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During the 13 years from 1990 to 2002, the prevalence of myopia significantly increased among the Israeli population. Although there was an association with the level of education, gender, ethnicity, and origin, the prevalence of myopia increased on an annual basis, independent of these factors.

Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita (CMTC) is an uncommon, sporadic, congenital cutaneous condition presenting with persistent cutis marmorata, telangiectasia, phlebectasia and possible ulceration of the involved skin, skin atrophy, and undergrowth of the involved extremity. To further the current understanding of this disorder, we analyzed the clinical features of a large series of patients with CMTC. The files of 85 patients with CMTC who were examined in our center over the last 20 years were reviewed. The data recorded included patient sex, age at onset, nature and distribution of the lesions, associated abnormalities, and course of disease. CMTC was characterized by early recognition of the lesions (94% at birth) and equal sex distribution. The lesion was unilateral in 65% of patients and most commonly involved the limbs (69%). Additional capillary lesions, noted in 20% of patients, may well have been an extension of the CMTC itself. Associated anomalies were found in 18.8% of patients. Almost half of the patients showed a definite improvement in the reticular vascular pattern on follow-up. No familial cases of CMTC were noted. CMTC is more prevalent than previously recognized, affects both sexes equally, and has a mostly localized distribution; additional vascular lesions are associated with the disorder, but other anomalies occur less often. Prognosis is generally good.

Diabetes mellitus affected biomechanical parameters of the human corneas, including increased CH, CRF, and CCT. Whether this observation has implications in the clinical management and understanding of corneal ectasia and glaucoma requires further study.

Two years after CXL, the observation of stable UCVA, improved BCVA, and reduced keratometry suggests stabilization in progression of keratoconus. Unchanged corneal thickness, endothelial cell density, and foveal thickness suggest the long-term safety of this procedure. The observed increase in axial length and stability in corneal biomechanical parameters measured with the ocular response analyzer require further study for verification and explanation.

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The purpose of the present paper was to analyze the efficiency of an abbreviated, albeit objective posturographic test as an indicator of fatigue. Posturography was measured in 10 healthy adults (age 18-33 years, male/female 7/3). Baseline posturographic measurements were taken for each subject. Later, a shorter (3-min) posturographic test was administered 12 times during 25 h of sleep deprivation. This was correlated with subjective assessment of fatigue using a questionnaire and cognitive performance assessed with a reaction time test (Psychomotor Vigilance Test). Although showing significant individual differences, the score of the abbreviated posturographic examination, normalized to each subject's baseline performance ('fatigue index') had a pronounced circadian pattern with a peak of instability in the early morning hours. Fatigue index was highly correlated with the cognitive test ( r = 0.80-0.90). A substantial, albeit weaker correlation was found between the fatigue index and the subjective fatigue scores ( r = 0.59-0.75). Fourier spectral analysis showed that low median sway (0.10-0.50 Hz), considered to be an expression of vestibular control, was most affected by fatigue. The study demonstrates that cognitive deterioration caused by fatigue can be objectively predicted by an abbreviated postural test of ≤ 3 min. This test is promising to be valid, reliable, and practicable, while being significantly correlated with physiological markers and validated cognitive measures of fatigue obtained by substantially more time-consuming and less convenient methods.