Subconjunctival and/or intrastromal bevacizumab injections as preconditioning therapy to promote corneal graft survival.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether subconjunctival and/or intrastromal Bevacizumab injections could help to prevent graft failure in high-risk keratoplasties. Twenty seven eyes of 27 patients, affected by high immune rejection risk and corneal neovascularization, were involved in this prospective interventional case-control series (case group: 14 eyes and control group: 13 eyes). Case group was submitted to a cycle of three subconjunctival and/or intrastromal injections of 5 mg/0.

Antenatal diagnosis of Seckel Syndrome: a rare case report.

Introduction: Seckel Syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by dwarfism, microcephaly and the absence of visceral malformations.

Case Report: we observed sonographic features of a Seckel Syndrome, in a patient during the 24th week of pregnancy. Her family history was negative for malformation and chromosomal disorders.

Right gastroepiploic artery arising from the dorsal pancreatic artery: a very rare anatomic variation underlying interesting embryologic implications.

The exceptional case of the right gastroepiploic artery (RGE) arising from the dorsal pancreatic (DP) artery in an individual affected by hepatocellular carcinoma is presented. This anatomic variant was demonstrated with a selective angiography of the common hepatic artery that showed a distinct DP artery branching from the injected artery. The DP artery gave off regular pancreatic branches and continued as a long and winding vessel that was identified as the RGE by its general course, the anterior epiploic branches arising from it, and the injection of the distal splenic artery, possibly via the anastomosis with the left gastroepiploic artery.

The role of sacrolumbar fat grafting in the treatment of spinal fusion instrumentation-related chronic low back pain: a preliminary report.

Study Design: A report of 2 cases.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to report 2 preliminary cases with instrumentation-related chronic low back pain (CLBP) successfully treated with fat graft in the sacrolumbar region.

Summary Of Background Data: Patients undergoing successful spinal fusion surgery may experience new or recurrent CLBP.

Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC55730 in cystic fibrosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) the effect of Lactobacillus reuteri (LR) on the rate of respiratory exacerbations and of the infections of both upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.

Methods: Prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolling 61 patients with CF with mild-to-moderate lung disease at the Regional Center for CF of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Rome "La Sapienza." All of the patients were not hospital inpatients at the time of the enrollment.

TFR2-related hereditary hemochromatosis as a frequent cause of primary iron overload in patients from Central-Southern Italy.

Objective: Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a common Mendelian disorder of iron metabolism. Eighty percent of northern Europeans descendant HH patients carry the same mutation (p.C282Y) in the HFE gene.

Surgical treatment of total bilateral ankyloblepharon in a child: unusual case report.

Purpose: To report on the efficacy of surgical management of total bilateral ankyloblepharon in a child.

Methods: An 8-year-old African girl from Burundi presented with complete lid-corneo-conjunctival adhesion in both eyes, dating back 6 years. Preoperative ultrasound evaluation of anterior and posterior segment was detected.

Assessment of retinal function before and after idiopathic macular hole surgery.

Purpose: To evaluate preoperative and postoperative retinal function in patients who underwent macular surgery for idiopathic macular hole.

Design: Prospective, comparative, interventional case series.

Methods: Thirty eyes of 30 patients with idiopathic macular hole were included in the study.

Inverted-T skin-reducing mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction using the submuscular-subfascial pocket.

Background: The inverted-T skin-reducing mastectomy with implant reconstruction represents a very effective reconstructive and cosmetic option in patients with macromastia. However, in this subset of patients, the risk of skin flap necrosis, especially at the T-junction, is significant. In this setting, complete implant coverage with viable tissue beneath the mastectomy skin flaps is essential to reduce morbidity.

Fat grafting and breast reconstruction with implant: another option for irradiated breast cancer patients.

Background: In postmastectomy radiated patients, autologous tissue reconstruction is preferred over implant reconstruction, because the latter is associated with a higher rate of postoperative complications. Autologous tissue reconstruction, however, is not always feasible and is sometimes refused by the patient. A challenge also arises in breast-conserving surgery patients seeking breast augmentation with an implant.

Immediate breast reconstruction after skin- or nipple-sparing mastectomy for previously augmented patients: a personal technique.

Background: Breast reconstruction for previously augmented patients differs from breast reconstruction for nonaugmented patients. Many surgeons regard conservation therapy as not feasible for these patients because of implant complications, whether radiotherapy-induced or not. Despite this, most authors agree that mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction is the most suitable choice, ensuring both a good cosmetic result and a low complication rate.

Graft rejection after femtosecond laser--assisted deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty: report of 3 cases.

Purpose: To report 3 cases of stromal rejection after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) assisted by a femtosecond laser.

Methods: Three keratoconus eyes of 2 men (22 and 30 years old) and 1 woman (24 years old) who had DALK with a 60-kHz femtosecond laser developed intrastromal graft rejection with superficial and deep neovascularization after 6, 15, and 12 months, respectively. All patients underwent confocal microscopy and were treated with topical steroid therapy.

Breast fat grafting with platelet-rich plasma: a comparative clinical study and current state of the art.

Background: The role of platelet-rich plasma in enhancing fat graft take is attracting the scientific community. There is, however, a lack of clinical studies on the matter. The aim of this article is to report the authors' experience in breast fat grafting with and without platelet-rich plasma and to investigate the state of the art on adipose tissue platelet-rich plasma enrichment.

Biomarkers in rare disorders: the experience with spinal muscular atrophy.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder caused by homozygous mutations of the SMN1 gene. Based on clinical severity, three forms of SMA are recognized (type I-III). All patients have at least one (usually 2-4) copies of a highly homologous gene (SMN2) which produces insufficient levels of functional SMN protein, due to alternative splicing of exon7.

Nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction: cosmetic outcomes and technical refinements.

Background: Nipple-sparing mastectomy is gaining widespread popularity, as it could allow improved aesthetic outcome without increasing oncologic risk. To investigate the reconstructive issues experienced with immediate implant reconstruction, the authors reviewed the cosmetic outcomes of their series.

Methods: The authors retrospectively analyzed the data on 33 cases of nipple-sparing mastectomy for both cancer and prophylaxis with immediate implant reconstruction using the submusculo-subfascial pocket.

Approach and management of primary ectopic breast carcinoma in the axilla: where are we? A comprehensive historical literature review.

Primary ectopic breast carcinoma is a rare disease and, at present, no specific guidelines on its diagnosis and treatment are available. The purpose of this article is to review the world literature in English on primary ectopic breast carcinoma located in the armpit and to offer guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Data for this review were identified by searches of MEDLINE, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, ACNP (Italian catalogue of journals) and references from relevant articles using relevant search terms and data published in the previous reviews.

Autologous fat graft in radiated tissue prior to alloplastic reconstruction of the breast: report of two cases.

Background: The new indications for radiotherapy in the cure of breast cancer lead to an increasing number of candidates for this adjuvant treatment. However, it raises some concerns with respect to the prosthetic reconstruction of the breast. In fact, the use of implants in the irradiated breast is discouraged by many authors because of the high rate of complications.

Reconstruction of an extended defect in the axilla using a thoracodorsal fasciocutaneous perforator flap.

Background: Ectopic primary carcinoma of breast tissue is a rare entity, and its diagnosis often is delayed. The axilla is the most common site involved. The Limberg flap as a random flap is easy and practicable for coverage of many defects including those involving the axilla.

Femtosecond laser-assisted lamellar keratoplasty: early results.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes and safety of lamellar keratoplasty (LK) assisted by a femtosecond laser.

Methods: Twenty-one eyes of 21 patients affected by different corneal pathologies (5 posttraumatic corneal scar, 3 postkeratitis corneal leucoma, and 13 keratoconus) underwent LK procedures by using a femtosecond laser. The mean thinnest corneal thickness, evaluated with ultrasound corneal pachymetry and with confocal microscopy, was 434.

Unusual coexistence of bilateral keratoconus and optic disc pit: a case report.

Purpose: To report the unknown coexistence of bilateral optic disc pit and keratoconus.

Methods: A 23-year-old man with bilateral keratoconus underwent complete ophthalmology screening, with an unexpected detection of undiagnosed optic disc pit in both eyes. Computerized corneal topography (CT), Orbscan, corneal pachometry, endothelial microscopy, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination were performed.

Surgical therapy for osteonecotic lesions of the jaws in patients in therapy with bisphosphonates.

Objective: Surgical therapy to improve the symptoms and the lesions in osteonecrosis (ON) of the jaws in patients in therapy with bisphosphonates.

Design: to evaluate the patient's therapeutic protocols, performance status, and factors promoting ON to prevent surgical failure.

Materials And Methods: 18 patients affected by osteonecrotic lesions of the jaws associated to BF, were treated by surgery.

Modeling of a vapor-phase fungi bioreactor for the abatement of hexane: fluid dynamics and kinetic aspects.

During some previous works, a packed-bed lab-scale biofilter (177 . 10(-6) m3), inoculated with a selected strain of Aspergillus niger had been tested for the abatement of hexane vapors, showing a maximum elimination capacity of 200 g hexane/m3 reactor/h. A steady-state mathematical model taking into account axial dispersion effect was applied to describe the process and predict experimental results, but many model parameters could not be calculated from experimental data.