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.

Treatment of Corneal Infections Utilizing an Ocular Wound Chamber.

Purpose: To demonstrate that the ocular wound chamber (OWC) can be used for the treatment of bacterial keratitis (BK).

Methods: A blepharotomy was performed on anesthetized, hairless guinea pigs to induce exposure keratopathy 72 hours before corneal wound creation and inoculation. Twenty-four hours postinoculation, eyes were treated with an OWC filled with 500 µL 0.

Traumatic Optic Nerve Injury Elevates Plasma Biomarkers of Traumatic Brain Injury in a Porcine Model.

A diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is typically based on patient medical history, a clinical examination, and imaging tests. Elevated plasma levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and neurofilament light chain (NFL) have been observed in numerous studies of TBI patients. It is reasonable to view traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) as a focal form of TBI.

Use of an ocular wound chamber for the prevention of exposure keratopathy in a guinea pig model.

Current therapies available to treat and heal ocular surface injuries and periocular burns are frequently inadequate, costly, and labor intensive. To address these limitations, we have employed a flexible, semitransparent ocular wound chamber (OWC) to provide protection as well as a watertight seal to allow for the constant delivery of therapeutics to the ocular surface and surrounding periocular tissue. This study demonstrates the safety and utilization of the OWC on uninjured eyes and in our exposure keratopathy model.