Vitrectomy and Vitrector Port Needle Biopsy of Choroidal Melanoma for Gene Expression Profile Testing Immediately before Brachytherapy.

Purpose: Transvitreal and transscleral needle biopsy can result in complications including vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment. This study evaluated a technique using 25-gauge vitrectomy as an adjunct to needle biopsy immediately before brachytherapy to minimize these complications and preserve good visual acuity.

Design: Retrospective, observational case series.

Outcomes of Choroidal Melanoma 25-Gauge Vitrectomy Needle Biopsy and Iodine 125 Brachytherapy Performed by Directly Supervised Fellows versus Attending Faculty.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of choroidal melanoma 25-gauge vitrectomy needle biopsy and iodine 125 (I) brachytherapy performed by supervised fellows compared with experienced faculty.

Design: Retrospective, observational case series.

Participants: Sixty-three consecutive eyes of 63 patients with treatment-naïve medium choroidal melanomas without extraocular extension.

Long-term visual outcomes following lens-sparing vitrectomy for retinopathy of prematurity.

Aim: To describe the long-term outcomes of lens-sparing vitrectomy (LSV) for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Methods: Single-centre retrospective case series of eyes that underwent LSV for ROP between 1998 and 2005 and had a follow-up of at least 5 years. The primary outcome was the mean visual acuity, and secondary outcomes were the proportion of eyes without functional vision, proportion of eyes with anatomic success, proportion of Stage 4A eyes with vision better than 20/400, proportion of Stage 4B eyes with vision better than 20/800.

Readmission after pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer in Medicare patients.

Objective: The objective of this study was to use a population-based dataset to evaluate the number of readmissions and reasons for readmission in Medicare patients undergoing pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer.

Methods: We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked data (1992-2003) to evaluate the initial hospitalization, readmission rates within 30 days (early), and between 30 days and 1 year (late) after initial discharge and reasons for readmission in patients 66 years and older undergoing pancreatectomy.

Results: We identified 1,730 subjects who underwent pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer.

The effect of age on short-term outcomes after pancreatic resection: a population-based study.

Objective: To use a large population-based cohort to determine age-dependent short-term outcomes after pancreatic resection.

Methods: We identified all pancreatic resections in Texas from 1999 to 2005. Patients were stratified into 4 age groups (<60, 60-69, 70-79, and 80+ years).

Can older adult volunteers serve effectively to improve asthma management for children? Experience Corps Baltimore.

The present study was conducted to determine whether older adults can learn and retain information on asthma and play a role as community health workers to teach children about asthma. A total of 36 older adults and 28 students in grades K-6 participated. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered to participants.

MDR1 Ala893 polymorphism is associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are overlapping chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Suggestive evidence for linkage at chromosome 7q has been reported for both CD and UC. Contained within this region is the gene for MDR1 (multidrug resistance), a membrane transport protein for which human polymorphisms have been reported in Ala893Ser/Thr and C3435T that alter pharmacokinetic profiles for a variety of drugs.