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Travelling is the passion of the Polish, contemporary writer Andrzej Stasiuk. It is for him a goal in itself but also a point of reference for the definition of his own nation and country facing geopolitical change (My Europe, 2000; Dojczland, 2007; Waiting for the Turk, 2009), which constantly demands to be revised. Travelling serves the writer as a solitary but in the end illusory way of experiencing and capturing the material world in the face of perpetual annihilation. Stasiuk's nostalgic journeys become a pretext for archiving the transient material world -- Europe, which fades in front of our eyes and, by means of the author's craft, metamorphoses into a myth, and makes the text another testimony of his geopoetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is an ocular disease in horses of different breeds with a prevalence between 2.7 and 7.6 % in Europe and vitrectomy is a common method of treatment. The objective of the study was to evaluate the long-term retention of vision and control of uveitis after pars plana vitrectomy performed between 2005 and 2013 on eyes with a history of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). Vitrectomy in eyes with ERU can influence the recurrent nature of the disease. Previous studies indicated success rates regarding the further absence of uveitis between 73.6 and 97.7 %. Owners of the horses were contacted and an ophthalmological reexamination including tonometry, induction of mydriasis, slit lamp biomicroscopy and direct ophthalmology was performed in 116 horses (147 eyes vitrectomized). Visual acuity was examined by the dazzle reaction and the menace response. Aspects such as gender, age and breed of the horses, as well as leptospiral status and preexisting damage of operated eyes are described. A total of 246 eyes were accessible for follow-up information, whereas 147 eyes were available for ophthalmologic reexaminations. If only the reexamined eyes are considered, an improvement of the condition was seen in 133 eyes (91 %) and 14 eyes (9 %) showed at least one uveitic recurrence after vitrectomy. A positive menace response and a positive dazzle reaction were observed in 128 of the 147 reexamined eyes (87 %). The number of episodes prior to vitrectomy, the gender of the horse and the leptospiral status of the eye showed no significant correlation with the prevalence of recurrences. Coat color, breed and age of the horse operated, and preexisting ocular alterations showed a significant influence on the chance of postoperative recurrences of uveitis. Horses with a coat color other than "chestnut" and "black and brown" had significantly more recurrences and odds ratio for these horses developing recurrences was also significantly higher. The present study shows that a large number of reexamined eyes remained visual (87 %) and a large proportion of the eyes (91 %) showed an improvement of the condition after vitrectomy. Results of this study suggest that genetic factors, age and preexisting ocular alterations influence the long-term prognosis of eyes with ERU after vitrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess potential associations for the development of venous thromboembolic events in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV). Methods. Four hundred and seventeen patients enrolled to participate in randomized controlled trials conducted by the European Vasculitis Society were identified. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to validate previously proposed and identify novel risks associated with venous thromboembol-ism (VTE) in AAV. Results. VTE occurred in 41 of 417 (9.8%) patients. Uncorrected univariate analysis identified BVAS (odds ratio, OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.10; P = 0.013), subsequent development of malignancy (OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.19, 5.71; P = 0.017), mucous membrane or eye involvement (OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.10, 4.11; P = 0.024) and baseline creatinine (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.18; P = 0.037) as being associated with the development of VTE. Multivariate analysis highlighted CRP (per 10mg/l increase, OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.09; P = 0.025), cutaneous involvement (OR = 4.83, 95% CI: 1.63, 14.38; P = 0.005) and gastrointestinal involvement (OR = 6.27, 95% CI: 1.34, 29.37; P = 0.02) among the BVAS items as well as baseline creatinine (per 100 mmol/l increase, OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.35; P = 0.029) as being associated with VTEs. Conclusion. Our results highlight a role of CRP, baseline creatinine, and cutaneous and gastrointestinal involvement in the risk stratification as being associated with thromboembolic events. Moreover, there might be an association between VTEs and subsequent development of malignancy and disease activity in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocular thelaziosis is a parasitosis distributed mainly in East Asia, but increasingly described in Europe in different domestic and wild animals, including dogs, different wild canids and lagomorphs, and exceptionally in humans. In Spain, in some areas, a high infection prevalence rate has been described in domestic canids, which may lead to an increase in human cases. However, the description of human cases is still exceptional, which suggests that they are probably underdiagnosed. A case of ocular thelaziosis in a 2-year-old girl from an urban environment is described., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This article examines the articulation between the senses of taste and sight through the representations of their organs, the tongue and the eye, in early modern Europe. The relationship between taste and sight first brings to mind gastronomical aesthetics, and the part played by the eye in the relish of beautifully presented dishes. The first part of this article is therefore devoted to exploring thetaste of the eye(or the foretaste of sight) and highlights the harmony of taste and sight in early modern cuisine. However, the forms of reciprocity between taste and sight cannot be reduced to the sole figure of culinary aesthetics, which tends to blur the other multiple modalities that this sensorial association could reveal. The second part, thesight of the tongue(or the invisibility of taste), thus examines more complex layers of the relationship between the sense of sight and the taste organ, through a study of the representations of the tongue and of the gaping mouth in early modern visual culture. Drawing on early modern textual and iconographic resources and exploring: cookbooks; physiognomic works; conduct books; and also engravings and paintings related to the culinary arts, the seven deadly sins, and representations of madness and the fool in early modern visual culture, this essay argues that examining the representations of the sense organs is a suggestive way to explore the relationship between the senses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: To discuss our follow-up and treatment results in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). Materials and Methods: The records of 168 TAO cases who were followed at our clinic between October 1998 and October 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. The severity and activity of the disease were evaluated according to the criteria of the European Group on Graves' Ophthalmopathy (EUGOGO) and Clinical Activity Score (CAS). Results: Sixty-three men and 105 women participated in the study. The mean age of the patients was 42.3±12.4 years. Smoking habit was noted in 54.2% of the cases. Graves' disease was the most common (80.4%) thyroid pathology accompanying TAO. TAO was mild in 64.4%, moderate-to-severe in 33.6% and severe in 2% of the eyes. Male gender was found as an independent risk factor for severity of the disease (p = 0.040). TAO was in the active phase in 32.6% of the eyes. Older age and high thyroid receptor antibody titer were correlated with disease activity (P = 0.031 and P<0.001, respectively). Thirty-four patients (20%) were treated for ocular findings. The most common treatment was systemic steroid therapy (12%); others included orbital decompression (5%), orbital radiotherapy (2%), and topical application of guanethidine (1%). Conclusion: Non-infiltrative phase and mild ocular findings were generally seen in TAO. Therefore, treatment is not recommended for many cases. Systemic steroid therapy is the most commonly used treatment modality in the active phase. However, orbital decompression surgery is necessary in a small number of cases with sight-threatening ocular findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cosmetics Europe, The Personal Care Association (known as Colipa before 2012), conducted a program of technology transfer and within/between laboratory reproducibility of MatTek Corporation’s EpiOcular™ Eye Irritation Test (EIT) as one of the two human reconstructed tissue test methods. This EIT EpiOcular™ used a single exposure period for each chemical and a prediction model based on a cut-off in relative survival [⩽60%=irritant (I) (GHS categories 2 and 1); >60%=no classification (NC)]. Test substance single exposure time was 30min with a 2-h post-exposure incubation for liquids and 90min with an 18-h post-exposure incubation for solids. Tissue viability was determined by tetrazolium dye (MTT) reduction. Combinations of 20 coded chemicals were tested in 7 laboratories. Standardized laboratory documentation was used by all laboratories. Twenty liquids (11 NC/9 I) plus 5 solids (3 NC/2 I) were selected so that both exposure regimens could be assessed. Concurrent positive (methyl acetate) and negative (water) controls were tested in each trial. In all, 298 independent trials were performed and demonstrated 99.7% agreement in prediction (NC/I) across the laboratories. Coefficients of variation for the% survival for tissues from each treatment group across laboratories were generally low. This protocol has entered in 2010 the experimental phase of a formal ECVAM validation program. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To report the clinical phenotype and associated genotype of a European patient cohort with GUCY2D-related autosomal-dominant (AD) cone–/cone–rod dystrophy (COD/CORD), we retrospectively analyzed 25 patients (17 female, range 12–68) with GUCY2D-related AD-COD/CORD from three major academic centers in Europe and reviewed the previously published data of 148 patients (visual acuity (VA), foveal thickness, age of first symptoms, and genetic variant). Considering all the patients, the onset of first symptoms was reported at a median age of 7 years (interquartile range 5–19 years, n = 78), and mainly consisted of reduced VA, photophobia and color vision abnormality. The disease showed a high degree of inter-eye symmetry in terms of VA (n = 165, Spearman's ρ = 0.85, p < 0.0001) and foveal thickness (Spearman's ρ = 0.96, n = 38, p < 0.0001). Disease progression was assessed by plotting VA as a function of age (n = 170). A linear best-fit analysis suggested a loss of 0.17 logMAR per decade (p < 0.0001). We analyzed the largest cohort described so far (n = 173), and found that the most common mutations were p.(Arg838Cys) and p.(Arg838His). Furthermore, the majority of patients suffered severe vision loss in adulthood, highlighting a window of opportunity for potential intervention. The emerging patterns revealed by this study may aid in designing prospective natural history studies to further define endpoints for future interventional trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women, with increasing incidence in Europe and North America. The frequency of involvement of the eye and visual pathways is reported to be as high as 30% in patients with known metastatic disease. In some cases, ophthalmic involvement can be the first sign of metastatic spread. Metastasis occurs via the haematogenous route and predominantly involves the choroid. Metastases to other ocular structures, the orbit and the visual pathways have also been described. Paraneoplastic effects are rare but significant. Treatments: Different modalities are employed in the treatment of breast cancer and its metastases. These include chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The ocular adverse effects of these have been well described, but recently developed new treatment modalities, such as monoclonal antibodies, may have different side-effects. With the increasing incidence of breast cancer and the advent of new treatment strategies, the complications of the disease and the sequelae of therapy are highly relevant to both oncologists and ophthalmologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the results of a drusen laser study on the ability of prophylactic laser treatment to hasten choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in unilateral age-related maculopathy (ARM) conducted in five hospital centers in Europe. It is said that the unilateral group patients has drusen and visual acuity of 20/40 or better in the study eye and neovascular ARM while those in the bilateral soft drusen group, eyes of the patients were randomized to right eye, laser or no laser and left, alternative. Best-corrected visual acuity and CNV signs are used as outcome measures.

The mission of the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) is to advance the research, literacy, and educational aspects of the scientific field of the tear film and ocular surface. Fundamental to fulfilling this mission is the TFOS Global Ambassador program. TFOS Ambassadors are dynamic and proactive experts, who help promote TFOS initiatives, such as presenting the conclusions and recommendations of the recent TFOS DEWS II™, throughout the world. They also identify unmet needs, and propose future clinical and scientific solutions, for management of ocular surface diseases in their countries. This meeting report addresses such needs and solutions for 25 European countries, as detailed in the TFOS European Ambassador meeting in Rome, Italy, in September 2019., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Based on the new information provided by the Applicant, the SCCS considers the use of Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone (HEPB) as a cosmetic preservative in rinse-off, oral care and leave-on cosmetic products with a maximum concentration of 0.7% safe with regard to eye irritation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posturographic signals were recorded for 384 subjects of different ages and with old persons with gait disturbances. Four conditions were used: Eyes Open/Closed vs. Head Normal/Bent Back. 'Center of Pressure' (CoP) signals were decomposed into 'Center of Mass' (CoM) and the remaining difference between Center of Pressure and Center of Mass (CoPM). The Zero-Crossing points in which the Center of Mass and Center of Pressure paths cross each other have been extracted. Velocity of CoM, velocity of CoPM and acceleration of CoPM in Zero-Crossing points were analyzed to be potential markers of balance efficiency. Three factors causing the deterioration of balance quality were analyzed: closing eyes, bending the head back and patient age. The influence of the given factors was measured using the significance p of the t-Student test and Cohen's d effect size and applied to differences for the logarithms of three of the mentioned above variables measured without and with the given deteriorating factor. In the majority of comparisons, the proposed new parameters of balance quality possessed higher statistical power to detect deteriorated balance quality than the standard parameters: standard deviation of the signal and ellipse area covering 90% of the signal envelope. Most valuable are the velocity and acceleration of CoPM for the medio-lateral direction. Logarithms of the analyzed parameters are proposed to be used in analyses because they possess normal or close to normal distribution and they are less sensitive to single high values occurring often in measurements., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurs in more than one-half of patients who develop chronic GVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), causing prolonged morbidity that affects activities of daily living and quality of life. Here we provide an expert review of ocular GVHD in a collaboration between transplantation physicians and ophthalmologists through the Late Effects and Quality of Life Working Committee of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and the Transplant Complications Working Party of the European Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Recent updates in ocular GVHD regarding pathophysiology, preclinical models, risk factors, prevention, screening, diagnosis, response criteria, evaluation measures, and treatment are discussed. Ocular GVHD involves at least 3 biological processes: lacrimal gland dysfunction, meibomian gland dysfunction, and corneoconjunctival inflammation. Preclinical models have identified several novel pathogenic mechanisms, including the renin angiotensin system and endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling, which can be targeted by therapeutic agents. Numerous studies have identified reliable tests for establishing diagnosis and response assessment of ocular GVHD. The efficacy of systemic and topical treatment for ocular GVHD is summarized. It is important that all health professionals caring for HCT recipients have adequate knowledge of ocular GVHD to provide optimal care., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To determine normal values for Schirmer tear test I and intraocular pressure in four European species of birds of prey., Animals Studied: Twenty birds from each of the following species: Eurasian Tawny owl (Strix aluco), Little owl (Athene noctua), Common buzzard (Buteo buteo), and European kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)., Procedures: Both eyes of all birds (80 eyes) underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, which included a Schirmer tear test type I (STT-I) performed with commercially available strips and the assessment of the intraocular pressure (IOP) by applanation tonometry, employing the Tonopen-XL(®) device. The animals, which had been taken to a rescue center, were examined for ocular lesions prior to their eventual release into the wild. STT-I readings and IOP values were expressed as means ± standard deviation., Results: Schirmer tear test type I readings were as follows: Eurasian Tawny owls: 3.12 ± 1.92 mm/min; Little owls: 3.5 ± 1.96 mm/min; Common buzzards: 12.47 ± 2.66 mm/min; European kestrels: 6.20 ± 3.67 mm/min. IOP values were as follows: Eurasian Tawny owls: 11.21 ± 3.12 mmHg; Little owls: 9.83 ± 3.41 mmHg; Common buzzards: 17.2 ± 3.53 mmHg; European kestrels: 8.53 ± 1.59 mmHg., Conclusions: The results of this study give representative values for STT-I and IOP in four of the most common species of birds of prey in Europe., (© 2012 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)

Descriptions of animal eyes in the Middle Ages in the learned work Physiologus from the 4th century, based on Aristoteles, Plutarc, the Bible etc. are commented on. The modern biologist is horrified, the historian understands the ethical - religious aspects behind the edifying stories concerning the lion, gazelle, eagle, snake, lizard, swallow etc. Medical science and theology were not separated in the Middle Ages.