Treatment with the immunomodulator FTY720 does not promote spontaneous bacterial infections after experimental stroke in mice

Background: FTY720, an immunomodulator derived from a fungal metabolite which reduces circulating lymphocyte counts by increasing the homing of lymphocytes to the lymph nodes has recently gained interest in stroke research. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective efficacy of FTY720 in cerebral ischemia in two different application paradigms and to gather first data on the effect of FTY720 on the rate of spontaneous bacterial infections in experimental stroke. Methods: Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in C57BL/6 mice (strain J, groups of 10 animals) was performed with two different durations of ischemia (90 min and 3 h) and FTY720 was applied 2 h after vessel occlusion to study the impact of reperfusion on the protective potency of FTY720. Lesion size was determined by TTC staining. Mice treated with FTY720 or vehicle were sacrificed 48 h after 90 min MCAO to determine the bacterial burden in lung and blood. Results: FTY720 1 mg/kg significantly reduced ischemic lesion size when administered 2 h after the onset of MCAO for 3 h (45.4 +/- 22.7 mm3 vs. 84.7 +/- 23.6 mm3 in control mice, p = 0.001) and also when administered after reperfusion, 2 h after the onset of MCAO for 90 min (31.1 +/- 28.49 mm3 vs. 69.6 +/- 27.2 mm3 in control mice, p = 0.013). Bacterial burden of lung homogenates 48 h after stroke did not increase in the group treated with the immunomodulator FTY720 while there was no spontaneous bacteremia 48 h after MCAO in treated and untreated animals. Conclusions: Our results corroborate the experimental evidence of the protective effect of FTY720 seen in different rodent stroke models. Interestingly, we found no increase in bacterial lung infections even though FTY720 strongly reduces the number of circulating leukocytes

Effect of lutein and antioxidant dietary supplementation on contrast sensitivity in age-related macular disease:A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the effect of lutein combined with vitamin and mineral supplementation on contrast sensitivity in people with age-related macular disease (ARMD). Design: A prospective, 9-month, double-masked randomized controlled trial. Setting: Aston University, Birmingham, UK and a UK optometric clinical practice. Subjects: Age-related maculopathy (ARM) and atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD) participants were randomized (using a random number generator) to either placebo (n = 10) or active (n=15) groups. Three of the placebo group and two of the active group dropped out. Interventions: The active group supplemented daily with 6 mg lutein combined with vitamins and minerals. The outcome measure was contrast sensitivity (CS) measured using the Pelli-Robson chart, for which the study had 80% power at the 5% significance level to detect a change of 0.3log units. Results: The CS score increased by 0.07 ± 0.07 and decreased by 0.02 ± 0.18 log units for the placebo and active groups, respectively. The difference between these values is not statistically significant (z = 0.903, P = 0.376). Conclusion: The results suggest that 6 mg of lutein supplementation in combination with other antioxidants is not beneficial for this group. Further work is required to establish optimum dosage levels

Efektywność działania kropli nawilżających w łagodzeniu objawów dyskomfortu u użytkowników soczewek kontaktowych

Objawy suchości, pieczenia lub podrażnienia to jedne z nierzadko zgłaszanych dolegliwości wśród użytkowników soczewek kontaktowych, które mogą być przyczyną porzucenia soczewek. Krople nawilżające są doraźnym i jednym z najczęściej wybieranych sposobów na zniwelowanie dyskomfortu. Badania dotyczące użytkowania kropli nawilżających zwykle dotyczą pacjentów z suchym okiem, jednak nie ma danych na temat oceny skuteczności ich stosowania przez użytkowników soczewek, mimo że są oni grupą szczególnie podatną na objawy typowe dla suchego oka. W celu określenia efektywności kropli nawilżających, przeprowadzono ankietę wśród doświadczonych użytkowników noszących miękkie soczewki kontaktowe i stosujących regularnie krople nawilżające typu sztuczne łzy.The symptoms of dryness, burning or irritation are frequently re ported complaints among users of contact lenses, which may cause contact lens dropout. Rewetting eye drops are one of the most popular ways to overcome the discomfort. Usually re- searches focus on the patients with dry eye, but there is no data on the efficacy of artificial tears in contact lens wearers, even though they are particularly susceptible group to the symptoms of dry eye. In order to determine the effectiveness of rewetting eye drops, there had been con ducted a survey among experienced users who wear soft contact lenses and apply regularly rewetting eye drops