Perceptions and Cost-Analysis of a Multiple Mini-Interview in a Pharmacy School Admissions Process.

Objective: To improve the quality of admissions interviews for a doctor of pharmacy program, using a multiple mini-interview (MMI) in place of the standard interview.

Methods: Stakeholders completed an anonymous web-based survey. This study characterized perceptions of the MMI format across 3 major stakeholders (candidates, interviewers, admissions committee members) and included comparative cost estimates.

Optic nerve head morphology in glaucoma patients of African descent is strongly correlated to retinal blood flow.

Background/aims: To examine the relationship between change in optic nerve head (ONH) morphology and retinal blood flow in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) of African (AD) and European descent (ED) over 3 years.

Methods: 112 patients with OAG (29 AD; 83 ED) underwent assessment of ONH morphology using Heidelberg retinal tomography (HRT-III), and retinal blood flow using confocal scanning laser Doppler. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance was used to compare baseline and 3-year measurements, and Pearson correlations were calculated to evaluate the relationships.

Vascular considerations in glaucoma patients of African and European descent.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in individuals of African descent (AD). While open-angle glaucoma (OAG) disproportionately affects individuals of AD compared with persons of European descent (ED), the physiological mechanisms behind this disparity are largely unknown. The more rapid progression and greater severity of the disease in persons of AD further raise the concern for identifying these underlying differences in disease pathophysiology between AD and ED glaucoma patients.

Differences in ocular blood flow in glaucoma between patients of African and European descent.

Purpose: To investigate differences in ocular blood flow in individuals of African descent (AD) and European descent (ED) with open angle glaucoma (OAG).

Patients And Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed on OAG patients of AD and ED who were previously examined for ocular blood flow within the Department of Ophthalmology at Indiana University School of Medicine. Data analysis included blood pressure, heart rate, visual fields, intraocular pressure, ocular perfusion pressure, and color Doppler imaging of retrobulbar vessels.