clinical trial., Setting: Community and university-based ophthalmology clinics., Patients: Two hundred twenty four eyes with stage II or III/IV macular holes., Interventions: No intervention for 100 eyes randomly assigned to observation., Outcome Measures: Grade of ERM determined by stereoscopic examination of fundus photographs at baseline and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up., Results: The prevalence of ERM was 65% (145 of 224 eyes), was greater in pseudophakic than in phakic eyes (80% vs. 63%, P = 0.10), and increased with increasing severity of the hole (P < 0.0001). Stage III/IV eyes with ERM had a significantly larger hole size than did eyes without ERM (P < 0.01); however, no association between presence of ERM and visual acuity was found (P > 0.5). In the 100 phakic eyes that were randomly assigned to observation, there was a significant increase in the severity of ERM over follow-up (P < 0.0001)., Conclusions: ERM are common in eyes with full-thickness idiopathic macular holes. Although ERM prevalence increases with severity and size of the macular hole, the presence of ERM are not closely correlated with visual acuity. These factors may be important in considering the removal of ERM during vitrectomy for macular hole.

Background and Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of retinal and choroidal manifestations of toxoplasmosis and/or Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)., Patients and Methods: The authors analyzed their prospectively collected data and found 120 patients with new retinal lesions (group A) that were diagnosed 3 months or longer following the diagnosis of MAC and/or toxoplasmic encephalitis. The authors also performed a point prevalence study of retinal/choroidal findings in 25 consecutive AIDS patients (group B) without known eye disease who had been recently treated for toxoplasmic encephalitis and/or disseminated MAC infections. In addition, the characteristics of retinochoroidal toxoplasmosis scars in 5 AIDS patients were studied and compared with the characteristics of scars in 18 immunocompetent patients., Results: In this study the incidence of ocular manifestations of MAC was zero (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.0% to 3.8%). Two of 25 patients (8%) (95% CI 1% to 26%) in group A and 2 of 11 patients (18.1%) (95% CI 3.3% to 51.8%) in group B had toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis., Conclusion: In AIDS patients, ocular manifestations of toxoplasmosis are more common than ocular MAC. In addition, when compared with immunocompetent patients, AIDS patients tend to have retinochoroidal scars with less retinal pigment epithelium hyperplasia (1.8+ vs 3+) (P = .03).

Five statistical procedures were used to partial the correlation between waterborne asbestos and digestive site cancer for the putative effects of population density. These include: analysis based on a data subset with roughly homogeneous population density; standard residual analysis (partial correlation); conditional probability integral transformation; analysis based upon ranked data, and use of logarithmic transformation. Nonparametric regression graphical techniques are applied to examine the nature or shape of the asbestos-cancer dose-response curve. Evidence is presented that suggests that there is considerable difference between analyses involving nonhigh-density tracts and non-San Francisco tracts. Evidence is also presented that the modal-type nonparametric regression curve forks or bifurcates when adjustment is made for population density.