Efficacy and safety of anti-vascular endothelial growth agents for the treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

There remains limited agreement regarding the efficacy and safety of different antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents for the management of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Our meta-analysis compares different anti-VEGF agents for PCV treatment. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched from January 2000 to July 2022. We included articles comparing the efficacy and safety of different anti-VEGF agents, specifically bevacizumab (BEV), ranibizumab (RAN), aflibercept AFL), and brolucizumab (BRO), for patients with PCV. 10,440 studies were identified, 122 underwent full-text review, and seven were included. One study was a randomized trial, and six were observational studies. Ranibizumab and aflibercept were associated with a similar best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the last visit in three observational studies (P = 0.10), similar retinal thickness at the last visit in two observational studies (P = 0.85). One observational study comparing BEV versus RAN found comparable outcomes for final BCVA, retinal thickness, and polyp regression. One randomized trial on BRO versus AFL found comparable outcomes for improvement in BCVA, while anatomical outcomes favored BRO. The available evidence suggests that final BCVA is comparable across different anti-VEGF agents, however, further investigation is warranted due to paucity of evidence.     

Comparison of the treatment results of knee osteoarthritis using adipose tissue mesenchymal stromal cells derived through enzymatic digestion and mechanically fragmented adipose tissue

Introduction:Knee osteoarthritis is a common condition that affects daily functioning and decreases the quality of life. There are many ways of treatment depending on the stage of the disease. Advanced cases are qualified for arthroplasty, which is an extensive and demanding surgical procedure. Less advanced stages are treated in various ways: from rehabilitation, through oral and intra-articular pharmacotherapy, to surgical treatment (arthroscopy, osteotomy). Because surgical treatment is risky, scientists focus on less invasive therapeutic methods. The most valuable management is based on regeneration. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) derived from the adipose tissue have a great regenerative and anti-inflammatory potential, therefore an attempt is being made to take advantage of them in knee osteoarthritis treatment.The study aims to compare the clinical effects of treatment of knee osteoarthritis using adipose tissue MSC obtained by an enzymatic method with the outcomes of the therapy with the mechanically fragmented adipose tissue.Methods:One hundred adults with primary knee osteoarthritis will undergo lipoaspiration under sterile conditions. The collected lipoaspirates will be further processed, depending on the randomly assigned group-enzymatically with the use of collagenase or mechanically using the Lipogems system. The preparations will be administered to the patients’ knee joints in the operating room under ultrasound control.The results of treatment will be assessed using Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, measuring the flexibility of the knee joint, evaluating joint gap in X-ray and the quality of cartilage in magnetic resonance T2-mapping during 1 year after treatment.Discussion/conclusion:Identification and functional analysis of the regenerative capacity of adipose-derived MSC depending on three variables (body weight, sex, and age) will help to develop a targeted therapy for different groups of patients and will determine the effectiveness of both methods of treatment. An attempt will be made to identify groups of patients with the greatest regenerative potential of the adipose tissue, and thus indicate those with the most probable improvement of the joint condition.Trial registration:This study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Medical University of Warsaw and registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov: {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04675359","term_id":"NCT04675359"}}NCT04675359 (06 Jan 2021)     

Rhinoplasty in China: A review of the most important events in its history of development

A review of the literature in commonly used retrieval systems generally yields minimal or no pertinent information on the early works of Chinese doctors. Herein, the early works in rhinoplasty by pioneers Dr. Maolian Hu (胡懋廉) and Dr. PC Nyi (倪葆春) were retrieved from the database of Chinese Medical Journal published before 1949 that overseas doctors could not gain access to online possibly due to the language barrier in collecting and processing those old professional data by main retrieval systyems. They published original articles on costal cartilage applications for correction of saddle noses in as early as 1939 and 1949, respectively, which represent the earliest attempts of treating nasal deformities with costal cartilages in China as well as in Asia. The private cosmetic surgical practices in rhinoplasty from the 1930s to the 1940s were recovered and briefly reviewed, and some of the most important clinical cases were presented. Other important events related to rhinoplasty, such as the establishment of the first national society of rhinoplasty in Chengdu, China in 2011 and the successful performance of the first national congress on rhinoplasty in Shanghai, China in 2012, were included.     

基于功能磁共振成像的肝豆状核变性患者纹状体亚区损害及临床分析

目的基于功能磁共振成像分析肝豆状核变性（Wilson disease, WD）患者纹状体亚区神经功能损害及其与临床相关分析，探讨其神经心理学症状可能的致病机制。方法收集WD患者29例和健康志愿者30例，进行3.0 T磁共振功能磁共振成像及临床量表测试，采用mICA工具箱的group ICA功能将壳核和尾状核分成8个亚区，做全脑功能连接，提取功能连接异常区域的值与临床量表测试结果做相关性分析。结果与对照组相比，WD患者左侧尾状核中部与全脑未发现功能增强或减弱区域，余感兴趣区与全脑功能连接不同程度减弱。左侧尾状核前部（ROI5）-中扣带回功能连接值与简易智能状态量表（MMSE）值呈显著负相关（r=-0.47，P=0.009）；右侧尾状核前部（ROI6）-中扣带回功能连接值与MMSE值呈显著负相关（r=-0.46，P=0.011）；右侧尾状核中部（ROI8）-右侧岛叶功能连接值与MMSE值呈显著负相关（r=-0.38，P=0.041）。结论右侧尾状核前中部与背外侧前额叶功能连接减弱，双侧壳核前部与丘脑功能连接减弱，可能破坏皮质-纹状体-丘脑回路引起认知功能损害；参与记忆及动作相关认知的突显网络、默认模式网络的通路连接受阻则可能是WD患者认知障碍的神经病理机制。