Retinopathy of prematurity in twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

The authors present the first reported case of retinopathy of prematurity in twin-twin transfusion syndrome. A 31-year-old woman gave birth to twins at 31 weeks' gestation. The pregnancy had been complicated by twin-twin transfusion syndrome and had been managed with two amnioreductions and laser ablation of the interplacental blood vessels. The donor twin, born at 1,310 g, had threshold retinopathy of prematurity and underwent argon laser retinal photocoagulation treatment. The recipient twin (1,775 g) did not show any evidence of retinopathy of prematurity.

Conservative management of upper eyelid entropion.

The authors report for the first time two cases of upper eyelid entropion secondary to neonatal conjunctivitis that resolved spontaneously following the insertion of a bandage contact lens. Previous reports advocate early surgical intervention to correct the eyelid abnormality and prevent any permanent corneal scarring and visual loss.

Age-related macular degeneration is associated with the HLA-Cw*0701 Genotype and the natural killer cell receptor AA haplotype.

PURPOSE: To determine the association of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) C and its cognate killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) ligands with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: HLA class I allele groups including the HLA-C principal alleles were genotyped in a cohort of 104 AMD cases and 93 controls by using the PCR-SSP (sequence-specific primers) METHOD: This cohort was then genotyped for 16 KIR genes by PCR-SSP. Frequencies of the tested HLA/KIR alleles were then compared between patients with AMD and normal control subjects. HLA-C1, -Cw*07, and -Cw*0701 genotypes and their combinations with KIR genotypes/haplotypes were tested for association with AMD. Probabilities were obtained with a two-tailed chi(2) test and Bonferroni correction applied for multiple testing (P(c)). RESULTS: The HLA-Cw*0701 allele, in combination with the inhibitory KIR AA haplotype was associated with AMD after logistic regression analysis (P = 0.006, P(c) = 0.036, OR = 4.35, 95% CI = 1.41-13.44). CONCLUSIONS: The HLA-Cw*0701 allele and KIR haplotype AA are associated with AMD. This genotype combination suggests that natural killer cells have a role in the pathogenesis of AMD. Replication studies are needed to confirm these novel HLA-KIR associations with AMD.

Everting sutures in involutional entropion.

Involutional entropion is the commonest cause of entropion in the elderly population. Many surgical procedures have been described to correct it. The everting suture technique is simple and quick and can be undertaken in the clinic or even away from a medical setting. However, it has been regarded as a temporary cure, especially in the presence of horizontal lower lid laxity. We reviewed the results of everting sutures in 55 lids of 50 patients. The minimum follow-up was 18 months. 78% of patients had no recurrence of their entropion. Our results suggest that horizontal eyelid laxity may not be the only major factor in recurrent entropion following everting sutures. Dermatochalasis with orbital fat prolapse may also contribute.