Comparison of the effect of ranibizumab and dexamethasone implant in diabetic macular edema with concurrent epiretinal membrane.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of intravitreal ranibizumab (RZB) injections and intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implant in diabetic macular edema (DME) with concurrent epiretinal membrane (ERM). METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational, comparative study. Medical records of DME patients with concurrent ERM were retrospectively reviewed. Seventeen eyes of 16 patients treated with 3 consecutive monthly RZB injections (RZB group) and 22 eyes of 18 patients treated with a DEX implant (DEX group) were included. The groups were compared at baseline, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th months in terms of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and intraocular pressure (IOP). RESULTS: Eighteen of the 39 eyes (46.1%) were phakic at baseline, 9 (52.9%) of which were treated with RZB, whereas 9 (40.9%) were treated with DEX implant (P=0.528). Although CMT improved significantly in both the RZB and DEX groups (P<0.001); the trend was different (P=0.003). The mean change in CMT at 1month in the DEX group was greater (DEX: 188.2±142.7µm; RZB: 95.7±110.7µm; P=0.034); it was in favor of RZB group at the 3rd and 4th months (DEX: -52.7±86.9µm; RZB: 1.4±31.4µm; P=0.012. DEX: -63±67.3µm; RZB: -5.8±43.9µm; P=0.004, respectively). BCVA improved significantly in both groups (P<0.001). There was no statistical difference between the groups with regard to gain in BCVA or IOP change throughout the study period (P=0.572, P=0.064, respectively). CONCLUSION: Both RZB and DEX are effective in improving anatomical and visual outcomes in DME with concurrent ERM. The DEX group was associated with a prompt anatomic response, but with a gradual decrease from 3rd month.

Estudios de pronóstico de cáncer de mama y linfoma con marcadores de laboratorio clínico / Studies on prognosis of breast cancer and lymphoma with markers of clinical laboratory

Se estudiaron 85 pacientes de cáncer de mama a las que se les realizó 18 pruebas de laboratorio antes y a 3 meses del tratamiento; no se encontró asociación alguna con el pronóstico a 3 años de evolución. Simultáneamente se estudiaron 71 pacientes de linfoma a los que se les realizó los mismos análisis y se encontró una asociación con el pronóstico y las zonas de albúmina, alfa 1 y gamma de la electroforesis de proteínas, hierro, eritrosedimentación, PCR y fosfatasa alcalina en el linfoma de Hodgkin, mientras que en el linfoma no Hodgkin tuvieron valor pronóstico la zona alfa 2, la haptoglobina, la ceruloplasmina y la eritrosedimentación. Estas conservaron su valor pronóstico aun dentro de un mismo estadio, en el linfoma no Hodgkin, mientras que en el linfoma de Hodgkin se asocian al estadio