1,720,970 research outputs found
P. Fogagnolo, P. Frezzotti, P. Mittica, M. Digiuni, R. Paderni, E. Vallenzasca, L. Rossetti
No full textA review of the use of latanoprost for glaucoma since its launch
No full textINTRODUCTION: Prostaglandins are increasingly used as first choice treatment for glaucoma because they are highly effective, lack relevant systemic side effects and require just once-daily administration. Latanoprost is an ester prodrug analog of prostaglandin F2α, which reduces intraocular pressure (IOP) by increasing uveoscleral outflow. Latanoprost 0.005% has received European and US approval as the first-line drug for reducing IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Following the recent patent expiry for Xalatan®, a number of latanoprost generics have entered the glaucoma market. AREAS COVERED: This review, achieved through PubMed and Medline research methods, describes the composition, pharmacokinetics, mode of action, efficacy, side effects and safety profile of latanoprost. EXPERT OPINION: Latanoprost was the first prostaglandin analog introduced in glaucoma management and it dramatically changed the market of the disease thanks to its efficacy and safety. Conjunctival hyperemia, which is commonly found after latanoprost use, is associated with a minor efficacy and duration of trabeculectomy; yet, from the ophthalmologist's perspective, this side effect seems largely counterbalanced by the high efficacy and safety of this compound. It is always advisable to consider the pro-inflammatory mode of action of latanoprost because this may have negative effects in particular patients (i.e., those with uveitis and cystoid macular edema) for whom caution and close follow-up is necessary
Measurement of Intraocular Pressure with Goldmann Applanation Tonometry, Dynamic-Contour Tonometry, and Ocular Response Analyzer
No full textIntraocular pressure (IOP) is an eye parameter of fundamental importance for the diagnosis of several eye conditions. The clinical standard for IOP measurement is Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT), which has been the basis for the studies that determined current glaucoma management. Nevertheless, GAT is endowed with a number of limitations, so newer tonometries such as dynamic-contour tonometry and Ocular Response Analyzer have been developed with the aim of providing more precise IOP readings in all patient
Repeatibility and reproducibility of applanation resonance tonometry
No full textPurpose:To assess repeatability (intra-observer variability) and reproducibility (inter-observer variability) of intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements with Applanation Resonance Tonometry (ART) and to evaluate possible influential factors.
Methods:The study included 178 patients (101 glaucoma, 63 healthy and 14 with OHT; one eye per subject) from two Italian centers (Eye Clinic of San Paolo Hospital of Milan and University of Siena). IOP was measured once with a Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT) and twice by ART (ART1, ART2) in a randomized sequence, by a single operator to assess intra-operator variability. To assess inter-operator variability 2 operators, chosen randomly (A and B, B and C, A and C), performed 2 measurements each (in random order; i.e. A B A B; B A B A) on the same patient. Repeatability and reproducibility were assessed by the coefficient of variation (CoV) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Results:ART1 was 0.4±2.8 mmHg higher than ART2 (p<0.001). Results were not influenced by randomization test order. Intra-operator CoV was 7.6%±7.6%, and ICC was 0.88 (95%CI: 0.85-0.91). Inter-operator CoV ranged between 6.0%±10.8% and 8.0%±6.8%, and ICC between 0.906 and 0.917. ART1 and 2 were respectively 1.8±3.8 and 1.4±4.3 mmHg higher than GAT (p<0.001). Results were unaffected by diagnosis, age, central corneal thickness, keratometry, operator, randomization sequence.
Conclusions:ART repeatability and reproducibility were almost perfect. Tonometry measurements with ART tended to be overestimated compared with GAT
Corneal Involvement In Primary Biliary Cirrhosis : An In Vivo Confocal Microscopy Study
No full textPurpose:To investigate the corneal involvement in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC), a slowly progressive cholestatic liver disease of autoimmune etiology.
Methods:Seven female patients affected by PBC underwent a slit-lamp biomicroscopy of the anterior segment with and without Goldmann's three-mirror contact lens, and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM, Heidelberg Engineering Germany). LSCM images were acquired and analyzed for all layers of central and peripheral cornea (four quadrants).
Results:All patients had normal findings both at slit-lamp biomicroscopy and at gonioscopy. Peculiar findings were shown at LSCM: all patients showed keratocytes activation (Figure 1); sub-basal nerve fibers with beadlike structure (Figure 2) were found in six patients (86%); four subjects (57%) had hyper-reflective stromal macro-deposits (Figure 2). No deposits suggestive for copper deposition were detected at the level of Descemet’s membrane.
Conclusions:To the best of our knowledge this is the first confocal microscopy study on PBC patients. LSCM could show that subclinical corneal inflammation is a very common finding also in ophthalmoscopically normal patients affected by this autoimmune disease
Oct changes after idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane removal with internal limiting membrane peeling : 1 year follow up
No full textPurpose:To analyze long term anatomical outcomes after idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane (ERM) removal with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling.
Methods:A retrospective, observational case series of 24 eyes that underwent three-port pars plana vitrectomy for ERM was conducted. In all the eyes ERM removal and Brilliant Blue G assisted ILM peeling were performed by the same surgeon (SDC). Visual acuity examination (ETDRS chart) and OCT assessment of the macular profile were performed preoperatively and postoperatively on day 1, 7 and 14 and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. We divided all patients in 2 groups considering visual acuity. The correlation between the postoperative BCVA and foveal microstructural findings was evaluated
Results:Visual acuity stayed the same or with 1 line improvement in 7 patients (29.16%, Group A)and improved by two or more lines of vision in 17 patients (70.84%, Group B) at twelve months. Central retinal thickness decreased significantly after surgery: the mean thickness was 453.7+/-115.4 micron before surgery and 295.4+/-73.2 micron twelve months after surgery. None of the subjects had increasing foveal thickness twelve months after surgery. Inner hyper-reflective structure, attributable to the internal limiting membrane, could not be detected in 100% of eyes on day 1 and 7 after surgery in both group. In 71.4% of patients of group A and 75% of patients in group B a new inner hyper-reflective structure could be detected at 30+/-14 days after surgery. No recurrence of ERM was observed.
Conclusions:ERM removal with ILM peeling is nowadays a safe and successful surgery for vitreoretinal interface syndrome. Many authors described a correlation between postoperative visual acuity and final foveal thickness. We observed that inner hyper-reflective structure, attributable to the internal limiting membrane, becomes newly detectable after 30+/-14 days after surgery in 70.9% of the patients and this doesn’t seem to have any influence on final visual outcome
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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