Search

PubMed: 31209238, The effectiveness of most cancer targeted therapies is short-lived. Tumors often develop resistance that might be overcome with drug combinations. However, the number of possible combinations is vast, necessitating data-driven approaches to find optimal patient-specific treatments. Here we report AstraZeneca’s large drug combination dataset, consisting of 11,576 experiments from 910 combinations across 85 molecularly characterized cancer cell lines, and results of a DREAM Challenge to evaluate computational strategies for predicting synergistic drug pairs and biomarkers. 160 teams participated to provide a comprehensive methodological development and benchmarking. Winning methods incorporate prior knowledge of drug-target interactions. Synergy is predicted with an accuracy matching biological replicates for >60% of combinations. However, 20% of drug combinations are poorly predicted by all methods. Genomic rationale for synergy predictions are identified, including ADAM17 inhibitor antagonism when combined with PIK3CB/D inhibition contrasting to synergy when combined with other PI3K-pathway inhibitors in PIK3CA mutant cells. © 2019, The Author(s)., National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Wellcome Trust, WT: 102696, 206194 Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA Bayer 668858 PrECISE AstraZeneca, We thank the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer and COSMIC teams at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute for help with the preparation of the molecular data, Denes Turei for help with Omnipath, and Katjusa Koler for help with matching drug names across combination screens. We thank AstraZeneca for funding and provision of data to the DREAM Consortium to run the challenge, and funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research (under grant agreement No 668858 PrECISE to J.S.R.), the Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine (which is partially funded by Bayer AG) to J.S.R., National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Sheffield Biomedical Research Center, Premium Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. M.G lab is supported by Wellcome Trust (102696 and 206194)., Competing interests: K.C.B., Z.G., G.Y.D., E.K.Y.T., S.F., and J.R.D. are AstraZeneca employees. K.C.B., Z.G., E.K.Y.T., S.F., and J.R.D. are AstraZeneca shareholders. Y.G. receives personal compensation from Eli Lilly and Company, is a shareholder of Cleerly, Inc., and Ann Arbor Algorithms, Inc. M.G. receives research funding from AstraZeneca and has performed consultancy for Sanofi. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

Goldberg-Shprintzen syndrome (GOSHS) is characterized by microcephaly, developmental delay, dysmorphic features, Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), and brain anomalies. The kinesin family binding protein (KIFBP; MIM 60937) gene has been identified as the responsible gene of the syndrome. To date, 16 different biallelic KIFBP mutations have been identified in 34 patients with GOSHS. Even though most of these mutations are nonsense and frameshift, 3 missense mutations have also been described. Here, we report an 18-month-old patient with microcephaly, developmental delay, dysmorphic features and HSCR. Exome analysis was performed to clarify the etiology of the clinical features. A previously unreported homozygous c.1723delC (p.H575Ifs*19) variant was detected in the last exon 7 of KIFBP which led to GOSHS. According to our findings, we suggest that this mutation expands mutational databases and contributes to the understanding of the phenotypic features of the syndrome.

Radical cystectomy and orthotopic neobladder are the most preferred surgical approaches for the treatment of invasive bladder cancer. Secondary tumour of ileum on neobladder is very rare. We report a 67-year man complaining of hematuria with the history of ileal neobladder for 19 years. An ileal adenocarcinoma of neobladder was detected with transurethral resection. He also had a non-functioning right kidney. A neobladderectomy. with right nephroureterectomy and ureterocutaneostomy was performed. An adenocarcinoma invading subserosal layer was reported. At six months postoperatively, patient was free of recurrence and progression. Seconder tumour of neobladder is a very rare condition. Early diagnosis and excision of neobladder may provide cure. Key Words: Bladder cancer, Urinary diversion, Cystectomy, Ileum, Adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of combined intrastromal voriconazole and intrastromal amphotericin B for the treatment of persistent fungal keratitis. Method: Patients who received combined corneal intrastromal voriconazole (0.05 mg/0.1 mL) and intrastromal liposomal amphotericin B (0.01 mg/0.1 mL) injections in addition to topical therapy for treatment of persistent fungal keratitis were included in the study. Persistence was described as no improvement or progression in the clinical findings despite treatment with combined topical voriconazole (1 mg/0.1 mL) and topical amphotericin B drops (0.15 mg/0.1 mL) hourly for at least 10 days. The healing of keratitis was considered as the complete closure of epithelial defect with complete resolution of a corneal infiltrate. Results: Thirty-two eyes of 32 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Predominant organisms in fungal isolates were Aspergillusspecies. Combination therapy of intrastromal amphotericin B and intrastromal voriconazole in addition to topical therapy resulted in complete resolution of persistent fungal keratitis in 28 (87.5%) patients. The mean number of intrastromal injections was 9.3 +/- 6.4 and ranged from 1 to 18. The mean best-corrected visual acuity values improved from 2.17 +/- 0.43 to 1.76 +/- 0.77 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution units (P=0.003). The mean duration of complete epithelial closure was 45.3 +/- 16.3 days. Four patients required therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty because of persistence of fungal keratitis (3 patients) and progression of keratitis (1 patient). There was no need for evisceration. Conclusion: Combination therapy with intrastromal voriconazole and intrastromal amphotericin B may be an effective adjunct treatment for persistent fungal keratitis.

Purpose: To present the results and complications of gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy in adults with open-angle glaucoma using our different approaches during and after surgery. Method: A retrospective comparative study was designed. Patients with regular 12-month follow-up history were included. Two groups were defined: group 1 comprised patients with open-angle glaucoma who underwent gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy surgery alone; group 2 included patients with open-angle glaucoma who underwent combined gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy and cataract extraction. A 30% reduction in preoperative intraocular pressure or postoperative intraocular pressure below 18 mm Hg was considered as surgical success. The success rate, alteration in intraocular pressure, alteration in best-corrected visual acuity, alteration in the need for antiglaucomatous medications, surgical complications, and the need for additional glaucoma surgery were evaluated and compared between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to show the association between the surgical success and possible prognostic factors. Results: A total of 37 eyes fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in this study. An overall mean decrease in intraocular pressure of 11.3 ± 9.3 mm Hg was shown at 12 months (p 0.05). The most common postoperative complication was hyphemia (89.1%). There were no complications that threatened best-corrected visual acuity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed one significant association between the presence of blood in Schlemm’s canal and surgical success (odds ratio = 1.47; 95% confidence interval = 1.25–1.68; p = 0.047). Conclusion: This study showed that the gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy procedure is an effective and minimally invasive form of glaucoma surgery. Its effect was related to intraoperative blood in Schlemm’s canal.

Recent technological developments allow us to measure the status of dozens of proteins in individual cells. This opens the way to understand the heterogeneity of complex multi‐signaling networks across cells and cell types, with important implications to understand and treat diseases such as cancer. These technologies are, however, limited to proteins for which antibodies are available and are fairly costly, making predictions of new markers and of existing markers under new conditions a valuable alternative. To assess our capacity to make such predictions and boost further methodological development, we organized the Single Cell Signaling in Breast Cancer DREAM challenge. We used a mass cytometry dataset, covering 36 markers in over 4,000 conditions totaling 80 million single cells across 67 breast cancer cell lines. Through four increasingly difficult subchallenges, the participants predicted missing markers, new conditions, and the time‐course response of single cells to stimuli in the presence and absence of kinase inhibitors. The challenge results show that despite the stochastic nature of signal transduction in single cells, the signaling events are tightly controlled and machine learning methods can accurately predict new experimental data., This study presents the results and conclusions of the ‘Single Cell Signaling in Breast Cancer DREAM challenge’, where teams were challenged to use state‐of‐the‐art methods for predicting single‐cell signaling from single‐cell and bulk proteomics, transcriptomics and genomics data.

Aims To investigate possible predictive topographic characteristics for the development of Descemet's membrane (DM) folds after the uneventful deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK). Methods A retrospective study included 56 eyes of 56 consecutive patients who underwent uneventful DALK using the big-bubble technique to treat advanced keratoconus. At baseline and each visit, best-corrected logMAR visual acuity (BCVA), slit-lamp findings, endothelial cell density, topographic parameters were recorded. DM area is calculated using morphogeometric modelling. Results Twelve (21.4%) of them exhibited DM folds, whereas the remaining 44 (78.6%) did not exhibit any DM folds after the surgery. The mean follow-up time was 36.3 +/- 16.7 (range, 12-71) months. The mean posterior corneal power was - 13.8 +/- 0.6 D in patients with DM folds, whereas - 13.0 +/- 0.8 D in those without DM folds (p = 0.016). The mean DM area was 53.6 +/- 2.3 (50.9-57.9) mm(2) in patients with DM folds, whereas 51.6 +/- 1.7 (47.1-53.9) mm(2) in those without DM folds (p = 0.001). The ROC curve showed that two best cut-off value for the posterior corneal power and DM area were 13.75 D and 53.8 mm(2), respectively, to predict the occurrence of DM folds. Conclusion DALK surgery seems to cause DM folds in patients with large DM area and high posterior corneal power.

Purpose To evaluate the effect of JJ stents on SWL treatment of moderate (15–25 mm) renal pelvic stones. Materials and methods Between January 2016 and December 2017, a total of 152 adult patients who were planned to undergo SWL for a single radiopaque renal pelvic stone were included in the study. Patients with solitary kidney, congenital abnormality, skeletal tract abnormalities, previous urinary system surgery, hydronephrosis (grade 2 or more), untreated urinary tract infection, bleeding disorder, and suspected pregnancy were excluded. The remaining 114 patients were randomly divided into two groups; non-stented and stented. Twenty-two patients whose stone could not be fragmented despite 3 consecutive sessions were also excluded from the study. A total of 92 patients (54 non-stented and 38 stented) were included in the final analysis. Results There was no significant difference in terms of age, sex, body mass index, renal parancyhimal thickness, hydronephrosis, skin-to-stone distance, Hounsfield units, and stone size between the groups. Success was significantly higher in the stented group than in the non-stented group (71% vs. 39%, p = 0.002). In stone-free patients, the number of emergency department visits and analgesic tablet consumption was significantly lower in the stented group than in the non-stented group (p Conclusions Pre-stenting before SWL treatment of moderate sized renal pelvic stones has some advantages in terms of success, emergency service visits, and analgesic tablet consumption.

Background: Hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cause common infections all around the world. The aim of this study is to determine the HBV, HCV, and HIV prevalence in cataract patients. Material and methods: This was a retrospective study and was carried out in the ophthalmology clinic of Adana Numune Research and Training Hospital (Adana, Turkey). One hundred and forty patients undergoing cataract surgery were included to the study. The clinical findings were extracted from the medical records of the patients. The serological analyzing was done by one step immunoassay-based rapid diagnostic card tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HCV, and anti-HIV antibodies. HBV and HCV confirmations were done by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test)-based serological tests. Results: Of the 1040 patients included in the study, 462 (44.4%) were females and 578 (55.6%) were males. The mean age of the patients was 64.8 ± 13.7 years. HBsAg was positive in 39 (3.8%) patients and Anti-HCV was positive in 14 (1.3%) patients. None of the patients had HIV. Conclusion: HBV is the most common infection among cataract patients and it is very important to apply infection prevention methods.

AIM: This study aims to evaluate the prognostic factors of different optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters as well as the tamponade used in surgery, on postoperative anatomical and functional success. METHODS: Twenty-nine eyes of 27 patients were included in this study. A three-port 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy was performed on all eyes with peeling of the internal limiting membrane by visualization with brilliant blue dye by the same surgeon (E.U). Apical diameter (AD), base diameter (BD), and height (H) were manually measured by the same retina specialist (E.U) with using the software on OCT machine. Macular hole index (MHI), tractional hole index, diameter hole index, and macular hole volume (MHV) were calculated. The correlation between predictive factors and postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was evaluated. RESULTS: A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between preoperative BCVA, AD, BD, MHV, and postoperative BCVA scores. A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between preoperative MHI and postoperative BCVA scores (r = −0.676, P = 0.001). The strongest positive correlation was between BD and postoperative BCVA (logMAR) (r = 0.732, P = 0.001). The visual improvement was statistically better in patients treated with C3F8 than SF6. CONCLUSION: BD and MHV could be used as a strong predictive OCT parameters of postoperative functional success.

Breast imaging is widely used for detection of breast cancer. This chapter will review the basic preferences and management strategy for diagnosis of breast cancer. And also, this review will present some recommendations for approaching a woman with suspected breast cancer due to either clinical or abnormal imaging findings.

PReCIS:: Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy resulted in sustained elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) in 18.6% of patients with coexisting age-related macular degeneration and pseudoexfoliation (PXF) syndrome. The development of sustained elevation of IOP after ~19 injections reflected the cumulative effect of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections on IOP. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term effect of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) and intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) therapies on IOP in patients with and without PXF syndrome. DESIGN This was a retrospective comparative study. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data from 412 eyes of 206 patients diagnosed with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration, treated with IVR or IVB, and followed-up for at least 6 months, were retrospectively reviewed. Seventy treated and 70 untreated fellow eyes of 70 patients with bilateral PXF syndrome, and 136 treated and 136 untreated fellow eyes of 136 patients without PXF syndrome were included in this study. Demographic information, clinical findings, total number of IVR and IVB injections, and IOP values at each visit were recorded. Sustained elevation of IOP (SE-IOP) was defined as either an IOP >21 mm Hg or a ≥5 mm Hg increase in IOP from baseline for at least 2 consecutive visits. Baseline and final IOP values in each group were compared using the paired sample t test, and IOP changes in the groups were compared using split-plot analysis of variance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of variables on the development of SE-IOP. RESULTS The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 77.53±3.78 years (range, 70 to 83 y), and the mean follow-up was 28.50±16.51 months (range, 6 to 58 mo). The mean number of injections was 15.56±8.01 (range, 5 to 36). The mean baseline and final IOP in treated eyes were 14.82±3.08 and 16.50±3.11 mm Hg, respectively (P

Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease that mostly affects the sweat glands, respiratory system, digestive system, and reproductive system. Many and various types of mutations have been reported in CFTR in different ethnicities and countries/regions. Analysis of CFTR gene rearrangements is recommended in patients with unidentified mutated alleles in CFTR sequencing analysis. We collected MLPA analyses of 527 patients from Turkey who had at least one unidentified mutation in CFTR sequence analysis. Heterozygous/homozygous deletions were detected in the CFTR gene in 49 individuals (9.2%) from 35 families. Twelve different single/multi exon deletions were demonstrated, two of which were not previously reported in the literature. Mutations have previously reported in patients from various regions including Asia, Europe, and Africa, and Turkey is located at a crossroads between them. The most frequent mutation was the exon 2 deletion, accounting for 60%. Moreover, patients with exon 2 deletions, were especially originated from northern Turkey. This finding is valuable in leading and shaping planned screening programs in Turkey. Our study, the most comprehensive study for rearrangement analysis in patients from Tukey, revealed a candidate hotspot region of patients suspected of having CFTR-related disorders from Turkey.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy profile of gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) in patients with open-angle glaucoma with a history of previous failed trabeculectomy surgery. This case-series study included 26 eyes of 26 consecutive patients with a mean age of 64.1 ± 4.5 (56–78) years who underwent GATT using the 5/0 prolene suture to treat medically uncontrolled moderate to advanced glaucoma despite the previous trabeculectomy surgery. At baseline and each visit, Snellen best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), IOP values, cup-to-disc (C/D) ratio, retinal nerve-fiber layer thickness and mean deviation values in visual field test were recorded. Need for medication or further glaucoma surgery were noted. Surgical success was defined as final IOP ≤ 15 mmHg and ≥ 20% IOP reduction from baseline without any further glaucoma surgery. Twelve (46.2%) patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and fourteen (53.8%) patients with pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PEXG) underwent GATT. Average baseline IOP was 25.3 ± 5.4 (16–45) mmHg. Mean follow-up time was 17.8 ± 4.1 (12–26) months. Mean baseline BCVA was 0.47 ± 0.25. Surgical success was achieved in 16 of 26 (61.5%). In ten of patients, medically uncontrolled glaucoma persisted after GATT surgery and they underwent further glaucoma surgery. PEXG patients showed a higher IOP reduction than POAG patients did at last follow-up (45.6% vs 34.8%). The present study revealed that GATT was an effective procedure as a second IOP-lowering surgery in PEXG patients having previous failed trabeculectomy. However, in POAG patients having previous failed trabeculectomy, GATT seems to have a limited efficacy.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric conditions in childhood. Psychopharmacological therapy is an effective treatment for ADHD. In this study, we primarily aim to investigate the effects of psychopharmacological agents on intraocular pressure (IOP) in children with ADHD. The sample included 82 children with ADHD and 36 healthy children aged between 8 and 12 years who were referred to the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Hatay State Hospital, Hatay, Turkey. Children with ADHD were divided into two groups according to the medication used: methylphenidate (MPH) group and atomoxetine (ATX) group. Before treatment and after 1- and 6-month treatment period, IOP was measured by Goldmann applanation tonometry. There were no statistical differences in terms of age, gender, and IOP between the three groups (P > 0.05). After 1- and 6-month treatment, the IOP did not change significantly between baseline and 1 month or 6 months (P > 0.05). Children with ADHD may have an IOP similar to healthy children. Six-month treatment with MPH or ATX may not cause significant changes in IOP.

As a multisystemic congenital mental retardation disorder/anomaly, Smith–Magenis syndrome (SMS) is commonly aroused from de novo interstitial deletion of the 17p11.2 chromosome. The deletion of this chromosome results with haploinsufficiency for the retinoic acid-induced 1 (RAI1) gene. In this article, we present three cases, who were diagnosed with SMS with mental retardation and behavioral problems such as self-hugging and sleeping disturbances. During the evaluation of the patients, it has been found that there was a 3.4-Mb deletion in the 17p11.2 chromosome region of these patients. This deletion includes RAI1 that is a critically involved gene in SMS.

Objectives To evaluate the outcome of endoscopic treatment of symptomatic vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in patients with VUR in both transplanted and native renal units. Material and Methods Between January 2014 and December 2019, 23 transplanted patients with symptomatic VUR with reflux in both transplanted and native kidney were included in the study. All patients were patients with a history of kidney failure due to reflux nephropathy. A voiding cystourethrography was performed after at least 1 episode of acute glomerulo pyelonephritis or deterioration of the graft function. All patients underwent a urine culture and an ultrasonic evaluation preoperatively. A dextranomer/hyaluronic acid bulking agent was injected via endoscope by a rigid metal needle around a double J stent. Clinical success was defined as absent of febrile urinary tract infection during the follow-up period. Results The procedure was applied in 52 effected renal units; of these, 27 were transplanted kidneys, and 25 were native kidneys. Overall clinical success was achieved in 69.6% (N = 16) of patients. The success rate after the first procedure was 52.2% (N = 12), whereas 17.3% (N = 4) achieved success after the second treatment. No intraoperative complications occurred throughout the endoscopic procedure. Minor postoperative complications included 2 (10%) cases of self-limiting episodes of hematuria that did not require intervention. Conclusion Endoscopic treatment of symptomatic VUR for both transplanted ureter and native ureter is a safe treatment in most of the patients. Therefore, endoscopic ureteral injection is a treatment modality with low morbidity that should be preferred to open surgery as first-line treatment in this subgroup of patients.

Background: Significant re-excision rates in breast-conserving surgery (BCS) after neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy may result from difficulties in defining the surgical target particularly in cases with excellent treatment response. Devices allowing an exact topographic localisation of the lesion in the resected tissue could reduce re-excision rates by optimising the intraoperative detection of involved margins. Methods: 80 patients with invasive breast cancer receiving BCS after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were included in this non-randomized case-control study. 40 patients with specimen radiography performed in a standard approach (control group) were compared to 40 patients with use of a radiopaque tissue transfer system (study group). Results: 19/80 (23.75%) patients required re-excision because of involved margins; among those, 14/40 (35%) were in the control group and 5/40 (12.5%) in the study group. The association between the use of the radiopaque tissue transfer system and the lower re-excision rate was statistically significant (p = 0.023). Conclusion: Our analysis provides a rationale for the routine use of a radiopaque tissue transfer system for specimen radiography in BCS after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for invasive breast cancer in order to reduce re-excision rates.

Background: Published re-excision rates after breast conserving surgery for invasive breast cancer vary between 20 and 50%. In patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy even higher re-excision rates may result from difficulties in defining the surgical target particularly in cases with excellent treatment response. Specimen radiography is reducing re-excision rates, however, defining involved margins is often difficult using standard approaches. Devices allowing horizontal and vertical examination and an exact topographic localization of the lesion in the resected tissue could reduce re-excision rates by an intraoperative detection of involved margins. Methods: 80 patients with invasive breast cancer receiving breast conserving surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and an indication for wire marking by mammography were included in this analysis. All tumors were marked with titanium clips prior to chemotherapy. In 40 patients specimen radiography was performed in a standard approach (control group), in 40 patients a tissue transfer and X-ray system based on a non-radiopaque board with radiopaque topographic markers and a stand for cranio-caudal X-rays was used (study group). A univariate analysis was carried out to evaluate the association between the use of the radiopaque tissue transfer system and the re-excision rate using a logistic regression model. Calculations were performed using the XLSTAT Biomed Software (Version 19.03, Addinsoft, NY, USA.). Results: 19/80 patients (23.75%) required re-excision because of involved margins; among those patients, 14/40 (35%) were in the control group and 5/40 (12.5%) in the study group. The association between the use of the radiopaque tissue transfer system and the lower re-excision rate was statistically significant (p=0.023). Conclusion: Our analysis provides a rationale for the use of a radiopaque tissue transfer system for specimen radiography in breast conserving surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for invasive breast cancer in order to reduce re-excision rates. Based on these results we are planning a study including also patients receiving primary surgery. Citation Format: Kolberg H-C, Akpolat-Basci L, Stephanou M, Wetzig S, Cubuk Y, Gerharz J, Liedtke C. Re-excision rates in breast conserving surgery for invasive breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with and without the use of a radiopaque tissue transfer and X-ray system [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-12-06.

WOS: 000473357300012, PubMed ID: 31312798, We present a case with imaging artefacts on mammography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) caused by iron oxide particles. After being diagnosed with the medullary cancer of the breast, the female patient had a breast conserving surgery on right breast. Iron oxide particles were used for the detection of the sentinel lymph node during operation. On follow ups, a de novo density on mammography, which was initially thought to be a new tumour, was found. MR images proved that the lesion is an artefact caused by iron oxide accumulation. Our aim in this case study is to underline and discuss the imaging artefacts caused by these particles and raise awareness.

Acrocapitofemoral dysplasia (ACFD) is a rare autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia characterized by short stature with short limb dwarfism, brachydactyly, and a narrow thorax. Major radiographic features are egg-shaped capital femoral epiphyses with a short femoral neck and cone-shaped epiphyses, mainly in the hands and hips. To date, only four child patients from two families have been reported. We describe two adult patients with ACFD with a novel homozygous c.478C>T (p.Arg160Cys) mutation in IHH in the third family of the literature. The reported cases showed a middle phalanges which fused with distal phalanges in the fifth toes, the typical configuration of metacarpals, radial angulation and extremely short femoral neck. These findings could help the diagnosis of ACFD in adult patients. We hope that this new family will be a helpful guide for predicting and managing the prognosis of diagnosed children.

Background:The study of synovial tissue in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has led to the identification of synovial patterns of immune cell infiltration and specific cellular subsets associated that have been disease activity and clinical outcomes(1–3). However, the relationship of circulating and synovial immune cell sub-sets with histopathological features and clinical outcomes remains to be defined.Objectives:To assess the relationship of peripheral blood and synovial immune cells with RA histopathology and clinical outcomes, by performing flow and digital cytometry in matched peripheral blood and synovial samples from patients with early RA.Methods:70 patients with early (1). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (n=70) were analysed by flow cytometry. Matched synovial tissues (n=70) obtained by minimally invasive ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy underwent semi-quantitative scoring (0-4) of immune cell infiltration and classification into lympho-myeloid (LM), diffuse-myeloid (DM) and pauci-immune (PI) pathotypes, as previously described(1). 49 synovial and 36 matched peripheral blood samples underwent RNA-sequencing and were analysed by digital cytometry (Xcell) (4) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD).Results:Circulating B cells and their subsets showed significant inverse correlations with inflammatory markers (ESR, CRP), disease activity (swollen joints, four components and two components(5) DAS28) and ultrasound scores (Fig 1A). Among T cell subsets, CXCR5-PD1hiICOS+CD4+ T cells (T peripheral helper cells, Tph) had strong positive correlations with inflammatory markers (ESR and CRP), disease activity (DAS28) and ultrasound scores (Fig 1B). Tph in the peripheral blood also correlated with immune cell infiltration in synovia (Fig 1C) and were significantly higher in patients with a LM pathotype (Fig 1D). Accordingly, circulating Tph were associated with synovial LM pathotype independently of clinical features such as DAS28, ACPA positivity, Body Mass Index (BMI) and age (AUC 0.821). By applying digital cytometry in matched synovial and peripheral blood samples, synovial B and T cells were significantly higher in patients with a LM pathotype, in line with the histological definition of the LM pathotype – rich in B and T cells. On the contrary, circulating B cells and total CD4 and CD8 T cells were significantly lower in patients with a synovial LM pathotype (Fig 1E). The Tph signature in synovia derived by Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) correlated with baseline ESR (R 0.38, pConclusion:By combining conventional flow cytometry in the peripheral blood and digital cytometry on matched synovial and peripheral blood samples, we highlight diverging associations of circulating immune cell subsets with synovial inflammation and pathotypes. Tph cells, in particular, emerge as predictors of lympho-myeloid synovial inflammation and disease progression.References:[1]F. Humby et al., Ann. Rheum. Dis. 78, 761–772 (2019), doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-214539. [2]M. J. Lewis et al., Cell Rep. 28, 2455-2470.e5 (2019), doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.091.[3]D. a Rao et al., Nat. Publ. Gr. 542, 110–114 (2017), doi:10.1038/nature20810.[4]D. Aran et al., Genome Biol. 18, 220 (2017), doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1349-1.[5]E. M. A. Hensor et al., Rheumatology. 58, 1400–1409 (2019), doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez049.Figure 1.Acknowledgements:The Pathobiology of Early Arthritis Cohort (PEAC) was supported by the MRC (grant 36661). Versus Arthritis provided funding infrastructure support (grant 20022). F. Rivellese is funded by an NIHR Transitional Research Fellowship (TRF-2018-11-ST2-002). We would like to thank the patients and the clinical and laboratory team (core team) at Queen Mary University of London.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

WOS: 000410960800005, PubMed ID: 28868066, Background and Aim: Depressive pseudodementia (DPD) is a condition which may develop secondary to depression. The aim of this study was to contribute to the differential diagnosis between Alzheimer disease (AD) and DPD by comparing the neurocognitive tests and hippocampal volume. Materials and Methods: Patients who met criteria of AD/DPD were enrolled in the study. All patients were assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), clock-drawing test, Stroop test, Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT), Boston Naming Test, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Hippocampal volume was measured by importing the coronal T1-weighted magnetic resonance images to the Vitrea 2 workstation. Results: A significant difference was found between the AD and DPD groups on the WMS test, clock-drawing test, Stroop test, Boston Naming Test, MMSE, GDS, and left hippocampal volume. A significant correlation between BFRT and bilateral hippocampal volumes was found in the AD group. No correlation was found among parameters in DPD patients. Conclusions: Our results suggest that evaluation of facial recognition and left hippocampal volume may provide more reliable evidence for distinguishing DPD from AD. Further investigations combined with functional imaging techniques including more patients are needed. (C) 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel

This study aims to evaluate the capacity of the clinical and radiological findings and the extrapancreatic necrotic tissue volume in early (2–6 days) computerized tomography (CT) images of patients diagnosed with AP to predict reliably the temporary or permanent organ failure and other local or systemic complications due to pancreatitis. Adult patients who were diagnosed with AP based on Revised Atlanta classification and underwent abdomen CT scans between May 2015 and May 2018 were examined retrospectively. Extrapancreatic necrosis volume was compared to various clinical parameters that indicate the prognosis of AP such as C-reactive protein (CRP) at 48–72th h, organ failure, infection, requirement for percutaneous or surgical intervention, length of hospital stay, and mortality, and to various imaging-based scoring systems such as the computerized tomography severity index (CTSI) and the modified CTSI (mCTSI). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the optimal threshold for predicting clinical prognosis. Extrapancreatic necrosis volume had moderate positive correlation with length of hospital stay (p = 0.0001) and CRP (at 48–72th h) (p = 0.0001) and strong positive correlation with CTSI (p = 0.0001), mCTSI (p = 0.0001), and white blood cell count (p = 0.0001). Extrapancreatic necrosis volume was found to be particularly better in predicting organ failure and infection compared to the imaging-based scoring systems (Balthazar, CTSI, and mCTSI) and the laboratory-based scoring systems (CRP at 48–72th h).

To the best of our knowledge, this is the second reported case of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) as a result of scleral lens use and the first case of AK associated with Maxim scleral lens use (Accu-Lens, Inc., Lakewood, CO, USA). A 22-year-old male scleral lens user presented at the department of ophthalmology at Gazi University Hospital complaining of painful corneal opacities and erosion in the cornea of right eye. A real-time polymerase chain reaction assay (Primerdesign, Southampton, UK) was performed, and Acanthamoeba spp. DNA was amplified on the corneal specimen. A topical antimicrobial treatment was prescribed, and the symptoms had improved significantly at the 2-week follow-up. Contact lens wearers always run the risk of developing AK, even with gas-permeable scleral contact lenses. Therefore, AK must be considered as an important differential diagnosis in patients who use scleral contact lenses.

To present a case with progressive keratoconus after treated with radial keratotomy (RK) and was undergone corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) for preventing the progress of keratectasia. A progressive keratoconus case who was previously treated with RK was undergone corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in her left eye for preventing the progress of keratectasia. After the CXL procedure performed at another clinic, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of her left eye decreased from 0.9 to 0.6 Snellen lines in an 8-months follow-up. Pre CXL maximum keratometric power (P-Kmax) was also increased from 52.1 to 57.16 Diopter (D) in the eight months after CXL. Applying CXL on the keratoconic patient previously treated with RK should be questioned.

Aim To assess the impact of macular surgery on the functional and anatomic outcomes in patients with grade 2 epiretinal membrane (ERM), and the effect of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling on visual acuity and to analyze the long-term effect of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) on intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods Pseudophakic eyes (62 eyes) diagnosed as idiopathic grade 2 ERM with at least 6mo postoperative follow-up were included in this retrospective study. The fellow eye was nonvitrectomized. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (29 eyes) treated with ERM and ILM peeling and group 2 (33 eyes) with only ERM peeling. Preoperative and postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), slit-lamp, and a dilated fundus examination was performed. IOP was measured with Goldman applanation tonometer before, day 1 and first week and each visit after surgery. The incidence of significant IOP elevation was compared between vitrectomized eyes and nonvitrectomized fellow eyes. Results Visual improvement was statistically significant and similar in both groups (P=0.008 in group 1, P=0.002 in group 2, P=0.09 inter-group). The amount of decrease in central macular thickness was statistically significant and similar in both groups (P=0.005 group 1, P=0.008 group 2, P=0.37 intergroup). At the final follow-up (14.1±9.6mo) the incidence of significant IOP elevation was 4% in vitrectomized eyes (three eyes) and 3% (two eyes) in the nonvitrectomized fellow eyes (P=0.12). Four eyes (12.1%) had recurrent ERM after a mean follow-up of 8.6±1.1mo in group 2, there was no recurrence in group 1 (P=0.01). Conclusion Recurrence of ERM may be decreased by ILM peeling during ERM surgery. However, it seems that ILM peeling do not affect the functional outcome and 23-gauge PPV alone do not have a significant effect on IOP.

To report the results of IFNα2a therapy in patients with Behçet uveitis refractory to azathioprine-cyclosporine combination treatment.In a retrospective study, 39 patients treated with either azathioprine-cyclosporine combination treatment (group 1, n = 23) or IFNα2a (group 2, n = 16) with a diagnosis of ocular Behçet disease (BD), were included in the study. Group 2 consisted of patients who did not respond to conventional combination therapy, and were therefore treated with IFNα2a. Clinical response and relapse rates were recorded for each group.The mean number of uveitis attacks/year per patient was 0.8 ± 1.6 in Group 1. In Group 2, a significant decrease in the mean number of uveitis attacks/year per patient was observed after initiation of IFNα2a (2.4 ± 1.8 vs 1.3 ± 2.0) (p0.05). When the two groups were compared after administration of IFNα2a therapy, no statistical difference was found in terms of uveitis attack/year and attack-free intervals, with a partial response to both treatments.IFNα2a therapy is an effective alternative for Behçet uveitis patients where conventional combination therapy fails.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to compare the accelerated epithelial-on corneal collagen cross-linking (epi-on CXL) and accelerated epithelial-off corneal collagen cross-linking (epi-off CXL) in terms of clinical and confocal microscopy results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two eyes of 21 patients with progressive keratoconus and simultaneously undergoing accelerated epi-on CXL in one eye and accelerated epi-off CXL in other eye were evaluated. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with spectacle in logMAR and topographic findings (mean keratometry [Kmean] and maximum keratometry [Kmax]) were recorded at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months. Eyes were compared in terms of subjective pain scores after the procedures. Furthermore, anterior segment optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy were performed at 1 month. RESULTS: Kmean and Kmax were less than baseline in both the groups; however, the reduction was significantly higher in epi-off CXL than epi-on CXL eyes at 18 and 30 months. The UCVA and BCVA increased approximately 1 Snellen line at the end of mean follow-up in epi-off CXL and in epi-on CXL. Stromal demarcation line for epi-off CXL is 276.4 ± 58.9 while 148.3 ± 24.8 for epi-on CXL (P = 0.001). Furthermore, subepithelial nerves were observed in any eye in epi-off CXL; however, subepithelial nerves were observed in 12 eyes (80%), in epi-on CXL (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Both techniques were able to stop progression; however, in contrast to expectations, the pain was felt more in epi-on CXL than epi-off CXL.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of air bubbles on clear corneal incision (CCI) in patients who had phacoemulsification surgery, and to compare this type of CCI architecture with patients who had no air bubbles after phacoemulsification surgery, using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Methods: Eyes which had undergone uneventful phacoemulsification cataract surgery with implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) were equally randomized into two groups. Group 1 comprised patients with anterior chamber air bubble injection after phacoemulsification, and Group 2 comprised patients who had undergone phacoemulsification surgery without anterior chamber air bubble. Postoperative evaluation included AS-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) and pneumatic tonometry (Nidek NT-1000 Pneumatic Tonometer, Japan) in the 2nd hour, then at 1 week, and 1 month. Astigmatic changes assessed with corneal topography after phacoemulsification cataract surgeries were noted. Results: Evaluation was made of 40 eyes of 28 patients (10 female, 18 male) as 20 eyes in Group 1 and 20 eyes in Group 2. On the first postoperative day, the endothelial gap rate was 13.3% in Group 1 and 57.1% in Group 2 (P = 0.02), and this continued until the 1-month follow-up examination. The Descemet's membrane detachment (DMD) rate was 0% in Group 1 and 42.8% in Group 2 on postoperative day 1 (P = 0.006), and this continued at the 1-month follow-up examination. At 1 month postoperatively, the rates of optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters were similar. There were no significant differences between preoperative astigmatism and postoperative astigmatism in the group analyses. Conclusion: In this study, air bubbles decreased the rate of DMD and of endothelial and epithelial gap during the early postoperative period. Keywords: Air bubbles, Anterior segment optical coherence tomography, Phacoemulsification surgery, Clear corneal incision, Descemet membrane detachment

AIM: To evaluate the long-term results of different orbital decompression techniques performed in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). METHODS: Totally 170 cases with GO underwent orbital decompression between 1994 and 2014. Patients were divided into 4 groups as medial-inferior, medial-lateral (balanced), medial-lateral-inferior, and lateral only according to the applied surgical technique. Surgical indications, regression degrees on Hertel exophthalmometer, new-onset diplopia in the primary gaze and new-onset gaze-evoked diplopia after surgery and visual acuity in cases with dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) were compared between different surgical techniques. RESULTS: The study included 248 eyes of 149 patients. The mean age for surgery was 42.3±13.2y. DON was the surgical indication in 36.6% of cases, and three-wall decompression was the most preferred technique in these cases. All types of surgery significantly decrease the Hertel values (P

Purpose: To report the results of aflibercept treatment in treatment-naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients and suggest a suitable treatment algorithm for routine clinical practice. Method: The medical charts of patients treated with intravitreal aflibercept for neovascular AMD were reviewed retrospectively. Best corrected visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, dilated fundus examination, applanation tonometry, and a total number of aflibercept injections were recorded. Aflibercept therapy was applied in an as-needed algorithm after three monthly loading dose. Additionally, optic coherence tomography data, including presence or absence of macular fluid and central macular thickness were recorded. Results: Thirty-eight eyes of 36 patients were included in this study. The mean number of aflibercept injections was 4.86 ± 2.76 (3–18). Mean follow-up time was 12.1 ± 5.7 months (6–26). Thirty-seven eyes (97.3%) achieved maintenance of vision. The mean best corrected visual acuity (logMAR) increased from 0.98 ± 0.56 (0.2–2.4) to 0.57 ± 0.31 (0.1–1.3), (P = 0.001). Mean visual acuity gain was 15.86 ± 12.18 letters at the end of the study. The mean central macular thickness decreased from 327.9 ± 56.5 μm (219–474 μm) to 277.0 ± 53.0 μm (197–405 μm), (P = 0.016). Conclusions: Aflibercept therapy appears to be a safe and effective treatment for neovascular AMD. Injections applied in an as-needed algorithm after three monthly loading doses were successful to maintain and improve visual acuity. Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration, Aflibercept, Neovascular (wet), AMD

Purpose: This study was designed to assess the functional and anatomic outcomes of intravitreal aflibercept injection in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) refractory to intravitreal bevacizumab or ranibizumab therapy. Methods: This retrospective study included 43 eyes of 43 patients resistant to treatment with at least 6 injections of bevacizumab or ranibizumab. Persistent intraretinal and subretinal fluid (IRF and SRF) on optical coherence tomography (OCT), no improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and a central macular thickness (CMT) increase of more than 100 μm due to SRF and/or IRF compared to baseline for at least 6 monthly intravitreal bevacizumab or ranibizumab injections were defined as resistant to bevacizumab/ranibizumab therapy. BCVA, intraocular pressure (IOP), CMT, maximum retinal thickness (MRT), and maximum pigment epithelial detachment (PED) height (MPEDH) were evaluated before and after aflibercept injections. Result: After initiating aflibercept treatment, the mean final BCVA logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution or recognition (logMAR) improved to 0.84 ± 0.59 which was statistically significant compared to baseline (1.14 ± 0.51), (P

WOS: 000448391200014 PubMed: 29620677 Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a multisystem disease caused by a genetic defect located on the long arm of chromosome 11 (11p22-23). The gene defect results in the loss of A-T-mutated protein, subsequently leading to unrepaired DNA fractures and defects in the signal transduction pathway. As a result, characteristic findings arise, including recurrent sinopulmonary infections, hypersensitivity against ionized radiation with the tendency to develop cancer related to progressive cerebellar ataxia, pathognomonic oculocutaneous telangiectasias, varying degrees of humoral and cellular immunodeficiency, and infertility. This case report presents a 3-year-old male patient with A-T who developed hemophagocytic syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been previously reported.

WOS: 000414273500002, PubMed ID: 29097344, PURPOSE We aimed to retrospectively analyze whether background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) on breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates with menarche, menopause, reproductive period, menstrual cycle, gravidity-parity, family history of breast cancer, and the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category of the patient. METHODS The study included 126 pre- and 78 postmenopausal women who underwent breast MRI in our institute between 2011 and 2016. Patients had filled a questionnaire form before the MRI. Two radiologists blinded to patient history graded the BPEs and the results were compared and analyzed. RESULTS The BPE was correlated with patient age and the day of menstrual cycle (P < 0.01 for both). No correlation was found with menarche age, menopause age, total number of reproductive years, and family history of breast cancer. In the moderate BPE group, only 1 out of 35 patients and in the marked BPE group only 1 out of 13 patients were postmenopausal and had BI-RADS scores of 4 and 5, respectively. CONCLUSION Increased symmetrical BPE is mainly due to current hormonal status in the premenopausal women. High-grade BPE, whether symmetrical or not, is rarely seen in postmenopausal women; hence, these patients should be further investigated or closely followed up.

WOS: 000351677000005, PubMed ID: 25588188, Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the prognostic parameters of computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiographic findings in nonsevere (hemodynamically stable) pulmonary embolism(PE) patients and to assess the predictive value of these parameters for mortality within 1 month of the initial diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, 67 consecutive patients (28 men, 39 women; mean age, 63.25 +/- 18 years) from 2 centers with nonsevere PE diagnosed using CT and a clinical evaluation were included in the current study. Using consensus reading, 2 readers blinded to the patients' clinical outcomes quantified the right ventricle short axis to left ventricle short axis ratio in the axial plane, vascular measurements, reflux of contrast medium into the inferior vena cava and azygos vein, ventricular septal bowing, and clot load using the Qanadli scoring system. The Simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI) and pulmonary parenchymal findings were also evaluated. All CT pulmonary angiographic parameters were compared with the risk of death within 1 month using logistic regression analysis. Results: Fifty-nine patients survived (88.1%), and 8 patients (11.9%) died because of PE. The sPESI and 2 parenchymal findings (multiple wedge-shaped opacities or consolidation accompanied by a wedge-shaped opacity) were significantly related tomortality. In the univariate analysis, neither the cardiovascular CT parameters nor the clot burden was significant between the survivors and nonsurvivors (P > 0.05). Conclusions: In clinically nonsevere PE patients, the sPESI and significant parenchymal findings were the CT parameters related to 1-month mortality.

WOS: 000421961200006, PubMed ID: 25655848, Objectives: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the morphologic and functional features of myocardial bridging (MB) and to investigate the impact of morphologic features on presence of atherosclerosis with multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography. Study design: The study population consisted of 191 consecutive patients. Besides coronary lesions, morphologic features of the MB (depth, length and the distance of the tunneled artery from the left coronary ostium) were analyzed. Results: MDCT detected MB on left anterior descending artery in 41 patients (21.5%). The prevalence of atherosclerotic plaques proximal to the MB of LAD was 49% (20/41). There was a statistically significant correlation between percentage of systolic compression and depth of the tunneled segment (r=0.538, p

Purpose To describe the clinical presentation and imaging findings of a patient with isolated foveal hypoplasia. Case report A 16-year-old teenager presented to our clinic with mild to moderate visual impairment since early childhood. Lack of foveal depression was noted on both clinical examination and optical coherence tomography, and absence of the foveal avascular zone was demonstrated on fluorescein angiography. His ocular examination was otherwise unremarkable. Conclusions Isolated foveal hypoplasia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of early-onset bilateral visual impairment, especially when the foveal reflexes seem absent.

Atypical angiogenesis is one of the major symptoms of severe eye diseases, including corneal neo-vascularization, and the complex nature of abnormal vascularization requires targeted methods with high biocompatibility. The targeting of VEGF is the most common approach for preventing angiogenesis, and the LPPR peptide sequence is known to strongly inhibit VEGF activity by binding to the VEGF receptor neuropilin-1. Here, the LPPR epitope is presented on a peptide amphiphile nanofiber system to benefit from multivalency and increase the anti-angiogenic function of the epitope. Peptide amphiphile nanofibers are especially useful for ocular delivery applications due to their ability to remain on the site of interest for extended periods of time, facilitating the long-term presentation of bioactive sequences. Consequently, the LPPR sequence was integrated into a self-assembled peptide amphiphile network to increase its efficiency in the prevention of neovascularization. Anti-angiogenic effects of the peptide nanofibers were investigated by using both in vitro and in vivo models. LPPR-PA nanofibers inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, tube formation, and migration to a greater extent than the soluble LPPR peptide in vitro. In addition, the LPPR-PA nanofiber system led to the prevention of vascular maturation and the regression of angiogenesis in a suture-induced corneal angiogenesis model. These results show that the anti-angiogenic activity exhibited by LPPR peptide nanofibers may be utilized as a promising approach for the treatment of corneal angiogenesis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purpose: To investigate the agents of bacterial contamination of contact lenses after corneal collagen cross-linking (CCL), and to present the possible changes of ocular flora after riboflavin/ultraviolet A.Methods: Seventy-two contact lenses of patients who underwent CCL and 41 contact lenses of patients who underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) as control group were enrolled to the study. After 48 h of incubation, broth culture media was transferred to plates. Samples were accepted as positive if one or more colony-forming units were shown.Results: There were positive cultures in 12 (16.7%) contact lenses in the CCL group and 5 (12.2%) had positive cultures in PRK group. Coagulase-negative staphlycocci (CNS) were the most frequent microorganism. Alpha hemolytic streptococci and Diphteroid spp. were the other isolated microorganisms.Conclusions: Bacterial colonization can occur during and early after the CCL procedure in epithelial healing. To prevent corneal infections after the treatment,...

Purpose: To evaluate the visual outcomes, recurrence patterns, safety, and efficacy of excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) in conjunction with mitomycin C (MMC) for corneal macular and granular diystrophies. Methods: The patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients with macular corneal dystrophy (MCD) that caused superficial corneal plaque opacities, and Group 2 included patients with granular corneal dystrophy (GCD). Patients in both groups were pre-, peri-, and postoperatively evaluated. The groups were compared in terms of uncorrected visual acuity (VA), best spectacle-corrected VA, presence of mild or significant recurrence, and time of recurrence. Results: Eighteen eyes (nine with MCD and nine with GCD) of 18 patients (10 men and eight women) were included. PTK was performed for each eye that was included in this study. The mean ablation amount was 117.8 ± 24.4 µm and 83.5 ± 45.7 µm in MCD and GCD, respectively, (p=0.18). The postoperative improvement of the mean VA was similar between the two groups before recurrences (p>0.43) and after recurrences (p>0.71). There were no statistically significant differences in the recurrence rate and the recurrence-free period for any recurrence type. Conclusion: PTK was an effective, safe, and minimally invasive procedure for patients with MCD and GCD. PTK in conjunction with MMC was similarly effective for both groups in terms of recurrence and visual outcomes. RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar os resultados visuais, padrões de recorrência, segurança e eficácia da ceratectomia fototerapêutica (PTK) por excimer laser em conjunto com mitomicina C (MMC) em distrofias macular e granular da córnea. Métodos: Os pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos. Grupo 1 incluiu pacientes com distrofia macular de córnea (MCD) que causaram opacidades superficiais corneanas em placa e o grupo 2 incluiu pacientes com distrofia corneana granular (GCD). Todos os pacientes em ambos os grupos foram avaliados no pré, per e pós-operatório. Os grupos foram comparados em termos de acuidade visual (VA) não corrigida, VA melhor corrigida por óculos, presença de recorrência leve ou significativa e o tempo de recorrência. Resultados: Dezoito olhos de 18 pacientes (10 homens e 8 mulheres) foram incluídos no estudo, 9 olhos com MCD e 9 olhos com GCD. Um procedimento de PTK foi realizado em cada olho incluídos neste estudo. A quantidade média de ablação foi 117,8 ± 24,4, 83,5 ± 45,7 µm de MCD e GCD, respectivamente, (p=0,18). A melhora pós-operatória da acuidade visual média foi semelhante entre os dois grupos antes de as recidivas (p>0,43) e após as recidivas (p>0,71). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa na taxa de recorrência ou do período livre de recorrência para qualquer tipo de recorrência. Conclusão: PTK foi um procedimento eficaz, seguro e minimamente invasivo para pacientes MCD e GCD. PTK em conjunto com MMC é igualmente eficaz para ambos os grupos em termos de recorrência e resultados visuais.

The aim of this study is to compare the effect of transrectal power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) and gray scale transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.Seventy-six patients evaluated with transrectal PDUS and TRUS underwent eight systematic TRUS guided core-needle biopsies, with additional cores from abnormal areas. Histologic diagnoses were classified as benign prostatic hyperplasia, chronic prostatitis, intraepithelial neoplasia and adenocarcinoma. TRUS and PDUS findings of the cases were recorded.PDUS sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive values were 81%, 81%, 54% and 94%, respectively. PDUS had a greater sensitivity and specificity than TRUS (43% and 60%, respectively) and identified cancer cases more accurately (Table 2).Hypervascular foci in PDUS signify suitable zones for biopsy. When combined with systematic TRUS guided biopsy, PDUS increases the cancer detection rate with additional biopsies from suspicious hypervascular foci. Transrectal PDUS guided biopsy should be combined with gray scale TRUS guided biopsy to increase accuracy in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.Çalışmamızda prostat kanseri tanısında power Doppler Ultrasonografiyi (PDUS) gri skala ultrason(TRUS) ile kıyaslayarak prostat kanseri tanısındaki etkinliğini araştırmayı amaçladık.Kliniğimizde 76 olgu power Doppler ultrasonografiile değerlendirilerek rutin 8 kadran ve anormal alanlardan ek biyopsiler yapıldı. Patolojik tanılar benign, kronik prostatit, intraepitelyal neoplazi ve kanser olarak sınıflandırıldı. Olguların b mod ultrasonografi ve power Doppler ultrasonografi bulguları kaydedildi.PDUS duyarlılığı, özgüllüğü, pozitif öngörüsel değeri ve negatif öngörüsel değeri sırasıyla %81, %81, %54, %94 olarak bulunmuştur. PDUS’un duyarlılığı ve özgüllüğü TRUS’a göre yüksek bulunmuştur (%43 and % 60 respectively) PDUS kanser olgularını daha yüksek doğrulukla saptamaktadır.Prostat Ca tanı ve takibinde gri skala US ve sistematik biopsiler önemli rol oynamaktadır. PDUS biopsi için uygun alanları hipervasküler lezyonlar olarak ortaya koyar. Bu alanlardan alınan ilave biopsiler sonucunda, TRUS ve sistematik biopsi ile kombine bir şekilde kullanıldığında Ca tespit oranını artırır. PDUS eşlikli biopsinin sistematik biopsi ile kombine kullanımı tercih edilmelidir.

Aim The aim of this report is to present the management of the maxillary deformity and subsequent implant therapy of a case with β-thalassemia major. Background β-thalassemia is a hematologic disorder that results from the abnormality of the β-globulin chain synthesis. The best known thalassemia-induced dentofacial problem is the maxillary enlargement, and this undesirable growth of maxilla affects not only the facial esthetics but also dental occlusion, and leads to functional deficiency. Case description A 16-year-old female patient with â-thalassemia major was referred with the complaints of severe facial deformity and malocclusion, resulting in psychosocial and functional problems for her. The dentofacial deformity was characterized by an excessive premaxillary growth both in sagittal and vertical planes. Anterior maxillary osteotomy was performed with bilateral canines extraction, and dental implants were inserted to the canine regions, following bone healing. Postoperative course was free of problems with the crown restorations in function. Recurrence has not been occurred at 6 years follow-up. Conclusion With maintaining hemoglobin level over 10 gm/dl, correction of maxillary defects is stable for long-term in â-thalassemia major patient. Implant application to these patients may lead to unforeseeable results. Clinical significance Although having some difficulties, such as overbleeding and stability problems, maxillary enlargement can be treated by segmental osteotomies successfully in β-thalassemia major patient. Implant failure frequency may be higher, but many other studies are needed for determining implant survival rate in β-thalassemia major patients. How to cite this article Pektas ZO, Cubuk S, Kircelli B, Uckan S. Management of Maxillary Deformity with Segmental Osteotomy followed by Implant Insertion in β-Thalassemia Major Patient. J Contemp Dent Pract 2015;16(8):704-707.

PURPOSE To iatients with neovascular age-related macular degenernvestigate the role of epiretinal membrane (ERM) on outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in pation (nAMD). METHODS This study is a retrospective observational case series and was conducted at the Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. The reports of the patients with a diagnosis of new-onset nAMD, who were aged at least 50 years and treated with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (ranibizumab or bevacuzimab) between October 2010 and September 2013 in our retina clinic, were reviewed for the vitreomacular interface changes. RESULTS The study included 90 eyes of 90 patients with nAMD. The mean age of the patients was 70 ± 7.5 years, with 35 (38.9%) being male and 55 (61.1%) being female. According to the examinations with optical coherence tomography and B-mode ultrasonography, 43 patients had "concurrent" vitreomacular adhesion (30 focal, 13 broad; Group 1). Twenty-nine patients had complete posterior vitreous detachment (Group 2) and 18 patients (Group 3) had ERM. The number of injections was highest for the patients with ERM (Group 3), and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The mean interval between injections and the mean longest interval were shorter in Group 3 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The presence of ERM in association with nAMD seems to increase the number of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections and decrease the injection intervals for the treatment of nAMD. Although the anatomical and functional results are similar in eyes with or without ERM, the increased need for anti-vascular endothelial growth factors may mean that these membranes may decrease the penetration of the drugs through these membranes, which may act as a physical barrier. Additionally, increased inflammation in patients with ERM probably requires more frequent injections.

Background/aim: To evaluate refractive and strabismic results and the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) ineligible for laser therapy. Materials and methods: Thirty-nine eyes of 20 consecutive infants with high-risk prethreshold ROP (11 infants with Zone I and 9 infants with Zone II disease) who were ineligible for laser therapy due to systemic and/or ocular conditions were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab. Recurrent retinopathy was treated with laser ablation. The final follow-up examination was performed at 29.8 ± 6.0 months of corrected age. Results: All eyes responded to the initial treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab. ROP recurred in 8 eyes (36%) with initial Zone I disease and in only 2 eyes (11%) with initial Zone II disease, which were successfully treated with laser ablation. No eye developed myopia higher than 5.0 diopters. At 2.5 years, the Zone I eyes that had received laser treatment appeared to be more myopic than the Zone I eyes treated only with intravitreal bevacizumab (P = 0.038). A tendency for a higher incidence of strabismus after additional laser therapy was also noted, but was not significant (P = 0.22). Conclusion: Avoidance or even deferral of laser ablation with intravitreal bevacizumab may lead to less myopization in ROP compared with conventional laser treatment.

WOS: 000347411200004, PubMed ID: 25323837, PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the 10-gauge vacuum-assisted stereotactic biopsy (VASB) of isolated Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 4 microcalcifications, using histology and follow-up results. METHODS From January 2011 to June 2013, VASB was performed on 132 lesions, and 66 microcalcification-only lesions of BI-RADS 4 were included into our study. VASB was performed using lateral decubitis stereotaxy for all patients. Pathologic results of VASB and further surgical biopsies were reviewed retrospectively. Patients who were diagnosed to have benign lesions by VASB were referred for follow-up. VASB and surgical histopathology results were compared to determine the underestimation ratios. RESULTS Fifteen out of 66 lesions from 63 patients (median age, 47 years; range, 34-88 years) were identified as malignant by VASB. Pathological results after surgery revealed three cases of invasive ductal carcinoma among the 12 VASB-diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lesions, for a DCIS underestimation rate of 25%. The atypical ductal hyperplasia underestimation rate was 0% for the three lesions. The follow-up period was at least 10 months, with an average of 22.7 months for all patients and 21.2 months for patients with VASB-diagnosed benign lesions. None of the patients had malignancy during the follow-ups. The false-negative rate was 0% in the follow-up of 48 patients. CONCLUSION VASB should be the standard method of choice for BI-RADS 4 microcalcifications. This method obviates the need for a surgical procedure in 73% of BI-RADS 4 microcalcification-only patients.