[Efficacy and safety of intravitreal injection of bevacizumab in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma: systematic review]. / Eficacia y seguridad de la inyección intravítrea de bevacizumab en el tratamiento del glaucoma neovascular: revisión sistemática.

PURPOSE: Systematic review on efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma (NVG). All original papers published in Medline (prior to August 2008) were included. METHODS: Search and selection of information on the internet and in Medline, validated by Kappa Index (K). Statistical and clinical study of the results in the selected articles on a one by one basis. RESULTS: 26 original papers analyzed the efficacy and safety of the procedure in case reports and short series of cases (127 eyes). The efficacy calculated in the sample was 68.7% and the recurrence rate was 18.6% in 4.2 months of follow-up. All studies were after 2006 and none of them was a clinical randomized controlled assay. Ophthalmic complications were under 0.78% and no systemic complications were found. CONCLUSIONS: The use of bevacizumab demonstrates that intravitreal injections may be effective and useful to manipulate growth factors in the anterior chamber. IVB could serve as a first line treatment for NVG. Clinical trials are needed to confirm these results before its use is authorized.

[Variations in the level of S antigen auto-antibodies and their relation to the development of retinitis pigmentosa (autosomal recessive genetic form)]. / Variation des titres d'auto-anticorps anti-antigène S et corrélation avec la durée d'évolution du processus de rétinite pigmentaire (forme génétique autosomique récessive).

A group of 40 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (autosomal recessive) were studied. The levels of soluble retinal antigen (S antigen of human origin) auto-antibodies were measured by means of the enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay. The results obtained were compared with those of a control population of 100 healthy subjects (p less than 0.001). A statistically significant correlation (r = 0.451, p less than 0.01) was observed when comparison was made between the anti-S levels and the time elapsed from the moment of retinitis pigmentosa diagnosis.

Evolution time and longitudinal studies of the anti-S-antigen antibody titers in retinitis pigmentosa.

Sixty-six patients with retinitis pigmentosa (forma simplex) and 37 control patients were studied for titers of anti-S-antigen auto-antibodies by means of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique (ELISA). A longitudinal study showed a positive significance (P less than 0.01) which demonstrated the uniformity of the data obtained. Comparison of the anti-S-antigen titers of the patients and controls revealed a statistically significant difference (P less than 0.001) between both populations. The relationship between the time of evolution of retinitis pigmentosa and the anti-S-antigen titers also showed a statistically significant difference (P less than 0.005). These results show both a rise in the anti-S-antigen antibody titers in relation to the evolution time of retinitis pigmentosa and a uniformity in the data obtained in the anti-S-antigen antibody longitudinal study carried out.

Immune complexes in retinitis pigmentosa.

In a group of 46 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), we studied the levels of IgM, the presence of a rheumatoid factor (RF), the circulating immune complexes (CIC) and the alterations in the complement system. Our results showed increased IgM levels in two patients (226 and 260 mg/dl), the presence of RF in three patients (205, 187 and 80 IU/ml), the existence of CIC in 43.5% of the subjects, reduced levels of the complement components C3 and C4 (p less than 0.001) and of the haemolytic activity CH50 (p less than 0.001) when compared with a control group consisting of 100 healthy subjects. We found a statistically significant correlation between the values of C3 and CIC (p less than 0.01), C4 and CIC (p less than 0.01) and between CH50 and CIC (p less than 0.001).

[Importance of the use of the Betatron in combination with other procedures in the treatment of retinoblastoma]. / Importance de l'emploi du Bétatron associé à d'autres procédés dans le traitement du rétinoblastome.

High energy (Betatron) improves the results of retinoblastoma therapy. Among its advantages we should like to mention the following: high doses at the tumour may be reached within a few days; the exact position of the tumour may be determined without half-light; the duration of irradiation is short which permits to keep the patients-mostly children-immoble more easily, and the good general and local tolerance of the irradiation.