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Biomedical subjects

John I Loewenstein

Publications and source records attributed to John I Loewenstein.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Successful treatment of Fusarium endophthalmitis with voriconazole and Aspergillus endophthalmitis with voriconazole plus caspofungin.

PURPOSE: To report successful treatment of exogenous Fusarium and Aspergillus endophthalmitis with new antifungal agents. DESIGN: Interventional case report. METHODS: Treatment of two cases is reviewed. RESULTS: A 64-year-old man developed post-cataract Fusarium moniliforme endophthalmitis. Infection persisted despite removal of the intraocular lens, three vitrectomies, and five intravitreal injections of amphotericin. Inflammation resolved and vision improved from 20/80 to 20/40 on 6 months of oral voriconazole. A 55-year-old man developed post-cataract intraocular inflammation. After three vitrectomies and removal of the intraocular lens, Aspergillus fumigatus endophthalmitis was diagnosed. Intravitreal amphotericin and systemic voriconazole were given, but one week later there were early signs of recurrence. Intravenous caspofungin was added and the eye improved. Caspofungin was continued for 6 weeks and voriconazole for 6 months. Vision improved from counting fingers to 20/80 at 6 months and 20/25 at 23 months. CONCLUSION: Voriconazole is a promising new therapy for Fusarium and Aspergillus endophthalmitis. Caspofungin may act synergistically with voriconazole in treating Aspergillus endophthalmitis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2004

Outer retinal degeneration: an electronic retinal prosthesis as a treatment strategy.

OBJECTIVE: To review progress toward an electronic retinal prosthesis for outer retinal degeneration. METHOD: Literature review. RESULTS: Retinal degenerations such as retinitis pigmentosa result in a loss of photoreceptors. There is a secondary loss of inner retinal cells, but significant numbers of bipolar and ganglion cells remain for many years. Electrical stimulation can produce phosphenes in the eyes of individuals who are blind as a result of retinitis pigmentosa. Several research groups are trying to exploit this phenomenon to produce artificial vision with electronic retinal prostheses. Two groups, with private company sponsorship, have recently implanted first-generation devices in subjects with advanced retinitis pigmentosa. They have reported limited preliminary results. This article seeks to put these results in a broader context and review potential obstacles to successful prosthesis development. These include inner retinal cell viability, high thresholds, signal encoding, power requirements, biocompatibility, and device encapsulation. CONCLUSION: There has been substantial progress toward an electronic retinal prosthesis, but fully functional, long-lasting devices are not on the immediate horizon.

Biocompatible Materials↗