Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment with Bevacizumab Does Not Depend on the Retinal Nonperfusion Presence

This study evaluated the relationship between the retinal nonperfusion area (NPA) presence and the effectiveness of bevacizumab treatment (IVB) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). It also tested the prognostic usefulness of ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) and OptosAdvance software for diabetic retinopathy monitoring. Eighty-nine patients with DME with a macular central subfield thickness CST≥250 μm, with (N=49 eyes) and without (N=49 eyes) retinal NPA, underwent nine bevacizumab injections over 12 months. NPA distribution, leakage area distribution, microaneurysm (MA) count, macular CST, diabetic retinopathy severity, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were assessed. The results show that bevacizumab reduced the macular CST from 420 to 280 μm (p<0.001) and improved BCVA (p<0.001) by about 10 ETDRS letters in both groups of patients. Additionally, the therapy reduced total retinal NPA from 29 (14-36) mm2 to 12 (4-18) mm2 (Me (Q1-Q3); p<0.001) in patients with diagnosed nonperfusion. The effect of the therapy measured with vascular leakage, MA count, BCVArelative, and CSTrelative strongly depended on the zone of the retina and the NPA distribution. We conclude that the bevacizumab treatment had a positive effect on DME and BCVA in both study groups and on the size of retinal NPA in patients with retinal nonperfusion

Iris-Claw Intraocular Lens Implantation in Various Clinical Indications: A 4-Year Study

An iris-claw intraocular lens (IOL) has been widely used as a secondary implant in aphakic patients. The study presents the results of implanting the anterior chamber iris-claw Artisan IOL in cases of where an appropriate posterior capsular support is lacking. The study included 132 patients subjected to primary IOL implantation during complicated cataract surgery with damage to the posterior capsule (I), secondary implantation in aphakia (II), secondary implantation during penetrating keratoplasty (III), and secondary implantation during pars plana vitrectomy with luxated IOL extraction (IV). We analyzed the records of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical equivalent (SE), intraocular pressure (IOP), and corneal endothelial cell count (cECC), taken before and 1, 2, 3, and 4 years after the surgery. BCVA depended on the time after IOL implantation and the primary indication. Four years post-surgery, the SE values were the lowest in group III. IOP was the same in all groups both before and after the surgery, but 4 years after the surgery IOP values in group IV were higher than in group III. The cECC decreased every year after the surgery in all groups, but four years after the IOL implantation, the lowest cECC values were observed in group IV. At the same time, all groups of patients showed improved BCVA, stable refraction, and a low percentage of postoperative complications

Pojedynczy przerzut móżdżkowy jako pierwotna manifestacja raka pęcherza moczowego

Brain metastases are quite rare in the course of bladder cancer and occur in only 1–7% of these patients. In most cases, cerebral metastases are secondary to visceral and lymph node metastases. A single cerebellar metastasis as the primary manifestation of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) has only been reported in few cases. A 55-year-old man presented to the hospital with persistent headaches, accompanied by nausea and balance disturbance lasting for three weeks. Computed tomography (CT) of the head revealed a nodular lesion measuring 28 x 24 x 22 mm in diameter, located in the cerebellar vermis. Subsequently, a CT scan conducted of the chest, abdominal cavity and lesser pelvis revealed a tumor in the urinary bladder with concomitant right hydronephrosis. No lymphadenopathy nor signs of other metastases were found. Craniotomy with complete tumor resection and external ventricular drainage was performed. The patient underwent transurethral electroresection of the bladder tumor involving the right part of the bladder trigone with the right ureteral orifice and the right bladder wall. The histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of both the cerebellar and bladder tumors confirmed high grade muscle invasive bladder cancer (T2, HG). Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with cerebellar metastasis from primary bladder cancer. The patient did not consent to the proposed cystectomy and was transferred to the oncology department where he was qualified for brain and pelvic radiotherapy and subsequent systemic chemotherapy. This case is an example that bladder cancer (stage T2) may develop without urologic symptoms.Pośród pacjentów z rakiem pęcherza moczowego przerzuty do mózgu są rzadko spotykane i dotyczą około 1–7% chorych z naciekającym rakiem pęcherza. W większości przypadków przerzuty mózgowe są wtórne do obecnych już przerzutów w narządach trzewnych i węzłach chłonnych. Pierwotna manifestacja raka przejściowokomórkowego (transitional cell carcinoma – TCC) jako pojedynczy przerzut móżdżkowy została opisana w pojedynczych artykułach. Mężczyzna 55-letni zgłosił się do szpitala z powodu uporczywych dolegliwości bólowych głowy z towarzyszącymi nudnościami. Objawom towarzyszyły zaburzenia równowagi. Tomografia komputerowa (TK) głowy wykazała obecność zmiany guzowatej o wymiarach 28 x 24 x 22 mm w górnej części robaka móżdżku. Badanie TK klatki piersiowej, jamy brzusznej i miednicy małej uwidoczniło zmianę guzowatą w obrębie pęcherza moczowego z poszerzeniem układu kielichowo-miedniczkowego nerki prawej. Nie stwierdzono powiększonych węzłów chłonnych ani cech innych przerzutów. Wykonano kraniotomię i zewnętrzny drenaż komór mózgu, usuwając guz. Pacjenta zakwalifikowano do przezcewkowej elektroresekcji zmiany guzowatej w obrębie pęcherza. Guz obejmował część trójkąta pęcherza moczowego wraz z ujściem prawego moczowodu i większą część prawej ściany pęcherza. Badania histopatologiczne i immunohistochemiczne obu tkanek guzowatych (móżdżku i pęcherza) potwierdziły obecność komórek raka przejściowokomórkowego o wysokim stopniu złośliwości (high grade – HG) z inwazją mięśniową w obrębie wypieracza pęcherza (T2, HG). Na tej podstawie u chorego rozpoznano naciekającego raka pęcherza z przerzutem do móżdżku. Pacjent nie wyraził zgody na cystektomię i został przekazany na oddział onkologii, gdzie zakwalifikowano go do radioterapii głowy i miednicy oraz następowej chemioterapii. W pracy opisano przypadek rozległego guza pęcherza moczowego T2, który rozwinął się bez typowych objawów urologicznych

Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Retroperitoneal Space

A solitary fibrous tumor develops from mesenchymal cells as a pleural neoplasm, but it is also occasionally reported in extrapleural sites. Retroperitoneal tumors are a group of neoplasms located between muscles and the fascia of the posterior abdominal wall and the parietal peritoneum. Their cytology differs from that of urinary tract organs or adrenals. This case report presents a rare solitary fibrous tumor incidentally found during an ultrasound examination. A 54-year-old male underwent urgent surgery for a tumor located in the left retroperitoneal space. The histologic examination confirmed a solitary fibrous tumor with a 5% Ki67 proliferation index, a 1 MF/10 HPF mitotic activity, and CD34-positive immunostains. A solitary fibrous tumor is a rare retroperitoneal tumor. Its symptoms and signs might resemble those of the classical triad of renal cell carcinoma, although the tumor’s growth phase is typically asymptomatic. Intraoperative diagnosis of a solitary fibrous tumor strongly recommends radical excision

Pre and Postoperative Sexual Dysfunction in Patients with Leriche Syndrome&mdash;A Prospective Pilot Study

Background: Recovery of normal arterial inflow in the lower limbs after Leriche&rsquo;s syndrome surgery does not always improve erection. This study assesses the effects of Leriche syndrome on erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction in patients awaiting surgical treatment and the impact of treatment used on sexual dysfunctions. Methods: 35 men with Leriche syndrome aged 61.3 years (SD = 7.74) were assessed for erectile dysfunction. The patients were classified into three groups: aortofemoral bypass (group 1); stenting of the iliac artery (group 2) and aortobifemoral bypass (group 3). The patients were qualified for surgery based on the TASC II guidelines. Follow-up was done 3 months after treatment. Results: The mean preoperative IIEF-5 score was 14. 69 (+/&minus; 5.30), with better preoperative scores obtained by 54.3% of patients. A total of 51.4% and 48.6% of patients, respectively, reported normal erection enabling satisfactory penetration and normal ejaculation before treatment. After surgical treatment, satisfactory erection was reported by 60% of all surgically treated patients, whereas the presence of ejaculation was reported by only 14.2% of patients. Conclusions: The IIEF-5 score is a tool for careful assessment of vascular erectile dysfunctions, it allows for the evaluation of erectile dysfunctions in relation to atherosclerosis risk factors. The treatment strategy used allowed for slight improvement as evidenced to erection but decreasing normal ejaculation

Changing patterns of urologic emergency visits and admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic : a retrospective, multicenter, nationwide study

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to examine the change in the number and severity of visits to the emergency departments (EDs) and subsequent admissions for urgent urologic conditions in the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated data from 13 urologic centers in Poland and compared the number of visits to the EDs and subsequent admissions before and after the advent of COVID-19 in 2020, and before and after the escalating national restrictions. Furthermore, data on types of urologic complaints, crucial laboratory parameters, and post-admission procedures were analyzed. RESULTS: In total 1,696 and 2,187 urologic visits (22.45% decrease) and 387 and 439 urologic urgent admissions (11.85% decrease) were reported in given periods in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The year-over-year difference in daily mean visits was clear (36.1 vs. 46.5; p < 0.001). Declines were seen in all complaints but device malfunction. In 2020 daily mean visits and admissions decreased from 40.9 and 9.6 before lockdowns to 30.9 (p < 0.001) and 6.9 (p = 0.001) after severe restrictions, respectively. There was a trend towards more negative laboratory parameter profiles in 2020, with patients who visited the EDs after severe restrictions having twice as high median levels of C-reactive protein (15.39 vs. 7.84, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The observed declines in ED visits and admissions were apparent with the significant effect of national lockdowns. Our results indicate that some of the patients requiring urgent medical help did not appear at the ED or came later than they would have done before the pandemic, presenting with more severe complaints

Erratum to: Measurements of Ξ− and Ξ ¯+ production in proton–proton interactions at √sN N = 17.3 GeV in the NA61/SHINE experiment

his Erratum replaces incorrect plots shown in Fig. 7 with the corrected ones. In the publication, the NA57 [1] ratios of Ξ− and Ξ¯¯¯¯+ to the number of wounded nucleons at ⟨NW⟩=349 by mistake were plotted at the wrong values. The ratios were calculated and plotted by mistake using ⟨NW⟩=249. The correct normalization does not change the conclusions of the paper. The correctly normalized results are presented in Fig. 7