Posterior sub-tenon’s bevacizumab injection in diabetic macular edema; a pilot study

Purpose

To evaluate the short-term results of sub-tenon’s injection of bevacizumab in patients with clinically significant macular edema (CSME).

Methods

In this prospective non-comparative interventional case series, sub-tenon’s injection of 2.5 mg/0.1 ml bevacizumab was performed for eyes with CSME. Macular thickness and best corrected visual acuity measurements were performed before and one month after injections.

Results

Nineteen eyes of twelve patients with a mean age of 59.8 ± 5.7 years were evaluated. Thirteen eyes (68.4%) had center-involving macular edema. No significant difference was observed between pre- and post-injection central subfield retinal thickness measurements (P = 0.3). Central subfield thickness measurements improved or remained unchanged in 13 eyes (68.4%). Baseline BCVA of 0.48 ± 0.35 LogMAR improved to 0.36 ± 0.26 LogMAR after injection (P = 0.01). Improvement of >2 lines in BCVA was found in 5 eyes (26.3%), and no eye lost >2 lines of BCVA. No complication associated with sub-tenon’s injection was observed.

Conclusion

Sub-tenon’s injection of bevacizumab resulted in significant short-term visual improvement in eyes with CSME. Retinal thickness changes were not significant.     

A comparative study on the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes using hybridized 1T/2H, 1T/3R and 2H MoS2 nano-sheets

MoS₂ is a very attractive material and has been well studied for potential applications in various areas. However, due to the wide variety of factors affecting the molecular and electronic structure of MoS₂, several contradictory reports about the adsorptive and photocatalytic properties of such materials have been published. In most of these reports, the effect of the actual phase of the materials on the properties was neglected. Here, different phases of MoS₂ nanosheets (1T/2H, 1T/3R and 2H) have been obtained using the hydrothermal method with different Mo : S molar ratios and different autoclave filling ratios. The obtained materials have been thoroughly characterized using Raman, UV-vis, powder XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS measurements in order to accurately identify the existing phases in each material. A comparative study of the photocatalytic organic dye degradation efficiency under white light irradiation has been conducted using methyl orange to correlate the different activity of each material to the respective phase composition. The results indicate a much higher performance of the 1T/2H phase compared to the 2H and 3R phases. Detailed computational studies of the different phases revealed the emergence of mid-gap states upon introducing 1T sites into the 2H lattice. This leads to the improvement of the photocatalytic activity of 1T/2H compared to the other prepared materials.

MoS₂ is a very attractive material and has been well studied for potential applications in various areas.     

Bee venom acupuncture therapy ameliorates neuroinflammatory alterations in a pilocarpine-induced epilepticus model

Metabolic Brain Disease - Bee venom (BV) is applied in different traditional medicinal therapies and is used worldwide to prevent and treat many acute and chronic diseases. Epilepsy has various...     

Release of neurotensin by selective perfusion of the jejunum with oleic acid in dogs

Plasma neurotensin concentrations are rapidly elevated after oral ingestion or intraduodenal infusion of fat, apparently before fat reaches the ileum where neurotensin is highly concentrated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the site of neurotensin release and to determine whether neurotensin is released by direct luminal stimulation by fat in conscious dogs. Dogs were prepared with isolated jejunal or ileal segments and portal vein catheters. Release of neurotensin into the portal venous blood was examined by selective perfusion of each intestinal segment with sodium oleáte. The results of this study show that selective perfusion of the jejunum, but not the ileum, with sodium oleate, caused a significant release of neurotensin. We speculate that release of ileal neurotensin is not due to direct luminal stimulation, but is mediated by local neural or humoral intermediates.     

Antiviral activity of 1-docosanol, an inhibitor of lipid-enveloped viruses including herpes simplex.

This article reports that 1-docosanol, a 22-carbon-long saturated alcohol, exerts a substantial inhibitory effect on replication of certain viruses (e.g., herpes simplex virus and respiratory syncytial virus) within primary target cells in vitro. To study the basis for its viral inhibitory activity, a suspension of 1-docosanol was formulated in an inert and nontoxic surfactant, Pluronic F-68; this suspension exerted potent inhibitory activity on the ability of susceptible viruses to infect cultured target cells. Susceptible viruses included wild-type herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 as well as acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus 2 and also respiratory syncytial virus--all of which are lipid-enveloped. In contrast, nonenveloped poliovirus was not susceptible to the inhibitory action of 1-docosanol. Although the precise mechanism has yet to be defined, current evidence suggests that 1-docosanol inhibits viral replication by interfering with the early intracellular events surrounding viral entry into target cells. It is possible that interaction between the highly lipophilic compound and components of target cell membranes renders such target cells less susceptible to viral fusion and/or entry. If this mechanism proves to be correct, 1-docosanol may provide a broad spectrum activity against many different viruses, especially those with lipid-containing envelopes.     

Indeterminate biliary strictures: a simplified approach

Introduction: Pre-operative evaluation of biliary strictures remains challenging. The dilemma that exists is how to balance the risk of failing to detect malignancy and the potential morbidity caused by unnecessary surgery in patients with benign etiologies. With emerging novel diagnostic modalities, this study aims to assess the efficacy of diagnostic techniques and facilitate a clinical approach to indeterminate biliary strictures.

Areas covered: Conventional imaging modalities are crucial in identifying the location of a stricture and are helpful for choosing further diagnostic modalities. Utilization of endoscopic techniques, including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), is key in establishing a diagnosis. The emergence of novel diagnostic modalities, such as fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), peroral cholangioscopy (POC), intraductal endoscopic ultrasound (IDUS) and confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE), enhance the diagnostic yield in the evaluation of indeterminate biliary strictures.

Expert commentary: More reliable and validated visual criteria for differentiating malignancy from benign biliary conditions, utilizing advanced imaging modalities such as POC and CLE, need to be established. It is of significance to further evaluate these novel diagnostic modalities through ongoing trials and to develop a diagnostic algorithm that reconciles cost-effectiveness with diagnostic accuracy.     

SOD2 genetic polymorphism (rs4880) has no impact on 6‐month response to antidepressant treatment and inflammatory biomarkers in depressed patients

Two thirds of patients suffering from a major depressive episode (MDE) do not reach a complete response with antidepressant drugs. This lack of response is due to several factors, including genetic determinants. Since major depressive disorder is associated with inflammatory and oxidative stress abnormalities, the metabolism of superoxide anions might be involved in non‐response to antidepressant drugs. Superoxide anions are metabolized by manganese‐dependent superoxide dismutase (SOD2) in the mitochondria. A functional genetic polymorphism (SOD2, rs4880), responsible of a 40% reduction in enzyme activity, is associated with anti‐inflammatory response of rosuvastatin. We investigated the association of ala‐allele of SOD2 rs4880 and both antidepressant efficacy and inflammatory parameters in patients treated for a MDE with antidepressant drugs. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score and levels of plasma CRP and inflammatory cytokines were assessed at baseline, one month (M1), 3 months (M3) and 6 months (M6) after antidepressant treatment. They were compared according to SOD2 genetic polymorphism. Of the 484 patients studied, 361 (74.6%) carried the ala‐allele (Ala group), 123 (25.4%) of them had Val/Val genotype (Val/Val group). No significant difference was observed between the Ala and Val/Val groups neither for baseline clinical characteristics, nor for HDRS scores, response/remission rates, plasma CRP and cytokine levels throughout the study. The rs4880 SOD2 genetic polymorphism was not associated with the clinical response and cytokines levels after antidepressant treatment. These data suggest that SOD2 is not a major genetic determinant of antidepressant response. Other genes of the oxidative stress pathways should be explored in further studies.     

Clinical Presentation and Management of Severe Acute Renal Failure in McArdle Disease

McArdle disease, also known as glycogen storage disease type V, is an autosomal recessive disease due to the absence of myophosphorylase activity, leading to the complete disruption of glycogen breakdown in muscles. We present a rare case of a Caucasian male, aged 26 years, who developed rhabdomyolysis-induced acute renal failure and uremic encephalopathy. Neurological examination and histopathological studies supported the diagnosis of McArdle disease. The severity of his symptoms necessitated urgent hemodialysis, upon which the patient reported improvement in status. Acute renal failure in McArdle disease usually resolves with supportive treatment and maintenance of regular physical activity. Nevertheless, in more severe cases, intensive care with urgent hemodialysis may be needed. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary for the adequate management of similar cases.