Explore the vast range of titles available.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide on the visual acuity of patients with exudative age related macular degeneration, to assess the duration of a possible effect, and to evaluate clinical side effects of the treatment. Methods: The study included 67 patients (71 eyes) who presented with exudative age related macular degeneration of predominantly or total occult type (n = 68) or classic type (n = 3), and who received once, or repeatedly, an intravitreal injection of 25 mg of crystalline triamcinolone acetonide. Mean follow up time was 7.46 (SD 3.54) months (range 3.1–19.57 months). Results: Visual acuity increased significantly (p <0.001) from 0.16 (0.11) to a mean maximum of 0.23 (0.17). Postoperative visual acuity was highest 1–3 months after the injection. 47 (66.2%) eyes gained in maximal visual acuity and 11 (15.5%) eyes lost in visual acuity. Intraocular pressure increased significantly (p <0.001) from 15.1 (3.1) mm Hg at baseline to a maximal value of 23.0 (8.25) mm Hg. At the end of follow up, intraocular pressure again decreased significantly (p<0.001) to 16.8 (4.9) mm Hg. No cases of postoperative infectious endophthalmitis, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, or proliferative vitreoretinopathy occurred. Owing to a decrease in visual acuity after an initial increase, six patients received a second intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection after which visual acuity increased again in three eyes. Conclusions: Intravitreal injection of 25 mg of crystalline triamcinolone acetonide merits further study for the treatment of exudative age related macular degeneration.

Aim: To assess the accommodative power of a new foldable monofocal intraocular lens. Method: A prospective randomised non-masked clinical interventional study. The study included 40 patients attending the hospital for cataract surgery and who were randomly distributed into a study group receiving a new foldable monofocal intraocular lens with flexible haptics, and a control group receiving a standard foldable intraocular lens. Mean follow up period was 8.51 (SD 1.34) months (range 4–11 months) Standard cataract surgery consisted of clear cornea incision, capsulorrhexis, phacoemulsification, and intraocular lens implantation, with topical anaesthesia. The main outcome measures were preoperative and postoperative visual acuity for near and distance; range of accommodation; change in anterior chamber depth. Results: In the study group compared with the control group, range of accommodation was significantly (p = 0.01) higher (1.01 (SD 0.4) dioptres versus 0.50 (0.11) dioptres) and change in anterior chamber depth was significantly more pronounced (0.82 (0.30) versus 0.40 (0.32), p = 0.01). Both groups did not vary significantly in best corrected vision (0.94 (0.12) versus 0.93 (0.18); p = 0.74). Conclusion: During a mean follow up period of 8 months after implantation, the new foldable monofocal intraocular lens with flexible haptics showed an accommodative power of about 1 dioptre, which was significantly higher than the accommodative power of a conventional monofocal flexible intraocular lens. The difference in the accommodative power between the two intraocular lenses was paralleled by a difference in the change of the anterior chamber depth.

We studied the ability of low density lipoproteins (LDLs) to provide arachidonic acid (AA) for eicosanoid biosynthesis in human blood-derived monocytes. When incubated in the presence of reconstituted LDL that contained cholesteryl[1-14C] arachidonate (recLDL-[14C]AA-CE), resting monocytes formed three labeled products of the prostaglandin (PG) H synthase pathway: 6-keto-PGF1α, thromboxane B2, and PGE2. The amounts of these eicosanoids in response to recLDL-[14C]AA-CE were comparable to or exceeded those that were produced in response to the addition of 10 μM unesterified[1-14C]AA. By contrast, resting monocytes formed only small amounts of products of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway, leukotriene (LT) B4and LTC4from either recLDL-[14C]AA-CE or[14C]AA, indicating preferential utilization of AA in the PGH synthase reaction. However, they converted LDL-derived [14C]AA efficiently into LTB4and LTC4, when they were first incubated with recLDL-[14C]AA-CE and subsequently stimulated with the chemotactic peptide N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine or the Ca2+ionophore A23187. The classical LDL receptor pathway mediated the synthesis of all of the above eicosanoids from LDL but not from unesterified AA. These results demonstrate that the LDL receptor pathway preferentially promotes the synthesis of PGH synthase products in resting human blood-derived monocytes and that an additional mechanism is required to promote effective synthesis of 5-lipoxygenase pathway products from AA that originates in LDL cholesteryl esters.