Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR). Clinical profile and management

PURPOSE: To report our experience with the diagnosis and management of Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) in a predominantly older Indian population.. METHODS: This prospective interventional non-comparative case series included 38 patients of FEVR and their 23 family members. The diagnosis was established by clinical examination, fluorescein angiography and family screening. Prophylactic photocoagulation/cryotherapy or surgical treatment was done depending on the severity of the disease. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 23.6 years. The fundus/fluorescein angiographic findings in 116 eyes of our 61 patients (6 eyes phthisical) were as follows: forty eight (41.4%) eyes had only peripheral avascular zone, 8 (6.9%) eyes had peripheral new vessels, and 35 (30.1%) eyes had retinal detachments (RD)--10 (8.6%) exudative, 5 (4.3%) tractional and 20 (17.2%) rhegmatogenous. Prophylactic photocoagulation or cryotherapy was done in 34 eyes for retinal holes, local exudative detachments and bleeding new vessels. All the eyes retained stable vision over a mean follow-up of 16 months. Only 14 RDs were suitable for surgery: scleral buckling, vitrectomy or both. The reattachment rate was 85.7% (12 of 14) and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved to 5/60 or better in 50% of these eyes over a 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: FEVR appears to be more common than reported. Timely diagnosis and intervention is essential in view of the lifelong progression of the disease, late exacerbations, frequent involvement of family members, and poor surgical results. A high index of suspicion, family screening and early prophylaxis are recommended to prevent avoidable blindness from this underdiagnosed disease.     

Bacterial tolerance to silver nanoparticles (SNPs): aeromonas punctata isolated from sewage environment

Use of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) is increasing in a large number of consumer products. Thus, the possible build-up of the nanoparticles in the environment is becoming a major concern. Aeromonas punctata isolated from sewage showed tolerance to 200 μg/ml SNPs. The growth kinetics data for A. punctata treated with nanoparticles were similar to those in the absence of nanoparticles. There was a reduction in the amount of exopolysaccharides (EPS) in bacterial culture supernatant after nanoparticle-supernatant interaction. EPS capping of the nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-visible, XRD and comparative FTIR analysis. The EPS-capped SNPs showed less toxicity to Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus compared to the uncapped ones. The study suggests capping of nanoparticles by bacterially produced EPS as a probable physiological defense mechanism.     

Median nerve injury as a result of medial brachial fascial compartment syndrome

A case of brachial plexus injury after brachial arteriography is reported. Percutaneous catheterization of the brachial artery for angiography and intervention is performed when contraindications for the femoral approach exist. Access-related complications include injuries to the infraclavicular brachial plexus. This is often a result of a hematoma within the medial brachial fascial compartment leading to a compartment syndrome. Early recognition and prompt surgical management is vital to prevent permanent nerve damage.     

Dose-response effect of ferulic acid against nicotine-induced tissue damage and altered lipid levels in experimental rats: a pathohistological evaluation

In the present study, ferulic acid (FA), a naturally occurring nutritional compound, was investigated for its protective effect against nicotine-induced toxicity in a dose dependent manner. The toxicity was induced by subcutaneous injection of nicotine at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) for 22 weeks in female albino Wister rats. Simultaneously, rats were treated with FA at three different doses (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg b.w.) via intragastric intubations for 22 weeks. At the end of the experiment, circulatory marker enzymes (i.e. lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase) and tissue (lung, liver and kidney) lipid levels (i.e. cholesterol, free fatty acids, triglycerides and phospholipids) were analysed, which were significantly increased in the nicotine-treated group, whereas FA treatment positively modulated these levels. FA at a dose of 20 mg/kg b.w. was found to be more effective when compared with the other two doses. The lung, liver and kidney excised from the different groups were fixed and stained to perform histological assessments. The protective effect of FA on histological observations confirms that 20 mg/kg b.w. of FA modulates the deleterious effects of nicotine. The results suggest that FA exerts its inhibitory action against nicotine-induced tissue damage through its antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic properties.     

Unbiased cocaine conditioned place preferences (CPP) obscures conditioned locomotion, and nimodipine blockade of cocaine CPP is due to conditioned place aversions

The effect of nimodipine (0, 0.1, 1.0 and 10 mg/kg, SC), a dihydropyridine L-type Ca²⁺ channel antagonist, on the establishment of cocaine-(10 mg/kg IP) conditioned place preferences (CPP) was investigated. Nimodipine produced conditioned place aversions (CPA) on its own; reductions in cocaine CPP are apparently due to this CPA. There is a high negative correlation between time spent in the CS+ compartment and the difference in locomotion rates between the CS+ and the non-drug (CS−) compartments, independent of drug effects. This relationship is responsible for an increased rate of locomotion observed in the CS− compartment in cocaine-conditioned rats. Analysis of covariance indicated that cocaine CPP occurred independently of cocaine’s effects on locomotion. Furthermore, cocaine produces an increase in the rate of locomotion in the CS+ compartment when time spent in this compartment is equated with time spent in the CS− compartment. This suggests that cocaine’s effects on CPP and “conditioned” locomotion are due to separate mechanisms of action. On the other hand, nimodipine-induced place aversions and locomotor rates are not independent of each other, indicating a common mechanism of action, or that one is a consequence of the other. It is concluded that place preferences and place aversions can sometimes be secondary to compartment-specific locomotor changes, and locomotion effects can be confounded by differential times spent in each compartment. The relationships between these two behaviours must be controlled for before conclusions of CPP or CPA can be drawn in drug conditioning studies. Received: 25 January 1996 / Final version: 7 November 1996