Clinical assessment of the efficacy of photodynamic therapy in the treatment of oral lichen planus

The study objective was clinical assessment of the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP). There were 23 patients aged 31–82 included in the study with oral lichen planus diagnosed clinically and histopathologically. In all patients photodynamic therapy was performed with the use of chlorin e6 (Photolon^®), containing 20 % chlorin e6 and 10 % dimethyl sulfoxide as a photosensitizer. PDT was performed using a semiconductor laser, with power up to 300 mW and a wavelength of 660 nm. A series of illumination sessions was conducted with the use of superficial light energy density of 90 J/cm². Changes of lesion size were monitored at one, two, five, and ten PDT appointments from the series of ten according to the authors' own method. The sizes of clinical OLP lesions exposed to PDT were reduced significantly (on average by 55 %). The best effects were observed for the lesions on the lining mucosa (57.6 %). The therapy was statistically significantly less effective when masticatory mucosa was affected (reduction, 30.0 %). Due to substantial efficacy and noninvasiveness, PDT can be useful in the treatment of OLP lesions.     

Three-year comparison of subcutaneous insulin pump treatment with multi-daily injections on HbA1c, its variability and hospital burden of children with type 1 diabetes

Treatment with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) allows a large degree of treatment individualization and intensification in children with diabetes. The study's aim was to evaluate the impact of treatment with CSII on glycated haemoglobin level (HbA1c) in children with diabetes and investigate whether introduction of CSII is associated with an increased risk of acute complications of diabetes. Patients treated throughout the recruitment period exclusively with multiple daily injections (MDI) were matched for duration of diabetes and HbA1c level at baseline with patients treated exclusively with CSII in a 1:1 group ratio (n?=?223 and 231 for MDI and CSII, respectively). The CSII group showed lower HbA1c after the observation period (7.98?±?1.38 vs. 7.56?±?0.97; P?=?0.002). HbA1c variability measured as standard deviations of average values was also lower in the CSII group (0.73?±?0.45 vs. 0.84?±?0.54; P?=?0.049). The rate of hospitalization due to acute events was similar in both groups (14.7/100 vs. 14.0/100 person/years in the MDI and CSII group, P?=?0.72). Duration of hospital stay per year was on average 1.25?days shorter in the CSII group (P?=?0.0004), but the risk of acute complications resulting in hospitalization did not differ between the groups (hazard ratio (HR) 1.16; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.68-1.63). The most significant risk factor for hospitalization due to acute complications was baseline HbA1c concentration (HR 1.25; 95% CI 1.14-1.37). In conclusion, CSII treatment may improve glycemic control and reduce its variability. Change of MDI to CSII does not alter the risk of hospitalization and may reduce the annual duration of hospitalization in children with diabetes.     

Aggregation and deformability of erythrocytes in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG); the assessment of arterial hypertension

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is one of the most common types of glaucoma. Glaucoma is a progressive neuropathy of the optic nerve with characteristic visual area disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the correlations between rheological parameters of blood and other parameters such as: intraocular pressure, visual acuity, angular breadth of the aqueous fluid eluvium, visual area and arterial hypertension. The examined group was comprised of 54 patients with POAG. Out of this group two subgroups was separated: I subgroup of 24 patients without hypertensive and II subgroup of 30 patients with chronic hypertensive disease. The control group was comprised of 40 healthy subjects. Erythrocyte aggregation and deformability analysis were determined using LORCA. From the results we concluded that rheological disorders such as enhanced erythrocyte aggregation or significantly decreased erythrocyte deformability occur in patients with POAG. Additionally, it revealed a significant relation between the duration of hypertension and an increased erythrocyte aggregation index (r = +0.27 p < 0.005) along with decreased deformability (r = -0.37 p < 0.001), where the decrease in deformability correlated with the severity of hypertonic retinal angiopathy (r = -0.30 p < 0.05). All these disorders may result in decreased blood flow to the optic nerve, which contributes towards the development of neuropathy.     

Evaluation of the role of staphylococci in the pathomechanism of conjunctivitis

International Ophthalmology - Determination of the association between ica genes and phenotypic biofilm formation in staphylococcal isolates involved in conjunctivitis, their antibiotic resistance...