ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of the Posner-Schlossman Syndrome European Study Group (PSS-ESG) is to acquire a comprehensive dataset of European patients with PSS. Here, we present the first report on the study protocol and the clinical findings of the patients at baseline. METHODS: The PSS-ESG is a retrospective, multicentre study designed to evaluate patients with PSS. The study, designed and driven by a European Expert Committee includes three datasets: (1) the baseline, (2) the follow-up and (3) the intraocular pressure (IOP)/glaucoma dataset. RESULTS: A total of 11 centres adhered to the PSS-ESG and 107 patients were included (68 males, 39 females) mostly Caucasian (93.4%). At uveitis onset, the patient's age ranged between 11 and 76 years, (mean age: 42±15 years).Best-corrected visual acuity was >0.5 in 80.3% of the eyes, IOP was >40 mm Hg in 44% of the eyes. Keratic precipitates were found in 78.5% of the eyes. No flare or cells in anterior chamber were detected in 56% and 53% of the cases, respectively. PCR analysis on aqueous sample was positive for cytomegalovirus-DNA in 50.6% out of the 81 tested patients. CONCLUSIONS: The PSS-ESG is the first multicentre study aimed to collect a comprehensive dataset of patients with PSS in non-Asian countries. A middlde-aged Caucasian male with a low-grade anterior chamber inflammation, keratic precipitates, preserved visual acuity and marked increased in IOP seemed to be the standard PSS patient across the 11 uveitis and glaucoma centres participating in the PSS-ESG.
ABSTRACT
A multidisciplinary approach, involving geochemical, sedimentological and oceanographic analyses, was employed to examine the distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a strongly anthropized area of the marginal Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean basin). The investigation into PAH distribution considered the grain size and biogeochemical properties of the sediments, as well as in relation to the main oceanographic processes and river inputs. Both biogeochemical and hydrographical inputs regulated the sedimentation of organic particles, influencing the distribution of PAHs. The results indicated PAH levels in 116 marine surface sediments ranging from 4 to 235 ng g-1 (average 55 ng g-1). The distribution of PAHs in Adriatic Sea surface sediments aligned with a higher clayey sedimentation in the deeper basin areas of the Middle Adriatic Depression.