Retinal Vascular Complications in Cocaine Abuse: A Case Report and a Literature Review.

This comprehensive review examines the ocular vascular complications of cocaine use, focusing on its effects on retinal vasculature and inflammation. A rare case of bilateral frosted branch angiitis (FBA) in a 48-year-old man with a history of intranasal cocaine abuse is presented as an illustrative example to stimulate discussion. The case highlights severe retinal ischemia and vascular sheathing, with no identifiable infectious or autoimmune cause, ultimately complicated by systemic vascular events.

Long-Term Functional Outcomes of Retinal Detachment Due to Acute Retinal Necrosis: A Case Series.

: To evaluate the long-term anatomical and functional prognosis of patients with retinal detachment (RD) secondary to acute retinal necrosis (ARN) treated with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). : This retrospective case series included 21 eyes from 21 patients with RD secondary to ARN. The study analyzed vitreous or aqueous biopsy results, the impact of antiviral therapy, time to retinal detachment, changes in visual acuity (VA), and anatomical and surgical outcomes.

Challenging corneal diseases and microRNA expression: Focus on rare diseases and new therapeutic frontiers.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression by targeting specific messenger RNA (mRNA). This interaction modulates mRNA stability or translational efficiency, ultimately impacting the level of protein production. Emerging evidence suggests that miRNAs act as critical regulators in corneal diseases.

Neuroprotective Effect of Antiapoptotic URG7 Protein on Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line SH-SY5Y.

Up-regulated Gene clone 7 (URG7) is a protein localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and overexpressed in liver cells upon hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Its activity has been related to the attenuation of ER stress resulting from HBV infection, promoting protein folding and ubiquitination and reducing cell apoptosis overall. While the antiapoptotic activity of URG7 in HBV-infected cells may have negative implications, this effect could be exploited positively in the field of proteinopathies, such as neurodegenerative diseases.