Prospective analysis of anatomic features predisposing patients to intraoperative floppy iris syndrome.

Purpose: To aid preoperative risk assessment by identifying anatomic parameters corresponding with a higher risk of intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) during cataract surgery.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 55 patients with α-adrenergic receptor antagonist (α-ARA) treatment and 55 controls undergoing cataract surgery. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT), video pupilometer, and biometry measurements were performed preoperatively and analyzed regarding anatomic parameters that corresponded with a higher rate of IFIS.

No evidence for a preferential role of sleep in episodic memory abstraction.

Substantial evidence suggests that sleep has a role in declarative memory consolidation. An influential notion holds that such sleep-related memory consolidation is associated with a process of abstraction. The neural underpinnings of this putative process are thought to involve a hippocampo-neocortical dialogue.

Long-term impact of delayed follow-up due to COVID-19 lockdown on patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Background: During the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 outpatient care of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients was severely reduced due to lockdown. Missed visits are known to be detrimental to patients in need of continued anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) intravitreal injections (IVIs). The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of a month-long pause of regular visits and anti-VEGF IVIs in nAMD patients.

The relationship between patient satisfaction and visual and optical outcome after bilateral implantation of an extended depth of focus multifocal intraocular lens.

Purpose: To evaluate patient satisfaction after implantation of the Tecnis Symfony multifocal intraocular lens (MIOL).

Methods: 120 eyes of 60 subjects with senile cataract were bilaterally implanted with the Tecnis Symfony IOL. Follow-up examination was performed 6 months postoperatively.

Lifestyle-Induced Redox-Sensitive Alterations: Cross-Talk among the RAAS, Antioxidant/Inflammatory Status, and Hypertension.

The development and progression of hypertension are closely linked to an unhealthy lifestyle; however, its underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Our aim was to assess the effects of diet and exercise on the elements of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), redox-sensitive parameters, and the expression of the vascular tone regulator endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Male control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive (SHRSP) rats were randomized based on the type of diet (standard chow, high-fat diet: HT, and fructose-enriched diet: HF) and exercise (voluntary wheel-running exercise or lack of exercise).

Quality of life in patients with glaucoma assessed by 39-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-39).

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate glaucoma patients' quality of life (QoL) as measured by National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-39) and to examine the influence of patient characteristics and disease stage measured by visual field loss on QoL.

Methods: A prospective survey of patients with an established diagnosis of glaucoma without concomitant eye disease was conducted. Patients completed a validated German translation of the NEI VFQ-39 questionnaire.

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients presenting for intravitreal injection.

Aim: Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nosocomial transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is of great concern to clinicians of all specialties. Currently there are no published data available on the prevalence of the infection in ophthalmology patients presenting for intravitreal injection (IVI). The purpose of this retrospective study was to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV‑2 infection in patients presenting for IVI at our hospital.

Repeatability and Reproducibility of Total Retinal Blood Flow Measurements Using Bi-Directional Doppler OCT.

Purpose: To investigate the repeatability and reproducibility of total retinal blood flow measurements using a custom-built dual-beam bidirectional Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT) system in healthy subjects.

Methods: Repeatability and reproducibility were analyzed in 10 and 34 healthy subjects, respectively. For repeatability, measurements were taken twice within 30 minutes, for reproducibility, twice within two to five weeks.

A pilot study to assess the effect of a three-month vitamin supplementation containing L-methylfolate on systemic homocysteine plasma concentrations and retinal blood flow in patients with diabetes.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a three-month dietary supplementation with a methylfolate formulation on homocysteine plasma concentrations and ocular blood flow parameters in patients with diabetes.

Methods: Twenty-four patients with diabetes received a dietary supplement (Oculofolin, Aprofol AG, Switzerland) containing 900 µg L‑methylfolate (levomefolate calcium or [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid, calcium salt), methylcobalamin, and other ingredients for three consecutive months. The patients' plasma homocysteine concentration and retinal blood flow were assessed at baseline and after three months of folate intake.

Different Expression Pattern of TIM-3 and Galectin-9 Molecules by Peripheral and Peritoneal Lymphocytes in Women with and without Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a gynecological condition that is associated with chronic pelvic inflammation, pain, and infertility. Although substantial evidence supports that immunological alterations contribute to its pathogenesis and we previously posed a pivotal role of Galectin-9 (Gal-9) in this disorder, the involvement of the TIM-3/Gal-9 pathway in the development of endometriosis-associated immunological abnormalities is not yet known. In the present study, multicolor flow cytometry was used to compare the immunophenotype and cell surface expression of TIM-3 and Gal-9 molecules on peripheral blood (PB) and peritoneal fluid (PF) lymphocytes of women with and without endometriosis.

Anatomical and functional changes in the retina in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Purpose: There is evidence that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by alterations in the retina. The current study was performed to investigate structural and functional changes in patients with systemic neurodegenerative disease.

Methods: A total of 47 patients with either MCI or AD and 43 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects were included.

Changes in Retinal Blood Flow in Response to an Experimental Increase in IOP in Healthy Participants as Assessed With Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: Blood flow autoregulation is an intrinsic mechanism of the healthy retinal vasculature to keep blood flow constant when ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) is changed. In the present study, we set out to investigate retinal blood flow in response to an experimental decrease in OPP in healthy participants using Doppler optical coherence tomography.

Methods: Fifteen healthy participants aged between 22 and 31 years (mean, 27 ± 3 years) were included in the present open study.

The Effect of Orally Administered Dronabinol on Optic Nerve Head Blood Flow in Healthy Subjects-A Randomized Clinical Trial.

It has been hypothesized that besides its intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering potential, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may also improve ocular hemodynamics. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether single oral administration of dronabinol, a synthetic THC, alters optic nerve head blood flow (ONHBF) and its regulation in healthy subjects. The study was carried out in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked, two-way crossover design in 24 healthy subjects.

Influence of Perfluorohexyloctane Eye Drops on Tear Film Thickness in Patients with Mild to Moderate Dry Eye Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

The aim of this mechanistic clinical study was to explore the effect of water-free perfluorohexyloctane eye drops on tear film thickness (TFT) in patients with dry eye disease (DED). Forty-eight patients with mild to moderate DED participated in this randomized, single-masked, observer-blinded parallel group study in a 1:1 ratio to receive either perfluorohexyloctane or unpreserved 0.9% saline solution (Hydrabak, Thea, France) eye drops 4 times daily in both eyes for 4 weeks.

Correction to: Topical Low Dose Preservative-Free Hydrocortisone Reduces Signs and Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Dry Eye: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

The article "Topical Low Dose Preservative-Free Hydrocortisone Reduces Signs and Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Dry Eye: A Randomized Clinical Trial", written by Martin Kallab, Stephan Szegedi, Nikolaus Hommer, Hannes Stegmann, Semira Kaya, René M. Werkmeister, Doreen Schmidl, Leopold Schmetterer, Gerhard Garhöfer was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on November 19, 2019 without open access.

Topical Low Dose Preservative-Free Hydrocortisone Reduces Signs and Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Dry Eye: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Dry eye disease (DED) is a highly prevalent ocular condition with a significant burden on affected patients. Regardless of the underlying etiology, DED is associated with increased ocular surface inflammation. We investigated the safety and efficacy of a short-term treatment with topical low dose hydrocortisone in patients with chronic DED and ocular surface inflammation.

Age-Related Decline of Retinal Oxygen Extraction in Healthy Subjects.

Purpose: To investigate the age-dependence of total retinal blood flow and total retinal oxygen extraction in healthy subjects and determine their possible correlations with structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters.

Methods: This observational cross-sectional study consisted of 68 healthy subjects (mean ± SD age, 45.6 ± 16.

Levels of total antioxidant capacity and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine of serum and follicular fluid in women undergoing fertilization: focusing on endometriosis.

This study was designed to evaluate the levels of oxidative stress (OS) markers, total non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (TAC) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the serum and follicular fluid (FF) of patients undergoing fertilization (IVF). The impact of these biomarkers on IVF outcome was also analysed. Samples were obtained from 61 patients (age: 36.

Effect of Single Instillation of Two Hyaluronic Acid-Based Topical Lubricants on Tear Film Thickness in Patients with Dry Eye Syndrome.

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of single administration of 2 different hyaluronic acid-based topical lubricants on tear film thickness (TFT) in patients with moderate-to-severe dry eye disease (DED).

Methods: Sixty patients were randomized to receive eye drops containing unpreserved sodium hyaluronate, triglycerides, and phospholipids (HTP), unpreserved sodium hyaluronate (HA), or unpreserved sodium chloride (NaCl). TFT and lipid layer thickness (LLT) were assessed before and at defined time points after single instillation with a custom-built ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography system and a white light interferometer.

Local upregulation of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 ion channels in rectosigmoid deep infiltrating endometriosis.

Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) expressed mainly by primary sensory neurons function as major nociceptive integrators. They are also present on the rat endometrium in an oestrogen-regulated manner. TRPV1 is upregulated in peritoneal and ovarian endometriosis patients, but there is no information about TRPA1 and their pathophysiological significances.

Effect of a Matrix Therapy Agent on Corneal Epithelial Healing After Standard Collagen Cross-linking in Patients With Keratoconus: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Corneal abrasions are frequent after standard (epithelium-off [epi-off]) corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in patients with progressive keratoconus. A new matrix therapy agent (ReGeneraTing Agent [RGTA]) has been developed to promote corneal wound healing.

Objective: To assess the effect of the new type of matrix therapy agent on corneal wound healing after epi-off CXL in patients with keratoconus.

Endometrioid adenocarcinoma arising from adenomyosis: a case report.

Background: Endometriosis is most commonly found in the peritoneum of the lesser pelvis and in the genital tract (in the ovaries). Its malignant transformation is quite rare, which usually appears in patients who previously underwent surgical procedures aimed at treating endometriosis. Years of hormone substitution (unopposed estrogen therapy) is also considered to have a role.

Interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha mediate the upregulation of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and the induction of depressive-like behavior in mice in response to bacillus Calmette-Guerin.

Although the tryptophan-degrading enzyme, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), is a pivotal mediator of inflammation-induced depression, its mechanism of regulation has not yet been investigated in this context. Here, we demonstrate an essential role for interferon (IFN)gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha in the induction of IDO and depressive-like behaviors in response to chronic immune activation. Wild-type (WT) control mice and IFNgammaR(-/-) mice were inoculated with an attenuated form of Mycobacterium bovis, bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG).

Induction of IDO by bacille Calmette-Guérin is responsible for development of murine depressive-like behavior.

Chronic inflammation activates the tryptophan-degrading enzyme IDO, which is well known to impair T cell proliferation. We have previously established that bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated form of Mycobacterium bovis, is associated with persistent activation of IDO in the brain and chronic depressive-like behavior, but a causative role has not been established. In these experiments we used both pharmacologic and genetic approaches to test the hypothesis that IDO activation is responsible for the development of chronic depression that follows BCG infection.

Dip pen nanolithography functionalized electrical gaps for multiplexed DNA detection.

Nanoparticle-based, silver-enhanced DNA electrical detection shows great promise for point-of-care diagnostics. In this paper, we demonstrate that the dip pen nanolithography (DPN) method can be used to precisely functionalize multiple electrical gaps for multiplexed DNA detection. With the use of the DPN technique, capture ssDNAs are written inside 5 microm x 10 microm electrical gaps on substrates.