Evaluation of the Bruker SMART X2S: crystallography for the nonspecialist?

An evaluation of the Bruker SMART X2S for the collection of crystallographic diffraction data, structure solution and refinement is carried out with a variety of materials with different electron densities, presenting some of the successes and challenges of automation in chemical crystallography

Safety of Cultivated Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Transplantation for Human Corneal Regeneration

Ex vivo cultivated limbal stem cell transplantation is a promising technique for the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency. While the results of the clinical trials have been extensively reported since the introduction of the technique in 1997, little has been reported regarding the potential health risks associated with production processes and transplantation techniques. Culture procedures require the use of animal and/or human-derived products, which carry the potential of introducing toxic or infectious agents through contamination with known or unknown additives. Protocols vary widely, and the risks depend on the local institutional methods. Good manufacturing practice and xeno-free culture protocols could reduce potential health risks but are not yet a common practice worldwide. In this review, we focus on the safety of both autologous- and allogeneic-cultivated limbal stem cell transplantation, with respect to culture processes, surgical approaches, and postoperative strategies

Approaches for corneal endothelium regenerative medicine

The state of the art therapy for treating corneal endothelial disease is transplantation. Advances in the reproducibility and accessibility of surgical techniques are increasing the number of corneal transplants, thereby causing a global deficit of donor corneas and leaving 12.7 million patients with addressable visual impairment. Approaches to regenerate the corneal endothelium offer a solution to the current tissue scarcity and a treatment to those in need. Methods for generating corneal endothelial cells into numbers that could address the current tissue shortage and the possible strategies used to deliver them have now become a therapeutic reality with clinical trials taking place in Japan, Singapore and Mexico. Nevertheless, there is still a long way before such therapies are approved by regulatory bodies and become clinical practice. Moreover, acellular corneal endothelial graft equivalents and certain drugs could provide a treatment option for specific disease conditions without the need of donor tissue or cells. Finally, with the emergence of gene modulation therapies to treat corneal endothelial disease, it would be possible to treat presymptomatic patients or those presenting early symptoms, drastically reducing the need for donor tissue. It is necessary to understand the most recent developments in this rapidly evolving field to know which conditions could be treated with which approach. This article provides an overview of the current and developing regenerative medicine therapies to treat corneal endothelial disease and provides the necessary guidance and understanding towards the treatment of corneal endothelial disease.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Formación en cirugía de cataratas en España: análisis de resultados de una encuesta del European Board of Ophthalmology en una cohorte española

Corresponding author.: [email protected] audienceINTRODUCTION: A survey conducted by the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) revealed significant differences in the surgical training of the ophthalmology residents in Europe, including a disparity between the sexes and a variation in the experience on cataract surgery (CC) between them. This study is about the Spanish sub-cohort of the survey, and its objective is to present and analyse the peculiarities of ophthalmology training in Spain within the European context, as well as discussing ways to harmonise and improve that training throughout the EU. METHODS: We analyse data of the Spanish participants in the EBO exams, defining subgroups by the Autonomous Communities existing in Spain. RESULTS: 93 of 135 requested participants (68.9%) responded. A 60.2% passed the EBO exam between 2021-2022, being mostly women (65.59%) aged 31 years old on average. The 91.4% were right-handed, coming from 13 of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities, although mostly from the Community of Valencia, Madrid and Catalonia. Respectively, 16.1%, 3.2% and 8.7% of the respondents said they have completed 10 or more training sessions on animal eyes, synthetic eyes and through the virtual reality simulator. This training was correlated with greater self-confidence in the management of a posterior capsular tear during surgery (p .025). All respondents manifested to have already performed stages of the CC. The average number of operations reported was 181.6 with regional disparities. A significant difference is observed between the sexes against women (-28.3%, p 0.03). DISCUSSION: Ophthalmologists in Spain, much more than other European countries, have greater opportunities for surgical training, with surgical procedures during the residency, that nearly triples those made by the others. Spanish women refer, like their European colleagues, to be in disadvantage in learning opportunities about cataract surgery. The Simulation Based Medical Education (SBME) allows to respond to the training deficit and complements the training on the patient. Although we demonstrate a significant correlation between the number of procedures carried out and self-confidence to operate simple cases, the SBME would be a complementary tool in self-confidence in front of a complication like capsular rupture. CONCLUSION: Spain massively adopts the model named by us "surgery for all", despite the underrepresentation of women in this area, emphasising a need for cultural change that the SBME could facilitate