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Objectives To evaluate Utah community pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes toward recommendation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, to determine whether the knowledge and attitude of pharmacists regarding the HPV vaccine influence their recommendation behaviors, and to capture any self-identified barriers to recommending the HPV vaccine. Design A cross-sectional anonymous 73-item survey was developed and administered to community, outpatient, and ambulatory care pharmacists. Setting Utah. Participants Utah community pharmacists. Main outcome measures Recommendation of the HPV vaccine by the pharmacist, knowledge and attitude of pharmacists regarding HPV vaccine, and barriers to vaccine receipt. Results The mean HPV vaccine knowledge score was 7.45 ± 2.15 (out of 13), and scores were higher when pharmacists had 4 to 6 technicians per day in the pharmacy and when they were residency trained. The mean attitude score was 24.26 ± 3.16 (out of 30). Positive attitudes were found if they had more than 1 pharmacist and 4 to 6 pharmacy technicians working at any given time in the pharmacy. Those who identified with "other Christianity" had a more positive attitude than Latter Day Saints. Although positive attitude toward the HPV vaccine was a predictor for recommending the vaccine to both boys and girls, higher knowledge was a significant predictor only in recommending the HPV vaccine for boys. Female pharmacists were more likely to recommend the HPV vaccine. The top 3 reported barriers included lack of parental knowledge, parental concerns and opposition, and lack of educational materials to provide parents. Conclusion Although the majority of respondents perceived HPV vaccination as useful for preventing certain types of cancer, and more than one-half of respondents reported being comfortable in recommending the vaccine, only one-third actually recommended the vaccine for girls and for boys. The results indicate the need for improving knowledge about the HPV vaccine for pharmacists, patients, and parents.

Purpose To correlate the area of geographic atrophy (GA) and residual foveal sparing (FS), and to identify the minimum FS and maximum GA area allowing sufficient visual acuity (VA) for daily tasks. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Thirty-six eyes of 25 patients with GA and FS were followed for 18 months using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and VA tests. Volume scans were imported into software enabling grading of areas in B-scans and computing of planimetric measurements in complete volume scans. Correlation of areas 1 (complete atrophy), 2 (FS in the central millimeter), and 3 (FS in the central 3 mm) with each other and with best-corrected VA (BCVA) were evaluated. Results Baseline means of areas 1, 2, and 3 were 6.15 mm 2 , 0.49 mm 2 , and 3.08 mm 2 , respectively. At 1 year, area 1 increased by a mean of 1.33 mm 2 , while areas 2 and 3 were decreased by 0.12 mm 2 and 0.65 mm 2 , respectively. From baseline to 18 months and from visit to visit, all areas and BCVA changed progressively ( P 2 ; area 2: ≥0.48 mm 2 ; and area 3: ≥3.28 mm 2 ). Conclusion GA and FS changed inversely over time. In general, FS highly correlated with BCVA, while GA progression correlated with the central 3-mm FS regression, but not with BCVA. A threshold in GA and FS area could be determined for BCVA necessary for daily activity.

Purpose To evaluate early changes in retinal layers using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with long‐standing type 1 diabetes (DM1) receiving intensified insulin therapy. Methods In a cross‐sectional case–control study 150 patients with DM1 and 150 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy control participants underwent OCT imaging. Scans of both eyes were analysed for different layers (NFL, GCL (+IPL), INL, outer layer complex (OLC, including OPL, ONL and ELM) and photoreceptors (PR)) in all subfields of an ETDRS grid. All analyses were performed semi‐automatically using custom software by certified graders of the Vienna Reading Center. ANOVA models were used to compare the mean thickness of the layers between patients and controls. Results Six hundred eyes with 512 datapoints in 49 b‐scans in each OCT were analysed. Mean thickness in patients/controls was 31.35 μm/30.65 μm (NFL, p = 0.0347), 76.7 μm/73.15 μm (GCL, p ≤ 0.0001), 36.29 μm/37.13 μm (INL, p = 0.0116), 114.34 μm/112.02 μm (OLC, p

Purpose We quantify volumetric changes of subretinal hyperreflective material (SHRM) and determine the conversion toward subretinal fibrosis, the angiofibrotic switch, under anti-VEGF therapy using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). Methods A total of 50 eyes of 50 patients with treatment-naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were included in this prospective observational study: 26 diagnosed with type 1 choroidal neovascularization (CNV), seven with type 2 CNV, 11 with mixed type CNV, three with a retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) lesion and three with a polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Patients were imaged at baseline and at the end of the loading phase (after treatment with three intravitreal anti-VEGF injections) using a PS-OCT system with a scanning angle of 30° × 30° and a scan pattern of 1024 × 250 A-scans. The device is capable of detecting fibrosis based on birefringence and the RPE based on depolarization. The volume of SHRM was quantified by manual delineation in each PS-OCT B-scan and interpolation between B-scans using proprietary reading center certified software. The occurrence of fibrosis detected by PS-OCT was compared to the clinical presentation of subretinal fibrosis. Results Of 50 eyes, 28 had SHRM at baseline. Seven of these eyes had subretinal fibrosis within 3 months, six of which could be detected unambiguously based on PS-OCT imaging. SHRM thickness and volume at month 3 (P = 0.001 and P = 0.02) were significantly larger and the reduction of SHRM thickness and volume (P = 0.002 and P = 0.027) in response to therapy were significantly less pronounced in eyes with fibrosis. Conclusions SHRM volume decreases significantly under anti-VEGF therapy. However, lesions unresponsive to therapy may progress to fibrosis as early as 3 months. Reduction in SHRM thickness may be a prognostic marker for treatment response.

Aims To quantify the change in drusen volume over time and identify its prognostic value for individual risk assessment. Methods A prospective observational study over a minimum of 3 years and maximum of 5 years and follow-up examination every 3 months was conducted at the ophthalmology department of the Medical University of Vienna. 109 patients presenting early and intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were included, of which 30 patients concluded a regular follow-up for at least 3 years. 50 eyes of 30 patients were imaged every 3 months using spectral-domain and polarisation-sensitive optical coherence tomography (OCT). Drusen volume was measured using an automated algorithm. Data of a 6-month follow-up were segmented manually by expert graders. Results Gradings from 24 000 individual B-scans showed solid correlation between manual and automated segmentation with an initial mean drusen volume of 0.17 mm 3 . The increase in drusen volume was shown to be comparable among all eyes, and a model for long-term drusen volume development could be fitted as a cubic polynomial function and an R 2 =0.955. Spontaneous drusen regression was observed in 22 of 50 eyes. In this group, four eyes developed choroidal neovascularisation and three geographic atrophy. Conclusions Drusen volume increase over time can be described by a cubic function. Spontaneous regression appears to precede conversion to advanced AMD. OCT might be a promising tool for predicting the individual risk of progression of AMD.

The primary objective of this study was to identify community pharmacy technicians who might be selected for engagement in advanced clinical support tasks and emerging roles. The secondary objective was to determine the demographic and work characteristics of these technicians who can be engaged in advanced roles.Using data from a survey of pharmacy technicians, a 2-step cluster analysis was performed with current involvement, self-efficacy, and attitude toward advanced clinical support tasks as the variables. Comparisons of the clusters were based on demographic and work-related variables (e.g., employment status, practice setting, job rank, sex, age, organization and professional commitment). Multiple regression analyses were used to identify the association between the technician's desired involvement in advanced tasks and their cluster, demographic, and work characteristics.The study included a random sample of pharmacy technicians surveyed across the United States who practiced in the community pharmacy setting.Not applicable.One hundred and twenty-eight pharmacy technicians formed 4 clusters. Overall, respondents were mostly female, a mean age of 36 years, working in large pharmacy organizations including chain, discount, mass merchandiser, and grocery store pharmacy, and with an average of 7 years' experience working as a technician. Self-efficacy, attitude, and current and desired involvement in clinical support tasks were significantly different (P0.001) among the 4 clusters. Twenty-one percent were stratified as "most ideal" technicians prepared to engage in advanced clinical support tasks and emerging roles. These technicians were the oldest in age and had the highest patient care score, and most were highly committed to remaining a technician.This study provides a method to use community pharmacy technicians' current capacity and potential to select those who can perform emerging roles and advanced clinical support tasks. The analysis identified those who might be selected first by organizations for taking up emerging roles, particularly more clinically oriented tasks. Pharmacy organizations can apply these results to workflow design and potentially to human resources management activities.

Comparison of optical coherence tomography (OCT) segmentation performance regarding technical accuracy and clinical relevance.29 eyes were imaged prospectively with Spectralis (Sp), Cirrus (Ci), 3D-OCT 2000 (3D) and RS-3000 (RS) OCTs. Raw data were evaluated in validated custom software. A 1 mm diameter subfield, centred on the fovea, was investigated to compare identical regions for each case. Segmentation errors were corrected on each B-scan enclosed in this subfield. Proportions of wrongly segmented A-scans were noted for inner and outer retinal boundaries. Centre point thickness (CPT) and central macular thickness (CMT) were compared before and after correction.Segmentation errors occurred in 77% and affected on average 29% of A-scans, resulting in mean differences of 24/13 µm (CPT/CMT). The incidence of segmentation errors was 48% (Sp), 79% (Ci), 86% (3D) and 93% (RS), p0.001. Mean proportions of A-scans with wrong outer retinal boundary were 30% (Sp), 9% (Ci), 23% (3D) and 10% (RS), p=0.006; proportions for the inner retinal boundary were 11% (Sp), 12% (Ci), 6% (3D) and 21% (RS), p=0.034. Mean deviations in CPT/CMT were 41/28 µm (Sp), 17/11 µm (Ci), 30/13 µm (3D) and 18/8 µm (RS), p=0.409/0.477.By comparison of identical regions, substantial differences were detected between the tested OCT devices regarding technical accuracy and clinical impact. Spectralis showed lowest error incidence but highest error impact.

Purpose: To describe and follow cotton wool spots (CWS) in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) using multimodal imaging. Methods: In this prospective cohort study including 24 patients with new-onset BRVO, CWS were described and analyzed in color fundus photography (CF), spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), infrared (IR) and fluorescein angiography (FA) every 3 months for 3 years. The CWS area on SD-OCT and CF was evaluated using OCT-Tool-Kit software: CWS were marked in each single OCT B-scan and the software calculated the area by interpolation. Results: 29 central CWS lesions were found. 100% of these CWS were visible on SD-OCT, 100% on FA and 86.2% on IR imaging, but only 65.5% on CF imaging. CWS were visible for 12.4 ± 7.5 months on SD-OCT, for 4.4 ± 3 months and 4.3 ± 3.4 months on CF and on IR, respectively, and for 17.5 ± 7.1 months on FA. The evaluated CWS area on SD-OCT was larger than on CF (0.26 ± 0.17 mm2 vs. 0.13 ± 0.1 mm2, p < 0.0001). The CWS area on SD-OCT and surrounding pathology such as intraretinal cysts, avascular zones and intraretinal hemorrhage were predictive for how long CWS remained visible (r2 = 0.497, p < 0.002). Conclusions: The lifetime and presentation of CWS in BRVO seem comparable to other diseases. SD-OCT shows a higher sensitivity for detecting CWS compared to CF. The duration of visibility of CWS varies among different image modalities and depends on the surrounding pathology and the CWS size.

Vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) represents a prognostic biomarker in the management of exudative macular disease using anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. However, manual evaluation of VMA in 3D optical coherence tomography (OCT) is laborious and data on its impact on therapy of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) are limited. The aim of this study was to (1) develop a fully automated segmentation algorithm for the posterior vitreous boundary and (2) to study the effect of VMA on anti-VEGF therapy for RVO. A combined machine learning/graph cut segmentation algorithm for the posterior vitreous boundary was designed and evaluated. 391 patients with central/branch RVO under standardized ranibizumab treatment for 6/12 months were included in a systematic post-hoc analysis. VMA (70%) was automatically differentiated from non-VMA (30%) using the developed method combined with unsupervised clustering. In this proof-of-principle study, eyes with VMA showed larger BCVA gains than non-VMA eyes (BRVO: 15 ± 12 vs. 11 ± 11 letters, p = 0.02; CRVO: 18 ± 14 vs. 9 ± 13 letters, p

This study has been designed to describe the functional impact of distinct pathologies within the retinal layers in patients with geographic atrophy (GA) by means of a point-to-point correlation between optical coherence tomography (OCT) and microperimetry.Retinal morphology and function of 23 patients suffering from GA of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) have been investigated using the Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering) and the MP1 microperimeter (Nidek Technologies). The point-to-point overlay of morphology and function has been done using proprietary software, allowing OCT image grading to define distinct alterations of the neurosensory retina, the RPE and the choroid. By overlaying the retinal sensitivity map on the OCT data set, retinal layer alterations could be evaluated regarding their impact on visual function.A total of 1005 stimulation points in the lesion area in 2107 spectral domain OCT B-scans were graded in 43 eyes of 23 patients (mean best corrected visual acuity=20/70). Retinal sensitivity decreases with an increasing number of morphological alterations graded (p10(-13)). Alterations of the RPE and the external limiting membrane (p0.02) were associated with absolute scotomas. Furthermore, the loss of the external limiting membrane as the largest area of morphological alteration among our patients with GA (mean area=5.65 mm(2)), had a significant impact (p10(-4)) on sensitivity (-1.3 dB).Mapping retinal sensitivity to distinct retinal pathologies revealed outer retinal layers, in addition to the RPE, as significant for sensitivity loss. Therefore in GA the RPE loss and the alteration of outer retinal layers should be analysed, which could also provide insight into lesion progression.

Considerable research has investigated the deleterious effects of teachers responding aggressively to students who misbehave, but the mechanism underlying this dysfunctional behaviour remains unknown.This study investigated whether the mechanism underlying teacher aggression follows IA total of 249 Australian teachers participated in this study, including 142 primary school teachers (Mdn [age] = 35-39 years; Mdn [years teaching] = 10-14 years; 84% female) and 107 secondary school teachers (Mdn [age] = 45-49 years; Mdn [years teaching] = 15-19 years; 65% female).Participants completed four online self-report questionnaires, which assessed caregiving responsiveness, trait self-control, misbehaviour provocation, and teacher aggression.Analyses revealed that the GAM most accurately captures the mechanism underlying teacher aggression, with lower caregiving responsiveness appearing to indirectly lead to teacher aggression via higher misbehaviour provocation and lower trait self-control in serial, controlling for gender, age, years teaching, and current role (primary, secondary).This study indicates that teacher aggression proceeds from 'the person in the situation'. Specifically, lower caregiving responsiveness appears to negatively shape a teacher's affective, cognitive, and arousal states, which influence how they perceive and interpret student misbehaviour. These internal states, in turn, appear to negatively influence appraisal and decision processes, leading to immediate appraisal and impulsive actions. These results raise the possibility that teacher aggression is a form of countertransference.

Purpose To evaluate spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in providing reliable and reproducible parameters for grading geographic atrophy (GA) compared with fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images acquired by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO). Design Prospective observational study. Participants A total of 81 eyes of 42 patients with GA. Methods Patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were enrolled on the basis of total GA lesion size ranging from 0.5 to 7 disc areas and best-corrected visual acuity of at least 20/200. A novel combined cSLO-SD-OCT system (Spectralis HRA-OCT, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) was used to grade foveal involvement and to manually measure disease extent at the level of the outer neurosensory layers and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) at the site of GA lesions. Two readers of the Vienna Reading Center graded all obtained volume stacks (20×20 degrees), and the results were correlated to FAF. Main Outcome Measures Choroidal signal enhancements and alterations of the RPE, external limiting membrane (ELM), and outer plexiform layer by SD-OCT. These parameters were compared with the lesion measured with severely decreased FAF. Results Foveal involvement or sparing was definitely identified in 75 of 81 eyes based on SD-OCT by both graders (inter-grader agreement: κ= 0.6, P κ= 0.3, P 2 for grader 1 (G1) and 9.54 mm 2 for grader 2 (G2), consistent with the mean SD-OCT quantification of the sub-RPE choroidal signal enhancement (8.9 mm 2 [G1] −9.4 mm 2 [G2]) and ELM loss with 8.7 mm 2 (G1) −10.2 mm 2 (G2). In contrast, complete morphologic absence of the RPE layer by SD-OCT was significantly smaller than the GA size in FAF (R 2 =0.400). Inter-reader agreement was highest regarding complete choroidal signal enhancement (0.98) and ELM loss (0.98). Conclusions Absence of FAF in GA lesions is consistent with morphologic RPE loss or advanced RPE disruption and is associated with alterations of the outer retinal layers as identified by SD-OCT. Lesion size is precisely determinable by SD-OCT, and foveal involvement is more accurate by SD-OCT than by FAF. Financial Disclosure(s) Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Purpose To determine the distribution of leakage on fluorescein angiography (FA) and explore the clinically protective role of astrocytes against damage to the inner blood retinal barrier (iBRB) in diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods A consecutive case series of 87 eyes of 87 patients with DME was included. We measured the leakage area in each field of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grid on late-phase FA images. The normative thickness of the nerve fiber layer (NFL), in which the astrocytes are confined, was derived from a previous work using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. We explored the difference in leakage areas in every two fields. Moreover, we investigated the correlation between the mean of the leakage area and the mean of thickness of the NFL in each ETDRS field. Results The leakage areas in the nasal, inferior, superior, and temporal fields were 2.34 mm2, 2.84 mm2, 3.03 mm2, and 3.96 mm2. The difference in leakage area between each two fields was significant in all cases (P < 0.05) except between the inferior and superior fields (P = 0.65). The temporal field was the only field that showed leakage in all 87 cases. The correlation between the leakage area and the thickness of the NFL in the ETDRS fields was negative and highly significant: r = -0.96 (95% confidence interval -0.99 to -0.02). Conclusion The distribution of leakage correlates inversely and statistically significantly with the thickness of the NFL, suggesting astrocytes in the NFL play a pivotal role in preventing damage to the iBRB and subsequent evolution of microaneurysms in DME. Moreover, fluid extravasation due to damage to the iBRB is expressed earlier in the temporal than in the other three fields.

Purpose To develop a data-driven interpretable predictive model of incoming drusen regression as a sign of disease activity and identify optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers associated with its risk in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods Patients with AMD were observed every 3 months, using Spectralis OCT imaging, for a minimum duration of 12 months and up to a period of 60 months. Segmentation of drusen and the overlying layers was obtained using a graph-theoretic method, and the hyperreflective foci were segmented using a voxel classification method. Automated image analysis steps were then applied to identify and characterize individual drusen at baseline, and their development was monitored at every follow-up visit. Finally, a machine learning method based on a sparse Cox proportional hazard regression was developed to estimate a risk score and predict the incoming regression of individual drusen. Results The predictive model was trained and evaluated on a longitudinal dataset of 61 eyes from 38 patients using cross-validation. The mean follow-up time was 37.8 ± 13.8 months. A total of 944 drusen were identified at baseline, out of which 249 (26%) regressed during follow-up. The prediction performance was evaluated as area under the curve (AUC) for different time periods. Prediction within the first 2 years achieved an AUC of 0.75. Conclusions The predictive model proposed in this study represents a promising step toward image-guided prediction of AMD progression. Machine learning is expected to accelerate and contribute to the development of new therapeutics that delay the progression of AMD.

The purpose of this study was to classify and detect intraretinal hemorrhage (IRH) in spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).Initially the presentation of IRH in BRVO-patients in SD-OCT was described by one reader comparing color-fundus (CF) and SD-OCT using dedicated software. Based on these established characteristics, the presence and the severity of IRH in SD-OCT and CF were assessed by two other masked readers and the inter-device and the inter-observer agreement were evaluated. Further the area of IRH was compared.About 895 single B-scans of 24 eyes were analyzed. About 61% of SD-OCT scans and 46% of the CF-images were graded for the presence of IRH (concordance: 73%, inter-device agreement: k = 0.5). However, subdivided into previously established severity levels of dense (CF: 21.3% versus SD-OCT: 34.7%, k = 0.2), flame-like (CF: 15.5% versus SD-OCT: 45.5%, k = 0.3), and dot-like (CF: 32% versus SD-OCT: 24.4%, k = 0.2) IRH, the inter-device agreement was weak. The inter-observer agreement was strong with k = 0.9 for SD-OCT and k = 0.8 for CF. The mean area of IRH detected on SD-OCT was significantly greater than on CF (SD-OCT: 11.5 ± 4.3 mm(2) versus CF: 8.1 ± 5.5 mm(2), p = 0.008).IRH seems to be detectable on SD-OCT; however, the previously established severity grading agreed weakly with that assessed by CF.

There is a substantial incidence of graft failure in patients with thalassemia after myeloablative conditioning regimens especially in class 3 patients in whom its incidence could be as high as 8-38.5%. Most patients with graft failure have recurrence of thalassemic marrow. Historically, results of second transplants for thalassemia were poor because of a high rejection rate and/or increased TRM. Sixteen patients with thalassemia recurrence following rejection of the first graft and with a median age of 9 years (range, 4-20) were given second transplants using BM (n = 7) or PBSC (n = 9) after preparation with a new treatment protocol. All but two patients received stem cells from the same donor. The median interval between two transplants was 28 months (range, 8-204). The sustained engraftment rate was high (94%) with only one patient having primary graft failure. The probability of overall survival, event-free survival, TRM and graft failure were 79, 79, 16 and 6%, respectively. There were three transplant-related deaths. Thirteen patients are alive with Lansky/Karnofsky score of 100. This intensified treatment protocol was well tolerated with no significant increase in toxicity. The excellent results obtained with this new preparative regimen allow us to recommend it for second transplantation for patients with thalassemia recurrence.

Eleven patients with relapsed intermediate to high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) responding to induction treatment were treated with high-dose chemotherapy (CBV or ICBV conditioning regimen) plus autologous bone marrow transplantation as early consolidation treatment. At 6 years, relapse-free survival is 27.3% and overall survival is 36.4%. Patients with bone marrow involvement from NHL before the induction therapy did not have a worse prognosis. Despite the long-term follow-up, no secondary myelodysplasia or acute leukemia occurred in our patients. Within the limitations of patient number and selection, our retrospective study confirms the importance of tumor responsiveness and long-term follow-up. Patients with relapsed, but chemotherapy-sensitive NHL can achieve prolonged survival after high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous bone marrow transplantation.

Purpose To evaluate morphological changes due to uveitis-associated cystoid macular oedema (uvCME) and their impact on central retinal sensitivity (CRS) before and after intravitreal triamcinolone-acetonide (IVTA). Methods 28 eyes with uvCME were examined with microperimetry and spectral-domain optical-coherencetomography (SD-OCT) before and after IVTA. Microperimetry-maps were superimposed on SD-OCT and morphological-alterations were correlated point to point with CRS and followed-up for 3 months. The effects of morphological-alterations on CRS over time were evaluated with a linear mixed-model. Results Mean-CRS increased significantly after IVTA (p=0.009). Proportion of cysts correlated negatively with corresponding CRS (estimate/95% CI −3.8dB/−6.6 to −0.9, p=0.011). Proportion of diffuse macular-oedema (DifME) had no significant effect on mean-CRS (−0.76dB/−4.9 to 3.3, p=0.71). The proportion of serous retinal detachment (SRD) had a borderline significant effect on mean-CRS (−9.5dB/−19.1 to 0.1, p=0.052), however the initial presence of SRD at baseline had no significant negative effect on mean-CRS (−1.3dB/−4.9 to 2.3, p=0.46). Patients with epiretinalmembrane showed lower mean-CRS than patients without (−3.3dB/−6.5 to −0.008, p=0.05). The lowest percentage of morphological-alterations was achieved 30 days post IVTA concordant to best visual-acuity (logMAR 0.16±0.26), while best mean-CRS was achieved 90 days post IVTA (16.9±1.8dB). Fixation-stability showed no significant improvement. Conclusions UvCME Morphological-alterations were associated with specific CRS-decreases. DifME showed no significant- and SRD only a borderline effect on mean-CRS, which implicates that their presence should be considered when interpreting SD-OCT and making treatment-decisions.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of fluid accumulation on local visual function in inflammatory cystoid-macular-edema (ICME). Methods: This cross-sectional study applied optical-coherence-tomography over a 12 × 12 fovea-centered field in 50 patients with ICME and mapped the extent of fluid-filled spaces in various retinal layers, of subretinal-fluid and of diffuse-edema. Regression analysis examined effect of planimetric fluid-distribution on best-corrected-visual-acuity (BCVA) and mean microperimetric-sensitivity. Results: BCVA decreased with increasing central-neuroretinal-thickness (r = 0.52, p = 0.001), total central-retinal-thickness, including subneuroretinal-fluid (r = 0.41, p = 0.006), total cystoid-and-diffuse edema-area (r = 0.35, p = 0.036) and cystoid inner-nuclear-layer area (r = 0.39, p = 0.02). Mean retinal-sensitivity decreased with increasing diffuse edema-area (r = −0.86, p

Purpose To compare choroidal thickness of different areas on swept-source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) line and cube scans for their interchangeable use. Design Validity analysis. Methods SSOCT line and cube scans were obtained from 21 patients with various choroidal thicknesses. Subfoveal center point choroidal thickness, mean central millimeter choroidal thickness, and mean 6-mm-area choroidal thicknesses were obtained from both eyes by 2 independent graders in a reading center setting. Cross-correlations were performed using Passing and Bablok regression models. A 95% confidence interval of slope that included 1 was considered to indicate no significant difference. Average choroidal thickness of center point, Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid subfields, and total grid area of 6 mm on both scans and the correlation between different areas served as main outcome measures. Results No significant difference between line scans/corresponding subfields of cube scans (outer nasal 0.92–1.11, inner nasal 0.88–1.06, central 0.94–1.11, inner temporal 0.95–1.12, outer temporal 0.93–1.17). No significant difference between subfoveal center point measurement/mean of choroidal thickness in the central millimeter of cube scans (0.89–1.08). Significant difference of subfoveal center point measurement or mean of central millimeter area of cube scans to entire 6-mm area of cube scans (1.01–1.53 and 1.03–1.38). Conclusions Measurements on a single SSOCT horizontal line scan can represent the entire choroid but subfoveal center point measurements are only indicative for the central millimeter area. There is a consistent overestimation of choroidal thickness when trying to estimate overall choroidal thickness from any central measurement.

Disease relapse after autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) may arise from residual tumor in the recipient and/or from cancer cells that are reinfused. The aim of purging by negative selection is to remove tumor cells from the marrow without adversely affecting the engraftment potential of the normal cell. We report the results of a study on fifty-six patients (pts) with non Hodgkin's lymphoma or acute leukemia submitted to ABMT after immunomagnetobead (1MB) purging (11 pts), Maphosphamide purging (31 pts) and no purging (14 pts). The 1MB procedure involved one incubation of 3 monoclonal antibodies (CD10, CD19 and CD22) and two incubations with magnetic beads (Dynabeads M-450). The median recovery of mononuclear cells and CFU-GM was 40% and 45% after IMB purging and 84% and 5% after Maphosphamide purging respectively. The rate of leukocyte, neutrophils and platelets recovery following ABMT was similar in the three groups of pts, although platelet recovery was slow in patients received graft purged with Maphosphamide. Our study confirms the clinical feasibility of the IMB procedure, but only randomized studies will be able to definitibely address the question of the clinical utility of purging.

Objectives To determine patients' willingness to receive and self-pay for medication therapy management (MTM) services and to examine factors that may influence willingness to pay. Methods A self-administered, anonymous survey was given to a convenience sample of patients at grocery store chain pharmacies in the Chicago metropolitan area. Results 683 patients completed the survey. The average price patients were willing to pay for MTM services was $17.57. The majority of patients felt that pharmacists should provide MTM services. No correlation was found between complexity of the medication regimen and willingness to pay. Presence of certain chronic conditions and insurance status appeared to have a correlation with willingness to pay. Conclusion Patients were interested in MTM services and recognize pharmacists as potential providers. Prices patients were willing to pay are similar to many prescription copay amounts.

Alpha-2a-interferon (IFN) has demonstrable activity in advance and refractory multiple myeloma (MM), because of the in vitro synergism between IFNs and cytotoxic agents we report the preliminary results of a therapeutic trial of 50 patients with MM. Twenty-eight patients were randomized to receive melphalan plus prednisone (MP) and 22 were randomized to receive IFN plus MP (IFN-MP). Criteria for response, progression and relapse were those of the Southwestern Oncology Group. 95% of the patients receiving IFN-MP responded to therapy as opposed to 68% of the patients receiving MP (P less than 0.05). Response was independent of M-component immunoglobulin class but in stage III it was higher in the IFN-MP group than in the MP group (P less than 0.05). The combination IFN-MP was well tolerated without unusual or unexpected toxic effects. The response duration time was longer in the IFN-MP group than in the MP group (P less than 0.025). The median survival was 80 weeks in the MP group and in the IFN-MP group the 93% of patients were still alive after 90 weeks (P less than 0.025). Our results show that the use of the IFN as an adjuvant to MP improves the percentage of responders, the response duration time and the median survival of untreated patients with MM.

PURPOSE To quantitatively analyze morphological features in eyes with neovascular AMD (nAMD) at baseline, after 12 months, and after 24 months of intravitreal ranibizumab treatment and to perform a structure/function correlation. METHODS Eyes with treatment-naive nAMD were treated with intravitreal ranibizumab according to a standardized dosing regimen over 2 years and followed continuously in a prospective study design. The central foveal area of 1000 μm (horizontal)×960 μm (vertical) of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) volume scans was evaluated quantitatively (using proprietary software) for the following pathologies: alteration of the external limiting membrane (ELM), alteration of the ellipsoid zone, subretinal fluid, pigment epithelium detachment, drusen, intraretinal cysts, subretinal mass, and subretinal pigment epithelium mass. The total area of each pathology was calculated in mm2 at baseline and after 1 and 2 years of ranibizumab therapy and correlated with BCVA results. RESULTS In total, 480 central SD-OCT scans of 20 consecutive patients were evaluated. In the multivariate regression analysis, the area of ELM alteration, the area of intraretinal cysts, and foveal retinal thickness were significant variables influencing visual acuity at baseline (R=-0.827; R2=0.684; P

Autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) often produces durable remission in patients with intermediate-high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We present a retrospective review of 32 eligible newly diagnosed patients with NHL treated with conventional induction chemotherapy followed by ABMT consolidation therapy. These patients were treated in our department between 1984-1994 and followed up for 5-172 months with a median time of 82 months. In our patients the status of disease at transplant was 30 complete remissions and 2 partial remissions. All patients received a CBV-like high-dose preparative regimen. At 136 months the probability of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall (OS) is 66% and 70% respectively. Seven patients died from the disease. There was one case of toxicity related death. Our aim was to achieve a status of minimal disease and then consolidate it with high-dose polychemotherapy regimen. This study confirms that a significant number of patients with aggressive responding NHL can achieve prolonged RFS and OS after ABMT. Our data document the importance of long-term follow-up in interpreting the results of ABMT in NHL.

The authors describe a case of multiple myeloma that developed several extraskeletal localizations. They evaluated the relation between the onset of the testicular tumor and the following myeloma characteristics: tumor burden, clinical phase, response to therapy and prognostic significance. The patient presented a rapid and dramatic clinical evolution of the disease with extensive spread also to the soft tissues of the abdominal wall. Chemotherapy did not achieve any effect and the patient died due to progression of the myeloma.

A retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of autologous blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT) in terms of haemopoietic reconstitution after ablative chemotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy. 55 patients with malignancies, observed in four Italian institutions from January 1987 to June 1991, were eligible for evaluation. This series included 19 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 11 multiple myeloma, nine ovarian cancer, seven Hodgkin's disease, seven non-lymphocytic leukaemia, one acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, one neuroblastoma. 522 PBSC collections were performed on 55 patients. Following ABSCT, the rate of engraftment was positively related to the dose of CFU-GM infused and negatively to the presence of bone marrow involvement at conditioning. 48 patients out of 55 transplanted (87%) had rapid, complete and sustained engraftment. Three patients (5%) died of transplant-related complications. Considering that 60% of the patients in this series were in partial remission or in progressive disease at the time of ABSCT, we conclude that ABSCT is a safe approach for the use of ablative conditioning therapy in patients with a wide scope of malignancies, provided that a large number of CFU-GM have been collected after mobilizing treatment.

In this report we describe the use of the immunomagnetic depletion of tumor cells from harvested bone marrow in two patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The immunomagnetic procedure of purging involved one incubation of the marrow cells with a mixture of 4 monoclonal antibodies which bind to antigens of CD10 (ALB2), CD19 (HD37), CD20 (B1) and CD22 (HD39). Two incubations with magnetic beads (Dynabeads M-450) covered with antimouse antibodies followed by magnetic separation were performed. The bead/target B cell ratio was 50:1. After purging the recovery of mononuclear cells was 56% and 40%, while the recovery of CFU-GM was 45% and 38% respectively. Both patients engrafted rapidly without serious complications. One patient relapsed 4 months after transplant, the other remains in complete remission after 5 months. Our results confirm that the use of immunomagnetic beads is a simple, safe and reproducible technique to remove tumor cells before ABMT in patients with B malignancies using a broad mixture of MoAbs. However only a randomized trial using autologous marrow purged or not will clarify the effective clinical value of the procedure.

A prospective study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of an empiric antibiotic treatment employing the combination of a beta-lactam and an aminoglycoside followed in non responders by vancomycin and amphotericin B after 48 and 96 hours respectively. We have evaluated 180 febrile episodes in 102 granulocytopenic leukemic patients. Febrile episodes (44%) were microbiologically documented; 29% were only clinically documented and 27% were possible. In the 180 evaluable episodes treated with a beta-lactam and an aminoglycoside the overall response rate was 61%. In non responders the addition of vancomycin increased the response rate to 83% and the subsequent addition of amphotericin B moved the total responders to 96%. Antibiotic related side effects were minimal. These data suggest the importance of an empiric strategy for treatment of bacterial infections arising in granulocytopenic patients. An early empiric antifungal therapy also appears necessary to control clinically undetected fungal invasion.

Five patients with high risk multiple myeloma not responsive to standard chemotherapy were treated by high-dose chemotherapy (Melphalan, Cyclophosphamide) (HDC) and total body irradiation (TBI) followed by autografting with blood stem cells. These cells were previously collected by leukaphereses from eight to twelve occasions during hematopoietic recovery following profound aplasia induced by each course of intensive chemotherapy (Vincristine, Adriamycin, Cyclosphosphamide, Prednisone) when the patient reached a neutrophil count of 1,000/microliters and a platelet count of 100,000/microliters. No patients had evidence of tumor plasmacells in leukaphereses products using cytology, immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence. At this time the patient 5 is not evaluable because of the short follow-up. One died at day 30 from heart failure. All living patients achieved a complete remission which persisted at a follow-up of 300, 261 and 136 days. Autologous blood derived hematopoietic stem cells induced successful and sustained engraftment in all living patients. Our results indicate the feasibility of this therapeutic approach over allogenic or autologous bone marrow transplantation in selected patients with high tumour mass multiple myeloma.

Aberrations of chromosome No. 1 were detected at the time of blastic crisis in 7 patients with Ph1-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Two patients had trisomy 1; trisomy for a long arm segment of chromosome No. 1 was present in 2 patients; trisomy for a short arm segment occurred in 2 patients; and one patient had an apparently balanced translocation affecting chromosome No. 1. All patients with extra material of chromosome No. 1 were trisomic for the region 1p22–1pter or 1q21–1qter. A survey of abnormalities of chromosome No. 1 in this series and in other patients with CML previously reported show, in all patients, a relative increase or decrease of genetic material of two specific regions: 1q32–1q42 and 1p36–1pter.