Factor V Leiden mutation is associated with ocular involvement in Behçet disease.

Purpose: Behçet disease is a systemic disease of young adults characterized by venous occlusion in both the deep venous and retinal circulations. In severe ocular disease, blindness may occur despite immunosuppressive treatment. The most common inherited risk factor for the development of idiopathic venous thrombosis is the presence of the Factor V (FV Leiden) mutation, which confers resistance to activated protein C.

Soluble adhesion molecules in Behçet's disease.

Background: Behçet's disease (BD) may lead to blindness in up to 25% of eyes. Soluble (s)ICAM-1 but not sVCAM-1 is associated with relapse in idiopathic uveoretinitis and is reported to be raised in BD patients. We have investigated the levels of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 in Palestinian patients with BD and related them to both ocular and systemic disease activity and to immunosuppressive treatment.

Lens aspiration.

Since the King Hussein Medical Centre was opened in 973, lens aspiration has been adopted as the standard method of treating cataracts in children and young people under 30 years of age, and has been used in a personal series of 126 eyes of 88 patients. The results support the opinion that the surgical technique of continuous infusion with a two-way cannula is a satisfactory method of treating soft cataract.

Different B lymphocyte alloantigens associated with multiple sclerosis in Arabs and North Europeans.

The frequencies of HLA and B-lymphocyte alloantigens were investigated in 32 Arab patients with clinically definite or early probable multiple sclerosis (M.S.) and compared with those found in 43 healthy Arab controls.