External quality assessment of laboratory performance in bacteriology in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2011-2019.

Background: Since 2007, national public health laboratories in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) have participated in a regional external quality assessment scheme in bacteriology to improve testing proficiency.

Aims: To assess laboratory performance in bacteriology in the EMR between 2011 and 2019 using the regional external quality assessment scheme.

Methods: We analysed the accuracy of participant-reported data in bacterial identification, Gram stain microscopy, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Assessment of Efficacy of a Novel Crosslinking Protocol with Intracameral Oxygen (Bubble-CXL) in Increasing the Corneal Stiffness Using Atomic Force Microscopy.

The environmental oxygen level plays a critical role in corneal crosslinking (CXL), a treatment method to increase corneal biomechanical stability. In this study, we introduce a new CXL method (Bubble-CXL), in which intracameral oxygen serves as an additional oxygen source during eye treatment. The efficiency of this new method was compared with the efficiency of the standard CXL method.

Outcome of transplantation of autologous retinal pigment epithelium in age-related macular degeneration: a prospective trial.

Purpose: To present the outcome of a consecutive series of patients who had foveal choroidal neovascularization (fCNV) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and were treated with subretinal surgery combined with simultaneous transplantation of autologous retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.

Methods: Patients with fCNV who were not eligible for laser or photodynamic therapy were included in the study. They underwent subretinal membrane excision with simultaneous transplantation of autologous RPE cells.