Chronic hypotony management using endoscopy-assisted vitrectomy after severe ocular trauma or vitrectomy.

AIM: To report outcomes of endoscopy-assisted vitrectomy (EAV) in patients with chronic hypotony following severe ocular trauma or vitrectomy. METHODS: This was a retrospective, noncomparative case series. Ciliary bodies were evaluated using ultrasound biomicroscopy pre-operatively and direct visualisation intraoperatively. All selected individuals (seven patients/seven eyes) underwent EAV. Removal of ciliary membrane and traction, gas/silicone oil tamponade (GT/SOT), and scleral buckling (SB) were performed in selected eyes. Outcome measurements mainly included intraocular pressure (IOP) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). RESULTS: Seven eyes from 7 male aphakic patients with a mean age of 45 (range, 20-68)y were included in this study; the average follow-up time was 12 (9-15)mo. GT was performed in 2 eyes; membrane peeling (MP) and SOT in 2 eyes; and MP, SOT, and SB in 3 eyes. The mean pre- and post-operative IOP were 4.5 (range, 4.0±0.11 to 4.8±0.2) mm Hg and 9.9 (range, 5.6±0.17 to 12.1±0.2) mm Hg at 52wk (12mo), respectively. BCVA improved in six eyes; one eye still showed light perception, and no bulbi phthisis was observed. CONCLUSION: Endoscopy offers improved judgment and recognition and has an improved prognosis for chronic hypotony. Therefore, endoscopy can be an effective and promising operative technique for chronic traumatic hypotony management.

Protective effects of lipoic acid-niacin dimers against blue light-induced oxidative damage to retinal pigment epithelium cells.

AIM: To evaluate the protective effects of lipoic acid-niacin (N2L) dimers against blue light (BL)-induced oxidative damage to human retinal pigment epithelium (hRPE) cells in vitro. METHODS: hRPE cells were divided into a control group (CG), a BL group, an N2L plus BL irradiation group, an α-lipoic acid (ALA) plus BL group, an ALA-only group, and an N2L-only group. hRPE cellular viability was detected by performing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) bromide assays, and apoptosis was evaluated by annexin-V-PE/7-AAD staining followed by flow cytometry. Ultrastructural changes in subcellular organelles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Reactive oxygen species formation was assayed by flow cytometry. The expression levels of the apoptosis-related proteins BCL-2 associated X protein (BAX), B-cell leukmia/lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), and caspase-3 were quantified by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: BL exposure with a light density of 4±0.5 mW/cm2 exceeding 6h caused hRPE toxicity, whereas treatment with a high dose of N2L (100 mol/L) or ALA (150 mol/L) maintained cell viability at control levels. BL exposure caused vacuole-like degeneration, mitochondrial swelling, and reduced microvillus formation; however, a high dose of N2L or ALA maintained the ultrastructure of hRPE cells and their organelles. High doses of N2L and ALA also protected hRPE cells from BL-induced apoptosis, which was confirmed by Western blot analysis: BCL-2 expression significantly increased, while BAX and caspase-3 expression slightly decreased compared to the CG. CONCLUSION: High-dose N2L treatment (>100 mol/L) can reduce oxidative damage in degenerating hRPE cells exposed to BL with an efficacy similar to ALA.

Protection of tight junction between RPE cells with tissue factor targeting peptide.

AIM: To investigate the effect of tissue factor targeting peptide (TF-TP) on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells tight junctions. METHODS: Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to measure the proliferation of ARPE-19 cells. Expression of tight junction, ZO-1 in ARPE-19 cells was measured by Western blot and immunofluorescent staining. Western blot was also used to detect the expression of tissue factor (TF). CEC Transmigration Assay was used to measure the migration of ARPE-19 cells. The transport of fluorescent markers [fluorescein isothiocyanate dextrans of 4, 10, 20 (FD4, FD10, FD20)] and the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) were used to measure in ARPE-19 cell. RESULTS: CCK-8 assay showed that 5 µmol/L TF-TP can inhibit ARPE-19 cells abnormally proliferation stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; P<0.05). LPS increased the transport of fluorescent markers (FD4, FD10, FD20) and decreased TEER levels in ARPE-19 cells, respectively, which were prevented by 5 µmol/L TF-TP pretreatment (P<0.05). Furthermore, LPS significantly up-regulated the expression of TF and downregulated the expression of ZO-1 (P<0.05) in ARPE-19 cell which was inhibited by the TF-TP (P<0.05). In addition, TF-TP inhibited the abnormal migration induced by LPS in ARPE-19 cell (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that TF-TP suppressed proliferation and migration of ARPE-19 cells induced by LPS, and maintained the RPE tight junctions through inhibition of TF expression and increased expression of ZO-1.

Endoscopy-assisted vitrectomy in the anterior vitreous.

Endoscopy-assisted ocular surgery is a relatively old technique that is increasingly being recognized for its application in cases of vitreoretinal disease. This technique is especially useful when both the vitreous and retina are difficult to access because of media opacity, a small pupil, or a microcornea. In this context, the anterior vitreous is often difficult to dissect because of its complex pathological changes. This article reviews the common anatomical features and pathologies that are observed in the anterior vitreous, as well as the applications and indications of endoscopy-assisted vitrectomy in the anterior vitreous.

[Association between hepatocyte growth factor in tears and corneal haze in rabbits early after epipolis laser in situ keratomileusis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the dynamic changes of levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in tears and their association with corneal haze in rabbits early after epipolis laser in situ keratomileusis (Epi-LASIK). METHODS: Twenty-four New Zealand rabbits received Epi-LASIK with an ablation depth of 100 µm in one eye and of 150 µm in the other eye. Before and at 3, 7, 14, and 30 days after the surgery, the level of HGF in tears collected from the rabbits was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and corneal haze was graded after surgery. RESULTS: In all the rabbits, corneal epithelium healing occurred in 3 to 5 days after Epi-LASIK. Corneal haze appeared 3 days postoperatively in the rabbits accompanied by increased levels of HGF in tears. At 3, 7, 14, and 30 days after the surgery, the rabbits with an ablation depth of 150 µm showed more obvious corneal haze (P<0.05) and significantly higher levels of HGF in tears than those with an ablation depth of 100 µm (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In rabbits receiving Epi-LASIK, HGF levels in tears and the grade of corneal haze show a positive correlation early after the surgery and are both related with the depth of ablation.

Prognostic Value of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, Procalcitonin and Pancreatic Stone Protein in Pediatric Sepsis.

BACKGROUND To investigate the prognostic value of procalcitonin (PCT), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and pancreatic stone protein (PSP) in children with sepsis. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 214 patients with sepsis during hospitalization were enrolled. Serum levels of PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP were measured on day 1 of hospitalization and the survival rates of children were recorded after a follow-up of 28 days. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted to test the association of PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP with pediatric critical illness score (PCIS). Logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors contributing to patients' death. The AUC was used to determine the value of PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP in the prognosis of patients with sepsis. RESULTS The expression of PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP in the dying patients was higher than in the surviving patients (p<0.001). Pearson's correlation analysis showed that serum PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP levels were negatively correlated with PCIS (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP were independent risk factors for the prognosis of patients with sepsis (p<0.001). ROC analysis showed the AUC values of PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP were 0.83 (95% CI, 0.77-0.88), 0.76 (95% CI, 0.70-0.82), and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.67-0.79), respectively. The combined AUC value of PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP, was 0.92 (95% CI, 0.87-0.95), which was significantly increased compared with PCT, hs-CRP, or PSP (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The combination of serum PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP represents a promising biomarker of risk, and is a useful clinical tool for risk stratification of children with sepsis.

Tissue factor with age-related macular degeneration.

Wet age-related macular degeneration which incidence increases year by year is a blinding eye disease, but current clinical methods of treatment on this disease are limited and the outcome is not ideal. Recent studies have found abnormally high expression of tissue factors which are targets for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration to achieve a certain effect in the choroidal neovascularization. Related literatures are reviewed as following.