Search

Abstract Background Infectious keratitis is a serious ocular condition, which can lead to corneal scarring, vision loss, and even blindness. Pediatric infectious keratitis accounts for about 13% of all cases, although there is a lack of comprehensive data regarding keratitis in less than two years of age population group. This study was aimed to determine predisposing factors, clinical characteristics, microbial profile, and management of infectious keratitis in a population of children aged less than two years. Materials and methods A retrospective study was carried out in a tertiary eye institute over a period of 18 years from July 2005 to December 2022. Collected data was analyzed for demographics, predisposing factors, clinical features, and treatment methods. Results Fifty-seven cases of keratitis were identified. Age of the patients ranged from 1 to 24 months (Median: 6, interquartile range: 2–10). Thirty cases were male (52.6%). Predisposing factors were identified in 39 cases (68.4%): consisting of prior ocular trauma (n = 15), previous intraocular surgery (n = 11), ocular surface disease (n = 10), nasolacrimal duct obstruction (n = 4), prematurity (n = 3), developmental delay (n = 2), TORCH infection (n = 1), and contact lens (n = 1). Corneal thinning was observed in 29 eyes (50.9%), which progressed to perforation in 13 eyes (22.8%). Three patients developed endophthalmitis (95% CI, 1.5–13.4%). Most eyes had negative smear (60.4%) and culture (59.6%) results. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common microorganism (11 of 21). Candida albicans was isolated in one case. In vitro susceptibility results showed good coverage of the combined ceftazidime and vancomycin regimen (100%). Surgical procedures were carried out in 35 eyes (61.4%) and 15 eyes required tectonic procedures (26.3%). Conclusion Despite good coverage of medical treatment over cultured isolates, surgical tectonic intervention was required in nearly a quarter of cases to resolve the corneal infection. This finding indicates the necessity of prompt patient referring, corneal sampling and initiation of the treatment.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effect of orbital wall decompression surgery and reduction of proptosis on the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in patients with thyroid eye disease (TED). Fifty-one eyes from 38 patients with controlled TED and proptosis were enrolled in this study. The majority of the patients (50.9%) had a clinical activity score (CAS) of zero, and none had a CAS greater than 2. The patients underwent a complete baseline ophthalmologic examination, and their choroidal profile alterations were monitored using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) before and during the three months after surgery. Changes in SFCT, luminance area (LA), total choroidal area (TCA), and the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were measured as the ratio of LA to TCA in EDI-OCT images. The participants had an average age of 46.47 years, and 22 were female (57.9%). The SFCT of the patients exhibited a significant reduction over the follow-up period, decreasing from 388 ± 103 to 355 ± 95 µm in the first month (p

مقدمه: هدف این پژوهش بررسی اثربخشی مهارت های گفت و گو بر تاب آوری و سازگاری مادران دارای کودکان ناتوان جسمی بود.روش‌ کار: جامعه آماری شامل کلیه مادران کودکان کم‌توان جسمی مشهد بود که در فاصله شهریور تا آبان 1400 به مراکز مشاوره و درمان معلولان جسمی حرکتی مشهد مراجعه کردند. نمونه‌ها با استفاده از روش نمونه‌گیری در دسترس انتخاب و به طور تصادفی به دو گروه آزمون (30 نفر) و شاهد (30 نفر) تقسیم شدند. ابزارهای تحقیق شامل مقیاس تاب آوری کانر- دیویدسون (CD-RISC) و پرسشنامه سازگاری بل بود. گروه آزمون به مدت 6 جلسه 2 ساعته آموزش مهارت های گفت و گو را دریافت کردند. تجزیه و تحلیل داده ها با استفاده از آمار توصیفی، ANCOVA و نرم افزار SPSS انجام شد.یافته‌ها: نتایج نشان داد که اجرا و آموزش مهارت‌های گفت‌وگوی تأثیر مثبت و معناداری بر تاب‌آوری (001/0>P) و سازگاری (001/0>P) مادران دارای فرزند ناتوان جسمی دارد.نتیجه‌گیری: با توجه به نتایج، آموزش مهارت‌های گفت‌وگو نقش مهم و مؤثری در تاب‌آوری و سازگاری مادران دارای کودکان ناتوان جسمی دارد.

Detection of cytokine biomarkers has the potential to aid in diagnosis and treatment of different diseases. Here, the authors report on the creation of an asymmetric geometry MoS2 diode-based biosensor for the detection of TNF-α as a model biomarker in a proof of concept study.

Transition metal dichalcogenides have gained considerable interest for vapour sensing applications due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and high sensitivity. Herein, we demonstrate a new self-powered volatile organic compounds (VOC) sensor based on asymmetric geometry multi-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS _2 ) diode. The asymmetric contact geometry of the MoS _2 diode induces an internal built-in electric field resulting in self-powering via a photovoltaic response. While illuminated by UV-light, the sensor exhibited a high responsivity of ∼60% with a relatively fast response time of ∼10 sec to 200 ppm of acetone, without an external bias voltage. The MoS _2 VOC diode sensor is a promising candidate for self-powered, fast, portable, and highly sensitive VOC sensor applications.

Abstract Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) sensors have a broad range of applications including healthcare, process control, and air quality analysis. There are a variety of techniques for detecting VOCs such as optical, acoustic, electrochemical, and chemiresistive sensors. However, existing commercial VOC detectors have drawbacks such as high cost, large size, or lack of selectivity. Herein, a new sensing mechanism is demonstrated based on surface interactions between VOC and UV‐excited 2D germanium sulfide (GeS), which provides an effective solution to distinguish VOCs. The GeS sensor shows a unique time‐resolved electrical response to different VOC species, facilitating identification and qualitative measurement of VOCs. Moreover, machine learning is utilized to distinguish VOC species from their dynamic response via visualization with high accuracy. The proposed approach demonstrates the potential of 2D GeS as a promising candidate for selective miniature VOCs sensors in critical applications such as non‐invasive diagnosis of diseases and health monitoring.

Introduction: Drug addiction is one of the most serious psychological, social, economic, and health hazards that needs prevention and treatment considering its serious consequences for the individual and human society. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and quality of life improvement training (QOLT) on distress tolerance and self-destructive behaviors in substance abusers. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included men over 20 years old referred to addiction treatment centers in Mashhad. The sample consisted of 45 volunteers who were selected by purposive sampling method and were divided into 3 groups (two experimental and one control group). Experimental groups received ACT and skills training based on the quality of life, while the control group did not receive any experimental intervention. The Distress Tolerance Scale (Simons and Gaher) and Self-destructive Behavior Questionnaire (Owens) were used as research tools in the study. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS version 24.0 software. Results: The results of the analysis of covariance showed that the therapeutic methods used in this study were effective in improving distress tolerance and self-destructive behaviors in men with substance abuse (P