Endothelial keratoplasty: first report of a ruptured globe after deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty

PURPOSE: To report a case of ruptured globe after endothelial keratoplasty. METHODS: Review of clinical findings in an 80-year-old man who presented with globe rupture after blunt trauma 3 years after deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty. RESULTS: The rupture occurred through the temporal scleral tunnel incision with expulsion of endothelial graft and intraocular lens. Primary repair was successful, but the postoperative course has remained complicated. CONCLUSIONS: A ruptured globe caused by blunt trauma can occur after endothelial keratoplasty as it can after other intraocular procedures. In this case, the endothelial graft was extruded with separation of the donor-graft interface. The incidence has yet to be determined and whether it is less than that after standard penetrating keratoplasty surgery will require further long-term studies.     

Histologic evidence of retained fetal layer of the descemet membrane after presumed total removal for endothelial keratoplasty: a possible cause for graft failure

PURPOSE: This is, to our knowledge, the first report of histology after failed Descemet-stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) surgery in a patient. We describe the interface histology found in a case of donor nonadherence and subsequent graft failure in a patient after DSEK. METHODS: An 83-year-old woman with a history of Fuchs dystrophy underwent DSEK surgery and subsequently underwent full-thickness penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) because of nonadherence of the donor disc and presumed graft failure. Specimens from the initial stripping of the Descemet membrane, the failed donor disc, and the full thickness of the patient's remaining cornea containing the recipient bed after her DSEK and PKP procedures were histologically evaluated by light microscopy. RESULTS: Microscopic examination of the initial stripped recipient Descemet membrane revealed a "delamination" of the Descemet membrane involving the fetal layer. After PKP, histopathologic study of the recipient button revealed residual fetal Descemet membrane retained on the recipient DSEK interface. Examination of the failed donor disc showed healthy tissue. CONCLUSIONS: In DSEK surgery, there are multiple reasons that the donor graft button may fail to adhere to the recipient posterior corneal surface. In this instance, histologic study revealed that the Descemet membrane was split by the stripping, and the fetal layer of the Descemet membrane was retained on the central part of the patient's posterior cornea. Despite histologically normal donor endothelial cells, the inability of the donor tissue to adhere may have been caused by the coating of the central recipient bed with retained fetal Descemet membrane.     

Clinical and imaging characteristics of orbital leukemic tumors

PURPOSE: To characterize the clinical and imaging features of orbital leukemic tumors in 27 patients seen and treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on the clinical and imaging records of 27 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of orbital leukemic tumors. The following data were extracted from the patients' records: age at diagnosis of orbital leukemic tumors, sex, race, national origin, type of leukemia, temporal relationship of orbital disease to diagnosis of leukemia, survival from diagnosis of orbital leukemic tumor, laterality of the orbital disease, location of the mass within the orbit, imaging features of the mass, chemotherapeutic protocol, treatment with bone marrow transplant, and orbital radiation. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis of orbital leukemic tumor was 8 years (range, 1-18 years). Nineteen of the 27 patients were male, and 21 patients were born and lived in the United States. Twenty-one patients had acute myeloid leukemia, five had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and one had chronic myelogenous leukemia. In 85% of patients (n = 23), the diagnosis of leukemia was based on the bone marrow examination findings. Orbital imaging revealed homogenous masses that molded to one or more orbital walls without bony destruction. Nine patients had bilateral orbital involvement. All patients received multiagent systemic chemotherapy, and 14 underwent bone marrow transplantation. Five patients received external beam radiation for the treatment of orbital disease. Fifteen (55.6%) of the 27 patients were alive at the time of the study. The median survival for all patients was 4.75 years (range, 0.1-24 years) after the diagnosis of orbital disease. CONCLUSIONS: Orbital leukemic tumors occur most commonly in the first decade of life, in association with acute myeloid leukemia. They appear as homogenous masses along the orbital walls. Although the overall survival rate for patients with leukemia has improved over the past 3 decades, the mortality of patients who develop orbital leukemic tumors remains high.     

Ossifying fibromyxoid tumor of soft parts: a case report and review

Ossifying fibromyxoid tumor of soft parts is a recently described, rare but morphologically distinctive tumor of soft tissue, including subcutaneous soft tissue. We report a case of ossifying fibromyxoid tumor of soft parts which occurred in the subcutaneous tissue of a 68-year-olcl male, and review the clinical, histologic, and immunohistologic features of this tumor. Ossifying fibromyxoid tumor of soft parts tends to occur in the subcutaneous tissue and have been reported from the head and neck, upper and lower extremities, and trunk. Immunohistologic studies have supported a neural origin. While considered benign, local recurrence after excision is common and these tumors should be excised with clear margins to prevent recurrence.     

Tailoring Interventions: Understanding Medical Practice Culture

This article describes the results of a study that used intensive direct observations of eight medical practices to assess the factors affecting the barriers and facilitators to adult immunization for influenza and pneumonia. The study aimed to describe the culture of these practices by identifying key features that facilitate or deter the immunization process. The article presents profiles of six of the eight practices describing their cultural and organizational frameworks. Six features that are critical to an understanding of the cultures of these practices, particularly as they relate to receptivity to influenza immunization for diverse practices and patient populations, are highlighted. These include policies and procedures, funding source, physician philosophy, patient receptivity to provider recommendation, and physical environment and social environment. The article also discusses strategies for applying knowledge about the culture of each practice to introduce appropriate and feasible interventions aimed at increasing immunization rates.     

Younger Adults Initiating Hemodialysis: Antidepressant Use for Depression Associated With Higher Health Care Utilization

Objective

To examine associations between antidepressant use and health care utilization in young adults beginning maintenance hemodialysis (HD) therapy.

Involvement of lysosomal cathepsins in the cleavage of DNA topoisomerase I during necrotic cell death

OBJECTIVE: Autoantibodies to DNA topoisomerase I (topo I) are associated with diffuse systemic sclerosis (SSc), appear to be antigen driven, and may be triggered by cryptic epitopes exposed during in vivo topo I fragmentation. These autoantibodies recognize topo I and fragments of this autoantigen generated during apoptosis and necrosis. We undertook this study to determine whether lysosomal cathepsins are involved in topo I fragmentation during necrosis. METHODS: Topo I cleavage during necrosis was assessed by immunoblotting of lysates from L929 fibroblasts exposed to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and the broad caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK, and by immunoblotting of lysates from endothelial cells treated with HgCl2. Purified topo I and L929 nuclei were incubated with cathepsins B, D, G, H, and L, and topo I cleavage was detected by immunoblotting. The intracellular localization of cathepsin L activity and topo I in necrotic cells was examined using fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Treatment of L929 cells with TNFalpha and Z-VAD-FMK induced caspase-independent cell death with necrotic morphology. This cell death involved topo I cleavage into fragments of approximately 70 kd and 45 kd. This cleavage profile was reproduced in vitro by cathepsins L and H and was inhibited by the cathepsin L inhibitor Z-FY-CHO. During necrosis, cathepsin L activity diffused from lysosomes into the cytoplasm and nucleus, whereas topo I partially relocalized to the cytoplasm. Z-FY-CHO delayed necrosis and partially blocked topo I cleavage. The topo I cleavage fragments were also detected in necrotic endothelial cells and recognized by SSc sera containing anti-topo I antibodies. CONCLUSION: These results implicate cathepsins, particularly cathepsin L, in the cleavage of topo I during necrosis. This cleavage may generate potentially immunogenic fragments that could trigger anti-topo I immune responses in SSc.     

Renal denervation abolishes hypertension in low-birth-weight offspring from pregnant rats with reduced uterine perfusion

Low birth weight is a risk factor for the subsequent development of hypertension in humans. We previously reported that reduced uterine perfusion in the pregnant rat results in growth-restricted offspring predisposed to the development of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the sympathetic nervous system plays a role in mediating hypertension in this model of low birth weight. Weight at birth was significantly decreased in male growth-restricted offspring (5.9+/-0.1 grams) as compared with male control offspring (6.5+/-0.2 grams; P<0.05). At 10 weeks of age, growth-restricted offspring and control offspring were randomly assigned to either an intact group (sham-denervated) or a group subjected to bilateral renal denervation. For sham-denervated offspring, mean arterial pressure was significantly elevated in growth-restricted offspring (145+/-4 mm Hg; n=7) as compared with control offspring (134+/-3 mm Hg; P<0.05; n=9) at 12 weeks of age. Bilateral renal denervation resulted in a marked reduction in arterial pressure in growth-restricted offspring (125+/-3 mm Hg; P<0.01; difference of 20 mm Hg versus sham growth-restricted; n=8) but no significant decrease in control offspring (127+/-3 mm Hg; difference of 7 mm Hg versus sham control; n=9). Adequacy of renal denervation was verified by >90% reduction in renal norepinephrine content. Therefore, these findings indicate the renal nerves play an important role in mediating hypertension in adult growth-restricted offspring.