Clinical experience in treatment of diffuse unilateral subretinal neuroretinitis

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features, management, and outcomes of patients with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN). METHODS: A noncomparative, consecutive analysis of case series from two tertiary care campuses of LV Prasad Eye Institute, India, between January 2011 and April 2014 was performed. Medical records of the patients presenting with DUSN (early or late stage) were reviewed. RESULTS: The current study included 13 patients. The majority (10/13, 76.92%) of the patients were aged 20 years or less. All patients had unilateral eye involvement. Visual acuity at presentation was 20/200 or worse in 9/13 (69.23%) patients. A delay in diagnosis occurred in 6/13 patients, and initial diagnosis in these patients included retinitis pigmentosa (4 patients) and posterior uveitis (2 patients). Clinical features included early presentation (prominent vitritis, localized retinitis, and vasculitis) in 7/13 (53.85%) patients and late presentation (attenuation of vessels, retinal pigment epithelium atrophic changes, and optic atrophy) in 6/13 (46.15%) patients. Worm could not be identified in any of the cases. All the patients received laser photocoagulation of retina and oral albendazole treatment for a period of 30 days. With treatment, visual acuity improved in seven patients (six early stage, one late stage) and remained unchanged in six patients. Mean follow-up period was 8.69 months (range, 1–21 months). The mean central foveal thickness in the affected eye, done by optical coherence tomography, during the late stage of the disease was 188.20±40 µm (range, 111–242 µm), which was significantly thinner than the fellow eye, 238.70±36.90 µm (range, 186–319 µm), P=0.008. CONCLUSION: DUSN is a serious vision threatening disease, which may progress to profound vision loss in the later stage of the disease. Visualization of subretinal worm is usually not possible. Treatment with high-dose albendazole therapy and laser photocoagulation may alter the blood–retinal barrier and may be useful in achieving visual recovery

Plant-based vaccines for emerging infectious diseases

Understanding the relationship of infectious materials with host immunity, along with the importance of faulty immune function in the progression of the disease, would be instrumental in explaining infectious pathogenicity, predisposing factors for the worst outcome, and the rational design of therapeutic interventions and immunization. There is a rising need for defended, improved, and effectual vaccine candidates against emerging infectious diseases in various components of the world. Plant-derived vaccines are primarily based on the protein components of infectious viruses. However, some vaccine candidates also use a unique pathogen target, such as the N protein. Tobacco plants have been used to create virus-like particles (VLPs), chimeric VLPs, protein subunit vaccines, and carrier molecule-fused protein subunit vaccines. The plant-based manufacturing process could meet a portion of the world's vaccine demand. In this review, an attempt is made to summarize the state-of-the-art plant-derived vaccine rostrum for infectious diseases that are in the clinical development stage and have demonstrated favorable results with reference to effectiveness and security.<br/

Influence of low salinity stress on virulence and biofilm formation potential in

The Gujarat government has proposed a project to convert a part of the Gulf of Khambhat (GoK), located in western India, into the world’s largest man-made freshwater reservoir in the near future (http://www.kalpasar.gujarat.gov.in/mainpage.ht

Blood filtering system for COVID-19 management: novel modality of the cytokine storm therapeutics

The newly emerged coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is virulent, contagious, and has rapidly gained many mutations, which makes it highly infectious and swiftly transmissible around the world. SARS-CoV-2 infects people of all ages and targets all body organs and their cellular compartments, starting from the respiratory system, where it shows many deleterious effects, to other tissues and organs. Systemic infection can lead to severe cases that require intensive intervention. Multiple approaches were elaborated, approved, and successfully used in the intervention of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. These approaches range from the utilization of single and/or mixed medications to specialized supportive devices. For critically ill COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, both extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and hemadsorption are utilized in combination or individually to support and release the etiological factors responsible for the “cytokine storm” underlying this condition. The current report discusses hemadsorption devices that can be used as part of supportive treatment for the COVID-19-associated cytokine storm