Our Experience Olopatadine Treatment of Allergic Conjunctivitis in Children

The authors analyzed the treatment results of 53 patients (106 eyes) with allergic conjunctivitis. All patients received Olopatadine 0.2 % (Visallergol) in drops once a day during 1 month. All patients underwent the same tests: scraping from the conjunctiva for the presence of eosinophils, evaluation of the inflammation symptoms using 4-ball scale, biomicroscopy of cornea and conjunctiva with staining by lissamine green and tear film stability (Norn’s method). All of the above-mentioned tests were performed before the treatment, on 14-th day and after the course of therapy. The inflammatory reaction of conjunctiva, the amount of discharge in the conjunctival cavity and the staining of the conjunctiva with lissamine green decreased in all patients starting from the 14-th day of treatment. The maximal effectiveness of the drop was registered in patients with the chronic type of allergic conjunctivitis. The manifestation of the disease reduced significantly after 1 month of treatment, but it does not disappear completely. So it is necessary to continue therapy after 1 month. The laboratory methods of diagnosis confirm the effectiveness of Visallergol by disappearance of eosinophils in the conjunctiva scrapings. The secondary dry eye syndrome developed in all types of the allergic conjunctivitis and needs a long-term treatment. The maximal intensity of dry eye syndrome was registered in patients with chronic type of the allergic conjunctivitis. The drop can be used starting from 2 years old.

The Effects of High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid Eye Drop Application in Environmental Dry Eye Stress Model Mice

Hyaluronic acid (HA) ophthalmic solution is widely used in dry eye treatment worldwide. However, there are no reports comparing the dry eye treatment effects of high molecular weight HA with low molecular weight HA. Sixty eight-week-old C57BL/6 mice were assigned to the following 6 groups and exposed to environmental dry eye stress (EDES) that mimics office work environment: (1) 0.1% low molecular weight HA (LMWHA) eye drops, (2) 0.3% LMWHA eye drops, (3) 3% diquafosol sodium (DQ) eye drops, (4) 0.15% high molecular weight HA (HMWHA) eye drops, (5) no treatment with exposure to EDES (EDES+/Treatment−), and (6) no treatment without exposure to EDES (EDES−/Treatment−). After EDES, the HMWHA group had significantly longer break-up time (BUT) than the 0.1%, 0.3% LMWHA groups and the DQ group. After EDES, the HMWHA group had significantly lower lissamine green staining scores than the LMWHA and DQ groups. Subepithelial presumed dendritic cell density in the HMWHA group was significantly lower than the EDES+/Treatment− group. After EDES exposure, Conjunctival Muc5AC mRNA expression in the HMWHA group was significantly higher than the 0.1 and 0.3% LMWHA groups. Ophthalmic HMWHA solution may have a better dry eye treatment effect than LMWHA or DQ solution, owing to its anti-inflammatory effect.

Sulfate Radicals-Based Technology as a Promising Strategy for Wastewater

This study was focused on the generation of sulfate radicals and their applicability as powerful oxidants for degrading complex organic compounds with the final objective of operating in flow systems. To this end, the removal of two compounds from the pharmaceutical industry was assessed, lissamine green and prednisolone. Initially, sulfate radicals were generated by the activation of persulfate with iron as homogenous catalyst, and the key parameters involved in the process, as catalyst concentration and oxidant dosage, were evaluated. Furthermore, with the aim of preventing the secondary contamination due to metal leaching and to be operate in a continuous mode, a heterogeneous catalyst was developed. For it, the iron was fixed on a cationic resin as Amberlite IR120 Na+ form. It was demonstrated that the removal of both pollutants increases with greater catalyst dosages, achieving a decay of 85% within 25 min with 30 g·L−1 of catalyst. Moreover, the reuse capability of the catalyst was tested, illustrating that it is rough enough for its reuse. Conversely, in order to develop a continuous treatment in flow system, a fixed bed reactor was constructed and its feasibility was proven. Different experiments with residence times from 10 min to 60 min were performed, obtaining a removal level of ≈95% and 90% for prednisolone and lissamine green, respectively, at residence time of 60 min. In conclusion, the potential of sulfate radicals-based technology for degrading organic contaminants has been demonstrated.

Prevalence of ocular surface disease in patients with glaucoma on topical medications

Aim: To compare the prevalence of ocular surface disease (OSD) in patients using antiglaucoma medications vs normal subjects. Design: Prospective observational study. Methods: A total of 94 patients with glaucoma on topical medications were included in the study group. Age- and gender-matched normal subjects (n = 94) formed the control group. They were assessed for OSD using ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, tear break-up time (TBUT), Lissamine green staining, and Schirmer’s test. Results: The prevalence of OSD was significantly more in the study group (72.4%) when compared to controls (44.6%) using the OSDI questionnaire. Schirmer’s test showed 84% patients had decreased tear production in the study group vs 53% in controls. TBUT was abnormal in 67.1% of the study group and of 47.8% controls. Lissamine green staining was positive in 36.2% of patients in the study group and 31.8% of controls. Conclusion: OSD was more common in patients using intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering drugs than in controls. Long-term therapy and multiple medications were associated with severe OSD.