Freeze-Dried Versus Cryopreserved Amniotic Membranes in Corneal Ulcers Treated by Overlay Transplantation: A Case-Control Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess cryopreserved amniotic membrane (C-AM) versus chorion-free freeze-dried amniotic membrane (FD-AM) overlay transplantation for corneal ulcers in a French tertiary ophthalmology hospital.

Methods: Between March and July 2020, when C-AMs were not available because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 28 corneal ulcers underwent FD-AM overlay transplantation and were retrospectively compared with 22 corneal ulcers treated with C-AM during the same period in 2018. All patients had at least 3 months of follow-up, and those who underwent combined surgeries were excluded.

CC30 Lineage and Absence of ,,-Harboring Plasmid Predict Embolism in Infective Endocarditis.

induces severe infective endocarditis (IE) where embolic complications are a major cause of death. Risk factors for embolism have been reported such as a younger age or larger IE vegetations, while methicillin resistance conferred by the gene appeared as a protective factor. It is unclear, however, whether embolism is influenced by other characteristics such as clonal complex (CC) or virulence pattern.