BDNF and cAMP are neuroprotective in a porcine model of traumatic optic neuropathy.

Traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) is a devastating condition that can occur after blunt or penetrating trauma to the head, leading to visual impairment or blindness. Despite these debilitating effects, no clinically available therapeutic targets neuroprotection or promotes axon regeneration in this or any optic neuropathy. Limited data in large-animal models are a major obstacle to advancing treatments toward clinical therapeutics.

Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of corneal organoids during development.

Corneal organoids are useful tools for disease modeling and tissue transplantation; however, they have not yet been well studied during maturation. We characterized human iPSC-derived corneal organoids at 1, 2, 3, and 4 months of development using single-cell RNA sequencing to determine the cellular heterogeneity at each stage. We found pluripotent cell clusters committed to epithelial cell lineage at 1 month; early corneal epithelial, endothelial, and stromal cell markers at 2 months; keratocytes as the largest cell population at 3 months; and a large epithelial cell population at 4 months.

The Use of Panitumumab-IRDye800CW in a Novel Murine Model for Conjunctival Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a sight-threatening ocular surface malignancy with the primary treatment modality being surgical resection. To evaluate surgical imaging modalities to improve surgical resection, we established a novel murine model for conjunctival SCC to demonstrate the utility of panitumumab-IRDye800, a fluorescently labeled anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody.

Methods: NOD-scid IL2Rgammanull (NSG) mice received subconjunctival injection of UM-SCC-1 or SCC-9, head and neck SCC cell lines.

PNP Hydrogel Prevents Formation of Symblephara in Mice After Ocular Alkali Injury.

Purpose: To create an alkali injury symblephara mouse model to study conjunctival fibrosis pathophysiology and test polymer nanoparticle (PNP) hydrogel as a preventative therapeutic.

Methods: Mice were injured using NaOH-soaked filter paper to determine the optimal NaOH concentration to induce the formation of symblephara. Injured mice were observed for 7 days to detect the formation of symblephara.

Investigation of correlation between diameters of pelvic inlet and outlet planes and female pelvic floor dysfunction.

Objective: To investigate correlation between key diameters of pelvic inlet and outlet planes and female pelvic floor dysfunction (FPFD).

Study Design: Correlation with incidence of FPFD was analyzed by measuring the two diameters of pelvic inlet and outlet planes (i.e.