Decoding Neurodegeneration: A Review of Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Advances in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS.

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and Huntington's, remain formidable challenges in medicine, with their relentless progression and limited therapeutic options. These diseases arise from a web of molecular disturbances-misfolded proteins, chronic neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and genetic mutations-that slowly dismantle neuronal integrity. Yet, recent scientific breakthroughs are opening new paths to intervene in these once-intractable conditions.

Ocular Movement Examination in Peripheral Vestibular Disorders as a Tool to Improve Diagnosis: A Literature Review.

: This study reviews the current literature on ocular movements, specifically focusing on nystagmus associated with peripheral vestibular disorders, to enhance diagnostic accuracy. The evaluation of ocular movements, particularly nystagmus, provides essential insights into the function and dysfunction of the vestibular system, helping clinicians distinguish between peripheral and central causes of vertigo and imbalance. : A comprehensive search of PubMed was conducted using key terms such as "ocular movements", "nystagmus", "vestibular nystagmus", and "peripheral vestibular disorders".

Visual Outcomes in Ectopia Lentis in Marfan Syndrome: A Study of Four Surgical Techniques in Children and Adults.

: To evaluate how the surgical technique and type of implanted intraocular lens influence the postoperative visual acuity and complications in ectopia lentis associated to Marfan syndrome patients. : The medical records and videos of ectopia lentis surgeries in patients (children and adults) with Marfan syndrome, were retrospectively reviewed and compared. The study included 33 eyes that underwent four different intraocular lens implantation (IOL) techniques: IOL in conjunction with a simple capsular tension ring, IOL in conjunction with a Cionni modified capsular tension ring (m-CTR), two-point scleral IOL fixation and IOL with one haptic in the bag and one haptic sutured to the sclera.

Correction: Toader et al. Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain's Structure and Function. 2023, , 1390.

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Advances in Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy versus Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.

(1) Background: Laser-assisted refractive surgery is a safe and effective surgical correction of refractive error. For most patients, both the newer Trans-PRK and the established LASIK technique can produce the required surgical correction, sparking the question of which technique should be opted for. (2) Methods: The study prospectively evaluated 121 patients (230 eyes) for at least one month postoperatively; 66 patients (126 eyes) and 45 patients (85 eyes) returned for 6 months and 1 year follow-up.

Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain's Structure and Function.

Music is a complex phenomenon with multiple brain areas and neural connections being implicated. Centuries ago, music was discovered as an efficient modality for psychological status enrichment and even for the treatment of multiple pathologies. Modern research investigations give a new avenue for music perception and the understanding of the underlying neurological mechanisms, using neuroimaging, especially magnetic resonance imaging.

From Homeostasis to Pathology: Decoding the Multifaceted Impact of Aquaporins in the Central Nervous System.

Aquaporins (AQPs), integral membrane proteins facilitating selective water and solute transport across cell membranes, have been the focus of extensive research over the past few decades. Particularly noteworthy is their role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and fluid balance in neural compartments, as dysregulated AQP expression is implicated in various degenerative and acute brain pathologies. This article provides an exhaustive review on the evolutionary history, molecular classification, and physiological relevance of aquaporins, emphasizing their significance in the central nervous system (CNS).

Decoding Neurodegeneration: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Mechanisms, Genetic Influences, and Therapeutic Innovations.

Neurodegenerative disorders often acquire due to genetic predispositions and genomic alterations after exposure to multiple risk factors. The most commonly found pathologies are variations of dementia, such as frontotemporal dementia and Lewy body dementia, as well as rare subtypes of cerebral and cerebellar atrophy-based syndromes. In an emerging era of biomedical advances, molecular-cellular studies offer an essential avenue for a thorough recognition of the underlying mechanisms and their possible implications in the patient's symptomatology.

Oculo-orbital complications of odontogenic sinusitis.

Odontogenic sinusitis is a well-known, but under-studied bacterial infection of the maxillary sinus that can extend to other sinuses, the orbit, or even the endocranium. We performed an observational retrospective study on the patients with odontogenic sinusitis treated in our hospital over a five-year period. We included patients over 18 years old diagnosed with odontogenic sinusitis and ocular complications and we excluded patients with ocular complications nonrelated to dental-originated sinusitis or patients with odontogenic sinusitis without orbital-ocular complications.

The measurement of Central Corneal Thickness.

We aimed to compare five different devices that measure Central Corneal Thickness. The Central Corneal Thickness (CCT) is an important parameter in ophthalmology. It is involved in the management of various eye conditions such as: glaucoma, keratoconus, contact lens wearing, corneal dystrophies, refractive surgery and keratoplasty.

Micropulse Transscleral Cyclophotocoagulation for Glaucoma after Penetrating Keratoplasty.

The main objective of the article was to assess the surgical outcome of micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation in patients presenting with glaucoma after penetrating keratoplasty. We conducted a retrospective study that included 26 eyes of 26 patients who presented with glaucoma after penetrating keratoplasty, and who were treated using micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation between January 2017 and December 2020. The surgeries were performed using the Iridex Cyclo G6 MicroPulse P3 Probe.

Relationship between allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis (allergic rhinoconjunctivitis) - review.

Allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis are so frequently associated that the need to coin a new name to describe the simultaneous manifestations generated the term allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. The significant impact of rhinoconjunctivitis on the quality of life and the wellbeing of the patients is the reason why the medical community shows a great interest to this disease. Another aspect is the financial burden that is not negligible.

Surgical approach in type II Peters anomaly - case report.

The aim of this report was to present a rare case of apparently unilateral Peters anomaly and describe the clinical characteristics, surgical approach, and visual prognosis. We presented the case of a 7-year-old female patient with posterior corneal defect due to kerato-lenticular adhesions along with anterior dislocation and opacification of the lens in the left eye and a history of post-traumatic evisceration of the right eye. Systemic associations included mental underdevelopment, left torticollis and scoliosis.

Ectopia lentis surgery in Marfan's syndrome: from "couching" to the use of intracapsular tension rings.

In the course of time, correction of the ectopia lentis in Marfan's syndrome has been approached through quite many surgical techniques. They addressed the iris, or the lens and aimed at increasing the aphakic zone, the opacification or removal of the lens. Although associated to many complications, the first techniques proved the courage and imagination of pioneer surgeons and are worth mentioning.

Surgical Treatment in Silicone Oil-Associated Glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a vision threatening, not uncommon complication of eyes that have undergone pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil endotamponade. Although most patients respond well to medical antiglaucoma therapy, there are refractory cases where surgery is required to control the intraocular pressure. This review, following a comprehensive literature search in the Medline database, aims to present the most important surgical techniques currently in use for glaucoma associated with silicone oil endotamponade and their indication depending on the mechanism of glaucoma.

Traumatic Intralenticular Neovascularization in a HLA B27+ Pediatric Patient.

(1) Background: Intralenticular tumors are an entity akin to Schrodinger's cat since, although the human crystalline cells themselves are not known to malignly proliferate, various entities can take the appearance and clinical presentation of a tumor originating in the lens. We present the peculiar case of an 11-year-old male patient of African descent, HLA B27+, with a previous history of minor ocular trauma and unilateral anterior uveitis a year before which was admitted to our department with total opacification of the crystalline lens in the right eye and lens neovascularization. During surgery, a vascular, white fibrotic mass measuring 0.

Efficacy of conjunctival flap surgery for deep corneal ulcers.

To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a selective, partial, pedicle conjunctival flap in the treatment of deep corneal ulcers with or without perforation, resistant to medical treatment. This interventional self-controlled retrospective study included 31 eyes of 31 patients with deep corneal ulcers who underwent conjunctival flap surgery in a tertiary eye care unit between 2017 and 2019. Of these, 9 eyes exhibited corneal perforation.

Conjunctival flap surgery in the management of ocular surface disease (Review).

Literature regarding conjunctival flap surgery was reviewed to describe and discuss the rationale for this type of procedure. The conjunctival flap is an acknowledged surgery for the treatment of various corneal diseases with a chronically compromised ocular surface, such as severe dry eye, neurotrophic or neuroparalytic disease, or bullous keratopathy. The purpose of this surgery is to restore the integrity of the corneal surface and thus to prevent gradual corneal ulceration and secondary infection, as well as to ameliorate pain, reduce the need for frequent medications, improve cosmetic appearance, and offer an alternative to invasive surgery or enucleation.

Clinical and therapeutic particularities of congenital cataracts in pediatric patients with Down syndrome.

This study aims to identify clinical and therapeutic surgical particularities and postoperative complications encountered in children suffering from Down syndrome and congenital cataract, as well as the existence of a correlation with associated systemic anomalies. A retrospective interventional study that analyzes cases of congenital cataracts operated on a group of 14 children with Down syndrome, respectively on 26 eyes, was performed. The age of the children at the time of the surgery, the presence of associated ocular and systemic anomalies, the employed surgical technique, the frequency and the type of postoperative complications, were examined.

Conjunctival Benign Fibrous Histiocytoma in a 57-year-old man.

To report a case of benign fibrous histiocytoma of the conjunctiva involving the cornea, an uncommon ocular surface tumor. A 57-year-old patient came in our service complaining of a progressively enlarging conjunctival mass temporally to the limbus and invading the adjacent cornea of the left eye. The approach consisted in surgical excision followed by cryotherapy on the edges and on the base of the excision site and amniotic membrane patch reconstruction of the ocular surface defect.

Enhancing rotational stability of toric intraocular lenses using a type 2L Cionni capsular tension ring in patients with high myopia.

We present the technique used in a patient with high myopia to obtain rotational stability of a plate-haptic multifocal toric intraocular lens (IOL) (AT LISA tri toric 939MP). Both of the patient's eyes had long axial lengths and large capsular bags. The first operated eye experienced consecutive toric IOL malpositions.

Update on surgical management of corneal ulceration and perforation.

Corneal ulcerations are a medical emergency, and in recalcitrant cases, leading to perforation, a surgical ophthalmological emergency. The urgency of the treatment is dictated by the necessity of preventing complications that can lead to serious ocular morbidities. Medical treatment represents the first therapeutic approach and is a defining step in the further management of a patient with corneal ulceration.

Emergency penetrating keratoplasty in corneal perforations.

Corneal perforations represent an ophthalmological emergency due to their devastating consequences. Emergency treatment is mandatory to try to restore the anatomical integrity of the globe, to salvage useful vision as much as possible and to reduce the possible complications to a minimum. The underlying conditions or disorders responsible for corneal ulcerations, and subsequently for corneal perforations are numerous, and can be either isolated or superimposed.