The management of neurotrophic keratitis.

Purpose Of Review: The management of neurotrophic keratitis (NK) has evolved in the last decade. The present article reviews updated management guidelines of this entity, as well as future innovations in the field.

Recent Findings: The advent of confocal microscopy has allowed for the first time to image corneal nerves.

The Donor Letter Project: Learning Professionalism and Fostering Empathy in an Anatomy Curriculum.

While cadaver dissection remains an unmatched learning tool for structural anatomy, recent shifts in medical culture and pedagogy indicate that developing humanistic practices and fostering empathic responses are crucial components of early medical education. The Donor Letter Project (DLP) was designed to accompany a traditional dissection curriculum, and the pilot, described here, tested its quality and efficacy. In 2017, family members of recently deceased donors to the Colorado State Anatomical Board were invited to submit letters about their loved ones, and forty-seven first-year medical students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine volunteered to read the letters after their human anatomy course.

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty - Complication and management of a single case for tissue preparation and graft size linked to post-op descemetorhexis disparity.

Purpose: To report the management of an intraoperative complication during large (9.5 mm) ultra-thin Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (UT-DSAEK) surgery in a patient with a large area of dysfunctional endothelium.

Observations: A single case study of an 89 y/o male with a history of Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy is presented.

Considerations for using Natalizumab treatment in patients with a history of choroidal melanoma.

Natalizumab is a monoclonal antibody licensed for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). It is known to increase the potential risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). There is current debate in the literature regarding its association with malignant melanoma.

Detecting Change in Conjunctival Hyperemia Using a Pixel Densitometry Index.

Purpose: To investigate a pixel densitometry index (PDI) for measuring ocular surface inflammation (OSI).

Methods: Efron's grading was performed by two independent observers. Color photographs and indocyanine green angiography were undertaken before and after instillation of phenylephrine (PE) hydrochloride 2.

Sequential Bilateral Corneal Transplantation and Graft Survival.

Purpose: To investigate graft survival and rejection following sequential bilateral corneal transplantation.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: The study included patients with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED), pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK), or keratoconus who had undergone a penetrating keratoplasty (PK), endothelial keratoplasty (EK), or deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) between 1999 and 2012.

In Vivo Expansion of Regulatory T Cells by Low-Dose Interleukin-2 Treatment Increases Allograft Survival in Corneal Transplantation.

Background: Corneal allograft survival dramatically decreases in hosts with inflamed or vascularized recipient beds. We have previously shown that in rejected corneal allografts regulatory T cells (Treg) demonstrate diminished Foxp3 expression and immunoregulatory function. Treatment with low doses of IL-2 selectively expands Treg and has been proposed for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Fibrin-based clot formation as an early and rapid biomarker for progression of postpartum hemorrhage: a prospective study.

This prospective, observational study investigated the utility of Fibtem A5 and Clauss fibrinogen as predictors of progression of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). A consecutive cohort of 356 women experiencing 1000 to 1500 mL PPH was recruited. Fibtem and fibrinogen were measured and subsequent transfusions, invasive procedures, and bleed volume recorded.

Marginal corneal vascular arcades.

Purpose: To determine the metrics of the marginal corneal vascular arcades (MCA).

Methods: The MCA and filling pattern was investigated using indocyanine green dye angiography (ICGA) in the fellow eye of patients with treated unilateral keratitis. Images were acquired using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope.

Recurrent bacterial keratitis.

Purpose: To investigate the rate of recurrent bacterial keratitis, associated bacteria, and surgical intervention.

Methods: Patients with suspected bacterial keratitis were identified from microbiological requests over a 16-year period between 1995 and 2010. Recurrences and number of surgical interventions were analyzed according to bacterial type.