PURPOSE To investigate the appearance of limbal and bulbar hyperaemia in normal eyes, their relationship and the inter-observer agreement of clinical grading. METHODS The right eyes of 120 healthy, non-contact lens-wearing subjects (m = 57, f = 63, median age = 45 years, range 18-77 years) were examined by two trained observers. Limbal and bulbar hyperaemia were scored using the Cornea and Co...

AIMS To evaluate the efficiency of multimicroporous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE) insertion in complicated multirecurrent pterygia. METHODS A total of 62 eyes from 62 patients with a multirecurrent pterygium associated with symblepharon or motility restriction-related binocular diplopia were recruited. All eyes underwent pterygia excision followed by application of 0.033% mitomyci...

OBJECTIVES To investigate neurovascular dysfunction using the axon reflex-dependent hyperaemia (initial peak of skin local heating response) in fingers of patients with SSc or primary RP. METHODS Ten healthy subjects were initially enrolled to compare axon reflex-dependent thermal hyperaemia between the finger and forearm cutaneous circulations. Then, 10 patients with primary RP and 16 patien...

The current knowledge on the pathophysiology of coronary artery stenosis stems from the seminal studies by Lance Gould, who first described the pressure/flow/ resistance characteristics, defining the coronary flow reserve as the ratio between hyperaemic and basal flow [1]. From the beginning it was clear, indeed, that this technique had several major limitations, and therefore the concept of fr...

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to elucidate the effect of teneligliptin on oxidative stress and endothelial function in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS Forty-five patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD who received sitagliptin for at least 12 months were randomized to either continue sitagliptin (n = 23) or switch to teneligliptin (...

OBJECTIVES Composite grafts allow complete arterial revascularization with minimal aortic manipulations. The Y-T configuration supplies all distal branches adequately, whereas it is unclear whether complex composite configurations (K, Π or double-Y) are equally at rest or when challenged by maximal requirements. METHODS Forty-seven patients who underwent off-pump coronary artery revasculariza...

To evaluate possible disorders of regional myocardial blood flow in patients with chest pain syndromes and normal coronary arteriograms, we studied 21 patients with intracoronary injections of Xenon-133. Thirteen patients were restudied during an intervention: 6 patients received glyceryl trinitrate and 7 patients had contrast agent-induced hyperaemia. Patients were divided into 3 clinical grou...

OBJECTIVE Previous studies have shown that endothelial dysfunction, an early sign of atherosclerosis, occurs in animal models of diabetes mellitus and in resistance vessels of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. In the present study we examined whether young patients with insulin-dependent diabetes without microalbuminuria present abnormal endothelial function of large peripheral arteries...