Structural changes of macula and optic disk of the fellow eye in patients with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

PURPOSE: The aim was to assess the ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and optic disk features in the affected eyes (AE) and unaffected fellow eyes (FE) of subjects with unilateral nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and to compare with healthy control eyes (CE) using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). METHODS: This study included 28 patients and age, sex and refraction-matched 28 control subjects. Mean GCC thickness and peripapillary RNFL thickness in four quadrants measured by cirrus SD-OCT were evaluated in both AE and FE of patients and CE. In addition, optic disk measurements obtained with OCT were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean GCC thickness was significantly lower in AE compared with both FE and CE (P < 0.001), and mean GCC thickness in FE was significantly lower than CE (P = 0.022). In addition, mean RNFL thickness in superior and nasal quadrants significantly decreased in FE compared with CE (P = 0.020 and 0.010, respectively). Furthermore, AE had significantly greater optic disk cupping compared with both FE and CE (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: GCC and RNFL thickness decreased significantly at late stages of NAION, in both AE and FE compared with CE, suggesting that some subclinical structural changes may occur in FE despite lack of obvious visual symptoms. In addition, there was no significant difference in optic disk features between the CE and FE. And significantly greater optic disk cupping in the AE compared with both FE and CE supports the acquired enlargement of cupping after the onset of NAION.

Comment on "Serum human epididymis protein 4 is associated with the treatment response of concurrent chemo-radiotherapy and prognosis in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer" by Lan WG et al

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Assessment of concomitant versus sequential trastuzumab on radiation-induced cardiovascular toxicity.

There are limited data regarding effect of trastuzumab on radiation-induced cardiovascular toxicity when used sequentially or concomitantly. This experimental study aims to investigate effect of trastuzumab on radiation-induced cardiovascular toxicity with respect to the treatment sequence. One hundred and eight female Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups (G): G1 was control, G2 was trastuzumab, and G3 was radiotherapy (RT); G4 and G6 were sequential RT and trastuzumab; and G5 was concomitant RT and trastuzumab groups, respectively. Rats were killed at 6th h, 21st and 70th days after RT; thoracic aorta and heart samples were obtained. Transthoracic echocardiography and functional studies evaluating relaxation of thoracic aorta were performed. Subendothelial edema scores of thoracic aorta samples at 21st and 70th days were higher in RT groups (G3, G4, G5, and G6) ( p < 0.001). There was a deterioration of relaxation responses of thoracic aorta samples in RT groups ( p < 0.001). Cardiac fibrosis (CF) scores revealed detrimental effect of RT beginning from 6th h and trastuzumab from 21st day. RT groups showed further deterioration of CF at 70th day. Ejection fraction, left ventricular mass, and fractional shortening were significantly decreased in G4, G5, and G6. Trastuzumab may increase pathological damage in cardiovascular structures when used with RT regardless of timing.

Amelioration of radiation-induced lung injury by halofuginone: An experimental study in Wistar-Albino rats.

To evaluate effects of halofuginone (H) on radiation-induced lung injury (RILI), 60 rats were divided into six groups: Group (G) 1 control, G2 radiotherapy (RT) only, G3 and G4 2. 5 and 5 µg H and G5 and G6 RT + 2.5 and 5 µg H groups, respectively. A single dose of 12 Gy RT was given to both lungs. H was applied intraperitoneally with daily doses, until animals were killed at 6 and 16 weeks after RT. At 6th and 16th weeks of RT, five rats from each group were killed. Lung tissues were dissected for light and electron microscopy. Chronic inflammation, fibrosis and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF)-ß scores of all study groups were significantly different at 6th and 16th week ( p < 0.001). Chronic inflammation, fibrosis and TGF-ß scores of G2 were higher than G5 and G6 at 6th and 16th weeks of RT. At 16th week, fibrosis and TGF-ß scores of G5 were higher than G6 ( p = 0.040 and 0.028, respectively). Electron microscopical findings also supported these results. Therefore, H may ameliorate RILI. The effect of the H was more prominent at higher dose and after long-term follow-up. These findings should be clarified with further studies.

The use of concurrent hormonotherapy and radiotherapy does not deteriorate radiation-induced cardiac toxicity.

Postmenopausal patients with breast cancer have two options for adjuvant endocrine therapy, tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors (AIs) as well as radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy. However, there is limited data regarding the optimal sequencing of RT and tamoxifen/AIs. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effects of tamoxifen and AIs on radiation-induced cardiotoxicity. Eighty ovariectomized rats were divided into eight groups (G). G1 was defined as a control group; G2, G3, G4, and G5 were RT, tamoxifen, anastrozle, and letrozole groups, respectively; G6, G7, and G8 were RT plus tamoxifen, anastrozle, and letrozole groups, respectively. Drugs were started 1 week before RT and continued until the animals were killed 16 weeks after RT. The heart tissues were then dissected and examined with light microscopy to determine endocardial thickness and cardiac fibrosis. The endocardial thickness scores of both RT alone and the tamoxifen groups as well as the cardiac fibrosis score of RT alone were higher than that the control group ( p < 0.05 for all). There was no difference in the endocardial thickness and cardiac fibrosis scores of the RT-only group and the RT plus hormonotherapy groups ( p > 0.05 for all). Concurrent administration of RT and hormonal therapy with either tamoxifen or AIs did not further amplify radiation-induced cardiac toxicity. This issue warrants further study.

Postmastectomy radiation therapy in locally advanced breast cancer.

Despite wide efforts for early detection of breast cancer using screening mammography, locally advanced breast carcinomas account for a remarkable proportion of all breast carcinomas, particularly in developing countries. Locally advanced breast cancer may have widely different clinical and biological features. Radiotherapy plays an important role in the management of locally advanced breast cancer. Postmastectomy radiotherapy has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of loco-regional failure and to improve disease free survival as well as overall survival in high-risk women with breast cancer. This review article summarizes the data from randomized trials revealing a significant benefit from postmastectomy radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced disease.

Role of postmastectomy radiation therapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer is the gold standard in the treatment of locally advanced, inoperable breast cancer, and also based on a large body of evidence has become a standard treatment option for patients with operable disease, who are clear candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy. There are several advantages of administering neoadjuvant chemotherapy: tumor downstaging, improving the chance of breast conserving surgery, in vivo assessment of tumor sensitivity to the chosen therapeutic regimen, and early control of micro-metastatic disease. However there are substantially less data to aid in determining which patients treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy warrant postmastectomy radiotherapy. According to the recent literature, patients who require mastectomy after systemic therapy should receive postmastectomy radiotherapy.

Evaluation of the acute effect of palonosetron on transmural dispersion of myocardial repolarization.

BACKGROUND: 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor type-3 (5-HT3) antagonists are widely used for prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and regarded to have a high safety profile. However, several electrocardiographic changes and cardiac arrhythmias have been reported due to administration of 5-HT3 antagonists. Only prolongation of QT interval has been investigated as an index of potential for life-threatening arrhythmias in adult patients using 5-HT3 antagonists. Recently, increase in transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR) has been proposed as a more reliable determinant of arrhythmogenic potential. AIM: To assess the effects of palonosetron, a second-generation 5-HT3 antagonist, on the T-wave peak to T-wave end (TpTe) interval which has been proposed as a reliable index of spatial TDR. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 50 consecutive cancer patients (aged: 57 +/- 12 years) who were scheduled to receive emetogenic chemotherapy were included to the study. Baseline12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) recordings were obtained. Then, all patients received 8 mg intravenous dexamethasone followed by a single dose of 0.25 mg intravenous palonosetron administered over 30 seconds. A second ECG was performed 30 minutes after the administration of palonosetron. Indices of cardiac repolarization and TDR before and after the administration of palonosetron were compared. RESULTS: In comparison with baseline there was no statistically significant change in any of the heart rate-corrected parameters, including QT(c) (lead V5), QT(maxc), QT(minc), QT(cd), TpTe (V5), TpTe(max), TpTe(min), TpTe(d) and TpTe/QT (V5). CONCLUSIONS: Palonosetron does not have any significant effect on QT(c) and TpTe intervals. It might be the drug of choice for prophylaxis of CINV in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with known cardiotoxic potential or who have pre-existing cardiac disease that predispose them to drug-induced arrhythmias.

Acute effect of palonosetron on electrocardiographic parameters in cancer patients: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Palonosetron is a novel 5-hydroxytryptamine(3) (5 HT(3)) receptor antagonist, which has been shown to be superior to first generation 5 HT(3) receptor antagonists regarding the prevention of acute, delayed and overall chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. First generation 5 HT(3) receptor antagonists may induce electrocardiographic changes of heart rate and repolarization. The acute cardiac effect of palonosteron is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine acute effects of palonosetron on electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters in cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study had a prospective design. Seventy-six cancer patients with normal cardiac function who received palonosetron for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting were enrolled. Standard 12-lead ECG recordings were performed at baseline and 30 min after palonosetron administration. P wave durations and corrected QT intervals were measured; P wave dispersion (Pd) and QTc dispersion were calculated. RESULTS: Median heart rate did not differ among 76 patients enrolled before and after palonosetron administration (p: 0.6). Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were not significantly different before and after palonosteron (p values 0.9 and 0.3, respectively). Although median QT min value was higher after palonosetron administration than before palonosetron administration, the difference was not statistically significant (p: 0.6). CONCLUSION: Palonosetron seems to have no acute arrhythmogenic potential.

Concomitant trastuzumab with thoracic radiotherapy: a morphological and functional study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to elucidate if there is an additive or supra-additive toxic effects of radiotherapy (RT) and trastuzumab (T) on vascular structures when used concomitantly. METHODS: Female Wistar albino rats were treated with either 8 or 15 Gy of thoracic RT. T was applied i.p. with a dose of 6 mg/kg 2 h before RT. Four rats in each arm were killed at 6th h, 21st and 70th days after irradiation and thoracic aorta of each animal was dissected for electron microscopy. In addition, functional studies for evaluating the relaxation and contraction were carried out 21 days after RT. RESULTS: Only 15-Gy RT dose groups showed significant difference in terms of functional deterioration as more contraction than the others (P < 0.05) without any difference between RT and RT + T. However, T produced additional deficit in relaxation when added to RT, which was considered near significant (P: 0.0502). Electron microscopy showed endothelial and subendotelial damage signs in 15-Gy dose groups. T + 15-Gy arm showed more pronounced endothelial cell damage than 15-Gy RT-only arm, 70 days after RT. CONCLUSION: T and high-dose RT may lead to vascular damage that seems at least additive.

Evaluation of the change in accommodation amplitude in subjects with pseudoexfoliation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in accommodation amplitude in cases with pseudoexfoliation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine eyes having pseudoexfoliation and 37 normal eyes aged between 40-60 years were included in the study. After ophthalmic examination, accommodation amplitude was measured using Powerrefractor II. Besides, axial length, anterior chamber depth, and lens thickness was measured by A-scan ultrasonography. The results obtained were evaluated by independent samples' t-test. RESULTS: There was no difference in mean age between cases with pseudoexfoliation and normal cases (P=0.131). Mean accommodation amplitude was significantly lower in cases with pseudoexfoliation (P=0.002). Axial length, anterior chamber depth, and lens thickness measurements did not show significant change between groups (P=0.55, P=0.66, P=0.36, respectively). CONCLUSION: In the presence of pseudoexfoliation, ciliary apparatus can be affected and accommodation amplitude can be decreased in earlier ages.

A new visual field test in empty sella syndrome: rarebit perimetry.

PURPOSE: Several visual field defects can be seen in empty sella syndrome (ESS). In this study, the authors aimed to evaluate the visual field defects in patients with ESS by rarebit perimetry and to compare the results with Humphrey perimetry. METHODS: Left eyes of 13 patients with ESS and left eyes of 15 age-matched normal subjects were included in the study. Visual field testing was performed by Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer II (Fastpack 30-2 strategy) and rarebit perimetry (regular test). Statistical analysis was performed by independent-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and Pearson correlation test. RESULTS: Humphrey perimetry mean deviation was -3.67 dB in control group and -6.06 dB in patients with ESS (p=0.12). Mean hit rate calculated by rarebit test was 91.8% in control group and 75.9% in cases with ESS (p=0.005). Area under ROC curve was 0.756 for Humphrey visual field test and 0.827 for rarebit hit rate (p=0.59). There was a significant correlation between rarebit hit rate and Humphrey visual field test mean deviation (r=0.755, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Rarebit perimetry correlates significantly with Humphrey perimeter in detecting visual field defects related with ESS and has a higher sensitivity and specificity.

The effect of levodopa and dopamine agonists on optic nerve head in Parkinson disease.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of levodopa and dopamine agonists on retinal nerve fiber layer using scanning laser ophthalmoscope. METHODS: Forty-four patients with the diagnosis of Parkinson disease and receiving levodopa or dopamine agonist monotherapy were included in this prospective study. The control group consisted of 21 normal cases. The optic nerve head images were taken with Heidelberg Retina Tomograph; rim area, rim volume, mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and the results of Moorfields regression analysis were calculated. The measurement results were evaluated with Kruskal Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in mean age among groups (p=0.093). Retinal nerve fiber layer was measured to be significantly decreased in cases with Parkinson disease (p=0.004) while rim area and rim volume did not show a significant change (p=0.224, p=0.804 respectively). Rim area, rim volume, and retinal nerve fiber layer were significantly greater in the group treated with levodopa while it was the thinnest in the group receiving dopamine agonists. CONCLUSIONS: Levodopa can have a protective affect to retinal nerve fiber layer in Parkinson disease compared to dopamine agonists.

Event related potentials in children of alcoholics.

Assessment of ERPs (Event Related Potentials) is a special area of interest in research on vulnerability to alcoholism in human subjects. ERP not only provide information about potential neurofunctional anomalies in healthy individuals, but also relate those neurofunctional characteristics to the cognitive process involved. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of chronic alcoholism and alcoholism risk on children of alcoholic fathers by using ERP parameters. 24 children of alcoholic fathers (9 boys, 15 girls) with a mean age of 18 +/- 3 (range: 15-25) and 17 control subjects (children of non-alcoholic fathers with out a family history of alcoholism) were included to the study. The age range was from 15 to 25 (mean: 21 +/- 3). N200 potential latency recorded from the parietal electrode position was significantly prolonged (p = 0.032) and amplitudes of P200 potential also recorded from the parietal region was significantly low (p = 0.043) relative to controls. However, the rest of the event-related potential parameters including P300 latency and amplitudes recorded from FZ, CZ, PZ electrode positions did not differ significantly from the children of non-alcoholic fathers. The difference in our results from the previous studies may be due to various factors. Genetic, gender, environmental, educational and social factors may have an overall effect on ERP and we believe these factors may be the cause of the differences seen in our study when compared to the previous ones. We believe the gender differences in our group may have had effected the overall results. Consecutive studies with more subject participation are needed to confirm and settle this issue.

[Does the cilioretinal artery affect age-related macular degeneration?]. / Können zilioretinale Arterien altersabhängige Makuladegeneration beeinflussen?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the cilioretinal artery (CRA) on eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: One hundred and seventy-five eyes with AMD and 170 eyes without AMD as a control were included in the study. The prevalence of a CRA was compared between the control subjects and the patients with AMD. RESULTS: A CRA was established in 20.6 % of eyes that did not have AMD. 12.5 % of eyes with AMD had a CRA (p = 0.045). A CRA was observed in 13.6 % of eyes with wet AMD, in 10.5 % of eyes with dry AMD and in 19.2 % of eyes with drusen. CONCLUSION: The presence of CRA may have protective effects against the development of AMD.