The uveoscleral outflow as an alternate route of aqueous drainage is of great interest in glaucoma surgical treatment. A cyclodialysis cleft allows one to create a direct connection between the anterior chamber (AC) and the suprachoroidal space (SCS) which is the key element of uveoscleral outflow. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of reverse meridional cyclodialysis ab interno (RMCai) in decreasing intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and refractory glaucoma (RG). Fourteen patients who exhibited POAG and RG (11 men and 3 women, age 77.3 ± 7.8 years) were included in the study. All patients underwent RMCai with the help of custom-designed spatula. The spatula, inserted through a clear corneal incision, was used to detach the ciliary body from the scleral spur to create a 2.0–2.5 mm wide and 6.0–6.5 mm deep cleft. Outcome measures were IOP change, use of hypotensive medication(s), complications, and need for a second surgery. Decrease in IOP by more than 20% and IOP between 6 and 21 mmHg without hypotensive medication constituted complete success. Similar changes in IOP with medication constituted partial success. Need for second surgery constituted failure. The follow-up period was >3 months. Baseline IOP and hypotensive medication use were 22.0 ± 8.5 mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI), 17.6–26.4) and 2.6 ± 0.9 (95% CI, 2.2–3.1). At 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, complete success was achieved in 64.3%, 77.8%, 55.6%, 37.5%, and 40% of patients respectively; partial success — in 14.3%, 22.2%, 44.4%, 50.0%, and 60.0%. Four patients required a second surgery. Failure occurred because of cleft closure by fibrosis. It was concluded that RMCai is safe and effective in decreasing IOP in POAG and RG patients.
VIEWS 3178
The rate of mortality and disability associated with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is high. Patients with multiple cerebral aneurysms (MCA) require repeated surgeries more often and they are likely to develop aneurysms de novo and suffer their rupture. This study aimed to apply the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) to assess the quality of life (QOL) of MCA patients after endovascular treatment, late postoperative period. The study involved patients who underwent endovascular treatment and had multiple (>2) cerebral aneurysms (141 people). All patients underwent 1–6 endovascular surgeries; complications developed in 7.1% (10/141) of cases. The patients' QOL was assessed against the ICF 6 to 24 months post-surgery. We found that at such time points treatment results deteriorate in a number of domains, namely those associated with pain, memory, motor coordination, limb strength. Patients with ruptured aneurysms showed worse results for locomotion-related domains than patients with unruptured aneurysms (p < 0.05), in patients with aneurysms having a pseudotumor type of flow, by domains associated with dysfunction of the cranial nerves responsible for innervation of the eye muscles (p < 0.001) (p < 0.001). Patients with ruptured MCA were more active in the late post-surgery period, which was revealed by comparing that period's data to the baseline pre-surgery records (p < 0.05). The severity of activity disorders depended on surgery complications, patient age (p < 0.05), complications that developed during the acute SAH stage (p < 0.001).
VIEWS 3173
Recombinant herpesviruses can be used as oncolytic therapeutic agents and high packaging capacity vectors for delivering expression cassettes into the cell. Herpesvirus saimiri is a gamma-herpesvirus that normally infects squirrel monkeys but also has a unique ability to infect and immortalize human lymphocytes while allowing them to retain their mature phenotype and functional activity. Recombination of the Herpesvirus saimiri genome in permissive cells is impeded by its resistance to chemical transfection and electroporation. The aim of this study was to develop an effective method for incorporating expression cassettes into the genome of Herpesvirus saimiri without having to transfect a permissive cell culture. Transfected HEK-293T cells expressing glycoproteins of the measles virus vaccine strain were co-cultured with permissive OMK cells infected with Herpesvirus saimiri. Cell fusion and formation of syncytia stimulated recombination between the viral genome and the expression cassette; this allowed us to obtain a recombinant Herpesvirus saimiri variant without chemical transfection in permissive cells. The genetically modified virus expressed a selectable marker and retained its ability to persist in the cell in the latent state; it also caused immortalization of primary lymphoid cells. The proposed approach allows engineering recombinant Herpesvirus saimiri strains carrying a variety of expression cassettes in its genome.
VIEWS 3236
Motor recovery of the upper limb is a priority in the neurorehabilitation of stroke patients. Advances in the brain-computer interface (BCI) technology have significantly improved the quality of rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to explore the factors affecting the recovery of the upper limb in stroke patients undergoing BCI-based rehabilitation with the robotic hand. The study recruited 24 patients (14 men and 10 women) aged 51 to 62 years with a solitary supratentorial stroke lesion. The lesion was left-hemispheric in 11 (45.6%) patients and right-hemispheric in 13 (54.4%) patients. Time elapsed from stroke was 4.0 months (3.0; 12.0). The median MoCa score was 25.0 (23.0; 27.0). The rehabilitation course consisted of 9.5 sessions (8.0; 10.0). We established a significant moderate correlation between motor imagery performance (the MIQ-RS score) and the efficacy of patient-BCI interaction. Patients with high MIQ-RS scores (47.5 (32.0; 54.0) achieved a better control of the BCI-driven hand exoskeleton (63.0 (54.0; 67.0), R = 0.67; p < 0.05). Recovery dynamics were more pronounced in patients with high MIQ-RS scores: the median score on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale was 14 (8.0; 16.0) points vs 10 (6.0; 13.0) points in patients with low MIQ-RS scores. However, the difference was not significant. Thus, we established a correlation between a patient’s ability for motor imagery (MIQ-RS) and the efficacy of patient-BCI interaction. A larger patient sample might be necessary to assess the effect of these factors on motor recovery dynamics.
VIEWS 3344
Placental insufficiency (PI) and its complications are multifactorial conditions that cause perinatal morbidity and mortality. Since the urokinase system is involved in placentation, it should have a role in PI pathogenesis. The aim of this work was to study the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes coding for protein components of the urokinase system and PI, as well as investigate their effect on the expression of these proteins in the placenta and placental structure. We examined 114 women with uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery, 48 female patients with pre-eclampsia and/or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and 95 newborns, (pre-eclampsia and/or IUGR: n = 60; uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery: n = 35). Maternal and fetal DNAs were genotyped using real-time PCR. Placenta fragments were subjected to morphometry and immunohistochemistry. We discovered the associations between PI and the maternal C allele of rs4065 (PI group: СС-СТ 64.1%, TT 35.9%; controls: СС-СТ 25.6%, TT 74.49%; OR (95%CI): 6.83 (2.63–17.79)), the maternal A allele of rs2302524 (GG-GA 20.5%, AA 79.5% vs. GG-GA 48.1%, AA 51.9%, OR (95%CI): 0.27 (0.1–0.71)), the fetal C allele of rs4065 (СС-СТ 76.4 %, TT 23.6% vs. СС-СТ 69.6%, TT 30.4%, OR (95%CI): 1.37 (0.45–4.17)), and the fetal C allele of rs344781 (TT-TC 69.1%, СС 30.9% vs. TT-TC 95.7%, СС 4.3%, OR (95% CI): 5.02 (1.07–23.6)). The multivariate analysis confirmed the significance of the fetal rs4065 genotype. In patients with PI, uPA expression was lower (ME (95%CI): 116.45 (100.5; 128.74) vs. 126.09 (113.76; 139.19); р < 0.05). No associations were established between SNPs and protein expression. The degree of vascularization depended on the maternal rs4065 genotype (the stroma-to-vessel ratio for the CC genotype was 0.17 (0.15; 0.19); for the CT genotype, 0.18 (0.15; 0.21) and for the TT genotype, 0.23 (0.2; 0.27); p < 0.05). We conclude that high placental uPA and the presence of the fetal TT rs4065 genotype are protective against the risk of PI.
VIEWS 3289