Purpose To report the clinical features, possible associations and treatment outcomes of patients with macular hole after pars plana vitrectomy (single or multiple) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Methods Retrospective consecutive case series from July 2009 to July 2014. Results In the 15 study patients, the average time from retinal detachment surgery to macular hole diagnosis was 119 days (range: 41 – 398 months). Possible associations include epiretinal membrane (73%, 11/15 patients), macula-off retinal detachment (60%, 9/15 patients), recurrent retinal detachment (47%, 7/15 patients) and high myopia (56%, 5/9 patients). Single surgery was successful in hole closure in 8/15 patients (Group A) while 7/15 patients underwent multiple surgeries (Group B). Macular hole closure was achieved in 7/8 (87.5%) patients in Group A compared to 4/7 (57.1%) patients in Group B. Improvement of at least two lines of Snellen’s visual acuity was achieved in 4/8 (50.0%) and 4/7 (57.1%) patients in Group A and B respectively. Conclusion In patients with macular hole formation after pars plana vitrectomy for retinal detachment, possible associations were epiretinal membrane, macula-off retinal detachment, recurrent retinal detachment and high myopia. Even when macular hole closure was achieved, limited visual improvement occurred.

The discrepancy between SightBook mobile app and the clinic charts acuities may be large; however, the results are highly reproducible. Obtaining baseline SightBook acuity allows future vision comparisons. SightBook mobile app offers a new portable vision assessment tool for the office and remote patient monitoring.

Patients with IOM did not have an increased rate of dysphagia after total fundoplication compared with those with normal motility, but they did have a higher rate of recurrence of endoscopic and pH-proven reflux.

Background The actual effects of oxygen therapy on patients who have suffered a stroke are still unknown, and its recommendation as a routine measure in emergency services remains controversial. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of hyperoxia in functional recovery in patients with ischemic stroke who underwent intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IAMT). Methods A prospective observational cohort study that included all adult patients consecutively admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to an ischemic stroke in the anterior cerebral circulation and following an IAMT intervention, between 2010 and 2015. All patients were intubated and connected to mechanical ventilation for the intra-arterial therapy, receiving supplementary oxygen to achieve saturations above 94%. Two groups were established regarding oxygen partial pressure (paO 2 ) reached. It was based on a single ICU admission blood gas analysis. The hyperoxia group was defined as paO 2 > 120 mmHg. We measured functional recovery in each of the groups according to the modified Rankin scale after 90 days. Results For the analysis, a total of 333 patients were included. High levels of paO 2 were mostly related to higher scores in modified Rankin scale (mRS) after 90 days. There were 60.6% cases with mRS ≥ 4 and 70.6% with mRS ≥ 3 in the hyperoxia group, compared to 43.0% and 56.1% in the paO 2 ≤ 120 group, p < 0.01, respectively. Mortality was higher in the hyperoxia group, 28.6% vs 18.7%, p = 0.04. After regression adjustment by confounding factors, poor functional outcome was still significantly higher in the hyperoxia group, for both mRS ≥ 4 and mRS ≥ 3: OR 2.2.7, IC 95%, 1.22–4.23, p = 0.01 and OR 2.07, IC 95%, 1.05–4.029, p = 0.04, respectively. Both the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Score (NIHSS) values at 24 h after the IAMT and the days of ICU stay were significantly higher in the hyperoxia group. Conclusions In patients with ischemic stroke in the anterior cerebral circulation treated with IAMT, we found an association between admission PaO2 > 120 mmHg and worse functional outcome 90 days after ischemic stroke, but this association needs further confirmation by other studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13613-019-0533-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The presence of calcifications of the transverse ligament of the atlas in patients with chondrocalcinosis occurs more frequently than that reported earlier. The CT scan is the most sensitive method to detect it. Taking into account that calcifications of TLA may manifest as CDS in a high percentage of these patients, such possibility should be considered in all patients with neck pain, stiffness, fever, and inflammatory response so as to avoid invasive diagnostic methods and more aggressive treatments than the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

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Colchicine is a plant-derived alkaloid that disrupts the cell microtubule system and accumulates in neutrophils, inhibiting neutrophil adhesion and recruitment. Colchicine has been used extensively in the prevention and treatment of gouty arthritis attacks, familial Mediterranean fever attacks and resultant AA amyloidosis, and recurrent pericarditis. Colchicine also disrupts the intracellular traffic of additional inflammatory and fibrosis mediators. Renal fibrosis is the final common pathway of chronic renal disease. Colchicine had anti-fibrotic effects in experimental diabetic nephropathy, renal mass reduction, and cyclosporine nephrotoxicity among others and is undergoing clinical trials for non-diabetic metabolic syndrome and diabetic nephropathy. In this review, we summarize the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties of colchicine in experimental and clinical studies in renal diseases or other fibrotic disease processes with renal consequences. We also discuss the potential future uses of colchicine in renal medicine and challenges faced with its use in patients with impaired kidney function.

Elevated serum uric acid and ADMA levels are associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, but their combination does not improve risk prediction. The effects are not additive, possibly because uric acid may lie in the causal pathway by which ADMA acts.