RAMHeR: Reuse And Mining Health2.0 Resources, Editorial by Associate Editor, Assos. Prof. Dr. Abdeljalil Khelassi, Head of Knowledge and Information Engineering Research Team, Abou Bekr Belkaid University of Tlemcen, Algeria, March 2015
Evaluation of the orientation of the steepest meridian of regular astigmatism among highly myopic Egyptian patients seeking non-ablative surgical correction of the refractive error
Introduction: LASIK surgery is currently the preferred procedure to correct low to moderate myopia. The aim of this study was to determine the orientation of the steepest meridian of regular astigmatism in order to determine the relative incidence of vertical, horizontal, and oblique regular astigmatism among highly myopic Egyptian patients seeking non-ablative surgical correction of the refractive error.
Methods: One hundred and one eyes of 68 highly myopic patients who were seeking refractive surgery were included in this consecutive case series study. The refractive errors were measured using an autorefractometer and confirmed by trial. We measured the uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity in Snellen lines. Keratometry, central corneal thickness, and anterior chamber depth also were measured. The cylinder power in diopters and the axis in degrees were reported. Astigmatism was graded as with the rule (i.e., vertical meridian steeper), against the rule (i.e., horizontal meridian steeper), and oblique astigmatism. The number and the percentage of eyes with the rule, against the rule, and oblique astigmatism were calculated, and the chi-squared test was performed to analyze the data.
Results: The spherical refractive error ranged from -6.5 to -24.5 diopters (-13.45 ± 4.60). The cylinder power (Cyl) ranged from -0.25 to -7.5 diopters (-2.23 ± 1.28). The uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) in Snellen lines ranged from 0.01 - 0.1 (0.03 ± 0.02). The mean for best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in Snellen lines was 0.40 (± 0.23). The steepest meridian was vertical (i.e., with-the-rule astigmatism) in 44 eyes (43.56%), horizontal (i.e., against-the-rule astigmatism) in 27 eyes (26.73%), and oblique (i.e., oblique astigmatism) in 30 eyes (29.70%).
Conclusions: The incidence of with-the-rule astigmatism in patients with high myopia was found to be much lower than in previous studies for non-myopic patients, with a higher incidence for against-the-rule astigmatism and oblique astigmatism.
The worldwide spread of COVID-19 as an emerging, rapidly evolving situation, and the dramatic need of urgent medicine or vaccine, has rapidly brought new hypotheses for pathophysiology and potential medicinal agents to the fore. It is crucial that the research community provide a way to publish this research in a timely manner.
To contribute to this important public health discussion, the Electronic Physician Journal is excited to announce a fast-track procedure to help researchers publish their articles on COVID-19 related subjects that fall under the broad definition of public health, internal medicine, and pharmacology. We are especially welcome to all hypotheses about the pathological basis of the COVID-19 infection and the possible characteristics of potential medicine and vaccine. Submit your manuscript here
Our previous editorial (June 2020)
Lessons from COVID-19 pandemic and the Morocco’s success story.
The 6th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) is to be held on June 2-5, 2019 in Hong Kong.
The WCRI is the largest and most significant international conference on research integrity. Since the first conference in Lisbon in 2007, it has given researchers, teachers, funding agencies, government officials, journal editors, senior administrators, and research students opportunities to share experiences and to discuss and promote integrity in research. Read more:
TDR Clinical Research and Development Fellowships
Call for applications
Deadline for submission: 7 March 2019, 16:00 (GMT)
TDR provides fellowships for early- to mid-career researchers and clinical trial staff (e.g. clinicians, pharmacists, medical statisticians, data managers, other health researchers) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to learn how to conduct clinical trials. Read more:
Meta-Analysis Workshops in New York, USA, and London, UK, in April and May 2019
Don't miss this exceptional opportunity to learn how to perform and report a Meta-analysis correctly. Two Meta-analysis workshops are organized in April and May 2019 by Dr. Michael Borenstein in New York, USA (April 08-10, 2019) and London, UK (May 27-29).
About the Instructor
Dr. Michael Borenstein, one of the authors of Introduction to Meta-Analysis, is widely recognized for his ability to make statistical concepts accessible to researchers as well as to statisticians. He has lectured widely on meta-analysis, including at the NIH, CDC, and FDA. Read more:
Should clinical trials be covered by insurance? An interview with Dr. Ayat Ahmadi, epidemiologist and a researcher at the Clinical Trial Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. March 28, 2016
