[Spontaneous intraocular hemorrhage under oral anticoagulation : Apixaban in comparison to phenprocoumon]. / Spontane intraokulare Blutungen unter oraler Antikoagulation : Apixaban im Vergleich zu Phenprocoumon.

BACKGROUND: To determine and compare the frequency of intraocular hemorrhage in patients who underwent oral anticoagulation with apixaban or phenprocoumon. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients under oral anticoagulant medication (apixaban or phenprocoumon) seen between January 2015 and June 2015 at the department of ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center was performed. Vitreal or retinal hemorrhage in addition to clinical information including age, gender, best corrected visual acuity, concomitant diseases, concomitant medication and therapy were obtained. Bleeding frequency in both groups was compared using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A total of 172 patients were included with a mean age = 74.0 ± 10.6 years, 57.0% (n = 98) male and 43.0% (n = 74) female. In the phenprocoumon group 147 patients (3.4%, n = 5) developed a retinal or vitreal hemorrhage. In the apxiban group 25 patients (36%, n = 9) developed a retinal or vitreal hemorrhage. There was a significant correlation between the group and bleeding risk (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There was a significant correlation between medication (apixaban vs. phenprocoumon) and bleeding risk in this study population. Further studies with more patients especially in patients with a high risk of hemorhage, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy are needed.

[Vitrectomy for retinal proliferation in childhood following hemolytic uremic syndrome]. / Vitrektomie bei retinaler Proliferation im Kindesalter nach hämolytisch-urämischem Syndrom.

The formation of retinal membranes can occur due to a variety of reasons but they are most commonly idiopathic due to the aging process. In addition, epiretinal and subretinal membranes can be formed after severe infections. The present case description shows the appearance of a retinal membrane after hemolytic uremic syndrome caused by Shiga toxin positive E. coli. The question arose whether the patient would benefit from vitrectomy with membrane peeling because of the presence of both epiretinal and subretinal gliotic changes. After the operation on the more severely affected right eye a morphological improvement could be achieved so that an operation on the left eye was also recommended. Judging by the course of this case vitrectomy with membrane peeling seems to be a useful instrument even for the simultaneous presence of subretinal and epiretinal membranes.

[Traumatic Lacrimal Duct Stenosis: Demographics and Success Rate of Surgical Procedures for Secondary Treatment]. / Traumatische Tränenwegsstenosen: Epidemiologie und Erfolgsraten nach sekundärer operativer Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic lacrimal duct stenosis can be the result of sharp trauma of the eyelid, indirect trauma or surgery in the nasoorbital region, as well as burns, chemotherapy and radiation of the facial region. The aim of the study is to present the demographics, patient satisfaction, and course of different surgical procedures for secondary treatment of traumatic lacrimal duct stenosis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 50 patients who required surgery for traumatic lacrimal duct stenosis from 2009 to 2011 at the University Eye Hospital in Muenster. The evaluation included the following criteria: age, sex, duration of symptoms, complication rate and the rate of recurrence. We systematically evaluated the medical data and asked the patients about the recent symptoms via telephone questionnaire. RESULTS: 60 eyes of 50 patients were included (18 women; 32 men; age: 51.8 ± 17.1 years); 34 eyes (56.7 %) had already had operations of the lacrimal system. The success rate was 58.1 %. The mean postoperative follow-up was 52.3 ± 10.7 months. In 11 cases (18.3 %), a dakryocystorhinostomy (DCR) was necessary. CONCLUSION: Traumatic lacrimal stenosis is more common in men, and has a poorer prognosis than lacrimal duct stenosis from other causes.

[Papillary edema in Muckle-Wells syndrome]. / Papillenschwellung bei Muckle-Wells-Syndrom.

Papillary edema may occur isolated without functional impairment or secondary related to various syndromes, increased intracerebral pressure or associated with medicinal treatment. The Muckle-Wells syndrome is a rare disease, which among many other symptoms can lead to optic disc swelling and recurrent increase in intracerebral pressure. Besides familial cold-induced autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS) and neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID), the Muckle-Wells syndrome also belongs to the cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS). In most cases of CAP syndromes there is an underlying genetic disorder that leads to overproduction of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß); therefore, typical symptoms include inflammation reactions, such as repeated skin rash, fatigue, fever, joint pain and conjunctivitis.

c-Rel is a critical mediator of NF-κB-dependent TRAIL resistance of pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) represents one of the deadliest malignancies with an overall life expectancy of 6 months despite current therapies. NF-κB signalling has been shown to be critical for this profound cell-autonomous resistance against chemotherapeutic drugs and death receptor-induced apoptosis, but little is known about the role of the c-Rel subunit in solid cancer and PDAC apoptosis control. In the present study, by analysis of genome-wide patterns of c-Rel-dependent gene expression, we were able to establish c-Rel as a critical regulator of tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis in PDAC. TRAIL-resistant cells exhibited a strong TRAIL-inducible NF-κB activity, whereas TRAIL-sensitive cells displayed only a small increase in NF-κB-binding activity. Transfection with siRNA against c-Rel sensitized the TRAIL-resistant cells in a manner comparable to siRNA targeting the p65/RelA subunit. Gel-shift analysis revealed that c-Rel is part of the TRAIL-inducible NF-κB complex in PDAC. Array analysis identified NFATc2 as a c-Rel target gene among the 12 strongest TRAIL-inducible genes in apoptosis-resistant cells. In line, siRNA targeting c-Rel strongly reduced TRAIL-induced NFATc2 activity in TRAIL-resistant PDAC cells. Furthermore, siRNA targeting NFATc2 sensitized these PDAC cells against TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Finally, TRAIL-induced expression of COX-2 was diminished through siRNA targeting c-Rel or NFATc2 and pharmacologic inhibition of COX-2 with celecoxib or siRNA targeting COX-2, enhanced TRAIL apoptosis. In conclusion, we were able to delineate a novel c-Rel-, NFATc2- and COX-2-dependent antiapoptotic signalling pathway in PDAC with broad clinical implications for pharmaceutical intervention strategies.