Effect of intravitreal ranibizumab injection on introcular pressure

Amaç: Vasküler endotelyal büyüme faktör inhibitörü ranibizumabın göz içi basıncına etkisini incelemek.Gereç ve Yöntem: Eksüdatif yaşa bağlı maküla dejenerasyonu nedeniyle intravitreal ranibizumab enjeksiyon tedavisi alan 56 olgunun 61 gözü retrospektif olarak incelendi. Olguların enjeksiyondan sonra 1. gün, 1. ay, 3. ay ve 6. aydaki göz içi basınç değişimleri değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Olguların yaş ortalaması 72.6±7.5 idi. İntravitreal ranibizumab enjeksiyonu 61 göze uygulandı. Olguların takip süresi 6 aydı. Enjeksiyondan sonraki 1. günde olguların göz içi basınçları 21 mmHg, 3. ayda bir olguda > 21 mmHg idi. Olguların enjeksiyon öncesi ile 1. gün, 1, 3 ve 6. ayda ölçülen ortalama göz içi basınç değerleri karşılaştırıldığında istatiksel olarak anlamlı bir değişiklik olmadığı tespit edildi (p>0.05). Sonuç: Eksudatif yaşa bağlı maküla dejenerasyonu nedeniyle intravitreal ranibizumab enjeksiyonu göz içi basıncına etkisi olmamakla birlikte bazı olgularda göz içi basınç artışına neden olmaktadır.Purpose: To investigate the effect of ranibizumab a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor - on intraocular pressure.Material and Methods: Records of sixty-one eyes of 56 patients received intravitreal ranibizumab injection due to exudative age-related macular degeneration were investigated, retrospectively. Intraocular pressures measured 1 day, 1, 3 and 6 months after the injection were evaluated. There was no significant difference among intraocular pressure values measured before and after the injections.Results: The mean age of the patients was 72.6±7.5. Sixty one eye received intravitreal ranibizumab injection. The followup duration was 6 months. all the patients had intraocular pressure lower than 21 mmHg at first dat after the injection. At first month and third month, there was only one patient having intraocular pressure higher than 21 mmHg. . There was no significant difference among intraocular pressure values measured before and after the injections.Conclusion: Although intravitreal ranibizumab injection has no effect on intraocular pressure, few cases may have increased intraocular pressure

Preferences of inflammatory arthritis patients for biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in the first 100 days of covid-19 pandemic

To evaluate treatment adherence and predictors of drug discontinuation among patients with inflammatory arthritis receiving bDMARDs within the first 100 days after the announcement of COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A total of 1871 patients recorded in TReasure registry for whom advanced therapy was prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA) within the 3 months (6-9 months for rituximab) before the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated and 1394 (74.5%) responded the survey performed by phone call. Patients? data regarding demographic, clinical characteristics and disease activity before the pandemic were recorded. The patients were inquired for the diagnosis of COVID-19, the rate of continuation on bDMARDs, the reasons for treatment discontinuation, if any, and the current general disease activity (visual analog scale, [VAS]). Results: A total of 1,394 patients (493 RA [47.3% on anti-TNF] patients and 901 SpA [90.0% on anti-TNF] patients) were included. Overall, 2.8% of the patients had symptoms suggesting COVID-19, and 2 (0.15%) patients had polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed COVID-19. Overall, 18.1% of all patients (13.8% of the RA and 20.5% of the SpA; p=0.003) discontinued their bDMARDs. In the SpA group, the patients who discontinued bDMARDs were younger (40 [21-73] vs. 44 years [20-79]; p=0.005) and had higher general disease activity; however, no difference was relevant for RA patients. Conclusion: Although the COVID-19 was quite uncommon in the first 100 days of the pandemic, nearly one-fifth of the patients discontinued bDMARDs within this period. Long-term effects of the pandemic should be monitored.PubMe

COVID-19: vaccination vs. hospitalization

Objective Vaccination is the most efficient way to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but vaccination rates remain below the target level in most countries. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of hospitalized patients and compare two different booster vaccine protocols. Setting Inoculation in Turkey began in mid-January 2021. Sinovac was the only available vaccine until April 2021, when BioNTech was added. At the beginning of July 2021, the government offered a third booster dose to healthcare workers and people aged > 50 years who had received the two doses of Sinovac. Of the participants who received a booster, most chose BioNTech as the third dose. Methods We collected data from 25 hospitals in 16 cities. Patients hospitalized between August 1 and 10, 2021, were included and categorized into eight groups according to their vaccination status. Results We identified 1401 patients, of which 529 (37.7%) were admitted to intensive care units. Nearly half (47.8%) of the patients were not vaccinated, and those with two doses of Sinovac formed the second largest group (32.9%). Hospitalizations were lower in the group which received 2 doses of Sinovac and a booster dose of BioNTech than in the group which received 3 doses of Sinovac. Conclusion Effective vaccinations decreased COVID-19-related hospitalizations. The efficacy after two doses of Sinovac may decrease over time; however, it may be enhanced by adding a booster dose. Moreover, unvaccinated patients may be persuaded to undergo vaccination

Incidence and clinical characteristics of acute rheumatic fever in Turkey: Results of a nationwide multicentre study

© 2021 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians)Aim: To evaluate the incidence and clinical features of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) in Turkey, following the revised Jones criteria in 2015. Methods: This multicentre study was designed by the Acquired Heart Diseases Working Group of the Turkish Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Association in 2016. The data during the first attack of 1103 ARF patients were collected from the paediatric cardiologists between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016. Results: Turkey National Institute of Statistics records of 2016 were used for the determination of ARF incidence with regard to various cities and regions separately. The estimated incidence rate of ARF was 8.84/100 000 in Turkey. The ARF incidence varied considerably among different regions. The highest incidence was found in the Eastern Anatolia Region as 14.4/100 000, and the lowest incidence was found in the Black Sea Region as 3.3/100 000 (P < 0.05). Clinical carditis was the most common finding. The incidence of clinical carditis, subclinical carditis, polyarthritis, aseptic monoarthritis, polyarthralgia and Sydenham's Chorea was 53.5%, 29.1%, 52.8%, 10.3%, 18.6% and 7.9%, respectively. The incidences of clinical carditis, subclinical carditis, polyarthritis and polyarthralgia were found to be significantly different among different regions (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this nationwide screening of ARF suggest that Turkey should be included in the moderate-risk group