Background/Objectives: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a potentially blinding retinal disorder. RRD in the first eye is a well-recognized risk factor for bilateral RRD since risk factors that predispose to RRD affect both eyes. In this study, we assess the presenting factors that predispose individuals to bilateral RRD and evaluate the role of prophylactic retinopexy in preventing fellow-eye RRD. Methods: Retrospectively, all patients who underwent RRD repair through pars plana vitrectomy were included. A medical database was utilized to extract the data. The primary outcome was to report the development of RRD in the fellow eyes according to the presenting risk factors. Secondary outcomes included the prophylactic effect of laser retinopexy for the fellow eye. Results: In this study, 348 patients were included. The mean age of the patients was 46.3 years. Bilateral RRD was developed in 13.7% of the patients. It was found that total RRD in the first eye (p-value = 0.045), the presence of lattice degeneration in the first eye (p-value = 0.036), the presence of high-risk breaks (p-value = 0.0001) or lattice degeneration (p-value = 0.0004) in the fellow eye, the involvement of the inferior-nasal quadrant in the first eye (p-value = 0.043), and the presence of connective tissue diseases (p-value = 0.008) were significantly associated with the development of fellow-eye RRD. Performing prophylactic retinopexy was associated with a reduction in the incidence of fellow-eye RRD (with or without high-risk breaks) (p-value = 0.0001). It was not associated with a reduction in the risk of fellow-eye RRD in cases of lattice degeneration alone. Conclusions: Recognition of certain perioperative risk factors (such as high-risk retinal tears) during the presentation of first-eye RRD is crucial. Prophylactic laser retinopexy may have a critical role in preventing fellow-eye RRD. Patients’ awareness should be raised about the symptoms of RRD.

Background: The global epidemic status of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its burden presents an ongoing challenge to health-care systems. It is of great interest to investigate potential prognostic biomarkers of DR. Such markers could aid in detecting early stages of DR, predicting DR progression and its response to therapeutics. Herein, we investigate the prognostic value of intravitreal concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in a DR cohort. Materials and methods: Vitreous sample acquisition was conducted at King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) between December 2020 and June 2022. Samples were obtained from any patient scheduled to undergo a pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for any indication. Included patients were categorized into a DR group or a corresponding non-diabetic (ND) control group. Demographics, clinicopathological variables, standardized laboratory tests results, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) data were obtained for each included individual. Intravitreal concentrations of VEGF and PDGF were assessed using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: A total of 80 eyes from 80 patients (DR group: n = 42 and ND control group: n = 38) were included in the analysis. The vitreous VEGF levels were significantly higher in the DR group compared to the ND control group (DR group 5744.06 ± 761.5 pg/mL versus ND control group 817.94 ± 403.1 pg/mL, p = 0.0001). In addition, the vitreous PDGF levels were also significantly higher in the DR group than those in the ND control group (DR group 4031.51 ± 410.2 pg/mL versus ND control group 2691.46 ± 821.0 pg/mL, p = 0.001). Bassline differences between test groups and clinical factors impacting VEGF and PDGF concentrations were investigated as well. Multiple regression analysis indicated PDGF as the sole independent risk factor affecting best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the last follow-up visit: the higher the PDGF vitreous levels, the worst the BCVA. Conclusions: Vitreous concentrations of VEGF and PDGF are correlated with DR severity and may exhibit a possible prognostic potential value in DR. Further clinical and experimental data are warranted to confirm the observed findings and to help incorporate them into daily practice.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) worldwide, mostly occurring in intensive care units (ICUs). Extended-spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL)-positive A. baumannii strains have emerged as highly resistant to most currently used antimicrobial agents, including carbapenems. The most common mechanism for carbapenem resistance in this species is β-lactamase-mediated resistance. Carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D oxacillinases are widespread among multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii strains. The present study was conducted to determine the presence and distribution of bla_OXA genes among multidrug-resistant A. baumannii isolated from ICU patients and genes encoding insertion sequence (IS-1) in these isolates. Additionally, the plasmid DNA profiles of these isolates were determined. A total of 120 clinical isolates of A. baumannii from various ICU clinical specimens of four main Jordanian hospitals were collected. Bacterial isolate identification was confirmed by biochemical testing and antibiotic sensitivity was then assessed. PCR amplification and automated sequencing were carried out to detect the presence of bla_OXA-51, bla_OXA-23, bla_OXA-24, and bla_OXA-58 genes, and ISAba1 insertion sequence. Out of the 120 A. baumannii isolates, 95% of the isolates were resistant to three or more classes of the antibiotics tested and were identified as MDR. The most frequent resistance of the isolates was against piperacillin (96.7%), cephalosporins (97.5%), and β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations antibiotics (95.8%). There were 24 (20%) ESBL-producing isolates. A co-existence of bla_OXA-51 gene and ISAba1 in all the 24 ESBL-producing isolates was determined. In addition, in the 24 ESBL-producing isolates, 21 (87.5%) carried bla_OXA-51 and bla_OXA-23 genes, 1 (4.2%) carried bla_OXA-51 and bla_OXA-24, but all were negative for the bla_OXA-58 gene. Plasmid DNA profile A and profile B were the most common (29%) in ESBL-positive MDR A. baumannii isolates while plasmid DNA profile A was the most common in the ESBL-negative isolates. In conclusion, there was an increase in prevalence of MDR-A. baumannii in ICU wards in Jordanian hospitals, especially those having an ESBL phenotype. Thus, identification of ESBL genes is necessary for the surveillance of their transmission in hospitals.