Correlation of retinal vascular characteristics with laboratory and ocular findings in Fabry disease: exploring ocular diagnostic biomarkers.

Background: The goal of this study was to evaluate macular microvascular changes in patients with Fabry disease (FD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to explore their correlation with laboratory and ocular findings.

Methods: A total of 76 eyes (38 patients) and 48 eyes of 24 healthy controls were enrolled in this prospective study. Vessel Area Density (VAD) and Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ) area were calculated on 2.

[Explosives-based vole traps-A novel injury pattern in the eye region].

Background: A novel method for trapping voles is the use of pistol-like explosive tools loaded with bolt-action ammunition. When triggered the vole is killed by the very high gas pressure created. Accidental releases can result in facial and/or eye injuries.

[Economics of operating room use at a university eye hospital].

Background: In ophthalmologic surgery, there are usually short operation times and thus many changes between the individual operations, which are not subject to remuneration. As in maximum care hospitals consecutive different operations with different durations are often performed, emergency operations have to be inserted and further training of colleagues is practiced, it is particularly important to generate the shortest possible transfer times in order to have both sufficient operation time and to be able to treat as many cases as possible. The aim of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of the surgical performance of a university eye hospital.

[The most serious incident-Experiences of aggression and violence in ophthalmology].

Background: Experiences of aggression/violence influence job satisfaction and can have a long-term psychological and physical impact on employees. In the fall of 2018, the Professional Association of Ophthalmologists (BVA) and the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) conducted a survey on experiences of aggression and violence. The first results were published in 2020.

[Avoiding mistakes in anti-VEGF intravitreal injection therapy].

Intravitreal injection (IVI) of drugs for treatment of various macular diseases is now one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures worldwide. As mostly chronic diseases are treated, the indications for treatment often mean a continuous treatment over years with a corresponding effort regarding spatial, personnel and financial resources. The diagnosis and indications for treatment are nowadays mainly made by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

[Performance and cost calculation for a university ophthalmological outpatient clinic].

Background: Outpatient procedures at a university hospital are generally considered to be unprofitable. In the present publication we evaluate the turnover and costs of the university eye outpatient department of the Hannover Medical School (MHH) in terms of a cost unit accounting as well as providing a summary of the workload.

Material And Method: Given the data of the hospital information system (IS-H/i.

[Influence of COVID-19 shutdown on the workload of a university eye clinic].

Background: The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a significant reduction in the number of patients treated in elective medicine in hospitals in spring 2020. Up until now, there are no corresponding data for university policlinics.

Material And Methods: With the help of the data of the clinic's electronic medical record system (IS-H/i.

Development of a Patient-Oriented Organizational Management System for Intravitreal Injection Therapy in a Standardized "Treat-and-Extend" Regime at a University Eye Clinic.

Background: The treatment of macular edema with intravitreal injections has revolutionized the treatment of associated diseases in ophthalmology. However, with a few exceptions, this is a chronic treatment where patients require many injections and usually need to stay in treatment for years. Patient adherence and control of patient flow are critical to treatment success.

Individualized treat-and-extend regime for optimization of real-world vision outcome and improved patients' persistence.

Background: Intravitreal injections are a mandatory treatment for macular edema due to nAMD, DME and RVO. These chronic diseases usually need chronic treatment using intravitreal injections with anti-VEGF agents. Thus, many trials were performed to define the best treatment interval using pro re nata regimes (PRN), fixed regimes or treat-and-extend regimes (TE).

[Experiences of aggression and violence against ophthalmologists].

Background: The media have reported an increased willingness of patients and relatives to use violence against medical personnel. So far a few studies have been carried out on this topic and the data situation is correspondingly weak. Ophthalmologists in particular have close contact with patients at the slit lamp and are often alone with patients.

[Retinal laser treatment-avoiding mistakes].

Even in the era of intravitreal injection therapy (intravitreal operative injection of medication, IVOM) for the treatment of macular and retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) as well as proliferative stages and/or macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO), conventional retinal laser treatment is still of importance. It can be focally performed on an on-label basis for DME and macular edema due to branch RVO (BRVO) and its use as panretinal treatment for proliferative stages in retinal diseases as well as for the treatment of retinal holes is undisputed. The spectrum is extended by the treatment of less common diseases, such as retinal hemangioblastoma, macroaneurysms and subhyaloid macular hemorrhage.

Ipsilateral transient amaurosis, mydriasis and light reflex absence after subconjunctival local anesthesia with mepivacaine in three patients with refractory glaucoma - a case report.

Background: The subconjunctival anesthesia with local anesthetics is considered as a low-risk procedure allowing ocular surgery without serious complications typical for retro- or parabulbar anesthesia, especially in patients with preexisting Optic Nerve damage. We report development of ipsilateral transient amaurosis accompanied with mydriasis and both, direct and consensual light response absence.

Case Presentation: Three patients with advanced refractory glaucoma undergoing laser cyclophotocoagulation (CPC) for intraocular pressure lowering experienced these adverse effects just few minutes after subconjunctival injection of mepivacaine 2% solution (Scandicaine® 2%, without vasoconstrictor supplementation).

[Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width : Correlation and diagnostic accuracy in comparison to peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness].

Background: Glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness in the Western hemisphere. Because the disease often painlessly progresses it remains unnoticed until major optic nerve head damage occurs in many cases. That is why new, more sensitive diagnostic methods are needed.

Vascular importance of the miR-212/132 cluster.

Rationale: Many processes in endothelial cells including angiogenic responses are regulated by microRNAs. However, there is limited information available about their complex cross-talk in regulating certain endothelial functions.

Aim: The objective of this study is to identify endothelial functions of the pro-hypertrophic miR-212/132 cluster and its cross-talk with other microRNAs during development and disease.

Diabetes-associated microRNAs in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional cohort study.

Context: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are used as novel biomarkers for diseases. miR-21, miR-126, and miR-210 are known to be deregulated in vivo or in vitro under diabetic conditions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the circulating miR-21, miR-126, and miR-210 in plasma and urine from pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes and to link our findings to cardiovascular and diabetic nephropathy risk factors in children with type 1 diabetes.

Circulating long noncoding RNA, LIPCAR, predicts survival in patients with heart failure.

Rationale: Long noncoding RNAs represent a novel class of molecules regulating gene expression. Long noncoding RNAs are present in body fluids, but their potential as biomarkers was never investigated in cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To study the role of long noncoding RNAs as potential biomarkers in heart disease.

A signature of circulating microRNAs differentiates takotsubo cardiomyopathy from acute myocardial infarction.

Aims: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) remains a potentially life-threatening disease, which is clinically indistinguishable from acute myocardial infarction (MI). Today, no established biomarkers are available for the early diagnosis of TTC and differentiation from MI. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) emerge as promising sensitive and specific biomarkers for cardiovascular disease.

MicroRNA-mediated epigenetic silencing of sirtuin1 contributes to impaired angiogenic responses.

Rationale: Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β was linked to abnormal vessel function and can mediate impairment of endothelial angiogenic responses. Its effect on microRNAs and downstream targets in this context is not known.

Objective: To study the role of microRNAs in TGF-β-mediated angiogenic activity.

SERCA2a gene therapy restores microRNA-1 expression in heart failure via an Akt/FoxO3A-dependent pathway.

Aims: Impaired myocardial sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) activity is a hallmark of failing hearts, and SERCA2a gene therapy improves cardiac function in animals and patients with heart failure (HF). Deregulation of microRNAs has been demonstrated in HF pathophysiology. We studied the effects of therapeutic AAV9.

Transforming growth factor-β-induced endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition is partly mediated by microRNA-21.

Objective: MicroRNAs are a class of small ribonucleotides regulating gene/protein targets by transcript degradation or translational inhibition. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is involved in cardiac fibrosis partly by stimulation of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). Here, we investigated whether microRNA (miR)-21, a microRNA enriched in fibroblasts and involved in general fibrosis, has a role in cardiac EndMT.

Analysis of microdissected neurons by 18O mass spectrometry reveals altered protein expression in Alzheimer's disease.

It is evident that the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are derived from severe neuronal damage, and especially pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus are affected pathologically. Here, we analysed the proteome of hippocampal neurons, isolated from post-mortem brains by laser capture microdissection. By using (18)O labelling and mass spectrometry, the relative expression levels of 150 proteins in AD and controls were estimated.

Urinary miR-210 as a mediator of acute T-cell mediated rejection in renal allograft recipients.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small ribonucleotides regulating gene expression. Circulating miRNAs are remarkably stable in the blood. We tested whether miRNAs are also detectable in urine and may serve as new predictors of outcome in renal transplant patients with acute rejection.

Regulation and function of miRNA-21 in health and disease.

The small regulatory RNA microRNA-21 (miR-21) plays a crucial role in a plethora of biological functions and diseases including development, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and inflammation. The gene coding for pri-miR-21 (primary transcript containing miR-21) is located within the intronic region of the TMEM49 gene. Despite pri-miR-21 and TMEM49 are overlapping genes in the same direction of transcription, pri-miR-21 is independently transcribed by its own promoter regions and terminated with its own poly(A) tail.