Short-term use of dexamethasone/netilmicin fixed combination in controlling ocular inflammation after uncomplicated cataract surgery

Purpose: To evaluate the short-term anti-inflammatory effect of dexamethasone/netilmicin fixed combination in the management of ocular inflammation after cataract surgery. Patients and methods: Open-label, randomized, active-controlled, clinical study conducted in 6 sites in Italy; 238 patients were randomized 2:1 to dexamethasone/netilmicin (dexa/net, n=158) or betamethasone/chloramphenicol (beta/chl, n=80). Treatment started the day of surgery and continued 4 times daily for 7 days. The primary efficacy parameter was the anterior chamber (AC) flare. The percentage of patients displaying none or mild (ie, only barely detectable) AC flare was defined as "efficacy rate", whereas the percentage of patients showing a decrease of AC flare score from baseline was defined as "percentage of responders". Additional parameters evaluated were AC cells, conjunctival hyperaemia, corneal and lid oedema, symptoms of ocular discomfort, visual acuity, and intraocular pressure. Dexa/net was considered effective if the efficacy rate was not inferior (by means of 97.5% confidence interval) to that of beta/chl. Results: After 7 days of treatment, no AC flare was observed in 92.8% (dexa/net) and 92.3% (beta/chl) of patients, whereas no AC cells were observed in 91.5% (dexa/net) and 93.6% (beta/chl) of patients, respectively. The "efficacy rate" was 100% in both groups, whereas the "percentage of responders" was 94.1% in the dexa/net and 93.6% in the beta/chl group. The p-value to reject the null hypothesis of inferiority was <0.001. Other efficacy parameters confirmed both treatments as highly effective, despite their difference in steroid content (2 mg/mL for beta/chl vs 1 mg/mL for dexa/net). IOP and visual acuity at the end of the study were comparable. Two cases of allergic conjunctivitis were considered adverse events and were both related to dexa/net. Conclusion: Short-term use of dexa/net fixed combination is safe and effective in the control of post-operative inflammation following uncomplicated cataract surgery

Physical and mechanical characterization of polypropylene films chemically modified with acrylic acid as grafting agent

In this work, the mechanical, optical and transport properties of chemically surface modified polypropylene films were investigated. It was found that physical properties such as light transmittance, water permeation, and wettability were highly influenced by surface modification. On the other hand, the bulk mechanical and fracture properties resulted highly dependent on film orientation but independent of modification.Fil: Clemente, Francesco. Universitá di Palermo; ItaliaFil: Piccarolo, Steffano. Universitá di Palermo; ItaliaFil: Pettarin, Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Fasce, Laura Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Frontini, Patricia Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentin

New perspectives in the management of post-surgical macular edema

Post-surgical macular edema is the most common cause of vision loss after phacoemulsification, and one of the main causes of reduced vision in patients undergoing other ocular surgery. At present, there are no reliable randomized clinical trials specifically designed to define the best therapeutic approach, and little information is available regarding the treatment algorithm of acute or chronic forms. As a consequence, there is no agreement regarding the current management of post-surgical macular edema. Many therapeutic options have been proposed on the basis of the hypothesized pathogenetic mechanism of post-surgical macular edema. New therapies for post-surgical macular edema include non-steroidal anti-flammatory drugs and intraocular steroid implants. Aim of the review is to update the current management of postsurgical macular edema, reporting on the most recent therapeutic advances. In particular, we discuss the potential applications of recent patents with topical and intravitreal drugs

Sedative effect of acupuncture during cataract surgery: prospective randomized double-blind study

To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing anxiety in patients having cataract surgery under topical anesthesia

Storie inglesi. L’Inghilterra vista dall’Italia tra storia e romanzo (XVII sec.). Con l’edizione del Cappuccino scozzese di Giovan Battista Rinuccini (1644) e del Cromuele di Girolamo Graziani (1671)

[English Histories. England seen from Italy between History and Fiction (17th Century). With the Edition of the Cappuccino Scozzese by Giovan Battista Rinuccini (1644) and of the Cromuele by Girolamo Graziani (1677)] The essays in this volume investigate the cultural relations between Italy and Great Britain in the seventeenth century, examining Italian Baroque “Novels” that are set in Britain or have a British topic, the seventeenth-century Italian historical works on British history, and the figures of that century who have contributed to the knowledge of British culture and society in Italy. What emerges from the contributors’ varied methodological approaches is a lively picture in which religious issues are often intertwined with politics and history with myth. It was this seventeenth century preoccupation with Britain that laid the foundation of “Anglomania” which characterizes eighteenth-century Italian culture. The volume also includes the editions of Giovanni Battista Rinuccini’s Cappuccino Scozzese (1644) and Girolamo Graziani’s Cromuele (1671)

PETROLIO E RISORSE ENERGETICHE NELL'ETA' CONTEMPORANEA

Siamo agli sgoccioli, letteralmente: per il petrolio si avvicina ormai la fine, e forse troppo tardi si cercano energie alternative. Eppure il petrolio ha una sua storia: celebrato nella prima metà del Novecento come la più importante risorsa energetica a basso costo – in grado di alimentare la diffusione su scala mondiale di un modello di consumi di massa – è stato messo all’indice negli anni Settanta in quanto causa principale della crisi economica internazionale, per poi tornare, negli ultimi trent’anni, al centro di un confronto pubblico e scientifico legato alla sua insostenibilità ambientale. Alla luce dell’attuale crisi energetica e del dibattito sulla “fine del petrolio”, ecco una riflessione di lungo periodo sulla rilevanza del petrolio nella storia del Novecento, nella quale si evidenziano i molteplici modi in cui l’oro nero ha segnato i rapporti tra i paesi produttori e quelli consumatori. Dal Medio Oriente all’Africa occidentale, dalla periferia del continente americano all’Unione Sovietica, viene qui analizzata l’importanza che l’economia petrolifera ha avuto nel definire le relazioni internazionali, nel consolidare i regimi politici e lavorativi dei paesi produttori, e nel rendere possibile la costruzione di economie e società tutte incentrate sul modello unico del consumo di prodotti petroliferi

Early DMO: a predictor of poor outcomes following cataract surgery in diabetic patients. The DICAT-II study

Background: The prospective DIabetes and CATaract Study II (DICAT II) was performed to characterise the risks of cataract surgery to the retinae of patients with early diabetic macular oedema (E-DMO). Methods: DICAT II was a prospective, comparative, multicentre, observational study involving six Italian clinics. Patients were aged 6555 years, had type 1 or 2 diabetes with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography evidence of ESASO classification Early DMO. Group 1 eyes (78 eyes, 78 patients) underwent phacoemulsification-based cataract surgery. Group 2 eyes (65 eyes, 65 patients) had E-DMO and either clear media or had undergone uncomplicated cataract surgery 651 year previously. Central subfield thickness (CST) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were assessed in both groups. Results: The negative impact of surgery on CST was evident after the first postoperative week; CST peaked during the first month, then rapidly decreased. CST worsening 6510 \ub5m was observed in 63/78 eyes (80.7%) and 29/65 eyes (44.6%) in Groups 1 and 2, respectively (p < 0.0001). CST worsening of 6550 \ub5m was observed in 51 eyes (65.4%) and 10 eyes (15.4%) in Groups 1 and 2, respectively (p < 0.0001). Mean CST worsening was lower in Group 2 than in Group 1 (38.6 \ub1 30.4 \ub5m vs 85.5 \ub1 55.3 \ub5m, p < 0.0001) with a lower BCVA loss (-2.6 \ub1 3.5 letters vs -8.2 \ub1 6.2 letters, p < 0.0001). Higher glycaemic levels and HBA1c levels were significantly associated with the risk of >50 \u3bcm CST worsening in eyes from both groups. Conclusion: Early DMO is associated with poorer outcomes after cataract surgery and requires close pre- and postoperative monitoring

One week of levofloxacin plus dexamethasone eye drops for cataract surgery: an innovative and rational therapeutic strategy

Background: Cataract surgery is the most common operation performed worldwide. A fixed topical corticosteroid-antibiotic combination is usually prescribed in clinical practice for 2 or more weeks to treat post surgical inflammation and prevent infection. However, this protracted schedule may increase the incidence of corticosteroid-related adverse events and notably promote antibiotic resistance. Methods: This International, multicentre, randomized, blinded-assessor, parallel-group clinical study evaluated the non-inferiority of 1-week levofloxacin/dexamethasone eye drops, followed by 1-week dexamethasone alone, vs. 2-week gold-standard tobramycin/dexamethasone (one drop QID for all schedules) to prevent and treat ocular inflammation and prevent infection after uncomplicated cataract surgery. Non-inferiority was defined as the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval (CI) around a treatment difference >-10%. The study randomized 808 patients enrolled in 53 centres (Italy, Germany, Spain and Russia). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients without anterior chamber inflammation on day 15 defined as the end of treatment. Endophthalmitis was the key secondary endpoint. This study is registered with EudraCT code: 2018-000286-36. Results: After the end of treatment, 95.2% of the patients in the test arm vs. 94.9% of the control arm had no signs of inflammation in the anterior chamber (difference between proportions of patients = 0.028; 95% CI: -0.0275/0.0331). No case of endophthalmitis was reported. No statistically significant difference was evident in any of the other secondary endpoints. Both treatments were well tolerated. Conclusions: Non-inferiority of the new short pharmacological strategy was proven. One week of levofloxacin/dexamethasone prevents infection, ensures complete control of inflammation in almost all patients and may contain antibiotic resistance