Serum Vitamin D Levels and Dry Eye Disease in Postmenopausal Women: A Case-Control Study at a Tertiary Care Center in Rural Haryana.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of Vitamin-D insufficiency and high susceptibility to dry eye disease (DED) in postmenopausal women (PMW), correlation between DED and Vitamin D has not been explored in PMW in any Indian study.

Aims And Objectives: To explore the correlation between serum Vitamin D levels in PMW with and without DED, in a hospital-based population in rural Haryana.

Materials And Methods: Subjective (ocular surface disease index [OSDI] questionnaire) and objective clinical tests were undertaken for DED diagnosis.

Near-peer-assisted learning for training undergraduate medical students in clinical ophthalmology skills.

Objective: This study aims to formally evaluate near-peer-assisted learning (NPAL) for teaching clinical ophthalmology skills to second-year undergraduate medical students through their fellow medical interns.

Methods: Interns posted at the department of ophthalmology were included as tutors after an initial sensitization and assessment. Second-year undergraduate students were included as tutees.

Aberrant regeneration of third nerve with characteristic lid signs: operating the normal fellow eye.

A young female with old traumatic third nerve palsy presented with characteristic lid signs of aberrant regeneration of third nerve. There was noticeable disparity in the lid aperture and surgery on the normal fellow eye was undertaken to offer the patient a satisfactory aesthetic appearance.

A pilot study of the implementation and evaluation of a leadership program for medical undergraduate students: Lessons learned.

Background: Most Indian medical schools lack formal leadership training though students are expected to evolve into leaders. The Student Leadership Program (SLP) was designed and evaluated with an objective to incorporate and strengthen leadership skills in undergraduates and to initiate change in organizational practice through the development of a Student Leadership Society.

Methods: The SLP was designed using best evidence guidelines in medical education.

Framework to Incorporate Leadership Training in Competency-Based Undergraduate Curriculum for the Indian Medical Graduate.

The new competency-based curriculum recognized the importance of leadership skills in physicians and has outlined competencies that would lead to attaining this goal. To prepare the Indian medical graduates as effective healthcare leader, there is no universal approach; it is desirable that the institutes organize the leadership competencies into an institutional framework and integrate these vertically and horizontally in their curriculum in a longitudinal manner. We describe the rationale for incorporating formal leadership training in the new competency-based undergraduate curriculum and propose a longitudinal curricular template utilizing a mixed/multi-modality approach to teach and apply leadership competencies.

Clinical procedural skills assessment during internship in ophthalmology.

Introduction: Directly observed procedural skills (DOPS) is a unique method for assessment since it tests the trainee's ability to apply his knowledge and skills in performing a particular procedure and provides an assessment of the practical work performed by the trainee on a 'real' patient under supervision of an experienced faculty. The study aims to make use of DOPS rating for assessment and further improvement in procedural skills in interns in Ophthalmology rotational posting.

Methods: A prospective study was planned and 15 interns on 2 weeks' rotational posting in the department of Ophthalmology were included by purposive sampling over a duration of 2 months.

Myopic Shift After Intraocular Lens Implantation in Children Less Than Two Years of Age.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the myopic shift over a period of 2 years following implantation of intraocular lens (IOL) in children less than 2 years of age with axial length less than 22 mm.

Method: A retrospective analysis of records of children below 2 years of age with axial length less than 22 mm who had undergone cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation over a period of 7 years was undertaken. Mean myopic shift was analyzed at 6 months, in first year, second year and end of 2 years following surgery.

Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) and albumin adjusted-IMA (AAIMA) as biomarkers for diabetic retinopathy.

Introduction: Oxidative stress has important role in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) has been recently considered as a marker of oxidative damage in diabetes. However, there is scarcity of published information about both IMA and albumin adjusted-IMA (AAIMA) in DR patients.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ISCHEMIA-MODIFIED ALBUMIN AS A SIMPLE MEASURE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ITS DISCRIMINATORY ABILITY IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Oxidative stress (OXS) plays critical role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DRP). Increased concentrations of serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) have been demonstrated as a novel and inexpensive measure of oxidative stress. Although few pilot studies have reported increased IMA in DRP, the available literature is limited to comprehensively describe the potential significance of IMA in predicting DRP.

Expression of P-glycoprotein in human retinoblastoma and its clinical significance.

Retinoblastoma is the most common malignant intraocular tumor of childhood. Drug resistance and relapses are major problems with chemotherapy, which is regarded as the mainstay of globe preserving treatment in retinoblastoma. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression has been reported to be associated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis in various malignancies.

Results of late surgical intervention in children with early-onset bilateral cataracts.

Background: Cataracts are a major cause of childhood blindness globally. Although surgically treatable, it is unclear whether children would benefit from such interventions beyond the first few years of life, which are believed to constitute 'critical' periods for visual development.

Aims: To study visual acuity outcomes after late treatment of early-onset cataracts and also to determine whether there are longitudinal changes in postoperative acuity.

Impact of low vision rehabilitation on functional vision performance of children with visual impairment.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of low vision rehabilitation on functional vision of children with visual impairment.

Materials And Methods: The LV Prasad-Functional Vision Questionnaire, designed specifically to measure functional performance of visually impaired children of developing countries, was used to assess the level of difficulty in performing various tasks pre and post visual rehabilitation in children with documented visual impairment. Chi-square test was used to assess the impact of rehabilitation intervention on functional vision performance; a P < 0.

Extraocular retinoblastoma in Indian children: clinical, imaging and histopathological features.

Aim: TO STUDY EYES WITH EXTRAOCULAR DISSEMINATION (EORB), WITH THE FOLLOWING AIMS: first to establish the mean lag period and to understand various reasons for delayed presentation, second to study their imaging profiles and third to analyze histopathological features of eyes enucleated after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: Prospective study of clinical and imaging features of EORBs (stage III and IV International Retinoblastoma Staging System) presenting to a tertiary eye care centre. Histopathological features of eyes enucleated after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed.

SUMO modification of Stra13 is required for repression of cyclin D1 expression and cellular growth arrest.

Stra13, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor is involved in myriad biological functions including cellular growth arrest, differentiation and senescence. However, the mechanisms by which its transcriptional activity and function are regulated remain unclear. In this study, we provide evidence that post-translational modification of Stra13 by Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) dramatically potentiates its ability to transcriptionally repress cyclin D1 and mediate G(1) cell cycle arrest in fibroblast cells.

A histopathologic analysis of eyes primarily enucleated for advanced intraocular retinoblastoma from a developing country.

Context: In eyes enucleated for retinoblastoma, presence of histopathologic high-risk factors is associated with a higher risk of local recurrence and systemic metastasis.

Objective: To evaluate histopathologic features in children with retinoblastoma in our population and establish relationship between age, tumor differentiation, and high-risk features.

Design: Retrospective histopathologic analysis of 609 consecutively enucleated eyes for advanced intraocular retinoblastoma during a 10-year period.