A review of using Traditional Chinese Medicine in the management of glaucoma and cataract.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history in ophthalmology in China. Over 250 kinds of Traditional Chinese Medicine have been recorded in ancient books for the management of eye diseases, which may provide an alternative or supplement to current ocular therapies. However, the core holistic philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine that makes it attractive can also hinder its understanding from a scientific perspective - in particular, determining true cause and effect. This review focused on how Traditional Chinese Medicine could be applied to two prevalent ocular diseases, glaucoma, and cataract. The literature on preclinical and clinical studies in both English and Chinese on the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat these two diseases was reviewed. The pharmacological effects, safety profile, and drug-herb interaction of selected herbal formulas were also investigated. Finally, key considerations for conducting future Traditional Chinese Medicine studies are discussed.

Characterizing internal cavity modulation of corn starch microcapsules.

Swelling of normal corn starch granules through heating in water leads to enlargement of the starch particles and a corresponding increase in internal cavity size. Through control of the swelling extent, it is possible to tune the size of the internal cavity for the starch microcapsules (SMCs). The swelling extent can be controlled through regulation of the swelling time and the swelling temperature. Since the swelling extent is correlated with particle size and solubility, these aspects may also be controlled. Imaging the SMCs at increasing levels of swelling extent using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allowed for the internal cavity swelling process to be clearly observed. Brightfield and polarizing light microscopy validated the SEM observations. Confocal laser scanning microscopy provided further validation and indicated that it is possible to load the SMCs with large molecules through diffusion. The highly tunable SMCs are novel microparticles which could have applications in various industries.

Corneal epithelial cells exposed to shear stress show altered cytoskeleton and migratory behaviour.

Cells that form the corneal epithelium, the outermost layer of the cornea, are exposed to shear stress through blinking during waking hours. In this in vitro study, the effect of fluid shear stress on human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) was investigated. Following exposure to shear stresses of 4 and 8 dyn/cm2, HCECs showed cytoskeletal rearrangement with more prominent, organized and elongated filamentous actin. Cytoskeletal changes were time-dependent, and were most significant after 24 hours of shear stress. Higher rates of migration and proliferation, as evaluated by a scratch assay, were also observed following 24 hours of low shear stress exposure (4 dyn/cm2). This result contrasted the poor migration observed in samples scratched before shear exposure, indicating that shear-induced cytoskeletal changes played a key role in improved wound healing and must therefore precede any damage to the cell layer. HCEC cytoskeletal changes were accompanied by an upregulation in integrin ß1 and downregulation of ICAM-1. These results demonstrate that HCECs respond favourably to flow-induced shear stress, impacting their proliferation and migration properties as well as phenotype.