Real-World Use of Off-Label MVASI in the Treatment of Patients With Neovascular AMD and DME.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab-awwb in the off-label treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (n-AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: All patients with n-AMD and DME treated in the maintenance phase according to the "treat and extend" strategy, who underwent forced drug substitution from bevacizumab to bevacizumab-awwb from October 2022 to April 2023 at the Tor Vergata Polyclinic in Rome, were evaluated in a retrospective study. The primary outcome was changes in central retinal thickness (CRT) over time following drug substitution.

Combining FES and Exoskeletons in a Hybrid Haptic System for Enhancing VR Experience.

Robotic technology and functional electrical stimulation (FES) have emerged as highly effective rehabilitative techniques for individuals with neuromuscular diseases, showcasting their ability to restore motor functions. Within the proposed study, we developed and tested a new hybrid controller combining an upper-limb exoskeleton with FES to enhance haptic feedback when performing task-oriented and bimanual movement, like pick-and-place, in a virtual environment. We investigated the performance of the proposed approach on eight unimpaired participants providing haptic feedback either only by the exoskeleton or by the hybrid system.

Improving Walking Assistance Efficiency in Real-World Scenarios with Soft Exosuits Using Locomotion Mode Detection.

The use of portable and lightweight wearable assistive devices can improve wearer locomotion efficiency by reducing the metabolic cost of walking. To achieve this goal, assistive technologies must adapt to different locomotion modes to optimize walking assistance. In this work, we developed a novel control strategy for an underactuated soft exosuit featuring a single actuator to assist bilateral hip flexion, which utilized inertial measurement units (IMUs) to discriminate between three different locomotion modes: walking up/down stairs or on level ground.

Soft Robotics to Enhance Upper Limb Endurance in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system and can result in various symptoms, including muscle weakness, spasticity, and fatigue, ultimately leading to the deterioration of the musculoskeletal system. However, in recent years, exosuits have emerged as a game-changing solution to assist individuals with MS during their daily activities. These lightweight and affordable wearable robotic devices have gained immense popularity.

A literature review of hypertensive retinopathy: systemic correlations and new technologies.

Objective: Hypertensive retinopathy (HR) is the most common ocular manifestation of systemic arterial hypertension. This paper aims to summarize the current knowledge of HR, reviewing its classical features, such as epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, classifications, management and the most significant systemic correlations. We also provide an update on the latest advances in new technologies focusing on novel instrumental classifications.

Adaptive Hybrid FES-Force Controller for Arm Exosuit.

Patients suffering from neuromuscular diseases experience motor disabilities which hinder their independence during activities of daily living (ADLs). For such impaired subjects, robotic devices and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) are technologies commonly used to rehabilitate lost functions. Nevertheless, both systems present some limitations, and merging FES and robots in Hybrid Robotic Rehabilitation Systems allows to overcome these boundaries.

Relationship Between Muscular Activity and Assistance Magnitude for a Myoelectric Model Based Controlled Exosuit.

The growing field of soft wearable exosuits, is gradually gaining terrain and proposing new complementary solutions in assistive technology, with several advantages in terms of portability, kinematic transparency, ergonomics, and metabolic efficiency. Those are palatable benefits that can be exploited in several applications, ranging from strength and resistance augmentation in industrial scenarios, to assistance or rehabilitation for people with motor impairments. To be effective, however, an exosuit needs to synergistically work with the human and matching specific requirements in terms of both movements kinematics and dynamics: an accurate and timely intention-detection strategy is the paramount aspect which assume a fundamental importance for acceptance and usability of such technology.

Bilateral Retinal Angiomatous Proliferation in a Variant of Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Purpose: To describe the first case of bilateral retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) in a patient with a variant of retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Case Report: An 85-year-old man with RP presented with visual acuity decrease and metamorphopsia in the left eye (LE). Fundus examination revealed typical signs of RP in both eyes, associated with intraretinal macular hemorrhage in the LE.

Haptic Stimulation for Improving Training of a Motor Imagery BCI Developed for a Hand-Exoskeleton in Rehabilitation.

The use of robotic devices to provide active motor support and sensory feedback of ongoing motor intention, by means of a Brain Computer Interface (BCI), has received growing support by recent literature, with particular focus on neurorehabilitation therapies. At the same time, performance in the use of the BCI has become a more critical factor, since it directly influences congruency and consistency of the provided sensory feedback. As motor imagery is the mental simulation of a given movement without depending on residual function, training of patients in the use of motor imagery BCI can be extended beyond each rehabilitation session, and practiced by using simpler devices than rehabilitation robots available in the hospital.

TWELVE-MONTH OUTCOMES OF INTRAVITREAL AFLIBERCEPT FOR NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: Fixed Versus As-needed Dosing.

Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of aflibercept used with a fixed schedule with a pro-re-nata (PRN) retreatment regimen in patients affected by neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: This is a prospective multicenter, noninferiority, propensity score-matched study evaluating the 12-month outcomes of aflibercept given either according to labeling or following a PRN regimen. Patients included in the latter group received one initial injection, followed by monthly visits and as-needed retreatment.

Indocyanine Green Angiography and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of Choroidal Neovascularization in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To compare the capability of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in detecting choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

Methods: In this prospective study, patients with CNV detected with fluorescein angiography (FA) underwent ICGA and OCTA, spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT), and infrared or fundus color photographs. CNV lesions were outlined on ICGA and OCTA images, and the composition and size of the CNV was documented.

A cluster of presumed, noninfectious endophthalmitis after intravitreal injection of bevacizumab: long-term follow-up.

Purpose: To report the outcome of 5 consecutive cases of presumed, noninfectious endopththalmitis following intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (IVB).

Methods: Ten pre-loaded syringes of bevacizumab (1.25 mg/50 µL) furnished by a compounding pharmacy were injected intravitreally.

Aflibercept in persistent neovascular AMD: comparison of different treatment strategies in switching therapy.

PurposeTo evaluate the effects of aflibercept administered according to a pro re nata (PRN) or Fixed Regimen to patients with neovascular AMD and persistent intraretinal/subretinal fluid (IRF/SRF) despite three consecutive ranibizumab injections.MethodsPatients were switched to aflibercept injection (IVA) administered according to a PRN or to a fixed regimen for 1 year in two different retina centers. At baseline each patient underwent a complete ophthalmologic evaluation, including best-corrected visual acuity assessment (BCVA ETDRS chart), fluorescein, and indocyanine green angiography and OCT.

Visual disability and quality of life in glaucoma patients.

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy that can result in progressive and irreversible vision loss, thereby affecting quality of life (QoL) of patients. Several studies have shown a strong correlation between visual field damage and visual disability in patients with glaucoma, even in the early stages of the disease. Visual impairment due to glaucoma affects normal daily activities required for independent living, such as driving, walking, and reading.

Platelet-rich plasma as treatment for persistent ocular epithelial defects.

Platelet- rich plasma (PRP) exhibits regenerative proprieties in wound healing but the biochemical mechanisms are unclear. In this study, autologous PRP with a mean value of 338 × 10(3) platelets/µL was used to treat corneal lesions of different aetiology, while homologous PRP with 1 × 10(6) platelets/µL was used to treat cornel lesions induced by a graft versus host disease. The impact of platelet count on the levels of PDGF AA and BB, VEGF, and EGF in the two PRPs was evaluated after a cycle of freezing/thawing.

Age-related macular degeneration: insights into inflammatory genes.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects approximately 8.7% of elderly people worldwide (>55 years old). AMD is characterized by a multifactorial aetiology that involves several genetic and environmental risk factors (genes, ageing, smoking, family history, dietary habits, oxidative stress, and hypertension).

Long-term functional and morphologic retinal changes after ranibizumab and photodynamic therapy in myopic choroidal neovascularization.

Purpose: To assess and compare the long-term functional and anatomical outcomes in eyes with myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) treated with intravitreal injections of ranibizumab or with photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Methods: Eighty-five eyes of 85 consecutive patients with myopic CNV and treated with either PDT (43/85) or ranibizumab 0.5 mg (42/85) and at least 24 months of follow-up were collected.

Haplotypes in IL-8 Gene Are Associated to Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of blindness in the developed world. The etiology of AMD is multifactorial due to the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. IL-8 has a role in inflammation and angiogenesis; we report the genetic characterization of IL-8 allele architecture and evaluate the role of SNPs or haplotypes in the susceptibility to wet AMD, case-control study.

Combined reduced fluence photodynamic therapy and intravitreal ranibizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

Purpose: We performed a prospective noncomparative study to report the results of reduced fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with intravitreal ranibizumab in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy with active exudation and hemorrhage.

Methods: Seventeen polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy eyes were treated, and follow-up for all patients was 12 months. Photodynamic therapy was administered with reduced fluence (exposure time of 70'') and followed (48 hours later) by intravitreal ranibizumab (0.

Persistent epithelial defect after penetrating keratoplasty caused by adenoviral infectious keratitis.

A causal role of herpes simplex infection in persistent epithelial defect following penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) has been documented in the past. Instead, not much information is available on the role of adenovirus infection in delayed epithelization following PKP. Here, we describe a case of persistent epithelial defect due to adenoviral infection keratitis confirmed by PCR analysis.

Compassionate use of intravitreal pegaptanib in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

The study aim was to evaluate the short-term safety and efficacy of pegaptanib sodium injections (Macugen, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., New York, NY) in the compassionate-use therapy of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Intravitreal pegaptanib was used to treat 41 eyes in 40 patients with CNV.

Typing of ARMS2 and CFH in age-related macular degeneration: case-control study and assessment of frequency in the Italian population.

Objectives: To determine the effects of the polymorphisms CFH Tyr402His and ARMS2 del443ins54 on susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to find the frequencies of these single-nucleotide polymorphisms in an Italian population that was not examined clinically.

Methods: A total of 286 control subjects (126 men and 160 women) and 159 white patients (73 men and 86 women) harboring exudative AMD in 1 eye were recruited. A third group of 182 DNA samples from blood donors of the same geographical areas were also typed to assess the frequency of CFH Tyr402His and ARMS2 del443ins54 polymorphisms in the general population.