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Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of different dexamethasone eye drops formulations in controlling postoperative inflammation. Methods: Cataract surgery was carried out in 72 patients (35 males) divided into two groups: group A (36 patients, mean age = 78.0 ± 5.6) received four times daily for 2 weeks a suspension containing tobramycin 0.3% mg/ml + dexamethasone 0.1% mg/ml, and group B (36 patients, mean age = 76.2 ± 6.8) a solution containing tobramycin 0.3% mg/ml + dexamethasone 0.1% mg/ml. Both groups received ofloxacin 0.5% four times daily for 7 days, and nepafenac 0.1% three times daily for 3 weeks. Best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, endothelial cells count, aqueous flare and macular thickness were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 day, 15 days, 1 and 2 months. Results: In group A, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness and aqueous humour flare values preoperatively and at the end of follow-up were 14.3 ± 1.8 and 13.2 ± 1.8 mmHg, 546.4 ± 34.6 and 539.6 ± 36.1 µm, 11.84 ± 4.44 and 13.52 ± 5.54 ph/ms, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. In group B, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness and aqueous humour flare values preoperatively and at the end of follow-up were 14.3 ± 1.5 and 13.1 ± 1.7 mmHg, 552.9 ± 37.4 and 548.1 ± 39.3 µm, 11.45 ± 4.06 and 13.73 ± 4.99 ph/ms, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. No difference was detected in the macular thickness values in the parafoveal area preoperatively and at 2 months follow-up in group A (332.18 ± 16.19 and 337.71 ± 16.33 µm) and group B (329.11 ± 18.28 and 334.37 ± 20.86 µm), respectively. Conclusion: The two different formulations of dexamethasone eye drops reached the same anti-inflammatory effects.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive diagnostic instrument that has become indispensable for the management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). OCTA allows quickly visualizing retinal and choroidal microvasculature, and in the last years, its use has increased in clinical practice as well as for research into the pathophysiology of AMD. This review provides a discussion of new technology and application of OCTA in intermediate and late AMD.

Drug delivery into the vitreous chamber remains a great challenge in the pharmaceutical industry due to the complex anatomy and physiology of the eye. Intravitreal injection is the mainstream route of drug administration to the posterior segment of the eye. The purpose of this review is to assess the current literature about the widening use of the intravitreal 0.7 mg dexamethasone (Dex) implant, and to provide a comprehensive collection of all the ocular disorders that benefit from Dex administration. Although anti-vascular endothelial growth-factors (VEGFs) have been largely indicated as a first-choice level, the Dex implant represents an important treatment option, especially in selected cases, such as vitrectomized eyes or patients in whom anti-VEGF failed or are contraindicated. In this article, the safety profile as well as the list of the possible complications related to intravitreal Dex injection are also discussed.

Purpose: To compare the 12 months visual and anatomical outcomes of treatment‐naïve neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients diagnosed by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT‐A) compared with fluorescein angiography (FA)/indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), after anti‐VEGF treatment in a real‐world setting. Methods: Monocentric, observational, parallel‐group study of nAMD patients diagnosed with either FA/ICGA or non‐invasive OCT‐A methods. Patients were treated with a fixed dosing regimen of intravitreal ranibizumab or aflibercept and followed up for 12 months. Primary outcomes were the 12 months functional (BCVA) and anatomical (CST reduction) gains between the two groups. The stratification of BCVA and CST gains by type of neovascular lesion and by anti‐VEGF treatment was also assessed. Results: Seventy‐two patients received FA/ICGA for the initial diagnosis of nAMD, while 73 received OCT‐A. Overall, the mean BCVA gain at 12 months was 11.5 ± 9.6 letters. There were no statistically significant differences between the invasive and non‐invasive imaging groups in BCVA gain (p = 0.87) or CST reduction (p = 0.76). No statistically significant outcome differences between different lesion types and the two drugs were observed. Conclusion: In a real‐world setting, nAMD patients diagnosed with OCT‐A showed meaningful improvements in visual and anatomical parameters during 12 months of treatment, without significant differences with those diagnosed by invasive modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal structural changes in patients with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) during the acute and recovery stages.Methods: Enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) scans of 16 patients with unilateral MEWDS were acquired during the acute and recovery stages in both eyes. Images were binarized with the ImageJ software to measure subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT), total choroid area, luminal area and choroidal vascularity index (CVI).Results: In the acute stage, subfoveal CT, total choroidal area and CVI were significantly higher in eyes with MEWDS compared to fellow eyes (371.2 ± 101.8 vs 317.1 ± 90.3 µm, p = .001; 2.826 ± 0.686 vs 2.524 ± 0.674 mm2, p = .014; 69.49 ± 3.51 vs 68.27 ± 3.41%, p = .044, respectively). In the recovery stage, subfoveal CT, total choroidal area and CVI in eyes with MEWDS significantly decreased to respectively 333.4 ± 90.5 µm, p = .007, 2.592 ± 0.570 p = .002, and 67.31 ± 2.74%, p = .014.Conclusions: Choroidal thickness and vascularity are significantly increased during the acute stage of MEWDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the effect of preoperative topical Nepafenac administration on anterior chamber flare after uneventful cataract surgery in healthy subjects. Methods: Prospective randomized clinical trial. Seventy‐three eyes of 73 healthy patients undergoing routine cataract surgery were randomized to receive (group A) topical nepafenac (1 mg/ml) or not to receive (group B) 1 drop 3 times per day for 3 days before surgery. All eyes received the same postoperative anti‐inflammatory therapy. Clinical outcome parameters such as best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, retinal central foveal thickness and aqueous flare were recorded preoperatively, 1, 15, 30 and 60 days after surgery. Results: Three patients were excluded for poor compliance, and three patients were excluded or developing pseudophakic macular oedema during the follow‐up. Both groups were comparable for age, gender, and showed similar BCVA, intraocular pressure and central macular thickness values preoperatively and during the entire follow‐up (p > 0.01). Aqueous flare values showed a statistically increase in both groups respect to preoperative values through follow‐up evaluations (p < 0.01), while values were significantly lower in group A than in group B 30 days after surgery (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Preoperative administration of topical Nepafenac reduces the inflammatory response in healthy patients undergoing uncomplicated cataract surgery one month after surgery respect to non‐treated group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive diagnostic instrument that has become indispensable for the management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). OCTA allows quickly visualizing retinal and choroidal microvasculature, and in the last years, its use has increased in clinical practice as well as for research into the pathophysiology of AMD. This review provides a discussion of new technology and application of OCTA in intermediate and late AMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of different dexamethasone eye drops formulations in controlling postoperative inflammation. Methods: Cataract surgery was carried out in 72 patients (35 males) divided into two groups: group A (36 patients, mean age = 78.0 ± 5.6) received four times daily for 2 weeks a suspension containing tobramycin 0.3% mg/ml + dexamethasone 0.1% mg/ml, and group B (36 patients, mean age = 76.2 ± 6.8) a solution containing tobramycin 0.3% mg/ml + dexamethasone 0.1% mg/ml. Both groups received ofloxacin 0.5% four times daily for 7 days, and nepafenac 0.1% three times daily for 3 weeks. Best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, endothelial cells count, aqueous flare and macular thickness were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 day, 15 days, 1 and 2 months. Results: In group A, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness and aqueous humour flare values preoperatively and at the end of follow-up were 14.3 ± 1.8 and 13.2 ± 1.8 mmHg, 546.4 ± 34.6 and 539.6 ± 36.1 µm, 11.84 ± 4.44 and 13.52 ± 5.54 ph/ms, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. In group B, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness and aqueous humour flare values preoperatively and at the end of follow-up were 14.3 ± 1.5 and 13.1 ± 1.7 mmHg, 552.9 ± 37.4 and 548.1 ± 39.3 µm, 11.45 ± 4.06 and 13.73 ± 4.99 ph/ms, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. No difference was detected in the macular thickness values in the parafoveal area preoperatively and at 2 months follow-up in group A (332.18 ± 16.19 and 337.71 ± 16.33 µm) and group B (329.11 ± 18.28 and 334.37 ± 20.86 µm), respectively. Conclusion: The two different formulations of dexamethasone eye drops reached the same anti-inflammatory effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare, using laser flare meter (LFM), the efficacy of topical nepafenac 0.1, % and diclofenac 0.1% ophthalmic solution in the control of anterior chamber inflammation after uncomplicated cataract surgery. Patients undergoing phacoemulsification for age-related cataract were recruited. Complete evaluation with visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, endothelial cell density, intraocular pressure, retinal tomography and anterior chamber flare evaluation was performed before surgery and 1, 15, 30 and 60 days after surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to receive topical diclofenac 0.1% 4 times a day for four weeks or nepafenac 0.1% 3 times a day for three weeks in addition to topical steroids and antibiotic. 64 (31 males, mean age 77.3 ± 5.9) patients were enrolled. Half of them were randomly assigned to group A (diclofenac 0.1%) and half to group B (nepafenac 0.1%). There was a statistically significant visual acuity improvement postoperatively in both groups, with no statistical difference between the groups. Intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, endothelial cells count and macular thickness parameters didn't significantly vary between before and after surgery. One-day after surgery, aqueous flare was significantly higher (22,27 ± 9,25 ph/ms in group A and 22,36 ± 7,47 in group B) than before surgery (14,59 ± 7,16 ph/ms in group A and 11,84 ± 4,44 in group B) in both groups, then declining in the first month and reaching preoperative levels again by 2 months in both groups. In group B, LFM values at 15 and 30 days after surgery were significantly lower (13,59 ± 4,80 and 14,07 ± 5,01) than in group A (17,00 ± 6,97 and 16,96 ± 6,13). Nepafenac ensured a better inflammation control than diclofenac during the first month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) findings in eyes with ocular sarcoidosis (OS) and to compare these findings with those of fluorescein angiography (FA). Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, case-control study. Patients presenting with OS involving the posterior segment were evaluated using FA, structural-OCT and OCT-A. OCT-angiograms of the superficial (SCP) and deep (DCP) capillary plexuses and choriocapillaris (CC) were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. Results: OCT-A seemed more sensitive than FA in detecting perifoveal capillary arcade disruptions, areas of hypoperfusion/non-perfusion and capillary abnormalities (p<0.05). Capillary hypoperfusion was more frequently detected in the DCP than in SCP, conversely capillary abnormalities were more often observed at the level of the SCP. Capillary vessel density values were significantly lower in eyes with OS than in healthy controls both at the level of DCP and CC (p<0.05). Conclusion: The depth-resolved nature of OCT-A allowed new insights on OS-induced microvascular and perfusion impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe the importance of a customized combined systemic and local therapy in the management of inflammatory choroidal neovascularization (iCNV).Methods: Observational retrospective case series.Results: Four iCNV cases, complicating posterior uveitis or panuveitis affecting young patients, are reported. Combination of both intravitreal (IVT) and systemic drugs represented a successful treatment strategy.Conclusions: iCNV is a sight-threatening disease which affects mostly young people. Customized and both systemic and IVT therapies might represent the best therapeutic option in order to obtain disease control and good prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To perform an analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) abnormalities in patients with MEWDS, during the acute and recovery stages, using enhanced depth imaging-OCT (EDI-OCT).Methods: A retrospective case series of five patients with MEWDS was included. EDI-OCT imaging was evaluated to detect retinal and choroidal features.Results: In the acute phase, focal impairment of the ellipsoid zone and external limiting membrane, hyperreflective dots in the inner choroid, and full-thickness increase of the choroidal profile were observed in the affected eye; disappearance of these findings and restoration of the choroidal thickness (p = 0.046) was appreciated in the recovery phase. No OCT abnormalities were assessed in the unaffected eye.Conclusions: EDI-OCT revealed transient outer retinal layer changes and inner choroidal hyperreflective dots. A transient increased thickness of the whole choroid was also identified. This might confirm a short-lasting inflammatory involvement of the whole choroidal tissue in the active phase of MEWDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) is evaluated in the context of the numerical simulation of bird strike events. To assess the possibilities of the method, theoretical analyses are initially performed based on the impact of a water jet on a rigid surface. Then, the influence of the geometry of a more realistic projectile is analyzed and the capability of the method to take into account separation and fragmentation is highlighted. Finally, the method is tested for impacts against deformable targets, using a partitioned algorithm with dynamic relaxation for the fluid-structure interaction, combining the PFEM for the description of the bird with a non-linear Finite Element approach for the description of the impacted structure, which can undergo large plastic deformations. To assess the quality of the obtained results a series of numerical examples from the literature has been selected and used as a reference throughout the paper. Among the studies presented in this work also a novel numerical benchmark for the evaluation of bird impact simulations is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) is evaluated in the context of the numerical simulation of bird strike events. To assess the possibilities of the method, theoretical analyses are initially performed based on the impact of a water jet on a rigid surface. Then, the influence of the geometry of a more realistic projectile is analyzed and the capability of the method to take into account separation and fragmentation is highlighted. Finally, the method is tested for impacts against deformable targets, using a partitioned algorithm with dynamic relaxation for the fluid-structure interaction, combining the PFEM for the description of the bird with a non-linear Finite Element approach for the description of the impacted structure, which can undergo large plastic deformations. To assess the quality of the obtained results a series of numerical examples from the literature has been selected and used as a reference throughout the paper. Among the studies presented in this work also a novel numerical benchmark for the evaluation of bird impact simulations is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the stability of the tear film after instillation of eye drops containing hyaluronic acid (HA) or crosslinked hyaluronic acid (CLHA)-based in patients with Sjögren syndrome-related dry eye (SSDE).Methods: Forty subjects were included in this study and were divided into 2 groups: the first group (control group) consisted of 20 healthy volunteers; the second group (study group) constituted of 20 suffering from SSDE; before and 5, 30, and 60 min after instillation of eye drops the surface regularity index (SRI) and surface asymmetry index (SAI) were registered.Results: Comparing HA and CLHA, in the control group, SAI show statistically significant difference in the time 0 and in time 5, whereas there is no a statistically significant difference after 30 and 60 min from instillation. For SRI there is no statistically significant difference at any time. In SSDE group there is no statistically significant difference in the time 0 and 5, whereas there is a statistically significant difference after 60 min for SAI, and after 30 and 60 min for SRI from instillation. Both SRI and SAI in dry eyes were significantly greater than in control eyes (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Our study showed a better efficacy of CLHA compared with HA in maintaining the stability of the tear film in a patient suffering from SSDE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of using free-slip conditions within the context of the particle finite element method (PFEM) is investigated. For high Reynolds number engineering applications in which tangential effects at the fluid-solid boundaries are not of primary interest, the use of free-slip conditions can alleviate the need for very fine boundary layer meshes. Two novel ways for the imposition of free-slip conditions in the framework of the PFEM are presented. The proposed approach emphasizes robustness and simplicity, while retaining a sufficient level of generality. These two methods are then tested in the case of dam break and sloshing problems, and their respective advantages and drawbacks are discussed. It is also shown how the use of free-slip conditions can indirectly improve mass conservation properties of the PFEM, even when coarse meshes are employed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This photo essay shows the transient therapeutic effect of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in a patient affected by primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL). PPV is crucial for the diagnosis of PIOL, but it may also play a role in the therapeutic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual symptoms are a common clinical manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS) and are frequently due to acute optic neuritis (ON). However, the entire visual pathway can be involved throughout the disease course. We describe the case of a young MS patient who experienced visual symptoms that were eventually found to be caused by retinal periphlebitis, an inflammatory process of the anterior visual pathway, which is common during MS, but rarely symptomatic. This case reinforces the concept that in all MS patients complaining visual symptoms, a complete work-up should be performed in order to rule out possible ON mimicries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of cow's milk, fat or whey to ewe or buffalo ricotta is a common form of fraud in the dairy industry because of its economic convenience. β-carotene may serve as an excellent indicator of the presence of cow's milk in ewe or buffalo ricotta because it has been noted that bcarotene is naturally present in cow's milk alone. therefore, a simple and sensitive isocratic reversed- phase HPLc method has been developed for the determination of β-carotene in ricotta. this method involves fat saponification followed by extraction with a mixture of organic solvents. A linear correlation between the concentration of β-carotene and the area response has been obtained over the concentration range of 0.045 to 0.900 µg/mL, which corresponds to about 1 to 22 µg/100 g in ricotta. the detection limit was 0.7 ng of injected sample, and the recovery evaluated in spiked ricotta samples was always higher than 90% [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In autoimmune disorders (ADs), if Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is present, immunosuppressive treatment could increase virus replication. Cyclosporine A (CsA), in standard therapeutic doses, has been proven able to inhibit HCV cyclophilin in vitro. Therefore CsA could improve the therapy of HCV patients with ADs. Aim: In these patients, we started an open pilot study to evaluate the safety of 3 mg/kg CsA and the ability to reduce steroid therapy. Patients and Methods: Five females and 1 male were recruited; mean age 66 ± 8 years, mean disease duration 13 ± 5 years. Three patients are affected by Psoriasic Arthritis, 1 by Rheumatoid Arthritis, 1 by Sjögren Syndrome, and 1 by Myasthenia Gravis. None of them had chronic active hepatitis. HCV genotypes were type 2 (in 3 cases) and type 1 (in 3 cases). Patients were treated with 3 mg/kg of CsA for a period of time ranging from 6 to 12 months. The starting mean dose of prednisone was 12.5 mg/day. Liver function tests were checked monthly and serum HCV-RNA load was checked by RT-PCR before and 2 months into the therapy. Results: The prednisone dose was reduced from 12.5 mg/day to 7.5 mg/day. The aminotransferases levels were unchanged after 6 months. In patients with low HCV-RNA levels before treatment, no modifications of viral load were observed, whereas patients with increased levels at onset showed mild reduction 2 months into the treatment. Conclusions: Immunosuppressive treatment of ADs patients with HCV infection can be safely provided with the integration of CsA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloidosis is a rare disease caused by extracellular deposits of insoluble fibrillar proteins in various organs and tissues. There are different forms of amyloidosis distinguished by the type of protein fibrils, by the sites of deposition and by associated conditions. Gastrointestinal involvement is common both in primary and secondary amyloidosis, while isolated gastrointestinal amyloidosis is rare. We describe a case of AL amyloidosis with a gastrointestinal involvement and restrictive cardiomiopathy. A 64 year old woman came to our attention with a history of chronic diarrhoea and weight loss, associated with dysphagia, dry mouth, xerophtalmia, chronic gastritis and depression. Clinical diagnosis has been difficult because of aspecificity of symptoms that mimed other more common diseases, like gastro-paresis, epigastric discomfort, gastric or duodenal ulcers, perforation, malabsorption, intestinal pseudo-obstruction. There is an important risk of misunderstanding and diagnostic delay. Indeed in this patient a diagnosis of irritable colon syndrome was erroneously established two years before admission in our hospital. Therefore gastrointestinal amyloidosis should be considered among differential diagnoses of chronic diarrhoea and weight loss when other more common diseases have been excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease of unknown origin, with pulmonary findings in more than 90% of patients. Extrapulmonary involvement is common and all organs can be involved (especially lymph nodes, eyes, joints, central nervous system) but it is rare to find an isolated extrapulmonary disease (less than 10% of patients). Granulomatous inflammation of the spleen and the liver is common in patients with systemic sarcoidosis, while hepatosplenic enlargement is unusual and splenic involvement rare. We report two cases of systemic sarcoidosis, that onset with splenic and hepatosplenic disease, and one case with splenic sarcoidosis without pulmonary involvement. In the first case a 53-year-old woman with mild abdominal pain underwent sonography and CT, which revealed one hypoechoic/hypodense splenic lesion. Laboratory tests were normal. In order to exclude a lymphoma, splenectomy was performed: histology revealed a sarcoid granuloma. After surgery the patient was asymptomatic and now, after two years, disease is silent. The second case is a 66-year-old woman with a recent weight loss (8 kg in two months) and alterated liver function tests (AST 61 U/l, ALT 72 U/l, Alkaline phosphatase 748 U/l, g-GT 381 U/l). Since she had a familiar history of colon cancer, abdominal US scan, abdominal CT scan and MRI were performed and showed inter-aorto-caval lymphadenopathies and discreet multiple bilobar hepatic and splenic substitutive lesions, with no signs of primary tumor. Upper and lower GI endoscopy, full gynecological workup, complete set of tumor markers, bone marrow biopsy were performed. All resulted negative for neoplasia. Small pulmonary infiltrations were observed on chest-CT scan but cytology on BAL was normal. Infections were also excluded. An exploratory laparotomy showed whitish peritoneal, hepatic and splenic nodules. The histological exam revealed chronic granulomatous lesions typical for sarcoidosis. During a two-year follow-up after the splenectomy the patient feels well without any treatment. The third patient is a 32-year-old woman with mild epigastric pain after meals. Neck-thoracic CT, bone scintigraphy and upper GI endoscopy were negative. Abdominal US and MR showed splenomegaly with multiple splenic lesions. Splenectomy was performed and histological exam showed chronic granulomatous lesions typical for sarcoidosis. Further laboratory tests were normal, except for ACE (66 UI/l). After the surgery ACE became normal and now, three years later, the patient is still asymptomatic. We conclude that hepatosplenic involvement is less rare than it is thought. It is often oligosymptomatic or accompanied with unspecific manifestations and laboratory abnormalities. The diagnosis could be difficult; in fact typical laboratory findings of sarcoidosis such as ACE, lysozyme, calcium, were not diagnostic. Ultrasonography and CT were important but the diagnosis was established only with the histological examination of suspected lesions. This latter required to differentiate liver and/or spleen sarcoidosis from tuberculosis and other infections, primary biliary cirrhosis, metastasis or malignant lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine the association of the -173 single-nucleotide G/C polymorphism of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene (MIF) and serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) concentrations in a group of Italian patients with hereditary periodic fevers (HPF), tested during a symptom-free phase of their disease. Methods: Genomic DNA for MIF and serum MIF were evaluated in 22 patients with HPF and compared with healthy controls of the same ethnic group. The MIF-173G/C polymorphism was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and visualized by ethidium bromide staining. Serum MIF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: MIF-173*C allele frequency and MIF serum concentrations were significantly higher in patients with HPF than in controls, with no statistically significant difference between familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D/periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) and no correlation with specific MIF genotypes. Conclusions: The MIF-173*C allele was found more frequently in patients with HPF than in controls and MIF serum concentrations were considerably elevated in attack-free phases, suggesting a persistent state of subclinical cytokine activation with MIF involvement in the autoinflammatory cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical method useful to detect the presence of bovine caseins and/or milk in "pecorino" sheep cheese is described. Results are compared with those obtained by the official procedure reported in the EC Regulation n. 1081/96. The proposed method has more rapid sample preparation, uses ready-to-use polyacrylamide gel plates and the "Phast System" to reduce the time necessary for focalisation, fixing and staining. The fast preparation of the sample simplifies the official procedure but does not allow small quantities of bovine caseins to be revealed (<4%); therefore this method can only be used for non PDO cheeses. The use of ready-to-use polyacrylamide gel plates offers various advantages such as higher sensitivity, higher repeatability as well as speed of execution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is the most frequent periodic febrile syndrome among the autoinflammatory syndromes (AS), nowadays considered as innate immunity disorders, characterized by absence of autoantibodies and autoreactive T lymphocytes. FMF is a hereditary autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by recurrent, self-limiting episodes of short duration (mean 24e72 h) of fever and serositis. In FMF, periodic attacks show inter- and intra-individual variability in terms of frequency and severity. Usually, they are triggered by apparently innocuous stimuli and may be preceded by a prodromal period. The Mediterranean FeVer gene (MEFV) responsible gene maps on chromosome 16 (16p13) encoding the Pyrine/Marenostrin protein. The precise pathologic mechanism is still to be definitively elucidated; however a new macromolecular complex, called inflammasome, seems to play a major role in the control of inflammation and it might be involved in the pathogenesis of FMF. The most severe long-term complication is type AA amyloidosis, causing chronic renal failure. Two types of risk factors, genetic and non-genetic, have been identified for this complication. Currently, the only effective treatment of FMF is the colchicine. New drugs in a few colchicine resistant patients are under evaluation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug delivery into the vitreous chamber remains a great challenge in the pharmaceutical industry due to the complex anatomy and physiology of the eye. Intravitreal injection is the mainstream route of drug administration to the posterior segment of the eye. The purpose of this review is to assess the current literature about the widening use of the intravitreal 0.7 mg dexamethasone (Dex) implant, and to provide a comprehensive collection of all the ocular disorders that benefit from Dex administration. Although anti-vascular endothelial growth-factors (VEGFs) have been largely indicated as a first-choice level, the Dex implant represents an important treatment option, especially in selected cases, such as vitrectomized eyes or patients in whom anti-VEGF failed or are contraindicated. In this article, the safety profile as well as the list of the possible complications related to intravitreal Dex injection are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The official method (i.e., isoelectric focusing, IEF) for the detection of bovine milk in cheeses obtained from ovine, caprine or buffalo milk, according to the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 150/2018, was compared with three techniques: lateral flow immunoassay (LFA), ELISA and real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Samples of milk, cheese and vegetable drinks were analysed as control samples and after artificial contamination with bovine milk at different concentrations. All these assays, except for ELISA, showed a good diagnostic performance able to detect milk adulteration at concentrations lower than 1% of bovine milk in caprine, ovine and buffalo milk. Relative sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of both ELISA and RT-PCR compared with IEF were 100%, whereas for LFA they corresponded to 100%, 62.5% and 72.7%, respectively. A good agreement among ELISA and RT-PCR versus IEF was observed but only a moderate agreement between LFA and IEF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]