Results from the Primary Tube Versus Trabeculectomy Study and translation to clinical practice.

Purpose Of Review: The Primary Tube Versus Trabeculectomy (PTVT) Study is a multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of tube shunt surgery and trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC) in eyes without previous incisional ocular surgery. This article reviews results from the PTVT Study and suggests how they may be translated to clinical practice.

Recent Findings: Tube shunt surgery had a higher failure rate than trabeculectomy with MMC in the PTVT Study, and the difference was statistically significant at 1 year but not at 3 years and 5 years.

Prophylaxis with intraocular pressure lowering medication and glaucomatous progression in patients receiving intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy.

Aim: To investigate whether pretreatment with pressure-lowering medication prior to anti-vascular endothelial factor (VEGF) injections had an effect on glaucomatous progression in patients with preexisting glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT).

Methods: A total of 66 eyes from 54 patients with a preexisting diagnosis of glaucoma or OHT, treated with six or more anti-VEGF injections were selected for chart review. Primary outcome measures were rate of visual field loss in dB/year, rate of change in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in microns/year, and need for additional glaucoma intervention.

Effects of Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Therapy on Glaucoma-like Progression in Susceptible Eyes.

Unlabelled: PRéCIS:: Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections may accelerate glaucomatous change in patients with preexisting glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT). The safety of long-term injections in this specific population may be reflected in the need for additional glaucoma interventions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether repeated anti-VEGF injections accelerate structural and functional glaucomatous change in eyes with preexisting glaucoma or OHT.

Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Suspect Preferred Practice Pattern(®) Guidelines.

Unlabelled: PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA SUSPECT PREFERRED PRACTICE PATTERN®

Guidelines: Evidence-based update of the Primary Open-Angle Suspect Glaucoma Preferred Practice Pattern® (PPP) guidelines, describing the diagnosis and management of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma suspect with detailed recommendations for evaluation and treatment options.

Comprehensive Adult Medical Eye Evaluation Preferred Practice Pattern(®) Guidelines.

Unlabelled: COMPREHENSIVE ADULT MEDICAL EYE EVALUATION® PREFERRED PRACTICE PATTERN®

Guidelines: Evidence-based update of the Comprehensive Adult Medical Eye Evaluation Preferred Practice Pattern® (PPP) guidelines, discussing the rationale and components of an ophthalmic evaluation for adult patients with and without risk factors.

Primary Angle Closure Preferred Practice Pattern(®) Guidelines.

Unlabelled: PRIMARY ANGLE CLOSURE PREFERRED PRACTICE PATTERN®

Guidelines: Evidence-based update of the Primary Angle Closure Preferred Practice Pattern® (PPP) guidelines, describing the diagnosis and management of patients with primary angle closure with detailed recommendations for evaluation and treatment options.

Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Preferred Practice Pattern(®) Guidelines.

Unlabelled: PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA PREFERRED PRACTICE PATTERN®

Guidelines: Evidence-based update of the Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Preferred Practice Pattern® (PPP) guidelines, describing the diagnosis and management of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma with an algorithm for patient management and detailed recommendations for evaluation and treatment options.

Cellular adhesion gene SELP is associated with rheumatoid arthritis and displays differential allelic expression.

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a key event is infiltration of inflammatory immune cells into the synovial lining, possibly aggravated by dysregulation of cellular adhesion molecules. Therefore, single nucleotide polymorphisms of 14 genes involved in cellular adhesion processes (CAST, ITGA4, ITGB1, ITGB2, PECAM1, PTEN, PTPN11, PTPRC, PXN, SELE, SELP, SRC, TYK2, and VCAM1) were analyzed for association with RA. Association analysis was performed consecutively in three European RA family sample groups (Nfamilies = 407).

Plant surfaces with cuticular folds and their replicas: influence of microstructuring and surface chemistry on the attachment of a leaf beetle.

Plant surfaces covered either with epicuticular wax crystals or cuticular folds have been shown to strongly reduce the ability of insects to attach to them. However, the relative impact of surface structuring vs. surface chemistry on insect attachment remains unclear.

Plant surfaces with cuticular folds are slippery for beetles.

Plant surfaces covered with three-dimensional (3D) waxes are known to strongly reduce insect adhesion, leading to slippery surfaces. Besides 3D epicuticular waxes, cuticular folds are a common microstructure found on plant surfaces, which have not been quantitatively investigated with regard to their influence on insect adhesion. We performed traction experiments with Colorado potato beetles on five plant surfaces with cuticular folds of different magnitude.

The interferon regulatory factor 5 gene confers susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis and influences its erosive phenotype.

Background: Increased expression of type I IFN genes, also referred to as an IFN signature, has been detected in various autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Interferon regulatory factors, such as IRF5, coordinate type I IFN expression. Multiple IRF5 variants were suggested as autoimmunity susceptibility factors.

Impact of chemical manipulation of tarsal liquids on attachment in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata.

Insect tarsal attachment forces are thought to be influenced by the viscosity and surface tension of a thin film of adhesive liquid (wet adhesion). In beetles, this fluid has been shown to be composed mainly of lipophilic substances that are similar to the cuticular lipids. In this study we investigate whether and how the chemical composition of footprint lipids affects attachment forces in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata.

Association of the X-chromosomal genes TIMP1 and IL9R with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disease with features of an autoimmune disease with female predominance. Candidate genes located on the X-chromosome were selected for a family trio-based association study.

Methods: A total of 1452 individuals belonging to 3 different sample sets were genotyped for 16 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 7 genes.

An association study of 22 candidate genes in psoriasis families reveals shared genetic factors with other autoimmune and skin disorders.

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory and hyperproliferative skin disease. Recent studies have reported that common genetic factors may underlie both skin and immune-mediated disorders. We hypothesized that such genes may be involved in susceptibility to psoriasis, and undertook an association analysis of 22 candidate genes in a set of French high-risk psoriasis families.

Long-term intraocular pressure control and corneal graft survival in eyes with a pars plana Baerveldt implant and corneal transplant.

Purpose: To investigate long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) control and corneal graft survival in eyes with a valveless Baerveldt glaucoma drainage implant (GDI) through the pars plana (PP) and a penetrating keratoplasty (PK).

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 48 patients (51 eyes) who underwent PP placement of a GDI and a PK between July 1996 and June 2006 at the University of Virginia. The GDI was inserted during the same operation as the PK in 26 eyes (51.

Association of MICA with rheumatoid arthritis independent of known HLA-DRB1 risk alleles in a family-based and a case control study.

Introduction: The gene MICA encodes the protein major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A. It is expressed in synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its implication in autoimmunity is discussed. We analyzed the association of genetic variants of MICA with susceptibility to RA.

Testing for the association of the KIAA1109/Tenr/IL2/IL21 gene region with rheumatoid arthritis in a European family-based study.

Introduction: A candidate gene approach, in a large case-control association study in the Dutch population, has shown that a 480 kb block on chromosome 4q27 encompassing KIAA1109/Tenr/IL2/IL21 genes is associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Compared with case-control association studies, family-based studies have the added advantage of controlling potential differences in population structure. Therefore, our aim was to test this association in populations of European origin by using a family-based approach.

Replication of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1/complement component 5 region as a susceptibility locus for rheumatoid arthritis in a European family-based study.

Objective: We recently showed, using a candidate gene approach in a case-control association study, that a 65-kb block encompassing tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1) and C5 is strongly associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Compared with case-control association studies, family-based studies have the added advantage of controlling potential differences in population structure and are not likely to be hampered by variation in population allele frequencies, as is seen for many genetic polymorphisms, including the TRAF1/C5 locus. The aim of this study was to confirm this association in populations of European origin by using a family-based approach.

Variants of the MATP/SLC45A2 gene are protective for melanoma in the French population.

In this study, we investigated whether variants in three key pigmentation genes-MC1R, MATP/SLC45A2, and OCA2--were involved in melanoma predisposition. A cohort comprising 1,019 melanoma patients (MelanCohort) and 1,466 Caucasian controls without skin cancers were studied. A total of 10 polymorphisms, including five functional MC1R alleles (p.

A note on allelic tests in case-control association studies.

This paper reconsiders the relevant contribution of Sasieni in the validity of allele-based tests in case-control genetic association studies. In particular, the author clearly demonstrates that the classical chi-square test applied to allelic contingency tables is biased when the combined case-control population is not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. As an alternative, he suggests using the Cochran-Armitage test for trends by basing his argument on the fact that these two tests are asymptotically equivalent at the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.