Lentzlorentsen1008

To evaluate the differences in macular choroidal thickness and volume between patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and healthy controls to assess the correlation between macular choroidal thickness and visual field mean defect (MD).

Case-control study. A total of 101 patients (101 eyes) with POAG who were hospitalized in our hospital and 102 healthy subjects (102 eyes) matched by age, sex, and axial length were consecutively selected as the POAG group and the control group, respectively. The macular choroidal thickness and volume in nine regions were measured in all subjects by enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

The mean thicknesses of the choroid in the macular area in the POAG group and healthy group were 207.97 ± 62.83 

m and 208.24 ± 47.97 

m, and the mean volumes were 0.63 ± 0.19 

m

and 0.64 ± 0.14 

m

. There were no significant differences in macular choroidal thickness, volumes of various macular regions, or mean choroidal thickness or volume between the POAG and healthy groups (all

> 0.05). The macular choroidal thickness of various macular regions was not correlated with visual field MD in the POAG group (all

> 0.05).

The macular choroidal thicknesses and volumes in POAG patients were not significantly different from those in healthy individuals. The macular choroidal thickness was not correlated with MD in POAG patients. Therefore, macular choroidal thickness is not an appropriate parameter to evaluate damage caused by POAG, and the role of the macular choroid thickness in POAG needs to be further investigated.

The macular choroidal thicknesses and volumes in POAG patients were not significantly different from those in healthy individuals. The macular choroidal thickness was not correlated with MD in POAG patients. Therefore, macular choroidal thickness is not an appropriate parameter to evaluate damage caused by POAG, and the role of the macular choroid thickness in POAG needs to be further investigated.This study evaluated physicians' perception and diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. This cross-sectional survey used a Google form questionnaire distributed online. Demographic and clinical practice information was solicited, including if "IPI was considered as a diagnosis in the last patient seen," "if stool investigation was requested among the last patients seen," and physicians' perception of the burden of IPI in the country. Using Pearson chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analysis, we tested the significance of the associations of the job cadre of the physicians and their perception of the IPI burden with consideration of IPI as a diagnosis in the last patient seen, request for stool investigation in the last patient seen, and overall frequency of the request for stool investigation. Ultimately, 184 physicians responded. The majority agreed to "often seeing patients with GI symptoms" (156, 84.7%), "not considering IPI among the last patient seen" (106, 57.6%), and "not requesting stool investigation among the last patient seen with symptoms" (136, 73.9%). House officers (81, 44.2%) constituted the highest proportion of physicians who considered IPI as a diagnosis among the last patient seen (39, 48.1%, p = 0.05). Most physicians (138, 75%) considered IPI as a burden in Ghana. They constituted significant proportions of the physicians who considered IPI as a diagnosis among their last patients seen (65, 83.3%, p = 0.02) and were twice more likely to consider IPI as a diagnosis among the last patients seen than their colleagues who did not consider IPI as a burden in Ghana (AOR 2.26, p = 0.04). The consideration of IPI as a diagnosis among patients with GI symptoms and request for stool investigations was low among physicians in this study. Further engagements with physicians in Ghana are needed to help improve their diagnosis of IPI in patients with GI symptoms.Albizia ferruginea (Guill. & Perr.) Benth bark is used in the traditional medicine as a vermifuge. This study sought to determine the anthelmintic activity of the stem bark extract of Albizia ferruginea. The powdered A. ferruginea stem bark was extracted with ethanol. Phytochemical screening was carried out on A. ferruginea ethanol extract (AFE) and then screened for its anthelmintic property against Pheretima posthuma and Haemonchus contortus using the adult motility assay. The effect of AFE and its fractions on the anthelminthic activity of mebendazole and albendazole were also determined using the adult worm (P. posthuma) motility assay. AFE showed a dose-dependent anthelmintic activity against P. posthuma and H. contortus. The least concentration of AFE (0.5 mg/mL) paralyzed and killed P. posthuma within 272.50 ± 12.42 min and 354.50 ± 5.06 min of exposure, respectively. AFE at the least test concentration (0.14 mg/mL) caused paralysis and induced death of H. contortus, after at 63.50 ± 2.98 and 254.96 ± 2.44 min of exposure, respectively. AFE extract at 0.25 and 0.125 mg/mL increased the paralytic and helminthicidal activities of albendazole. The paralytic and helminthicidal activities of mebendazole were reduced when combined with AFE (0.25 and 0.125 mg/mL). Among the three fractions obtained from AFE, the methanol fraction showed the highest anthelmintic activity. The methanol fraction at 0.5 mg/mL caused paralysis after 69.90 ± 0.15 min and death of worm after 92.53 ± 0.74 min of exposure. The petroleum ether and ethyl acetate fractions showed relatively low anthelmintic activity. Phytochemical screening of AFE revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, and coumarins. The results from this study show that A. ferruginea possesses anthelmintic activity which gives credence to its folkloric use.

Individual and group level interventions have the largest effect on outcomes in patients with the first episode of psychosis. The quality of these individual and group level interventions provided to first-episode psychosis patients in Uganda is unclear.

To determine the quality of the individual and group level interventions provided to first episode psychosis patients in Uganda.

The study was performed at the only tertiary psychiatric hospital in Uganda.

A retrospective chart review of recently discharged adult in-patients with the first episode of psychosis was performed. The proportion of participants who received different essential components for individual and group level interventions were calculated. From the different proportions, the quality of the services across the individual and group interventions was determined using the first-episode psychosis services fidelity scale (FEPS-FS). Repertaxin The FEPS-FS assigns a grade of 1-5 on a Likert scale depending on the proportion of patients who received the different components of the intervention.