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Background: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is associated with an array of peripheral manifestations. Our study aims to evaluate extra-articular manifestations of SpA in a Romanian academic clinical setting and to observe their associations with different disease measures. Methods: The study was designed to note the extra-articular manifestations of SpA patients in a cross-sectional and retrospective manner. Records included demographics, inflammation markers, SpA clinical characteristics, treatment regimes, associated osteoporosis and cardiovascular morbidity. Data were assessed by using appropriate non-parametric tests. Results: A total of 126 SpA patients were included. The most common extra-articular manifestations were skin involvement in the form of psoriasis (34,1%), eye involvement in the form of acute anterior uveitis (8.7%) and dactylitis (7.2%). Compared to patients with no record of uveitis, uveitis-affected cases were more frequently males, more frequently diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, but less frequently dyslipidemic and diagnosed with psoriasis. Psoriasis-affected patients were older and had a higher prevalence of peripheral SpA diagnosis, but a lower prevalence of radiographic sacroiliitis. Conclusions: Acute anterior uveitis in SpA predominantly affects males with AS. This is relevant both to clinical and fundamental science, since its management requires both ophthalmology and rheumatology clinical settings. Psoriasis was associated more frequently with peripheral SpA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Though other VEGF inhibitors are being approved for the treatment of ophthalmological conditions, bevacizumab found its way into ophthalmology and clinical practice all around the world. The objective of this review is to present the ophthalmic dosage and administration pathways of bevacizumab in treating refractory glaucoma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Eyelids are very susceptible area for non-melanoma skin cancers; among that, basal cell carcinoma has the highest incidence (almost 90% of malignant eyelid tumors) and 50-60% of eyelid basal cell carcinomas appear on inferior eyelid. Objective: To analyze clinical features of inferior eyelid basal cell carcinoma and to determine the efficacy of surgical treatment with frozen sectioncontrolled margins and methods of primary reconstruction of defects. Methods: A review of medical records of cases with primary inferior eyelid basal cell carcinoma treated by surgical excision with urgent histopathology controlled margins by FS technique, doubled by paraffin examination from October 2011 to October 2014. After histopathology confirmation of tumor free margins, proper inferior eyelid reconstruction was performed. Results:The review resulted in 36 patients with 36 lesions analyzed by clinical, histopatological and therapeuticalaspectswith a mean follow-up of 20 months. All lesions were primary BCC affecting inferior eyelid. There were no recurrence in the follow-up period. Inferior eyelid reconstruction techniques were direct closure for small defects and complex techniques for defects more than one third of eyelid length. Discussion: Appropriate eyelid examination is mandatory in any routine ophthalmic check-up. Clinical signs suggestive of BCC should be familiar to ophthalmologist in order to have an early diagnosis and treatment for these tumors. Surgical treatment with FS controlled excision followed by eyelid reconstruction is an efficient treatment for inferior eyelid BCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keeping the eye is impossible, functionality is lost and aesthetic requirements are high. What do we do? Which approach is right? This is the dilemma we face whenenucleation or evisceration are unavoidable. The patient loses a sensory organ with a very important function and, at the same time, is faced with a major aesthetic defect, leading to significant anxiety. The purpose of this article is to describe the different reconstruction techniques for anophthalmic sockets. In preparing the anopthalmic socket for prosthesis fitting we have several options: dermis-fat graft with a very good biocompatibility, the Guthoff artificial implant, which provides better motility or the methyl methacrylate implant inside the muscle cone. Each option has advantages and disadvantages but the choice of technique should be adapted to the needs and expectations of the patient, taking into account both time and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness and the early diagnosis is crucial for treatment and follow-up in the progression of the disease. Objective: To evaluate the changes in mean macular thickness and volume and compare them with the mean thickness of the peripapillary nerve fiber layer in primary open angle glaucoma, using Time Domain (TD) optical coherence tomography (OCT). Method: The examinations were conducted on 275 eyes of 138 patients, as it follows: 203 eyes of 102 patients diagnosed with primary open angle glaucoma in various stages of evolution, representing the study group, and 72 normal eyes from 36 patients, representing the control group. The study was conducted from March 2010 to December 2012. All the patients gave their consent, in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. The study group showed a decrease in mean macular thickness and volume, as well as mean thickness of the peripapillary nerve fiber layer (RNFL) compared to the control group. According to the OCT measurements, the results of the study have shown that the decrease of the mean thickness of the RNFL is a better differentiator between glaucomatous and normal eyes compared to the decrease of the mean macular thickness and volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallstone ileus represents a rare (0.3-0.5%)[1], but serious complication of a common illness - the gallbladder lithiasis and the incidence of this fascinating disease has remained the same over the years. The main actual characteristics of this pathology are the age over 65, the female gender (men/women ratio 1/5:1:10 - due to the high rate of vesicular lithiasis) and the under 50% diagnostic established preoperatively. The frequency of gallstone ileus recurrence is of 4,7-5%. In this article, we discuss the pathogenesis of this illness presenting all the mechanisms described in the medical literature. The Rigler triad found at the abdominal CT- scan generally established the diagnosis. Still, in 25% of the cases we have a misdiagnosis because of the underestimation of the size of the gallstone. Finally, the treatment of gallstone ileus has had major changes from the past. We described the endoscopic and laparoscopic approach, which represents the modern treatment of this disease. Despite these diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities, the mortality remains high and the common causes are associated comorbidities and late presentation to the physician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early diagnosis and detection of progression are two key-elements in the actual management of glaucoma. The current opinion in clinical practice is to quantify the structural damage for a better follow-up of the patient and the standardization of the results. The present review is a concise survey of literature covering the period of 1990-2010, documenting the evidence-based role of confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in glaucoma diagnosis and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy used as adjunctive to glaucoma filtration surgery may help filtering bleb survival because vascular endothelial growth factor has an important role in the angiogenesis of new vessels and in the fibrogenesis, which lead to scar formation and bleb failure. Bevacizumab is a non-selective monoclonal antibody against all isoforms of VEGF-A. We present the case of an inflammatory glaucoma of a 67-year-old female, with uncontrolled intraocular pressure on maximal tolerable medical treatment, who underwent trabeculectomy and received 1.25 mg/0.05 ml of bevacizumab (Avastin) subconjunctivally at the end of the surgery and an additional injection one month later. Right eye intraocular pressure (IOP) was 26 mm Hg at preoperative visit and after surgery, it decreased and remained normal at each postoperative examination with no additional lOP-lowering medication. A localized avascular bleb with moderate elevation was observed six months postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the main causes of blindness and visual impairment worldwide. Intravitreal complement inhibitors are an emergent approach in the treatment of AMD, which have had encouraging results. This systematic review analyzes the outcomes and safety of complement inhibitor therapies for GA in AMD cases., Methods: A comprehensive search on the PubMed and Web of Science databases returned 18 studies involving various complement inhibitor agents, with a total of 4272 patients and a mean follow-up of 68.2 ± 20.4 weeks., Results: Most treated patients were white (96.8%) and female (55.8%), with a mean age of 78.3 ± 7.8 years and a mean GA area of 8.0 ± 3.9 mm 2 . There were no differences in visual function change between treated and control participants. The mean GA area change was 2.4 ± 0.7 mm 2 in treated participants vs. 2.7 ± 0.8 mm 2 in control groups ( p < 0.001). The ocular and systemic side effects were similar to those of intravitreal anti-VEGF. A less-understood effect was that of the onset of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in 1.1-13% of patients; this effect was found to be more frequent in patients with neovascular AMD in the fellow eye or nonexudative CNV in the study eye at baseline., Conclusions: Complement inhibitors may represent a useful therapy for GA in AMD, but a personalized approach to patient selection is necessary to optimize the outcomes.

Introduction Age-related macular degeneration, a chronic and progressive disease, is one of the leading causes of vision loss globally among the elderly population. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed regarding its pathogenesis, including the presence of lipid metabolism alteration. Dysfunctional lipid handling within retinal pigment epithelial cells has been implicated in the accumulation of lipofuscin and subsequent induction of oxidative stress and inflammation, all contributing to retinal degeneration. The present study aims to comparatively analyze the serum lipid fraction distributions in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and controls. Materials and methods A retrospective study was carried out between January 2021 and December 2023 on 91 naïve patients with neovascular AMD and 90 controls admitted for routine cataract surgery. All subjects underwent a comprehensive ophthalmological exam, including ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) with central macular thickness (CMT) measurement. A complete blood count with differential and lipid fractions values was analyzed. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) were comparatively analyzed between the control group and the test group. Results The groups were comparable in terms of age (73.84 ±7.52 years for the neovascular AMD group vs 72.1±10.92 years in controls; p=0.8) and gender distribution (p=0.243). The mean NLR and PLR values were slightly higher in the AMD group but not statistically significant (p=0.51, p>0.99, respectively). Comparative analysis of lipid profile fractions showed significantly higher HDL-C values in the exudative AMD group compared to normal subjects (61.27±19.4 mg/dL vs 50.99±7.86 mg/dL, p=0.006). Also, the proportion of subjects with HDL-C>60 mg/dL was higher in the exudative AMD group (p=0.014). There were no significant differences in total cholesterol (189.77±53.39 mg/dL vs 190.43±37.84 mg/dL, p=0.681), LDL-C, and TG. Logistic regression analysis showed that serum HDL-C and HDL-C values >60 mg/dL are significantly associated factors with neovascular AMD. However, there is no statistical correlation between the values of these biochemical parameters and visual acuity or CMT in the neovascular AMD patient group. Conclusions There were no correlations between NLR and PLR with neovascular AMD in the study group. Higher HDL-C values exceeding 60 mg/dL were associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and could represent a possible therapeutic target in neovascular AMD., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. issued approval not applicable. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Tricorache et al.)

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the main causes of blindness worldwide, but an effective screening is challenging due to limited available retina specialists. Finding novel biomarkers could help clinical decision in prioritizing ophthalmological consultation in patients at risk of developing severe DR. This study aims to investigate the association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and the presence and severity of DR in patients with T2DM. A retrospective study was performed on 90 patients with T2DM admitted in the Ophthalmology Clinic, Emergency University Hospital Bucharest in Bucharest, Romania, between March 2022 and March 2023, for routine cataract surgery. The cases were divided into three groups according to the severity of DR: no DR (noDR), non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and proliferative DR (PDR) groups. NLR values raised significantly in the PDR group, no DR group (p = 0.003), and NPDR group (p = 0.026), while PLR values did not differ statistically significant among the groups (p = 0.059). No difference in terms of age, sex, HbA1C, and comorbidities were observed. In the multivariate analysis, the NLR (OR = 2.01, [1.29; 3.14], p = 0.0019) and diabetic nephropathy (OR = 3.84, [1.23; 11.98], p = 0.0203) were associated with higher rates of PDR. NLR may be a promising tool in the risk stratification of T2DM patients with DR., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Dascalu et al.)

Background and Objectives : Hyperopia is a refractive error which affects cognitive and social development if uncorrected and raises the risk of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). Materials and Methods : The study included only the right eye-40 hyperopic eyes in the study group (spherical equivalent (SE) under pharmacological cycloplegia over 0.50 D), 34 emmetropic eyes in the control group (SE between -0.50 D and +0.50 D). A complete ophthalmological evaluation was performed, including autorefractometry to measure SE, and additionally we performed Ocular Response Analyser: Corneal Hysteresis (CH), Corneal Resistance Factor (CRF); specular microscopy: Endothelial cell density (CD), Cell variability (CV), Hexagonality (Hex), Aladdin biometry: Anterior Chamber Depth (ACD), Axial Length (AL), Central Corneal Thickness (CCT). IBM SPSS 26 was used for statistical analysis. Results : The mean age of the entire cohort was 22.93 years (SD ± 12.069), 66.22% being female and 33.78% male. The hyperopic eyes had significantly lower AL, ACD, higher SE, CH, CRF. In the hyperopia group, there are significant, negative correlations between CH and AL (r -0.335), CRF and AL (r -0.334), SE-AL (r -0.593), ACD and CV (r -0.528), CV and CRF (r -0.438), CH (r -0.379), and positive correlations between CCT and CH (r 0.393) or CRF (r 0.435), CD and ACD (r 0.509) or CH (0.384). Age is significantly, negatively correlated with ACD (r -0.447), CH (r -0.544), CRF (r -0.539), CD (r -0.546) and positively with CV (r 0.470). Conclusions : Our study suggests a particular biomechanical behavior of the cornea in hyperopia, in relation with morphological and endothelial parameters. Moreover, the negative correlation between age and ACD suggests a shallower anterior chamber as patients age, increasing the risk for PACG.

Retinal vasculitis is a complication associated with a local condition or it can be a retinal expression of a systemic inflammatory disorder, which initially may go unnoticed. Drug-associated vasculitis is frequently difficult to identify, because many patients follow treatments with more than one drug and the route of administration varies. A 35-year-old female patient presented with sudden hearing loss, headache and blurred vision that had started two weeks earlier and had become progressively worse. Ophthalmological examination revealed anterior uveitis, bilateral optic disc swelling and retinal vasculitis. The orbito-cerebral MRI, the CT scan and the serological tests were within normal limits. Unable to identify the cause of the retinal vasculitis, the patient's medical history was reviewed. The patient had recently had a gynecological procedure, where a 13.5 mg levonorgestrel intrauterine contraceptive device was implanted. After the device was removed and methylprednisolone treatment started, the patient presented a visible remission of the symptoms and signs. To the best of our knowledge, there is no case of retinal disease and optic disc edema associated with auditory problems caused by an intrauterine device. A proper examination, correlated with a very thorough medical history, could identify rare diseases and associations, in order to provide adequate medical care., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Ghita et al.)

Rare ocular pathology has an important impact on the quality of life of patients because often the damage is bilateral and, although asymmetric, causes a significant decrease in visual acuity. Because it may be asymptomatic until a relatively late stage, diagnosis is frequently delayed. A general understanding of the disease pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment may assist primary care physicians in referring high-risk patients for comprehensive ophthalmological examination and for a more active involvement in their care. Moreover, a significant percentage of these orphan diseases do not have treatment approved by the FDA. The examination and monitoring of patients with rare ophthalmological disorders represents a key component of an ongoing project at the University Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania - Ophthalmology Clinic. Rare disease registries are leading tools for the development of clinical research for rare diseases, improvement of patient access to new diagnostic methods, follow-up and new emerging therapies. As of this moment, the European list of rare diseases includes 53 ophthalmological diseases, which are classified as rare diseases and another 103 systemic diseases with ophthalmological involvement, out of a total of 7000 rare diseases.

The primary objective was to assess the utility of routine 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound in the evaluation of infertile women and to estimate the prevalence of uterine anomalies before the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART), using the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology and the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy classification system. A second objective was to assess the effect of uterine anomalies on the pregnancy rate in patients who underwent assisted reproductive techniques.We retrospectively studied 668 patients treated in the Department Obstetrics Gynecology and Neonatology "Sf Ioan" Clinical Emergency Hospital and in the Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine "'Transilvania" University of Brasov between July 2016 and February 2017 for subfertility. Patients were examined using 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) transvaginal ultrasound. Müllerian duct anomalies were present in 6.13% of patients, with the most common anomaly being a dysmorphic uterus (class U1c in 42.68% of patients), 17 patients (20.73%) with incompletely septate uterus (class U2a), 12 patients (14.63%) with a completely septate uterus (classU2b), 8 patients (9.75%) with a partly bicorporeal uterus (classU3a), and 6 patients (7.31%) with a completely bicorporeal uterus (class U3b). Only 1 (1.21%) patient had an aplastic uterus without a rudimentary cavity (class U5b). The pregnancy rate in the presence of uterine anomalies was 55% and the pregnancy rate in control group patients was 39.8%. The incidence of pregnancy in the group with uterine anomalies was statistically similar with the control group of normal uterus (P < .11). For ongoing pregnancy rate and live birth rate, our data indicated a slightly elevated rate for both of those indexes in the anomalies group. The incidence of miscarriage in the presence of uterine anomalies was 24% and 6.7% in the control group, which is statistically significant (P = .05).3D ultrasound evaluation of the uterus should be considered before ART in order to make an accurate diagnosis of the uterine congenital anomaly and improve ART results.

Serpiginous choroiditis represents an inflammation, often asymmetric, situated at the level of the inner choroid, which is related to the retinal pigment epithelium and the choriocapillaris. It is known as a primarily idiopathic, but there are authors who consider it an autoimmune process. Many times, fundus autofluorescence is the investigation which is guiding the diagnosis, the management, also the follow-up together with the determination of the progressive visual prognosis. Local treatment is proven to be sometimes an adjunctive treatment often effective. Abbreviations: SC = Serpiginous choroiditis; RPE = Retinal pigment epithelium.

White dot syndromes consists a group of inflammatory eye diseases with an unknown etiology involving the external retina, retinal pigment epithelium, choroid or combinations of them. They affect one or both eyes, at the same time or not. White dot syndromes are often self-limited, with a variable prognosis, depending on the type of the disease. The purpose of this article was to look at the similarities and the differences between the different types of syndromes and the therapeutic possibilities existing at present. Abbreviations: WDS = White dot syndromes, MEWDS = Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome, APMPPE = Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment epitheliopathy, SC = serpiginous choroiditis RPE = retinal pigment epithelium.

Background: Recently, 1.5-Tesla cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) was reported to provide a reliable alternative to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for the quantification of aortic stenosis (AS) severity. Few data are available using higher magnetic field strength MRI systems in this context., Aims: To evaluate the feasibility and reproducibility of the assessment of aortic valve area (AVA) using 3-Tesla CMR in routine clinical practice, and to assess concordance between TTE and CMR for the estimation of AS severity., Methods: Ninety-one consecutive patients (60 men; mean age 74±10years) with known AS documented by TTE were included prospectively in the study., Results: All patients underwent comprehensive TTE and CMR examination, including AVA estimation using the TTE continuity equation (0.81±0.18cm 2 ), direct CMR planimetry (CMRp) (0.90±0.22cm 2 ) and CMR using Hakki's formula (CMRhk), a simplified Gorlin formula (0.70±0.19cm 2 ). Although significant agreement with TTE was found for CMRp (r=0.72) and CMRhk (r=0.66), CMRp slightly overestimated (bias=0.11±0.18cm 2 ) and CMRhk slightly underestimated (bias=-0.11±0.17cm 2 ) AVA compared with TTE. Inter- and intraobserver reproducibilities of CMR measurements were excellent (r=0.72 and r=0.74 for CMRp and r=0.88 and r=0.92 for peak aortic velocity, respectively)., Conclusion: 3-Tesla CMR is a feasible, radiation-free, reproducible imaging modality for the estimation of severity of AS in routine practice, knowing that CMRp tends to overestimate AVA and CMRhk to underestimate AVA compared with TTE., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: As we strongly believe that treating the mitral valve abnormalities is a key feature of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), we have systematically corrected both the anterior and posterior leaflet (PL) size and geometry. We have analysed our immediate results and at mid-term follow-up., Methods: From March 2010 until June 2015, 16 patients with HOCM underwent surgical correction of obstruction. The mean age was 51 years old (range, 32-72 years). All were symptomatic being New York Heart Association (NYHA) class 3 (n = 4) or 4 (n = 12). All had systolic anterior motion at echocardiogram with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Intraventricular gradient preoperatively was 73.5 mmHg (range, 50-120 mmHg). All patients underwent a double-stage procedure: first septal resection through (i) the aortic valve and (ii) the detached anterior leaflet (AL) of the mitral valve and at second, mitral valve repair by (i) reducing PL height (leaflet resection or artificial neochordae) (ii) increasing AL height with pericardial patch., Results: There was no in-hospital or late death. All patients were Class 1 NYHA at latest follow-up. Control echocardiography showed no MR, mean rest intraventricular gradient was 15 mmHg (range, 9-18 mmHg)., Conclusions: Our good mid-term results support the concept that HOCM is not only a septal disease and that the mitral valve pathology is a key component that should be addressed. For most patients, the ideal surgical treatment should consist in a two-step procedure. It is even necessary to be studied whether treating the mitral valve alone could not suffice., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Corneal avascularity is necessary for the preservation of optimal vision. The cornea maintains a dynamic balance between pro- and antiangiogenic factors that allows it to remain avascular under normal homeostatic conditions. Corneal neovascularization (NV) is a condition that can develop in response to inflammation, hypoxia, trauma, or limbal stem cell deficiency and it is a significant cause of blindness. New therapeutic options for diseases of the cornea and ocular surface are now being explored in experimental animals and clinical trials. Antibody based biologics are being tested for their ability to reduce blood and lymphatic vessel ingrowth into the cornea, and to reduce inflammation. Numerous studies have shown that biologics with specificity for VEGF A such as bevacizumab and ranibizumab (a recombinant antibody and an antibody fragment, respectively) or anti-tumor necrosis factor-α microantibody, are effective in the treatment of corneal neovascularization.

The assessment of the etiology and severity of functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) has many limitations, especially when tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is more than severe. Instead of relying solely on TR severity, a new approach not only takes into account the severity of TR, but also pays strict attention to tricuspid annular dilation (size), the mode of tricuspid leaflet coaptation, and tricuspid leaflet tethering-factors often influenced by right ventricular enlargement and dysfunction. To simplify things, we propose a new staging system for functional tricuspid valve pathology using 3 parameters that may more accurately reflect the severity of the disease: TR severity, annular dilation, and mode of leaflet coaptation (extent of tethering). We believe that by utilizing these parameters, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons will be offered a better system for appraisal and decision-making in FTR., (Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Multiple drug resistance requires a flexible approach to find medicines able to overcome it. One method could be the exposure of existing medicines to UV laser beams to generate active photoproducts against bacteria and/or malignant tumors., Methods: The interaction of Chlorpromazine (CPZ) (irradiated with 266 nm pulsed laser beams) was studied at concentrations of 10 mg/ml and 20 mg/ ml in ultrapure water, with pseudotumors of rabbits eyes., Results: The use of CPZ water solution exposed to 266 nm in the treatment of pseudotumor tissues produced on rabbit eyes showed that treatment results depend on initial (before irradiation) CPZ concentration and exposure time. At this stage, one could not specify which out of the generated photoproducts, individual or as a group, was/were efficient in pseudotumor cure but overall effects were observable. Application of CPZ irradiated solutions on rabbit eyes pseudotumors seemed to produce a faster recovery of tissues with respect to control, untreated eyes., Conclusions: Histologic findings in the treated tissues showed a good anti-inflammatory response. The results obtained open perspectives to fight MDR and/or development of pseudotumoral processes with substances that were not initially made for this purpose (non-antibiotics, for instance).

Spondyloarthrites (SPA) represent a group of heterogenous rheumatic diseases (ankylosing spondylitis/SA, psoriatic arthritis/PsA, reactive arthritis/ReA, spondyloarthritis in bowel inflammatory diseases/BID, undifferentiated spondyloarthritis/undif SpA) with distinct clinical features and common genetic predisposition (HLA-B27). SpA may also affect other organs, ocular involvement, represented by uveitis and conjunctivitis, being one of the most important extraskeletal manifestations. Pathogenic mechanisms of ocular involment in SpA are not entirely known; nevertheless, the inflammatory process which characterizes the main rheumatic diseases seems to be responsible for this extraskeletal manifestation. SpA treatment targeted at clinical remission has a favourable effect not only on articular but also on ocular involvement. The discovery of new pathogenic mechanisms of both rheumatic and eye disease in SpA have contributed to identification of new pathogenic therapies. The interdisciplinary team work of rheumatologists and ophtalmologists have prove essential for the management of SpA patients with ocular manifestations.

Turner syndrome is a monosomy (45,X karyotype) in which the prevalence of cardiovascular anomalies is high. However, this aspect of Turner syndrome has received little attention outside of the pediatric medical literature, and the entire spectrum of cardiovascular conditions in adults remains unknown. We present the case of a 34-year-old woman who had Turner syndrome. When she was a teenager, her native bicuspid aortic valve was replaced with a mechanical prosthesis. Fifteen years later, during preoperative examination for prosthesis-patient mismatch, severe mitral regurgitation was detected, and a congenital cleft in the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve was diagnosed with use of 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. The patient underwent concurrent mitral valve repair and aortic valve replacement. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cleft in the posterior mitral valve leaflet as a cardiovascular defect observed in Turner syndrome, and the first such instance to have been diagnosed with the use of 3-dimensional echocardiography.

Objective: We sought to examine the hemodynamic effects at 1 month and 1 year of left ventricular reconstruction by means of endoventricular patch plasty for patients with acute or chronic, very severe post-myocardial infarction heart failure who would have been systematically excluded from the Surgical Treatments for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial., Methods: From 2002 to May 2008, 274 patients underwent left ventricular reconstruction for post-myocardial infarction scarring; 117 of these patients would not have been eligible for the STICH trial. The pertinent criteria for exclusion included 12 patients with no coronary vessel suitable for coronary artery bypass grafting; 17 patients within a month of myocardial infarction, including 11 with acute heart failure (8 septal ruptures and 3 cases of ventricular tachycardia); 48 patients receiving intravenous inotropes, intra-aortic balloon pumping, or both; 15 patients with bifocal or posterior scarring; 4 patients scheduled for heart transplantation; and 21 patients meeting 5 other exclusion criteria. These patients (mean age, 64 years; age range, 34-83 years) preoperatively had a mean 49% (range, 35%-75%) scarred left ventricular circumference, as determined by means of magnetic resonance imaging assessment. In the patients with chronic heart failure, the preoperative ejection fraction was 26% ± 4% (range, 9%-34%), the end-diastolic volume index was 130 ± 43 mL/m(2) (range, 62-343 mL/m(2)), and the end-systolic volume index was 95 ± 37 mL/m(2) (range, 45-289 mL/m(2)). Mitral regurgitation was mild to severe in 56 patients and associated with annular dilatation (≥35 mm) in 51 patients. A strategy of left ventricular reconstruction by means of endoventricular circular suturing and patching excluded the scarred left ventricular wall and was balloon sized to provide a diastolic volume of 50 mL/m(2). Circular patches were used for anteroseptoapical lesions, and triangular patches were used for posterior lesions. The mitral valve was repaired in 51 patients, and coronary revascularization was performed in 105 patients (arterial grafts in 95 and mixed in 12). Seventy-eight patients had endocardectomy, and cryotherapy was used in 39 patients for ventricular tachycardia., Results: Four in-hospital and 2 delayed deaths occurred during the first year. In 101 patients with chronic heart failure, magnetic resonance imaging revealed that ejection fraction improved from 26% ± 4% preoperatively to 40% ± 8% at 1 month and 44% ± 11% at 1 year postoperatively. At these same time points, the end-diastolic volume index was reduced from 130 ± 43 mL/m(2) to 81 ± 27 and 82 ± 25 mL/m(2), respectively, and the end-systolic volume index was reduced from 96 ± 45 mL/m(2) to 50 ± 21 and 47 ± 20 mL/m(2), respectively., Conclusions: With minimal associated mortality, left ventricular reconstruction produces durable improvement in left ventricular function in patients with a large scarred ventricular wall. Considering that this patient cohort would have been systematically excluded from the STICH trial, care should be taken not to extrapolate that study's results too widely so as to inappropriately deny selected patients an effective treatment for ischemic cardiomyopathies with an injured ventricle., (Copyright © 2011 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The study investigates the correlations between structure and function in early detection of glaucoma progression., Materials and Method: A prospective study was carried on 204 patients diagnosed with POAG and a follow-up period of 4 years. All the patients underwent complex ophthalmological examination, C/D ratio, Disk Damage Likelyhood Scale (DDLS), automated perimetry and Heidelberg retina tomography, Results: The relations between structure and function were investigated for all patients, but also according to clinical stage of glaucomatous damage. Structural progression was more frequently associated with perimetric progression for patients with moderate advanced glaucoma. For patients with preperimetric glaucoma and early glaucoma, the progression was present more often for structural test (19,04% and 29,3%), while perimetric progression was less frequent objectivated and weak correlated with structural progression (16,66%). For the 15 cases diagosed with both structural and functional progression, the locations of the structural lesion and functional defect were better correlated in cases involving the poles of the optic disc., Conclusions: Structure-function relation depends on clinical stage of glaucoma and the location of the glaucomatous defects. In early stages, structural investigations can detect progression before perimetry, while in advanced stages, the functional tests are more useful for early detection of progression.

We report the case of a young patient who had a past history of HSV encefalitis and presented for decreased vision in her left eye associated with pain and red eye.

Optic neuropathy (ON) is defined as the reduction of vision due to inflammatory lesion of the optic nerve. The patient with ON has to be evaluated clinically but also with complex techniques (magnetic resonance imaging, visual evoked potentials, cerebrospinal fluid examination) because ON could be the presenting symptom in multiple sclerosis patients. Corticosteroids should be administrated intravenous and the patient should be followed by the neurologist in order to signal the appearance of new neurological signs.