Intravenous immunoglobulins for the treatment of prolonged COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients: a brief report.

Primary humoral deficiency and secondary B-cell depletion may lead to prolonged Sars-Cov-2 infection due to a decreased viral clearance. Prolonged infection is mainly driven by the lack of anti-Sars-Cov-2 immunoglobulin (IVIg) especially in patients with no vaccine response. Anti-spike immunoglobulin can be provided by infusion of convalescent patients' plasma: recent studies highlighted that commercial immunoglobulin show high titers of neutralizing IgG.

Penetrating Ocular Trauma with Retained Intraocular Foreign Body: Management, Follow-up and Medico-legal Evaluation.

Ocular trauma is the leading cause of acquired monocular blindness, accounting for 1.97-6% of such cases. Particularly, penetrating ocular injuries are among the most common eye injuries with this kind of outcome.

Human idiopathic epiretinal membranes express NGF and NGF receptors.

Purpose: Glial cells and fibroblasts (FBs) play a key role in epiretinal membrane (ERM) development and progression. Myofibroblasts (myoFBs), arising from these cells, can lead to the hypertrophic scars and tissue contraction observed in ERMs. Nerve growth factor (NGF) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) play a crucial role in FB activities.

Pars plana vitrectomy for retinal detachment due to internal posterior ophthalmomyiasis after cataract extraction.

Background: The authors report a case of posterior internal ophthalmomyiasis causing vitreous haemorrhage and retinal detachment after uncomplicated cataract extraction.

Case Report: The patient suffered an abrupt vitreous haemorrhage 9 days after ECCE and posterior chamber IOL implantation. After 2 months the haemorrhage did not clear up and a retinal detachment arose.

Scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in the early diagnosis of vitreoretinal interface syndrome.

Background: The purpose of this study was to estimate if and to what extent scanning laser ophthalmoscopy can help in the early diagnosis and follow-up management of the vitreoretinal interface syndrome, which includes disorders such as cellophane maculopathy, pseudomacular hole, macular pucker, and macular hole.

Methods: The 35 fellow eyes of 35 patients with vitreoretinal interface syndromes in the first eye underwent scanning laser ophthalmoscopy microperimetry and argon, helium-neon, and infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. Fellow eyes were defined as clinically positive or negative for vitreoretinal interface syndrome.

The use of panoramic viewing system in relaxing retinotomy and retinectomy.

Background: Retinotomies and retinectomies are surgical procedures mainly devoted to the peripheral retina that require optimal visibility and adequate magnification to make the surgeon's task easy, quick, and safe. The purpose of present study was to estimate to what extent the introduction of wide-angle viewing systems can help the surgeon perform safer and more effective retinotomy procedures.

Materials And Methods: The authors retrospectively analyzed the records of patients undergoing retinotomy procedures between 1993 and 1995 and divided them into two groups according to the viewing system used during the retinotomy procedures.

Automatic speech recognition in vitreo-retinal surgery. A project for a prototypal computer-based voice-controlled vitrectomy machine.

In the past half decade automatic speech recognition techniques, software and hardware technology have matured enough to support sophisticated medical applications. The project described aimed at introducing a computer-based, voice-controlled prototype system in a simulated vitreo-retinal surgery scenario. The aim was to provide the surgeon with a tool that could significantly improve the quality and ease of work and shorten the duration of intervention.

Post-traumatic macular break associated to congenital optic disc pit and pre-existing sensory macular detachment.

Background: Optic disc pits represent a rare congenital abnormality frequently associated with macular detachment. Several theories on the pathogenesis of the detachment have been proposed, but the issue still remains unclear. Treatment remains speculative as well; advocated treatments include eye-patching, bed rest, steroids, laser photocoagulation, pars plana vitrectomy with fluid-air exchange and optic nerve sheath decompression.

Retinal detachment after clear lens extraction in 41 eyes with high axial myopia.

Purpose: Clear lens extraction is a surgical procedure to correct high axial myopia. The authors explain how this technique may lead to serious vitreoretinal complications.

Methods: The study included 41 eyes of 39 patients aged 25 to 58 years (mean, 37.

Copper intraocular foreign body: diagnosis and treatment.

Copper intraocular foreign bodies (IOFB) are relatively common after penetrating eye injuries. Ocular signs and symptoms vary greatly in relation to the copper content, ranging from chronic uveitis and severe visual loss for IOFB containing more than 85% copper, to local copper deposits with no severe ocular damage for less toxic alloys. Reported here is the case of a ten-year-old boy who suffered from recurrent chronic uveitis five months after a perforating eye injury due to copper wire.

Analgesic effect of topical diclofenac versus betamethasone after posterior segment surgery.

Background: In clinical use, topical diclofenac, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory, was found to be remarkably effective as an analgesic. A trial was therefore conducted to quantify and compare this effect with that of other drugs commonly used after posterior segment surgery.

Methods: A single-blind, randomized study of 37 patients undergoing posterior segment surgery was conducted.

Gradients of Krüppel and knirps gene products direct pair-rule gene stripe patterning in the posterior region of the Drosophila embryo.

Abdominal segmentation of the Drosophila embryo requires the activities of the gap genes Krüppel (Kr), knirps (kni), and tailless (tll). They control the expression of the pair-rule gene hairy (h) by activating or repressing independent cis-acting units that generate individual stripes. Kr activates stripe 5 and represses stripe 6, kni activates stripe 6 and represses stripe 7, and tll activates stripe 7.

Anterior segment surgery with use of a new type of sodium hyaluronate preparation IAL.

Over a period of 1 year, a new sodium hyaluronate preparation (IAL) has been studied in eye surgery. The study included 18 cases of extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation and 19 cases of penetrating keratoplasty. The trial has shown that this substance presents all the advantages described for use of viscoelastic substances in ocular surgery.