Incidence and Outcomes of Infectious and Noninfectious Endophthalmitis after Intravitreal Injections for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To assess the incidence, cumulative rate, and long-term outcomes of infectious and noninfectious endophthalmitis after intravitreal injections (IVTs) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents.

Design: Database study, prospectively designed.

Participants: Treatment-naïve eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) tracked by the Fight Retinal Blindness! (FRB!) registry that commenced anti-VEGF therapy between January 1, 2006, and November 30, 2016.

Short-term vision gains at 12 weeks correlate with long-term vision gains at 2 years: results from the BEVORDEX randomised clinical trial of bevacizumab versus dexamethasone implants for diabetic macular oedema.

Aim: To determine whether early vision gains predict long-term visual outcomes in the BEVORDEX randomised clinical trial of bevacizumab or dexamethasone implants for diabetic macular oedema.

Methods: Post hoc analysis of 68 study eyes (77%) that completed 2 years follow-up of the BEVORDEX multicentre randomised clinical trial set in Australia (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01298076).

ICU admission after surgery: who benefits?

Purpose Of Review: Death following surgery remains a major cause of death worldwide, and ICU admission following major surgery is considered a standard of care in many healthcare systems. However, ICU resources are finite and expensive, thus identifying those most likely to benefit is of great importance.

Recent Findings: Advances in surgical and perioperative management have moved the focus of postoperative care to preventing complications and reducing duration of hospitalisation.

The level of provision of specialist palliative care services in Scotland: an international benchmarking study.

Objectives: Comparative benchmarking of specialist palliative care (SPC) services across jurisdictions can be used to assess the adequacy of provision. Published in 2016, the unlocks the possibility of benchmarking Scotland's provision against other European Union (EU) countries. Our objectives were to describe the provision of SPC services in Scotland and compare this with other EU countries, assessing coverage against European norms.

Mortality from Circulatory Diseases and other Non-Cancer Outcomes among Nuclear Workers in France, the United Kingdom and the United States (INWORKS).

Positive associations between external radiation dose and non-cancer mortality have been found in a number of published studies, primarily of populations exposed to high-dose, high-dose-rate ionizing radiation. The goal of this study was to determine whether external radiation dose was associated with non-cancer mortality in a large pooled cohort of nuclear workers exposed to low-dose radiation accumulated at low dose rates. The cohort comprised 308,297 workers from France, United Kingdom and United States.

Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation for Neuropathic Pain: Efficacy at Three Years' Follow-Up.

Object: Chronic neuropathic pain is estimated to affect 3-4.5% of the worldwide population, posing a serious burden to society. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is already established for movement disorders and also used to treat some "off-label" conditions.

Current research priorities in perioperative intensive care medicine.

Introduction: Surgical treatments are offered to more patients than ever before, and increasingly to older patients with chronic disease. High-risk patients frequently require critical care either in the immediate postoperative period or after developing complications. The purpose of this review was to identify and prioritise themes for future research in perioperative intensive care medicine.

Consent: an event or a memory in lumbar spinal surgery? A multi-centre, multi-specialty prospective study of documentation and patient recall of consent content.

Study Design: Prospective, multi-centre, multi-specialty medical notes review and patient interview.

Purpose: The consenting process is an important communication tool which also carries medico-legal implications. While written consent is a pre-requisite before spinal surgery in the UK, the standard and effectiveness of the process have not been assessed previously.

Effect of day of the week on short- and long-term mortality after emergency general surgery.

Background: The effect of day of the week on outcome after surgery is the subject of debate. The aim was to determine whether day of the week of emergency general surgery alters short- and long-term mortality.

Methods: This was an observational study of all patients undergoing emergency general surgery in Scotland between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2007, followed to 2012.

Effects of Ranibizumab and Aflibercept on Human Müller Cells and Photoreceptors under Stress Conditions.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy has revolutionized the treatment of retinal vascular diseases. However, constitutive VEGF also acts as a trophic factor on retinal nonvascular cells. We have studied the effects of aflibercept and ranibizumab on human Müller cells and photoreceptors exposed to starvation media containing various concentrations of glucose, with or without CoCl2-induced hypoxia.

The Cognitive Role of the Globus Pallidus interna; Insights from Disease States.

The motor symptoms of both Parkinson's disease and focal dystonia arise from dysfunction of the basal ganglia, and are improved by pallidotomy or deep brain stimulation of the Globus Pallidus interna (GPi). However, Parkinson's disease is associated with a greater degree of basal ganglia-dependent learning impairment than dystonia. We attempt to understand this observation in terms of a comparison of the electrophysiology of the output of the basal ganglia between the two conditions.

Retinal vascular calibre changes after intravitreal bevacizumab or dexamethasone implant treatment for diabetic macular oedema.

Purpose: To compare changes in retinal vascular calibre after 2 years of treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab (BVZ) or dexamethasone implant (DEX) in patients with centre-involving diabetic macular oedema (DMO).

Methods: At baseline, 88 eyes of 61 patients with DMO were recruited in a prospective, multicentre, randomised, single-masked clinical trial. Of these subjects, 22 BVZ-treated (52%) and 22 DEX-treated (48%) eyes of 34 patients (56%) had gradable retinal photographs at both the baseline and 24-month visits.

TWO YEAR OUTCOMES OF "TREAT AND EXTEND" INTRAVITREAL THERAPY USING AFLIBERCEPT PREFERENTIALLY FOR NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

Purpose: To report 24-month outcomes of a treat and extend (T&E) regimen using aflibercept in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: This was a database observational study that included treatment-naive eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration tracked by the Fight Retinal Blindness! outcome registry completing 24 months of sole monotherapy with aflibercept treatment under a T&E regimen between November 1, 2012 and January 31, 2014. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing curves were used to display visual acuity outcomes.

Intensive care utilization and outcomes after high-risk surgery in Scotland: a population-based cohort study.

Background: The optimal perioperative use of intensive care unit (ICU) resources is not yet defined. We sought to determine the effect of ICU admission on perioperative (30 day) and long-term mortality.

Methods: This was an observational study of all surgical patients in Scotland during 2005-7 followed up until 2012.

High-intensity focused ultrasonic ablation of sacral chordoma is feasible: a series of four cases and details of a national clinical trial.

High-intensity focused ultrasound describes the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to ablate tumours without requiring an incision or other invasive procedure. This technique has been trialled on a range of tumours including uterine fibroids, prostate, liver and renal cancer. We describe our experience of using HIFU to ablate sacral chordoma in four patients with advanced tumours.

Examining temporal effects on cancer risk in the international nuclear workers' study.

The paper continues the series of publications from the International Nuclear Workers Study cohort that comprises 308,297 workers from France, the United Kingdom and the United States, providing 8.2 million person-years of observation from a combined follow-up period (at earliest 1944 to at latest 2005). These workers' external radiation exposures were primarily to photons, resulting in an estimated average career absorbed dose to the colon of 17.

The International Nuclear Workers Study (Inworks): A Collaborative Epidemiological Study to Improve Knowledge About Health Effects of Protracted Low-Dose Exposure.

INWORKS is a multinational cohort study, gathering 308 297 workers in the nuclear industry in France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, with detailed individual monitoring data for external exposure to ionising radiation. Over a mean duration of follow-up of 27 y, the number of observed deaths was 66 632, including 17 957 deaths due to solid cancers, 1791 deaths due to haematological cancers and 27 848 deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. Mean individual cumulative external dose over the period 1945-2005 was 25 mSv.

Natural history and effect of therapeutic interventions on subretinal fluid causing foveal detachment in macular telangiectasia type 2.

Aim: To report the natural history of subretinal fluid (SRF) causing foveal detachment in macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) and our experience of therapeutic intervention with intravitreal steroids or antivascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor (anti-VEGF) agents in some cases.

Methods: Retrospective case series. Three of the MacTel study's largest registries were searched to identify eyes with foveal detachment.

Treatment Patterns and Visual Outcomes during the Maintenance Phase of Treat-and-Extend Therapy for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To present the treatment patterns, disease activity, and visual outcomes of eyes in the maintenance phase of a treat-and-extend regimen for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). To compare the maintenance phase behavior of eyes with a shorter induction phase (≤3 injections) with those requiring a longer induction phase (>3 injections).

Design: Database observational study.

Vision-Related Quality of Life Outcomes in the BEVORDEX Study: A Clinical Trial Comparing Ozurdex Sustained Release Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant and Bevacizumab Treatment for Diabetic Macular Edema.

Purpose: To determine the patient-centered effectiveness of treatment with the slow-release dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX implant) and intravitreal bevacizumab using the Impact of Vision Impairment Questionnaire (IVI), a vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) measure, in patients with visual impairment secondary to center-involving diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: Patients with DME were enrolled in a phase 2, prospective, multicenter, randomized, single-masked clinical trial and received either DEX implant 4 monthly or bevacizumab monthly, both pro re nata. Vision-related quality of life was measured at baseline and 24 months, using the IVI's three component scales, namely reading, mobility, and emotional well-being.

Twelve-Month Outcomes of Ranibizumab vs. Aflibercept for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Data from an Observational Study.

Purpose: To directly compare visual acuity (VA) outcomes with ranibizumab vs. aflibercept for eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated in routine clinical practice.

Design: Database observational study.

The Effect of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Therapy on Mortality and Intubation Rate in Acute Respiratory Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: High-flow nasal cannulae are used in adults with or at risk of acute respiratory failure. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the evidence for their use in this setting.

Data Sources: Ovid Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.