SYNGR2 serves as a prognostic biomarker and correlates with immune infiltrates in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Synaptogyrin-2 (SYNGR2) plays an important role in regulating membrane traffic in non-neuronal cells. However, the role of SYNGR2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. METHODS: All original data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases and integrated via R 3.5.3. SYNGR2 expression was explored in the TCGA and GEO databases. The correlations between SYNGR2 and cancer immune characteristics were analyzed via the TIMER and TISIDB databases. RESULTS: In general, SYNGR2 was predominantly overexpressed and had reference values in the diagnosis and prognostic estimation of ESCC. Upregulated SYNGR2 was associated with poorer overall survival, disease-specific survival and T stage in ESCC. Mechanistically, we identified hub genes that included a total of 38 SYNGR2-related genes, which were tightly associated with the protein polyubiquitination pathway in ESCC patients. SYNGR2 expression was negatively related to the infiltrating levels of T helper cells. SYNGR2 methylation was positively correlated with the expression of chemokines (CCL2 and CXCL12), chemokine receptors (CCR1 and CCR2), immunoinhibitors (CXCL12 and TNFRSF4) and immunostimulators (CSF1R and PDCD1LG2) in ESCC. CONCLUSION: SYNGR2 may be used as a biomarker for determining prognosis and immune infiltration in ESCC.

Intraocular lens optic capture in pediatric cataract surgery.

Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) remains the most common complication of pediatric cataract surgery despite continuous efforts to reduce its incidence. For this reason, pediatric cataract surgeons have expended considerable effort into preventing and mitigating PCO. The intraocular lens (IOL) optic capture technique has been used for the prevention of PCO after pediatric cataract surgery for more than 20y, but there is still no professional consensus. However, recent research has shown encouraging results. The IOL optic capture technique can be performed without anterior vitrectomy to prevent PCO, even in younger children. The type and characteristics of IOLs used for optic capture technique, the location of IOL and the complications of IOL optic capture in children are here reviewed.

Unilateral medial rectus resection for the treatment of recurrent exotropia in children.

PURPOSE: To investigate the outcomes of unilateral medial rectus resection (UMR-res) for the treatment of small to moderate angles of recurrent exotropia in children followed up for a minimum of 6 months. METHODS: This study is a retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series in which 48 children who underwent UMR-res (range 4.0-7.5 mm) for recurrent exotropia [range 12-25 prism diopters (PD)] between January 2009 and February 2013 were enrolled. Of these 48 children, 32 had recurrent intermittent exotropia, and 16 had recurrent constant exotropia. A successful surgical alignment was defined as +5 to -10 PD of orthophoria in the primary position while viewing distant or near targets. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 12 months, the surgical success rate was 75 % (36/48), and the undercorrection rate was 25 % (12/48). No patient exhibited overcorrection. The success rates of the UMR-res in the recurrent intermittent exotropia group and recurrent constant exotropia group were 78 % and 69 %, respectively, and were not significantly different (P = 0.50). In the initial surgical procedure groups, the success rates of patients with bilateral lateral rectus recession, unilateral lateral rectus recession, and unilateral lateral rectus recession combined with medial rectus resection were 81.8 % (18/22), 81.25 % (13/16), and 50 % (5/10), respectively. The surgical success rates did not differ among these three groups (P = 0.122). CONCLUSION: Based on our results, UMR-res would appear to be an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of intermittent or constant recurrent exotropia of ≤25 PD in children.

Expression profiles and function of Toll-like receptors in human corneal epithelia.

BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptors play an important role in the human immune system. This study was conducted to investigate the expression profiles and function of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 1 - 9 in human corneal epithelium. METHODS: The expression of TLR1 - 9 mRNA in 20 human donor corneal epithelia samples abraded during photorefractive keratotomy (PRK) and cultivated telomerase-immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (THCEs) was examined by semi-quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used as positive controls. The expression of the TLR2 and TLR4 proteins was detected by Western analysis. ELISA was used to detect IL-8 secretion from THCEs challenged with ligands for TLR3 and TLR4 with and without antibody blockade. RESULTS: The expression of TLR1 - 9 at the mRNA level was detected in the epithelia of 20 patients and in THCE. Significant differences among individuals were observed. One patient was found to lack of the expression of TLR3, 4, 6 and 8, whereas another did not express TLR5. The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 protein was detected in human corneal epithelial cells. As THCE cells express TLR1 - 9, cells were challenged with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and poly I:C to determine whether TLR4 and TLR3 were functional. The results showed that secretion of IL-8 by cells stimulated with LPS and Poly I:C was 7 to 10 fold greater than secretion by unchallenged cells. Blocking TLR4 with an anti-TLR4 antibody significantly inhibited the LPS-induced IL-8 production by THCE (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Human corneal epithelial cells express multiple TLRs and are able to recognize LPS and poly I:C. Different expression profiles among individuals suggest that differences in the susceptibilities and sensitivities to bacterial and viral infection in human populations relate to different patterns of TLR expression.

The role of NF-kappaB activation in lipopolysaccharide induced keratitis in rats.

BACKGROUND: Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is elevated in regulating transcription of many cytokines and inflammatory mediators. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activation and the significance NF-kappaB in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced keratitis. METHODS: LPS induced keratitis model was based on Wistar rats. At 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 or 72 hours after LPS treatment, the rat corneas were observed with a slit lamp microscope, then the rats were sacrificed and their corneas were excised for routine histological analysis. The expression of NF-kappaB was detected with immunohistochemical staining. The change of tumour necrosis factors-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA expression was identified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Histological findings demonstrated that LPS treated corneas showed significant changes in corneal structure. Corneal edema, pronounced inflammatory cells infiltration and inordinate collagen fibres were observed. Immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of NF-kappaB and its activation obviously increased after LPS treatment compared with the normal group and control group. Positive cells could be observed at 0.5 hour and peak expression of NF-kappaB was observed between 3 hours and 12 hours after infection, but returned to or approached normal level by 72 hours. RT-PCR showed that the level of TNF-alpha mRNA began to increase 0.5 hour after LPS treatment, peaked at 6 hours and then subsided by 72 hours. NF-kappaB had a positive correlation with the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA (r = 0.964, P < 0.01), both NF-kappaB and TNF-alpha had a strong positive correlation with the degree of inflammatory response in LPS treated corneas (r = 0.929, P < 0.01; r = 0.587, P < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The activation of NF-kappaB was increased in LPS treated corneas and was elevated in LPS induced keratitis by promoting overexpression of TNF-alpha mRNA. NF-kappaB may play an important role in the pathogenesis of LPS-associated keratitis in rats.