Long-term stable wireless smart contact lens for robust digital diabetes diagnosis.

Wearable devices for digital continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) have attracted great attention as a new paradigm medical device for diabetes management. However, the relatively inaccurate performance and instability of CGM devices have limited their wide applications in the clinic. Here, we developed hyaluronate (HA) modified Au@Pt bimetallic electrodes for long-term accurate and robust CGM of smart contact lens.

Hydrogel Microneedles Extracting Exosomes for Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer.

There are several methods for early diagnosis of tumors, such as detecting circulating tumor DNAs, detecting circulating tumor cells, or imaging with tumor-targeting contrast agents. However, these assays are time-consuming and may cause patient discomfort during the biopsy collecting process. Here, we develop a facile method for early diagnosis of tumors by extracting exosomes from interstitial fluid (ISF) using hydrogel microneedles (MNs).

Wireless theranostic smart contact lens for monitoring and control of intraocular pressure in glaucoma.

Glaucoma is one of the irreversible ocular diseases that can cause vision loss in some serious cases. Although Triggerfish has been commercialized for monitoring intraocular pressure in glaucoma, there is no smart contact lens to monitor intraocular pressure and take appropriate drug treatment in response to the intraocular pressure levels. Here, we report a precisely integrated theranostic smart contact lens with a sensitive gold hollow nanowire based intraocular pressure sensor, a flexible drug delivery system, wireless power and communication systems and an application specific integrated circuit chip for both monitoring and control of intraocular pressure in glaucoma.

Bimetallic Nanocatalysts Immobilized in Nanoporous Hydrogels for Long-Term Robust Continuous Glucose Monitoring of Smart Contact Lens.

Smart contact lenses for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) have great potential for huge clinical impact. To date, their development has been limited by challenges in accurate detection of glucose without hysteresis for tear glucose monitoring to track the blood glucose levels. Here, long-term robust CGM in diabetic rabbits is demonstrated by using bimetallic nanocatalysts immobilized in nanoporous hydrogels in smart contact lenses.

Smart Wireless Near-Infrared Light Emitting Contact Lens for the Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy is currently treated by highly invasive repeated therapeutic injections and surgical interventions without complete vision recovery. Here, a noninvasive smart wireless far red/near-infrared (NIR) light emitting contact lens developed successfully for the repeated treatment of diabetic retinopathy with significantly improved compliance. A far red/NIR light emitting diode (LED) is connected with an application-specific integrated circuit chip, wireless power, and communication systems on a PET film, which is embedded in a silicone elastomer contact lens by thermal crosslinking.

Association with Corneal Remodeling Related Genes, ALDH3A1, LOX, and SPARC Genes Variations in Korean Keratoconus Patients.

Purpose: To determine whether the cornea remodeling-related genes aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1 (ALDH3A1), lysyl oxidase (LOX), and secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) were potential susceptibility candidate genes for keratoconus in Korean patients, we investigated the associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these three genes in Korean patients with keratoconus.

Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of unrelated patients with keratoconus and healthy control individuals. For screening of genetic variations, all exons from the entire coding regions of the ALDH3A1, LOX, and SPARC genes were directly sequenced to determine the presence of mutations.

Ocular surface inflammation induces de novo expression of substance P in the trigeminal primary afferents with large cell bodies.

We evaluated the changes in substance P (SP)-expressing trigeminal neurons (TNs) innervating the cornea following ocular surface inflammation. Ocular surface inflammation was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats using 0.1% benzalkonium chloride (BAK).

Wireless smart contact lens for diabetic diagnosis and therapy.

A smart contact lens can be used as an excellent interface between the human body and an electronic device for wearable healthcare applications. Despite wide investigations of smart contact lenses for diagnostic applications, there has been no report on electrically controlled drug delivery in combination with real-time biometric analysis. Here, we developed smart contact lenses for both continuous glucose monitoring and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

A Mutation in as a Novel Candidate Gene for Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy.

Corneal dystrophies (CDs) are a diverse group of inherited disorders with a heterogeneous genetic background. Here, we report the identification of a novel ZNF143 heterozygous missense mutation in three individuals of the same family with clinical and pathological features that are consistent with endothelial CD. Ophthalmologic examination revealed diffuse corneal clouding and edema with decreased endothelial cell density.

Drug-eluting contact lens containing cyclosporine-loaded cholesterol-hyaluronate micelles for dry eye syndrome.

A contact lens is an attractive tool for the delivery of ophthalmic drugs, but it has several issues such as the burst release of drugs and the limited drug loading capacity. To overcome these limitations, we developed a cholesterol-hyaluronate (C-HA) micelle-embedded contact lens for efficient hydrophobic drug loading and long-term controlled drug delivery. The contact lens was fabricated photopolymerization of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a cross-linker.

Marked infiltration of neutrophils at the upper palpebral conjunctiva in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Purpose: Neutrophils may be involved in the local pathophysiology of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). We evaluated neutrophil infiltration in cGVHD using conjunctival impression cytology (IC) and its clinical correlation with ocular surface status and neutrophil enzyme levels in tears.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 76 patients with cGVHD.

The Blockade of IL6 Counterparts the Osmolar Stress-Induced Apoptosis in Human Conjunctival Epithelial Cells.

To determine the effect of hyperosmolarity on cell survival/apoptosis of conjunctival epithelial cells and evaluate the possible role of IL6, Wong-Kilbourne derivative of Chang conjunctival cell line (WKD) was used in this study. Confluent cells were incubated under different osmolarity (290 mOsm and 500 mOsm) with or without neutralizing IL6 antibody (50 ng/mL). The expression of IL6 level was measured in the supernatant of each conditioned medium.

Wakayama symposium: interface between innate and adaptive immunity in dry eye disease.

Although the mechanism of dry eye disease is not clearly understood, it is certain that inflammation and the immune response play a major role in determining the health of the ocular surface in dry eye patients. Accurate ocular surface characterization during the early stages of dry eye disease is critical for successful treatment, because there exists no single standard, objective test to diagnose the early phase of dry eye disease. The treatment target should be direct to prevent the perpetuation of chronic inflammation and immune responses.

The Influence of Overnight Orthokeratology on Ocular Surface and Meibomian Glands in Children and Adolescents.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of overnight orthokeratology (OOK) on ocular surface and meibomian glands in children and adolescents.

Methods: Prospective, noncomparative study included the ocular surface disease index (OSDI), tear osmolarity, corneal and conjunctival fluorescein staining, tear film breakup time (TBUT), the Schirmer I test, and meiboscore using noncontact meibography. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy of interleukin-1β (IL1β), interleukin-6 (IL6), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 using impression cytology filter paper was performed.

Diquafosol promotes corneal epithelial healing via intracellular calcium-mediated ERK activation.

Diquafosol is known as a purinergic P2Y2 receptor (P2Y2R) agonist that stimulates water and mucin secretion from conjunctival epithelial cells and goblet cells, leading to tear film stability in dry eye. However, its effect on corneal epithelial healing has not yet been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of diquafosol on corneal epithelial healing in vivo and on P2Y2R-related downstream signaling pathways in vitro.

A Family with Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome: Report of the Clinical and Genetic Findings.

Purpose: To describe clinical findings in a Korean family with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome.

Methods: A retrospective review of clinical data about patients with diagnosed Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome. Five affected members of the family underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination.

Ex vivo human corneal epithelial cell expansion from a xeno-feeder-free system.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish a simple, xeno-feeder-free method for cultivating human corneal epithelial cells.

Methods: Limbal tissue explants from a cadaver were cultured in Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium and low-calcium Panserin 801 medium in a 1:1 ratio. The outgrowing cells were characterized by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR (rtPCR).

Tear Osmolarity and Ocular Surface Parameters as Diagnostic Markers of Ocular Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of tear osmolarity and several ocular surface parameters in screening for ocular surface alterations in ocular graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) patients.

Design: Case-control study.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with ocular GVHD and 74 healthy participants were screened for ocular surface changes using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear osmolarity, Schirmer test, tear break-up time (TBUT), and fluorescein corneal staining.

Prevalence of and risk factors for age-related and anterior polar cataracts in a Korean population.

Objective: To investigate the potential risk factors associated with nuclear, cortical, posterior subcapsular, and anterior polar cataracts (APC) in the Korean population.

Research Design And Methods: This was a population-based, cross-sectional study of 7992 adults (over 40 years of age) from the data of the fourth annual Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, performed from 2007 to 2009. The presence of lens opacity was examined by slit-lamp biomicroscopy and evaluated according to LOCS II standard photographs.

Antiapoptotic effects of anthocyanin from the seed coat of black soybean against oxidative damage of human lens epithelial cell induced by H2O2.

Purpose: To describe the protective effect of anthocyanin from black soybean in human lens epithelial cell line (HLE-B3) under H2O2-induced oxidative stress.

Methods: Cytotoxicity of anthocyanin and H2O2 were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 test. Viability of HLE-B3 cells under various H2O2 concentration (0, 50 and 100 μM) with or without pretreatment of anthocyanin (0, 50, 100 and 200 μg/ml) was measured.

Gene-gene interactions of CFH and LOC387715/ARMS2 with Korean exudative age-related macular degeneration patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the association and interaction of single nucleotide polymorphisms in CFH and LOC387715/ARMS2 with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a Korean population.

Methods: A total of 114 exudative AMD patients and 240 normal subjects participated in the study. PCR and direct sequencing were used to screen SNPs in the CFH and in the LOC387715/ARMS2.

Changes in corneal sensation and ocular surface in patients with asymmetrical keratoconus.

Purpose: To describe tear function, ocular surface changes, and corneal sensitivity in patients with asymmetrical keratoconus (KC).

Methods: Thirty-one patients with asymmetrical KC (31 KC and 31 subclinical KC eyes) and 30 control subjects (1 eye in each subject) were enrolled in this prospective, case-control study. The patients and control subjects underwent ocular surface examinations including corneal sensitivity measurements, the Schirmer test using topical anesthesia, tear osmolarity test, and conjunctival impression cytology.

TGFBI gene mutations in a Korean population with corneal dystrophy.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical and genetic features of Korean patients with corneal dystrophies associated with mutations in the human transforming growth factor-β-induced (TGFBI) gene.

Methods: In this study, 387 subjects (71 families and 89 individuals - 268 patients having TGFBI corneal dystrophies and 119 normal relatives) were assessed. All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmologic evaluation, including biomicroscopic inspection and dilated fundus examination.

Correlations between tear cytokines, chemokines, and soluble receptors and clinical severity of dry eye disease.

Purpose: To determine cytokine and chemokine concentrations in the tears of patients with dry eye disease (DED) and analyze the possible relationships with the clinical severity of DED.

Methods: Patients were examined using the Ocular Surface Disease Index, corneal and conjunctival staining, tear breakup time, and impression cytology. They were divided into four groups according to the Dry Eye Workshop severity classification.

Proinflammatory gene polymorphisms are potentially associated with Korean non-Sjogren dry eye patients.

Purpose: To determine whether proinflammatory cytokine genes were potential susceptibility candidate genes for Korean patients with non-Sjogren dry eye, we investigated the association of the interleukin 1 beta (IL1B), interleukin 6 (IL6), and interleukin 6 receptor (IL6R) variations with this disease in Korean patients.

Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of unrelated non-Sjogren dry eye patients and healthy control individuals who visited the Eye Center and Health Promotion Center of St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul, Korea.