Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28350624›Full record

ArticleCornea2017

Application of Scanning Electron Microscopy With Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy for Analyzing Ocular Surface Particles on Schirmer Strips.

Anuroop Avula, Anat Galor, Patricia Blackwelder, Melissa Carballosa-Gautam, Abigail S Hackam, Bennie Jeng, Naresh Kumar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cornea, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Preparation and Characterization of Vitamin C Aquasomes.Recent advances in drug delivery and formulation · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Anuroop Avula*Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL; †Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center, Miami, FL; ‡Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL; §Center for Advanced Microscopy, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL; ¶Miami Project Imaging and Histology Cores, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miami, FL; and ‖Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD.
Anat Galor
Patricia Blackwelder
Melissa Carballosa-Gautam
Abigail S Hackam
Bennie Jeng
Naresh Kumar
University of Miami · USUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs · US

Funding

Shared Equipment ModuleP30EY014801 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI Abigail S Hackam · 2004 to 2026
$12.2M
Dry Eye and MicroenvironmentR01EY026174 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI GALOR, ANAT, KUMAR, NARESH · 2016 to 2020
$1.9M
NEUROPATHIC PAIN: A CRITICAL MISSING PIECE IN DRY EYE?I01CX001089 · VA · MIAMI VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM · PI GALOR, ANAT · 2016 to 2019
–
CSRD VA I01 CX001089NEI NIH HHS P30 EY014801NEI NIH HHS R01 EY026174
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo demonstrate the application of scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) for analyzing Schirmer strips for particle concentration, size, morphology, and type distribution.

methodsA cross-sectional design was used. Patients were prospectively recruited from the Miami Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System eye clinic, and they underwent a complete ocular surface examination. The size, type, and chemical composition of particulate matter on Schirmer strips (from the left eye) were analyzed using SEM/EDS.

resultsSchirmer strips from all 6 patients showed particle loading, ranging from 1 to 33 particles, whereas the blank Schirmer strip that served as a control showed no particle loading. Most particles were coarse, with an average size of 19.7 μm (95% confidence interval 15-24.4 μm). All samples contained organic particles (eg, pollen and mold), and 5 of the 6 samples contained nonorganic particles. The nonorganic particles were composed of silicon, minerals, and metals, including gold and titanium. The size of aluminum and iron particles was ≥62 μm, whereas the size of 2 other metals, zinc and gold, was smaller, that is, <20 μm. Most metal particles were elongated compared with the organic particles, which were round.

conclusionsAlthough SEM/EDS has been extensively used in biomedical research, its novel application to assess the size, morphology, and chemical composition of the ocular surface particles offers an unprecedented opportunity to tease out the role of particulate matter exposure in ocular surface disease and disorders.

Indexed as

Reagent StripsCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMicroscopy, Electron, ScanningParticle SizeParticulate MatterProspective StudiesSpectrometry, X-Ray EmissionParticulate MatterReagent Strips

Identifiers

PMID28350624
PMCPMC5419879
OpenAlexW2601967137

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.