0000000000187396
AUTHOR
Aytan Musayeva
Topical Voriconazole as Supplemental Treatment for Acanthamoeba Keratitis
Purpose Voriconazole was shown to inhibit ergosterol synthesis in various acanthamoeba species. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of treatment with supplemental topical voriconazole in patients with acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). Methods All patients who had been treated for AK with voriconazole 1% drops in conjunction with topical first-line antiacanthamoeba therapy composed of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) 0.02% and propamidine isethionate 0.1% (Brolene) between November 2014 and August 2017 at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Mainz, were included. The main outcomes were treatment failure and recurrence rate. Secondary outcomes wer…
Effects of Superficial Keratectomy in Peripheral Hypertrophic Subepithelial Corneal Opacification on Front and Back Corneal Astigmatism
To evaluate changes of anterior and posterior corneal astigmatism after superficial keratectomy in peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal opacification (PHSCO). Patients with PHSCO, who had ...
Expansion und Transplantation limbaler Stammzellen zur Regeneration der kornealen Oberfläche
ZusammenfassungDie Regeneration des Hornhautepithels wird beim Menschen über das Stammzellreservoir des Limbus reguliert. Bei ausgedehnter Zerstörung der Limbusregion im Rahmen von Entzündungen, Verbrennungen oder Verätzungen kann sich eine limbale Stammzellinsuffizienz ausbilden, bei der es zu einer Vaskularisation und Eintrübung der Hornhaut mit funktioneller Beeinträchtigung kommen kann. Es stehen verschiedene Verfahren der autologen und allogenen Transplantation limbaler Stammzellen zur Verfügung. So können ganze Limbusabschnitte und kleine Limbusbiopsate direkt transplantiert oder aus kleinen Limbusbiopsaten stammende Zellen zunächst ex vivo auf Trägermembranen vermehrt und anschließen…
Oxidative Stress and Vascular Dysfunction in the Retina: Therapeutic Strategies
Many retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular (AMD) degeneration, are associated with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. ROS are important intracellular signaling molecules that regulate numerous physiological actions, including vascular reactivity and neuron function. However, excessive ROS formation has been linked to vascular endothelial dysfunction, neuron degeneration, and inflammation in the retina. ROS can directly modify cellular molecules and impair their function. Moreover, ROS can stimulate the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) causing inflammation and cel…
Betulinic Acid Protects from Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in the Mouse Retina
Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) events are involved in the pathophysiology of numerous ocular diseases. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that betulinic acid protects from I/R injury in the mouse retina. Ocular ischemia was induced in mice by increasing intraocular pressure (IOP) to 110 mm Hg for 45 min, while the fellow eye served as a control. One group of mice received betulinic acid (50 mg/kg/day p.o. once daily) and the other group received the vehicle solution only. Eight days after the I/R event, the animals were killed and the retinal wholemounts and optic nerve cross-sections were prepared and stained with cresyl blue or toluidine blue, respectively, to count cells in…
Role of α1-adrenoceptor subtypes on corneal epithelial thickness and cell proliferation in mice
Adrenergic stimuli are important for corneal epithelial structure and healing. The purpose of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that the lack of a single α1-adrenoceptor (α1-AR) subtype affects corneal epithelial thickness and cell proliferation. Expression levels of α1-AR mRNA were determined in mouse cornea using real-time PCR. In mice devoid of one of the three α1-AR subtypes (α1A-AR−/−, α1B-AR−/−, α1D-AR−/−) and in wild-type controls, thickness of individual corneal layers, the number of epithelial cell layers, and average epithelial cell size were determined in cryosections. Endothelial cell density and morphology were calculated in corneal explants, and epithelial cell p…
Analysis of the Corneal Anterior and Posterior Surface in Patients With Peripheral Hypertrophic Subepithelial Corneal Opacification
PURPOSE To characterize the corneal changes in peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal opacification (PHSCO) considering elevation of the anterior and posterior corneal surface, corneal astigmatism, tear secretion, and endothelial cell density. METHODS Thirty-eight eyes of 22 patients with PHSCO on at least 1 eye and 38 eyes of 22 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Using the Pentacam system (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany), measurement of the anterior and posterior corneal surface was performed. In addition, the Schirmer test was conducted, and endothelial cells were counted in the central cornea with a specular microscope (SP-30…
Allogenic simple limbal epithelial transplantation (alloSLET) from cadaveric donor eyes in patients with persistent corneal epithelial defects
Background/aimTo describe the clinical outcome of allogenic simple limbal epithelial transplantation (alloSLET) utilising tissue from cadaveric donor eyes after failed re-epithelialisation of the corneal surface.MethodsMedical records of 14 eyes from 14 patients treated for persistent corneal epithelial defects with alloSLET were reviewed. The primary outcome measure was complete epithelialisation of the corneal surface. Secondary outcome measures were best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and postoperative side effects due to surgery or medical therapy.ResultsOf the 14 eyes, 7 received alloSLET only and 7 alloSLET together with penetrating keratoplasty (PK). Thirteen (92.9%) of 14 eyes had a…
Corneal Epithelial Stem Cells-Physiology, Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Options.
In the human cornea, regeneration of the epithelium is regulated by the stem cell reservoir of the limbus, which is the marginal region of the cornea representing the anatomical and functional border between the corneal and conjunctival epithelium. In support of this concept, extensive limbal damage, e.g., by chemical or thermal injury, inflammation, or surgery, may induce limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) leading to vascularization and opacification of the cornea and eventually vision loss. These acquired forms of limbal stem cell deficiency may occur uni- or bilaterally, which is important for the choice of treatment. Moreover, a variety of inherited diseases, such as congenital aniridia…
Retinal arteriole reactivity in mice lacking the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene
Dysfunctional vascular endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has been proposed to play a main pathophysiological role in various ocular diseases. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the chronic lack of eNOS impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilation in retinal arterioles. The relevance of eNOS for mediating vascular responses was studied in retinal vascular preparations from eNOS-deficient mice (eNOS-/-) and wild-type controls in vitro. Changes in luminal diameter in response to vasoactive agents were measured by videomicroscopy. The thromboxane mimetic, U46619, induced similar concentration-dependent constriction of retinal arterioles in eNOS-/- and wild-type mi…
Aged Mice Devoid of the M3 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Develop Mild Dry Eye Disease
The parasympathetic nervous system is critically involved in the regulation of tear secretion by activating muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Hence, various animal models targeting parasympathetic signaling have been developed to induce dry eye disease (DED). However, the muscarinic receptor subtype (M1–M5) mediating tear secretion remains to be determined. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the M3 receptor subtype regulates tear secretion and to evaluate the ocular surface phenotype of mice with targeted disruption of the M3 receptor (M3R−/−). The experimental techniques included quantification of tear production, fluorescein staining of the ocular surface, environmenta…