Association of meibomian gland morphology with orifice plugging and lid margin thickening in meibomian gland dysfunction patients.

PURPOSE: We sought to investigate the association of meibomian gland morphology with lid margin abnormalities in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction. METHODS: This retrospective study included 368 eyes of 184 patients. Meibography was used to evaluate meibomian gland (MG) morphological features, such as dropout, distortion, thickened ratio and thinned ratio. Lid margin photography was used to evaluate lid margin abnormalities including orifice plugging, vascularity, irregularity and thickening. The association between MG morphological features and lid margin abnormalities was analyzed using a mixed linear model. RESULTS: The study found a positive correlation between plugging of gland orifices grade and MG dropout grade in both the upper lids (B = 0.40, p = 0.007) and the lower lids (B = 0.55, p = 0.001). Plugging of gland orifices grade was also positively correlated to MG distortion grade in the upper lids (B = 0.75, p = 0.006). In the upper lids, MG thickened ratio increased first (B = 0.21, p = 0.003) and then decreased (B = - 0.14, p = 0.010) with a higher lid margin thickening grade. MG thinned ratio was negatively correlated with lid margin thickening (B = - 0.14, p = 0.002, B = - 0.13, p = 0.007). MG distortion grade decreased with lid margin thickening (B = - 0.61, p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Orifice plugging was correlated to meibomian gland distortion and dropout. Lid margin thickening was associated with meibomian gland thickened ratio, thinned ratio, and distortion. The study also suggested that distorted and thinned glands may be transitional phases between thickened glands and glands dropout.

Effect of hypothermic perfusion on phacoemulsification in cataract patients complicated with uveitis: a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of hypothermic perfusion in the phacoemulsification of cataract caused by uveitis. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-masked, randomised, controlled clinical trial. One hundred and six patients with uveitis-associated cataract underwent phacoemulsification with perfusion fluid temperature at 4 °C (treatment group) or 24 °C (control group). Anterior chamber inflammation grade, corneal endothelial cell count, corneal thickness, macular fovea thickness, and intraocular pressure (IOP) were observed on the 1st day and 7th day after operation. RESULTS: The aqueous flare score was 0.83 ± 0.76 in the 4 °C group, which was lower than that in the 24 °C group (1.51 ± 1.02, p = 0.006) on the first day after operation. The aqueous cells score was lower in the 4 °C group (0.17 ± 0.38) than that in the 24 °C group (0.62 ± 0.94, p = 0.025). The mean corneal thickness of incision in the 4 °C group (907.66 ± 85.37 µm) was thinner than that in the 24 °C group (963.75 ± 103.81 µm, p = 0.005). Corneal endothelial cells density, macular fovea thickness, or percentage of transiently increased IOP showed no difference between the two groups (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in all the main outcome parameters between the two groups on the 7th day after operation (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Hypothermic perfusion in the phacoemulsification of uveitis-associated cataract is safe, and it can effectively inhibit anterior chamber inflammation and reduce the incisional corneal edema in the early postoperative stage. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. (http://www.chictr.org.cn/, Registration Number: ChiCTR1800016145).

Gp130 Promotes Inflammation via the STAT3/JAK2 Pathway in Allergic Conjunctivitis.

Purpose: Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is a common allergic condition worldwide that requires accurate screening and early diagnosis. We found that gp130 is essential for AC, as gp130 levels are elevated in AC. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the functions and the possible underlying mechanisms of gp130 in AC. Methods: To compare mRNA expression profiles, the conjunctival tissues of BALB/c mice with ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AC were subjected to RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis followed by bioinformatic analysis. A nonrandomized study involving 57 patients with AC and 24 sex- and age-matched healthy individuals was conducted. A protein chip was used to detect cytokine levels in patient tears. Differentially expressed proteins in patient serum were detected using label-free quantitative mass spectrometry. Histamine-stimulated conjunctival epithelial cells (HConEpiCs) were used to construct a cell model. LMT-28 which can inhibit gp130 phosphorylation was dropped onto the murine ocular surface, and the resulting symptoms were observed. Results: Gp130 is upregulated in the conjunctival tissues of OVA-induced mice, the serum and tears of patients, and the histamine-stimulated HConEpiCs. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) were upregulated in the conjunctival tissues of mice with OVA-induced AC and in HConEpiCs. Ocular surface inflammation was significantly relieved in LMT-28-treated mice. The expression of IgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in serum of LMT-28-treated mice decreased. The number of mast cells in conjunctival tissue was decreased compared with OVA-induced mice. Conclusions: Gp130 may play an important role in AC via the gp130/JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Inhibiting gp130 phosphorylation alleviates ocular surface inflammation in mice, presenting a potential treatment approach for AC.

Total IgE in tears accurately reflects the severity and predicts the prognosis of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.

BACKGROUND: Although immunoglobulin E (IgE) increases significantly in tears and serum during seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC), it is unclear whether tear total IgE can reflect the severity and prognosis of SAC more accurately than serum total IgE. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of measuring the total IgE in tears to evaluate the severity and determine the treatment of SAC. METHODS: This prospective, nonrandomized study involved 55 patients with SAC and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Serum and tears were collected before and after treatment to analyze the total IgE. SAC patients received the same topical anti-allergy treatment and were followed-up every 2 weeks for 1 month. The relationship of tear and serum total IgE concentrations with pollen concentrations and symptom severity before and after treatment was assessed. RESULTS: The total IgE concentration in tears was higher in SAC patients than in healthy participants with significant correlations between tear and serum total IgE concentrations. The total IgE concentration in tears, but not in serum, correlated with the pollen concentration and severity of ocular symptoms and reactions in SAC. Treatment-associated improvements in symptoms and reactions in SAC correlated with decreased concentrations of the tear total IgE. Patients with disease recurrence following treatment demonstrated significantly higher tear total IgE concentrations than patients with no recurrence. CONCLUSION: The total tear IgE level can indicate the severity and predict the prognosis of SAC more accurately than the serum total IgE.

Rab18 overexpression promotes proliferation and chemoresistance through regulation of mitochondrial function in human gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of Rab18 has been implicated in human cancers. However, its clinical significance and biological function in gastric cancer have not been investigated. METHODS: We examined Rab18 expression in gastric cancer tissues using immunohistochemistry. We used SNU-1 and AGS cell lines for plasmid and siRNA transfection respectively. MTT, colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis, matrigel invasion, wound healing assay, AnnexinV/PI analysis and western blotting were used to examine the biological effect and mechanism of Rab18 in gastric cancer cell lines. RESULTS: Rab18 protein expression was upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and this correlated with advanced stage and poor prognosis. Rab18 overexpression promoted proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Cell cycle analysis showed that Rab18 overexpression upregulated, while its depletion downregulated S phase percentage. Matrigel invasion and wound healing assays indicated that Rab18 positively regulated SNU-1 cell invasion and migration while its knockdown inhibited AGS cell invasion and migration. Rab18 maintained cell viability and downregulated apoptosis after cisplatin treatment, with upregulated mitochondrial membrane potential and downregulated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Rab18 overexpression upregulated p-Rb, survivin while downregulated cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our results indicate that Rab18 promoted gastric cancer growth and chemoresistance, possibly through regulation of mitochondrial function and survivin.