Proceedings of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and Champalimaud Foundation Ocular Oncogenesis and Oncology Conference.

The 2018 Ocular Oncogenesis and Oncology Conference was held through a partnership of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the Champalimaud Foundation. Twenty-one experts from international ocular oncology centers, from the Champalimaud Clinical Centre and the Champalimaud Foundation Cancer Research Program, and from patient advocacy organizations, delivered lectures on subjects that ranged from global ocular oncology, to basic research in mechanisms of ocular malignancy, to clinical research in ocular cancers, and to anticipated future developments in the area. The scientific program of the conference covered a broad range of ocular tumors-including uveal melanoma, retinoblastoma, ocular surface tumors, and adnexal and intraocular lymphomas-and pathogenesis and management were deliberated in the context of the broader systemic cancer discipline.

Pharmacogenetics and pharmacokinetics of CNS penetration of efavirenz and its metabolites.

Background: There are limited data on the pharmacogenetics and pharmacokinetics of the CNS penetration of efavirenz.

Objectives: We investigated genetic polymorphisms associated with CSF concentrations of efavirenz and its metabolites and explored the relationships with neurocognitive performance.

Methods: We included 47 HIV-infected South African black adults with and without HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder on efavirenz/tenofovir/emtricitabine and collected paired plasma-CSF samples.

Vaccination practices in End Stage Renal Failure and Renal Transplantation; Review of current guidelines and recommendations.

Due to the increased burden of infectious complications following solid organ transplantation, vaccination against common pathogens is a hugely important area of discussion and application in clinical practice. Reduction in infectious complications will help to reduce morbidity and mortality post-transplantation. Immunisation history is invaluable in the work-up of potential recipients.

Identifying Lynch Syndrome in Women Presenting With Endometrial Carcinoma Under the Age of 50 Years.

Background: Lynch syndrome (LS) is an inherited disorder associated with genetic predisposition to endometrial, colorectal, ovarian, and other cancers. There is consensus for the necessity of assessment for LS in view of the established survival benefits for identified patients and affected family members. The debate regarding the best screening policy is far from being concluded.

Defining response to anti-VEGF therapies in neovascular AMD.

The introduction of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) has made significant impact on the reduction of the visual loss due to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (n-AMD). There are significant inter-individual differences in response to an anti-VEGF agent, made more complex by the availability of multiple anti-VEGF agents with different molecular configurations. The response to anti-VEGF therapy have been found to be dependent on a variety of factors including patient's age, lesion characteristics, lesion duration, baseline visual acuity (VA) and the presence of particular genotype risk alleles.

Addressing the challenges of pancreatic cancer: future directions for improving outcomes.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which accounts for more than 90% of all pancreatic tumours, is a devastating malignancy with an extremely poor prognosis, as shown by a 1-year survival rate of around 18% for all stages of the disease. The low survival rates associated with PDAC primarily reflect the fact that tumours progress rapidly with few specific symptoms and are thus at an advanced stage at diagnosis in most patients. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop accurate markers of pre-invasive pancreatic neoplasms in order to facilitate prediction of cancer risk and to help diagnose the disease at an earlier stage.

Guidelines for time-to-event end-point definitions in trials for pancreatic cancer. Results of the DATECAN initiative (Definition for the Assessment of Time-to-event End-points in CANcer trials).

Background: Using potential surrogate end-points for overall survival (OS) such as Disease-Free- (DFS) or Progression-Free Survival (PFS) is increasingly common in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, end-points are too often imprecisely defined which largely contributes to a lack of homogeneity across trials, hampering comparison between them. The aim of the DATECAN (Definition for the Assessment of Time-to-event End-points in CANcer trials)-Pancreas project is to provide guidelines for standardised definition of time-to-event end-points in RCTs for pancreatic cancer.

Whole-blood cultures from renal-transplant patients stimulated ex vivo show that the effects of cyclosporine on lymphocyte proliferation are related to P-glycoprotein expression.

Background: Cyclosporine (CsA) is a substrate for the MDR-1 gene product P-glycoprotein (P-gp). CsA efficacy may be modulated by lymphocyte P-gp expression levels. In this study, CsA inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation in whole-blood cultures ex vivo has been related to (1) lymphocyte P-gp expression and (2) the C3435T polymorphism in the MDR-1 gene, which has been reported to alter P-gp function.

Post-traumatic stress disorder: symptom profiles in men and women.

Objective: To investigate the symptom frequencies of a relatively large sample of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers and compare male and female symptom profiles.

Research Design And Methods: A total of 103 consecutive attendees at a clinic for PTSD were examined using a checklist of DSM-IV PTSD characteristics. The presence and absence of all symptoms was evaluated in a research interview.

Expression of the chemokines MCP-1/JE and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant in early acute pancreatitis.

Introduction: Inflammatory mediators play a critical role in acute pancreatitis. The precise role played by members of the chemokine family remains unclear.

Aims: To investigate the expression of the CC chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1/JE and the CXC chemokine cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) in early acute pancreatitis.

Ligneous conjunctivitis: a local manifestation of a systemic disorder?

Ligneous conjunctivitis is a descriptive term. It refers to the "woody" consistency of the pseudomembrane that usually forms on the palpebral conjunctiva of those affected. It is rare and probably only one manifestation of a multiorgan, pseudomembranous disease.