534 research outputs found
Efficacy of Intravitreal dexamethasone implant in different patterns of diabetic macular edema
Purpose: Different patterns of diabetic macular edema (DME) suggest different pathogenesis and drug response. We evaluated the outcomes after intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implant for DME with or without serous retinal detachment (SRD). Methods: In this retrospective study, 22 naĂŻve patients (23 eyes) with DME who underwent a single DEX implant were evaluated. Based on the optical coherence tomographic pattern of DME, 12 eyes had a cystoid macular edema pattern (Group 1) and 11 eyes had an SRD pattern (Group 2). The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (R), central retinal volume (CRV), SRD height (SRDh), and intraocular pressure (IOP) were recorded before and at two and four months after the treatment. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups regarding demographic, clinical data and outcomes at baseline. In Group 1, the CRT and CRV significantly decreased at two months (P = 0.002 and P = 0.01, respectively), while the BCVA significantly improved at four months (P = 0.03). In Group 2, the CRT and CRV significantly improved (P < 0.01 and P †0.01, respectively) during the follow-up period. At four months, both groups showed a recurrence of DME, Group 1 in particular (two-month CRT reduction, -149 ± 127 ÎŒm vs four-month CRT reduction, -72 ± 174 ÎŒm; P = 0.04). The mean reduction in CRV was significantly different at four months (Group 1, -0.49 ± 1.7 mm3vs Group 2, -1.3 ± 1.3 mm3; P = 0.04). In Group 2, the SRDh significantly decreased at two (P = 0.01) and four months (P = 0.01). Four cases with elevated IOP were managed. Conclusion: DEX implants were found to be effective in different patterns of DME. The SRD pattern may predict a longer-lasting morphologic efficacy
Soft L_e-L_mu-L_tau flavour symmetry breaking and sterile neutrino keV Dark Matter
We discuss how a flavour symmetry that is softly broken
leads to keV sterile neutrinos, which are a prime candidate for Warm Dark
Matter. This is to our knowledge the first model where flavour symmetries are
applied simultaneously to active and sterile neutrinos explaining at the same
time active neutrino properties and this peculiar Dark Matter scenario. The
essential point is that different scales of the symmetry breaking and the
symmetry preserving entries in the mass matrix lead to one right-handed
neutrino which is nearly massless compared to the other two. Furthermore, we
naturally predict vanishing and maximal , while the
correct value of must come from the mixing of the charged
leptons. We can furthermore predict an exact mass spectrum for the light
neutrinos, which will be testable in the very near future.Comment: 14 page
Visual functional changes after ocriplasmin injection for vitreomacular traction: A microperimetric analysis
PURPOSE: The purpose is to evaluate functional changes after ocriplasmin injection to treat vitreomacular traction (VMT) by microperimetry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective interventional study on patients underwent an intravitreal ocriplasmin injection. Optical coherence tomography, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) test, and microperimetry were performed at baseline, 1 week, 1 and 3 months. Microperimeter recorded retinal sensitivity (RS) and central retinal sensitivity (CRS) at central 12° and 4°, respectively, and fixation as bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA) at 68%, 95%, and 99% of fixation points. Functional parameters were analyzed in patients who had (Group A) or not (Group B) VMT release. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients including 18 with VMT and 3 with VMT plus macular hole (MH) were treated. Eleven patients achieved VMT resolution including all cases with MH that achieved hole closure. An impairment of BCVA, RS and CRS (P < 0.01; P < 0.001; P = 0.001, respectively) was reported at 1 week followed by a significant improvement (BCVA, P = 0.001; RS, CRS, P = 0.02) at 3 months. The early impairment of visual acuity and sensitivity significantly occurred in Group B (P †0.01) while their recovery significantly occurred in Group A (P < 0.01). BCEA significantly increased in dimension (68%, P = 0.01; 95%, P = 0.03) at 1 week, subsequently returning to near baseline values over follow-up. Only in Group A, fixation stability significantly improved at 3 months. CONCLUSION: Microperimetry confirms an early and reversible functional impairment after ocriplasmin injection regardless VMT resolution. If a greater decrease in function could occur in the eyes without VMT resolution, a better functional recovery could occur in the event of VMT resolution
The hepatitis D virus in Italy. A vanishing infection, not yet a vanished disease
Introduction: Hepatitis D Virus (HDV) infection is vanishing in Italy. It is therefore believed that hepatitis D is no longer a medical problem in the domestic population of the country but remains of concern only in migrants from HDV-endemic areas. Objectives: To report the clinical features and the medical impact of the residual domestic HDV infections in Italy. Methods: From 2010 to 2019, one hundred ninety-three first-time patients with chronic HDV liver disease attended gastroenterology units in Torino and San Giovanni Rotondo (Apulia); 121 were native Italians and 72 were immigrants born abroad. For this study, we considered the 121 native Italians in order to determine their clinical features and the impact of HDV disease in liver transplant programs. Results: At the last observation the median age of the 121 native Italians was 58Â years. At the end of the follow-up, the median liver stiffness was 12.0Â kPa (95% CI 11.2â17.4), 86 patients (71.1%) had a diagnosis of cirrhosis; 80 patients (66.1%) remained HDV viremic. The ratio of HDV to total HBsAg transplants varied from 38.5% (139/361) in 2000â2009 to 50.2% (130/259) in 2010â2019, indicating a disproportionate role of hepatitis D in liver transplants compared to the minor prevalence of HDV infections in the current scenario of HBsAg-positive liver disorders in Italy. Conclusion: Though HDV is vanishing in Italy, a legacy of ageing native-Italian patients with advanced HDV liver disease still represents an important medical issue and maintains an impact on liver transplantation
Comparison of perioperative parameters in one-handed rotational phacoemulsification versus conventional phacoemulsification and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery
AIM: To compare perioperative parameters of one-handed rotational phacoemulsification technique (one-handed phaco-roll) with each of other two techniques, âDivide et Conquerâ and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) METHODS: In this retrospective and comparative cohort study, eyes with uncomplicated cataract (nuclear density grade 2 to 3) treated routinely with one-handed phaco-roll (n=23; Group 1) or âDivide et Conquerâ (n=23; Group 2) or FLACS (n=23; Group 3) were enrolled. Intraoperative parameters including effective phaco-time (EPt), ultrasound time (USt), aspiration time, surgical time, phacoemulsification (phaco)-power, balanced salt solution (BSS) use, cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) were recorded and compared. Clinical outcomes including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), endothelial cell loss (ECL), central corneal thickness (CCT) and central macular thickness (CMT), were assessed and compared pre-operatively and at 1mo after surgery. RESULTS: Aspiration and surgical time, and BSS used were lower in Group 1 (P<0.01) than other groups. EPt, phaco-power and CDE were lower in Group 1 (P<0.05) than Group 2 but not significantly different from Group 3. In Group 1, USt was lower (P<0.05) than Group 2 but higher (P<0.05) than Group 3. BCVA improved in all groups without significant difference between Group 1 and the other ones. No significant differences regarding all post-operative morphologic outcomes (ECD, ECL, CCT, CMT) were reported. No clinical complications occurred. CONCLUSION: One-handed phaco-roll seems to be less time-consuming than âDivide et Conquerâ and FLACS and less energy-consuming than âDivide et Conquerâ. Furthermore, one-handed phaco-roll seems to have an equal safety profile compared to the other two techniques
Synthesising, using, and correcting for telluric features in high-resolution astronomical spectra
We present a technique to synthesise telluric absorption and emission
features both for in-situ wavelength calibration and for their removal from
astronomical spectra. While the presented technique is applicable for a wide
variety of optical and infrared spectra, we concentrate in this paper on
selected high-resolution near-infrared spectra obtained with the CRIRES
spectrograph to demonstrate its performance and limitation. We find that
synthetic spectra reproduce telluric absorption features to about 2%, even
close to saturated line cores. Thus, synthetic telluric spectra could be used
to replace the observation of telluric standard stars, saving valuable
observing time. This technique also provides a precise in-situ wavelength
calibration, especially useful for high-resolution near-infrared spectra in the
absence of other calibration sources.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&A (updated
version
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