Retinal break formation following contrecoup trauma: case report.

A previously healthy 38-year-old woman was involved in a road traffic accident resulting in severe commotio retinae. Subsequently extramacular retinal dissolution was noted (not previously described). The patient was treated by closed intraocular microsurgery with a successful anatomical and functional result.     

Glucocorticoids are not always deleterious for bone

A 23‐year‐old man with the rare sclerosing bone disorder van Buchem disease presented with progressively worsening headaches that eventually became persistent and associated with papilledema. Increased intracranial pressure was diagnosed, and the patient had a ventriculoperitoneal drain inserted as well as simultaneously receiving treatment with prednisone. Before starting treatment, there was biochemical evidence for increased bone turnover and for steady increases in bone mineral density (BMD) at the spine and total hip despite the patient having reached his peak height of 197 cm at the age of 19 years. Treatment with prednisone for 2 years resulted in biochemical and histologic suppression of bone formation as well as of bone resorption and arrest of further bone accumulation. Our data suggest that glucocorticoids (GCs) may represent an attractive alternative to the high‐risk surgical approaches used in the management of patients with progressive sclerosing bone disorders. Our findings also suggest that whereas sclerostin may not be required for the action of GCs on bone formation, it may well be important for the action of GCs on bone resorption. The exact mechanism by which sclerostin may be involved in the regulation of bone resorption is as yet to be explored. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.     

LOX family enzymes expression in vaginal tissue of premenopausal women with severe pelvic organ prolapse

Introduction and Hypothesis  

The extracellular matrix proteins collagen and elastin provide tissue strength and resilience, whereas lysyl oxidase enzymes play a major role in their stabilization. This study examines the expression and tissue localization of lysyl oxidase family proteins in the anterior vaginal wall of premenopausal women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse (POP, n = 15) and asymptomatic controls (n = 11). All women were in the proliferative phase of menstrual cycle.     

Advancing the management of obstructive airways diseases through translational research

Obstructive airways diseases (OAD) represent a huge burden of illness world‐wide, and in spite of the development of effective therapies, significant morbidity and mortality related to asthma and COPD still remains. Over the past decade, our understanding of OAD has improved vastly, and novel treatments have evolved. This evolution is the result of successful translational research, which has connected clinical presentations of OAD and underlying disease mechanisms, thereby enabling the development of targeted treatments. The next challenge of translational research will be to position these novel treatments for OAD for optimal clinical use. At the same time, there is great potential in these treatments providing even better insights into disease mechanisms in OAD by studying the effects of blocking individual immunological pathways. To optimize this potential, there is a need to ensure that translational aspects are added to randomized clinical trials, as well as real‐world studies, but also to use other trial designs such as platform studies, which allow for simultaneous assessment of different interventions. Furthermore, demonstrating clinical impact, that is research translation, is an increasingly important component of successful translational research. This review outlines concepts of translational research, exemplifying how translational research has moved management of obstructive airways diseases into the next century, with the introduction of targeted, individualized therapy. Furthermore, the review describes how these therapies may be used as research tools to further our understanding of disease mechanisms in OAD, through translational, mechanistic studies. We underline the current need for implementing basic immunological concepts into clinical care in order to optimize the use of novel targeted treatments and to further the clinical understanding of disease mechanisms. Finally, potential barriers to adoption of novel targeted therapies into routine practice and how these may be overcome are described.