Results of offering oral rapid HIV screening within a dental school clinic.

To broaden the availability of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, we offered rapid HIV screening tests to 811 patients attending a dental school for routine dental hygiene care. Study design is a prospective cross-sectional study. The 319 (39.

Heroin bodypacking.

Drug smuggling by internal bodily concealment is a well-recognized international problem, particularly in view of the difficulty of its detection and the potential for large financial gains. This mode of transport can have serious medical complications, including drug intoxication--sometimes fatal--as well as intestinal obstruction by foreign bodies (FBs). We discuss a case of heroin 'bodypacking' (the ingestion of heroin filled condoms) with its resultant complications.

Subretinal neovascular membranes associated with choroidal nonperfusion and retinal ischemia.

This is the first well-documented case of co-existent underlying choroidal nonperfusion in an eye with a subretinal neovascular membrane that was subsequently treated with krypton red laser photocoagulation by the senior author (LEM). The possible role of chronic macular ischemia secondary to choroidal circulatory impairment is discussed in relationship to other well-established risk factors. Perhaps treatment to improve macular oxygenation would be a reasonable alternative to eradication of the neovascularization by direct laser photocoagulation.

Identical twins with subretinal neovascularization complicating senile macular degeneration.

This is the first report, to our knowledge, of proliferative macular degeneration developing in the same eye of identical twins. The concept of a familial predisposition in age related macular degeneration is consistent with other known risk factors including race, iris pigmentation, hyperopia and macular drusen which are known to be genetically determined. Monozygotic twins provide ophthalmology with an excellent opportunity to study the hereditary aspects of ocular disease.

Vision parameters in krypton and laser photocoagulation of subfoveal neovascular membranes.

A prospective study of 78 patients, treated with krypton red laser (KRL) photocoagulation, who had senile macular degeneration (SMD) and subretinal neovascular membranes (SRNVM) located within 200u of the center of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), was undertaken to determine if complete eradication of the SRNVM would minimize the resultant foveal scar size and retain the maximal useful functional vision as compared to untreated fellow eyes with a disciform scar. The typical patient profile with SMD and subfoveal SRNVM included: average age, 73.6 years; caucasian, 99%; females, 62%; lightly pigmented iris, 70%; hyperopic refractive error, 93%; and evidence of bilateral involvement with either predisciform or disciform lesions, 73%.