Preliminary studies of the effects of vascular adhesion protein-1 inhibitors on experimental corneal neovascularization.

Vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) controls the adhesion of lymphocytes to endothelial cells and is upregulated at sites of inflammation. Moreover, it expresses amine oxidase activity, due to the sequence identity with semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase. Recent studies indicate a significant role for VAP-1 in neovascularization, besides its contribution to inflammation. Pathological blood vessel development in severe ocular diseases (such as diabetes, age-related macula degeneration, trauma and infections) might lead to decreased visual acuity and finally to blindness, yet there is no clear consensus as to its appropriate treatment. In the present case study, the effects of two VAP-1 inhibitors on experimentally induced corneal neovascularization in rabbits were compared with the effects of a known inhibitor of angiogenesis, bevacizumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody. In accordance with recent literature data, the results of the preliminary study reported here indicate that the administration of VAP-1 inhibitors is a potentially valuable therapeutic option in the treatment of corneal neovascularization.

Recently recognized cases of ophthalmofilariasis in Hungary.

PURPOSE: To report four cases of zoonotic ophthalmodirofilariasis infection caused by Dirofilaria repens in Hungary. METHODS: Four cases of ophthalmofilariasis have been treated at our department during the last 14 months. A subconjunctival moving worm was observed by slit lamp biomicroscopy in two cases. In one of these a living filaria was surgically removed, but the other disappeared. Red eye and migrating edema were the presenting signs in two cases. A biopsy taken from the subcutaneous masses disclosed D repens. RESULTS: Histopathologic or parasitologic examination identified a female D repens in every case. Laboratory alterations were not found. Symptoms subsided after treatment. CONCLUSION: The clinical presentation of filariasis is not always straightforward, and a high index of suspicion is necessary in cases presenting with orbital or periorbital inflammation. During the past 10 years the identification of locally acquired infections by D repens has increased in Hungary.

[Tumoral sinuses or vascular channels in tumors. Legacy of B. Kellner] / Tumor-sinusok avagy vaszkuláris csatornák malignus daganatokban. Legacy of B. Kellner.

The re-discovery of the tumor cell-lined vascular channels and the possible pathomechanism (vasculogenic mimicry) earned major attention in the literature. This phenomenon is known for 60 years following B.Kellner, later supported by several groups, however its significance is still not known. The two new form of tumor blood supply, the incorporation/apoptotic remodeling of the preexisting vasculature and the latest discovery of endothelial gene expression in tumor cells suggest two alternative mechanisms for the development of tumor sinuses or vascular channels. The existence of these sinuses in malignant tumors and their possible function in the nutrient supply may limit the application of the new anti-angiogenic therapies.