Comment on Gaspari et al. Blood Purification in Hepatic Dysfunction after Liver Transplant or Extensive Hepatectomy: Far from the Best-Case Scenarios. 2024, , 2853.

We read with interest the paper entitled Case Report Blood Purification in Hepatic Dysfunction after Liver Transplant or Extensive Hepatectomy: Far from the Best-Case Scenarios, which was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine [...

Extracorporeal liver support techniques: a comparison.

ExtraCorporeal Liver Support (ECLS) systems were developed with the aim of supporting the liver in its detoxification function by clearing the blood from hepatic toxic molecules. We conducted a retrospective comparative analysis on patients presenting with liver failure who were treated with different extracorporeal techniques in our intensive care unit to evaluate and compare their detoxification abilities. To verify the effectiveness of the techniques, mass balance (MB) and adsorption per hour were calculated for total bilirubin (TB), direct bilirubin (DB), and bile acids (BA) from the concentrations measured.

Physiology-Enhanced Data Analytics to Evaluate the Effect of Altitude on Intraocular Pressure and Ocular Hemodynamics.

Altitude affects intraocular pressure (IOP); however, the underlying mechanisms involved and its relationship with ocular hemodynamics remain unknown. Herein, a validated mathematical modeling approach was used for a physiology-enhanced () analysis of the Mont Blanc study (MBS), estimating the effects of altitude on IOP, blood pressure (BP), and retinal hemodynamics. In the MBS, IOP and BP were measured in 33 healthy volunteers at 77 and 3466 m above sea level.

The changing pattern of bacterial and fungal respiratory isolates in patients with and without COVID-19 admitted to intensive care unit.

Objectives: Severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has had a heavy impact on national health system, especially in the first wave. That impact hit principally the intensive care units (ICUs). The large number of patients requiring hospitalization in ICUs lead to a complete upheaval of intensive wards.

A new look at the safety and tolerability of prostaglandin analogue eyedrops in glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Introduction: In the last 25 years, topical prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) have emerged to become first line and first choice therapeutic options in the management of glaucoma and ocular hypertension (OHT). Although the short-term efficacy and safety of PGAs has been extensively investigated, less is known about their long term safety and tolerability. This gap in current knowledge is clinically relevant, because treatment-related adverse events and long-term tolerability issues are key determinants of the overall success of long-term therapy and the final outcome of a lifelong, symptomless disease like glaucoma.

Efficacy and Safety of PreserFlo MicroShunt After a Failed Trabeculectomy in Eyes with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of PreserFlo MicroShunt in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) eyes after a single failed trabeculectomy.

Methods: Retrospective review of POAG eyes with a failed trabeculectomy that underwent PreserFlo MicroShunt implantation from March 2019 to November 2019, in two Italian glaucoma centers. Pre- and postoperative data were collected and compared.

Confocal Microscopy and Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of the Ocular Surface and Bleb Morphology in Medically and Surgically Treated Glaucoma Patients: A Review.

Glaucoma patients often suffer from ocular surface disease (OSD) caused by the chronic administration of topical anti-glaucoma medications, especially in cases of long-term therapy with preserved or multiple drugs. Additionally, glaucoma surgery may determine ocular surface changes related to the formation and location of the filtering bleb, the application of anti-mitotic agents, and the post-operative wound-healing processes within the conjunctiva. Recently, several studies have evaluated the role of advanced diagnostic imaging technologies such as in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) and anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in detecting microscopic and macroscopic features of glaucoma therapy-related OSD.

Worsening of gas exchange parameters at high FiO in COVID-19: misleading or informative?

Background: In COVID-19, higher than expected level of intrapulmonary shunt has been described, in association with a discrepancy between the initial relatively preserved lung mechanics and the hypoxia severity. This study aim was to measure the shunt fraction and variations of PaO/FiO ratio and oxygen alveolar-arterial gradient (A-a O) at different FiO.

Methods: Shunt was measured by a non-invasive system during spontaneous breathing in 12 patients hospitalized at COVID-19 Semi-Intensive Care Unit of Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy, between October 22 and November 23, 2020.

Human recombinant nerve growth factor (Cenegermin) in a patient affected by primary congenital glaucoma with neurotrophic keratopathy.

Purpose: To report a case of neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) in a patient affected by primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) who undergone glaucoma drainage implant surgery. NK was successfully treated with human recombinant Nerve Growth Factor (Cenegermin) eye drops.

Case Report Description: A 46-years-old patient affected by primary congenital glaucoma underwent Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation in the right eye, after several unsuccessful surgeries to control intraocular pressure (IOP) since the age of three.

Single-Pass Mikrokeratome and Anterior Chamber Pressurizer for the Ultrathin Descemet-Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty Graft Preparation.

Purpose: To compare the reliability of microkeratome dissection with the anterior chamber pressurizer (ACP) system versus conventional pressurization for ultrathin Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (UT-DSAEK) graft preparation.

Methods: A retrospective review of a consecutive series of dissected donor corneas processed at Pavia Eye Bank for UT-DSAEK surgery was performed. Grafts were prepared through single-pass microkeratome dissection with artificial anterior chamber internal pressure regulation through either ACP or the conventional method using a water column with tube clamp.

Glaucoma and neuroinflammation: An overview.

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy characterized by well-defined optic disc morphological changes (i.e., cup enlargement, neuroretinal border thinning, and notching, papillary vessel modifications) consequent to retinal ganglion cell loss, axonal degeneration, and lamina cribrosa remodeling.

Identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the conjunctival swab of an Italian pediatric patient affected with COVID-19: A case report.

Introduction: To report a case of identification of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in ocular specimen in a pediatric patient affected with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with no signs of ocular involvement.

Case Description: A 11-year old male patient with confirmed COVID-19 infection was hospitalized at the Pediatric Clinic Clinic of the IRCCS Foundation and Hospital San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. Three days after hospital admission, because of the patient complaining very mild ocular symptoms, an ophthalmological evaluation was performed.

Anterior Chamber Angle Assessment Techniques: A Review.

Assessment of the anterior chamber angle (ACA) is an essential part of the ophthalmological examination. It is intrinsically related to the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and has a role in its prevention. Although slit-lamp gonioscopy is considered the gold-standard technique for ACA evaluation, its poor reproducibility and the long learning curve are well-known shortcomings.

Intraocular Pressure Measurement in Patients Wearing Filtering Facepiece Masks.

Ophthalmological examination requires a strict contact between caregivers and patients. In the COVID-19 era, this may be a risk factor for virus spread, and the use of facial masks for all in-office ophthalmological procedures has been recommended. In this case-series, we report about some errors in intraocular pressure measurement, that may occur during the slit-lamp examination of patients wearing filtering facepiece masks and N95 respirators.

A case report of pediatric neurotrophic keratopathy in pontine tegmental cap dysplasia treated with cenegermin eye drops.

Rationale: To report the management of recalcitrant neurotrophic keratopathy in a pediatric patient affected by pontine tegmental cap dysplasia (PTCD) using topical human recombinant nerve growth factor (hrNGF, Cenegermin 20 μg/ml). To the best of our knowledge the present case is one of the few described in patients with congenital NK treated with Cenegermin, and the first in a patient affected by PTCD.

Patient Concerns: A 9-year-old patient, affected by PTCD with bilateral cranial nerve V1 and VIII palsies, was referred to our hospital for visual disturbances and redness of the right eye due to persistent neurotrophic epithelial defect.

The Mont Blanc Study: The effect of altitude on intra ocular pressure and central corneal thickness.

The aim of the Mont Blanc Study was to investigate the relationship between intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), and altitude in healthy subjects. Thirty-three eyes of 33 healthy volunteers (mean age: 24.8 years, 17 females) had their IOP measured with Perkins and I-Care tonometers and their CCT using ultrasound pachymetry at three locations in Italy with different altitudes: Pavia, (PV), 77 meters above sea level (a.