An Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Timolol Maleate 0.5% Microdrops Administered with the Nanodropper®

OBJECTIVE OR PURPOSE

Examine if 12.5 μL timolol maleate 0.5% microdrops dispensed with the Nanodropper® Adaptor provide non-inferior intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction compared to conventional, 28 μL drops in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) patients.

DESIGN

Prospective, non-inferiority, parallel, multicenter, single-masked, active-controlled, randomized trial.

SUBJECTS, PARTICIPANTS, AND/OR CONTROLS

Treatment-naïve subjects that were recently diagnosed with OAG/OHT at the Aravind Eye Care System.

METHODS, INTERVENTION, OR TESTING

Both eyes of subjects received either one commercially available drop or one microdrop of timolol maleate 0.5%. We measured IOP, resting heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) at baseline and 1, 2, 5, and 8 hours after timolol administration.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

IOP was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes were resting HR, systolic BP (sBP), and diastolic BP (dBP).

RESULTS

Adaptor-mediated microdrops and conventional drops of timolol significantly decreased IOP compared to baseline at all timepoints. Non-inferiority was established at three of four timepoints. HR decreases with Nanodropper were ∼3 bpm less than with conventional drops.

CONCLUSIONS

Timolol microdrops appear to be as effective in ocular hypotensive action as conventional drops with a slightly lesser effect on resting HR and BP.

Three Decade Single-Institution Experience of Safety and Efficacy of Radiotherapy and Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Young Adult Patients with Medulloblastoma

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The rarity of medulloblastoma in the adult population limits information on optimal treatment and clinical outcomes. Adjuvant chemoradiation has been correlated to improved overall survival (OS) in a recent National Cancer Database (NCDB) analysis. We performed a retrospective safety and efficacy analysis of radiation (RT) +/- adjuvant chemotherapy (aCTH) in young adult patients with medulloblastoma to better understand outcomes, prognostic factors, and possibly optimal treatment strategies.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We conducted an IRB-approved retrospective chart review on young adult (age ≥18 - 39 years old) patients with medulloblastoma treated at our institution (1992-2018) with a minimum follow-up of 6 months from completion of therapy. We gathered data on patient and disease characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes, including OS, progression-free survival (PFS), local control (LC), and freedom from distant metastasis (FDM). We employed Cox regression model for univariable and multivariable analyses and Kaplan-Meier (KM) test methods for survival analyses, using JMP version 15.0 software.

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients were treated with postoperative RT including craniospinal irradiation (median dose: 2340 cGy/13 fractions) followed by tumor bed/posterior fossa (median total dose: 5580 cGy/31 fractions) either alone (n = 9; 29%) or with adjuvant chemotherapy (aCTH: n = 22; 71%); mostly as per COG A9961 Regimen A: oral lomustine, intravenous cisplatin, and intravenous vincristine (n = 12). 54.6% (n = 12) were known to complete the full aCTH course. Common RT acute toxicities included G1-2 nausea and/or vomiting (N/V; n = 8) and G1-2 fatigue (n = 6). Common aCTH acute toxicities included G1-2 N/V (n = 7) and peripheral neuropathy: G1-2 (n = 6) and G3 (n = 3). Late adverse events were primarily G1-2 peripheral neuropathy and gait imbalance (22.6%), G1-2 hormonal disturbances (19.4%) and G1-2 neurocognitive impairment (16.1%). Male patients had worse OS, PFS, FDM, and LC. Age at diagnosis, tumor location (lateral vs. central), and completion of aCTH course were shown on uni- and multi-variable analysis to be significantly associated with OS; p<0.05. KM survival analysis revealed superior 10-year PFS and OS in patients who completed aCTH compared to those who received RT alone or did not complete aCTH: 72.9% vs 59.3% vs 42%, p = 0.461, and 74.1% vs 63.5% vs 40%, p = 0.033, respectively. A similar trend was noted for LC and FDM.

CONCLUSION

Our series provides a report of acute and late side effects of treatment of young adult patients with medulloblastoma. Significant OS and PFS advantage are seen of aCTH completion in this patient population. Since optimal treatment of these patients is still an unmet need, prospective studies for this rare disease entity are needed.

Patient Experience and Clinical Outcomes after Same-day Outpatient Mastectomy and Immediate Breast Reconstruction Protocol during the Global Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic provoked rapid changes in clinical practice to accommodate mandated restrictions within healthcare delivery. This study reviewed patient-reported experiences and clinical outcomes after implementation of a same-day discharge protocol after mastectomy with immediate alloplastic breast reconstruction compared with our historical overnight stay protocol.

Methods

This is a retrospective single-institution study of consecutive patients who underwent mastectomy and immediate alloplastic reconstruction between July 2019 and November 2020. A postoperative survey was completed by patients to evaluate satisfaction with perioperative communications, recovery, and their overall experience.

Results

A total of 302 patients (100% women) underwent mastectomy and immediate alloplastic reconstruction (174 pre-COVID-19, 128 during COVID-19). During COVID-19, 71% of patients were scheduled for a same-day discharge, among which 89% were successfully discharged the same day. Compared with pre-COVID-19, there were no differences in type of surgery, operative times, pain scores, 30-day readmission, or unplanned visits (all P > 0.05) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with pre-COVID-19, patients during the pandemic reported comparable satisfaction with their care experience and postoperative recovery (56% survey response rate). Patient satisfaction was also similar between those discharged the same day (n = 81) versus the next day (n = 47) during COVID-19.

Conclusions

Same-day discharge is feasible, safe, and can provide similar patient-reported satisfaction and outcomes compared with traditional overnight stay. These data highlight the ability to deliver adaptable, high-quality breast cancer care, within the constraints of a global pandemic.

Efficacy and safety of blepharoptosis repair after incisional glaucoma surgery

PURPOSE

There is an increased risk for development of blepharoptosis after incisional glaucoma surgery. Data on safety and efficacy of ptosis repair in this group of patients in limited. The goal of this study is to evaluate outcomes and identify potential risk factors for failure of ptosis repair in eyes with history of incisional glaucoma surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients who underwent incisional glaucoma surgery, specifically trabeculectomy or implantation of glaucoma drainage device (GDD), and subsequent ptosis repair at a single institution from 2009 to 2019. Ptosis surgery outcomes were compared to a control group who underwent ptosis repair after cataract surgery.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight eyes of 64 patients were included in the glaucoma surgery group. The rate of severe ptosis (margin reflex distance 1 ⩽ 0 mm) among glaucoma surgery patients was higher compared to control (35 of 78 (44.9%) vs 23 of 82 (28.6%). Ptosis repair was successful in 59 of 78 eyes (75.6%), which was similar to control. Risk for revision surgery was increased more than five-fold in the GDD group compared to control. There were no cases of early or late bleb-related complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Ptosis repair can be performed safely in patients after incisional glaucoma surgery. Müller muscle conjunctival resection and external levator advancement are equally effective. Patients with history of GDD should be advised about the potentially increased risk of need for revision surgery.

[Clinical evaluation of HIV-1/2 antibody rapid tests.]

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of HIV-1/2 antibody rapid tests prior to licensing.

METHODS

Four hundred forty, 264 and 300 blood samples were collected from normal blood donors, drug addicted individuals and HIV infected patients, respectively. All the samples were tested with 17 kinds of HIV-1/2 antibody rapid tests prior to licensing. The sensitivity and specificity of each test were calculated.

RESULTS

The sensitivity for all evaluated rapid tests was 100% for detecting 300 strong positive samples for HIV antibody; the specificity for all evaluated rapid tests was within the range of 97.7%-100% for detecting 440 samples from normal blood donors; the sensitivity and specificity of all tests were within the range of 70.3%-95.1% and 59.1%-100% respectively for detecting 264 samples from HIV high risk population.

CONCLUSION

The sensitivity and specificity of different tests were different and the samples from HIV high risk population may be very useful for evaluation of the quality of HIV-1/2 antibody rapid tests.

Jumonji, a nuclear protein that is necessary for normal heart development

Jumonji (jmj) was cloned in a gene trap screen to identify and mutagenize genes important for heart development. To investigate the role of jmj in heart development, we generated mice homozygous for the jmj mutation. The jmj homozygous mouse embryos showed heart malformations, including ventricular septal defect, noncompaction of the ventricular wall, double-outlet right ventricle, and dilated atria. The jmj mutants died soon after birth, apparently as a result of respiratory insufficiency caused by rib and sternum defects in addition to the heart defects. In situ hybridization analyses suggested that cardiomyocytes were differentiated but developmental regulation of chamber-specific genes was defective in fetal hearts. Expression of jmj was detected in the myocardium, especially in the interventricular septum, ventricular wall, and outflow tract, which correlated well with the locations of defects observed in the hearts of mutant mice. Homozygous embryos failed to express the jmj transcript in all tissues except in the nervous system. Confocal microscopic examination using anti-JMJ antibodies indicated that the JMJ protein was localized in the nuclei of cells transfected with jmj. These data demonstrate that JMJ is a nuclear protein, which is essential for normal heart development and function.