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Biomedical subjects

I E Murdoch

Publications and source records attributed to I E Murdoch.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Blue-yellow colour vision in an onchocercal area of northern Nigeria.

AIM: To determine if the City University Tritan Test is a useful addition to visual function assessment in rural communities in northern Nigeria. METHODS: The study was a cross sectional survey. The participants were 8394 people, aged 5 years and over, living in 37 rural communities, mesoendemic and nonendemic for onchocerciasis, in Kaduna State in northern Nigeria. The main outcome measures were the detection of a defect in blue-yellow colour vision by two criteria: (1) failure with the City University tritan screening plates; (2) failure with the City University grading plates to identify severe tritan defects. RESULTS: 91% of those aged 10 years and above could perform the test. Below this age, there were difficulties in comprehension. The test showed good inter- and intraobserver agreement. After adjustment for confounders the odds of failing the screening plates were significantly increased in the presence of optic atrophy or glaucoma (3.55 (2.48-5.08) and 15.9 (4.22-60.2) respectively). There was a greater increase in the adjusted odds of failing the grading plates in the presence of optic atrophy or glaucoma (5.30 (2.97-9.45) and 8.87 (1.61-48.7) respectively). Cataract had a smaller effect on the screening plates, adjusted odds 1.63 (0.95-2.80). CONCLUSION: Blue-yellow colour vision testing is a useful addition to visual function assessment in those aged 10 years and above in rural northern Nigeria, particularly in the detection of optic nerve disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

People and eyes: statistical approaches in ophthalmology.

In conclusion, when an observation by its nature involves two eyes, as for blindness, statistical analyses should be conducted on individuals rather than eyes and between eye correlation is not a problem. In other circumstances, if information on only one eye per individual is used in the analysis there is a potential "waste" of information leading to less precise estimates of effect and less power. In addition, bias may be introduced into a study if there is non-random selection of the eye for inclusion in the analysis. The use of an overall summary of ocular findings for an individual may result in "wastage" of information in a similar fashion to the use of only one eye per individual. On the other hand, an analysis of individual eyes with no allowance made for between eye correlation may result in falsely narrow confidence intervals around estimates of effect. Between eyes correlation may be assessed empirically using the kappa statistic or similar means. If between eye correlation is substantial, statistical techniques exist which can utilise all available data while allowing for the correlation. In some circumstances a powerful design may be to use the fellow eye as a "control". Two conclusions may be drawn from this review of analytical approaches to the analysis of clinical data in the BJO. Firstly, the analytical approaches employed in many studies fail to use all the data available. In other words the analysis is less than "optimal". Secondly, in a proportion of studies, inappropriate statistical methods are used which may lead the investigator to draw inappropriate conclusions. In other words, the analysis is invalid. Ophthalmic data, by their very nature, present particular statistical challenges. We emphasise the need to involve appropriate statistical expertise in the design and analysis of ophthalmic studies.

Bias↗
PubMed1997

Visual field constriction as a cause of blindness or visual impairment.

Reported are the results of a study of onchocerciasis in communities mesoendemic for savanna onchocerciasis in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. The study involved 6831 individuals aged > or = 5 years who underwent an extensive screening examination for visual function including Friedmann field analysis. A total of 185 (2.7%) were bilaterally blind by acuity and an additional 28 (0.4%) were blind by visual field constriction. Also 118 (1.7%) individuals were visually impaired by acuity criteria. No criteria for visual impairment by field constriction have been established, and we therefore investigated three potential criteria. As a result, a further 60 (0.9%) individuals were identified with significant visual impairment due to field loss by the various definitions. Small islands of remaining peripheral field occurred in 50 individuals, while 40 individuals had marked reduction of binocular visual field below the horizontal meridian. Concentric visual field constriction to < 20 degrees was found in seven individuals. The WHO definition of blindness currently includes visual field damage criteria for blindness but not for visual impairment. Visual field loss is recognized as a major disability. We hope that these findings stimulate international discussion leading to the development of satisfactory definitions for visual impairment by visual field constriction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Primary localised amyloidosis of the orbit.

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Primary localised amyloidosis is rarely encountered in the orbit. The typical clinical and radiological appearances have not been clearly established, in particular the single site deposition of amyloid has never been proved. METHODS: Six cases were reviewed in detail and their clinical and radiological characteristics are described here. Four patients had scintigraphy with 123I serum amyloid P component and one patient had typing of the amyloid fibrils. RESULTS: All the patients had a firm mass in the upper orbit with a predilection for the region of the lacrimal gland. Computed tomography showed a homogeneous mass with thickening and irregularity of the adjacent bone and/or calcification within the mass. None was associated with systemic disease. Scintigraphy with 123I serum amyloid P component demonstrated that the amyloid was confined to the orbit. In one patient the amyloid fibrils were derived from an IgG4 heavy chain constant domain. The lesions were partially excised with subsequent clinical stability over 6 months to 18 years in all but one patient who had continued enlargement of the lesion. CONCLUSION: There is a characteristic clinical and radiological pattern for primary localised amyloidosis of the orbit. The disease process is truly local and not part of a systemic process. A majority respond to simple debulking with subsequent observation.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Visual experience during cataract surgery.

Fifty-six sequential patients undergoing cataract surgery using local anaesthesia were invited to complete a questionnaire recording their visual experiences during the surgery. A majority had peribulbar anaesthesia; none had pre- or per-operative sedation. Fifty-four of the patients could see with their eye during the surgery. Two of these patients could perceive only a bright light; the remainder recorded colours (80%), followed by movements (68%), flashes (66%), abstract colour images (55%) and perception of objects (20%). In two-thirds the brightness of the light changed during the course of the operation (most commonly getting brighter) and in one-third the colours perceived changed during the operation. Pictures were drawn by 22 of the patients of their experience during the surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Primary localized orbital amyloidosis composed of the immunoglobulin gamma heavy chain CH3 domain.

1. Primary orbital amyloidosis is a rare form of localized amyloidosis in which the precursor protein has not previously been identified. We report here the first extraction of amyloid fibrils from a tissue biopsy containing orbital amyloid, and characterization of the fibril protein. 2. The N-terminal nine residues were identical with residues 278-286 and 275-283 of the third constant (CH3) domains of IgG1 and IgG4 gamma heavy chains, respectively. The mass of the fibril subunit protein was 6125Da by time-of-flight mass spectrometry, compared with the expected masses of 6169.9Da and 6214.9Da for the CH3 domains of gamma 1 from residue 278 and gamma 4 from residue 275, respectively. The fibril protein thus appeared to consist exclusively of an immunoglobulin heavy chain constant domain. 3. Only two examples of immunoglobulin heavy chain derived amyloid have been reported previously and both of these, as well as all published cases of the usual immunoglobulin light chain derived amyloid, contained variable domain sequence. The present case therefore represents a form of local, presumably clonal, B-cell/plasma-cell disorder characterized uniquely by deposition of an amyloidogenic immunoglobulin heavy chain constant domain fragment.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Neovascular response in ischaemic central retinal vein occlusion after panretinal photocoagulation.

Twenty seven eyes treated for ischaemic central retinal vein occlusion with panretinal photocoagulation were reviewed. Prior to laser therapy anterior segment neovascularisation predominated (17 eyes) over posterior segment involvement (6 eyes). After photocoagulation anterior segment new vessels regressed or did not develop in the majority of cases. However, in five eyes previously absent posterior segment neovascularisation occurred. These results suggest that photocoagulation alters but does not eliminate retinal ischemia, thus modulating the neovascular response.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Peribulbar versus retrobulbar anaesthesia.

A prospective clinical trial comparing peribulbar with retrobulbar anaesthesia is reported. Ninety-nine consecutive patients for cataract extraction under local anaesthesia were randomly allocated to a peribulbar or retrobulbar technique. The effectiveness of the anaesthetic, the operative conditions, and the degree of patient discomfort were recorded. Pain scores (as assessed separately by the patient, surgeon, and attendant nurse) demonstrated that anaesthetic administration and surgery were less painful with the peribulbar method. This technique gave more reliable ocular akinesia and orbicularis oculi paralysis in addition to a lower operative complication rate.

Aged↗