ABSTRACT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Guidelines for Free Paper Presentation
Guidelines for the 24th PAO Residents´ Research Paper Contest (RRPC)

FREE PAPER PRESENTATION

The Scientific Program Committee of the PAO Annual Meeting for 2010 is currently accepting abstracts for submission in the following categories:

• Scientific Paper
• Scientific Poster
• Video

In addition to the comprehensive program being crafted featuring local and foreign experts in their fields, your submitted abstracts will be considered for inclusion in the final scientific program. The Scientific Program Committee reserves the right to accept, reject, and change the categories of abstracts submitted for presentation as it deems appropriate.

Deadline for Submission of Abstracts:	September 25, 2010 at 12:00 MN
Deadline for Submission of Full Manuscript:	October 16, 2010 at 12:00 NN Philippine Standard Time (GMT + 8 hours)

Authors will be notified of selection of abstracts by e-mail whether they are accepted for poster, oral presentation or video presentation.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR SUBMISSION:

1. Abstracts may only be submitted online. Authors must register first for the annual meeting before they can submit abstract online. The deadline for submission will be strictly followed. Past this deadline, no abstracts will be accepted either by electronic or hard copy.

2. Presenters will be notified by the Academy of the status of their abstracts. Submission of an abstract constitutes a commitment by the author/s to present if selected for the Final Program.

3. All presenters are required to pre-register for the meeting (see Registration Guidelines) and pay all applicable fees PRIOR to inclusion in the Final Program. This can be accomplished as soon as notification is received by the author/s. Last day for Advance Registration is October 16, 2010. Full Manuscript are required to submit by October 16, 2010 otherwise authors will not be allowed to present paper during annual meeting.

4. Once accepted, no changes in the type of presentation will be allowed. Abstracts may be withdrawn by sending a written withdrawal to the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology. However, withdrawn abstracts may still appear in the Final Program.

5. First authors in the free paper/poster/video presentations are required to submit printed and digital copies of their manuscripts to the congress Secretariat on or before the last day of the meeting on November 20, 2010. Manuscripts will become the property of the PAO and will be considered for publication in the Philippine Journal of Ophthalmology (PJO). For guidelines on manuscript preparation, please see the PJO Instructions to Authors. Download PJO Instructions to Authors here

The Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology reserves copyright on all materials presented during this meeting. Material that has already been published or submitted for publication elsewhere will not be accepted.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:

1. Abstracts must be in English.

2. Abstracts will be reproduced exactly as submitted. Edit your abstract to avoid errors and misspellings. Your abstract may be rejected for publication if it is not comprehensible.

3. Please check the appropriate boxes on the side and fill in all blanks at the bottom. Ensure that the abstract form is completely filled out before submission.

4. Title : CAPITALIZE the entire title within the area provided. It should be informative, concise, meaningful, as brief as possible and no longer than 135 characters.

5. Author/s : Give the full name of every author, including degrees, but omit titles or institutional appointments. Presenting author's name should be mentioned first.

6. Institution/s : Indicate the name and address of the institution/s where the research work was carried out.

7. Text : Abstracts should contain adequate and pertinent information describing the contents of the scientific paper. The text must not exceed 300 words and should be arranged in the following format:

Objective
Methods
Results
Conclusions

8. Abbreviations, acronyms and symbols should be defined the first time they are used. Place the abbreviation in parentheses after the full word.

9. Use generic names of drugs.

10. Proprietary and/or financial interests in any products (or competing products) described in the abstract must be disclosed.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO PRESENTERS:

Free Papers:
Each presentation will last 6 minutes followed by a 2-minute discussion.

Posters:
Posters should have the following maximum dimensions: Height = 4 feet (122 cm.); Width = 3 feet (91.5 cm). Minimum letter size should be 3/8 inch (1 cm) in height and should be readable from a distance of 3 feet (1 meter).

ABSTRACT SAMPLES

Case Reports/Series:

TREATMENT OF OCULAR TOXOPLASMOSIS IN PREGNANCY

Leila I. Kump, MD, Ian Paredes, MD, C. Stephen Foster, MD
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School,
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Objective: To describe the course of ocular toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.

Methods: This is a retrospective, non-comparative case series of four pregnant women who were treated for ocular toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.

Results: All of the participants had violent and treatment-resistant toxoplasma retinochoroiditis during pregnancy, leaving three of them with decreased visual acuity in spite of aggressive therapy. Termination of pregnancy appeared to help in the recovery in two patients.

Conclusion: Pregnant state may provoke the recurrence of ocular toxoplasmosis.

Submissions other than Case Reports/Series

CORRELATION OF CENTRAL CORNEAL THICKNESS AND GOLDMANN APPLANATION TONOMETRY AMONG FILIPINOS

Ma. Margarita L. Lat-Luna, MD, Paul I Guerrero, MD, John Vincent Policarpio D. Flores, MD, MS Epi

University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines

Objective: This study aims to determine the distribution of central corneal thickness (CCT) among Filipinos and to correlate CCT with intraocular pressure (IOP).

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed. Filipino patients consulting at the Ophthalmology General Clinic of the Philippine General Hospital were examined for CCT using an ultrasonic pachymeter and IOP using a Goldmann applanation tonometer.

Results: Two hundred twenty two eyes of 112 patients were included in the study. CCT ranged from 451.0 microns to 653.6 microns with a mean of 531.5 microns +/- 33.8 microns. There was a significant linear correlation between CCT and IOP (r=0.63). The IOP was noted to rise by 4.3 mmHg/100 microns CCT.

Conclusion: The findings of the study show that the CCT among Filipinos is normally distributed and is comparable to the distribution obtained by meta-analysis of worldwide data. The study also found a direct correlation between CCT and IOP.

Title / Author / Institution format (if 2 or more institutions are involved):

THE IMPLICATION OF RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS IN GLAUCOMA ON CLINICAL PRACTICE: WHAT DOES THE EVIDENCE TELL US?

Patricia M. Khu MD, MS (1,3), Joseph Anthony J. Tumbocon, MD (2,3), Jose Ma. G. Martinez, MD (4), Jesus Altuna, MD (4)

(1) Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines

(2) Institute of Ophthalmology, St. Luke's Medical Center, Quezon City
Philippines

(3) Department of Ophthalmology, Cardinal Santos Medical Center
San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines

(4) Department of Ophthalmology, East Avenue Medical Center, Quezon City, Philippines

24th PAO Residents´ Research Paper Contest (RRPC)

Deadline for Submission of Abstracts (for Basic, Clinical & Technical Categories):	September 25, 2010 12:00 MN PAO website (www.paoannualmeeting.com)

Deadline for Submission of Final Manuscripts:	October 16, 2010 12:00 NN PAO Secretariat, Makati City

Residents´ Research Paper Contest Proper:	November 17, 2010 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Function Room 1, SMX Convention Center Pasay City, Metro Manila

MANUSCRIPT AND ABSTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Eight (8) copies of the manuscript plus one (1) CD or DVD of the full manuscript (with minimum of 6 keywords) should be submitted. Four (4) copies should bear the names of the authors and institutions; four (4) copies should NOT bear the names of the authors & institutions. Six (6) copies of the abstract should be submitted. Three (3) copies of the Abstract should bear the names of authors and institutions. Three (3) copies of the Abstract should NOT bear the names of authors institutions. Signed Copyright Transfer to the Philippine Journal of Ophthalmology (PJO) should be provided, otherwise advised through writing.

A hard copy and CD or DVD will be submitted to the Philippine Journal of Ophthalmology for possible submission for publication. These may be returned for revision. The PJO will also screen the papers for possible publication after the contest has concluded. If the paper is chosen for publication, the author will be notified.

As before, for technical papers describing a technique or procedure, a 5-minute video presentation of the technique will be allowed. NO text must appear during the video. Laptop or DVD/other digital players may be used. Please bring your own equipment. Please disseminate all these information to all those concerned.

General Guidelines

This contest is open to all bonafide residents-in-training of any ophthalmology residency training program duly accredited by the Philippine Board of Ophthalmology. The research paper must have been done during the author&s residency in Ophthalmology. The senior (presenting) author must be a resident at the time of presentation, or a recent graduate (not more than 12 months after completion of residency). Papers done by post-residency fellows-in-training, when done as part of the fellowship are not acceptable.

In the interest of time we will NOT have the PAO Idol (video) Contest this year.
The sequence of the contest will be as follows:

Basic Paper Presentations
Clinical Paper Presentations
Technical Posters will be judged as the Basic and Clinical presentations are on going
(Announcement of winners of the Residents Research Paper Contest will be made during the opening ceremonies)

RESEARCH CONTEST CATEGORIES

Basic Paper Category: (to be presented and judged on November 17, 2010)

A research paper will be categorized as basic if one or both criteria are fulfilled:

The researcher does not utilize live patients in his study. Researches using animal studies, or experiments performed in a laboratory, or cadaver studies will be classified as basic, OR
The subject matter of the research paper deals with the basic medical sciences, such as Anatomy, Histology, Biochemistry and Physiology.
*Top 5 to 10 Basic papers will be presented during the contest paper.

Clinical Paper Category: (to be presented and judged on November 17, 2010)

A research paper will be categorized as clinical if one or both criteria are fulfilled:

The researcher uses patients or normal subjects in a clinical setting, OR
The subject matter of the research paper deals with diagnostic criteria or therapeutic modalities. *Top 5 to 10 clinical papers will be presented orally during the contest proper.

Technical/Poster Category: (to be posted and judged on November 17, 2010)

A research paper will be categorized as technical if one or both criteria are fulfilled:

The research describes a new surgical technique, or variations of the standard surgical technique, OR
The researcher introduces new instruments or new applications of traditional instruments.
*All technical papers will be accepted for poster presentation.

SCREENING

The Chairman of the Research Committee will head the screening committee and shall appoint the members of the screening committee. The screening committee reviews all submitted papers and categorizes them. Only papers submitted on or before the deadline (October 16, 2010, 12:00 NN, Saturday) shall be accepted. All papers should satisfy the criteria for acceptance as determined by the screening committee.

All papers must be classified as either: Basic, Clinical, or Technical by their respective authors based on the above criteria. However, the screening committee reserves the right to re-categorize them, based on its contents or abstract. Papers difficult to categorize shall be passed on to the Board of Judges for categorization. The Board of Judges reserves the right to overturn the screening committee&s decision on a paper&s categorization, but cannot recommend acceptance of a previously rejected paper.

BOARD OF JUDGES

The Chairman of the Residents Research Paper Contest will appoint 3 Board of Judges for each category -- Basic, Clinical, and Technical Categories. The Board of Judges will be composed of one Head Judge and two members for each category. The Head Judges should be ophthalmologists with a background in research or academics or evidence based medicine. Members may or may not be ophthalmologists, but should be "scientists" with a background in research or academics.

The accepted papers will be graded by the Board of Judges based on the criteria given below. Approximately 5 to 10 papers in the Basic and Clinical categories shall be chosen for oral presentation during the Research Paper Contest proper. If only 5 entries are submitted in a category then all will be presented. However, if there are more than 10 entries, the board of judges shall have to meet and choose only the top 5 to 10 papers for presentation. The board of judges reserves the right to increase the number of papers for presentation, if the board feels that more than 10 papers deserve to be presented.

Please note that all research paper entries will be required to submit hard copies and a digital copy (CD/DVD) of the manuscript for submission to the PJO for consideration for publication. Please use PJO manuscript guidelines. (Pls. check PJO website for more details.)

GRADING AND AWARDING SYSTEM

The general criteria for judging as follows:

Written Report (85%)
1. Literature Review10%
2. Significance and Relevance10%
3. Statement of Objectives10%
4. Methodology: Subjects and Design15%
5. Presentation of Results (tables,graphs,figures,etc)10%
6. Statistical Analysis10%
7. Discussion/Interpretation of Data15%
8. Conclusion and Recommendations5%
Oral/Poster Presentation (15%)
1. Delivery5%
2. Slides & Video / Poster5%
3. Question and Answer5%

The Board of Judges shall grade the written report prior to the actual presentation (85%). Oral presentation shall also be judged, including questions and answers (15%). The winning papers will be those that have garnered the highest number of points.

Three awards will be given for the Basic, Clinical and Technical Papers. The first placers will have their names & institutions engraved on the PAO-Novartis Cup and which will be kept at the institution for 1 year. The PAO-Novartis Cup will be passed on to the winners of the succeeding year/s.

The decision of the Board of Judges is final.

GUIDELINES FOR RRPC ORAL PRESENTATION

The time limit for all entries to the Residents Research Paper Contest is eight (8) minutes, with four (4) minutes for question and answer portion (Q&A). Names of Authors and Institutions must not appear in the LCD, slide, or video presentations.

Facilities for single LCD projection will be available. Preferably, your presentation should be loaded in the PAO laptop before the start of the contest. Personal laptops or notebook computers may be used although not encouraged as this may cause delays. For personal laptops, presenters will hook up their laptops to the LCD during the Q&A session of the previous presenter so as to minimize delays.

Participants must be present 1 hour prior to the start of the program to load their presentations or test their equipment hook ups.

GUIDELINES FOR RRPC POSTER PRESENTATION

Preparing Posters

The poster should include the following basic data:
The poster Board must be four (4) ft high and three (3) ft wide. The board must be of light material (e.g. illustration board). Do not use heavy boards as this may be difficult to mount on the space that will be provided.
Heading. Reserve the topmost part of the poster for the heading which should include abstract, title, name/s of author/s and institution/s. Letter size should not be less than one (1) inch high.
Text. Letter size should be at least 3/8 inch high, and readable from a distance of three (3) feet.
Figures. Charts, drawings, figures and illustrations must be kept simple.

Poster Display

Acceptance letter will provide additional information on the schedule and display of poster presentation/s.

The First Author must be present in front of the poster 30 minutes before his/her scheduled time and be ready to answer questions and discuss about the paper.

Names of the Author/s and Institution/s must be EXCLUDED in the poster. They may be placed on the poster only after the presentation and judging is concluded. Text should not contain any reference to the Institution where the study was done.

Posters must be in place at the venue by 8:00 am of Wednesday, November 17, 2010 and must remain on display until 12:00 noon of Saturday, November 20, 2010. The Organizers are not responsible for poster materials left at the end of the Meeting. Please mount your posters using double-sided adhesive tape. Supplies for mounting, such as scissors and adhesive tape, will not be provided by the Organizers. Pins, Velcro, or spray adhesive must not be applied on the poster boards or presenters will be charged for damages caused.

A video presentation of the technique up to a maximum of five (5) minutes will be allowed. However, NO text must appear during the video. The use of laptops, notebook computers or videos to enhance the poster presentation is allowed, but must be supplied by the presenter. Written requests for the required electrical hook-up must be submitted to the PAO Secretariat. The presenter will be charged for any additional expenses incurred.

Online Abstract Submission