Intraluminal oxygen mitigates acute mesenteric ischaemia: a systematic review of methods and outcomes in animal studies.

Background: Acute Mesenteric Ischaemic (AMI) is a rare condition with significant morbidity and mortality. Many causes of AMI exist, which usually begin with mucosal injury. Onset is insiduous and there is frequent diagnostic delay.

Mesenteric lymph: the bridge to future management of critical illness.

Toxic factors released from the intestine have been implicated in the pathophysiology of severe acute illness, including acute pancreatitis, trauma and hemorrhagic shock, and burns. Toxic factors in mesenteric lymph may induce an inflammatory systemic response while bypassing the portal circulation and liver. This paper reviews current knowledge of the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of mesenteric lymph and focuses on factors influencing its composition and flow, and potential therapeutic interventions.

Can true monocular keratoconus occur?

Evidence increasingly supports keratoconus as an inherited, genetic disorder. If this is the case, it would be expected to express itself as a binocular condition even though variable expression of the gene may show differing levels in the two eyes. It is a common occurrence in specialist contact lens practices to see pseudo-monocular keratoconus, that is, an overt clinical level of the condition in one eye and forme fruste keratoconus in the other.

Stickler syndrome.

Stickler syndrome is a relatively rare condition (approximately 1 in 10,000), caused by a defective collagen gene and characterised by high myopia, high risk of retinal detachment and flattened facial features. An outline of the condition, its systemic and ocular manifestations and optometric management are described.