Interlink between Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Role of Complement Factor H.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) heads the list of legal blindness among the elderly population in developed countries. Due to the complex nature of the retina and the variety of risk factors and mechanisms involved, the molecular pathways underlying AMD are not yet fully defined. Persistent low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress eventually lead to retinal pigment epithelium dysfunction and outer blood-retinal barrier (oBRB) breakdown.

Systemic contribution of inflammatory mediators to the severity of diabetic and uveitic macular edema.

Purpose: To assess whether serum cytokine and growth factor levels are associated with diabetic macular edema (DME) and uveitic macular edema (UME) objective severity.

Methods: Cross-sectional observational study of 81 patients (1 eye/patient) with DME (n=48) and UME (n=33). Macular edema (ME) was defined upon central macular thickness (CMT) ≥ 300 μm on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Multimodal image characterization of paravenous atrophy.

The objective is to describe a clinical case of paravenous atrophy using a multimodal image. A 48-year-old man was visited and followed in the ophthalmology department of Hospital Clinic (Barcelona). Visual acuity, slit-lamp exam, retinography, autofluorescence, visual field, optical coherence tomography, and electrophysiology test were performed.

Dosimetry-based high-activity therapy with I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-mIBG) and topotecan for the treatment of high-risk refractory neuroblastoma.

Purpose: Patients with high-risk neuroblastoma have an increased risk of recurrence and relapse of disease and a very poor prognosis. I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-mIBG) in combination with topotecan as a radiosensitizer can be an effective and relatively well-tolerated agent for the treatment of refractory neuroblastoma. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate response and outcome of combined therapy with I-mIBG and topotecan.

Myocardial MIBG scintigraphy in genetic Parkinson's disease as a model for Lewy body disorders.

Purpose: To identify myocardial sympathetic denervation patterns suggestive of Lewy body (LB) pathology in patients with genetic and idiopathic parkinsonisms by I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed myocardial MIBG images acquired with a dual-head gamma camera and low-energy high-resolution collimator (LEHR) in 194 patients with suspected synucleinopathy or atypical parkinsonism, including 34 with genetic Parkinson's disease (PD; 4 PARK1, 8 PARK2 and 22 PARK8), 85 with idiopathic PD (iPD), 6 with idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD), 17 with dementia with LB (DLB), 40 with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and 12 with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and in 45 healthy controls. We calculated heart-to-mediastinum MIBG uptake ratios (HMR) at 15 min and 4 h (HMR4H) for the LEHR and standardized medium-energy collimators, to obtain classification accuracies and optimal cut-off values for HMR using supervised classification and ROC analyses.

New imaging techniques in retinal vasculitis.

The term retinal vasculitis (RV) encompasses a heterogeneous group of sight-threatening conditions that are included in the intraocular inflammatory diseases that affect the posterior segment of the eye. Based on the nature of the inflammatory process, RV are classified into predominantly inflammatory or ischaemic (occlusive RV). The diagnosis is clinical and the aetiology can be infectious or non-infectious (immune-mediated).

Current Perspectives on the Use of Anti-VEGF Drugs as Adjuvant Therapy in Glaucoma.

The approval of one of the first anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration one decade ago marked the beginning of a new era in the management of several sight-threatening retinal diseases. Since then, emerging evidence has demonstrated the utility of these therapies for the treatment of other ocular conditions characterized by elevated VEGF levels. In this article we review current perspectives on the use of anti-VEGF drugs as adjuvant therapy in the management of neovascular glaucoma (NVG).

Evaluation of Objective Vitritis Grading Method Using Optical Coherence Tomography: Influence of Phakic Status and Previous Vitrectomy.

Purpose: To evaluate a proposed method for objective measurement of vitreous inflammation using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) device in a large cohort of uveitis eyes, including pseudophakic eyes and vitrectomized eyes.

Design: Retrospective, observational cohort study.

Methods: One hundred five uveitis eyes (105 patients) with different vitreous haze score grades according to standardized protocols and corresponding SD OCT images (Cirrus HD-OCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California, USA) were included.

Autonomic involvement in Parkinsonian carriers of PARK2 gene mutations.

Background And Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the presence of autonomic nervous system dysfunction in PARK2 mutation carriers.

Patients And Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 8 PARK2 carriers (age: 60.1 ± 12.

Cardiocirculatory manifestations in Parkinson's disease patients without orthostatic hypotension.

The objective of this study was to characterize cardiac sympathetic denervation in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients without neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH), both in terms of hemodynamics and in its relation with vascular denervation. We studied 20 PD patients without NOH. We analyzed the heart rate and blood pressure variability during various physical maneuvers.

[Retinal vasculopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus: a case of lupus vasculitis and a case of non-vasculitis venous occlusion].

Clinic Case: Two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus presented with vision loss, and were diagnosed with retinal vasculopathy. Patient 1 had occlusive vasculitis with macular oedema and retinal ischaemia in the right eye. Corticosteroid therapy was increased and intravenous rituximab added.

Autonomic dysfunction in parkinsonian LRRK2 mutation carriers.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare autonomic function in PD symptomatic carriers of the LRRK2 mutations and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD) patients.

Material And Methods: We studied 25 PD patients: 12 with the LRRK2 mutation (6 G2019S and 6 R1441G), and 13 with iPD. All patients underwent blood pressure and heart rate monitoring during head up tilt, Valsalva maneuver and deep breathing, along with recording of sympathetic skin response (SSR) and cardiac MIBG scintigraphy.

Nocturnal hypertension and dysautonomia in patients with Parkinson's disease: are they related?

Orthostatic hypotension and supine hypertension frequently coexist in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, leading to visceral damage and increased mortality rates. The aim of this paper is to analyze the frequency and association of both conditions in a sample of outpatients with PD. A total of 111 patients, diagnosed with PD, were studied.

Cardiac sympathetic denervation in symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers of the E46K mutation in the α synuclein gene.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze autonomic function and cardiac sympathetic innervation in symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers of the E46K alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA) mutation.

Patients And Methods: Autonomic function tests were performed in six patients, four of whom were symptomatic carriers (ages: 46, 59, 52 and 28-years) and two who were asymptomatic carriers (ages: 52 and 29 years). Autopsy studies were performed on an additional two symptomatic carriers not eligible for autonomic testing.

SCOPA-AUT scale in different parkinsonisms and its correlation with (123) I-MIBG cardiac scintigraphy.

Introduction: Our objective was to assess the usefulness of the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease - Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT) in the differential diagnosis of Parkinsonisms and clarify its relation with 123-I-MIBG cardiac scintigraphy.

Methods: A total of 112 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 12 with multiple system atrophy parkinsonian variant (MSA-P) and 20 with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) participated in the study. The following variables were collected: age, sex, age at onset, length of illness, type and dose of anti-Parkinson medication, and score on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

Cardiac sympathetic denervation precedes nigrostriatal loss in the E46K mutation of the alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA).

Introduction: Here we report the case of an asymptomatic carrier of the E46K substitution in alpha-synuclein gene where we have documented that cardiac sympathetic denervation precedes nigrostriatal dopaminergic loss.

Material And Methods: She has been followed up regularly with standard neurological examination, UPDRS, neuropsychological formal testing, parkinson disease sleep scale-PDSS, Epworth scale, Hamilton-D scale, SCOPA Aut, orthostatic hypotension test, brief smell identification test, polysomnography, cerebral 123-I-FP-CIT SPECT, and, 123I-MIBG cardiac scintigraphy.

Results: She shows no presence of orthostatic hypotension.

The new mutation, E46K, of alpha-synuclein causes Parkinson and Lewy body dementia.

Familial parkinsonism and dementia with cortical and subcortical Lewy bodies is uncommon, and no genetic defect has been reported in the previously described sibships. We present a Spanish family with autosomal dominant parkinsonism, dementia, and visual hallucinations of variable severity. The postmortem examination showed atrophy of the substantia nigra, lack of Alzheimer pathology, and numerous Lewy bodies which were immunoreactive to alpha-synuclein and ubiquitin in cortical and subcortical areas.