Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Transbound Emerg Dis 2018 Dec 16. Epub 2018 Dec 16.

College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, Sichuan, 611130, China.

Elizabethkingia miricola is a Gram-negative rod which has been incriminated in severe infections in humans. Recently, a serious infectious disease was identified in Chinese spiny frogs (Quasipaa spinosa), in the Sichuan Province of China; the disease was characterized by corneal opacity, the presence of ascites, and neurologic symptoms. A Gram-negative bacillus was isolated from the liver, spleen, and kidney of the diseased frogs. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2018 Nov 27;175:365-374. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Thermosensitive gels have been developed and optimized in such a way that they become gels at corneal temperature and with a viscosity that allows the adequate release of the Fluorometholone (FMT)-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) in order to improve ocular anti-inflammatory efficacy against a commercial formulation. It has been shown that gels avoid burst release of the drug in the first hours with a slow and increasing profile after administration. NPs have maintained their average size and spherical shape within the gels as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Read More

Theriogenology 2018 Dec 10;126:153-158. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064, Ozzano Emilia, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address:

In the mare, foaling is a critical unpredictable event due to a wide range of gestational length and the absence of clear signs of impending parturition. To predict foaling, pH, inversion sodium potassium and increase of calcium concentration in mammary secretions are used. The aim of this study was to find how many days are left until parturition knowing mare's age (A) and parity (P) combined with ultrasonographic measurements of the fetal orbit in Standardbred mares with normal pregnancy. Read More

Eur J Pharm Sci 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Chemistry Department, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői út 19-21, 1107 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address:

The present study was aimed to develop an in vitro non-cell-based method, for the measurement of corneal permeability. To this avail, the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) was used for studying the effects of composition of the artificial lipid membrane, the DMSO cosolvent content of the donor phase as well as different buffer solutions in the model. Based on experimental corneal permeability values of 25 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), a final model with good predictive ability (R = 0. Read More

Int J Pharm 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy , Ain Shams University, African Union Street Authority Street, Abbassia, 11566 Cairo, Egypt.

Glaucoma treatment with ocular medications requires overcoming the corneal barrier to drug penetration. Liposomes have a great corneal penetration ability and affinity while suffering from poor stability and low entrapment of hydrophilic drugs accompanied by rapid drug release. This work aims to develop a new, effective and stable glaucoma medication with sustained drug release properties; Timolol maleate gelatinized core liposomes. Read More

Int J Pharm 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Service Pharmaceutique, Plateforme Fripharm, Groupe Hospitalier Centre Edouard Herriot, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 5, Place d'Arsonval, F-69437 Lyon cedex 03, France; Université de Lyon, Laboratoire de Pharmacie Galénique Industrielle, UMR-CNRS 5305, Plateforme Fripharm, ISPB-Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 8, avenue Rockefeller, F-69373 Lyon Cedex 08, France. Electronic address: http://fripharm.com.

Poor bioavailability and low residence time limit the efficiency of conventional biguanide-based eye drops against Acanthamoeba keratitis. The aim of this work was to formulate an original anti-amoebic thermoreversible ocular gel combining biguanide and metalloproteases inhibitor - chelating agent. Chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX)-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (NaEDTA) were compounded in poloxamer 407 saline solution. Read More

Prog Retin Eye Res 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

In the eye immune defenses must take place in a plethora of differing microenvironments ranging from the corneal and conjunctival epithelia facing the external environment to the pigmented connective tissue of the uveal tract containing smooth muscle, blood vessels and peripheral nerves to the innermost and highly protected neural retina. The extravascular environment of the neural retina, like the brain parenchyma, is stringently controlled to maintain conditions required for neural transmission. The unique physiological nature of the neural retina can be attributed to the blood retinal barriers (BRB) of the retinal vasculature and the retinal pigment epithelium, which both tightly regulate the transport of small molecules and restrict passage of cells and macromolecules from the circulation into the retina in a similar fashion to the blood brain barrier (BBB). Read More

J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Office of Translational Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Division of Applied Regulatory Science, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, White Oak Federal Research Center, 10903 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA. Electronic address:

Topical ophthalmic drugs are the most commonly used dosage form to treat diseases of the anterior segment of the eye. Although this dosage form has the advantages of ease of application, small volume dose, and rapid action and is largely devoid of systemic adverse effects, the bioavailability is low due to pre-corneal anatomical barriers and the nature of the drug formulation itself. Some complex generic formulations (suspensions, ointments, gels) for topical ophthalmic products face impediments to rapid regulatory approval because of the complex nature of the formulations and difficulties in determining bioequivalence with the innovator product. Read More

Am J Ophthalmol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Restoration of Damaged Ocular Nerve, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China. Electronic address:

Purpose: To enhance the understanding of dry eye (DE) in diabetes by evaluating the ocular surface characteristics and the levels of tear inflammatory cytokines.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: Subjects were divided into four groups: 32 patients in diabetes with DE group; 24 patients in diabetes without DE group; 28 patients in non-diabetes with DE group and 29 volunteers in normal group. Read More

Am J Ophthalmol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Ophthalmology, Pasteur 2 Teaching Hospital, Nice, France.

Purpose: Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia includes a spectrum of diseases from dysplasia to invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva. Whether the degree of invasion influences outcomes is debated. We evaluated the outcomes and management of conjunctival carcinomas defined as ≤0. Read More

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Ophthalmology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

Purpose: To determine the effects of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injection on dry eye signs, symptoms, and tear cytokine levels in patients with intractable dry eye disease (DED).

Methods: In this prospective study, patients with intractable DED were randomized to a BTX-A (group A) or control group (group B). Patients were injected with BTX-A or normal saline in the medial part of the upper and lower eyelids. Read More

J Biol Chem 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.

The corneal endothelium, which originates from the neural crest via the periocular mesenchyme (PM), is crucial for maintaining corneal transparency. The development of corneal endothelial cells (CECs) from the neural crest is accompanied by the expression of several transcription factors, but the contribution of some of these transcriptional regulators to CEC development is incompletely understood. Here, we focused on activating enhancer-binding protein 2 (TFAP2, AP-2), a neural crest-expressed transcription factor. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Jan 6;109:1041-1051. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address:

In the present study, we investigated the underlying mechanism of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP)-medicated inhibition of corneal neovascularization (CNV). Our data showed that TMP could effectively downregulate the expression levels of CXCR4 mRNA and protein, as well as inhibit HUVECs, endothelial cells, tubule formation in vitro. In vivo, alkali burn (1 M NaOH) could remarkably upregulate CXCR4 expression and increase the migration of TNF-α-positive cells to corneal stroma. Read More

Surv Ophthalmol 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis, a chronic, bilateral, seasonal allergic inflammatory disease of the eye, is an important cause of visual debilitation and impairment of quality of life in children and young adults in certain parts of the world such as the Mediterranean areas, Central and West Africa, the Middle East, Japan, the Indian subcontinent, and South America. It usually has a self-limiting course; however, in a few cases the disease is recurrent and leads to long-term visual disabling complications like keratoconus and limbal stem cell deficiency. The main pathogenic mechanism is IgE mediated; however, there may be non-IgE and certain non-specific hypersensitivity mechanisms. Read More

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2018 Dec;59(15):5868-5875

Laboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Setsunan University, Osaka, Japan.

Purpose: Previous experimental studies assessing corneal nerves as a measure of the severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathy have yielded discordant results; this may have been due to the effect of the short duration of the induced diabetes. We investigated whether increases in the duration of hyperglycemia result in the development of corneal lesions in a mouse model of alloxan (AL)- or streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes. We further determined whether corneal nerve fiber density, intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD), and sural nerve morphology can be used as morphologic markers of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in rodent models. Read More

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2018 Dec;59(15):5885-5892

Jacobs Retina Center at Shiley Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, California, United States.

Purpose: For more than 20 years, there has been an international, multidisciplinary effort to develop retinal prostheses to restore functional vision to patients blinded by retinal degeneration. We developed a novel subretinal prosthesis with 1512 optically addressed silicon nanowire photodiodes, which transduce incident light into an electrical stimulation of the remaining retinal circuitry. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of optically driving the subretinal prosthesis to produce visual cortex activation via electrical stimulation of the retina. Read More

PLoS One 2018 14;13(12):e0208608. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.

Purpose: To evaluate the predictive factors for safety and efficacy in laser refractive surgery for myopia.

Setting: A singular refractive surgery center, at a University-affiliated tertiary medical center.

Design: Retrospective cohort study. Read More

Eye Contact Lens 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Departments of Innovative Visual Science (S.K., K.M.), and Ophthalmology (S.K., N.M., M.O., S.A., Y.T., K.M., K.N.), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan; Research and Development Division (Y.T.), Rohto, Kyoto, Japan; and Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (S.D.K.), New York, NY.

Objectives: To evaluate corneal irregular astigmatism due to the anterior corneal surface using Fourier harmonic analysis with a Placido ring-based corneal topographer (Placido-based topographer) and three-dimensional anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) in dry eyes.

Methods: Forty-four eyes of 44 subjects with dry eye and 20 eyes of 20 normal control subjects were enrolled. Corneal topographic data were obtained using a Placido-based topographer and OCT. Read More

Cornea 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Purpose: To compare corneal endothelial damage associated with 2 techniques for preloaded Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK): a tri-folded graft stored in a plastic cartridge designed for DMEK and a scrolled graft stored in a modified Jones Tube, at the time of preparation and after shipping.

Methods: DMEK grafts were prepared at the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank. The grafts were either tri-folded and loaded in a plastic cartridge or scrolled and loaded into a modified Jones Tube. Read More

Pol J Microbiol 2018 ;67(4):407-416

Department of Plant Pathology and Mycology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin , Lublin , Poland.

The aim of the study was mycological examination of ulcerated corneal tissues from an ophthalmic patient. Tissue fragments were analyzed on potato-glucose agar (PDA) and maltose (MA) (Difco) media using standard laboratory techniques. Cultures were identified using classical and molecular methods. Read More

Salud Publica Mex 2018 Sep-Oct;60(5):520-527

Departamento de Epidemiología Ocular y Salud Visual, Instituto de Oftalmología Conde de Valenciana. Mexico City, Mexico.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of dry eye symptoms (DES) and associated risk factors among adults in Tlaxcala, Mexico.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study that included 1 508 individuals aged ≥50 years who answered the Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ5), with a score ranging between 0 and 22; the following categories were defined: no DES (<6); mild-moderate DES (6 to 11) and severe DES (≥12).

Results: The prevalence of DES was 41. Read More

Korean J Ophthalmol 2018 Dec;32(6):497-505

Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare published methods of calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power following myopic laser refractive surgery.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of 69 patients (69 eyes) who had undergone myopic laser refractive surgery previously and subsequently underwent cataract surgery at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea from January 2010 to June 2016. None of the patients had pre-refractive surgery biometric data available. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

The corneal endothelium is composed of a single hexagonal-shaped cells layer adherent to the Descemet's membrane. The primary function of these cells is maintaining of tissue clarity by regulating its hydration. Trauma, aging or other pathologies cause their loss, counterbalanced by enlargement of survived cells unable to guarantee an efficient fluid pumping to and from the stroma. Read More

Stem Cells 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.

Mutations in key transcription factors SOX2 and P63 were linked with developmental defects and post-natal abnormalities such as corneal opacification, neovascularization and blindness. The latter phenotypes suggest that SOX2 and P63 may be involved in corneal epithelial regeneration. While P63 has been shown to be a key regulator of limbal stem cells (LSCs), the expression pattern and function of SOX2 in the adult cornea remained unclear. Read More

J Biomed Mater Res A 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Key Laboratory, Department of Urology and Andrology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266003, China.

There is currently no optimal scaffold for the transplantation of limbal stem cells (LSCs) to induce corneal reconstruction after corneal alkali burns. This study attempts to fabricate a novel in situ Alginate-Chitosan hydrogel (ACH) for LSCs transplantation. Sodium alginate dialdehyde (SAD), a biological cross-linker, was prepared by periodate-mediated sodium alginate oxidization. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 13;8(1):17828. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.

In this study, we explored the effects of particulate matter 2.5 (PM) eye drops on the ocular surface structure and tear function in mice and established a novel animal model for dry eye research. We found that, following treatment with PM, the tear volume and, the tear film break-up time showed statistical differences at each time point (P < 0. Read More

J Neurosci 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain

TRPM8 is a polymodal, non-selective cation channel activated by cold temperature and cooling agents that plays a critical role in the detection of environmental cold. We found that TRPM8 is a pharmacological target of tacrolimus (FK506), a macrolide immunosuppressant with several clinical uses, including the treatment of organ rejection following transplants, treatment of atopic dermatitis and dry eye disease. Tacrolimus is an inhibitor of the phosphatase calcineurin, an action shared with cyclosporine. Read More

Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano - Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, I-20126, Milan, Italy; Optic and Optometry Center of the University of Milano - Bicocca (COMiB), Italy.

Lactoferrin (LF), an iron-binding protein with antioxidant activity, is significantly reduced in the lacrimal film of patients affected by keratoconus (KC) compared to healthy subjects, and this is supposed to be the cause for tear iron increase and consequent iron deposition and oxygen free radical accumulation in the cornea. We decided to study if LF-loaded contact lenses (LF-CLs) could exert antioxidant activity on epithelial cells incubated in tears collected from two patients affected by keratoconus (KC1 and KC2). Moreover through this model we indirectly estimated iron concentration in the tears of healthy and KC subjects. Read More

Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Clinical Research Center, School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, United States; Vision Science Graduate Program, University of California, Berkeley, United States. Electronic address:

Purpose: To evaluate post-lens tear dynamics at two different time points during scleral lens wear in two cohorts with 10 neophytes each.

Methods: All subjects wore bilaterally scleral lenses for 5 h on 3 separate visits. Post-lens tear exchange was measured using Out-in method, which required 5 μL of 2% FITC-Dextran instilled on the bulbar conjunctiva during lens wear. Read More

Mol Metab 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders, St Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Electronic address:

Objective: Diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) affects approximately half of diabetic patients leading to significant morbidity. There is impaired neurotrophic growth factor signaling, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and mitochondrial function in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of animal models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that sub-optimal insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling in diabetes drives loss of AMPK activity and mitochondrial function, both contributing to development of DSPN. Read More

Bioconjug Chem 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Calibr at the Scripps Research Institute , 11119 North Torrey Pines Road , La Jolla , California 92037 , United States.

Peptide hormone relaxin-2, a member of the insulin family of peptides, plays a key role in hemodynamics and renal function and has shown preclinical efficacy in multiple disease models, including acute heart failure, fibrosis, preeclampsia, and corneal wound healing. Recently, serelaxin, a recombinant version of relaxin-2, has been studied in a large phase 3 clinical trial (RELAX-AHF-2) for acute decompensated heart failure patients with disappointing outcome. The poor in vivo half-life of relaxin-2 may have limited its therapeutic efficacy and long-term cardiovascular benefit. Read More

Curr Gene Ther 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, The College of Optometry, Tianjin 300384. China.

Background: As one of the main blinding ocular diseases, corneal blindness results from neovascularization that disrupts the angiogenic privilege of corneal avascularity. Following neovascularization, inflammatory cells are infiltrating into corneal to strengthen corneal injury. How to maintain corneal angiogenic privilege to treat corneal disease has been investigated for decades. Read More

Orv Hetil 2018 Sep;159(39):1575-1583

Szemészeti Klinika, Semmelweis Egyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Budapest.

To summarize ophthalmological signs of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and to present a case report. Summary of the literature data and presentation of the history of a 46-year-old female patient. In MGUS, pathological, but non-malignant plasma cells produce abnormal monoclonal immunoglobulin. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2018 Dec 15;16(6):5073-5078. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Department of Ophthalmology, Air Force General Hospital, Beijing 100089, P.R. China.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) on tear film and ocular surface function. Patients with age-related cataract who underwent phacoemulsification (phaco) in Air Force Aviation Medicine Research Institute Affiliation Hospital from January 2016 to December 2016 were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in experimental group (n=123, 150 eyes) received FLACS, while patients in phaco group (n=110, 150 eyes) underwent conventional coaxial micro-incision phaco and were implanted with foldable intraocular lens (IOL). Read More

Ther Adv Neurol Disord 2018 3;11:1756286418809580. Epub 2018 Nov 3.

Department of Neurology, Ruhr University Bochum, St. Josef-Hospital, Gudrunstrasse 56, Bochum 44791, Germany.

Background: The aim of this work was to report a case of an acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) treated with propionate to evaluate its therapeutic potential in AMSAN.

Materials And Methods: The patient was investigated by clinical examination, electroneurography, high-resolution nerve ultrasound and confocal corneal microscopy at baseline and the 2 month follow up. We compared the outcome with those of five other patients with acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) and AMSAN of who were referred to our neurology department in the past 5 years. Read More

J Oleo Sci 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of eyelid margin cleansing with lid hygiene detergent in patients with obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

Methods: As a pilot study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of lid hygiene using tap water and/or lid hygiene shampoo in fourteen eyes of 7 normal subjects. All subjects were instructed to cleanse the eyelid margin with tap water and/or lid hygiene shampoo. Read More

J Biosci 2018 Dec;43(5):835-856

Jhaveri Microbiology Centre, Prof. Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Kallam Anji Reddy campus, Hyderabad 500 034, India.

Dysbiosis, or imbalance in the gut microbiome, has been implicated in auto-immune, inflammatory, neurological diseases as well as in cancers. More recently it has also been shown to be associated with ocular diseases. In the present study, the association of gut microbiome dysbiosis with bacterial Keratitis, an inflammatory eye disease which significantly contributes to corneal blindness, was investigated. Read More

J Immunol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114.

Reactive microglia and infiltrating peripheral monocytes have been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases of the retina and CNS. However, their specific contribution in retinal degeneration remains unclear. We recently showed that peripheral monocytes that infiltrate the retina after ocular injury in mice become permanently engrafted into the tissue, establishing a proinflammatory phenotype that promotes neurodegeneration. Read More

Eur J Ophthalmol 2018 Dec 12:1120672118818018. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

4 Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.

Importance:: This study shows that a newer long-arc length intrastromal corneal ring segment is efficient and safe for keratoconus treatment.

Background:: To evaluate visual, tomographic results and complications of a 320-degree intrastromal corneal ring segment implantation with the femtosecond laser for keratoconus treatment.

Design:: A prospective, nonrandomized, and interventional study. Read More

Cesk Slov Oftalmol 2018 ;73(5-6):222-224

Xerosis is a corneal and ocular surface disease caused by vitamin A deficiency. It is a rare disease in developed countries, but in third world countries it is a common cause of blindness. We describe a typical xerosis in patient with vitamin A deficiency and long-term malnutrition and alcoholism in our case. Read More

Cesk Slov Oftalmol 2018 ;74(1):31-36

  Introduction: The intrastromal corneal ring segments implantation is widely used as an effective method for keratoconus correction. Femtosecond laser technology represents very precise and modern approach in corneal tunnel creation. Nevertheless complication like an extrusion of the implanted ring segment rarely appears. Read More

J Diabetes Res 2018 4;2018:5910639. Epub 2018 Nov 4.

Department of Ophthalmology, Rostock University Medical Center, Doberaner Straße 140, 18057 Rostock, Germany.

Introduction: Diabetic neuroosteoarthropathy (DNOAP) early symptoms are unspecific, mimicking general infectious symptoms and rendering a diagnosis challenging. Consequently, unfavourable outcomes occur frequently, with recurrent foot ulceration, infectious complications, and eventually amputation. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) of the subbasal nerve plexus (SNP) is used to detect early peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy. Read More

Iran J Public Health 2018 Oct;47(10):1567-1574

Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.

Background: Keratoconus (KC) is a degenerative eye disease which results from thinning of the cornea and causes vision distortion. Oxidative stress damage to KC corneas may be because of the failure of corneas to process reactive oxygen species which leads to corneal thinning and loss of vision. Genetic variants in antioxidant defense genes such as catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) can decrease antioxidant capacity or increase oxidative stress and alter the risk of KC in patients. Read More

FEBS Open Bio 2018 Dec 12;8(12):2011-2021. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Tissue Biology and Therapeutic Engineering Unit (LBTI) UMR5305, CNRS Univ Lyon Université Claude Bernard Lyon1 France.

BMP-1/tolloid-like proteinases belong to the astacin family of human metalloproteinases, together with meprins and ovastacin. They represent promising targets to treat or prevent a wide range of diseases such as fibrotic disorders or cancer. However, the study of their pathophysiological roles is still impaired by the lack of well-characterized inhibitors and the questions that remain regarding their selectivity and efficiency. Read More

FEBS Open Bio 2018 Dec 6;8(12):1936-1942. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

Department of Ophthalmology Zoucheng People's Hospital China.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most important ocular complication associated with diabetes. Corneal defects due to diabetes mellitus (DM) may cause severe vision impairments. This study aimed to identify the effect of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) on biological events, such as apoptosis and inflammation, in the diabetic cornea. Read More

Neuroophthalmology 2018 Dec 5;42(6):402-403. Epub 2018 Feb 5.

Department of Haematology, Royal Free London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Ocular features of Gaucher disease include gaze abnormalities, corneal clouding, ocular deposits and pigmentary changes in the macula. We report the presence of bilateral fovea sparing macular deposits in a 21-year-old woman with type 3 Gaucher disease. Macular deposits occur due to glucocerebroside accumulation within histiocytes and retinal deposits might correlate with the degree of systemic infiltration. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018 22;9:670. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Klinik für Augenheilkunde, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.

This study was undertaken to determine if crosstalk among the transient receptor potential (TRP) melastatin 8 (TRPM8), TRP vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor triad modulates VEGF-induced Ca signaling in human corneal keratocytes. Using RT-PCR, qPCR and immunohistochemistry, we determined TRPV1 and TRPM8 gene and protein coexpression in a human corneal keratocyte cell line (HCK) and human corneal cross sections. Fluorescence Ca imaging using both a photomultiplier and a single cell digital imaging system as well as planar patch-clamping measured relative intracellular Ca levels and underlying whole-cell currents. Read More

Med Arch 2018 Nov;72(5):341-343

Clinic Gjermane e Syrit, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo.

Introduction: Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), a refractive surgery procedure is being performed in a large number among people with refractive errors. In all the people undergoing the procedure, there is a potential risk to misdiagnose the glaucoma disease due to changes in central corneal thickness (CCT). In subjects who have undergone laser refractive interventions, intraocular tension may be lower and underestimated, and this can lead to later detection of glaucoma. Read More

Diabetes Care 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Objective: The importance of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation in retinopathy for long-standing diabetes is not well understood. We determined retinopathy stage and evaluated associations with other vascular complications before and after physiological RAAS activation in adults with long-standing (≥50 years duration) type 1 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Participants underwent retinal examination by digital funduscopic photography and optical coherence tomography and were classified as having nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), or no diabetic retinopathy (NDR) with or without diabetic macular edema (DME). Read More

J Glaucoma 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Glaucoma and anterior segment, Dr. Shroff's charity eye hospital, Delhi.

Ectodermal dysplasia is a disorder that occurs due to abnormalities of ectodermal structures such as skin, teeth, hair, nails, and eccrine glands. Approximately 200 different conditions have been identified as ectodermal dysplasia, the most common being hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED). It is characterized by hypotrichosis (sparse scalp or body hair), hypodontia (absent or malformed teeth) and hypohidrosis (reduced ability to sweat). Read More