Products of advanced glycation in patients with type 2 diabetes and vascular disease.

BACKGROUND: Non-enzymatic glycation leading to advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) formation is thought to contribute to vascular pathology. In the present study, AGEs and anti-AGE antibodies in free and immune complex-bound form were assayed in the serum of diabetic (DMCAD) (n = 69) and nondiabetic (n = 78) patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and in control subjects (n = 47) free from vascular disease. METHODS: A blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test immunoreactivity against AGE epitope(s) and a competitive ELISA was used to measure total AGE content. RESULTS: Anti-AGE immunoreactivity was significantly higher in diabetic than in control subjects (P = 0.045). Although a wide range of anti-AGE antibody titres were observed in nondiabetic CAD patients, there was no significant difference from those of control subjects. Both diabetic and nondiabetic CAD patients had a higher concentration of circulating immune complexes containing the AGE moiety as antigen than did control subjects (DMCAD versus control, P = 0.041; CAD versus control, P = 0.047). Study patients showed a positive correlation between serum AGE and AGE-immune complexes (DM, r = 0.29, P = 0.014; CAD, r = 0.26, P = 0.019), whereas no such correlation was recorded in controls (r = 0.08, P = 0.89). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating increased AGE-immune complexes in patients with CAD, either with or without diabetes, suggesting that AGE-immune complexes might be involved in the atherosclerotic process, either as the result of it or as part of the pathophysiologic process.

Lodoxamide as adjuvant therapy in patients with dry eye.

Dry eye, due to its impaired function of tear film becomes more susceptible to all kinds of airborne allergens. Due to air pollution this is more marked in urban areas, and is compounded by the modern way of life. There are various standard topical medications which alleviate allergic reaction of the eye, but many of them must be administered with caution and only on short term due to their potentially hazardous side effects. The purpose of this work is to assess the efficacy of lodoxamide, a new antiallergic medication for topical use, whose advantage is low or absent risk of adverse side effects, in alleviating local allergic reactions of the eye in patients with dry eye. Research has shown that, compared to treatment with eye lubricants alone (artificial tears), treatment with artificial tears combined with lodoxamide has resulted in more marked decrease in the signs of inflammation, and to the lesser extent to the reduction of the symptoms as well.

[The neodymium YAG laser and surgical discission in traumatic cataracts]. / Neodymium YAG laser i kirurska discizija kod traumatske katarakte.

The results achieved in the treatment of secondary traumatic cataract using either Nd-YAG laser or surgical discussion in 41 patients at the Department of Ophtmhalmology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb in the period between 1987 and 1989 are presented. Good visual acuity was achieved in 60% of the patients who were treated by Nd-YAG laser, and in 28% of those who had surgical discussion. Transitory increase of intraocular pressure measured 2 hours after Nd-YAG laser application was observed in 90% of the subjects. Transitory increase of IOP correlated negatively with the total amount of the applied laser energy. In 24 hours following surgical discussion no increase of IOP was noted. Postoperative complications of vitreous prolapse and bullous keratopathy were found in 4 patients treated by surgical discussion.