The Psychological, Social and Behavioral Impact of Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Therapy: An Analysis from the ALBATROS Data.

Background: Retinal diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), or branch/central retinal vein occlusion (B/CRVO) have significant implications for patients' social and psychological well-being. The ALBATROS study aimed to assess the care situation of patients who received anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) treatment. To gain a comprehensive understanding of patients' backgrounds and attitudes, we developed an exploratory, structured questionnaire, the Basic Care and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (BPZ-9).

Impact of Routinely Performed Optical Coherence Tomography Examinations on Quality of Life in Patients with Retinal Diseases-Results from the ALBATROS Data Collection.

Unlabelled: The use of OCT to monitor intravitreal treatment varies in clinical practice and is not always mandatory. The ALBATROS data collection aimed to clarify the impact of routinely implemented OCT on clinical outcomes and its impact on vision-related quality of life (VRQoL).

Methods: An observational cohort study included patients with retinal diseases starting an intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment in Germany.

[Place of coordination of complex pathways in oncology by coordinating private nurses].

Background: The complexity of the hospital-city care pathway is a real challenge because of the lack of coordination and communication between many stakeholders. As part of a call for projects from the General Directorate of Healthcare Provision, an experiment involving private oncology coordinating nurses was developed to address this issue. To our knowledge, there is no evaluation so far of such a protocol .

[Diagnostics in childhood uveitis: what tests for which uveitis?].

Background: Intraocular inflammation in children differs considerably from that found in adults. Therefore the diagnostic work-up has to be adapted to the age and specific diseases.

Materials And Methods: The published literature was reviewed for results of clinical trials and consensus meetings.

[Uveitis intermedia in childhood].

Round 10-12% of all children who present with signs of uveitis suffer from intermediate uveitis. Compared to uveitis anterior in children, the association of intermediate uveitis to a systemic disease is much more complicated. Most cases of uveitis intermedia are idiopathic and show the signs of a pars planitis.

Gene transfer to trabecular meshwork endothelium via direct injection into the Schlemm canal and in vivo toxicity study.

Purpose: Our aim was to investigate the efficiency of adenoviral gene transfer via direct injection into the Schlemm canal ex vivo in human donor eyes and to examine the effect of human MMP-3 transgene expression in a rat model in vivo.

Methods: A viscocanalostomy-like operation was performed and adenoviral vector encoding for MMP-3 and green fluorescent protein was injected into human Schlemm canal or rat anterior chamber.

Results: Transgene expression was high in trabecular meshwork endothelium in human donor eyes.

Interferon as a treatment for uveitis associated with multiple sclerosis.

Aim: In addition to optic neuritis (ON), multiple sclerosis (MS) may also involve the eye with a typically bilateral intermediate uveitis. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of type I interferons (IFN) for the treatment of MS associated uveitis.

Methods: In this non-randomised, retrospective observational case series 13 patients (eight female, five male) with proved MS and associated uveitis from five uveitis centres who were treated with interferon beta1a were included.

Adenoviral p53 gene transfer inhibits human Tenon's capsule fibroblast proliferation.

Background/aim: Although antiproliferative drugs have been used successfully to prevent scarring after filtration surgery in patients with glaucoma, complications associated with their use (such as hypotony or endophthalmitis) energise the search for an alternative treatment. Single application of beta radiation leads to long term growth arrest and expression of p53 in human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts (hTf). The authors assume that the activation of p53 is one of the cellular triggers.

[Vision-threatening complications in childhood uveitis].

Purpose: We analyzed the epidemiologic data and vision-threatening complications in different forms of childhood uveitis.

Methods: This retrospective study included 187 consecutive patients with onset of uveitis before the age of 16 years classified as anterior (AU), intermediate (IU), posterior (PU), and panuveitis (PanU). We analyzed the epidemiologic data as well as visual acuity, uveitic complications and the conservative and surgical therapy.

Pseudotumor cerebri following cyclosporine A treatment in a boy with tubulointerstitial nephritis associated with uveitis.

An 11-year-old boy with recurrent nephritis due to tubulointerstitial nephritis associated with uveitis (TINU syndrome) was treated with cyclosporin A (CSA) to induce sustained remission. CSA was introduced as a steroid-sparing drug because of extreme obesity (body mass index 32 kg/m(2)). Although the boy did not complain of any clinical symptoms, eye inspection after 7 months revealed bilateral disk edema with retinal bleeding and the patient developed cerebrospinal hypertension.

Mycophenolate mofetil inhibits human Tenon fibroblast proliferation by guanosine depletion.

Background/aim: Mycophenolate mofetil could be a useful antiproliferative drug in glaucoma filtering surgery. In this study the authors set out to investigate whether growth inhibition of mycophenolate mofetil on human Tenon fibroblasts is mediated by guanosine depletion.

Methods: Cultured human Tenon fibroblasts were incubated in various concentrations of mycophenolate mofetil with and without supplementation of guanosine.

[Clinical experiences and results of application of mitomycin C in trabeculectomy].

Background: Mitomycin C (MMC) used as an additive agent in glaucoma surgery has been shown to improve the postoperative results of intraocular pressure (IOP), but may also lead to higher incidences of postoperative wound healing disorders and of hypotonia with choroidal detachment. In this retrospective study the levels of IOP, the incidence of complications and changes of the visual acuity (VA) were monitored.

Methods: A trabeculectomy was performed on 70 eyes (57 patients).

[Indication and effect of immunosuppression in patients with scleritis].

Purpose: The value of immunosuppressive drugs for the therapy of scleritis patients is unclear. The authors investigated the indications and effects of immunosuppression in a group of patients with scleral inflammation.

Method: Retrospective study of patients treated for scleritis (n = 87) or episcleritis (n = 18).

[Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU syndrome) - comorbidity and complications in four patients].

Background: TINU syndrome probably is a frequently overlooked disease where uveitis occurs in association with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. Diagnostic criteria have been published recently.

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective case series the charts of four consecutive patients with TINU syndrome (follow-up 36, 23, 17, and 12 months, respectively) were analysed, including comorbidity and complications, and the literature was reviewed.

Modulation of hydrogen peroxide induced injury to corneal endothelium by virus mediated catalase gene transfer.

Aim: To examine the effect of catalase gene transfer on survival of corneal endothelial cells (EC) following challenge with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in an ex vivo model of oxidative stress.

Methods: A recombinant adenovirus vector (AdCL) was used to transfer human catalase cDNA into EC of whole thickness rabbit corneas ex vivo. The resulting catalase protein concentration was measured in corneal lysates by ELISA; catalase functional activity in lysates was determined using a H(2)O(2) activity assay.

Antiproliferative effect of mycophenolate mofetil on cultured human Tenon fibroblasts.

Background: Wound healing after glaucoma filtering surgery is often complicated by exaggerated scarring of the subconjunctival Tenon's layer. Therefore, antiproliferatives are commonly employed. The immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is used to prevent graft rejection after kidney or liver transplantation.

Cytokine and chemokine expression kinetics after corneal transplantation.

Background: Allogeneic rejection is the most common cause of corneal graft failure. The aim of this work was to establish the kinetics of cytokine and chemokine mRNA expression before and after onset of corneal graft rejection.

Methods: Intracorneal cytokine and chemokine mRNA levels were investigated in the Brown Norway-->Lewis inbred rat model in which rejection onset is observed at 8/9 days after grafting in all animals.

Gene delivery to the corneal endothelium.

Gene transfer to the corneal endothelium has potential for modulating rejection of corneal grafts. It can also serve as a convenient and useful model for gene therapy of other organs. In this article we review the work carried out in our laboratory using both viral and nonviral vectors to obtain gene expression in the cornea.

Adeno-associated and herpes simplex viruses as vectors for gene transfer to the corneal endothelium.

Purpose: We examined the efficacy and cytopathogenicity of adeno-associated (AAV) and herpes simplex viruses (HSV) as vectors for gene transfer to corneal endothelial cells (CECs).

Methods: Recombinant AAV and HSV were examined for their ability to deliver a lacZ histochemical marker gene to whole-thickness rabbit and human corneas ex vivo. Transgene expression was detected with histochemistry and quantified by a colorimetric assay.

Randomised controlled trial of corticosteroid regimens in endothelial corneal allograft rejection.

Aim: To determine whether the addition of systemic corticosteroid to local intensive corticosteroid therapy of endothelial corneal allograft rejection improves outcome.

Methods: A prospective randomised treatment trial was carried out at a tertiary referral centre. 36 consecutive corneal graft recipients, presenting with a first episode of endothelial graft rejection, received either (i) one intravenous pulse of methylprednisolone 500 mg in addition to local corticosteroid treatment, or (ii) local treatment only.

Activated polyamidoamine dendrimers, a non-viral vector for gene transfer to the corneal endothelium.

We investigated the efficiency of activated polyamidoamine dendrimers, a new class of nonviral vectors, to transfect rabbit and human corneas in ex vivo culture. In addition to assessing the expression of a marker gene we have demonstrated that this approach can be used to induce the production of TNF receptor fusion protein (TNFR-Ig), a protein with therapeutic potential. Whole thickness rabbit or human corneas were transfected ex vivo with complexes consisting of dendrimers and plasmids containing lacZ or TNFR-Ig genes.