Corneal epithelial wound healing promoted by verbascoside-based liposomal eyedrops

Different liposomal formulations were prepared to identify those capable of forming eyedrops for corneal diseases. Liposomes with neutral or slightly positive surface charge interact very well with the cornea. Then these formulations were loaded with verbascoside to heal a burn of corneal epithelium induced by alkali. The cornea surface affected involved in wound was monitored as a function of time. Experimental results were modeled by balance equation between the rate of healing, due to the flow of phenylpropanoid, and growth of the wound. The results indicate a latency time of only three hours and furthermore the corneal epithelium heals in 48 hours.Thus, the topical administration of verbascoside appears to reduce the action time of cells, as verified by histochemical and immunofluorescence assays

EVALUACIÓN DE LA TERAPIA COMBINADA DE VERTEPORFINA Y BEVACIZUMAB EN LA DEGENERACIÓN MACULAR NEOVASCULAR

Objetivo: Revisar la literatura científica relacionada con la terapia combinada de bevacizumab y terapia fotodinámica con verteporfina en la degeneración macular neovascular y observar si existe mejora frente a la monoterapia con bevacizumab. Método: Estudio descriptivo transversal y análisis crítico de los trabajos recuperados mediante revisión sistemática publicados hasta abril de 2020. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante la consulta directa y acceso, vía internet, de las siguientes bases de datos bibliográficas del ámbito de las ciencias de la salud: MEDLINE (vía Pubmed), The Cochrane Library, EMBASE y Web of Science. Se seleccionaron ensayos clínicos controlados aleatorizados en adultos de más de 50 años. Resultados: Se recuperaron 121 referencias, de las cuales se seleccionaron 5 para su revisión y análisis crítico tras aplicar los criterios de inclusión y exclusión. Se evaluó la calidad de los estudios seleccionados mediante el cuestionario CONSORT, obteniendo puntuaciones que oscilaron entre 11 y 19,5 sobre una puntuación máxima de 25. Conclusiones: La terapia combinada de bevacizumab y terapia fotodinámica con verteporfina presenta un efecto sinérgico beneficioso que permite reducir el número de retratamientos con bevacizumab necesarios para mantener la agudeza visual, además de mantener o mejorar los resultados de agudeza visual mejor corregida y grosor central de la retina producidos en la monoterapia con bevacizumab

Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract and alpha-tocopherol alleviated gamma radiation-induced haematological and biochemical changes in rats

The methanolic extract of Vernonia amygdalina (MEVA) has previously been shown to possess antioxidant property and provide radioprotection in the brain and liver of rats, but this effect has not been tested in blood cells. The objective of this study was to test if MEVA could offer radioprotection for blood cells of rats using alpha-tocopherol (TOCO) as a standard antioxidant. Forty-two male albino Wistar rats, aged 12-14 weeks were randomly divided into seven groups of six rats each. The control group received distilled water orally, while other groups received either MEVA, MEVA with radiation, or radiation alone. Rats were treated for 14 days, irradiated on the 15th day, euthanized on the 16th day, and their blood investigated using standard methods. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with post-hoc test. Results showed that radiation caused a reduction in the haemoglobin, red blood cells and packed cell volume, which pretreatment with MEVA did not improve, whereas TOCO caused a significant increase in the values. The radiation-induced reduction of lymphocytes and increases in the liver enzymes was mitigated by pretreatment with both MEVA and TOCO. This study demonstrated that MEVA and TOCO provided radio-protection for rat’s lymphocytes and the liver enzymes.Keywords: Erythrocytes, Lymphocytes, Liver enzymes, Radioprotection, Radiotherapy, Antioxidan

Intravitreal triamcinolone, bevacizumab and pegaptanib for occult choroidal neovascularization.

PURPOSE: To evaluate best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and foveal thickness (FT) changes in occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB, 1.25 mg/0.05 ml), pegaptanib (IVP, 0.3 mg/0.09 ml) and triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA, 4 mg/0.1 ml) injected on an as needed basis. METHODS:   Retrospective, interventional, comparative study. BCVA (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study LogMAR) and FT by optical coherence tomography (OCT) were evaluated during 12 months from first treatment. Patients were retreated if signs of neovascular activity were still present on angiography or OCT. RESULTS: Forty-eight eyes received IVB, 43 eyes received IVP, 52 eyes received IVTA. BCVA and FT at baseline were 1.22 ± 0.49 LogMAR and 410.2 ± 41.83 μm in the IVB group, 1.25 ± 0.43 LogMAR and 452.3 ± 44.83 μm in the IVP group and 1.31 ± 0.4 LogMAR and 456.6 ± 48.27 μm in the IVTA group. BCVA and FT improved in the three groups during follow-up. A significantly greater improvement of BCVA was present at month-3, month-6 and at month-12 in the IVB and IVP groups (p = 0.01). Improvement of FT was greater in the IVTA group at month-3 (p = 0.02), while it was greater in the anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) groups at month-6 and month-12 (p = 0.01). A postoperative increase of intraocular pressure was detected in 9/52 (17.3%) eyes treated with IVTA, and in two cases it was resistant to topical therapy. CONCLUSION:   Intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs administered on an as needed basis for AMD-related occult CNVs provided functional and anatomic improvement during 12 months of follow-up

Susceptibility to oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and insulin secretory response in the development of diabetes from obesity

Background/Aim. Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Recent reports indicate that obesity may induce systemic oxidative stress. The aim of the study was to potentiate oxidative stress as a factor which may aggravate peripheral insulin sensitivity and insulinsecretory response in obesity in this way to potentiate development of diabetes. The aim of the study was also to establish whether insulin-secretory response after glucagonstimulated insulin secretion is susceptible to prooxidant/ antioxidant homeostasis status, as well as to determine the extent of these changes. Methods. A mathematical model of glucose/insulin interactions and C-peptide was used to indicate the degree of insulin resistance and to assess their possible relationship with altered antioxidant/prooxidant homeostasis. The study included 24 obese healthy and 16 obese newly diagnozed non-insulin dependent diabetic patients (NIDDM) as well as 20 control healthy subjects, matched in age. Results. Total plasma antioxidative capacity, erythrocyte and plasma reduced glutathione level were significantly decreased in obese diabetic patients, but also in obese healthy subjects, compared to the values in controls. The plasma lipid peroxidation products and protein carbonyl groups were significantly higher in obese diabetics, more than in obese healthy subjects, compared to the control healthy subjects. The increase of erythrocyte lipid peroxidation at basal state was shown to be more pronounced in obese daibetics, but the apparent difference was obtained in both the obese healthy subjects and obese diabetics, compared to the control values, after exposing of erythrocytes to oxidative stress induced by H2O2. Positive correlation was found between the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and index of insulin sensitivity (FIRI). Conclusion. Increased oxidative stress together with the decreased antioxidative defence seems to contribute to decreased insulin sensitivity and impaired insulin secretory response in obese diabetics, and may be hypothesized to favour the development of diabetes during obesity