Publications by authors named "Pierfrancesco Mirabelli"
Optic neuritis (ON) is an inflammatory condition of the optic nerve. ON is associated with development of demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). CNS lesions visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the finding of oligoclonal IgG bands (OB) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are used to stratify the risk of MS after a "first" episode of ON.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To present real-life data of patients with macular edema (ME) secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) treated with bevacizumab (BVZ); determine the possible influence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) on treatment efficacy; and compare treatment outcomes in a treat-and-extend regimen (TER) versus (PRN).
Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of 58 eyes (56 patients) with new-onset CRVO treated only with intravitreal bevacizumab according to TER or PRN. Outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) at baseline and 12 months after the first treatment, number of visits and injections, and presence of ERM confirmed by optical coherence tomography in the first 6 months.
Background: Nutritional visual defects are apparently uncommon nowadays in developed nations. Retinal change-related visual defects caused by hypovitaminoses may be underdiagnosed.
Aim Of The Study: To investigate the retinal structural and functional changes in a patient with multivitamin deficiency before and during vitamin supplementation.
Article Synopsis
- Inhibiting pathological angiogenesis can temporarily slow disease progression but often leads to revascularization once treatment stops.
- A study using a murine model showed two distinct types of vascular changes after inhibition: degenerate persistent vessels and acellular basement membrane sleeves.
- Upon stopping angiogenesis inhibition, persistent vessels could quickly regenerate and contribute to new blood vessel growth, while the empty basement membrane sleeves remained sealed and unable to support circulation.
Purpose: Treatment of corneal neovascularization can lead to vessel regression and recovery of corneal transparency. Here, we examined the response of the cornea to a repeated stimulus after initial vessel regression comparing the second wave of neovascularization with the first.
Methods: Corneal neovascularization was induced by surgical suture placement in the rat cornea for 7 days, followed by suture removal and a 30-day regression period.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines how inflammation in the cornea can lead to harmful blood vessel growth (neovascularization) that threatens vision, emphasizing that the inflammatory response is complex and time-sensitive.
- Researchers used a model to analyze how inflammatory genes influence the shrinking of blood vessels and restoration of corneal clarity over time, particularly looking at the dynamic changes during the inflammation resolution process in rats.
- Key findings suggest that specific signaling pathways are activated at different phases of inflammation, indicating potential targets for therapeutic interventions to manage corneal angiogenesis and restore vision.
Corneal neovascularization is a sight-threatening condition caused by angiogenesis in the normally avascular cornea. Neovascularization of the cornea is often associated with an inflammatory response, thus targeting VEGF-A alone yields only a limited efficacy. The NF-κB signaling pathway plays important roles in inflammation and angiogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Angiogenesis in the eye can cause blindness, and while anti-VEGF treatments suppress it, their effectiveness is limited compared to steroids like dexamethasone, which have significant side effects.
- This study explored gene expression in a rat model of corneal neovascularization after treating with dexamethasone and anti-VEGF, revealing that dexamethasone was more effective at suppressing key signaling pathways involved in limbal vasodilation and inflammation.
- The findings highlight several genes that dexamethasone significantly affected—suppressing inflammation and angiogenesis more effectively than anti-VEGF—suggesting potential new targets for treating eye diseases while avoiding broad immunosuppression.
Article Synopsis
- Targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is crucial for developing therapies against abnormal blood vessel growth, especially in eye conditions like retinal and corneal blindness, where anti-VEGF treatments have limited effectiveness.
- Corticosteroids like dexamethasone are used for their anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects in ophthalmology but can cause serious side effects such as glaucoma and cataracts.
- A study analyzed gene expression changes in the rat cornea following treatments with dexamethasone and anti-VEGF therapies, leading to a validated dataset that could help identify new, more targeted therapeutic options for managing eye diseases.
Background And Purpose: The connexin 43 (Cx43) mimetic peptide Gap27 was designed to transiently block the function of this gap junction. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of Gap27 on corneal healing, inflammation and neovascularization.
Experimental Approach: The effect of Gap27 on wound healing, inflammation and vascularization was assessed in primary human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) in vitro and whole human corneas ex vivo, and in an in vivo rat wound healing model.
Purpose: To report on the outcome of conventional therapy in patients with Coats' disease.
Methods: Retrospective analysis of the charts of thirteen patients with Coats' disease.
Results: Mean age of 9 male (70%) and 4 female (30%) patients was 17.
Inflammatory angiogenesis is the pathogenic mechanism of various sight-threatening eye diseases, among them corneal neovascularization. Current treatment options include steroids which have undesirable side effects, or anti-VEGF which has only limited efficacy. In an inflammatory environment, however, angiogenesis can be stimulated by numerous factors not directly targeted by anti-VEGF therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare non-neoplastic histiocytic proliferative disorder characterized by painless lymphadenopathy. Extranodal lesions frequently occur in the head and neck regions. We report the clinical and histological features of extranodal RDD in a 43-year-old man with a previously unreported combination of multiple gross anterior epibulbar nodules in the right eye, submucosal masses of nasal septum and trachea, and no lymphadenopathy during the 12-year follow-up.
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