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Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
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The diagnosis of POHS is based on the clinical triad of multiple white, atrophic choroidal
scars, peripapillary pigment changes (dark spots around optic disc of the eye), and a maculopathy caused by choroidal neovascularization.
Completely distinct from POHS, acute ocular histoplasmosis may rarely occur in immunodeficiency.
Presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS) is a syndrome affecting the eye, which is characterized by peripheral atrophic chorioretinal scars, atrophy or scarring adjacent to the optic disc and maculopathy.
The loss of vision in POHS is caused by choroidal neovascularization.
Patients with idiopathic macular telangiectasia type 1 are typically 40 years of age or older. They may have a coincident history of ischemic vascular diseases such as diabetes or hypertension, but these do not appear to be causative factors.
Macular telangiectasia type 2 usually present first between the ages of 50 and 60 years, with a mean age of 55–59 years. They may present with a wide range of visual impact, from totally asymptomatic to substantially impaired; in most cases however, patients retain functional acuity of 20/200 or better. Metamorphopsia may be a subjective complaint. Due to the development of paracentral scotomota (blind spots), reading ability is impaired early in the disease course. It might be even the first symptom of the disease.
The condition may remain stable for extended periods, sometimes interspersed with sudden decreases in vision. Patients’ loss of visual function is disproportionately worse than the impairment of their visual acuity, which is only mildly affected in many cases. In patients with MacTel, as compared with a reference population, there is a significantly higher prevalence of systemic conditions associated with vascular disease, including history of hypertension, history of diabetes, and history of coronary disease. MacTel does not cause total blindness, yet it commonly causes gradual loss of the central vision required for reading and driving.
CNV can create a sudden deterioration of central vision, noticeable within a few weeks. Other symptoms which can occur include colour disturbances, and metamorphopsia (distortions in which straight lines appears wavy). Hemorrhaging of the new blood vessels can accelerate the onset of symptoms of CNV. CNV may also include the feeling of pressure behind your eye.
Familial transmission is now recognized in a small proportion of people with MacTel type 2; however, the nature of any related genetic defect or defects remains elusive. The MacTel genetic study team hopes that exome analysis in the affected population and relatives may be more successful in identifying related variants.
A maculopathy is any pathological condition of the macula, an area at the centre of the retina that is associated with highly sensitive, accurate vision.
Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the creation of new blood vessels in the choroid layer of the eye. Choroidal neovascularization is a common cause of neovascular degenerative maculopathy (i.e. 'wet' macular degeneration) commonly exacerbated by extreme myopia, malignant myopic degeneration, or age-related developments.
Signs and symptoms of macular degeneration include:
- Visual symptoms
- Distorted vision in the form of metamorphopsia, in which a grid of straight lines appears wavy and parts of the grid may appear blank: Patients often first notice this when looking at things like miniblinds in their home or telephone poles while driving. There may also be central scotomas, shadows or missing areas of vision
- Slow recovery of visual function after exposure to bright light (photostress test)
- Visual acuity drastically decreasing (two levels or more), e.g.: 20/20 to 20/80
- Blurred vision: Those with nonexudative macular degeneration may be asymptomatic or notice a gradual loss of central vision, whereas those with exudative macular degeneration often notice a rapid onset of vision loss (often caused by leakage and bleeding of abnormal blood vessels).
- Trouble discerning colors, specifically dark ones from dark ones and light ones from light ones
- A loss in contrast sensitivity
Macular degeneration by itself will not lead to total blindness. For that matter, only a very small number of people with visual impairment are totally blind. In almost all cases, some vision remains, mainly peripheral. Other complicating conditions may possibly lead to such an acute condition (severe stroke or trauma, untreated glaucoma, etc.), but few macular degeneration patients experience total visual loss.
The area of the macula comprises only about 2.1% of the retina, and the remaining 97.9% (the peripheral field) remains unaffected by the disease. Even though the macula provides such a small fraction of the visual field, almost half of the visual cortex is devoted to processing macular information.
The loss of central vision profoundly affects visual functioning. It is quite difficult, for example, to read without central vision. Pictures that attempt to depict the central visual loss of macular degeneration with a black spot do not really do justice to the devastating nature of the visual loss. This can be demonstrated by printing letters six inches high on a piece of paper and attempting to identify them while looking straight ahead and holding the paper slightly to the side. Most people find this difficult to do.
Chloroquine retinopathy, also known as Bull's eye maculopathy, is a retinopathy (damage of the retina) caused by the drugs chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, which are sometimes used in the treatment of autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. This eye toxicity limits long-term use of the drugs.
Intermediate AMD is diagnosed by large drusen and/or any retinal pigment abnormalities. Intermediate AMD may cause some vision loss, however, like Early AMD, it is usually asymptomatic.
The inherited optic neuropathies typically manifest as symmetric bilateral central visual loss. Optic nerve damage in most inherited optic neuropathies is permanent and progressive.
- Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most frequently occurring mitochondrial disease, and this inherited form of acute or subacute vision loss predominantly affects young males. LHON usually presents with rapid vision loss in one eye followed by involvement of the second eye (usually within months). Visual acuity often remains stable and poor (around or below 20/200) with a residual central visual field defect. Patients with the 14484/ND6 mutation are most likely to have visual recovery.
- Dominant optic atrophy is an autosomal dominant disease caused by a defect in the nuclear gene OPA1. A slowly progressive optic neuropathy, dominant optic atrophy, usually presents in the first decade of life and is bilaterally symmetrical. Examination of these patients shows loss of visual acuity, temporal pallor of the optic discs, centrocecal scotomas with peripheral sparing, and subtle impairments in color vision.
- Behr’s syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early-onset optic atrophy, ataxia, and spasticity.
- Berk–Tabatznik syndrome is a condition that shows symptoms of short stature, congenital optic atrophy and brachytelephalangy. This condition is extremely rare.
The risk of toxicity is low for individuals without complicating conditions during the first 5 years of treatment using less than 6.5 mg/kg/day of hydroxychloroquine or 3 mg/kg/day of chloroquine, and/or cumulative doses of less than 1000 gram and 460 gram (total dose), respectively. Some physicians suggest that lean body weight is more accurate when calculating daily dosage.
Most patients are routinely given 400 mg of hydroxychloroquine daily (or 250 mg chloroquine). This dose is considered acceptable.
The earliest signs of toxicity include bilateral paracentral visual field changes (best detected with a red test object) and a subtle granular depigmentation of the paracentral RPE.
With continued drug exposure, there is progressive development of a bilateral atrophic bull's-eye maculopathy and paracentral scotomata, which may in severe cases ultimately spread over the entire fundus, causing widespread retinal atrophy and visual loss.
Tumors, infections, and inflammatory processes can cause lesions within the orbit and, less commonly, the optic canal. These lesions may compress the optic nerve, resulting optic disc swelling and progressive visual loss. Implicated orbital disorders include optic gliomas, meningiomas, hemangiomas, lymphangiomas, dermoid cysts, carcinoma, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, inflammatory orbital pseudotumor, and thyroid ophthalmopathy. Patients often have bulging out of the eye (proptosis) with mild color deficits and almost normal vision with disc swelling.
This condition is characterized by:
- a diffuse infiltration of all the skin which never transforms into nodule
- a complete alopecia of eyebrows and eyelashes and body hair
- an anhydrotic and dysesthesic zones of the skin
- a peculiar type of lepra reaction named Lucio's phenomenon or necrotic erythema
Lucio's phenomenon consists of well-shaped erythematous spots which later become necrotic with scabs, ulcerations and scars. These lesion usually on the lower extremities and may be extensive They are frequently painful. Rarely it may be fatal.
The diffuse leprosy of Lucio and Latapí, also known as diffuse lepromatous leprosy or "pretty leprosy" is a clinical variety of lepromatous leprosy. It was first described by Lucio and Alvarado in 1852 and re-identified by Latapí in 1936. It is common in Mexico (23% leprosy cases) and in Costa Rica and very rare in other countries.
In teratology, proboscis is a blind-ended, tubelike structure, commonly located in the midface.
Proboscis formation are classified in four general types: holoprosencephalic proboscis, lateral nasal proboscis, supernumerary proboscis, and disruptive proboscis.
- Holoprosencephalic proboscis is found in holoprosencephaly. In cyclopia or ethmocephaly, proboscis is an abnormally formed nose. In cyclopia, a single median eye is associated with arrhinia (absence of the nose) and usually with proboscis formation above the eye. In ethmocephaly, two separate hypoteloric eyes are associated with arrhinia and supraocular proboscis formation. In cebocephaly, no proboscis formation occurs, but a single-nostril nose is present.
- Lateral nasal proboscis (proboscis lateralis) is a tubular proboscis-like structure and represents incomplete formation of one side of the nose; it is found instead of a nostril. The olfactory bulb is usually rudimentary on the involved side. The lacrimal duct (tear duct), nasal bone, nasal cavity, vomer, maxillary sinus, cribriform plate, and ethmoid cells are often missing on the involved side. Ocular hypertelorism may be present. The proboscis lateralis is a rare nasal anomaly.
- Supernumerary proboscis (Accessory proboscis) is found when both nostrils are formed and a proboscis occurs additionally. Accessory proboscis arise from a supernumerary olfactory placode.
- Disruptive proboscis occur if an early embryonic hamartoneoplastic lesion arises in the primitive prosencephalon.
Inverse Marcus Gunn phenomenon is a rare condition that causes the eyelid to fall upon opening of the mouth. In this case, trigeminal innervation to the pterygoid muscles of the jaw is associated with an inhibition of the branch of the oculomotor nerve to the levator palpebrae superioris, as opposed to stimulation in Marcus Gunn jaw-winking.
A Rosenthal fiber is a thick, elongated, worm-like or "corkscrew" eosinophilic (pink) bundle that is found on H&E staining of the brain in the presence of long-standing gliosis, occasional tumors, and some metabolic disorders.
Its presence is associated with either pilocytic astrocytoma (more common) or Alexander's disease (a rare leukodystrophy). They are also seen in the context of fucosidosis.
Pilocytic astrocytoma is the most common primitive tumor in pediatric patients.
Marcus Gunn phenomenon, also known as Marcus Gunn jaw-winking or trigemino-oculomotor synkinesis, is an autosomal dominant condition with incomplete penetrance, in which nursing infants will have rhythmic upward jerking of their upper eyelid. This condition is characterized as a synkinesis: when two or more muscles that are independently innervated have either simultaneous or coordinated movements.
Common physiologic examples of synkineses occur during sucking, chewing, or conjugate eye movements. There are also several abnormal cranial nerve synkineses, both acquired and congenital. Marcus Gunn jaw-winking is an example of a pathologic congenital synkinesis.
First described by the ophthalmologist Marcus Gunn in 1883, this condition presents in approximately 5% of neonates with congenital ptosis. This condition has been associated with amblyopia (in 54% of cases), anisometropia (26%), and strabismus (56%).
Embryogenically, congenital hepatic fibrosis is due to malformation of the duct plate, a round structure appearing in the eighth week of gestation that is formed by primitive hepatocytes, which differentiate into cholangiocytes. Congenital hepatic fibrosis usually presents in adolescent or young adulthood, but onset of signs and symptoms can range from early childhood through mid-life. Clinical features may vary but commonly include Cholangitis, hepatomegaly and signs of portal hypertension.
Vertigo is a medically recognized term for the symptom of vestibular system disturbance. It may include a feeling of rotation or illusory sensations of motion or both. The general term dizziness is used by nonmedical people for those symptoms but often refers to a feeling of light-headedness, giddiness, drowsiness, or faintness, all of which must be differentiated from true vertigo, since the latter symptoms might have other causes.
Motion sickness occurs more frequently in migraine patients (30–50% more than in controls). Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood is an example of migraine-associated vertigo in which headache does not often occur. Basilar artery migraine (BAM) consists of two or more symptoms (vertigo, tinnitus, decreased hearing, ataxia, dysarthria, visual symptoms in both hemifields or both eyes, diplopia, bilateral paresthesias, paresis, decreased consciousness and/or loss of consciousness) followed by throbbing headache. Auditory symptoms are rare. However, a study showed a fluctuating low-tone sensorineural hearing loss in more than 50% of patients with BAM with a noticeable change in hearing just before the onset of a migraine headache. The attacks of vertigo are usually concurrent with the headache and the family history is usually positive. The diagnostician must rule out: TIAs, and paroxysmal vestibular disorder accompanied by headache.
There is also a familial vestibulopathy, familial benign recurrent vertigo (fBRV), where episodes of vertigo occur with or without migraine headache. Testing may show profound vestibular loss. The syndrome responds to acetazolamide. Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) has been linked to mutations in the calcium channel gene. (Ophoff et al. 1966 cf. Lempert et al.)
There are three distinct types of lymphangioma, each with their own symptoms. They are distinguished by the depth and the size of abnormal lymph vessels, but all involve a malformation of the lymphic system. Lymphangioma circumscriptum can be found on the skin's surface, and the other two types of lymphangiomas occur deeper under the skin.
- Lymphangioma circumscriptum, a microcystic lymphatic malformation, resembles clusters of small blisters ranging in color from pink to dark red. They are benign and do not require medical treatment, although some patients may choose to have them surgically removed for cosmetic reasons.
- Cavernous lymphangiomas are generally present at birth, but may appear later in the child's life. These bulging masses occur deep under the skin, typically on the neck, tongue and lips, and vary widely in size, ranging from as small as a centimeter in diameter to several centimeters wide. In some cases, they may affect an entire extremity such as a hand or foot. Although they are usually painless, the patient may feel mild pain when pressure is exerted on the area. They come in the colors white, pink, red, blue, purple, and black; and the pain lessens the lighter the color of the bump.
- Cystic hygroma shares many commonalities with cavernous lymphangiomas, and some doctors consider them to be too similar to merit separate categories. However, cystic lymphangiomas usually have a softer consistency than cavernous lymphangiomas, and this term is typically the one that is applied to lymphangiomas that develop in fetuses. They usually appear on the neck (75%), arm pit or groin areas. They often look like swollen bulges underneath the skin.
Schizencephaly can be distinguished from porencephaly by the fact that in schizencephaly the fluid-filled component, if present, is entirely lined by heterotopic grey matter while a porencephalic cyst is lined mostly by white matter. Individuals with clefts in both hemispheres, or bilateral clefts, are often developmentally delayed and have delayed speech and language skills and corticospinal dysfunction. Individuals with smaller, unilateral clefts (clefts in one hemisphere) may be weak or paralyzed on one side of the body and may have average or near-average intelligence. Patients with schizencephaly may also have varying degrees of microcephaly, Intellectual disability, hemiparesis (weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the body), or quadriparesis (weakness or paralysis affecting all four extremities), and may have reduced muscle tone (hypotonia). Most patients have seizures, and some may have hydrocephalus.
Trilateral retinoblastoma (TRb) is a malignant midline primitive neuroectodermal tumor occurring in patients with inherited uni- or bilateral retinoblastoma. In most cases trilateral retinoblastoma presents itself as pineoblastoma (pineal TRb). In about a fourth of the cases the tumor develops in another intracranial region, most commonly supra- or parasellar (non-pineal TRb), but there are reported cases with non-pineal TRb in the 3rd ventricle. In most cases pineal TRb is diagnosed before the age of 5, but after the diagnosis of retinoblastoma. Non-pineal TRb, however, is often diagnosed simultaneous with retinoblastoma. Prognosis of patients with trilateral retinoblastoma is dismal, only a few patients have survived more than 5 years after diagnosis; all survivors were diagnosed with small tumors in a subclinical stage. Recent advances in (high-dose) chemotherapy treatment regimens and early detection have improved survival of patients with trilateral retinoblastoma.