Acute Retinal Necrosis: Virological Features Using Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction, Therapeutic Management, and Clinical Outcomes.

Purpose: To evaluate outcomes of patients treated with intensive intravitreal therapy and to describe the evolution of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in patients treated for acute retinal necrosis (ARN) syndrome.

Design: Retrospective observational case series.

Methods: This study included 25 eyes of 24 patients with ARN who were treated and followed up in 2 departments of ophthalmology in Lyon, France.

Incidence of Cystoid Macular Edema After Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty.

Purpose: The incidence of and risk factors for cystoid macular edema (CME) after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) remain uncertain. This study examines the incidence of and risk factors for CME after DMEK.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included patients with no history of CME who had undergone DMEK.

Spontaneous closure of macular holes secondary to posterior uveitis: case series and a literature review.

The occurrence of a macular hole due to posterior uveitis is infrequently reported. We report the evolution of three cases of macular holes secondary to posterior segment inflammation. A complete inflammatory and infectious assessment found one case of toxocariasis, one of sarcoidosis, and one of syphilis.

Development of ex vivo organ culture models to mimic human corneal scarring.

Purpose: To develop ex vivo organ culture models of human corneal scarring suitable for pharmacological testing and the study of the molecular mechanisms leading to corneal haze after laser surgery or wounding.

Methods: Corneas from human donors were cultured ex vivo for 30 days, either at the air-liquid interface (AL) or immersed (IM) in the culture medium. Histological features and immunofluorescence for fibronectin, tenascin C, thrombospondin-1, and α-smooth muscle actin were graded from 0 to 3 for control corneas and for corneas wounded with an excimer laser.

Detection of Treponema pallidum in aqueous humor by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Purpose: To report the additional clinical value of real-time Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the detection of Treponema pallidum in aqueous humor.

Methods: A real-time (RT) PCR assay targeting the polymerase 1 gene of Treponema pallidum was performed in aqueous humor samples collected in consecutive patients with ocular syphilis.

Results: Five patients presenting with optic neuritis (1), posterior placoid chorioretinitis (1), or panuveitis with retinitis (3) were tested.

Use of magnetically oriented orthogonal collagen scaffolds for hemi-corneal reconstruction and regeneration.

We recently showed that the highly organized architecture of the corneal stroma could be reproduced using scaffolds consisting of orthogonally aligned multilayers of collagen fibrils prepared using a high magnetic field. Here we show that such scaffolds permit the reconstruction in vitro of human hemi-corneas (stroma + epithelium), using primary human keratocytes and limbal stem cell derived human keratinocytes. On the surface of these hemi-corneas, a well-differentiated epithelium was formed, as determined both histologically and ultrastructurally and by the expression of characteristic markers.

Bacterial adhesion to conventional hydrogel and new silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials.

Background: As bacterial adhesion to contact lenses may contribute to the pathogenesis of keratitis, the aim of our study was to investigate in vitro adhesion of clinically relevant bacteria to conventional hydrogel (standard HEMA) and silicone-hydrogel contact lenses using a bioluminescent ATP assay.

Methods: Four types of unworn contact lenses (Etafilcon A, Galyfilcon A, Balafilcon A, Lotrafilcon B) were incubated with Staphylococcus epidermidis (two different strains) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa suspended in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Lenses were placed with the posterior surface facing up and were incubated in the bacterial suspension for 4 hours at 37 degrees C.