Search

Observations of wintering rook populations were carried out from late October till early March in 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 in the cities of Poltava and Kyiv. In Poltava, rooks made up 95 % of the approximately 50,000 wintering corvids, and in Kyiv, more than 93% of the approximately 90,000 corvids. Up to 10 % of the rooks observed in Poltava were juveniles; no juvenile rooks were observed in Kyiv. Forty-six dead rooks (24 in Poltava and 22 in Kiev) collected on the ground at roosting sites were used for parasitological studies. We found 13 helminth species in the two samples of rooks, 10 species were recorded in each sample. In both samples, nematodes predominated by their infection prevalence and abundance. At the levels of helminth populations and infracommunities, the differences between the two samples were mostly influenced by the infection parameters of the nematodes Acuaria anthuris, Baruscapillaria resectum, Diplotriaena tricuspis, Eucoleus frugilegi, Microtetrameres spp., and the cestode Spiniglans affinis. In the helminth component community from Poltava, the evenness and diversity indices were comparatively higher than in the component community from Kyiv; Microtetrameres spp. was the predominat taxon. In the component community from Kyiv, E. frugilegi predominated by its infection prevalence and abundance.

The article highlights the current state of the production of dairy and vegetable food products. The results of studies of organoleptic and physical, chemical indicators of the quality of various herbal drinks: coconut, almond and oat, are presented, as well as an analysis and comparison with cow's milk, which is used in hotel and restaurant complexes in Bela Tserkva. For assessing the quality according to the organoleptic characteristics of the beverages, the following were examined: appearance, color, smell, taste and consistency. It was found that according to these indicators, herbal drinks comply with the regulatory documentation for these products. When assessing the quality by physical and chemical indicators, the mass fraction of fat, dry matter, titratable and active acidity, and density were established. The titratable acidity of milk-like drinks was within the normal range and did not exceed 10 ⁰T. The mass fraction of fat in coconut milk was 1.2 %, almond-rice milk – 1.3 % and oat milk – 2.4 %. Mass fraction of coconut milk solids was 7.6%, almond-rice 10.5% and oat milk 11.4%. The density of all types of herbal drinks was in the range of 1005–1015 kg/m3. The indicators of the quality of cow's milk, which is used in hotel and restaurant complexes, have been investigated in a comparative form. In terms of organoleptic indicators, the quality of cow's milk corresponds to the normative documentation. The fat mass fraction of cow's milk was 2.5 %, the mass fraction of solids was 12.5%, the titratable acidity was at the level of 18 ⁰T, the active acidity pH was 6.6, and the density was 1028 kg/m3. Analysis of various types of vegetable and cow's milk, which are used in hotel and restaurant complexes in the city of Bela Tserkva, in terms of physicochemical and organoleptic quality indicators, allows us to consider herbal drinks as substitutes for traditional products capable of providing the human body with essential nutritional factors.

Introduction: In this work, we provide a detailed characterization of a rare complication-subconjunctival cyst formation after strabismus surgery-in a large German cohort., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 822 consecutive patients who underwent strabismus surgery between 2015 and 2022. The patients received comprehensive eye and orthoptic examinations preoperatively, at 1 day, and at 3 months postoperatively. Cysts were analyzed with slit-lamp examination, anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT), and histopathological subsumption., Results: Nineteen cases of postoperative cysts were observed (2.3%), 12 of which underwent surgical revision. Clinical evaluation including slit-lamp and AS-OCT as well as histological analysis resulted in a classification of three types of cysts: type 1, which is a single hyporeflective cyst, type 2, which is a multilobular hyporeflective cyst, and type 3, a dense hyperreflective granulomatous-like cyst. Eta (η) correlation ratio analysis could show a correlation between time of clinical appearance and type of cyst (Eta = 0.63). Most cysts developed within 20 days after surgery. Not only did cysts more frequently affect the medial rectus muscle, which in most cases underwent a shortening procedure (11/19 tucks, 4/19 resections) for intermittent exotropia (X(T)), but the cyst also formed earlier than in the lateral rectus muscle (Eta = 0.45). No correlation could be shown between the type of surgical procedure and time of cyst occurrence (Eta = 0.1). Patient age and cyst type correlated strongly (Eta = 0.47). The underlying type of strabismus did not correlate with the type of cyst observed., Conclusions: Our cases showed a strong positive correlation to the type of strabismus (X(T)), age (young patients), and the procedure (tuck/resection). We introduce a grading system for postoperative cysts after strabismus surgery, complementing histopathology and slit-lamp aspects with AS-OCT information., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Intravitreal injections are a mandatory treatment for macular edema due to nAMD, DME and RVO. These chronic diseases usually need chronic treatment using intravitreal injections with anti-VEGF agents. Thus, many trials were performed to define the best treatment interval using pro re nata regimes (PRN), fixed regimes or treat-and-extend regimes (TE). However, real-world studies reveal a high rate of losing patients within a 2-year interval of treatment observation causing worse results. In this study we analyzed retrospectively 2 years of real-world experience with an individualized treat-and-extend injection scheme., Methods: Since 2015 our treatment scheme for intravitreal injections has been switched from PRN to TE. Out of 102 patients 59 completed a follow up time of 2 years. Every patient received visual acuity testing, SD-OCT and slit lamp examination prior to every injection. At each visit an injection was performed and the treatment interval was adjusted mainly on SD-OCT based morphologic changes by increasing or reducing in 2-week steps. Individual changes of the treatment protocol by face-to-face communication between physician and patient were possible., Results: After 1 year of treatment visual acuity gain in nAMD was 7.4 ± 2.2 ETDRS letters (n = 34; injection frequency: 7.4 ± 0.4) respectively 6.1 ± 4.7 in DME (n = 9; injection frequency: 8.4 ± 1.1) and 9.7 ± 4.5 in RVO (n = 16; injection frequency: 7.6 ± 0.5). After 2 years of treatment results were as following: nAMD: visual acuity gain 6.9 ± 2.1 (injection frequency: 12.6 ± 0.7); DME: 11.1 ± 5.1 (injection frequency: 14.0 ± 1.0); RVO: 7.5 ± 5.0 (injection frequency: 11.2 ± 0.9). Planned treatment exit after 2 year was achieved in 29.4% of patients in nAMD (0% after 1 year); 0% in DME (0% after 1 year); and 31.3% in RVO (0% after 1 year). Patients' persistence was 94.1% during the follow-up., Conclusion: Using a consequent and individualized TE regime in daily practice may lead to a high patients' persistence and visual acuity gains nearly comparable to those of large prospective clinical trials. Crucial factors are face-to-face communication with the patient as well as a stringent management regime. At this time TE may be the only instrument for proactive therapy which should therefore be regarded as a first-line tool in daily practice.

Objective: This article presents a method for visualization and navigation of patient flow in outpatient eye clinics with a high level of complexity., Material and Methods: A network-based software solution was developed targeting long-term process optimization by structural analysis and temporal coordination of process navigation., Results: Each examination unit receives a separate waiting list of patients in which the patient flow for every patient is recorded in a timeline. Time periods and points in time can be executed by mouse clicks and the desired diagnostic procedure can be entered. Recent progress in any of these diagnostic requests, as well as a variety of information on patient progress are collated and drawn into the corresponding timeline which can be viewed by any of the personnel involved. The software called TimeElement has been successfully tested in the practical implemenation for several months. As an example the patient flow regarding time stamps of defined events for intravitreous injections on 250 patients was recorded and an average attendance time of 169.71 min was found, whereby the time was also automatically recorded for each individual stage., Conclusion: Recording of patient flow data is a fundamental component of patient flow management, waiting time reduction, patient flow navigation with time and coordination in particular regarding timeline-based visualization for each individual patient. Long-term changes in process management can be planned and evaluated by comparing patient flow data. As using the software itself causes structural changes within the organization, a questionnaire is being planned for appraisal by the personnel involved.