Purpose To assess the value of diabetic retinopathy (DR) severity as a possible predictive prognostic factor for the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patients and methods Retrospective cohort study. Patients (51) who were initially diagnosed with DR and CKD were enrolled and their medical records were evaluated. The following ophthalmic factors were assessed by fluorescein angiography at the initial visit: area of capillary nonperfusion, presence of neovascularization and vitreous hemorrhage, and DR grade. The effect of these factors on CKD progression over the 2-year period of the study, defined as doubling of serum creatinine or the development of end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or renal transplant, was evaluated. Results The study included 51 patients with DR and CKD; of these, 11 patients (21.6%) were found to have proliferative DR (PDR) and seven patients (13.7%) had highrisk PDR at baseline. Patients with ischemic DR, who showed extensive capillary nonperfusion (Z10 optic disc areas) in the retina, had a greater risk for CKD progression (hazard ratio ¼ 6.64; P ¼ 0.002). Conclusion We found that extensive capillary nonperfusion in the retina greatly increased the risk of progression of CKD in patients with DR. This suggests that the retina and the kidney may have shared risk factors for microvascular disease secondary to diabetes mellitus, and emphasizes the need for a team approach to diabetes care.

T lymphocyte non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (T-NHL) represents an aggressive and largely therapy-resistant subtype of lymphoid malignancies. As deregulated apoptosis is a frequent hallmark of lymphomagenesis, we analyzed gene expression profiles and protein levels of primary human T-NHL samples for various apoptotic regulators. We identified the apoptotic regulator MCL-1 as the only pro-survival BCL-2 family member to be highly expressed throughout all human T-NHL subtypes. Functional validation of pro-survival protein members of the BCL-2 family in two independent T-NHL mouse models identified that the partial loss of Mcl-1 significantly delayed T-NHL development in vivo. Moreover, the inducible reduction of MCL-1 protein levels in lymphoma-burdened mice severely impaired the continued survival of T-NHL cells, increased their susceptibility to chemotherapeutics and delayed lymphoma progression. Lymphoma viability remained unaffected by the genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of all alternative BCL-2 family members. Consistent with a therapeutic window for MCL-1 treatment within the context of the whole organism, we observed an only minimal toxicity after systemic heterozygous loss of Mcl-1 in vivo. We conclude that re-activation of mitochondrial apoptosis by blockade of MCL-1 represents a promising therapeutic strategy to treat T-cell lymphoma.

Aims To evaluate the relationship of axial length (AXL), intraoperatively assessed posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) status, and surgical outcomes of diabetic vitrectomy. Methods Retrospective, consecutive case series. Clinical records were reviewed for 115 eyes (50 males, 65 females) with more than a 6-month follow-up who underwent diabetic vitrectomy from a single surgeon. Thirty-three eyes had vitreous haemorrhage, 37 had tractional retinal detachment (TRD) threatening the macula, 43 had TRD involving the macula, and two had neovascular glaucoma. AXL was measured preoperatively by ultrasonography, and PVD status was classified intraoperatively: broad vitreo-retinal adhesion as no PVD, PVD at the macular area with attachment at the disc as incomplete PVD, and complete PVD. Results Forty-four eyes had no PVD, 23 had incomplete PVD, and 48 had complete PVD. A majority of the no PVD group had macula off TRD (97.7%), whereas vitreous haemorrhage (68.7%) predominated in the complete PVD group. Longer AXLs were noted in the complete PVD group compared with the no PVD and incomplete PVD groups (ANOVA in three groups P ¼ 0.0001). Univariate analysis showed that AXL had an influence on anatomical success (P ¼ 0.02). Multiple logistic regression analysis yielded that PVD status is a significant predictor of the final best corrected visual acuity (BCVA)420/100, and BCVA420/40 (P ¼ 0.01, P ¼ 0.02). Conclusions Intraoperatively assessed PVD status is a prognostic factor for functional outcomes of diabetic vitrectomy. Shorter AXL was associated with lesser PVD. In eyes with a lack of PVD, careful timing and decision of surgery are mandatory.

Purpose To evaluate prognostic factors in newly diagnosed nvAMD. Methods Forty eyes of 37 patients with nvAMD received 0.5mg of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) monthly. One month after the third IVR, responders were defined as patients having improved visual acuity without retinal fluid. Results 22 eyes (55%) were responders. Multivariate logistic regression identified thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) (p=0.049) and smaller choroidal neovascularization (p=0.043) as predictive factor for responder. SFCT were significantly thicker in responders (257 vs. 167 μm) even after adjusting for age and spherical equivalent. (p=0.024) Conclusion Thinner choroidal thickness is negative prognostic factor for response to IVR in nvAMD.