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Purpose: To compare the serology profile of donors from Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme-donors (HCRP-D) and voluntary cornea donors (VC-D) from a large eye bank in Eastern India.Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of donor details from January 2011 to December 2016. Donor demographics, cause of death, and serology reports were compiled. Postmortem blood was tested for human immunodeficiency virus 1 and 2 (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and syphilis using government-approved kits as per the National Programme for Control of Blindness Standards of Eye Banking. Donors for whom serology was not possible were excluded.Results: A total of 4300 of 4353 donors were included of which 74.3% were hospital donors and 25.7% were voluntary donors. A total of 93 (2.2%) donors with 94 seropositive reports were noted: 79 (84.9%) from HCRP-D and 14 (15.1%) from VC-D which was statistically significantly higher (P = 0.02). Among seropositive reports, HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis accounted for 12 (12.8%), 38 (40.4%), 36 (38.3%), and eight (8.5%), respectively. There was no correlation between the cause of death and seropositivity. A statistically significant decreasing trend in seroprevalence among hospital donors was observed over the years (5.3% in 2011 to 1.4% in 2016; P = 0.004). Two (0.47%) of 421 hospital donors with prior negative serology were found to be seropositive.Conclusion: Seropositive rates are significantly higher among hospital donors in spite of medical prescreening compared to nonscreened voluntary donors. Serology should be repeated even when prior reports are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To know the perception of young ophthalmologists about their dissertation and academics during residency training in order to improve the research output during present residency programs in India.Methods: A survey was conducted by Academic and Research Committee of the All India Ophthalmological Society, the world's second largest ophthalmic professional's organization, in 2014-2016 of young ophthalmologists (those who completed residency between 2005 and 2012) to gauge usefulness of dissertation or thesis during postgraduate residency.Results: There were 1005 respondents, of whom 531 fulfilled inclusion criteria. On a scale of 0-10, residents rated level of supervision of their dissertation as adequate (mean 5.9/10, standard deviation [SD] = 3.1, median = 6). The level of infrastructure available was for dissertation rated as 5.9/10 (median = 7, SD = 3.1), and 6.2/10 was the score that residents said about value added by the dissertation (median = 7). The dissertation was presented at local (33.5%), state (28.1%), national (15.4%), and international (4%) levels. Students, not supervisors, did most of the local and state level presentations. It was published in some forms at local 210 (39.5%), state (140, 26.4%), national (94, 17.7%), and international (39, 7.3%) levels. On a scale of 0-4, seminars (3/4) and case presentations were (3/4) rated higher than didactic lectures (2.2/4), journal clubs (2.2/4), and wet laboratory (1.1/4).Conclusion: Peer-reviewed publications from Indian residency training dissertations were few. Residents felt dissertation added value to their training, but there was a huge range among the responses. Journal clubs and wet laboratories were not graded high in academic programs, unlike seminars and case presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soon after the pandemic started, there were restrictions on cornea retrieval from governing bodies.[[1]] This led to a dearth of tissues for performing emergency and eye-saving therapeutic or tectonic keratoplasties. The eye banking community and government should start looking at how improve cornea retrieval and restart full-fledged all types of keratoplasty procedure. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: To determine the epidemiological pattern and risk factors involved in suppurative corneal ulceration in Gangetic West Bengal, eastern India, and to identify the specific microbial agents responsible for corneal infections.Methods: All patients with suspected microbial keratitis presenting to the corneal clinic at Disha Eye Hospital, Barrackpore, West Bengal, India, from January 2001 to December 2003 were evaluated. Sociodemographic data and information pertaining to the risk factors were recorded. After diagnosing infective corneal ulcer clinically, corneal scraping and cultures were performed.Results: Over a three-year period, 1198 patients with suppurative keratitis were evaluated. Ocular trauma was the most common predisposing factor in 994 (82.9%) patients (P< 0.0001), followed by use of topical corticosteroids in 231 (19.28%) patients. Cultures were positive in 811 (67.7%) patients. Among these culture positive cases, 509 (62.7%) patients had pure fungal infections (P< 0.001), 184 (22.7%) patients had pure bacterial infections and 114 (14.1%) had mixed fungal with bacterial infections. Acanthamoeba was detected in 4 (0.49%) patients. The most common fungal pathogen was Aspergillus spp representing 373 (59.8%) of all positive fungal cultures (P< 0.0001), followed by Fusarium spp in 132 (21.2%) instances. Most common bacterial isolate was Staphylococcus aureus, representing 127 (42.6%) of all the bacterial culture (P< 0.0001) followed by Pseudomonas spp 63 (21.1%).Conclusion: Suppurative keratitis in Gangetic West Bengal, most often occurs after a superficial corneal trauma with vegetative or organic materials. Fungal ulcers are more common than bacterial ulcers. Aspergillus spp and Staphylococcus aureus were the most common fungus and bacteria respectively. These "regional" findings have important public health implications for the treatment and prevention of suppurative corneal ulceration in this region of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-agent general-equilibrium model is developed for explaining the mix of wage payment between cash and kind among landowners and workers. Its focus is on how, in the absence of insurance instruments but in the presence of heterogeneous tastes and attitudes toward risk among agents, the payment mix between cash and kind can serve as a welfare-improving, risk-hedging device. The model is used to determine how this optimal mix of wage payment would be affected by changes in risk-aversion, consumption preferences, technology, price risk, and production risk. While the complexity and nonlinearity of the model make it impossible to obtain clear-cut analytical results, simulation results are derived and shown to be rather robust. These results are also broadly supported by the findings of a small-scale survey of agricultural wage contracts in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the prevalence of dry eye diseases in general clinical ophthalmic practice in a hospital-based population in West Bengal, Eastern India, a cross-sectional study was undertaken among 3023 subjects with the age of > or = 30 years, attending general ophthalmic clinic in a tertiary eye hospital. Demographics, detailed history and 6-items McMonnies' dry eye questionnaire were asked. Tear film break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer-I test, Rose Bengal (RB) staining, slit lamp examination and Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) were studied. Dry eye diseases were significantly higher in women than in men ie, 51.9% versus 48.1% (p < 0.01). Symptom-based dry eye (one or more symptoms present often or most of the time) was diagnosed in 1234 subjects (40.8%). With symptoms and at least one sign [TBUT < 10 seconds, RB staining (van Bjisterveld score: 4 or more) and Schirmer-I test = 5 mm in 5 minutes], the prevalence of dry eye was 786 (26%). Different grades of MeibOmian gland dysfunction (MGD) were detected in 957 cases (31.7%). Primary Sjogren syndrome was found in 21.5%; and 10.9% patients of dry eye had some form of systemic collagen vascular disorders. Using computers was not a risk factor in this geographical area. No significant correlation was seen between significant symptoms and positive signs in the study population. The prevalence of dry eye disease is high in West Bengal, Eastern India in hospital-based population. The risk is higher with age, female gender, systemic collagen diseases and with oral antidepressant/anxiolytic medication. Meibomian gland dysfunction is found to be common among dry eye subjects.