30 years of ocular proton therapy,the Nice view

PurposeRadiotherapy with protons (PT) is a standard treatment of ocular tumors. It achieves excellent tumor control, limited toxicities, and the preservation of important functional outcomes, such as vision. Although PT may appear as one homogenous technique, it can be performed using dedicated ocular passive scattering PT or, increasingly, Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS), both with various degrees of patient-oriented customization.Materaial and methodsMEDICYC PT facility of Nice are detailed with respect to their technical, dosimetric, microdosimetric and radiobiological, patient and tumor-customization process of PT planning and delivery that are key. 6684 patients have been treated for ocular tumors (1991–2020). Machine characteristics (accelerator, beam line, beam monitoring) allow efficient proton extraction, high dose rate, sharp lateral and distal penumbrae, and limited stray radiation in comparison to beam energy reduction and subsequent straggling with high-energy PBS PT. Patient preparation before PT includes customized setup and image-guidance, CT-based planning, and ocular PT software modelling of the patient eye with integration of beam modifiers. Clinical reports have shown excellent tumor control rates (～95%), vision preservation and limited toxicity rates (papillopathy, retinopathy, neovascular glaucoma, dry eye, madarosis, cataract).ResultsAlthough demanding, dedicated ocular PT has proven its efficiency in achieving excellent tumor control, OAR sparing and patient radioprotection. It is therefore worth adaptations of the equipments and practice.ConclusionsSome of these adaptations can be transferred to other PT centers and should be acknowledeged when using non-PT options.     

Core-Shell Arginine-Containing Chitosan Microparticles for Enhanced Transcorneal Permeation of Drugs

Chitosan oligosaccharide (C) was functionalized with l-arginine (A) and short hydrocarbon chains (C₈) to design an amphiphilic copolymer, henceforth CAC₈, leading to microparticles (MPs) consisting of an arginine-decorated hydrophilic shell and inner hydrophobic domains allowing the encapsulation of high amount hydrophobic drugs such as sorafenib tosylate (>10% w/w). l-arginine side chains were selected in order to impart the final MPs enhanced transcorneal penetration properties, thus overcoming the typical biological barriers which hamper the absorption of drugs upon topical ocular administration. The mucoadhesive properties and drug release profile of the CAC₈ MPs (CAC₈-MPs) were studied, showing that CAC₈-MPs can strongly interact with mucin, and thus gradually release their payload in situ to potentially improve the bioavailability of the drug after topical administration. In vitro transcorneal studies also showed that CAC₈-MPs are endowed with effective permeation enhancer ability combined with negligible toxicity.     

Clinical Features and Prognosis of Uveitis in a Turkish Patient Population with Ankylosing Spondylitis: Incidence and Management of Ocular Complications

Purpose: To investigate clinical features, visual prognosis, and ocular complications in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)-associated anterior uveitis (AU).

Methods: Data of 211 eyes of 145 patients with AU associated with AS were reviewed retrospectively.

Results: Mean follow-up time was 6.31 ± 6.33 years. Men were younger than women at AS diagnosis (p = 0.035). The mean number of uveitis flares was highest during the first quarter of the year and lowest during the third quarter (p = 0.017). Immunosuppressive agent use was higher in women than men (p = 0.052). Ocular complications developed in 120 eyes (56.9%), and the complication rate was 0.146/eye year. Males developed cystoid macular edema more frequently than females (p = 0.05). Glaucoma was observed more often in early-onset disease (age at AS onset <45 years) than late-onset disease (p = 0.028).

Conclusions: Visual prognosis of AU in patients with AS was good, although more than half of the eyes developed ocular complications (56.9%).     

Ocular dysfunctions and toxicities induced by antiepileptic medications: Types,pathogenic mechanisms,and treatment strategies

Introduction: Ocular dysfunctions and toxicities induced by antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are rarely reviewed and not frequently received attention by treating physicians compared to other adverse effects (e.g. endocrinologic, cognitive and metabolic). However, some are frequent and progressive even in therapeutic concentrations or result in permanent blindness. Although some adverse effects are non-specific, others are related to the specific pharmacodynamics of the drug.

Areas covered: This review was written after detailed search in PubMed, EMBASE, ISI web, SciELO, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register databases (from 1970 to 2019). It summarized the reported ophthalmologic adverse effects of the currently available AEDs; their risks and possible pathogenic mechanisms. They include ocular motility dysfunctions, retinopathy, maculopathy, glaucoma, myopia, optic neuropathy, and impaired retinal vascular autoregulation. In general, ophthalmo-neuro- or retino-toxic adverse effects of AEDs are classified as type A (dose-dependent), type B (host-dependent or idiosyncratic) or type C which is due to the cumulative effect from long-term use.

Expert opinion: Ocular adverse effects of AEDs are rarely reviewed although some are frequent or may result in permanent blindness. Increasing knowledge of their incidence and improving understanding of their risks and pathogenic mechanisms are crucial for monitoring, prevention, and management of patients’ at risk.     

不同切口白内障联合青光眼手术对眼表的影响

目的：探讨单切口和双切口白内障超声乳化联合小梁切除术治疗闭角型青光眼合并年龄相关性白内障术后眼表的影响。

方法：随机抽取在我院行单切口和双切口白内障超声乳化吸除、人工晶状体植入联合小梁切除术患者各26例26眼，对临床资料进行回顾性分析。比较两组病例术前1d和术后1wk，1、3mo时的泪膜破裂时间(break up time，BUT)，泪液分泌试验Ⅰ(SchirmerⅠ time，SⅠt)，角膜荧光素染色程度(corneal fluorescein staining，FL)等，并对结果进行统计学分析。

结果：所有入选的病例均在局部麻醉下行手术治疗，术后随访3mo。两组患者术后1wk，1mo的BUT，FL，SⅠt指标数值与术前相比均有明显差异(P<0.01)，术后3mo基本恢复术前水平。术后1wk，1mo双切口组BUT，SⅠt均明显短于单切口组(P<0.05)； FL双切口组术后1wk明显高于单切口组(P<0.05)，而术后1mo两组差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。术后3mo，两组患者的BUT，FL，SⅠt相比差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。

结论：单切口和双切口的白内障超声乳化联合显微小梁切除术术后均对术眼眼表有影响，双切口组影响更大，且相关指标异常的高峰期出现在术后1mo之内。     

8种寄生虫病例分析

本文报道并分析8例寄生虫病例,其中包括脑裂头蚴病、眼部裂头蚴病、肺吸虫幼虫移行症、肺吸虫病、钩虫病、肝吸虫病、包虫病和广州管圆线虫病各1例。8例寄生虫病均有不同程度的误诊,其中6例在寄生虫抗体筛查检测阳性后得以确诊。因此,寄生虫病应引起临床医生的重视,抗体筛查有助于发现寄生虫病例。     

Infections at the bottom end of the gastrointestinal tract

This article concentrates on specific infections of the distal gastrointestinal (GI) tract, particularly those that are transmitted sexually, by anal intercourse. Syphilis, gonorrhoea and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) are age old and well known diseases, but the features may be unfamiliar to GI histopathologists. Every histopathology trainee will have seen Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of squamous epithelium (e.g. oesophagus, vulva and anus), but the HSV pseudotumour of the anus/perineum can present a pitfall to those who have not previously encountered this entity. Another, more recently described, entity that has a predilection for the ano-rectal region is Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) positive mucocutaneous ulcer, and this also presents a diagnostic trap to the unwary.