ABSTRACT
Purpose: Choroidal thinning has been associated with reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) and ß-peripapillary atrophy (ß-PPA), which have been linked to normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). This analysis sought to determine whether RPD are independently associated with ß-PPA in early AMD patients. Secondary outcomes included the association of RPD and preexisting diagnosis of glaucoma, cup-to-disc ratio (CDR), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), and IOP. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study examined 78 age- and sex-matched early AMD patients: 43 RPD patients (63 eyes) and 35 non-RPD patients (64 eyes). Exclusion criteria included advanced AMD, high myopia, and vitreoretinal conditions/surgery. RPD and non-RPD groups were identified by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. ß-PPA as well as CDR were graded on digital, nonstereoscopic fundus photos. SFCT was measured on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography for 69 patients (35 RPD and 34 non-RPD). IOP and glaucoma diagnosis were extracted from charts. Results: ß-PPA had a greater prevalence in RPD than non-RPD (44% vs. 19%, P = 0.002); however, this relationship was not significant when SFCT was added to the model (P = 0.150). A preexisting diagnosis of glaucoma (P = 0.156), CDR (P = 0.176), and IOP (P = 0.98) was not different between groups. Conclusions: RPD in early AMD are associated with presence of ß-PPA, but choroidal thickness is a confounder in this relationship. Because ß-PPA is a common finding in NTG, focusing on a potential shared pathway between RPD and NTG could improve the understanding of pathophysiology and expand therapies for each condition.
Subject(s)
Geographic Atrophy/diagnosis , Glaucoma/diagnosis , Optic Atrophy/diagnosis , Retinal Drusen/diagnosis , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Choroidal Neovascularization/pathology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Fluorescein Angiography , Humans , Intraocular Pressure , Male , Ophthalmoscopy , Optic Disk/pathology , Prospective Studies , Tomography, Optical Coherence/methods , Visual AcuityABSTRACT
The results of an histochemical and microscopic study of the APUD cells carried on gastric biopsies are reported. Endocrine cell hyperplasia, microscopically detected, was particularly evident in atrophic gastritis (type A chronic gastritis) and adenomas. The presence of the APUD cells confirmed by electronmicroscopy, which revealed granules of 200 NM with a central nucleus and a membrane-separating electron-lucent ring, gives a further contribution to the hypothesis of a possible association between endocrine cell hyperplasia and intestinal metaplasia.
Subject(s)
APUD Cells , Gastric Mucosa/cytology , Adenoma/pathology , Adult , Aged , Biopsy , Chronic Disease , Dyspepsia/pathology , Gastritis, Atrophic/pathology , Histocytochemistry , Humans , Microscopy, Electron , Middle Aged , Polyps/pathology , Stomach Neoplasms/pathology , Stomach Ulcer/pathologyABSTRACT
The Authors, after pointing out how incidence of gastric cancer has been reducing last decades, dwell upon environmental and genetic factors that may be linked to the occurrence of such neoplasia. After reporting the data of a retrospective study, they consider the survival rates related to the clinical stage and site of the tumor as well as the therapeutic treatment adopted. They conclude that, even though today gastric cancer is a neoplasia with a still unfavourable prognosis, an early diagnosis and a proper therapeutic procedure may give sufficient guarantees of success.
