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a b s t r a c tOcular involvement of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a complication that occurs in up to 60% of patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conventional therapeutic options include medical and surgical procedures that are administered depending on the severity of the condition, but most of them have provided unsatisfactory results and, to date, there is no consensus about treatment. We considered that topical application of a platelet lysate, administered as eye drops, might be considered an alternative worthwhile of investigation to treat ocular surface disorders in patients suffering from cGVHD. Therefore, we conducted a single-center prospective pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of using eye drops made from reconstituted lysed platelet concentrate. Twenty-six patients with ocular cGVHD were eligible for the study; all but 2 completed their scheduled 1-year treatment and complied with the hematologic and ophthalmic regimen. At their first assessment interviews, after 30 days of treatment, 91% of patients reported an improvement in their symptoms and for 32%, substantive objective differences were measured. Remission of corneal damage was seen for 86% of our cohort, and improved National Institutes of Health scores for 73%, of whom 8% achieved the best score of 0 (ie, nonedry eye). Similar results were seen at later time points. Comparing outcomes for our patient cohort to those determined retrospectively for patients in our institutional database revealed a 5-year overall survival (OS) of 65%. This OS is comparable to patients with limited cGVHD (75%) and is superior to that of patients with nonocular extensive cGVHD or without cGVHD (30% and 59%, respectively) (P ¼ .013). Our results suggest that platelet-derived eye drops are a safe, practical, and well-tolerated therapeutic option that offers substantial benefits for most patients affected by ocular cGVHD at onset. The favorable OS of our patient cohort suggests that this topical therapy, rather than systemic immunosuppression, may be the treatment of choice. Ó

The aim of this work was to analyse the pressure inside the eyes anterior chamber, namedintraocular pressure (IOP), in relation to the biomechanical properties of corneas. The approach used was based on the constructal law, recently introduced in vision analysis. Results were expressed as the relation between the temperature of the ocular anterior chamber and the biomechanical properties of the cornea. The IOP, the elastic properties of the cornea, and the related refractive properties of the eye were demonstrated to be dependent on the temperature of the ocular anterior chamber. These results could lead to new perspectives for experimental analysis of the IOP in relation to the properties of the cornea.

Silver nanocluster silica composite coatings were deposited by radio frequency co-sputtering technique on several substrates. This versatile method allows tailoring of silver content and antibacterial behaviour of coatings deposited on glasses, ceramics, metals and polymers for several applications. Coating morphology and composition as well as nanocluster size were analyzed by means of UV-Visible absorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The antibacterial effect was verified through the inhibition halo test against standard bacterial strain, Staphylococcus aureus, before and after sterilization process. Tape test demonstrated a good adhesion of the coatings to the substrates.