Outcomes of conjunctival compression sutures for hypotony after glaucoma filtering surgery

3openopenQuaranta L.; Riva I.; Floriani I.C:Quaranta, Luciano; Riva, Ivano; Floriani I., C

Effects of the timolol-dorzolamide fixed combination and latanoprost on circadian diastolic ocular perfusion pressure in glaucoma.

PURPOSE. To evaluate the effect of the timolol-dorzolamide fixed combination (TDFC) and latanoprost 0.005% on 24-hour intraocular pressure (IOP), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, and diastolic ocular perfusion pressure (DOPP) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS. This was an institutional, randomized clinical trial. After a 24-hour assessment without treatment, 27 previously untreated patients with POAG were randomized to 6 weeks’ treatment with twice-daily TDFC (8 AM and 8 PM) followed by once-daily latanoprost 0.005% (8 PM), or vice versa. One eye was analyzed per patient. The mean values of IOP, DBP, SBP, and DOPP (difference between DBP and IOP) were recorded at each time point, and the 24-hour data are the mean values of each patient’s measurements over the 24-hour period. The differences between the values of the first treatment period and the baseline and the second treatment period and washout were calculated and analyzed by means of an analysis of variance model that tested the effects of sequence and treatment. RESULTS. Both treatments significantly reduced 24-hour IOP (P <0.0001), but TDFC led to lower 24-hour pressure (mean ±SD: 15.4 ±1.9 vs. 16.7± 1.7 mm Hg; P=0.004). Latanoprost did not lead to any significant reduction in mean 24-hour SBP and DBP (SBP: P =0.952; DBP: P=0.831), but TDFC did (SBP and DBP: P < 0.0001). Both treatments significantly increased 24-hour DOPP (P < 0.0001), with no difference between the two medications (P=0.09). CONCLUSIONS. In previously untreated patients with POAG, TDFC, and latanoprost equally enhanced 24-hour DOPP: the former by counteracting the decrease in DBP with a substantial reduction in IOP and the latter by not affecting DBP and significantly reducing IO

Efficacy and safety of trabeculectomy vs nonpenetrating surgical procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To date, only a few studies have directly compared nonpenetrating surgery (NPS) and trabeculectomy (TE). Therefore, there is no strong evidence as to which surgical technique leads to the best results in terms of ocular hypotensive effect and safety

Twenty-four hour efficacy with preservative free tafluprost compared with latanoprost in patients with primary open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension

10openopenKonstas A.G.; Quaranta L.; Katsanos A.; Riva I.; Tsai J.C.; Giannopoulos T.; Voudouragkaki I.C.; Paschalinou E.; Floriani I.; Haidich A.B.Konstas, A. G.; Quaranta, Luciano; Katsanos, A.; Riva, Ivano; Tsai, J. C.; Giannopoulos, T.; Voudouragkaki, I. C.; Paschalinou, E.; Floriani, I.; Haidich, A. B

Anomalous diffusion as a signature of collapsing phase in two dimensional self-gravitating systems

A two dimensional self-gravitating Hamiltonian model made by $N$ fully-coupled classical particles exhibits a transition from a collapsing phase (CP) at low energy to a homogeneous phase (HP) at high energy. From a dynamical point of view, the two phases are characterized by two distinct single-particle motions : namely, superdiffusive in the CP and ballistic in the HP. Anomalous diffusion is observed up to a time $\tau$ that increases linearly with $N$. Therefore, the finite particle number acts like a white noise source for the system, inhibiting anomalous transport at longer times.Comment: 10 pages, Revtex - 3 Figs - Submitted to Physical Review

Equilibrium and dynamical properties of two dimensional self-gravitating systems

A system of N classical particles in a 2D periodic cell interacting via long-range attractive potential is studied. For low energy density $U$ a collapsed phase is identified, while in the high energy limit the particles are homogeneously distributed. A phase transition from the collapsed to the homogeneous state occurs at critical energy U_c. A theoretical analysis within the canonical ensemble identifies such a transition as first order. But microcanonical simulations reveal a negative specific heat regime near $U_c$. The dynamical behaviour of the system is affected by this transition : below U_c anomalous diffusion is observed, while for U > U_c the motion of the particles is almost ballistic. In the collapsed phase, finite $N$-effects act like a noise source of variance O(1/N), that restores normal diffusion on a time scale diverging with N. As a consequence, the asymptotic diffusion coefficient will also diverge algebraically with N and superdiffusion will be observable at any time in the limit N \to \infty. A Lyapunov analysis reveals that for U > U_c the maximal exponent \lambda decreases proportionally to N^{-1/3} and vanishes in the mean-field limit. For sufficiently small energy, in spite of a clear non ergodicity of the system, a common scaling law \lambda \propto U^{1/2} is observed for any initial conditions.Comment: 17 pages, Revtex - 15 PS Figs - Subimitted to Physical Review E - Two column version with included figures : less paper waste

A Path Toward the Use of Trail Users’ Tweets to Assess Effectiveness of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme: An Exploratory Analysis of the Pennine Way National Trail

Large and unofficial data sets, for instance those gathered from social media, are increasingly being used in geographical research and explored as decision support tools for policy development. Social media data have the potential to provide new insight into phenomena about which there is little information from conventional sources. Within this context, this paper explores the potential of social media data to evaluate the aesthetic management of landscape. Specifically, this project utilises the perceptions of visitors to the Pennine Way National Trail, which passes through land managed under the Environmental Stewardship Scheme (ESS). The method analyses sentiment in trail users’ public Twitter messages (tweets) with the aim of assessing the extent to which the ESS maintains landscape character within the trail corridor. The method demonstrates the importance of filtering social media data to convert it into useful information. After filtering, the results are based on 161 messages directly related to the trail. Although small, this sample illustrates the potential for social media to be used as a cheap and increasingly abundant source of information. We suggest that social media data in this context should be seen as a resource that can complement, rather than replace, conventional data sources such as questionnaires and interviews. Furthermore, we provide guidance on how social media could be effectively used by conservation bodies, such as Natural England, which are charged with the management of areas of environmental value worldwide