Amblyopia rehabilitation: A preliminary study on the efficacy of an alternative therapeutic method within Italian patients.

Introduction: Amblyopia is the medical term for a "lazy eye." It occurs when vision in one or both eyes does not develop properly during childhood even though there is no structural abnormality of the eye. It consists of an interocular difference of two lines or more in a visual acuity table (without specifying any), or visual acuity worse than or equal to 20/30 Snellen Feet equivalent to 0.

Phase I clinical trial of intracerebroventricular transplantation of allogeneic neural stem cells in people with progressive multiple sclerosis.

We report the analysis of 1 year of data from the first cohort of 15 patients enrolled in an open-label, first-in-human, dose-escalation phase I study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03282760, EudraCT2015-004855-37) to determine the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of the transplantation of allogeneic human neural stem/progenitor cells (hNSCs) for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Participants were treated with hNSCs delivered via intracerebroventricular injection in combination with an immunosuppressive regimen.

High Rates of Hidden HCV Infections among Hospitalized Patients Aged 55-85.

Background And Aims: The WHO has solicited all countries to eliminate HCV by 2030. The Italian government started routine screening for HCV infection in January 2021, initially targeting subjects born between 1969 and 1989. With the aim of achieving micro-elimination, we designed a hospital-wide project focusing on inpatients born from 1935 to 1985 and conducted it in our institution.

Chromophore-Assisted Retinal Break Detection to Manage Challenging Situations in Retinal Detachment Redo Surgery.

Introduction: The purpose of this case series is to demonstrate that subretinal blue dye injection, with and without 180-degree endolaser retinopexy, can be considered a useful tool in finding occult rhegmatogenous retinal breaks in eyes with recurrent retinal detachment. . Three patients with recurrent retinal detachment were treated between January and March 2018.

Von Hippel-Lindau disease: when neurosurgery meets nephrology, ophthalmology and genetics.

Introduction: Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a dominantly inherited condition associated with tumors in multiple organs, whose treatment requires heightened multidisciplinary teamwork. Therefore, a document summarizing all the pertinent knowledge is needed to enhance coordination of care.

Evidence Acquisition: A systematic review of the literature from the Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central databases was performed.

Mutational screening of VSX1, SPARC, SOD1, LOX, and TIMP3 in keratoconus.

Purpose: To evaluate the involvement of Visual System Homeobox 1 (VSX1), Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC), Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1), Lysyl Oxidase (LOX), and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) in sporadic and familial keratoconus.

Methods: Mutational analysis of the five genes was performed by sequencing and fragment analysis in a large cohort of 302 Italian patients, with a diagnosis of keratoconus based on clinical examination and corneal topography. The variants identified in VSX1 and SPARC were also assessed in the available relatives of the probands.

Anterior lamellar keratoplasty assisted by IntraLase™ femtosecond laser in a pediatric patient.

A 14-year-old boy affected by keratoconus underwent an anterior lamellar keratoplasty assisted by IntraLase femtosecond laser (Abbott Medical Optics, Abbott Park, IL). Results after 2 years of follow-up indicate the procedure may be safe and effective in pediatric patients.

Standardized big-bubble technique in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty assisted by the femtosecond laser.

We describe a variant of the big-bubble technique in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) assisted by the IntraLase femtosecond laser, which we call IntraBubble. The use of the 60 kHz IntraLase femtosecond laser allows dissection of the pre-Descemet-plane lamella to a predefined corneal depth and creation of a channel in the posterior stroma 50 μm above the endothelium into which a smooth cannula for air injection can be introduced. We lengthened the channel created by the laser using a pointed dissector.

Refractive outcome of keratoconus treated by combined femtosecond laser and big-bubble deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty.

Purpose: To report 1-year follow-up in 11 of 13 eyes with keratoconus treated by deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty with a combined femtosecond laser lamellar resection followed by a big-bubble dissection.

Methods: Thirteen eyes with keratoconus were treated. Recipient and donor were prepared with the 60-kHz IntraLase femtosecond laser (Abbott Medical Optics).

Arcuate keratotomy for high postoperative keratoplasty astigmatism performed with the intralase femtosecond laser.

Purpose: To evaluate the refractive and keratometric effect of arcuate keratotomy performed using the IntraLase femtosecond laser (Abbott Medical Optics) in patients with high postoperative keratoplasty astigmatism.

Methods: Nine eyes of nine patients (mean age 45 +/- 7.5 years; mean spherical equivalent refraction -2.

A new transepithelial phototherapeutic keratectomy mode using the NIDEK CXIII excimer laser.

Purpose: To evaluate epithelial healing, postoperative pain, and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) performed with a new phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) mode using the NIDEK CXIII excimer laser.

Methods: Fifteen eyes from 10 patients with myopia underwent transepithelial PRK using a multistage program to perform PTK followed by PRK. The PTK incorporated Flex Scan, which accounts for the loss of radial ablation efficiency on the peripheral cornea.

Linkage analysis in keratoconus: replication of locus 5q21.2 and identification of other suggestive Loci.

Purpose: Keratoconus (KC) is the most common indication for corneal transplantation in the Western world, with etiologic mechanisms still poorly understood. The disease prevalence in the general population is approximately 1:2000, and familial aggregation, together with increased familial risk, suggests important genetic influences on its pathogenesis. To date, several loci for familial keratoconus have been described, without the identification of any responsible gene in the respective mapped intervals.

Comparison of corneal aberration changes after laser in situ keratomileusis performed with mechanical microkeratome and IntraLase femtosecond laser: 1-year follow-up.

Purpose: To compare corneal aberration changes 1 year after myopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) performed with a mechanical microkeratome and IntraLase femtosecond laser.

Methods: Twenty four eyes of 15 patients underwent LASIK with the Hansatome microkeratome, and 23 eyes of 13 patients underwent LASIK with the IntraLase femtosecond laser. A standard ablation was performed with the Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217 excimer laser.