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Background/aims: To explore the outcomes of conjunctival flap (CF) followed by keratoplasty in patients with severe infectious keratitis (IK) unresponsive to medical treatment., Methods: This is a retrospective monocentric study including 29 eyes of 29 patients with IK resistant to antibiotic treatment associated with stromal ulcer deepening to ≥50% of corneal thickness. All eyes underwent Gundersen's CF procedure and penetrating keratoplasty (PK), deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) or mushroom keratoplasty (MK), at least 4 months thereafter. Outcome measures included corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), endothelial cell count (ECC), graft survival and complications., Results: IK healed in all eyes following CF. The mean time interval between CF and keratoplasty was 16.3±16.1 months. 55% of patients underwent PK, 35% MK and 10% DALK. Mean follow-up duration was 39.6±34.3 months. At the last available follow-up, a CDVA≥20/200 was obtained in 50%, 33.3% and 70% of cases, respectively after PK, DALK and MK. Mean annual endothelial cell loss was 24.5% following PK and 10.7% following MK. Overall, graft failure occurred in 75% of cases after PK, 100% after DALK and 20% after MK. The most frequent complications were endothelial decompensation without immunological rejection (34.5%, after 31.1±25.1 months) and graft rejection (17.2%, after 10.2±7.9 months, all in the PK group)., Conclusion: CF surgery followed by staged keratoplasty represents an alternative therapeutic approach to avoid high-risk keratoplasty 'a chaud' in cases of severe IK., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Purpose: We recently described a novel surgical procedure to reinnervate the lacrimal gland in neurodeprivative dry eye disease and reported the 1-year outcomes of patients treated accordingly. The purpose of this paper is to describe the long-term outcomes of this innovative surgical technique., Methods: Monocentric cross-sectional study including consecutive patients affected by facial palsy with an absolute deficiency of tear secretion (Schirmer test 0 mm/5 min) who underwent lacrimal gland neurotization, as previously described. Before surgery (T0) and at the last follow-up visit (T1), the following parameters were evaluated: tear film break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (Oxford score), Schirmer test type I, usage of tear substitutes (daily number of instillation). At T1, subjective satisfaction with surgery was collected and tear film osmolarity (TFO) was measured in both operated and contralateral eye. Corneal sensitivity was performed at T0 and T1 in patients who underwent neurotization of both lacrimal gland and cornea due to the concomitant presence of neurotrophic keratopathy (trigeminal nerve palsy)., Results: Data from 9 patients (4 M, 5 F; mean age 47.1 ± 17.1 years) who underwent lacrimal gland neurotization and were followed up for an average time of 87 months (± 15) (range 60-108) were analyzed. The study procedure was combined in all cases with facial reanimation, while corneal neurotization was performed in 4 cases. At T1, the mean value of Schirmer test was significantly higher compared to T0 (5.8 ± 2.0 vs 0 ± 0 mm/5 min; p < 0.0001). TBUT and corneal fluorescein staining were significantly better compared to baseline (respectively, 2.4 ± 1.8 vs 1.2 ± 0.6 s, p = 0.04 and 1.7 ± 0.8 vs 3.1 ± 0.6, p = 0.0004). TFO was not significantly different between operated eye and contralateral one (306.7 ± 9.5 mOsm/L vs 308.9 ± 11.3 mOsm/L, p = 0.67). The mean daily number of tear substitute instillations was lower at T1 compared to T0 (12 ± 7 vs 21.8 ± 4.3; p = 0.011). Overall, all patients were satisfied with surgery at T1 (very satisfied: n = 3 and satisfied: n = 6). No major postoperative complications were recorded throughout the entire follow-up., Conclusion: Lacrimal gland neurotization through the sural nerve is a safe and effective procedure with stable favorable outcomes in the long term., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Ethics Committee of the University of Milan and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Conflict of interest: All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To review the literature focusing on the effectiveness of amniotic membrane extract eye drops (AMEDs) in the treatment of ocular surface diseases., Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and CENTRAL databases were searched until March 4, 2024. Overall, we identified 1,121 studies, 26 of which were selected for a full-text review. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for clinical improvements, time to resolution of corneal staining, adverse events, and preparation methods. Strength of clinical data was graded according to the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine., Results: Overall, AMED compounds were used in 296 eyes of 205 patients. Fifty-nine percent of eyes were treated for dry eye disease, 23% for an epithelial defect, and the rest (18%) for other corneal wound healing disorders. Three main types of eye drops preparation were described, that is, lyophilized, homogenized, and fresh AMED. Although the methods of outcome reporting were heterogeneous, all included studies showed various grades of improvement in both signs and symptoms. The overall incidence of ocular side effects was 2.3%., Conclusions: Despite the suboptimal quality of evidence, overall, the available literature suggests that AMED is a valuable tool in the treatment of ocular surface disorders., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists.)

Purpose: Corneal neurotization (CN) is a novel, potentially curative surgical procedure for the treatment of neurothophic keratopathy (NK). Patients with severe NK can present with corneal opacification requiring optical keratoplasty, which would likely fail without a proper trophic support of corneal nerves in the recipient cornea., Methods: This is a pilot study on 4 patients undergoing keratoplasty after CN. Pre- and postoperative data at 12, 24 months and at the last follow-up were collected for the examination of (i) best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), (ii) slit lamp examination and photograph acquisition with and without fluorescein staining, (iii) corneal aesthesiometry, (iv) in vivo confocal microscopy of the central cornea. Neurophysiological study of the corneal reflex before corneal graft and at last follow up was performed., Results: Four female patients (47.25 ± 5.06 y.o.) underwent keratoplasty after CN (3 penetrating keratoplasty, 1 deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty). The mean interval between CN and keratoplasty was 22 (± 12) months. The mean graft survival time was 42 (± 25) months. Graft follow-up ranged from 72 to 132 months. At the final follow-up, BCVA was improved in 2 out of 4 patients. The mean corneal sensitivity was 11.9 ± 8.3 mm at last follow-up. In vivo confocal microscopy confirmed the presence of functioning nerves at the last follow-up in all patients. NK-related complications occurred in 3 eyes (2 persistent epithelial defect, 1 corneal melting). The former complication was successfully treated by autologous serum eye drops while the latter required repeated keratoplasty., Conclusions: Keratoplasty is a viable strategy to improve visual acuity in patients with corneal opacity who underwent CN for the treatment of NK. Even in the presence of functioning corneal nerves before keratoplasty, surgeons should be aware of the increased rate of NK-related complications that could require the need for repeated procedure.

Introduction: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a heterogeneous inherited retinal disorder causing gradual vision loss, affects over 1 million people worldwide. Pathogenic variants in CNGA1 and CNGB1 genes, respectively, accounting for 1% and 4% of cases, impact the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel in rod photoreceptor cells. The aim of this study was to describe and compare genotypic and clinical characteristics of a cohort of patients with CNGA1- or CNGB1-related RP and to explore potential genotype-phenotype correlations., Methods: The following data from patients with CNGA1- or CNGB1-related RP, followed in five Italian inherited retinal degenerations services, were retrospectively collected: genetic variants in CNGA1 and CNGB1, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), ellipsoid zone (EZ) width, fundus photographs, and short-wavelength fundus autofluorescence (SW-AF) images. Comparisons and correlation analyses were performed by first dividing the cohort in two groups according to the gene responsible for the disease (CNGA1 and CNGB1 groups). In parallel, the whole cohort of RP patients was divided into two other groups, according to the expected impact of the variants at protein level (low and high group)., Results: In total, 29 patients were recruited, 11 with CNGA1- and 18 with CNGB1-related RP. In both CNGA1 and CNGB1, 5 novel variants in CNGA1 and 5 in CNGB1 were found. BCVA was comparable between CNGA1 and CNGB1 groups, as well as between low and high groups. CNGA1 group had a larger mean EZ width compared to CNGB1 group, albeit not statistically significant, while EZ width did not differ between low and high groups A statistically significant correlation between EZ width and BCVA as well as between EZ width and age were observed in the whole cohort of RP patients. Fundus photographs of all patients in the cohort showed classic RP pattern, and in SW-AF images an hyperautofluorescent ring was observed in 14/21 patients., Conclusion: Rod CNG channel-associated RP was demonstrated to be a slowly progressive disease in both CNGA1- and CNGB1-related forms, making it an ideal candidate for gene augmentation therapies., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) after cataract surgery, and the impact of hyaluronic acid and ginkgo biloba eyedrops (HA-GB). Methods: Forty patients with no DED received Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, assessment of conjunctival hyperemia and epithelial damage, fluorescein tear break-up time (TBUT) at baseline, day 1, week 1, and 4; adherence and tolerability were checked at weeks 1 and 4. At day 0 patients underwent cataract surgery and were randomized to standard postoperative care (control group) or standard postoperative care + HA-GB 3 times a day for 4 weeks (HA-GB group). Results: At baseline, TBUT was 9.6 ± 2.6 sec in controls and 9.0 ± 1.6 in HA-GB; thereafter it was higher in HA-GB group: 5.8 ± 2.3 versus 7.8 ± 3.2 (week 1, P  = 0.03) and 6.4 ± 2.3 versus 8.5 ± 2.5 (week 4, P  = 0.009). OSDI and conjunctival hyperemia were better in HA-GB group at week 4; respectively, 9.0 ± 5.7 versus 14.8 ± 7.3 ( P  = 0.004) and 5% versus 35% ( P  = 0.04). In the last 2 visits 50% of controls were symptomatic (OSDI of 13 or higher) compared with 16% on HA-GB group ( P  < 0.001). In addition, tolerability was higher in HA-GB group (week 1: 0.81 ± 0.20 versus 0.70 ± 0.24, P  = 0.007; week 4: 0.93 ± 0.17 versus 0.80 ± 0.28, P  = 0.001). Conclusion: Treatment with HA-GB is effective in reducing DED signs and symptoms in patients receiving cataract surgery, with high tolerability and safety profiles. clinicaltrials.gov (ID number NCT05002036).

Background: Ocular surface frequently affects glaucoma patients. In this paper we aimed at evaluating the impact of glaucoma surgery on the ocular surface of patients who received unilateral trabeculectomy. Methods: 26 consecutive patients successfully treated with trabeculectomy on one eye (Trab Eye) and under control with topical treatments on the fellow eye (Med Eye) were included in this observational study. They received IDEEL and OSDI questionnaires, Tear Film Osmolarity (TFO), grading of conjunctival hyperemia, fluorescein tear break-up time (tBUT), grading of corneal staining and Schirmer test. Results: IDEEL and OSDI scores were 48 ± 38 and 11 ± 12, respectively, with moderate correlation (r = 0.50, p = 0.03). Compared with Med eyes, Trab Eyes had higher tBUT (6.5 ± 3.5 vs. 5.1 ± 2.7 s, p = 0.004), lower conjunctival hyperemia (0.8 ± 0.9 and 1.7 ± 1.1 respectively, p < 0.001) and lower corneal staining (0.3 ± 0.5 and 0.6 ± 0.5, respectively, p = 0.03). Correlation between corneal staining and conjunctival hyperemia was 0.55 in Trab Eyes (p = 0.01) and 0.44 in Med Eyes (p > 0.05). Patients with bilateral corneal staining had had threefold worse questionnaire scores (p < 0.05). The duration of treatment and the daily exposure to preservatives did not directly affect OS parameters in this cohort of patients. Conclusions: Patients receiving successful trabeculectomy showed better OS homeostasis (higher TBUT, lower grading of conjunctival hyperemia and corneal staining) than fellow medically treated eyes. Presence of corneal epithelial damage in both eyes is the factor more consistently affecting questionnaire scores.

Screening programs may be useful to reduce the rate of undetected glaucoma. Compass (CMP, CenterVue, Padova, Italy) Standard Suprathreshold strategy (SST) analyses the visual function at 52 retinal locations. A new Quick Suprathreshold strategy (QST) reduces the number of tested locations to 24. With both tests, the CMP also provides an image of the central retina and a detail of the optic nerve head. The aim of this paper is to measure the performances of SST and QST compared with clinical diagnosis. 63 consecutive healthy subjects and 60 consecutive patients with perimetric defects from glaucoma in both eyes were recruited. They received one test per eye (SST or QST in randomized order); results were classified into normal, suspect and abnormal according to a global index provided in the report and called SupraThreshold Response (STR). Agreement between clinical diagnosis and test output were calculated, and test time was also measured. The agreement with the clinical diagnosis was 95.7% for SST and 95.1% for QST. When two suspect tests were excluded, agreement for QST increased to 96.7%. Test duration was 164 ± 82 s for SST and 71 ± 41 s for QST ( p < 0.0001). Such a difference was similar in both glaucoma patients (respectively 231 ± 65 s vs. 105 ± 33 s, p < 0.0001) and normal subjects (98 ± 17 and 39 ± 9 s, p < 0.0001). In conclusion, SST and QST showed similar, high agreement with clinical judgement. Morphological analysis is potentially helpful in further improving the clinical usefulness of suprathreshold tests. QST is characterized by a strong time saving compared with SST.

To identify factors associated with early deviation and delayed discharge within an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) pathway. This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data of consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic or open colorectal surgery and managed with a standardized ERAS pathway between April 2015 and October 2018. ERAS items were assessed within 48 h after surgery. Patients with early complications were excluded. The influence of factors on length of stay was calculated by univariate and multivariate analysis. A binary logistic regression was used to model a predicting score. Seven hundred and thirty-three patients met the inclusion criteria. Multivariate analysis showed that age ≥ 75 years (P = 0.02), ASA score ≥ 3 (P = 0.03), open surgery or conversion to open (P = 0.001), non-compliance with the intra-operative balanced fluid therapy (P = 0.049), failure to early removal of the urinary catheter (P = 0.001), to discontinue IV fluid (P = 0.02) and to early mobilization (P = 0.001) were independently associated with ERAS failure. The generated score had a specificity of 84% and a positive predictive value of 72%. Patients who would have a length of stay longer than the median for each surgical procedure were properly identified (Area under ROC Curve = 0.753, P < 0.001). The delayed discharge could be predicted at 48 h from the intervention. The ability of the model to weight the specific role of each statistically significant variable might be a useful tool to identify the most frail patients.

The association between autoimmune diseases, mostly rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, celiac disease and Sjögren syndrome, and lymphoma, has been widely demonstrated by several epidemiologic studies. By a mechanism which has not yet been entirely elucidated, chronic activation/stimulation of the immune system, along with the administration of specific treatments, may lead to the onset of different types of lymphoma in such patients. Specifically, patients affected by Sjögren syndrome may develop lymphomas many years after the original diagnosis. Several epidemiologic, hematologic, and histological features may anticipate the progression from Sjögren syndrome into lymphoma but, to the best of our knowledge, a definite pathogenetic mechanism for such progression is still missing. In fact, while the association between Sjögren syndrome and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, mostly extranodal marginal zone lymphomas and, less often, diffuse large B-cell, is well established, many other variables, such as time of onset, gender predilection, sites of occurrence, subtype of lymphoma, and predictive factors, still remain unclear. We report on a rare case of primary breast lymphoma occurring three years after the diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome in a 57-year-old patient. The diagnostic work-up, including radiograms, core needle biopsy, and histological examination, is discussed, along with emerging data from the recent literature, thus highlighting the usefulness of breast surveillance in Sjögren syndrome patients.

Background: Our aim was to compare the diagnostic performance of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT)-galactography with that of full-field digital (FFD)-galactography for detecting intraductal breast lesions using an intra-individual design., Methods: Forty-nine consecutive patients with spontaneous, unilateral, single-pore nipple discharge and inconclusive FFD mammography and ultrasonography underwent galactography with a "COMBO" technique combining FFD- and DBT-galactography acquisitions. Examinations were independently analysed by two breast radiologists with 10-year experience. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for both FFD- and DBT-galactography were calculated having histological examinations of surgical specimens as a reference standard. Data were presented as percentages with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). McNemar test was used. Interobserver agreement was assessed by using Cohen κ test for both techniques., Results: Sensitivity was 41/43 (95%, 95% CI 84.2-99.4) for DBT-galactography and 33/43 (77%, 95% CI 61.4-88.2) for FFD-galactography (p = 0.008), specificity 6/6 (100%, 95% CI 54.1-100.0) for both imaging tools, accuracy 47/49 (96%, 95% CI 86.0-99.5) and 39/49 (80%, 95% CI 65.7-89.8) (p = 0.038), respectively. The inter-observer agreement was 0.86 for DBT-galactography and 0.78 for FFD-galactography. The AGD resulted to 1.94 ± 0.64 for the combined technique., Conclusion: DBT-galactography showed a significantly higher sensitivity and accuracy than FFD-galactography for the identification of the intraductal findings, improving the possibility of a reliable diagnosis in patients with pathologic nipple-discharge.

Recent results within the framework of the collaborative project The Complete Geophysical Survey of the Valley of the Kings (VOK) (Luxor, Egypt) are reported in this article. In October 2018, a team of geomatics and geophysics researchers coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Turin worked side by side in the VOK. Topographic measurements in support of geophysical surveys and the achievement of a very large-scale 3D map of the Eastern VOK were the two main objectives of the geomatics campaign. Innovative 3D metric technologies and methods, based on terrestrial laser scanning (both static and mobile) and close-range photogrammetry were employed by the Geomatics team. The geophysical campaign focused on the acquisition of Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and high spatial density Geomagnetic (GM) data. ERT new data around KV62, both inverted in 2D sections and added to the previous ones to perform a new global 3D inversion, confirm the previous results showing both conductive and resistive anomalies that have to be explained. GPR timeslices showed some interesting features in the area in front of the KV2 entrance where GM gradient map also presents localized anomalies. In the area SSW of the KV2 the GM gradient maps evidenced also a large semicircular anomaly which, up to now, has no explanation. The potentialities of using magnetic techniques as a complement to other non-invasive techniques in the search for structures of archeological significance have been explored. The application of modern and innovative methods of 3D metric survey enabled to achieve a complete 3D mapping of what is currently visible in the valley. The integration of 2D/3D mapping data concerning visible elements and hypothetical anomalies, together with the recovering in the same global reference system of underground documentation pertaining to the Theban Mapping Project, prefigure the enhancement of multi-temporal site representation. This strategy enables the fruition development of the already discovered archaeological heritage, using modern criteria of valorization and conservation.

Introduction: Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast includes a heterogeneous group of neoplasms characterized by admixture of adenocarcinoma with area of squamous, chondroid and osseous differentiation. If the tumor shows pure squamous differentiation, it is designated as squamous carcinoma. SCCB accounts for less than 1% of all invasive breast carcinoma. It can present as cystic lesions and simulate a breast abscess., Case Report: A 75-year old woman was visited at our General Surgery Unit for a palpable lump, about 5 cm in size, at the lower inner quadrant of right breast. Mammography revealed 3cm oval opacity with micro calcifications and US appearance as isoechogenic lump with lesion solid-cystic appearance; cytology deposes for cystic inflammatory lesion(C2) to be monitored. A subsequent ultrasound check one year later confirmed an increase of volume, so micro histology sampling was made with suspect malignancy(B4). After biopsy, the patient underwent excision of cyst. Final histological examination showed SCCB with diffuse positivity for Cytokeratin 34beta-E12 and p63; negative reactions to ER and PR; monoclonal antibody Ki67 > 40%; HER2/neu with score 2+ and FISH examination negative. Subsequently, the patient underwent radical Madden mastectomy which confirmed the histological diagnosis and the negativity of the lymph nodes., Discussion: In literature, prognosis and therapy are still discussed; SCCB has shown very little responsiveness to common chemotherapy., Conclusion: A quadrantectomy or a radical mastectomy with lymph node dissection must be considered the best treatment for this rare neoplasia.