The Comparative Efficacy and Tolerability of Diclofenac 0.1% and Bromfenac 0.09% Ophthalmic Solutions after Cataract Surgery.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of diclofenac and bromfenac ophthalmic solutions as adjunctive therapy after cataract surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled study included 130 patients who underwent cataract surgery. One hundred patients were randomized to receive postoperatively diclofenac 0.1% (four times daily for 28 days, Group 1) or bromfenac 0.09% (twice daily for 14 days, Group 2) ophthalmic solutions in addition to steroid-antibiotic combination. Thirty patients instilled only steroid-antibiotic combination (Control Group 3). Laser flare-cell photometry and optical coherence tomography scans with central foveal thickness (CFT) measurement were performed before (V0) and 7 (V1), 14 (V2) and 28 days (V3) after surgery. Treatment tolerability was scored using the Ocular Comfort Grading Assessment. RESULTS: Laser flare-cell photometry values were significantly higher at V1, V2 and V3 compared to V0 in all the groups (respectively 13.3 ± 1.0, 12.7 ± 0.9 and 9.6 ± 0.9 vs 8.4 ± 0.6 ph/ms for Group 1; 13.4 ± 1.0, 12.7 ± 0.9 and 12.7 ± 1.0 vs 8.1 ± 0.6 for Group 2; 15.9 ± 0.8, 15.4 ± 0.7 and 14.5 ± 0.7 vs 7.5 ± 0.5 for Group 3) (p < 0.001); flare increase was significantly lower in Group 1 compared to Groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.001). CFT values were higher after surgery in all the three groups; the increase was significantly lower in Group 1 compared to Groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.0002). The percentage of symptoms-free patients after study treatment was significantly higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (respectively 74% vs 14% of the total; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The addition of diclofenac or bromfenac ophthalmic solutions contributed to further reduce both inflammation and cystoid macular edema after cataract surgery compared to steroid-antibiotic combination alone. Diclofenac appeared to be more effective in reducing postoperative intraocular inflammation with a more intense and prolonged regimen, while bromfenac more tolerated with lower daily dose and treatment duration.

In vivo and in vitro effects of selected antioxidants on rabbit meat microbiota.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary vitamin E or EconomasE™ supplementation on the growth of several background/pathogenic bacteria on rabbit carcasses and hamburgers during refrigerated storage. For 51days, 270 New Zealand rabbits received either a basal diet, or experimental diets enriched with 100 or 200mg/kg of vitamin E or EconomasE™. The bacteria studied were Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, plus both mesophilic and psychrotrophic aerobes. The growth of Listeria monocytogenes on contaminated patties was evaluated through a challenge test. The potential protective or antimicrobial effect of vitamin E or EconomasE™ on Listeria monocytogenes or Pseudomonas aeruginosa was assessed in vitro. Diet did not influence the concentrations of bacteria found on rabbit carcasses and developing on hamburgers. Vitamin E (in vivo and in vitro) and EconomasE™ in vivo had a protective antioxidant role, while EconomasE™ in vitro had strong antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, but not against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A multivariate CAR model for improving the estimation of relative risks.

Disease mapping studies have been widely performed at univariate level, that is considering only one disease in the estimated models. Nonetheless, simultaneous modelling of different diseases can be a valuable tool both from the epidemiological and from the statistical point of view. In this paper we propose a model for multivariate disease mapping that generalizes the univariate conditional auto-regressive distribution. The proposed model is proven to be an effective alternative to existing multivariate models, mainly because it overcome some restrictive hypotheses underlying models previously proposed in this context. Model performances are checked via a simulation study and via application to a case study.