Elevation of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and IL-17 in the serum of AMD patients supports the hypothesis of AMD as an inflammatory disease. Patients with high IL-17 and TNF-α serum levels were more likely to have a favourable course under VEGF therapy. These cytokines may be used as easy-to-obtain biomarkers.

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Purpose: In patients with uveal melanoma, tumor cell dissemination and subsequent formation of metastases are confined mainly to the hematogenous route. Here, we sought to isolate circulating melanoma cells in peripheral blood of patients with primary uveal melanoma and clinically localized disease. Experimental Design: Blood samples from 52 patients with clinically localized uveal melanoma and from 20 control individuals were prospectively collected before therapy of the primary tumor. Tumor cells expressing the melanoma-associated chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan were enriched by immunomagnetic cell sorting and visualized by immunocytologic staining. Results were compared with clinical data at presentation. Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular malignant tumor in adults and 98% of these patients present with clinically localized disease (1, 2). Despite successful local tumor control, one half of the patients with primary uveal melanoma will die from metastatic disease (3). The 10-year survival rates in patients with nonmetastatic tumors range from 81% (T 1 N 0 M 0 ) to 15% (T 4 N 0 M 0 ; ref. 4). Metastasis-related deaths occur as long as 35 years after diagnosis, indicating that disseminated tumor cells may stay quiescent for decades and change their biological behavior even after this time (5). As therapeutic options in metastatic disease are poor, with a mean survival of 12 to 14 months (6, 7), there is an urgent need for early identification of patients at increased risk for metastases. This will allow evaluation of adjuvant therapeutic strategies in high-risk patients.Established prognostic factors for clinically localized ocular disease include largest basal tumor diameter (LBD), ciliary body involvement, and extraocular growth (8 -17). A number of staging classifications use combinations of the abovementioned criteria (for review, see ref. 4). However, neither of these factors alone or in combination is adequate for predicting the occurrence of metastatic disease in an individual patient. Other prognostic factors such as histologic subtype (11 -14, 16, 18) as well as genomic changes (19 -21) of the primary tumor also correlate with clinical outcome. Yet, these factors are increasingly difficult to determine as patients are currently often treated with radiotherapy. Although a diagnostic biopsy may be done before treatment, in most cases tumor tissue is not available for analysis.Metastatic spread in uveal melanoma is confined to the hematogenous route as long as the conjunctiva is not infiltrated trans-sclerally (22 blood is an obligate (although not sufficient) event in the metastatic cascade. Detection of circulating tumor cells might therefore represent a unique tool to identify patients at increased risk for metastatic disease. A recent systematic metaanalysis (23) of the prognostic value of tumor cell detection in peripheral blood in melanoma patients identified and evaluated two major approaches, PCR-based detection of melanomaassociated mRNA (n = 52 studies) and our rece...

Background: Dye solutions for intraoperative staining of epiretinal membranes and the internal limiting membrane improve the visualisation of these thin structures and facilitate their removal. In the present study the authors investigated the effects of indocyanine green 0.05%, trypan blue 0.15%, and patent blue 0.48% on bovine retinal function. Methods: Bovine retina preparations were perfused with a standard solution and the electroretinogram (ERG) was recorded repeatedly. After recording of stable ERG amplitudes the nutrient solution was substituted by one of the dye solutions. The duration of retinal exposure to a dye solution was varied between 10 seconds and 2 minutes. Thereupon, the preparation was reperfused with standard solution for at least 115 minutes. The percentage of b-wave reduction after exposition was calculated. Results: Reductions of the b-wave amplitude were found for each dye solution tested. The effects after application of patent blue and indocyanine green were completely reversible within the recovery time for an exposure period of 60 and 30 seconds, respectively. The application of trypan blue lead to a loss of the b-wave when the retina was exposed for 15 seconds or longer. This effect was only partly reversible within the recovery time. Conclusion:The ERG showed toxic effects of trypan blue after a short period of retinal exposure. The intraocular application of trypan blue should be limited to selected cases. However, intraocular application of indocyanine green and patent blue in a sufficient concentration and taking account of a short period of retinal exposure seems possible.