Conjunctivitis in the newborn- a comparative study.

Background: Conjunctivitis of the newborn is defined as hyperemia and eye discharge in the neonates and is a common infection occurring in the neonates in the first month of life. In the United States, the incidence of neonatal conjunctivitis ranges from 1-2%, in India, the prevalence is 0.5-33% and varies in the world from 0.

Clinical spectrum of pediatric blepharokeratoconjunctivitis.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence, symptoms, clinical signs, and therapy instituted in children with blepharokeratoconjunctivitis (BKC).

Methods: In this observational, retrospective case series, we reviewed all medical records of pediatric patients presenting to the ophthalmology clinic at the Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi, India from 2003 to 2006. History, clinical characteristics, and treatment protocol were noted, as well as reason for presentation/referral and subsequent diagnosis.

Does Written Emotional Disclosure about Stress Improve College Students' Academic Performance? Results from Three Randomized, Controlled Studies.

Several early studies and subsequent reviews suggested that written emotional disclosure (WED)-writing repeatedly about personal stressful experiences-leads to improved academic performance of college students. Yet a critical review of available studies casts some doubt on this, so we conducted three randomized, controlled experiments of the effects of WED versus control writing on grade point average (GPA) of college students. In all three studies, WED writing was implemented effectively-it contained more negative emotion language and generated more negative mood than did control writing.

Cholesterolosis Bulbi of the Anterior Chamber in Coats Disease.

Coats disease is characterized by the presence of cholesterol crystals and lipid-laden macrophages in the subretinal space. These cholesterol crystals may rarely be found in the anterior chamber in Coats disease, a phenomenon known as cholesterolosis bulbi. This report describes a patient with advanced Coats disease who presented with anterior chamber cholesterolosis.

A neuroectodermal hypothesis of the cause and relationship of myopia in retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose: To analyze the oculometric parameters in preterm infants with and without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and to observe the effect of presence of ROP on development of myopia.

Methods: A prospective study of preterm infants screened for ROP. Examination included fundus examination, cycloplegic refraction, and biometric measurements at three visits.

Acquired capillary hemangioma of the eyelid in a child.

Acquired capillary hemangioma of the eyelid in adults is uncommon. The authors report an unusual case of acquired capillary hemangioma in a 12-year-old pubertal girl. The importance of development of such vascular lesions at puberty, due to hormonal changes and increased estrogen levels, is highlighted.

Prevalence of dry eye at high altitude: a case controlled comparative study.

High altitude is associated with physiological as well as pathological changes in the eye related to adverse environmental conditions that result in increased tear evaporation and contribute to a higher incidence of dry eye in these regions. We aimed to study the difference in prevalence of dry eye at high altitude and at low altitude. The prevalence of dry eye among the natives and the army soldiers who were recently posted at high altitude was also studied and compared.

Relaxation training and written emotional disclosure for tension or migraine headaches: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background And Purpose: Behavioral medicine interventions that directly reduce arousal and negative emotions, such as relaxation training (RT), are conceptually different from interventions that temporarily increase negative emotions, such as written emotional disclosure (WED), but no studies have directly compared their efficacy. We compared the effects of RT and WED on people with tension or migraine headaches.

Methods: College students with either tension (n = 51) or migraine (n = 90) headaches were randomized to one of three groups: RT, WED, or a neutral writing control condition; four sessions were held over 2 weeks.

Emotional approach coping and self-efficacy moderate the effects of written emotional disclosure and relaxation training for people with migraine headaches.

Objectives: We tested whether emotional skills and headache management self-efficacy (HMSE) moderated effects of written emotional disclosure (WED) compared with control writing and a different intervention, relaxation training (RT).

Design/methods: Undergraduates with migraine headaches reported emotional approach coping (EAC) and HMSE; were randomized to WED, RT, or control; and assessed on health measures at baseline and 3-month follow-up.

Results: Greater EAC predicted improvement following WED compared with RT and control, whereas low HMSE predicted improvement following both WED and RT, compared with control.

Fundus albipunctatus in a patient with achondroplasia.

We describe a patient with achondroplasia who presented with defective night vision due to fundus albipunctatus. We found no previous report of the association in a search of the literature.

Alexithymia and pain in three chronic pain samples: comparing Caucasians and African Americans.

Objective: African Americans often report greater pain than do Caucasians, but the factors responsible for this discrepancy are not known. We examined whether alexithymia-the trait of difficulty identifying and describing one's feelings and lacking introspection-may contribute to this ethnic group difference. We tested whether the mean level of alexithymia is higher, and whether alexithymia and pain are more highly correlated, among African Americans than among Caucasians in patients with chronic pain disorders.