Disease-modifying rdHSV-CA8* non-opioid analgesic gene therapy treats chronic osteoarthritis pain by activating Kv7 voltage-gated potassium channels.

Chronic pain is common in our population, and most of these patients are inadequately treated, making the development of safer analgesics a high priority. Knee osteoarthritis () is a primary cause of chronic pain and disability worldwide, and lower extremity OA is a major contributor to loss of quality-adjusted life-years. In this study we tested the hypothesis that a novel JDNI8 replication-defective herpes simplex-1 viral vector () incorporating a modified carbonic anhydrase-8 transgene () produces analgesia and treats monoiodoacetate-induced () chronic knee pain due to OA.

rdHSV-CA8 non-opioid analgesic gene therapy decreases somatosensory neuronal excitability by activating Kv7 voltage-gated potassium channels.

Chronic pain is common and inadequately treated, making the development of safe and effective analgesics a high priority. Our previous data indicate that carbonic anhydrase-8 (CA8) expression in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) mediates analgesia via inhibition of neuronal ER inositol trisphosphate receptor-1 (ITPR1) via subsequent decrease in ER calcium release and reduction of cytoplasmic free calcium, essential to the regulation of neuronal excitability. This study tested the hypothesis that novel JDNI8 replication-defective herpes simplex-1 viral vectors (rdHSV) carrying a CA8 transgene (vHCA8) reduce primary afferent neuronal excitability.

Ocular Adnexal MALT Lymphoma in Association With Rosai-Dorfman Disease in a Child.

A 12-year-old boy presented with persistent proptosis and periorbital swelling after a school altercation. MRI revealed a mass in the right superonasal orbit extending along the orbital roof to the frontal bone and right frontal sinus, and intracranially to the dura of the right frontal lobe. Immunohistochemistry revealed CD20- and CD43-positive B cells consistent with a low-grade B-cell lymphoma.

Pain sensitivity and autonomic nervous system parameters as predictors of dry eye symptoms after LASIK.

Purpose: Differences in pain processing and autonomic function among patients have been implicated in the development of chronic pain after surgery. This study was designed to evaluate whether pain and autonomic metrics predict severity of chronic dry eye (DE) symptoms after LASIK, as there is increasing evidence that DE symptoms may be manifestations of persistent post-operative ocular pain.

Methods: Secondary analysis of prospective randomized clinical trial.

Periorbital botulinum toxin A improves photophobia and sensations of dryness in patients without migraine: Case series of four patients.

Purpose: Individuals receiving botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) injections in the head and neck for migraine treatment have reported decreases in photophobia and sensations of dryness, independent of ocular surface parameters. We hypothesized that patients without migraine but with similar ocular neuropathic-like symptoms would also experience symptomatic improvement with periocular BoNT-A injections, independent of ocular surface changes.

Observations: We identified four individuals without a history of migraine but with neuropathic ocular pain (symptoms of dryness, burning, and photophobia that were out of proportion to ocular surface findings and unresponsive to ongoing dry eye (DE) therapies).

Bilateral Leukemic Infiltration of the Lacrimal Sac in a Child.

An 8-year-old boy with a history of refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia presented with left-sided periorbital erythema and painless enlargement of the lacrimal sac. MRI revealed a soft tissue mass on the floor of the left orbit, extending into the nasolacrimal sac and duct. Lacrimal sac biopsy was consistent with B-lymphoblastic leukemia.

Evidence that Dry Eye Represents a Chronic Overlapping Pain Condition.

Recent data suggest that corneal somatosensory dysfunction may be the underlying cause of severe dry eye symptoms in the absence of ocular surface pathology seen in a subset of patients diagnosed with “dry eye syndrome.” This subset of patients tends to demonstrate a unique constellation of symptoms that are persistent, more severe, and generally respond poorly to current dry eye therapies targeting inadequate or dysfunctional tears. A growing body of literature suggests that symptoms in these patients may be better characterized as neuropathic ocular pain rather than dry eye.

Ablative Fractional Laser Resurfacing With Laser-Assisted Delivery of 5-Fluorouracil for the Treatment of Cicatricial Ectropion and Periocular Scarring.

Purpose: Cicatricial ectropion and periocular scarring can cause significant functional and cosmetic deficits. Surgical treatments can be associated with recicatrization, donor site morbidity, and textural and pigmentary abnormalities. This case series reports on efficacy and safety of a novel nonsurgical approach to treating cicatricial ectropion using ablative fractional laser resurfacing and laser-assisted delivery of 5-fluorouracil.

Neuropathic Ocular Pain due to Dry Eye is Associated with Multiple Comorbid Chronic Pain Syndromes.

Unlabelled: Recent data show that dry eye (DE) susceptibility and other chronic pain syndromes (CPS) such as chronic widespread pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and pelvic pain, might share common heritable factors. Previously, we showed that DE patients described more severe symptoms and tended to report features of neuropathic ocular pain (NOP). We hypothesized that patients with a greater number of CPS would have a different DE phenotype compared with those with fewer CPS.

Ocular Inflammation in the Setting of Concomitant Systemic Autoimmune Conditions in an Older Male Population.

Purpose: This retrospective cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the frequency and types of inflammatory ocular manifestations of specific systemic autoimmune diseases in a South Florida Veterans Affairs Hospital population.

Methods: Demographic and medical diagnosis information was extracted from the Veterans Administration database for 1225 patients. These patients were seen in Miami and Broward Veterans Affairs hospitals between April 18, 2008, and April 17, 2013, and were diagnosed with at least 1 of the following: systemic lupus erythematosus, sarcoid, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, Takayasu arteritis, giant cell arteritis, Kawasaki disease, polyarteritis nodosa, Buerger disease, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, Behcet syndrome, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, other polyarteritis nodosa-associated vasculitides, or arteritis not otherwise specified.

Chronic dry eye symptoms after LASIK: parallels and lessons to be learned from other persistent post-operative pain disorders.

Laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is a commonly performed surgical procedure used to correct refractive error. LASIK surgery involves cutting a corneal flap and ablating the stroma underneath, with known damage to corneal nerves. Despite this, the epidemiology of persistent pain and other long-term outcomes after LASIK surgery are not well understood.