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Sónia Torres-Costa,1 António Benevides Melo,1,2 Sérgio Estrela-Silva,1,2 Fernando Falcão-Reis,1,2 João Barbosa-Breda1– 4 1Department of Ophthalmology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal; 2Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 3UnIC@RISE, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 4Research Group Ophthalmology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumCorrespondence: Sónia Torres-CostaOphthalmology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, Alameda Professor Hernani Monteiro, Porto, 4200, Portugal, Tel +351 225 512 100, Fax +351 225 025 766, Email sonia.torres.costa@gmail.comPurpose: To evaluate whether previous clear-cornea phacoemulsification surgery affects the surgical outcomes of trabeculectomy in open-angle glaucoma (OAG).Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study, which included 82 patients with OAG that underwent trabeculectomy between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017. The primary outcome was the probability of surgical failure. Failure was defined as IOP > 21 mmHg or reduced < 20% from baseline, IOP ≤ 5 mmHg in three consecutive visits, need for further glaucoma surgery, phthisis or loss of light perception vision due to glaucoma.Results: Eighty-two eyes (58 phakic and 24 pseudophakic) were included. Phakic group patients were younger than those in the pseudophakic group, 65.8 ± 11.7 vs 76.2 ± 7.9 years (p < 0.001). The most common type of glaucoma was primary OAG [59% (n = 34) phakic vs 63% (n = 15) pseudophakic], followed by exfoliative and pigmentary glaucomas. The mean preoperative IOP was not significantly different between groups nor was the number of preoperative hypotensive medications. The rate of surgical failure was not significantly different between groups at year 1 [17% (n = 10) phakic vs 29% (n = 7) pseudophakic; p = 0.361] nor at year 2 [28% (n = 16) phakic vs 46% (n = 11) pseudophakic; p = 0.110]. No significant differences were observed regarding the postoperative IOP or any secondary outcome measures at year 1 or 2.Conclusion: Previous clear-cornea phacoemulsification surgery does not lead to statistically significant differences in the rate of trabeculectomy failure. Despite not being significant, clinically relevant differences were observed between groups. Future studies with a larger sample and/or randomized are needed to clarify this association.Keywords: trabeculectomy, phacoemulsification, surgical failure, intraocular pressure

Guilherme Castela,1,2 Joana Providência,1,2 Madalena Monteiro,1 Sónia Silva,3 Manuel Brito,3 Joaquim Neto Murta,1,2 Zélia Correa,4 Miguel Castelo Branco2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; 3Department of Pediatric Oncology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; 4Bascon Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, FL, USACorrespondence: Guilherme CastelaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Avenida Dias da Silva 164, Coimbra, 3000, PortugalEmail gcastela@hotmail.comObjective: The aim of our study was to characterize the evacuated African patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma and referred to the Portuguese national referral center (Centro Hospital e Universitário de Coimbra, University of Coimbra), identifying inequalities in the stage of diagnosis and prognostic results.Design: Retrospective observational study of evacuated African patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma and referred to the Portuguese National Referral Center (Centro Hospital e Universitário de Coimbra, University of Coimbra).Results: The study included 15 patients between October 2015 and October 2020 from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe. Seven (46.7%) children presented bilateral retinoblastoma. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 20.9 (interquartile range, 16– 41) months. The presenting symptoms were leukocoria (86.7%), strabism (53.3%) and buphthalmus (40%). In terms of tumor staging, five (33.3%) children presented with extraocular retinoblastoma and 10 (66.7%) children presented with intraocular retinoblastoma. At presentation, no pineal involvement was diagnosed but two (13.3%) children presented with central nervous system involvement at the time of the first observation. Children were treated with enucleation, exenteration, systemic chemotherapy, intra-arterial chemotherapy and/or supportive palliative care. During the follow-up period (mean 27.2 ± 18.2 months), the overall survival was 73.3%.Conclusion: A small proportion of African children are being referred to our center, when considering the expected incidence of retinoblastoma in these countries, and referred children arrive at advanced stages of the disease, compromising treatment outcomes. Considering retinoblastoma is now a curable disease, national and international interventions are required to attempt a better management of children born in low-income countries.Keywords: retinoblastoma, low income countries, treatment of advanced disease

Text-based interventions are effective for smoking cessation, but have not been tested in rural older adults. The purpose of this study was to compare the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a text-based Scheduled Gradual Reduction (SGR) program to a non-SGR text messaging support condition among rural older adults. Adults over 60 years were randomized to either: (i) the SGR program (n = 20), a text-based program to reduce smoking over 4-weeks plus text-based support messages; or (ii) control (n = 20), receipt of text-based support messages only. Participants completed surveys at baseline and end of program to assess feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, and biochemically validated 7-day point prevalence cessation was assessed at end of treatment. Most participants (81%) reported reading all the messages they received. Participants found both interventions useful in quitting smoking (SGR = 57%, Control = 63%) and would recommend it to a friend (SGR = 72%, Control = 79%). Although not statically significant, the SGR group had a higher rate of biochemically validated cessation (SGR = 15%, Control = 5%, Cohen d = 0.67). Among those still smoking, the median percent reduction in cigarettes was 33.3% for both groups. Text-based cessation interventions are feasible, acceptable and can be easily disseminated to rural older adult tobacco users.