Tryptase and Exogenous Trypsin: Mechanisms and Ophthalmic Applications.

Ocular injuries caused by inflammation, surgery or accidents are subject to a physiological healing process that ultimately restores the structure and function of the damaged tissue. Tryptase and trypsin are essential component of this process and they play a role in promoting and reducing the inflammatory response of tissues, respectively. Following injury, tryptase is endogenously produced by mast cells and can exacerbate the inflammatory response both by stimulating neutrophil secretion, and through its agonist action on proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR2). In contrast, exogenously introduced trypsin promotes wound healing by attenuating inflammatory responses, reducing oedema and protecting against infection. Thus, trypsin may help resolve ocular inflammatory symptoms and promote faster recovery from acute tissue injury associated with ophthalmic diseases. This article describes the roles of tryptase and exogenous trypsin in affected tissues after onset of ocular injury, and the clinical applications of trypsin injection.

Ocular Lesions in Brucella Infection: A Review of the Literature.

Ocular lesions due to Brucella infection are uncommon and easily overlooked in clinical management, but must be differentiated from non-infectious eye diseases and treated promptly to protect the patient's vision. We reviewed the relevant literature and identified 47 patients with ocular complications of Brucella infection. Among them, 28 showed ocular neuropathy, 15 presented with uveitis, and four patients displayed other ocular symptoms. Ocular symptoms accompanying Brucella infection require prompt diagnosis and treatment. The main methods of diagnosis are intraocular fluid tests and blood tests. Early diagnosis and treatment with suitable antibiotics are central to protecting the patient's vision. Notably, in terms of mechanism of injury, Brucella infection is chronic and cannot be eliminated by phagocytes, and can cause damage to the eye by inducing autoimmune reactions, antigen-antibody complex production, release of endogenous and exogenous toxins, and bacterial production of septic thrombi in the tissues. In this review, we summarize the ocular symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of Brucella infection, and discuss the mechanisms of Brucella in ocular lesions, providing a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of Brucella ocular lesions.

Therapeutic Effect of Gypenosides on Antioxidant Stress Injury in Orbital Fibroblasts of Graves' Orbitopathy.

Purpose: To examine the impact of gypenosides (Gyps) on oxidative stress damage of orbital fibroblasts (OFs) from Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) patients. Methods: The relationship between Gyps and GO oxidative stress was understood by bioinformatics analysis. Orbital connective tissues of GO and non-GO patients were obtained for primary OF culture. The proliferation level of OFs was measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 method, and the appropriate intervention concentration of Gyps and H2O2 was obtained. The expression of apoptosis-related protein mRNA was analyzed by RT-qPCR technique. ROS and SOD test suites were employed to detect the oxidative stress level in OFs. Flow cytometry apoptosis detection, TUNEL detection, and lactate dehydrogenase detection were used to analyze the level of apoptosis. Western blotting detection was utilized to examine the regulatory pathway of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy-related proteins. The changes of cell morphology, autophagosome, and autophagy lysosome were observed by transmission electron microscope. Results: The suitable intervention concentration of Gyps is 100 µg/mL, and the suitable intervention concentration of high concentration H2O2 is 350 µM. In comparison with the blank control group, the H2O2 intervention group enhanced the expression of apoptosis-related mRNA, the expression of ROS and SOD, the apoptosis rate, the expression of autophagy activation-related protein and Nrf2/ERK/HO-1 protein, and the number of autophagosomes and autophagy lysosomes. Compared with H2O2 intervention group, the expression of apoptosis-related mRNA decreased, ROS expression decreased, SOD expression increased, apoptosis rate decreased, autophagy activation-related protein expression decreased, Nrf2/ERK/HO-1 protein expression increased, and the quantity of autophagosomes and autophagy lysosomes decreased in H2O2 + Gyps intervention group. Conclusion: Gyps can decrease the oxidative stress level of OFs generated by H2O2, reduce cell autophagy, and reduce apoptosis. Gyps may regulate the oxidative stress response of OFs in GO patients via the Nrf2/ERK/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Celastrol Regulates the Secretion of Interleukin-17 in Patients with Sympathetic Ophthalmia Through Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3.

Purpose: The excessive secretion of interleukin (IL)-17 contributes to the pathological process of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO). Celastrol is a naturally active product and exhibits an immunosuppressive effect. However, whether the supplementation of celastrol relieves SO remains unclear. Methods: The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted from the venous blood samples of 20 SO patients and 20 healthy controls, followed by stimulating with various concentrations of celastrol. The levels of IL-23 and IL-17 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. The activation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in PBMCs of SO patients was detected by Western blot. Results: The levels of IL-23 and IL-17 in PBMCs isolated from SO patients were significantly increased compared with those in PBMCs isolated from healthy controls. Celastrol treatment inhibited the production of both IL-23 and IL-17 in PBMCs of SO patients in a dose-dependent manner. In PBMCs isolated from SO patients and healthy controls, the administration of recombinant human IL-23 (rIL-23) enhanced the production of IL-17, which was then suppressed by co-stimulation with celastrol. Also, celastrol treatment reduced rIL-23-induced phosphorylation of STAT3 in PBMCs isolated from SO patients. Conclusions: Celastrol can reduce the production of IL-17 in PBMCs of SO patients. The mechanism may be related to the reduction of IL-23 secretion, which in turn inhibits the phosphorylation of STAT3.

Exploring Minimum Secondary Injury for the Treatment of Ocular Trauma With Giant Intraocular Foreign Bodies.

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical therapy for giant intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) and evaluate the best treatment method with minimum secondary injury. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 73 eyes of 73 patients with ocular trauma caused by giant IOFBs between January 2016 and December 2018. The IOFB size, localization, shape, and magnetic properties were recorded. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), ocular tissue injuries, entrance wound, interval time from injury to second phase surgery, silicone oil removal, and globe recovery were also observed. The cases were divided into three groups based on the following IOFB extraction paths: limbus path, the pars plana path, and the entrance wound path. The BCVA, IOFB size and shape, the wound, endophthalmitis, and silicone oil removal were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: The IOFBs were 46 cases of magnetic and 27 cases of nonmagnetic, with a shape of thin flat in 19 cases, thick flat in 12 cases, long in seven cases, and irregular in 35 cases. Multiple damages were caused by the giant IOFBs, mainly involving the severe cornea, lens, and retina injuries. The postoperative BCVA increased compared with the preoperative BCVA (z = -6.06, P < 0.01). The rate of recovery from blindness was 40.85% (29/71). The thin flat IOFB and long IOFB resulted in a better postoperative BCVA than the other two IOFB shapes (all P < 0.05). The irregular IOFB had a poorer silicone oil removal rate than the other three IOFB shapes (all P < 0.05). The IOFB extraction followed the limbus path in 18 cases, pars plana path in 27 cases, and entrance wound path in 28 cases. The IOFB length and width in the pars plana path group were significantly lower than that in the limbus path group (all P < 0.05), the preoperative BCVA of the pars plana path group was superior to that of the limbus path group (P < 0.05), and the IOFB length, width, and entrance wound length in the pars plana path group were significantly lower than in the entrance wound path group (all P < 0.05). But the postoperative BCVA in the pars plana path group was not better than that in the other two groups (all P > 0.05). The postoperative BCVA of the entrance wound path group was significantly superior to that of the limbus path group (z = -2.01, P = 0.04), while there was no difference between the two groups in IOFB length, width, entrance wound length, or preoperative BCVA (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The entrance wound path would benefit to minimize secondary injury in giant IOFB extraction procedure, compared with the limbus and pars plana path.

Therapeutic investigation of quercetin nanomedicine in a zebrafish model of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is progressive damage to the retina and it's caused by damage to the blood-retinal barrier. Quercetin has pleiotropic action like anti-oxidant, regulation cell cycle &vascular integrity, and preventive effect of neuroinflammation. The present study is designed to investigate the nano-formulation of quercetin (NQ) in a zebrafish model of DR. The DR was developed by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 350 mg/kg). The acceleration of retinopathy was made on 7 days of diabetic zebrafish by intravitreal injection of STZ (20 µL of 7 % w/v of STZ stock solution). The treatment of NQ (5 and 10 mg/kg; i.p.) was administered for 21 consecutive days. The reference control i.e., dexamethasone (DEX, 10 mg/kg; i.p.) was also administered for 21 consecutive days. The sign of DR was assessed by eyeball/body weight ratio, eyeball weight, optomotor response (OMR), startle response (SR), phototactic response (PTR), and escape response (ER). Furthermore, the biochemical changes like plasma glucose and homocysteine (HCY) levels; and eye retinal tissue lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione (GSH), and arginase reductase (AR) activity levels were assessed. The NQ found to attenuate the effect of STZ induced DR along with the regulation of biochemical abnormalities. And, it also comparable with reference drug treatment i.e., DEX treated group. Hence, NQ can be used for the treatment of diabetic associated retinopathy and neurosensory disorder visits anti-hyperglycemic, regulation of homocysteine pathway, reduction of lipid peroxidation, and free radical scavenging actions.

Elevated microRNA-20b-3p and reduced thioredoxin-interacting protein ameliorate diabetic retinopathy progression by suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasomes.

Over the years, microRNA-20b-3p (miR-20b-3p) has been found to play an essential role in human diseases; we aimed to investigate the effect of miR-20b-3p on the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The DR rat models were established by streptozotocin injection and treated with miR-20b-3p mimics, silenced, or overexpressed thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP). Afterward, the expression of miR-20b-3p and TXNIP, visual function, inflammatory factors, microvascular injury, vascular permeability, cell apoptosis, and angiogenesis in rats' retinal tissues were assessed. The target relation between miR-20b-3p and TXNIP was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. MiR-20b-3p was poorly expressed while TXNIP was highly expressed in DR rats' retinal tissues. Elevated miR-20b-3p and inhibited TXNIP promoted the visual function, and restricted the inflammatory reaction, microvascular injury, vascular permeability, cell apoptosis, and angiogenesis in DR rats, thereby decelerating the development of DR. Furthermore, TXNIP was targeted by miR-20b-3p. We have found in this study that elevated miR-20b-3p could repress the levels of inflammatory factors by inhibiting TXNIP, thus attenuating the pathology of retina in DR rats, which provided new candidates for DR treatment.

Circular RNA (circ-0075804) promotes the proliferation of retinoblastoma via combining heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (HNRNPK) to improve the stability of E2F transcription factor 3 E2F3.

It is growingly recognized that messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are important regulators of various cancers. However, there are few reporters about the function of E2F3 in retinoblastoma (RB), which needs more exploration. In addition, the circRNA circ-0075804 was derived from the E2F3 host gene. The purpose of the study is to figure out the role and molecular regulation mechanism of E2F3 and circ-0075804 in RB. The role of E2F3 in RB was determined through E2F3 silencing and loss of expression was evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot, CCK-8, colony formation, and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assays. The interactions between E2F3 and circ-0075804 were validated through loss and gain function of circ-0075804. Besides, the role of circ-0075804 in RB was determined by several functional assays. And the binding ability between heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K and circ-0075804 was verified by RNA pull-down, Western blot, and RT-qPCR assays. The expression of E2F3 was upregulated in RB cell lines. Furthermore, knockdown of E2F3 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in RB. And circ-0075804 positively regulated the expression of E2F3. Moreover, circ-0075804 facilitated cell proliferation and suppressed cell apoptosis. Besides, HNRNPK could bind with circ-0075804 in RB. Finally, knockdown of E2F3 partly rescued the promoting role of circ-0075804 overexpression in RB. Overall, circ-0075804 promotes the proliferation of RB via combining HNRNPK to improve the stability of E2F3, which brings new light for treating RB.

Real-time monitoring of translocation of selected type-III effectors from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae into rice cells.

Type-III (T3) effectors PthXo1 and AvrXa10 of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae are translocated into rice cells to induce virulence and avirulence on susceptible- and resistant-rice varieties Nipponbare and IRBB10, respectively. The translocation needs the bacterial T3 translocator Hpa1 and rice Oryza sativa plasma membrane protein OsPIP1;3. Here, we employed the beta-lactamase (BlaM) reporter system to observe PthXo1 and AvrXa10 translocation. The system was established to monitor effectors of animal-pathogenic bacteria by quantifying the BlaM hydrolysis product [P] and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) of the substrate. The feasibility of the BlaM reporter in rice protoplasts was evaluated by three criteria. The first criterion indicated differences between both [P] and FRET levels among wild types and OsPIP1;3-overexpressing and OsPIP1;3-silenced lines of both Nipponbare and IRBB10. The second criterion indicated differences between [P] and FRET levels in the presence and absence of Hpa1. The last criterion elucidated the coincidence of PthXo1 translocation with induced expression of the PthXo1 target gene in protoplasts of Nipponbare and the coincidence of AvrXa10 translocation with induced expression of the AvrXa10 target gene in protoplasts of IRBB10. These results provide an experimental avenue for real-time monitoring of bacterial T3 effector translocation into plant cells with a pathological consequence.

MicroRNA-665 inhibits the oncogenicity of retinoblastoma by directly targeting high-mobility group box 1 and inactivating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Purpose: Previous studies have revealed that microRNA-665 (miR-665) is dysregulated in a variety of human cancers. However, little is known regarding its expression profiles and functions in retinoblastoma (RB). Therefore, the aims of our study were to evaluate miR-665 expression in RB and determine the precise roles of miR-665 in the progression of RB. Patients and methods: Herein, RT-qPCR was used to determine miR-665 expression levels in RB tissues and cell lines, and a series of functional experiments were performed to explore the influence of miR-665 on RB cell proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion as well as tumor growth. The molecular mechanisms underlying the tumor-suppressive action of miR-665 in RB were also explored. Results: We found that miR-665 was markedly reduced in RB tissues and cell lines and that lower miR-665 expression was strongly associated with tumor size, TNM stage, and differentiation in patients with RB. Exogenous expression of miR-665 suppressed cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis in RB cells, while silencing miR-665 expression had the opposite effects. In addition, upregulation of miR-665 decreased the tumor growth of RB cells in vivo. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was identified as a direct target of miR-665 in RB cells, and decreasing the expression of HMGB1 simulated the regulatory effects of miR-665 overexpression in RB cells, while knockdown of HMGB1 expression counteracted the miR-665-mediated antitumor effects in RB cells. Moreover, miR-665 was shown to regulate the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway by targeting HMGB1 in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Taken together, our in vitro and in vivo results suggest that miR-665 acts as a tumor-suppressive miRNA in RB by directly targeting HMGB1 and inactivating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Hence, this miRNA is a candidate prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in patients with RB.

Pre-existing type 2 diabetes is an adverse prognostic factor in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a risk factor for various cancers, but its prognostic role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is controversial and understudied. This study investigated the prognostic value of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in RCC patients. METHODS: The clinicopathological and follow-up data of 451 RCC patients undergoing radical or partial nephrectomy at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from 2013 to 2018 were reviewed. Associations of T2D with clinicopathological parameters of RCC were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method for survival estimates and Cox regression univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Of 451 patients, 74 (16.4%) had T2D. These patients were older, had a higher body mass index, higher incidence rates of hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity, a higher rate of laparoscopic surgery, and smaller neoplasms (all P < .05). Patients with T2D exhibited shorter overall survival (OS; P = .009), cancer-specific survival (CSS; P = .043), and recurrence-free survival (RFS; P = .008) than patients without T2D. Fuhrman grade (hazard ratio [HR] 2.542, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.115-5.795, P = .026) and T2D (HR 3.391, CI 1.458-7.886, P = .005) were independent predictors of OS; T2D was an independent predictor of CSS (HR = 4.637, 95% CI 1.420-15.139, P = .011) and RFS (HR 3.492, 95% CI 1.516-8.044, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Renal cell carcinoma patients with T2D have a shorter OS and higher recurrence rate and mortality risk than those without T2D.

RETRACTED: Arbutin attenuates hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative injury through regulation of microRNA-29a in retinal ganglion cells.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief as panels from Figures 1D, 2E and 4E appear similar to each other. Given the comments of Dr Elisabeth Bik regarding this article "As previously described by Christopher …, the Western blot bands in all 400+ papers are all very regularly spaced and have a smooth appearance in the shape of a dumbbell or tadpole, without any of the usual smudges or stains", the journal requested the authors to provide the raw data. However, the authors were not able to fulfil this request.

Increased Th1/Th17 Responses Contribute to Low-Grade Inflammation in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of senior blindness in developed countries. Mechanisms underlying initiation and development of AMD remained known. METHODS: We examined the CD4+ T cell compartments and their functions in AMD patients. RESULTS: AMD patients presented significantly higher frequencies of interferon (IFN)-γ-expressing and interleukin (IL)-17-expressing CD4+ T cells than healthy controls. The levels of IFN-γ and IL-17 expression by CD4+ T cells were significantly higher in AMD patients. These IFN-γ-expressing Th1 cells and IL-17-expressing Th17 cells could be selectively enriched by surface CCR3+ and CCR4+CCR6+ expression, respectively. Th1 and Th17 cells from AMD patients promoted the differentiation of monocytes toward M1 macrophages, which were previously associated with retinal damage. Th1 and Th17 cells also increased the level of MHC class I expression in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE)-1 cells, while Th1 cells increased the frequency of MHC class II-expressing RPE-1 cells. These proinflammatory effects were partly, but not entirely, induced by the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-17. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated an enrichment of Th1 cells and Th17 cells in AMD patients. These Th1 and Th17 cells possessed proinflammatory roles in an IFN-γ- and IL-17-dependent fashion, and could potentially serve as therapeutic targets.

Vitreoretinal surgery for proliferative diabetic retinopathy with two types of bandage contact lenses: clinical results and protection of corneal epithelium / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

·AIM: To observe the effect of two kinds of bandage contact lenses on epithelial erosions and corneal thickness after vitreoretinal surgery for proliferative diabetic retinopathy ( PDR) .· METHODS: In this prospective, nonrandomized, comparative clinical study, 69 eyes of 69 patients with PDR were divided into two groups. They underwent vitreoretinal surgery. Group A, 36 eyes of 36 cases, the bandage contact lens with diameter of 13. 8mm were covered on corneal surface during surgery under noncontact wide-angle viewing systems. Group B, 33 eyes of 33 cases, the bandage contact lens with diameter of 14. 0mm were covered on corneal surface during the same surgery. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, slit-lamp examination, corneal fluorescein sodium staining, count of corneal endothelium cells, measure of corneal thickness before and after operation were assessed.·RESULTS: Pre-operation, corneal fluorescein sodium staining positive rate was 42% in Group A and 42% in Group B (x2=0. 004, P=0. 949). At 1d after surgery, the positive rate of was 47% in Group A and 45% in Group B (x2=0. 022, P=0. 883). At 2d after surgery, the positive rate of was 44% in Group A and 45% in Group B ( x2 =0. 007, P=0. 933). At 3d after surgery, the positive rate of was 44% in Group A and 42% in Group B (x2=0. 029, P=0. 886). At 7d after surgery, the positive rate of was 42%in Group A and 39% in Group B (x2=0. 037, P=0. 848). Count of corneal endothelium cells showed no significant difference between Group A and Group B(P>0. 05). Count of corneal endothelium cells of Group A before surgery and at 7d after surgery were 2779. 25 ± 329. 55 /mm2 , 2777. 14±331. 17 /mm2, without significant difference (t=0. 551, P=0. 585);those of Group B were 2678. 61±335. 64/mm2 , 2672. 45 ± 336. 25 /mm2 , without significant difference(t = 1. 774, P = 0. 086). Measure of corneal thickness was 519. 25±23. 42μm before surgery and 542. 03± 25.94μm after surgery in Group A (t=-6.854, P<0.001). Measure of corneal thickness was 525. 64 ± 20. 97μm before surgery and 551. 33±27. 87μm after surgery in Group B (t=-7. 204, P<0. 001).·CONCLUSION:Two kinds of bandage contact lenses are used in vitreoretinal surgery in diabetic patients. The corneal epithelial integrity shows no difference before and after surgery. Both the bandage contact lens could protect the corneal epithelium and maintain good corneal transparency during vitreoretinal surgery.

Clinical effects and safety of treating diabetic macular edema with intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with retinal photocoagulation.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to examine the clinical effects of treating diabetic macular edema with an intravitreal injection of ranibizumab in combination with retinal photocoagulation. METHODS: Sixty-two cases (75 eyes) with confirmed severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy or proliferative diabetic retinopathy in combination with macular edema were randomly divided into the observation group (37 eyes were given an intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with retinal photocoagulation) and the control group (38 eyes received retinal photocoagulation only). Vision, fundus condition, central macular thickness, and the macular leakage area were recorded before and after treatment. RESULTS: The best-corrected visual acuity and macular leakage area were similar between the observation and control groups (P>0.05). The best-corrected visual acuity in the observation group was higher than that in the control group 3 and 6 months after treatment (P<0.05) and showed a rising tendency. The macular leakage area in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group 1 and 3 months after treatment (P<0.05). However, the macular leakage area was similar 6 months after treatment (P>0.05). The central macular thickness of the observation group was lower than that in the control group 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment (P<0.05). The laser energy used in the observation group was also smaller than that in the control group (P<0.05). The intraocular pressure was not significantly different between the groups (P<0.05). No patients in the two groups developed eye or systemic complications, such as glaucoma, cataract, or vitreous hemorrhage during treatment. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with retinal photocoagulation was proven to be effective in treating diabetic macular edema as it improved vision and resulted in fewer complications.

Hypersensitivity toward bacterial stimuli in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

Although the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is unclear, genetic screening has revealed that polymorphisms in the complement system may be associated with AMD development. Production of autoantibodies was also found in AMD patients. In this study, we analyzed the antibody response in AMD patients. We found that purified B cells from AMD patients tended to respond to lower concentrations of bacterial antigen stimulation, and produced higher amounts of antibodies, especially in IgM and IgA secretions. When examining clinical symptoms, patients with more severe wet-form AMD tended to exhibit higher sensitivity to bacterial antigens and secreted more IgM and IgA antibodies than those with less severe dry-form cases. In conclusion, our study discovered an altered B-cell antibody production in response to bacterial antigens in AMD patients, which potentially contributes to AMD pathogenesis.

Effect of anti-VEGF drugs combined with photodynamic therapy in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

We analyzed the effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs combined with photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Ninety-six cases (192 eyes) of AMD were included in this study and randomly divided into the observation group and control group (n=48 cases per group). The control group was administered the treatment of Lucentis intravitreal injection alone and the observation group was administered Lucentis combined with PDT. The therapeutic effects were compared. The best corrected visual acuity of patients in the two groups increased gradually after treatment. Patients in the observation group had a significantly higher visual acuity when compared to the control group 1 and 6 months post-operation. The differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The proportion of patients with vision improvement in the observation group was higher than that in the control group from 1 to 6 months; differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Through detection by color Doppler ultrasound within 6 months after treatment, we observed that the peak systolic velocity and arterial end diastolic velocity of retrobulbar optic nerve bitemporal PCA of the observation group were higher than those of the control group. The values of arterial resistance index and pulsatility index of the observation group were lower than those of control group. The differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Six months after treatment, the value of central foveal thickness of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, the value of mean sensitivity of visual field parameter 10° and 4° was higher in the observation group than in the control group, and the absolute value of mean defects in the observation group were lower than that of the control group. In summary, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Anti-VEGF drugs combined with PDT can optimize the overall vision of patients with AMD, improve hemodynamic parameters and reduce visual field defects.

Characteristics and visual outcomes of patients hospitalized for ocular trauma in central China: 2006-2011.

AIM: To complete the data of ocular trauma in central China, as a well-known tertiary referral center for ocular trauma, we documented the epidemiological characteristics and visual outcomes of patients hospitalized for ocular trauma in this region. METHODS: A retrospective study of patients hospitalized for ocular trauma in central China from 2006 to 2011 was performed. RESULTS: This study included 5964 eyes of 5799 patients. The average age was 35.5±21.8y with a male-to-female ratio of 2.8:1. The most common age was 45-59y age group. Most patients were farmers and workers (51.9%). The most common injuries were firework related (24.5%), road traffic related (24.2%), and work related (15.0%). Among the most common causative agents were firecrackers (24.5%), followed by metal/knife/scissors (21.4%). Most injuries occurred in January (14.2%), February (27.0%), and August (10.0%). There were 8.5% patients with ocular injuries combined with other injuries. The incidence of open ocular injuries (4585 eyes, 76.9%) was higher than closed ocular injuries (939 eyes, 15.7%). The incidences of chemical and thermal ocular injuries were 1.2% and 0.6%. Ocular trauma score (OTS) predicted final visual acuity at non light perception (NLP), 20/200-20/50 and 20/40 with a sensitivity of 100%, and light perception (LP)/hand motion (HM) and 1/200-19/200 with a specificity of 100%. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides recent epidemiological data of patients hospitalized for ocular trauma in central China. Some factors influencing the visual outcome include time interval between injury and visit to the clinic, wound location, open or closed globe injury, initial visual acuity, and OTS.