PURPOSE To describe the population referred for cataract surgery, identify factors that influenced decision to treat, and patients suitable for ophthalmic training. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 2,693 consecutive referrals over 6 years were interrogated using Business Objects software on cataract electronic patient records. RESULTS A total of 2,693 patients were referred for cataract surg...

Periprosthetic joint infections are devastating complications that are difficult and expensive to treat and have a substantial mortality rate. A major goal of modern joint arthroplasty is to minimize these infections. Preoperative factors associated with increased risk of infection include malnutrition, diabetes mellitus, obesity (body mass index.40 kg/m2), and rheumatoid arthritis. Administrat...

Properdin factor D,1 a 23,500 tool wt euglobulin (6), interacts with properdin factor B and cobra venom factor (CoVF) to generate the CoVF-dependent C3 convertase which cleaves C3 (7) and activates the terminal complement components, C5-C9 (8). Fluid phase C3b, the major cleavage fragment of C3, interacts with factors B and D in a manner analogous to CoVF to form a fluid phase C3b-dependent C3 ...

The purpose of this expository lecture is to explain the basic ideas underlying the final resolution of “Fermat’s Last Theorem” after 356 years as a consequence of the reported establishment by Andrew Wiles of a sufficient portion of the “Shimura-Taniyama-Weil” conjecture. As these notes are being written, the work of Wiles is not available, and the sources of information available to the autho...

Background: Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) is due to different forms of spermatogenic failure and affects the majority of azoospermic patients. In many NOA cases spermatogenesis was shown to be focal with a “patchy distribution”. Different surgical sperm retrieval techniques have been developed to obtain gametes from the testicles of azoospermic men seeking fertility treatment. Nowadays, test...

OBJECTIVES Aortic root surgery is transitioning to aortic valve sparing (AVS), but little is known about the relative early outcomes of AVS versus composite graft-valve replacement (CVR). This study assessed mortality differences for AVS versus CVR to guide future practice decisions. METHODS From January 2000 to June 2011, 31 747 patients had aortic root replacement with AVS (n = 3585; 11%) o...

The results of fibreendoscopy of the colon are described in 255 consecutive examinations. Of the examinations, 26.5% resulted in a diagnosis being made solely by endoscopy. This included 17 cases of carcinoma, 15 patients with polyps, and 25 patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The most common reason for referral was undiagnosed rectal bleeding (75 cases) and endoscopy alone was successful...