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Background/Objectives: Neuroretinitis (NR) is a rare inflammatory condition characterized by sudden vision loss, optic disc edema and macular star appearance predominantly affecting individuals in their third and fourth decades of life. Methods: This paper describes the case of 33-year-old Caucasian man with no significant medical history complaining of decreased vision for about a week. Results: The ophthalmological exam revealed best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) for the right eye (RE) of 0.8 (decimal notation) and of 0.9 for the left eye (LE). Intraocular pressure (IOP) was 20 mmHg in RE and 18 mmHg in LE. Slit-lamp examination of both eyes (OU) showed no evidence of intraocular inflammation in the anterior chamber or vitreous cavity. Examination of the posterior pole of the right eye showed bilateral papilledema with an incomplete macular fan pattern. Conclusions: Despite extensive laboratory tests, including serologic and imaging investigations, a definitive etiology remained unclear. It is very important to differentiate NR from other optic nerve disorders, requiring careful clinical evaluation and observation of the evolution of symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the complications after total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Numerous studies have been performed to explore the value of biological parameters in the early identification of infection rates after THA and TKA. This study investigates alterations in inflammatory markers associated with PJI. This retrospective study focused on a cohort of patients with hip and knee arthroplasty treated between 2016 and 2022. CRP, ESR, and fibrinogen were observed preoperatively, on days one, three, six, and twenty-one postoperatively. From a total of 4076 THA and TKA performed during this period, 62 patients were identified with periprosthetic infections. We also identified the pathogens responsible for infections in order to assess if asymptomatic preoperative infections were involved in PJI. In patients with acute infections following TKA, days one and three postoperative recorded a CRP value below the expected range. The value of CRP in patients with early infection after THA was significantly increased on day six postoperative. ESR and fibrinogen values were not statistically significantly correlated with early PJI. The CRP level in acute PJI shows different patterns than those shown in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Hip fractures are currently recognized as major public health problems, raising many issues in terms of both patients' quality of life and the cost associated with caring for this type of fracture. Many authors debate whether to operate as soon as possible or to postpone surgery until the patient is stable. The purpose of this review was to review the literature and obtain additional information about the moment of surgery, the time to surgery, length of hospital stay, and how all of these factors influence patient mortality and complications. (2) Methods: The systematic search was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and PICO guidelines, using the Google Scholar platform, for articles published between 2015 and 2023. Quality assessment was performed. (3) Results: After applying the inclusion criteria, 20 articles were included in the final list. Those who had surgery within 48 h had lower in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates than those who operated within 24 h. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score is an important predictive factor for surgical delay, length of hospital stay (LOS), complications, and mortality. (4) Conclusions: Performing surgery in the first 48 h after admission is beneficial to patients after medical stabilization. Avoidance of delayed surgery will improve postoperative complications, LOS, and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intraocular foreign body injuries (IOFB) can lead to a number of intraocular pathologies; the visual results depend on the mechanism of the injury, the type of foreign body and the subsequent complications. The presence of intraocular cilia (eye lashes) following penetrating injury or surgical intervention is uncommon. In the present paper, we present a case of a 58-year-old woman with a history of eye trauma and a perforated corneal wound in the left eye that occurred 50 years ago. On the ophthalmological exam we noticed in the anterior chamber a straight linear extension, resembling cilia, extending behind the iris. The patient reports that it appeared during COVID-19 infection, after repeated episodes of coughing. After a follow-up period, we decided to remove the eyelash; 24 h after surgery, the patient complained of severe eye pain. Intraocular pressure (IOP) in LE was 54 mmHg. The slit-lamp examination showed perikeratic congestion, corneal edema and mydriasis. Eye hypotensive treatment was started immediately and the patient's general condition slightly improved. Intraocular cilia can be tolerated for many years without causing any ocular reaction. The decision for surgical intervention must be taken according to the individual needs of the patient and his ocular characteristics with careful pre- and post-operative follow up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the treatment of Clostridioides Difficile (CD)-infected patients given the increasing number of co-infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this context, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) shows promise in modulating the immune system's function and alleviating the burdens associated with this condition. Methods: To achieve this goal, we performed a comparative, retrospective, single-center study on 86 patients (admitted between January 2020 and March 2022). We based our approach on specific inclusion criteria: 1. The study group included 46 co-infected patients (COVID-19 and CD) receiving antibiotics and FMT; 2. In the control group, 40 co-infected patients received antibiotics only. Our results showed no significant group differences in terms of gender, age, risk factors such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (p > 0.05), or in pre-treatment inflammatory status, evaluated by white blood cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. We report a significant decrease in inflammatory syndrome (CRP, WBC) in coinfected patients receiving FMT in addition to antibiotics (p < 0.05), with a lower relapse rate and mitigation of cramping and abdominal pain (91.3%). In addition, a higher level of fibrinogen, persistent moderate abdominal pain (82.5%), and a significantly higher CD infection relapse rate (42.5%) were recorded in co-infected patients treated only with antibiotics (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study provides new data to support the multiple benefits of FMT in the case of COVID-19 and CD co-infection by improving patients' quality of life and inflammatory syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a challenging surgical procedure. Although good results are presented, the outcomes are worse in comparison with those of primary TKA, with a higher failure rate. The main reasons for the failure of revision TKA include: sepsis, loosening and instability. There are multiple variables linked to these results, and it is difficult to determinate the exact cause as it is often a multifactorial issue. These variables may be related to the quality of the index-procedure (TKA), to the revision procedure or to patient characteristics. The purpose of this review was to highlight the outcomes of revision knee arthroplasty and main factors that may influence the results. Considerable progress has been made during the last 30 years regarding infection treatment and prevention, complex revision prosthetic design and surgical technique development. Although the outcomes have improved over time, patients who undergo revision TKA may need further re-operations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anterior knee pain, as well as patellofemoral disorders, after total knee arthroplasty are important reasons for revision in total knee arthroplasty. Current prosthesis designs include patellar components for patella replacement, and together with improved rational design of the prosthesis and advancement in knee alignment these appear to reduce the incidence of anterior knee pain following total knee replacement, even if the etiology of anterior knee pain remains unclear. However, new complications related to patella resurfacing emerge with this approach. At present, there are three strategies involving patella replacement in total knee arthroplasty: There are surgeons who always replace the patella, others who never resurface the patella and a third group of surgeons who usually do not resurface the patella but replace the patella in particular situations. There are arguments to support each of these viewpoints regarding patella resurfacing but no strong arguments to favor any of them. Finally, the decision to resurface the patella or not should be based on the practice, training and experience of individual surgeons. The aim of this review was to analyze the results of different strategies for patella resurfacing in terms of functional outcome and revision rate following primary total knee arthroplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies increasingly highlight the efficacy of tranexamic acid administration in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the optimal dosage of tranexamic acid is still controversial. Methods: The current study analyzes the efficiency of tranexamic acid dosage and the number of administrations in THA and TKA. The objective of this study is to compare the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) based on the number of dosages. We divided the patients into two groups; one group received a single dosage, and the other group received two dosages. Doppler ultrasound examinations were conducted on the lower limbs of all patients at both six and thirty days postoperatively. The second objective is to compare the decrease in hemoglobin (Hb) in the two groups. Results: The results show that there is no difference in DVT incidence between the patients with different TXA numbers of dosages. There is no statistically significant decrease in Hb between the two groups at day one and day five postoperatively. Day one shows a statistically higher average in the two-dose group, approximately 0.06 g/dL, and day five shows a slightly elevated average in the single-dose group, approximately 0.06 g/dL. Blood transfusion requirements show no significant differences in the groups; one patient in the single-dose tranexamic acid group needed transfusion at day five postoperatively, while two patients in each group required immediate postoperative transfusion. Conclusion: There was no increase in the incidence of deep vein thrombosis among patients receiving two dosages of tranexamic acid.