Lacrimal gland injection of platelet rich plasma for treatment of severe dry eye: a comparative clinical study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the efficacy of the injections of platelet rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of severe dry eye disease (DED). RESULTS: In this retrospecitve interventional clinincal study, we included 28 eyes of 14 patients with severe DED who were diagnosed with Sjogren syndrome. Each patient received unilateral lacrimal gland injection of PRP at days 0, 30, 60 and 90 days while the other eye served as control group who received preservative free eye drops. We objectively assessed parameters at baseline, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months including ocular surface analyzer (OSA) namely; noninvasive tear breakup times (NIBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), lipid layer thickness (LLT) in addition to the Schirmer test I, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) and meiboscore. The mean age was 43.4 ± .7.85 years. Comparing different parameters, baseline data showed non-significant difference between injected eye group and control group. After 1 and 3 months of follow up, there were significant differences between both groups regarding NITBUT, TMH, LLT, CFS and Schirmer test, with p <  0.001 in favor of PRP group. CONCLUSION: Injection of PRP in lacrimal gland is simple, safe, and effective technique in treatment of severe dry eye; proved by improvement of tear film parameters through subjective and objective assessment. Further studies are needed to standardize the technique and to confirm these results.

Ocular Surface Changes in Patients with Thyroid Eye Disease: An Observational Clinical Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare ocular surface parameter changes in active and inactive thyroid eye disease (TED) patients and controls. METHODS: This is an observational clinical study that included 60 eyes divided into three groups following clinical activity score (CAS) assessment. The first group (Group A) comprised 20 eyes with active TED (CAS score ≥3/7), while the second group (Group B) comprised 20 eyes with inactive TED (CAS score <3/7) and the third group (Group C) comprised 20 eyes of controls without dry eye manifestations. The palpebral fissure height, degree of proptosis, degree of lagophthalmos, ocular surface disease index (OSDI), Schirmer test without anesthesia, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), non-invasive tear break-up time (NITBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), lipid layer thickness (LLT), meiboscore, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), and thyroid antibodies were assessed and data were compared between study participants. RESULTS: The mean OSDI was 40.0 ±5.80 in Group A, which significantly differed from Group B with a mean of 26.5 ±5.10 (p=0.02). There were significant differences between the two groups regarding palpebral fissure height (p=0.02), amount of proptosis (p=0.008), and degree of lagophthalmos (p=0.001). Similarly, active TED patients had more decreased tear secretion than inactive TED patients (p=0.012). Moreover, active TED patients showed a significant increase in Meibomian gland loss areas in both upper and lower eyelids compared with inactive TED patients (p=0.001). Corneal fluorescein staining also revealed a statistically significant difference between the studied groups (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study showed differences regarding ocular surface parameter changes between both active and inactive TED and compared to controls. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.

Visual Evoked Potentials in Operated Primary Congenital Glaucoma: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the VEP parameters in operated controlled primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) eyes and compare them to normal age similar children eyes. METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative study conducted on 34 (19 right) eyes of 26 (19 males) children operated for PCG and 30 (17 right) eyes of 22 (12 males) age similar control children in a university-based practice. All study participants were subjected to a standard protocol of examination and electrophysiological testing (single flash VEP response, light adapted, pupils not dilated), reporting on the P2 implicit time, N1-P1 and N2-P2 (amplitude). RESULTS: The mean±SD of the age of the study children and controls was 43.22±33.2 and 55.68±35.2 months respectively (p=0.217). The mean±SD IOP and cup/disc ratio of the study children were 18.4±5.2 and 5.2±3.3mmHg and 0.7±0.2 and 0.3±0.3 at presentation and at testing, respectively. The VEP testing was conducted after 21.5±21.3 months of surgery for PCG. There was no statistically significant differences in P2, N1-P1 and N2-P2 between patients and controls (p=0.941, 0.916,0.945, respectively). There was no statistically significant correlation between most of the clinical characteristics of the study eyes and any of the studied VEP parameters. CONCLUSION: Operated controlled PCG eyes have VEP parameters that match their normal fellow children.

Optic nerve sheath fenestration in leukemic patients having increased intracranial pressure: a prospective clinical trial.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of optic nerve sheath fenestration (ONSF) in leukemic children having increased intracranial pressure with severe uncontrolled visual loss on medical treatment and not eligible for venous sinus stenting. METHODS: In this non-randomized clinical trial, we included patients presenting with severe sight-threatening papilledema due to increased intracranial pressure following leukemia treatment. All included patients were subjected to a complete history taking, assessment of the visual acuity and fundus examination with fundus photography and grading of papilledema using Frisen scale. Patients were evaluated at 2 weeks and 3 months postoperative by recording the best-corrected visual acuity, assessment of the pupillary reaction and fundus examination and fundus photography with grading of papilledema. RESULTS: Among 20 patients included in this study, there was a statistically significant improvement in visual acuity of both eyes in all patients. The mean postoperative visual acuity was 0.28 ± 0.10 two weeks after surgery in the right eye and it was 0.42 ± 0.16 in the left eye. The mean visual acuity in the right eye three months after surgery was 0.78 ± 0.19 and it was 0.87 ± 0.17 in the left eye. Three months postoperatively, papilledema resolved completely in both eyes. There were no recorded ocular complications. CONCLUSION: In this study, ONSF was sight-saving procedure in all leukemic patients with a significant improvement in the visual acuity, stabilization of the visual function and resolving of the papilledema over follow-up period. There were no recorded intraoperative or postoperative complications. Further well-designed studies are needed to assert upon these results.

The Role of the Flash Visual Evoked Potential in Evaluating Visual Function in Patients with Indirect Traumatic Optic Neuropathy.

PURPOSE: To assess the value of the flash visual evoked potential (FVEP) in determining final visual prognosis in patients with indirect traumatic optic neuropathy (TON). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We included 30 patients diagnosed with indirect TON. Within one week of the onset of the trauma, visual acuity was recorded, pupillary reactions were assessed, FVEP was performed in both eyes. The amplitudes (N1p1 and N2P2) and the latency of P2 for each eye were recorded and amplitude ratio of N2P2 between the affected and normal eye was calculated. In follow-up visits, the cases underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, assessment of visual acuity, pupillary reaction, and FVEP. RESULTS: The study included 22 males (73.3%) and 8 females (26.7%). The right eye was involved in 16 patients (53.3%) and left eye was involved in 14 cases (46.7%). According to the findings of FVEP, there was a direct correlation between final visual acuity and initial amplitude of N1p1 and N2P2 and negative correlation with latency of P2 wave. In 20 patients in whom the N1P1 and N2P2 amplitude was within the normal range and amplitude ratio of N2P2 of normal and fellow eye was at least 0.5 and the P2 implicit time was less than 140 ms, they achieved better visual outcome and visual acuity improved in the affected eye. In other 10 patients in whom the N1P1 and N2P2 amplitude was below normal range and the N2P2 amplitude ratio between the normal and the affected eye was less than 0.5 and the P2 implicit time was more than 140 ms, the visual acuity in the affected eye was less than 0.01 and these patients achieved less or no improvement in their visual function. CONCLUSION: Cases with TON usually present with severe loss of vision. FVEP is highly predictive of final visual outcome in patients having indirect TON given that the other eye is normal to be used as the patients' internal control. More studies are needed to confirm these results.

Functional assessment of early retinal changes in diabetic patients without clinical retinopathy using multifocal electroretinogram.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess early retinal changes in diabetic subjects without clinical retinopathy using multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG). METHODS: Twenty eyes of 20 diabetic subjects type 2 without retinopathy and 20 eyes of 20 healthy controls of the same age and sex were eligible for our study and underwent mfERG. MfERG responses were recorded; N1-P1 amplitude and P1 implicit time of the 5 rings recorded were measured and analyzed. RESULTS: The reduction in N1-P1 amplitude and the delay in P1-implicit time in type 2 diabetic subjects were statistically significant in most of the assessed rings compared to controls (p <  0.001). Moreover, N1-P1 amplitude was negatively correlated with diabetes duration. However, there was a positive correlation between P1-implicit time and diabetes duration in type 2 diabetic subjects in four out of five rings (p <  0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed reduced mfERG N1-P1 amplitude and delayed P1-implicit time indiabetic patients without retinopathy compared to normal controls. Implicit time andamplitude were significantly affected by diabetes duration. These results propose a valuable role of mfERG in evaluating the expected neuroretinal dysfunction before the clinical development of diabetic retinopathy. Early detection of functional abnormalities indicates that the patients need more tight medical control of diabetes. More well-designed studies are needed to assert upon these results.

Clinical Performance of Short-fiber-reinforced Resin Composite Restorations vs Resin Composite Onlay Restorations in Complex Cavities of Molars (Randomized Clinical Trial).

BACKGROUND: Short-fiber-reinforced resin composite (SFRC) is a direct bulk fill resin composite specially indicated in large complex cavities. It is characterized by having high fracture toughness and load bearing capacity to decrease the incidence of fracture of the restoration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In two parallel groups (n = 38 restorations), 76 participants having complex proximal cavities with asymptomatic vital pulp were randomly enrolled in this trial and received either SFRC (Ever X Posterior, GC, Japan) covered by Gaenial posterior (GC, Japan) or chairside indirect restorations (Grandioso inlay system; VOCO, Germany) fabricated on a silicon die. Materials were applied according to the manufacturer instructions with the corresponding adhesive system. Only 67 participants completed the trial, which was assessed using the modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria by two independent blinded assessors at 6 months and 1 year follow-up visits. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Fisher's exact and Cochran's Q tests were used to analyze inter- and intragroup comparisons, respectively. The significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was observed between both tested groups for all USPHS criteria at different follow-up periods except for marginal integrity favoring the SFRC at 12 months when the difference became significant (p < 0.001), and color match favoring the nanohybrid indirect resin composite restorations with significant difference in scores at all follow-up intervals (p < 0.001) was found. Cochran's Q test showed significant differences within the same technique during the follow-up period for some criteria. CONCLUSION: Direct SFRC and indirect nanohybrid resin composite complex proximal restorations showed an acceptable clinical performance along the 1 year follow-up period. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Direct SFRC restorations could be a viable treatment option for complex restorative cases.

Microsatellite instability profiling in Egyptian bladder cancer patients: A pilot study.

Microsatellite alterations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many cancers; however, they are still not well addressed in the bladder cancer (BC) of Egyptian population. We assessed microsatellite instability (MSI) profile and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) using 13 microsatellite markers in tumor tissue samples and urine sediments obtained from 30 Egyptian patients with BC. The concordance between MSI in tumor tissue and urine samples was determined, and correlated to relevant clinicopathologic features. We found that MSI was more frequent than LOH (100% and 46.7%, respectively). D16S310, MBP, and IFN-α showed the highest MSI frequency in urine samples (70%, 70%, and 66.67%, respectively), while MBP, ACTBP2, and D9S171 (66.67%, 63.33%, and 60%, respectively) were the most frequently detected in tumor tissues. All assessed MSI markers correlated significantly with pathologic subtype (being more frequent in TCC) and with hematuria. The concordance between tissue and urine samples was statistically significant for D16S476, D9S171, FGA, and ACTBP2 (P = 0.04, 0.015, 0.02, and 0.007, respectively). When we combined D16S476 and D9S171, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of BC were 80.0%, 75.0%, 82.8%, and 71.4%, respectively. Accordingly, we concluded that MSI in urine sediments could be a potential tool for the diagnosis of BC.

The Interplay between Zinc, Vitamin D and, IL-17 in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Liver Disease.

OBJECTIVES: To assess zinc (Zn) and vitamin D (Vit. D) status in chronic Hepatitis C virus- (HCV) infected patients and their relationship to interleukin- (IL-) 17 and disease severity and then investigate whether Zn and Vit. D3 modulate IL-17 expression in chronic HCV patients. METHODS: Seventy patients and fifty healthy subjects were investigated. Serum levels of Zn, Vit. D, and IL-17 were assessed in the patients group and subgroups. Patients lymphocytes were activated in vitro in the presence or absence of Zn or Vit. D3 and then intracellular IL-17 production was assessed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Zn and Vit. D were significantly decreased in HCV patients. Increasing disease severity leads to more reduction in Zn level opposed by increasing IL-17 level. Zn potently reduced IL-17 production in a dose-related fashion; however it did not exert any toxic effects. Although Vit. D apparently increases IL17 expression, it is unclear whether it is due to its toxic effect on cell count or lack of definite association between Vit. D and both IL-17 and disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that Zn modulates IL-17 expression and provides a rationale for evaluating this compound as a supplementary agent in the treatment of chronic HCV.

Can optical coherence tomography predict early retinal microvascular pathology in type 1 diabetic adolescents without minimal diabetic retinopathy? A single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been proven useful in measuring retinal thickness and volumes in patients with diabetes. OBJECTIVE: To test whether OCT is able to identify early retinal changes and its potential correlations with metabolic parameters and other microvascular complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with type 1 diabetes without minimal diabetic retinopathy (MDR) (17 males, 13 females, aged 14.3±2.4 years) compared with age-matched healthy volunteers were examined with OCT. Diabetes duration, anthropometric measurements, HbA1c, other microvascular complications (nephropathy, autonomic and peripheral neuropathy) and total serum cholesterol were determined. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found between patients with (n=15) and without microvascular complications (n=15) compared to controls regarding retinal volume, nerve fibre layer volume (temporal and nasal quadrants) and ganglion cell layer area in both eyes. No correlation was found between the ganglion cell layer area and the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients, except a negative correlation with total serum cholesterol (r=-0.369, p=0.049). The best cut-off value of ganglion cell layer area to detect the level at which thinning of this layer occurs was >1900 pixels. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that there is no advantage in performing OCT routinely in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus without MDR. OCT did not show changes in retinal thickness in those patients compared to control. So OCT did not seem to be useful in the preclinical stages of diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, the conventional diagnostic methods are mandatory to detect early diabetic retinopathy.

Cytotoxic activity and phytochemical analysis of Arum palaestinum Boiss

Objective:To evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic activity of the fractionated extract as well as isolated compounds of Arum palaestinum Boiss. (A. palaestinum) (black calla lily), and to identify the volatile components which may be responsible for the potential antitumor activity. Methods: A. palaestinum was collected from its natural habitats and subjected to phytochemical analysis for separation of pure compounds. In vitro cytotoxic activity was investigated against four human carcinoma cell lines Hep2, HeLa, HepG2 and MCF7 for the fractionated extract and isolated compounds. While, the diethyl ether fraction was subjected to GC–MS analysis as it exhibited the most potent cytotoxic effect to evaluate the active constituents responsible for the cytotoxic activities. Results:Four flavonoid compounds were isolated (luteolin, chrysoeriol, isoorientin, isovitexin) from the diethyl ether and ethyl acetate. The extracts and the pure isolated compounds showed a significant high antiproliferative activity against all investigated cell lines. The GC–MS analysis revealed the separation and identification of 15 compounds representing 95.01%of the extract and belonging to different groups of chemical compounds. Conclusions:The present study is considered to be the first report on the cytotoxic activities carried out on different selected fractions and pure compounds of A. palaestinum to provide evidences for its strong antitumor activities. In addition, chrysoeriol and isovitexin compounds were isolated for the first time from the studied taxa.