Recent OSU Grad's Forthcoming Book

Some of you may be interested in this forthcoming book (should be out in February) by Juliann Cortese, a Ph.D. advisee of mine from a few years ago who is now an assistant professor at Florida State. The book is based on her dissertation, and includes some interesting extensions of our work on the implications of Web site design on learning of factual information and knowledge structure density. The content area Juliann writes about in the book is not politics, but the underlying ideas are clearly relevant to the sorts of work done by folks in COPS. It also goes to show you what may come of hard work toward a solid dissertation. You can order the book on Amazon.com here.

Patterns of intraocular inflammation in children.

Bull Soc Belge Ophtalmol. 2001;(279):35-8.

• Benezra D,
• Cohen E,
• Maftzir G.

Pediatric Ophthalmology and Immuno-Ophthalmology Unit, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. benezra@md2.huji.ac.il

AIM: To report on the causes of uveitis in children and young adults and their effects on visual functions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and seventy six patients, 18 years old or younger, with uveitis were included in this study. The intraocular inflammation (uveitis) was classified according to anatomical site of ocular involvement and the most probable etiological factor. The final diagnosis was based on clinical manifestations and the results of specific laboratory investigations. RESULTS: Bilateral intraocular inflammation was observed in 70.3% of the cases and 29.7% had either the left or the right eye involved. The symptomatology was relatively mild in most cases despite the fact that the visual acuity was markedly affected. An associated systemic disease was detected in 40.2% of the cases classified as non-infectious. Of this group, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was the most common single systemic associated cause detected in 41 children. In 110 children (59.8%), the uveitis was strictly confined to the eyes with 70 of these (25.4% of the total group) classified as idiopathic. Parasites were the most common infectious-associated cause for the uveitis followed by viruses and bacteria. CONCLUSION: Uveitis is highly prevalent among children. In children, symptomatology of the intraocular inflammation may be very mild. However, visual acuity is markedly reduced leading to amblyopia in the young children. Early detection and treatment is therefore of utmost importance.

PMID: 11344713 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Patterns of uveitis in children presenting at a tertiary eye care centre in south India.

Indian J Ophthalmol. 2003 Jun;51(2):129-32.

• Narayana KM,
• Bora A,
• Biswas J.

Medical and Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India.

PURPOSE: To study the patterns of uveitis in the paediatric age group in a referral eye care centre in south India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients 15 years or younger with uveitis, examined in the year 2000, were included in this study. The uveitis was classified according to the anatomical site of ocular involvement and the most probable aetiological factor. The final diagnosis was based on clinical manifestations and results of specific laboratory investigations. RESULTS: A total 31 (6.29%) paediatric uveitis cases were seen among the 493 uveitic cases in the year 2000. The male:female ratio was 17:14. Anterior (9 cases), intermediate (9 cases) and posterior uveitis (9 cases) were seen in equal number. Four patients had panuveitis. Twenty-seven patients had visual acuity of 6/36 or better at presentation. Approximately 25% (8 of 31) patients had cataract secondary to inflammation. Immunosuppressives were administered in 4 patients and one patient required cataract surgery. CONCLUSION: Uveitis in children comprises approximately 6% of uveitis cases in a referral practice in south India. Anterior, intermediate and posterior uveitis are seen in equal numbers. We recommend that intermediate uveitis be ruled out in all cases of anterior uveitis by careful clinical evaluation including examination under anesthesia (EUA) when required.

PMID: 12831142 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Pattern of uveitis in a referral eye clinic in north India.

Indian J Ophthalmol. 2004 Jun;52(2):121-5.

• Singh R,
• Gupta V,
• Gupta A.

Department of Ophthalmology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Eudcation and Research, Chandigarh, India.

PURPOSE: To report the pattern of uveitis in a north Indian tertiary eye center. METHODS: A retrospective study was done to identify the pattern of uveitis in a uveitis clinic population of a major referral center in north India from January 1996 to June 2001. A standard clinical protocol, the "naming and meshing" approach with tailored laboratory investigations, was used for the final diagnosis. RESULTS: 1233 patients were included in the study; 641 (51.98%) were males and 592 (48.01%) females ranging in age from 1.5 to 75 years. The anterior uveitis was seen in 607 patients (49.23%) followed by posterior uveitis (247 patients, 20.23 %), intermediate uveitis (198 patients, 16.06%) and panuveitis (181 patients, 14.68%). A specific diagnosis could be established in 602 patients (48.82%). The infective aetiology was seen in 179 patients, of which tuberculosis was the commonest cause in 125 patients followed by toxoplasmosis (21 patients, 11.7%). Non-infectious aetiology was seen in 423 patients, of which ankylosing spondylitis was the commonest cause in 80 patients followed by sepigionous choroidopathy (62 patients, 14.65%). CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis and toxoplasmosis were the commonest form of infective uveitis, while ankylosing spondylitis and serpiginous choroidopathy were commonly seen as the non-infective causes of uveitis in North India.

PMID: 15283216 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Ocular complications of pediatric uveitis.

Ophthalmology. 2004 Dec;111(12):2299-306.

• Rosenberg KD,
• Feuer WJ,
• Davis JL.

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33101, USA.

PURPOSE: To determine the cumulative proportion and the visual significance of ocular complications of pediatric uveitis. DESIGN: Cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with onset of endogenous or infectious uveitis before or at age 16 years. METHODS: Retrospective review of existing records at a university-based uveitis clinic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Type and prevalence of complications related to uveitis, time to development of complications, and vision loss after initial diagnosis. RESULTS: There were 148 patients, 71 males and 77 females, with a mean age of 10.4+/-4.9 years (median, 10.3 years) for an estimated prevalence of pediatric uveitis of 13.8%. Noninfectious uveitis was present in 112 patients (75.7%); 105 (71%) patients had bilateral disease. Anterior uveitis accounted for 30.4%, intermediate uveitis for 27.7%, posterior uveitis for 23.7%, and panuveitis for 18.2% of patients. Patients were followed for a mean of 71.7 months (range, 0 months-44 years) after diagnosis. Approximately 34% of all patients had 1 or more complications at the time of first diagnosis of uveitis by an ophthalmologist, increasing to 61.6% by 3 months, 69.4% by 6 months, 75.2% by 1 year, and 86.3% by 3 years after diagnosis. There were a total of 617 complications of all types. Anterior and intermediate uveitis had a higher risk of band keratopathy (P = 0.005). Posterior and intermediate uveitis had a lower risk of cataract (P = 0.009) or posterior synechiae (P<0.001). p =" 0.002).">

PMID: 15582090 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Analysis of pediatric uveitis cases at a tertiary referral center.

Ophthalmology. 2005 Jul;112(7):1287-92.

• Kump LI,
• Cervantes-Castaneda RA,
• Androudi SN,
• Foster CS.

Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze demographics, anatomic data, diagnoses, systemic associations, and visual outcomes of pediatric patients in a large tertiary eye center. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: The records of 1242 patients with uveitis referred to the Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) from 1985 to 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. Two hundred sixty-nine patients 16 years and younger were identified. RESULTS: Among 269 children with uveitis, 53.5% were girls, 82% were Caucasian, and 82% were born in the United States. Mean age was 8 years (standard deviation, 3.8; range, 1-16). Anterior uveitis represented 56.9% of cases; intermediate, 20.8%; panuveitis, 16%; and posterior, 6.3%. Nongranulomatous (77.6%) and noninfectious (85.7%) were the most frequent types of inflammation. The process was bilateral in 74.4% of patients. Mean follow-up was 22 months, with mean age of 8 years at diagnosis. Mean duration of uveitis at the time of presentation at the MEEI was 2 years. The range of time between the diagnosis of uveitis and referral was 1 day to 5.6 years. The length of time between diagnosis of uveitis and the referral to the tertiary center strongly correlated with the complication rate and degree of visual impairment in our study. The longer the time before the patients were seen by the uveitis expert, the worse the visual outcomes. No systemic associations were found in 58% of patients, juvenile idiopathic arthritis was responsible for 33% of cases, 8% of patients had other systemic associations, and 1% had tubulointerstitial nephritis uveitis syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Uveitis remains a serious cause of morbidity and visual loss in children. Timely referral to uveitis specialists in the tertiary referral centers may lead to improved visual outcomes in children with chronic uveitis.

PMID: 15921752 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Shoulder - Sulcus Sign

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The sulcus sign is an examination to determine the extent and/or presence of inferior instability of the glenohumeral joint.  This test can be administered with the patient either seated or standing with his arm relaxed at her side.  The examiner palpates the shoulder by placing her thumb and fingers on the anterior and posterior aspects of the humeral head.  The examiner grasps the patient's elbow with her other hand and applies a downward distraction force.  A positive test will result in a sulcus being formed between the acromion and the humeral head as the humeral head moves inferiorly while the force is being applied.

Shoulder - Empty Can Test

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The empty can test is used to assess for the presence of injury/pathology to the supraspinatus.  This test is also known as the supraspinatus strength test.  The patient is either seated or standing with his arms in a position of scapation (approximately 30-degrees of horizontal adduction with the shoulders abducted to 90-degrees).  The patient attempts to resist downward overpressure being applied by the examiner.  A positive result occurs when the patient is unable to resist the force.

Shoulder - Apprehension Test

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The shoulder Apprehension test is also known as the Fowler test or the Jobe relocation test.  The examination is used to assess for shoulder instability.  This examination is best partnered with the shoulder relocation test.  The apprehension test (AKA crank test) is used to assess for an anterior shoulder dislocation.  The patient lies on the table supine with the shoulder abducted 90-degrees and maximum external rotation.  The examiner typically will support the humerus with one hand while applying overpressure to the external rotation of the shoulder.  A positive test will result in the patient reacting to the movement by preventing further rotation or appearing apprehensive.  It is at this point that the relocation test is typically administered.

COPS Students to Begin National Online Data Collection

Thanks to the generosity of two COPS faculty members, Andrew Hayes and Chip Eveland, four COPS students will soon be gathering data from a national sample. Teresa Myers, Kristen Landreville, Chris Shen and Myiah Hively are using a survey software provider, Qualtrics, to collect data simultaneously on four different surveys. Teresa is gathering data examining an extension of the Extended Parallel Process Model as it relates to global warming; Kristen is examining how emotional responses to advertisements are linked to media use, issue attention, and issue knowledge; and Chris and Myiah are collaborating with Chip on two surveys that look at how to best measure media use and media's relationship to several political attitudes, knowledge and engagement. Stay tuned for the interesting findings sure to follow.

Founding COPS Member Accepts Job at SUNY-Albany

Mihye Seo, a founding student member of the COPS group and recent OSU graduate, has accepted a tenure-track job offer in the Department of Communication at the State University of New York - Albany campus. Mihye defended her dissertation on knowledge-based approaches to media priming in December 2006 with COPS faculty Eveland (adviser), Hayes and Kosicki, as well as political science professor Tom Nelson, as committee members. She has been working as a visiting assistant professor at SUNY since September 2006 and will begin as a tenure-track assistant professor in Fall 2007. Congratulations, Mihye!

Standardization of uveitis nomenclature for reporting clinical data. Results of the First International Workshop.

Am J Ophthalmol. 2005 Sep;140(3):509-16.

• Jabs DA,
• Nussenblatt RB,
• Rosenbaum JT;
• Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) Working Group.

Wilmer Eye Institute, 5650 North Broadway, Suite 700, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. djabs@jhmi.edu

PURPOSE: To begin a process of standardizing the methods for reporting clinical data in the field of uveitis. DESIGN: Consensus workshop. METHODS: Members of an international working group were surveyed about diagnostic terminology, inflammation grading schema, and outcome measures, and the results used to develop a series of proposals to better standardize the use of these entities. Small groups employed nominal group techniques to achieve consensus on several of these issues. RESULTS: The group affirmed that an anatomic classification of uveitis should be used as a framework for subsequent work on diagnostic criteria for specific uveitic syndromes, and that the classification of uveitis entities should be on the basis of the location of the inflammation and not on the presence of structural complications. Issues regarding the use of the terms "intermediate uveitis," "pars planitis," "panuveitis," and descriptors of the onset and course of the uveitis were addressed. The following were adopted: standardized grading schema for anterior chamber cells, anterior chamber flare, and for vitreous haze; standardized methods of recording structural complications of uveitis; standardized definitions of outcomes, including "inactive" inflammation, "improvement'; and "worsening" of the inflammation, and "corticosteroid sparing," and standardized guidelines for reporting visual acuity outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: A process of standardizing the approach to reporting clinical data in uveitis research has begun, and several terms have been standardized.

PMID: 16196117 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

OSU Ranked in the Top Three for Study of Mass Communication

A recent study of faculty productivity among programs in mass communication, reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education, shows OSU's School of Communication ranked as #3 in the nation in 2005. Among the top ten schools, we have the highest rate of citation of our work. We have the highest number of journal article publications per faculty member among the top ten schools as well, and we are tied for the highest percentage of faculty with journal publications. This is further demonstration of the strength of our program, which will be only better with the addition of new faculty like Lance Holbert starting in the fall. For more information on this study, click here.

Shoulder - Adson's Test

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Adson's test is used to assess for the presence of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome at the scalene triangle. The patient is examined standing. The examiner palpates the radial pulse while moving the upper extremity in abduction, extension, and external rotation. The patient then is asked to rotate her head toward the involved side while taking a deep breath and holding it. A positive exam will result in a diminished or absent radial pulse.

Ankle - Anterior Drawer Test

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The Anterior Drawer Test is used to assess for instability of the ankle. Laxity is typically due to a sprain of the anterior talofibular ligament. To administer the test the examiner stabilizes the lower leg of the patient with one hand while the other hand cups the heel. An anterior force is applied to the heel while attempting to move the talus anteriorly in the ankle mortise. This test is administered bilaterally and results are compared.

Ankle - Talar Bump Test

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The heel percussion test (AKA bump or tap test) is used to differentiate a tibial stress fracture from medial tibial stress syndrome. The examiner stabilizes the patient's lower leg on the table and brings the foot into a relaxed neutral position. The examiner then applies a percussive force to the plantar surface of the heel toward the lower leg. A positive result of this exam will be the illicitation of localized pain at the point of the suspected fracture.

Ankle - Lower Leg Compression Test

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Pott's Compression (AKA squeeze) test is used to assess for the presence of a fracture of the lower leg. The examiner places the pads his or her hands on either side of the upper portion of the leg, one being located just distal to the head of the fibula and the other being at the same level on the medial border of the tibia. The examiner then pushes his or her hands together to squeeze the tibia and fibula together. If the athlete reports a pain at the distal tibia or distal fibula the exam is considered positive.

Ankle - Kleiger's Test

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This test is used to determine if there is instability caused by a sprain of the Deltoid ligament of the ankle. The patient is examined in a seated position with his or her knee flexed over the end of the table and foot relaxed non-weight bearing. The examiner grasps the foot and rotates it laterally in the mortise of the ankle. Increased instability compared bilaterally with or without pain is an indication of a positive test. The examiner may also palpate a talar displacement.

Ankle - Talar Tilt Test

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The talar tilt test is used to examine the integrity of the calcaneofibular or the deltoid ligament. The patient is seated confortably on the end of an exam table. Possible alternate positions can be sidelying or supine. The examiner grasps the foot and places it in anatomical position while stabilizing the tibia and fibula. To test the calcaneofibular ligament the examiner will adduct and invert the calcaneous into a varus position. The deltoid ligament is examined by abducting and everting the calcaneous into a valgus position. A positive test will result in laxity and/or pain.

Ankle - Thompson Test

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The Thompson test is used to examine the integrity of the Achilles' tendon. With the patient lying prone on the table with his or her foot extended beyond the end of the table the examiner squeezes the calf. A normal non-injured response to this maneuver is slight plantarflexion of the ankle. Lack of ankle movement can indicate a rupture of the Achilles' tendon.