Refractive, biometric and corneal topographic parameter changes during 12 months of orthokeratology.

Background: The aim of this study was to monitor refractive, topographic and biometric changes in Singaporean myopic children fitted with orthokeratology over a period of 12 months.

Methods: Data from 62 myopic eyes from an Asian population corrected with orthokeratology were retrospectively collected from an optometric clinic in Singapore. Anterior segment parameters were analysed with a Pentacam.

Hexaprenoid hydroquinones, novel inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

Activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) in the organic extract of the Red Sea sponge Toxiclona toxius was traced by us to five novel natural compounds, namely toxiusol [1], shaagrockol B [3], shaagrockol C [4], toxicol A [6], all of which are sulfated hexaprenoid hydroquinones, and toxicol B [7], the p-hydroquinone derivative of compound 6. The hydrolysis of the two sulfated compounds 1 and 4 yielded the corresponding hydroquinones designated as compounds 2 and 5, and further oxidation of compound 7 afforded the corresponding p-quinone derivative, compound 8. All compounds exhibited inhibitory activity of both DNA polymerizing functions of HIV-1 RT but failed to inhibit the RT-associated ribonuclease H activity.

HLA-A,B,C, and DR antigens, GLO I and Bf marker profiles in 75 Cape coloured patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

HLA-A,B,C and DR antigens were tested in 75 Cape Coloured systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and the GLO I and Bf markers in 51. The patients with HLA-DR2 had a relative risk significantly greater than one (p=0.0005).