Significance of Early Visual Responses to Bevacizumab for Macular Edema in Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

PURPOSE: To determine whether early visual acuity response to intravitreal bevacizumab in macular edema (ME) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) is associated with 12-month follow-up outcome. METHODS: Sixty treatment-naïve patients (60 eyes) with ME secondary to BRVO treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) were retrospectively included. Initially, all patients were injected monthly to achieve fluid resolution and followed up with a pro re nata regimen for at least 12 months. The relationship between early (month 1) and late (month 12) visual acuity response (mean change from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity [BCVA]; categorized improvement [<1, 1–3, or ≥3 logMAR lines in BCVA]) was explored. RESULTS: The proportions of eyes with <1, 1-<3, and ≥3-line improvements at 1 month were 19 eyes (31.7%), 17 eyes (28.3%), and 24 eyes (40%), respectively. Within each of the three response categories, the mean BCVA change from baseline at 12 months and onward did not vary by more than 1 line from the observed mean BCVA improvement at 1 month. Inter-cohort differences across the three response categories in mean BCVA change from baseline were statistically significant at each time point. Early BCVA response at 1 month showed significant associations with ≥3 line improvement and BCVA response at 12 months in multiple logistic and linear regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Early BCVA responses to bevacizumab are associated with subsequent responses over the entire 12-month duration of treatment.

Correlation of Human Fasting Blood Sugar with Grip Muscle Strength and Reflex Response Time.

In humans, one of the major complications of chronic Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is Peripheral Neuropathy. Apparently linked to ischemic Nerve damage, a ravaging puzzle on its pathophysiology, onset prediction, and prognosis is yet to be fully uncovered. Today, what seems to be a major “breakthrough” is the discovery that chronic DM damages signal transduction across Nerve and Muscle tissues, leading to a bad and/or poorly coordinated reflex. The goal of this study was to find in humans, the relationship that binds fasting blood sugar (FBS) with grip muscle strengths and reflex response time. To achieve this, 387 humans were ethically sourced from Ethiope East Local government area of Delta State, Nigeria. Based on their glucometer readings, subjects were then gender-sorted and classified into 3 groups; A (hypoglycaemic), B (normoglycaemic or control), and C (hyperglycaemic). Using the hand-grip dynamometer (HGD) and Meter rule, subjects’ Grip Muscle strengths (GMS) and Reflex Response times (RRT) were respectively obtained and mapped against their corresponding glucometer reading (FBS). Using the Pearson Product moment correlation coefficient, Statistical measure of association (correlation) was conducted on obtained variables, and ANOVA was used to analyse the differences between means of each groups. Though no actual difference(s) was/were found between GMS and RRT, apparently, there was a weak Auditory-FBS relationship in hypoglycaemic females, and a weak GMS-FBS, plus Tactile-FBS correlations in hypoglycaemic males and females respectively.