Intravitreal dexamethasone implant one month before versus concomitant with cataract surgery in patients with diabetic macular oedema: the dexcat study.

Purpose: To report clinical outcomes of two different timings of intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implant administration for prevention of diabetic macular oedema (DME) worsening following cataract surgery.

Methods: This multicentre, retrospective study included patients with DME who received an intravitreal DEX implant 1 month before cataract surgery, 'precataract DEX' group, or at the time of cataract surgery, 'concomitant treatments' group. Inclusion criteria were a follow-up ≥3 months and ophthalmological examination with optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging at baseline (cataract surgery) and throughout follow-up.

Cost-effectiveness of the COPD Patient Management European Trial home-based disease management program.

Purpose: Efficient management of COPD represents an international challenge. Effective management strategies within the means of limited health care budgets are urgently required. This analysis aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a home-based disease management (DM) intervention vs usual management (UM) in patients from the COPD Patient Management European Trial (COMET).

HPV-related papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil during treatment with fingolimod.

Fingolimod is a commonly used treatment for highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). We describe the case of a 50-year old man on fingolimod since 2011 who presented, in April 2017, with a voluminous swelling of the left tonsil. A left tonsillectomy was performed, and histological exam disclosed a papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the palatine tonsil, with an in situ hybridization positive for human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 DNA.

Newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with advanced hepatitis C treated with DAAs: A prospective population study.

Background & Aims: Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) are safe and effective in patients with hepatitis C. Conflicting data were reported on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during/after therapy with DAAs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of newly diagnosed HCC and associated risk factors in patients with advanced hepatitis C treated with DAAs.

COMET: a multicomponent home-based disease-management programme routine care in severe COPD.

The COPD Patient Management European Trial (COMET) investigated the efficacy and safety of a home-based COPD disease management intervention for severe COPD patients.The study was an international open-design clinical trial in COPD patients (forced expiratory volume in 1 s <50% of predicted value) randomised 1:1 to the disease management intervention or to the usual management practices at the study centre. The disease management intervention included a self-management programme, home telemonitoring, care coordination and medical management.

Morphologic Criteria of Lesion Activity in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Consensus Article.

Intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor drugs represent the current standard of care for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Individualized treatment regimens aim at obtaining the same visual benefits of monthly injections with a reduced number of injections and follow-up visits, and, consequently, of treatment burden. The target of these strategies is to timely recognize lesion recurrence, even before visual deterioration.

Approach to the correction of drooping tip: common problems and solutions.

The drooping tip deformity is both a bothersome aesthetic feature and functional impairment of the nose. Both static and dynamic factors may affect tip appearance and it seems logical to take into account these factors when planning correction of drooping tip. Many studies have examined this topic, but its treatment remains controversial.

The hump columellar strut: a reliable technique for correction of nasal tip underprojection.

Nasal tip under projection is often found in rhinoplasty cases both for congenital or post-traumatic deformity. Nasal trauma may result in alteration of the external and internal nasal structures with following aesthetic impairment and difficulties in breathing. Post-traumatic surgery is frequent, but restoration of pre-traumatic form and function remains a challenge.

Dexamethasone intravitreal implant at the time of cataract surgery in eyes with diabetic macular edema.

Purpose: To determine the potential role of intraoperative dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX-I) in reducing diabetic macular edema (DME) worsening after phacoemulsification.

Methods: This was a prospective study on 19 eyes of 19 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with DME and cataract. Mean preoperative Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuity (VA) was 16.

Aortic and Mitral Valve Involvement in Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome VI: Surgical Implications in the Enzyme Replacement Therapy Era.

Open-heart operations in patients with mucopolysaccharidoses are exceedingly rare and pose distinct clinical challenges. Few reports exist of valve replacement in type VI mucopolysaccharidosis, mostly entailing combined mitral and aortic valve replacement. Here reported is the case of a young woman with mitral and aortic valve disease, in whom the surgical procedure was confined to the aortic valve.

Early white matter involvement in an infant carrying a novel mutation in ACOX1.

We describe the clinical findings and MRI features observed in a child who presented a two-step disease course: he was hypotonic at birth and soon afterwards developed seizures, which were partially responsive to treatment; he subsequently showed developmental delay and a progressive neurological deterioration with the onset of severe seizures at around three years of age. Head MRI at age 20 days was unremarkable, whereas at 25 months it showed bilateral hyperintensity of the deep cerebellar nuclei; five months later, the signal hyperintensity was also present in the cerebellar white matter and ventral pontine fibre tracts. Molecular analysis revealed a novel ACOX1 mutation, predicting a largely truncated protein.

Unusual postrhinoplasty complication: nasal dorsum cyst.

AMONG ALL THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF AESTHETIC RHINOPLASTY, A RARE ONE IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CYSTIC MASSES ON THE NASAL DORSUM: several theories suggest that cysts develop commonly by entrapment of nasal mucosa in the subcutaneous space, but they can also originate from foreign body reactions. This report deals with two cases of nasal dorsum cysts with different pathogenesis: both patients had undergone aesthetic rhinoplasty in the past (26 years ago and 14 years ago, resp.).

Intravascular lymphomatosis and intracerebral haemorrhage.

Intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) is a rare, malignant B- or T-cell lymphoma with remarkable affinity for the endothelial cells of small vessels, particularly within the skin and central nervous system. It is a disease that mimics several neurological disorders, particularly those of cerebrovascular ischemic origin. The prognosis is generally poor, with a rapidly fatal outcome.

Validity of high-dose ranitidine treatment (300 mg b.i.d.) in clinical practice: an open study in 68 consecutive cases of severe peptic disease.

Ranitidine, at doses of 300 mg b.i.d.

Effect of L-carnitine on ethanol and acetate plasma levels after oral administration of ethanol in humans.

In a randomized double-blind, cross-over experiment, 0.5 g/kg of ethanol in the form of white wine and 3 g of L-carnitine by intravenous infusion were administered to 15 healthy volunteers. Ethanol and acetate plasma levels and the urine concentrations of acetylcarnitine were determined.

Miocamycin doesn't affect theophylline serum levels in COPD patients.

The effects resulting from the administration of therapeutic doses (1,200 mg/day for 8 days) of miocamycin, a novel macrolid derived from midecamycin, on theophylline elimination kinetic were investigated on 25 patients affected with chronic obstructive pathology on the respiratory tract. The curves of theophylline clearance, recorded before and after the treatment with miocamycin have shown to be perfectly overlapping (trend analysis). The assumption that the capacity of slackening the theophylline pharmacokinetic would be tightly bound to the particular structure of some macrolids appears to be fully confirmed by the results of the present investigation.

Rifampicin-isoniazid and delayed elimination of theophylline: a case report.

This paper reports a case of tuberculosis relapse and chronic obstructive lung disease treated with rifampicin and isoniazid. The subsequent introduction of slow-release theophylline therapy revealed a delay in the theophylline elimination kinetics resulting in a toxic plasma level. Interference with hepatic microsomal enzymes is considered to occur.

Clinical use of controlled-release theophylline in chronic airways obstruction.

Daily general practice of theophylline dosing in chronic obstructive lung disease seems not strictly to follow therapeutic guidelines. To evaluate the efficacy of such an approach with regard to attaining therapeutic and safe plasma theophylline concentrations and clinical benefit, 103 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease were selected from the computerized database of a post-marketing survey. Dosing of theophylline was found to be independent of reference parameters, i.