Topical Caspofungin 0.5% Monotherapy for Filamentous Fungal Keratitis.

Purpose: To describe a case series of patients with 12 fungal keratitis treated with caspofungin 0.5% eye drops.

Methods: In this study, 12 patients diagnosed with fungal keratitis were treated with topical compounded caspofungin 0.

Ocular Surface Assessment in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of dry eye, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), and conjunctivochalasis in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included 37 patients diagnosed with OSA according to polysomnography. The control group comprised 31 subjects.

Optimization of ship hull forms by changing CM and CB coefficients to obtain optimal seakeeping performance.

Ship design involves optimizing the hull in order to enhance safety, economic efficiency, and technical efficiency. Despite the long-term research on this problem and a number of significant conclusions, some of its content still needs to be improved. In this study, block and midship coefficients are incorporated to optimize the ship's hull.

Agreement Between Swept-source Optical Coherence Tomography and Rotating Scheimpflug Camera in Measurement of Corneal Parameters in Normal and Keratoconic Eyes.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the agreement between topographic indices of healthy subjects and keratoconus (KCN) patients using a swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT CASIA2) versus a Scheimpflug camera (Pentacam).

Methods: 40 eyes of 23 patients with KCN and 40 eyes of 20 healthy subjects were included and evaluated with the CASIA2, followed by the Pentacam. Two consecutive modalities were obtained for one eye of each patient.

Experimental and numerical investigation on a trimaran airwake, geometry modification.

The aerodynamic interaction between a helicopter and a trimaran ship's flight deck can be complex and have an impact on handling quality and performance, especially in turbulent conditions. This article presents research on the flight deck geometry of a trimaran vessel without the presence of a helicopter. Both Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were used to analyze the effect of wind velocity on air pressure in the flight deck region.

Clinical and Autofluorescence Findings in Eyes with Pinguecula and Pterygium.

Purpose: To assess the autofluorescence size and properties of pterygium and pinguecula by anterior segment autofluorescence (AS-AF) imaging and demonstrate the difference of autofluorescence size presented in AS-AF imaging compared to the extend size of the conjunctival lesion measured by anterior segment slit-lamp photography (AS-SLE).

Methods: Twenty-five patients with primary pterygium and twenty-five with pinguecula were included in the study. In addition, 25 normal subjects were also enrolled as the control group.

Delayed-onset ligneous conjunctivitis as a rare association with congenital hydrocephalous: a case report and review of the literature.

Ligneous conjunctivitis is an uncommon form of chronic and recurrent conjunctivitis characterized by a thick, "woody," yellowish pseudomembranous lesion on the tarsal conjunctiva. Plasminogen deficiency plays an important role in this disease, which affects the mucous membranes, including the conjunctiva as well as other systemic organs. In rare cases, congenital hydrocephalus is associated with this disease.

Structural and functional outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy in patients with lamellar macular hole.

Purpose: To investigate the short-term functional and microstructural outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) without gas tamponade in lamellar macular holes (LH).

Materials And Methods: In this prospective case series, LH cases diagnosed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) underwent PPV with epiretinal membrane (ERM) removal and internal limiting membrane peeling without gas tamponade. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and OCT imaging preoperatively and 3 months after the surgery.

Positive Association of Matrix Proteins Alteration with TAZ and The Progression of High-Grade Bladder Cancer.

Objective: Bladder cancer is the 9 leading cause of human urologic malignancy and the 13 cause of death worldwide. Increased collagen cross-linking, expression and consequently stiffness of extracellular matrix (ECM) may be responsible for the mechanotransduction and regulation of transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathways, resulting in progression of tumorigenesis. The present study aimed to assess whether type 1 collagen expression is associated with TAZ nuclear localization.

Recombinant Interferon Alpha-2b as Primary Treatment for Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of topical and perilesional interferon alpha-2b as primary treatment for ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN).

Methods: In this prospective interventional case series, topical interferon alpha-2b (3 MIU/mL) was used as the initial treatment of OSSN, with perilesional interferon alpha-2b (3 MIU/mL) added based on clinical response. The primary outcome was complete tumor resolution.

Highly conductive anion exchange membranes based on polymer networks containing imidazolium functionalised side chains.

Two novel types of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) having imidazolium-type functionalised nanofibrous substrates were prepared using the facile and potentially scalable method. The membranes' precursors were prepared by graft copolymerization of vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) onto syndiotactic polypropylene (syn-PP) and polyamide-66 (PA-66) nanofibrous networks followed by crosslinking with 1,8-octanediamine, thermal treatment and subsequent functionalisation of imidazolium groups. The obtained membranes displayed an ion exchange capacity (IEC) close to 1.

Changes in Corneal Subbasal Nerves after Punctal Occlusion in Dry Eye Disease.

Purpose: To evaluate corneal subbasal nerve plexus by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) following punctal occlusion in patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease (DED).

Materials And Methods: Patients with grade 3 or 4 severity of DED based on Delphi Panel dry eye severity grading scheme were enrolled in the study. Permanent inferior punctal occlusion was performed.

A surgical skills assessment rubric for pterygium surgery.

Purpose: To introduce an assessment tool (rubric) for evaluating ophthalmology residents' competency in pterygium surgery.

Methods: A panel of experienced international surgeons collaborated and developed the rubric. After describing various stages of the procedure, the Dreyfus scale of skill acquisition was used for scoring each stage.

Assessing the Validity of Measurements of Swept-source and Partial Coherence Interferometry Devices in Cataract Patients.

Significance: The validity of measurements of OA-2000 (Tomey, Nagoya, Japan), a new swept-source optical coherence tomography-based biometer, was evaluated in comparison with IOLMaster 500 (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) as a reference method for optical biometry in cataract patients.

Purpose: This article compares the validity of measurements between OA-2000 and IOLMaster 500.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, axial length, lens thickness, anterior chamber depth, and keratometry readings were obtained by the OA-2000 and IOLMaster 500.

Stromal Patch with fibrin glue as a novel surgical technique to seal peripheral Descemet's membrane perforations in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty.

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to introduce a novel surgical technique for the management of peripheral Descemet's membrane perforation during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK).

Methods: First, a thin stromal patch was prepared either from the anterior stromal lamella cut during DALK or from the anterior stroma of a Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty button. The stromal patch was secured in a stromal pocket dissected deep in the trephination edge along the perforation site.

An investigation on optic nerve head involvement in Fuchs uveitis syndrome using optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography.

Purpose: To investigate optic nerve head involvement in patients with Fuchs uveitis syndrome (FUS).

Methods: Optic nerve head of 43 FUS eyes without clinical optic disc edema and 37 unaffected fellow eyes were evaluated using optical coherence tomography (OCT) of peripapillary retina and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and fundus fluorescein angiography.

Results: Seventy-one percent of FUS eyes showed optic nerve head hyperfluorescence.

Fuchs' Uveitis in Iranian Patients: A Review of 89 Eyes.

: To describe clinical and imaging features of Fuchs' Uveitis (FU) and investigate the rate of misdiagnosis in Iranian patients. : Records of 82 FU patients (89 eyes) were reviewed retrospectively. : Remarkable findings included iris heterochromia in 14 (17.

Changes in in vivo confocal microscopic findings of ocular surface squamous neoplasia during treatment with topical interferon alfa-2b.

Purpose: To evaluate in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) findings of ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) during treatment with topical interferon alfa-2b (IFN alfa-2b).

Methods: In this prospective interventional case series, 20 eyes from 20 patients with OSSN were treated with topical IFN alfa-2b 3 million IU/mL four times a day. Treatment was continued for 2 or 3 months after clinical resolution.

Topical Tacrolimus as Adjuvant Therapy to Corticosteroids in Acute Endothelial Graft Rejection After Penetrating Keratoplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of topical tacrolimus 0.05% as adjuvant therapy to corticosteroids in the treatment of acute endothelial rejection of a penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) graft.

Methods: Patients with the clinical diagnosis of acute endothelial rejection of a PKP graft were randomized into 2 groups-group 1: receiving topical tacrolimus 0.

Tacrolimus Eye Drops as Adjunct Therapy in Severe Corneal Endothelial Rejection Refractory to Corticosteroids.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of tacrolimus eye drops as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of severe corneal endothelial rejection after penetrating keratoplasty refractory to corticosteroids.

Methods: In this prospective interventional case series, 11 eyes of 11 patients assessed for severe corneal endothelial rejection, with an inadequate response to topical, local, and systemic corticosteroids, were treated with either 0.01% or 0.

Enhancing the stiffness of vertical graphene sheets through ion beam irradiation and fluorination.

Many applications of graphene can benefit from the enhanced mechanical robustness of graphene-based components. We report how the stiffness of vertical graphene (VG) sheets is affected by the introduction of defects and fluorination, both separately and combined. The defects were created using a high-energy ion beam while fluorination was performed in a XeF etching system.

Improved Methanol Barrier Property of Nafion Hybrid Membrane by Incorporating Nanofibrous Interlayer Self-Immobilized with High Level of Phosphotungstic Acid.

High level of phosphotungstic acid (PWA) was self-immobilized on electrospun nylon nanofiberous sheet to fabricate highly selective methanol barrier layer for sandwich structured proton conducting membranes. Simple tuning for the assembly conditions of central layer and thickness of outer Nafion layers allowed obtaining different composite membranes with superior methanol barrier properties (namely, P=3.59×10(-8) cm2 s(-1)) coupled with proton conductivities reaching 58.

Graduate level training in nutrition: an integrated model for capacity building- a national report.

Iran has been active in human nutrition training for the past five decades, but the existing curricular programs do not equip the graduates with the knowledge and skills required for solving food security and nutritional problems of the country. Given this, the Nutrition Department (ND) of Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) initiated a curricular reform to develop responsive graduate programs in key areas of nutrition that fill the existing gaps in nutrition training with the goal of improving nutrition policy-making and program development, implementation and evaluation. ND called for a request for proposals for a project entitled "Graduate Level Training in Nutrition".

Hydrogen-rich gas production via CaO sorption-enhanced steam gasification of rice husk: a modelling study.

Gasification is a thermochemical process in which solid or liquid fuels are transformed into synthesis gas through partial oxidation. In this paper, a kinetic model of rice husk gasification has been developed, which is interesting for the applications of the syngas produced. It is a zero-dimensional, steady-state model based on global reaction kinetic, empirical correlation of pyrolysis and is capable of predicting hydrogen yield in the presence of sorbent CaO.