Publications by authors named "Erik Letko"
Purpose: Secukinumab, a fully human anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, exhibited promising activity in a proof-of-concept study when administered in intravenous (IV) doses to patients with active, chronic, noninfectious uveitis. This study compared the efficacy and safety of different IV and subcutaneous (SC) doses of secukinumab in patients with noninfectious uveitis.
Design: Multicenter, randomized, double-masked, dose-ranging, phase 2 clinical trial.
Objective: To identify the causes of secondary graft failure after Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and to evaluate the clinical outcomes of repeat endothelial keratoplasty (REK) in this patient population.
Design: Retrospective case series.
Participants: Patients of a private practice Price Vision Group in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Purpose: Comparison of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) for patients with intermediate uveitis (IU).
Methods: A prospective, randomized pilot study was performed on patients with recalcitrant IU associated with degradation of visual acuity (VA) despite standard treatment. Outcome measures (VA, intraocular pressure, anterior chamber and vitreous cellular infiltrate) were collected.
Purpose: To compare the rate of epithelial ingrowth after LASIK retreatment among eyes with flaps created by femtosecond laser and those created by mechanical microkeratome.
Methods: Postoperative results from 272 consecutive LASIK retreatments performed by a single surgeon over a 4-year period were reviewed retrospectively to identify cases that developed clinically significant epithelial ingrowth, defined as that which required surgical removal. Flaps for the original LASIK treatments were created using a mechanical microkeratome or femtosecond laser.
Objective: To report the outcomes of infliximab therapy in the treatment of ocular inflammatory disease refractory to traditional immunomodulatory therapy (IMT).
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 27 patients. All patients had noninfectious ocular inflammatory disease refractory to traditional IMT and received 5 mg/kg of infliximab at 2-week to 8-week intervals.
Objective: To describe a nonconventional diagnostic technique used to diagnose a case of cicatrizing conjunctivitis associated with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.
Methods: Direct immunofluorescence of a biopsy specimen of the patient's conjunctiva was performed using fluorescein-conjugated rabbit antihuman antibodies against IgA, IgG, and IgM; complement C3; and fibrinogen. Immunoblot assay using healthy human skin as substrate was performed to investigate for the presence of antibodies in the patient's serum.
Safety and efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for uveitic macular edema.
Ocul Immunol Inflamm
September 2005
Background: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) for treating macular edema secondary to non-infectious uveitis.
Methods: Retrospective review of sixteen patients (20 eyes) with chronic cystoid macular edema (CME) as a consequence of controlled intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis who received at least one intravitreal injection of TA. Main outcome measures were visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), formation or progression of an existing cataract, and CME resolution during the follow-up period.
Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of patients with birdshot retinochoroidopathy (BSRC) treated with corticosteroid-sparing systemic immunomodulatory therapy (IMT).
Design: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.
Participants: Thirty-five patients with BSRC evaluated at the Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary from 1980 through 2003.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: a review of the literature.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol
April 2005
Objective: To perform a comprehensive review of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Data Sources: A MEDLINE search was performed for the years 1975 to 2003 using the keywords Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis to identify relevant articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals.
Study Selection: All clinical studies that reported on 4 or more patients, review articles, and experimental studies that concerned disease mechanisms were selected and further analyzed.
Objective: To report the clinical outcome and long-term follow-up of 10 patients with progressive ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP), nonresponsive to conventional therapy and treated with IV immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy, reported earlier as a preliminary study.
Design: Noncomparative, prospective, interventional case series according to a defined protocol for IVIg therapy.
Participants: Ten patients, with a diagnosis of OCP present bilaterally confirmed by both biopsy and immunofluorescence studies and who had failed conventional therapy and had objectively demonstrated a positive response to IVIg therapy in a preliminary study, published in 1999.
The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy to conventional immunosuppressive therapy in patients with mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), also known as cicatricial pemphigoid (CP), whose disease progressed to involve the eye. Before ocular involvement, all the patients in this study were diagnosed and treated with immunosuppressive agents, for biopsy-proven MMP, affecting the skin and/or mucous membranes, other than the conjunctiva. Eight patients in group A were treated with IVIg after the diagnosis of ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) was established.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To investigate the spectrum of ocular involvement, to examine the clinical outcome, and to analyze the influence of treatment in patients with chronic ocular manifestations of Reiter's syndrome (RS) referred to a tertiary care ocular immunology service.
Design: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.
Participants: Twenty-five patients with RS evaluated at the Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary from 1981 through 2001.
Purpose: It has been hypothesized that the biosynthesis of O-linked glycans on proteins, particularly on the highly O-glycosylated mucins, by the corneal and conjunctival epithelium is necessary for the protection and maintenance of a healthy ocular surface. The initial step in O-glycosylation is the enzymatic addition of N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc) to serine and threonine residues by a large family of polypeptide GalNAc-transferases (GalNAc-Ts). The purpose of this study was to determine the cellular distribution of GalNAc-Ts in the normal ocular surface epithelia and to compare their distribution with that in pathologically keratinized conjunctival epithelia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiology of interleukin-5 in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid.
Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol
July 2002
Background: Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies, T-cell dysregulation, and abnormal serum levels of cytokines such as interleukin-6, interleukin-1, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The purpose of the present study was to investigate levels of interleukin-5 (IL-5) in the sera, eosinophil counts in the peripheral blood, and eosinophil and mast cell counts in the inflamed conjunctivae of patients with active OCP.
Methods: Seven patients diagnosed in the active phase of OCP presenting with chronic cicatrizing conjunctivitis were studied.
Objective: This study comprehensively reviews the literature related to relapsing polychondritis (RP).
Methods: A detailed search via MEDLINE (PubMed) was performed using relapsing polychondritis as the key term. Relevant articles were analyzed with a focus on history, epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of RP.