Refractive lens exchange with toric intraocular lenses in keratoconus.

PURPOSE: To report the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of patients with nonprogressive keratoconus treated with in-the-bag toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of the medical records of patients diagnosed with keratoconus treated with refractive lens exchange (RLE) and in-the-bag toric IOL implantation (models T3 to T9, AcrySof SN60TT; Alcon Laboratories Inc). Age, pre- and postoperative uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), objective and subjective refraction, spherical equivalent refraction, total keratometric power, total astigmatism, axis, and toric IOL model and power were analyzed. All cases had topographic and/or refractive stability for at least 1 year prior to undergoing IOL implantation. RESULTS: Nineteen eyes of 13 patients (mean age 48.15 ± 6.6 years), including 12 patients with a topographic diagnosis of keratoconus and 1 with pellucid marginal degeneration, were evaluated. Mean follow-up after RLE was 7.89 ± 6.61 months. Mean preoperative sphere was -5.25 ± 6.40 diopters (D), and mean postoperative sphere was 0.22 ± 1.01 D (P<.001). Mean preoperative cylinder was 3.95 ± 1.30 D, which decreased to 1.36 ± 1.17 D postoperatively (P<.001). Mean pre- and postoperative spherical equivalent refractions were -7.10 ± 6.41 D and -0.46 ± 1.12 D, respectively (P<.001). Preoperative mean UDVA was 1.35 ± 0.36 D (20/447 Snellen) and postoperative mean UDVA was 0.29 ± 0.23 D (20/39 Snellen) (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Toric IOL implantation may be an effective therapeutic option in the optical rehabilitation of patients with stable and nonprogressive keratoconus.

Clinical manifestations and long-term outcomes in three ocular rosacea cases treated at a highly specialized hospital in southeast México / [Manifestaciones clínicas y evolución a largo plazo de tres casos de rosácea ocular atendidos en un hospital de alta especialidad del sureste de México].

Rosacea is a chronic skin disorder that has been associated with unspecific etiological factors and diverse systemic manifestations. Cutaneous rosacea usually evolves to ocular rosacea in 6 to 72% of patients. In the absence of specific criteria to characterize this pathology, ocular rosacea can mean a diagnostic challenge. To strengthen early diagnostic suspicion, we present three cases of patients with different clinical evolution who had in common diagnostic delay resulting in severe manifestations and extensive ocular damage.

La rosácea es una alteración cutánea crónica que se ha asociado con factores etiológicos inespecíficos y diversas manifestaciones sistémicas. La rosácea cutánea suele evolucionar a rosácea ocular del 6 al 72 % de los pacientes. Al no existir criterios específicos que la caractericen, la rosácea ocular implica un reto diagnóstico. Para fortalecer la sospecha diagnóstica temprana, se presentan tres casos de pacientes con evolución clínica distinta, pero que tuvieron en común el retraso diagnóstico, lo que se tradujo en manifestaciones graves y daño ocular extenso.

Mining the Leishmania genome for novel antigens and vaccine candidates.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease with an estimated 12 million infected people. The recent completion of the sequencing of the Leishmania major genome has opened opportunities for the identification of targets for vaccine development. We present here the first attempt at identifying novel vaccine candidates by whole genome analysis. We predicted CD8(+) T cell epitopes from the L. major proteome and validated in vivo in mice the immunogenicity of some of the best predicted epitopes. Consensus epitope predictions from 8272 annotated protein sequences with 5-8 different algorithms allowed the identification of 78 class I CD8(+) epitopes. BALB/c mice were immunized with 26 synthetic peptides corresponding to the most likely epitopes. Fourteen (54%) resulted immunogenic, with eight being strong inducers of T cell IFNgamma production. None of the proteins from which the epitopes are derived are differentially expressed, only two may be surface proteins, eight have putative enzymatic, and metabolic activities. These epitopes and proteins represent new antigen candidates for further studies. While pathogen genomes have not yet delivered their full promise in terms of human health applications, our study opens the way for extensive genome mining for antigen identification and vaccine development against Leishmania and other pathogens.

Manifestaciones clínicas y evolución a largo plazo de tres casos de rosácea ocular atendidos en un hospital de alta especialidad del sureste de México / Clinical manifestations and long-term outcomes in three ocular rosacea cases treated at a highly specialized hospital in southeast México

La rosácea es una alteración cutánea crónica que se ha asociado con factores etiológicos inespecíficos y diversas manifestaciones sistémicas. La rosácea cutánea suele evolucionar a rosácea ocular del 6 al 72 % de los pacientes. Al no existir criterios específicos que la caractericen, la rosácea ocular implica un reto diagnóstico. Para fortalecer la sospecha diagnóstica temprana, se presentan tres casos de pacientes con evolución clínica distinta, pero que tuvieron en común el retraso diagnóstico, lo que se tradujo en manifestaciones graves y daño ocular extenso.

Rosacea is a chronic skin disorder that has been associated with unspecific etiological factors and diverse systemic manifestations. Cutaneous rosacea usually evolves to ocular rosacea in 6 to 72% of patients. In the absence of specific criteria to characterize this pathology, ocular rosacea can mean a diagnostic challenge. To strengthen early diagnostic suspicion, we present three cases of patients with different clinical evolution who had in common diagnostic delay resulting in severe manifestations and extensive ocular damage.

[Nutritional genomics: an approach to the genome-environment interaction]. / Genómica nutricional: una aproximación de la interacción genoma-ambiente.

Nutritional genomics forms part of the genomic sciences and addresses the interaction between genes and the human diet, its influence on metabolism and subsequent susceptibility to develop common diseases. It encompasses both nutrigenomics, which explores the effects of nutrients on the genome, proteome and metabolome; and nutrigenetics, that explores the effects of genetic variations on the diet/disease interaction. A number of mechanisms drive the gene/diet interaction: elements in the diet can act as links for transcription factor receptors and after intermediary concentrations, thereby modifying chromatin and impacting genetic regulation; affect signal pathways, regulating phosphorylation of tyrosine in receptors; decrease signaling through the inositol pathway; and act through epigenetic mechanisms, silencing DNA fragments by methylation of cytosine. The signals generated by polyunsaturated fatty acids are so powerful that they can even bypass insulin mediated lipogenesis, stimulated by carbohydrates. Some fatty acids modify the expression of genes that participate in fatty acid transport by lipoproteins. Nutritional genomics has myriad possible therapeutic and preventive applications: in patients with enzymatic deficiencies; in those with a genetic predisposition to complex diseases such as dyslipidemia, diabetes and cancer; in those that already suffer these diseases; in those with altered mood or memory; during the aging process; in pregnant women; and as a preventive measure in the healthy population.

Genómica nutricional: una aproximación de la interacción genoma-ambiente: [revisión] / Nutritional genomics: an approach to the genome-environment interaction: [review]

Nutritional genomics forms part of the genomic sciences and addresses the interaction between genes and the human diet, its influence on metabolism and subsequent susceptibility to develop common diseases. It encompasses both nutrigenomics, which explores the effects of nutrients on the genome, proteome and metabolome; and nutrigenetics, that explores the effects of genetic variations on the diet/disease interaction. A number of mechanisms drive the gene/diet interaction: elements in the diet can act as links for transcription factor receptors and alter intermediary concentrations, thereby modifying chromatin and impacting genetic regulation; affect signal pathways, regulating phosphorylation of tyrosine in receptors; decrease signaling through the inositol pathway; and act through epigenetic mechanisms, silencing DNA fragments by methylation of cytosine. The signals generated by polyunsaturated fatty acids are so powerful that they can even bypass insulin mediated lipogenesis, stimulated by carbohydrates. Some fatty acids modify the expression of genes that participate in fatty acid transport  by lipoproteins. Nutritional genomics has myriad possible therapeutic and preventive applications: in patients with enzymatic deficiencies; in those with a genetic predisposition to complex diseases such as dyslipidemia, diabetes and cancer; in those that already suffer these diseases; in those with altered mood or memory; during the aging process; in pregnant women; and as a preventive measure in the healthy population.