Glaucoma in penetrating keratoplasty: risk factors, management and outcome.

Introduction: Glaucoma is a leading cause for graft failure. This retrospective study analyzes the risk factors, graft status, and treatment modalities in patients with post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of case records of 1,848 penetrating keratoplasties carried out between 2000 and 2005 was performed.

Efficacy of postoperative immunosuppression after keratoplasty in herpetic keratitis.

Purpose: Recurrence of herpetic keratitis and immune reactions is the major cause of graft failures after penetrating keratoplasty as a consequence of herpes simplex keratitis. No treatment regimen is yet considered a standard of care. This retrospective study analyzes the effectiveness of combined systemic acyclovir and immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine A (CSA) or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) after high-risk keratoplasty in herpetic keratitis.

Age-dependent endothelial dysfunction is associated with failure to increase plasma nitrite in response to exercise.

Age-dependent alterations of the vessel wall may predispose older individuals to increased cardiovascular pathology. Aging is associated with an impaired bioactivity of nitric oxide (NO). Plasma nitrite reflects NO-synthase activity under fasting conditions and is an important storage pool of NO.

Nitric oxide synthase-derived plasma nitrite predicts exercise capacity.

Background: Nitrite is the main oxidation product of nitric oxide (NO) in plasma. It sensitively reflects changes in endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity under fasting conditions and serves as an endocrine NO donor, contributing to the regulation of blood flow through reaction with haemoglobin. As NO is necessary to maintain an adequate vascular response to the increased demands of blood flow, it is believed to be important for vasodilation induced by exercise.