Publications by authors named "Aretha Zhu"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to identify demographic factors and health conditions that increase the risk of developing endogenous endophthalmitis (EE) in patients with infective endocarditis (IE).
  • Analysis of data from 769,472 inpatient cases revealed that older patients (21-64 years) and those identifying as Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander had a higher risk of EE, while women made up a slightly higher percentage of EE patients.
  • Diabetes (both with and without complications), alcohol use disorder, and cirrhosis were linked to a significantly increased risk of EE, while congestive heart failure and arrhythmia were associated with a lower risk.
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Purpose: Personal care and cosmetic products can cause periocular and ocular adverse effects (AEs), for example, ocular surface disease, trauma, and hypersensitivity. The publicly available Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS) database includes AE reports by consumers, healthcare practitioners, and manufacturers. The purpose of this study was to characterize ophthalmic AE associated with cosmetics and personal care products reported by the FDA CAERS database.

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Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess trends in consumer-product-related geriatric ocular injuries using National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data. Understanding the specific consumer products and settings coded in the NEISS dictionary that contribute to geriatric (≥ 65 years) ocular injuries, along with changing patterns during events like the COVID-19 pandemic, provides crucial insights for tailoring therapy and preventative strategies. This ultimately may reduce the burden of eye injuries on both older adults and healthcare systems.

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Previous literature has investigated opioid prescription trends in ophthalmology at large, however, little has been done looking at differences between subspecialties. We evaluate if significant trends exist among subspecialties in opioid prescribing patterns. This study aims to illuminate potential over-usage of opioids in ophthalmology that could compromise patient quality of life.

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Purpose: With the transition from away rotations and in-person interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic came a search for alternative methods to represent and promote residency programs. We investigated utilization of social media by ophthalmology residency programs in response to the pandemic.

Methods: Social media accounts of accredited ophthalmology residency programs were found through a manual search on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chronic liver diseases can cause vitamin A deficiency (VAD) by disrupting its absorption and storage in the body.
  • The article discusses two patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis who developed eye issues due to VAD, specifically nonhealing corneal defects, and they were found to have low vitamin A levels.
  • Vitamin A supplementation led to rapid healing of the eye conditions, prompting a recommendation to screen for VAD in liver transplant candidates before any eye symptoms appear to avoid serious complications.
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Purpose: In July 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox virus's global spread a "public health emergency of international concern." About a quarter of monkeypox cases feature ophthalmic symptoms. We assessed trends in worldwide search interest in monkeypox ophthalmic involvement and inclusion in online search engine queries.

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Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are vision-threatening diseases that are leading causes of vision loss. Many studies have validated deep learning artificial intelligence for image-based diagnosis of vision-threatening diseases. Our study prospectively investigated deep learning artificial intelligence applications in student-run non-mydriatic screenings for an underserved, primarily Hispanic community during COVID-19.

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Povidone-iodine (PVI), also known as Betadine, is a widely used antiseptic agent used in several fields of medicine. In ophthalmology, it is applied as a preoperative antiseptic to prevent infectious complications that can result from surgical procedures. PVI's safety and efficacy have been extensively studied and represented in the literature; however, the incidence of adverse effects has been reported in conjunction.

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Purpose: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a vision-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus due to increased vascular permeability. Patients are increasingly using YouTube videos to educate themselves about DME. This study analyzes the content and quality of YouTube videos about DME.

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Background: Increasing health care diversity is critical to overcoming disparities. Plastic surgery has been working to improve diversity through various efforts, including social media movements like Diversify PRS and #ilooklikeasurgeon. Because residency programs' social media sites serve as a public symbol of the programs' values and can attract potential applicants, we sought to analyze such platforms for content highlighting sex and ethnic diversity.

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