RESUMEN
Currently, brachytherapy is the most commonly used therapeutic approach for uveal melanomas. Surgical resection by means of endoresection or exoresection is an alternative approach. The present report recounts our experience over 15 years in the treatment of uveal melanoma using a combined approach of resection surgery with brachytherapy. This is a single-center observational retrospective cohort study in which we describe clinical outcomes, complications and survival in 35 cases of melanoma of the iris or the ciliary body after a combination of surgery and brachytherapy or brachytherapy alone. Local treatment of the tumor was successful in all cases with surgery and brachytherapy. The most frequent complications were scleromalacia, bullous keratopathy, retinal toxicity, cataracts, hypotonia, and photophobia. There were three cases of recurrence, all of which were found in the group of patients who had received brachytherapy alone, and in one case we had to perform a secondary enucleation due to tumor growth after brachytherapy. At present, only one patient has died during follow-up due to liver metastases six years after the start of treatment. In carefully selected patients, this approach can be effective and safe, as long as a close follow-up is carried out after surgery.
RESUMEN
Printed circuit board (PCB) technology is well known, reliable, and low-cost, and its application to biomedicine, which implies the integration of microfluidics and electronics, has led to Lab-on-PCB. However, the biocompatibility of the involved materials has to be examined if they are in contact with biological elements. In this paper, the solder mask (PSR-2000 CD02G/CA-25 CD01, Taiyo Ink (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, China) of a commercial PCB has been studied for retinal cultures. For this purpose, retinal explants have been cultured over this substrate, both on open and closed systems, with successful results. Cell viability data shows that the solder mask has no cytotoxic effect on the culture allowing the application of PCB as the substrate of customized microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Finally, a comparative study of the biocompatibility of the 3D printer Uniz zSG amber resin has also been carried out.
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AIM: To assess the relationship between choroidal thickness and renal function in diabetic patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective clinical study of 42 eyes of 21 ocular treatment-naïve diabetic patients. Demographic data included: age, sex, type and course of diabetes. Ocular data included: severity of diabetic retinopathy; retinal thickness at the central macular region, as well as choroidal thickness at the central and paracentral quadrants, using automatically generated maps by swept-source optical coherence tomography; presence of cystic macular edema; and ocular axial length (AXL). Lab-test parameters included: glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), albuminuria, albumin/creatinine ratio in urine, and glomerular filtration rate. RESULTS: A significant negative correlation was mainly observed between several choroidal thicknesses, age (P<0.020) and ocular AXL (P<0.030). On the contrary, a significant positive correlation was found between all choroidal thicknesses, HbA1c (P<0.035) and albuminuria (P<0.040). CONCLUSION: Choroidal thickness can represent an additional tool to help clinicians predicting the renal status in ocular treatment-naïve diabetic patients.
RESUMEN
IMPACT STATEMENT: In the promising field of cellular therapy for retinal degenerative diseases, a new biomaterial is proposed as a scaffold to grow and surgically introduce a monolayer of retinal pigment epithelial cells into the subretinal space, keeping the orientation of the cells for a proper functional integration of the transplant. The use of induced pluripotent stem cells as the starting material for retinal pigment epithelial cells is intended to advance toward a personalized medicine approach.