triamcinolone acetonide (Azmacort 134a / KI03216 / Azmacort CFC)

Transient intraocular lens opacification after intravitreal triamcinolone injection.

Cardoso-Teixeira Pedro P, Duarte Lilianne L, Costa Ferreira Cláudia C

Comment on: 'Use of intravitreal fluocinolone acetonide implant in inflammatory macular oedema'.

Kaşıkcı Murat M, Alaçamlı Göksu G

Haemorrhagic Occlusive Retinal Vasculitis Following Cataract Surgery Without Intraocular Vancomycin.

Grech Sarah S, Bezzina Alastair A, Calleja Andrea A

This paper reports a rare case of haemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis (HORV) following cataract surgery in the absence of intraocular vancomycin, raising important considerations about alternative aetiologies and perioperative management. A 79-year-old male patient with a background of type 2 diabetes, benign prostatic hyperplasia and asthma experienced recurrent hypersensitivity reactions to topical mydriatics during preoperative assessments for right eye cataract surgery in the private sector. Surgery was ultimately performed without topical mydriatics; full mydriasis was achieved with the use of intracameral mydriatic agents and iris hooks. No intraocular vancomycin was administered. Postoperative care included standard antibiotic-steroid eye drops. Three days postoperatively, the patient presented with sudden, painless vision loss. Examination revealed extensive retinal haemorrhages, vasculitis, and macular ischaemia. Imaging confirmed widespread retinal vascular damage. Infectious and autoimmune screens were negative. A diagnosis of HORV was made, and the patient was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone, topical corticosteroids, and later sub-tenon triamcinolone. Partial visual improvement was observed. This case highlights the possibility of HORV in the absence of vancomycin, suggesting that other immune-mediated or hypersensitivity pathways, in response to different triggers, may contribute to its pathogenesis.

Overcoming Docetaxel Resistance in Prostate Cancer by Targeting Cell Cycle Progression with Narciclasine-Based Compounds.

Silva Machado Ranyelison R, S Gomes Kaio K, B Farias Augusto A, Meneses Araújo Natália N et al.

Development of resistance to taxane-based chemotherapy, specifically docetaxel (DTX), in advanced prostate cancer is frequent. Natural compounds, such as narciclasine, an alkaloid derived from plants, offer a potentially advantageous approach. Docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer cell lines (DU145RST and PC3RST) were established and treated with narciclasine (1) and its derivatives, narciclasine-3,4-acetonide (1a) and 7-deoxynarciclasine (1b), and evaluated for cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, clonogenicity, and 3D spheroid growth. In silico target prediction was undertaken employing PharmMapper, and the molecular pathways involved in resistance were confirmed by western blot. The resistant cell lines showed an increase in IC50 values above 6 nM in DU145RST and 4 nM in PC3RST of docetaxel; molecular alterations included increased mTOR and S6 signaling pathways. Narciclasine-based compounds decreased cell viability within both sensitive and resistant lines, interestingly displaying increased potency in the resistant sublines alongside minimal toxicity in nontumorigenic cell types. Cell cycle assessments unraveled G2/M arrest, particularly in the resistant model, a decline in clonogenic capacity, 3D spheroid fragmentation, and reduced viability. The in silico analysis identified CDK2, alongside cyclin A2, as targets, which certainly bolsters findings of cell cycle abrogation. Reduced concentrations of both CDK2 and cyclin A2 confirm the observed effects. Overall, the tested compounds 1, 1a, and 1b exhibited potent and selective antitumor activity in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer models by impairing proliferation and inducing cell cycle arrest. Therefore, these compounds represent promising candidates to overcome taxane resistance through modulation of cell cycle regulators such as CDK2 and cyclin A2.