Bowman's membrane lenticule tuck-in: A new approach for the management of neurotrophic ulcers.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a new surgical method for managing nonhealing neurotrophic ulcers using a novel technique of tucking-in Bowman's membrane lenticule in the ulcer defect. METHODS: A total of 22 eyes of 22 patients with neurotrophic ulcers of various etiologies and stages were included and underwent a surgical process where a donor Bowman's membrane lenticule was harvested and fashioned according to the lesion and tucked inside the ulcer after making a recess in anterior one-third of stroma all around 360 degrees. The primary outcomes measured were healing (stable epithelialization at 12 months) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement. RESULTS: Twenty-two eyes of 22 patients with neurotrophic ulcers underwent Bowman's membrane lenticule tuck-in procedure. Complete re-epithelialization was achieved in 21 eyes (95.45%). The average healing time was 2.77 ± 0.79 weeks. The mean corneal thickness improved from 267.36 ± 94.56 mm preoperatively to 435.9 ± 47.71 mm at six months postoperatively. The mean BCVA also improved from 0.05 ± 0.07 preoperatively to 0.24 ± 0.24 postoperatively one year. One patient (4.54%) showed recurrence after one month, and the epithelial defect persisted till the end of the study. CONCLUSION: Donor Bowman's membrane lenticule tuck-in for neurotrophic ulcers is a safe and highly effective treatment and requires minimal instruments and expertise.

Efficacy and Safety of Recombinant Thrombomodulin for the Prophylaxis of Veno-Occlusive Complication in Allogeneiccit Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), also termed as sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), is a lethal complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Various factors put patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT at an increased risk for VOD. Thrombomodulin (TM) is an important factor which has a wide range of effects, including anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, angiogenic, and protective effect, on endothelial cells. It plays a role in preventing excessive coagulation and thrombosis by binding with thrombin and inhibiting the coagulation cascade. There are a limited number of options for the prevention of this fatal complication. Recombinant thrombomodulin (rTM), an endothelial anticoagulant co-factor, as prophylactic therapy might be able to prevent veno-occlusive complications after stem cell transplantation. METHODS: A literature search was performed on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. We used the following Mesh terms and Emtree terms, "Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Diseases" OR "Sinusoidal Obstruction" OR "Stem Cell Transplantations " AND "Thrombomodulin" from the inception of data up to April 1, 2021. The PICO (Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes) framework was used for the literature search. RESULTS: For the VOD incidence after HSCTstem cell transplantation, the result was in favor of rTM with a risk ratio (RR) of 0.53 (I2 = 0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.32-0.89). The incidence of transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) after HSCT was reduced in rTM group. The RR for incidence of TA-TMA was 0.48 (I2 = 62%, 95% CI = 0.20-1.17) favoring rTM. The RR for incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) was also lower in rTM group, 0.48 (I2 = 64%, 95% CI = 0.32-0.72). CONCLUSION: In our meta-analysis, we evaluate the efficacy and safety of rTM in the prevention of SOS after HSCT. According to our results, rTM use led to a significant reduction in SOS episodes, TA-TMA, and GvHD after HSCT.

Cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics in multiple sclerosis patients through phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging.

We studied cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow dynamics at the cervical level in association with internal jugular veins (IJV) flow for 92 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify flow of the CSF and major vessels (including the IJV and the carotid arteries) at the C2-C3 level in the neck. Contrast enhanced MR angiography and time-of-flight MR venography were used to subdivide MS patients into stenotic (ST) and non-stenotic (NST) populations. We evaluated: IJV flow normalized by arterial flow; CSF peaks; CSF outflow duration and its onset from systole. We tested if these variables were statistically different among different MS phenotypes and between ST and NST MS patients. The delay between the beginning of beginning of systole and the CSF outflow was higher in ST compared to NST MS. Less IJV flow was observed in ST vs NST MS. None of the measures was different between the different MS phenotypes. These results suggest that alterations of IJV morphology affect both IJV flow and CSF flow timing but not CSF flow amplitude.