Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis.

Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) is a usually unilateral inflammatory disease characterized by an insidious, usually severe loss of peripheral and central vision. Clinical characteristics are manifested in early and late stages. Parasites of different sizes and several species of nematodes have been reported as the etiology of DUSN without conclusive evidence about the specific agent.

Clinical features of 121 patients with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis.

Purpose: To describe the determinant clinical signs to diagnose diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) and the main features related to identification of the live worm.

Design: Retrospective study performed at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, between 2003 and 2008.

Methods: Patients with early- or late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis were included.

[Fractal analysis of retinal vascular tree: segmentation and estimation methods].

Purpose: Although it has been proposed that retinal vasculature is fractal, no method of standardization has been performed for vascular segmentation or for dimension calculation, thus resulting in great variability among values of fractal dimensions. The present study was designed to determine if estimation of retinal vessel fractal dimensions is dependent on vascular segmentation and dimensional calculation methods.

Methods: Ten eye fundus images were segmented to extract their vascular trees by four computational methods ("multi-threshold", "scale-space", "pixel classification" and "ridge based detection").

[Fundoscopic alterations and diabetic foot in patients of Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes/UFRN].

Purpose: To identify diabetic foot abnormal changes caused by microvascular events and fundoscopy eye lesions due to diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: A survey was performed with 76 diabetic patients from the Hospital Onofre Lopes out-patient department of ophtalmology and vascular surgery. To evaluate the diabetic foot the patients were submitted to an individual interview using Fontaine classification.

Socioeconomic conditions as determining factors in the prevalence of systemic and ocular toxoplasmosis in Northeastern Brazil.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of systemic and ocular toxoplasmosis among 1024 students in the city of Natal, Northeastern Brazil, and correlate it with demographic, socioeconomic and epidemiological risk factors.

Methods: The study population was randomly selected, asked to fill out a questionnaire, provide a blood sample for IgG and IgM (MEIA) serology and a hemogram, and undergo an eye examination.

Results: The seroprevalence for IgG was 46% (95% CI = 42.