Bilateral fingolimod-associated macular oedema development after cataract surgery.

Postoperative cystoid macular oedema (CMO) is a recognised complication of cataract surgery, occurring in around 1.5% of cases. It is generally managed with topical steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.

Intravitreal aflibercept (A-IVI) for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nv-AMD): one year experience.

Objective: To report the anatomical and functional results of intravitreal injections of aflibercept (Eylea) (A-IVI) for the treatment of naïve eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nv-AMD).

Subjects And Methods: This retrospective, one-center, non-comparative chart review included 26 treatment naïve eyes with nv-AMD of 26 patients (14 male) with a mean age of 80.5 (range 63-91) who had a complete follow-up of 14 months.

Hypoxia-inducible factors regulate filaggrin expression and epidermal barrier function.

A functional epidermal skin barrier requires the formation of a cornified envelope from terminally differentiating keratinocytes. During this process, multiple genetic and environmental signals coordinately regulate protein expression and tissue differentiation. Here we describe a critical role for hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) in the regulation of filaggrin expression and skin barrier formation.

Early features in acute macular neuroretinopathy.

Acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMNR) is a rare disorder characterised by acute onset of unilateral or bilateral visual impairment associated with reddish-brown wedge-shaped outer macular lesions. It is more frequently reported in young females and though the pathophysiology remains unclear, factors reported in association with its onset include post-viral illness and vasoconstrictor use. We report a case of AMNR in an 18-year old female patient presenting with a 2-day history of acute painless blurring of central vision bilaterally, following 1 month of preceding flu-like illness.

Effect of gold marker seeds on magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the prostate.

Purpose: Magnetic resonance stereoscopic imaging (MRSI) of the prostate is an emerging technique that may enhance targeting and assessment in radiotherapy. Current practices in radiotherapy invariably involve image guidance. Gold seed fiducial markers are often used to perform daily prostate localization.

The von Hippel-Lindau Chuvash mutation promotes pulmonary hypertension and fibrosis in mice.

Mutation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein at codon 200 (R200W) is associated with a disease known as Chuvash polycythemia. In addition to polycythemia, Chuvash patients have pulmonary hypertension and increased respiratory rates, although the pathophysiological basis of these symptoms is unclear. Here we sought to address this issue by studying mice homozygous for the R200W Vhl mutation (VhlR/R mice) as a model for Chuvash disease.

Macrophage dysfunction and susceptibility to pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in surfactant protein C-deficient mice.

To determine the role of surfactant protein C (SP-C) in host defense, SP-C-deficient (Sftpc-/-) mice were infected with the pulmonary pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa by intratracheal injection. Survival of young, postnatal day 14 Sftpc-/- mice was decreased in comparison to Sftpc+/+ mice. The sensitivity to Pseudomonas bacteria was specific to the 129S6 strain of Sftpc-/- mice, a strain that spontaneously develops interstitial lung disease-like lung pathology with age.

Altered postnatal lung development in C3H/HeJ mice.

C3H/HeJ mice develop an increase in terminal air space area detectable by postnatal d 14 that persists into adulthood compared with strain-matched controls (C3H/SnJ, C3H/OuJ). Morphometric quantification revealed a 50% increase in terminal air space area by postnatal d 14 and a 2.3-fold increase by 2 mo of age in C3H/HeJ mice.

Removal of a capsular tension ring from the anterior chamber angle.

A 75-year-old woman presented with unexplained ocular hypertension 4 weeks after phacoemulsification. Steroid response was diagnosed initially until a misplaced capsular tension ring (CTR) was identified in the drainage angle. We describe the technique used to successfully remove the CTR from the drainage angle with minimal trauma.

Characteristics and quality assurance of a dedicated open 0.23 T MRI for radiation therapy simulation.

A commercially available open MRI unit is under routine use for radiation therapy simulation. The effects of a gradient distortion correction (GDC) program used to post process the images were assessed by comparison with the known geometry of a phantom. The GDC reduced the magnitude of the distortions at the periphery of the axial images from 12 mm to 2 mm horizontally along the central axis and distortions exceeding 20 mm were reduced to as little as 2 mm at the image periphery.

Measurement of intrafractional prostate motion using magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To quantify the three-dimensional intrafractional prostate motion over typical treatment time intervals with cine-magnetic resonance imaging (cine MRI) studies.

Methods And Materials: Forty-two patients with prostate cancer were scanned supine in an alpha cradle cast using cine MRI. Twenty sequential slices were acquired in the sagittal and axial planes through the center of the prostate.