Vol. 29 No. 4 (2023): REVIEW OF MEDICAL PRACTICE
Dear Readers,
I am handing over to you the (fourth) last issue of this year’s XXIX volume of the quarterly Review of Medical Practice. In the current issue, we present you with many interesting publications, among them a study entitled Pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is defined as proliferation and shrinkage of cell membranes within the vitreous chamber and on both retinal surfaces, developing, among other things, in the course of pre-infarct retinal detachment (1). Severe post-operative PVR is considered one of the most common causes of late treatment failure, i.e. following initial retinal adhesion and detachment after the patient is discharged home. The first proliferations usually appear between four and six weeks after surgery, manifesting as a progressive deterioration of visual acuity.
Proliferative vitreoretinopathy is a very important topic in ophthalmic surgery. The use of adjunctive treatment to prevent cell proliferation shows promise in preventing PVR or postoperative recurrence. Molecular studies to better understand the pathophysiology of PVR are also important.
Also of interest is the paper Effectiveness of a 26-Week Multidisciplinary Patient Education Program for Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes in Poland. Patient Education Programme for Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes in Poland.), which concluded that comprehensive health education of patients with diabetes, the effects of which were assessed on the basis of biochemical test results and the level of knowledge and attitudes of patients towards the disease, and regular physical exercise improve biochemical indices, as well as the level of knowledge of patients and awareness of management of diabetes as a chronic disease. Participation in an educational programme was found to be of greater benefit to the patient than just periodic visits to the Diabetes Clinic. The need for ongoing comprehensive diabetes education for patients with diabetes was indicated. Also noteworthy is a paper on free-circulating microRNAs as biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and hereditary spastic paraplegia, concerning the study of neurodegenerative diseases characterised by progressive loss of neuronal
function and integrity resulting in neuronal cell death and irreversible changes in the nervous system.
MicroRNAs - endogenous, non-coding, single-stranded RNA molecules - are involved in regulating the processes responsible for degenerative processes at the cellular level. Studies of miRNAs in animal models of neurodegeneration and in groups of patients have shown that they are among the key regulators of neuronal survival and function. According to the authors, these molecules could be specific biomarkers informing about the ongoing degenerative process, or the effects of the applied treatment, and they could significantly contribute to novel therapeutic targets.
Yours sincerely
Editor-in-Chief
dr hab. n. med. Anna Wilmowska-Pietruszyńska, prof. UŁa
(1) The Retina Society Terminology Committee: The classification of retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Ophthalmology 1983; 90: 121-125.
