Absence of beta-amyloid in cortical cataracts of donors with and without Alzheimer's disease.

Eye lenses from human donors with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD) were studied to evaluate the presence of amyloid in cortical cataract. We obtained 39 lenses from 21 postmortem donors with AD and 15 lenses from age-matched controls provided by the Banco de Ojos para Tratamientos de la Ceguera (Barcelona, Spain). For 17 donors, AD was clinically diagnosed by general physicians and for 4 donors the AD diagnosis was neuropathologically confirmed. Of the 21 donors with AD, 6 had pronounced bilateral cortical lens opacities and 15 only minor or no cortical opacities. As controls, 7 donors with pronounced cortical opacities and 8 donors with almost transparent lenses were selected. All lenses were photographed in a dark field stereomicroscope. Histological sections were analyzed using a standard and a more sensitive Congo red protocol, thioflavin staining and beta-amyloid immunohistochemistry. Brain tissue from two donors, one with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and another with advanced AD-related changes and one cornea with lattice dystrophy were used as positive controls for the staining techniques. Thioflavin, standard and modified Congo red staining were positive in the control brain tissues and in the dystrophic cornea. Beta-amyloid immunohistochemistry was positive in the brain tissues but not in the cornea sample. Lenses from control and AD donors were, without exception, negative after Congo red, thioflavin, and beta-amyloid immunohistochemical staining. The results of the positive control tissues correspond well with known observations in AD, amyloid angiopathy and corneas with lattice dystrophy. The absence of staining in AD and control lenses with the techniques employed lead us to conclude that there is no beta-amyloid in lenses from donors with AD or in control cortical cataracts. The inconsistency with previous studies of Goldstein et al. (2003) and Moncaster et al. (2010), both of which demonstrated positive Congo red, thioflavin, and beta-amyloid immunohistochemical staining in AD and Down syndrome lenses, is discussed.

Utilidad de la anestesia tópica en cirugía de estrabismo paralítico / Utility of topical anesthesia in paralytic strabismus surgery

Objetivo: demostrar el uso de anestesia tópica en cirugía de estrabismo paralítico. Método: Es un estudio retrospectivo, comparativo con dos grupos de pacientes mayores de 12 años de edad con estrabismos de diferentes etiologías. Grupo A: pacientes con estrabismo para corregirse bajo anestesia tópica. Grupo B: pacientes con estrabismo para corregirse bajo anestesia general. Para el uso de anestesia tópica se empleó proparacaína en gotas y midazolam intravenoso. Resultados: en grupo A se incluyeron 31 pacientes con una edad 34.1 DE (desviación estándar) 11.3 años con rangos de 18 a 56 años. Desviación 28.4 DE 15.5 dioptrías prismáticas. La cirugía más realizada fue la corrección de estrabismos verticales, y la técnica más comúnmente usada fue cirugía de dos músculos prefiriendo para el reforzamiento el plegamiento muscular. El promedio de seguimiento fue de 9.06 DE 6.3 meses. Se obtuvieron buenos resultados en 25 pacientes, 3 regular, 3 malo. El diagnóstico de estrabismo paralítico se concluyó en 17 pacientes, 8 de III nervio; 5 de IV nervio, 4 de VI nervio. Las causas del estrabismo fueron: tumoral: 6, trauma craneal: 3, aneurisma cerebral: 1, ambliopía sensorial 1, uno por cirugía de región, uno por cirugía de estrabismo bajo técnica ajustable tardía con gran reforzamiento de recto medial, trauma ocular 3 con un músculo perdido recto inferior, y un músculo perdido recto medial, endotropia congénita 7. En el grupo B se ingresaron a estudio 30 pacientes. Edad: 31.9 D.E 15.1 años, con rangos de 12 a 64 años. La desviación fue de 37.83 DE 21.8 dioptrías prismáticas, el estrabismo más operado fue la exotropia antigua especialmente consecutiva a corrección de estrabismo infantil. Se operaron mayor cantidad de músculos. El seguimiento fue de 6.03 DE 7 meses.

Objective: to demostrate the efficacy of topical anesthesia in paralitic strabismus. Method: This is a retrospective and comparative study in patients older than 12 years old, with strabismus of different etiologies. Group A: strabismus corrected under topical anesthesia. Group B: strabismus corrected under general anesthesia. For topical anesthesia we used proparacain and mydazolam. Results: group A: 31 patients, age 34.1 +/- 11.3 years old , 18-56 range. Strabismus deviation: 28.4 +/- 15.5 diopters. Vertical strabismus was the most common surgery. Two muscles technique was the most frequently used, but using tacking preferable. Follow up: 9.06 +/- 6.3 month. We obtainer good results in 20 patients, regular 3, and bad 3. Paralysis was diagnosed in 17 patients, III nerve: 8, IV nerve: 4 causes: 6 tumor, 3 cerebral trauma, 1 cerebral aneurism, 1 sensorial amblyopic, 1 posterior to pterigion surgery. 1 secondary to adjustable surgery for strabismus, 3 ocular trauma with lost muscle, 7 congenital esotropia. We didn't have complications and conversion to general was no necessary. Gruop B: 30 patients average age: 31.9 +/- 15.1 years old. Strabismus: 37.83 +/- 21.8 diopters. The most operated strabismus were old exotropias especially after infantile esotropias. We made more muscles for same quantity of deviation. Follow up: 6.03 +/- 7 months. Results for surgery: good 26, regular 3, bad 1. Conclusions: we could see the preferences for using topical anesthesia in paralysis. Results were good and we could evaluate muscles action under surgery. We could evaluate the effect of recessions in inferior oblique for paralytic strabismus, and effect of tucking in superior oblique avoiding Brown iatrogenic syndrome.