Primary versus secondary intraocular lens implantation in the management of congenital cataract

Aim This study aimed to compare the efficacy of primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation following removal of congenital cataract in patients with aphakia younger than 2 years of age, followed by secondary implantation after the age of 2 years. Patients and methods This was a comparative prospective study that included patients with congenital cataract (28 eyes) who underwent lensectomy and anterior vitrectomy in the first year of life; 14 eyes were subjected to primary IOL implantation. Fourteen eyes with left aphakia were subjected to visual rehabilitation until the age of 2 years. Secondary implantation was performed and the two groups were followed for 2 years after implantation by a full ophthalmological examination. Results Postoperative significant uveitis occurred in 14.2% of patients in group A and 35.7% of patients in group B; the difference between the two groups was statistically insignificant. Fixation was good in 71% of patients in group A and in 57% of patients in group B; this difference was nonsignificant. Increasing intraocular pressure was noted in four cases in group B that was statistically significant and the diagnosis of glaucoma was confirmed and managed, whereas in group A, none of the cases had an intraocular pressure higher than 18 mmHg. Conclusion Primary IOL implantation was found to be safe and effective in the management of congenital cataract; it leads to lower incidence of complications and better visual outcomes compared with aphakia and secondary IOL implantation

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of injectable cross-linked hyaluronic acid compared with mitomycin C in trabeculectomy surgery

Background Trabeculectomy has been a gold standard for the treatment of glaucoma for years since its introduction to ophthalmology literature, and the outcome depends mostly on the resulting intraocular pressure (IOP). However, the most common reason for trabeculectomy failure is the development of fibrosis in the conjunctiva and episclera. Thus, glaucoma surgeons are still searching for an optimal substance for the modulation of wound-healing processes. Aim This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of injection of cross-linked hyaluronic acid below the scleral flap and under the conjunctiva in trabeculectomy surgery compared with trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC). Patients and methods A total of 24 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma were included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 included 12 eyes that underwent a standardized trabeculectomy surgery supplemented by the injection of cross-linked hyaluronic acid (HealaFlow) below the scleral flap and under the conjunctiva, and group 2 included 12 eyes that underwent a standardized trabeculectomy surgery with the application of MMC. The endpoints for comparison were IOP, success rates, and postoperative complications. Results The results of both groups were comparable, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups as regards IOP, success rates, and postoperative complications. Conclusion Cross-linked sodium hyaluronate (HealaFlow) injectable implant is comparable to MMC for trabeculectomy in terms of IOP-lowering efficacy, success rates, early and mid-term postoperative complications, and tolerability. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously as relevant evidence is still limited, although it is accumulating. Further large-scale, long-term, and well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed

Synthesis and characterization of oil sorbent based on Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Acrylate

The present work deals with the preparation of some oil sorbers based on cellulose derivatives to control petroleum oil spills. In this respect, hydroxypropyl cellulose HPC was used to synthesize hydroxypropyl cellulose acrylate HPCA macromonomer by esterification of HPC with acryloyl chloride. Then the produced HPCA monomer was copolymerized with octadecyl acrylate (ODA) in the presence of two types of crosslinkers to produce oil gel. The chemical structures of both HPC and HPCA were confirmed by using FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopic analysis. Whereas the thermal properties of the crosslinked oil absorbents were investigated using TGA. Furthermore, morphological properties of prepared crosslinked copolymers were studied using SEM. Several parameters were considered to evaluate the oil sorbers, such as: monomers feed ratio, type and concentration of the applied crosslinkers. Finally, the swelling efficiency of oil gel was thoroughly investigated in light and heavy oil. It observed that as the octadecyl acrylate content increased the oil absorbency also increased and reached a maximum value at monomer feed ratio 10/90 HPCA/ODA. It is found that the maximum oil absorbency measured with MBA at a monomer feed ratio 10/90 HPCA/ODA are 29.7 and 18.6 g/g for toluene and crude oil, respectively

Potential use of iontophoresis for transdermal delivery of NF-κB decoy oligonucleotides

Topical application of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) decoy appears to provide a novel therapeutic potency in the treatment of inflammation and atopic dermatitis. However, it is difficult to deliver NF-κB decoy oligonucleotides (ODN) into the skin by conventional methods based on passive diffusion because of its hydrophilicity and high molecular weight. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro transdermal delivery of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-NF-κB decoy ODN using a pulse depolarization (PDP) iontophoresis. In vitro iontophoretic experiments were performed on isolated C57BL/6 mice skin using a horizontal diffusion cell. The apparent flux values of FITC-NF-κB decoy ODN were enhanced with increasing the current density and NF-κB decoy ODN concentration by iontophoresis. Accumulation of FITC-NF-κB decoy ODN was observed at the epidermis and upper dermis by iontophoresis. In mouse model of skin inflammation, iontophoretic delivery of NF-κB decoy ODN significantly reduced the increase in ear thickness caused by phorbol ester as well as the protein and mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the mice ears. These results suggest that iontophoresis is a useful and promising enhancement technique for transdermal delivery of NF-κB decoy ODN