Ophthalmology
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Comparative Study
A comparative study of resident performance on standardized training examinations and the american board of ophthalmology written examination.
To investigate the relationships between ophthalmology resident performance on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), the Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP) exam and the American Board of Ophthalmology written qualifying examination (ABO-WQE). ⋯ Our results suggest that OKAP examination performance is a predictor of a resident's success in passing the ABO-WQE on the first attempt, as well as within 3 years of graduation from an ophthalmologic training program. Awareness of this association may permit identification of residents at risk for failing the ABO-WQE and encourage educational remediation to prevent this failure.
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Case Reports
Laser photocoagulation at birth prevents blindness in Norrie's disease diagnosed using amniocentesis.
To report the first case of prophylactic laser treatment to prevent blindness in a patient who was diagnosed with Norrie's disease by genetic testing with amniocentesis. ⋯ Pre-term genetic diagnosis with immediate laser treatment after birth may preserve vision in individuals affected with Norrie's disease.
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A genetic variant in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol pathway, hepatic lipase (LIPC), was discovered to be associated with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a genome-wide association study. In this study, we evaluated whether LIPC is associated with serum lipids, and whether this gene and serum lipids are independently associated with AMD. ⋯ The HDL-raising allele of the LIPC gene (T) was associated with a reduced risk of AMD. Higher total cholesterol and LDL levels were associated with increased risk, whereas higher HDL levels tended to reduce the risk of AMD. The specific mechanisms underlying the association between AMD and LIPC require further investigation.