Case Series: Mixed Infectious Keratitis by Pythium insidiosum and Fungal Species.

Significance: This case series is the first to illustrate mixed infection from Pythium sp. and fungal species in corneal ulcer.

Purpose: This case series aimed to alert all toward the possibility of both Pythium sp.

Repositioning the existing drugs for neuroinflammation: a fusion of computational approach and biological validation to counter the Parkinson's disease progression.

Parkinson's disease is caused by the deficiency of striatal dopamine and the accumulation of aggregated α-synuclein in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Neuroinflammation associated with oxidative stress is a key factor contributing to the death of dopaminergic neurons in SNpc and advancement of Parkinson's disease. Two molecular targets, i.

Impact of extreme events on the transformation of hydrological characteristics of Asia's largest brackish water system, Chilika Lake.

The earth is experiencing the impact of climate change due to global warming. Lake ecosystems are no exception and are expected to cope with the consequences of extreme climatic events (hereafter ECE), such as storms, floods, and droughts. These events have significant potential to alter the hydrological characteristics (HC) influencing the physical, chemical, and biological behavior of lake ecosystems.

Microsporidia-induced stromal keratitis: a new cause of presumed immune stromal (interstitial) keratitis.

Background And Objective: To describe the clinical features, diagnosis and management of immune stromal keratitis/interstitial keratitis (IK) associated with microsporidial epithelial keratitis.

Methods: Between October 2020 and January 2021, medical records of IK patients microbiologically proven as microsporidia from samples collected from corneal epithelium on smear examination, and/ or molecular analysis were reviewed. Demography, clinical profile and treatment were analysed.

Identification of novel MurA inhibitors using approach, their validation and elucidation of mode of inhibition.

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase (MurA) is an important enzyme involved in the first cytosolic step of bacterial cell wall synthesis. In this study a combination of ligand based and structure based virtual screening methods were utilised for screening of more than 50,000 drug-like compounds from CSIR-IIIM in-house compound library in order to identify potent inhibitors of MurA. The identified hits were validated in vitro under various incubation conditions using Malachite green phosphate assay, and two potent hits viz 3772-9534 and D396-0012 were identified.

Microsporidial Endotheliitis Mimicking Graft Rejection After Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report a case of microsporidial endotheliitis masquerading as graft rejection after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK).

Methods: A 36-year-old man visited the clinic with complaints of blurred vision, redness, pain, watering, and whitish appearance of the black portion of his left eye. On evaluation, there was diffuse stromal edema with epithelial defect and hypopyon.

Hydro-geochemical analysis based on entropy and geostatistics model for delineation of anthropogenic ground water pollution for health risks assessment of Dhenkanal district, India.

Consumption of poor quality water causes serious human health hazards. Therefore, it is very crucial to investigate factors influencing the quality of groundwater and its suitability for drinking purpose. In the present study, groundwater quality of the Dhenkanal district of Odisha, India was characterized and the spatial distribution of different water quality parameters were analyzed using the multivariate statistics, entropy theory, and geostatistics techniques.

Sequelae of microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis and its management.

Purpose: : To characterize the sequelae of microsporidia keratoconjunctivitis (MKC) and outline its management.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of microbiologically proven MKC returned with persistent disease between January 2015 and December 2019 was done. Demographics, clinical features, management, and outcome were analyzed.

Aurora Kinase B Expression, Its Regulation and Therapeutic Targeting in Human Retinoblastoma.

Purpose: Aurora kinase B (AURKB) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of mitosis and is gaining prominence as a therapeutic target in cancers; however, the role of AURKB in retinoblastoma (RB) has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to determine if AURKB plays a role in RB, how its expression is regulated, and whether it could be specifically targeted.

Methods: The protein expression of AURKB was determined using immunohistochemistry in human RB patient specimens and immunoblotting in cell lines.

Comparative profile of ocular surface microbiome in vernal keratoconjunctivitis patients and healthy subjects.

Purpose: To compare ocular surface microbiome and its antibiotic sensitivity in vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) with normal ocular surface.

Methods: In this case-control study, thirty patients each with clinical diagnosis of VKC and age-matched controls with normal ocular surface were enrolled. Tear film samples were collected from each group and subjected to microbial evaluation with microscopy, conventional culture methods, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Discovery of a New Donepezil-like Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor for Targeting Alzheimer's Disease: Computational Studies with Biological Validation.

Alzheimer's disorder is one of the most common worldwide health problems, and its prevalence continues to increase, thereby straining the healthcare budgets of both developed and developing countries. So far, donepezil is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved dual-binding site inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) that can amplify the cholinergic activity and also decrease Aβ aggregation in Alzheimer patients. We report herein a new donepezil-like natural compound derivative (D1) as a convincing AChE inhibitor.

Antimicrobial peptides in human corneal tissue of patients with fungal keratitis.

Background: Fungal keratitis (FK) is the leading cause of unilateral blindness in the developing world. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been shown to play an important role on human ocular surface (OS) during bacterial, viral and protozoan infections. In this study, our aim was to profile a spectrum of AMPs in corneal tissue from patients with FK during the active pase of infection and after healing.

Effect of Adjunctive Pars Plana Vitrectomy on Focal Posterior Segment Inflammation: A Case-Control Study in Tuberculosis-Associated Uveitis.

Purpose: Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) is commonly performed for managing complications of uveitis but the anti-inflammatory potential of PPV has not been extensively investigated beyond aqueous/vitreous inflammation. We studied the effect of PPV on resolution of focal posterior segment lesions in tuberculosis-associated uveitis (TBU).

Design: Case control study.

Combining ligand- and structure-based in silico methods for the identification of natural product-based inhibitors of Akt1.

The traditional method of drug discovery process has been surpassed by a rational approach where computer-aided drug designing plays a vital role in the identification of leads from large compound databases. Further, natural products have an important role in drug discovery as these have been the source of most active ingredients of medicines. Herein, in silico structure- and ligand-based approaches have been applied to screen in-house IIIM natural product repository for Akt1 (serine/threonine protein kinases) which is a well-known therapeutic target for cancer due to its overexpression and preventing the cells from undergoing apoptosis.

High Prevalence of Biofilm-Forming MRSA in the Conjunctival Flora in Chronic Dacryocystitis.

Objectives: To report the microbiological spectrum of conjunctival flora and prevalence of biofilm-forming Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in conjunctival flora in chronic dacryocystitis.

Design: Prospective, case-control study.

Methods: We included patients with unilateral chronic dacryocystitis, and their unaffected eyes as control.

Normalised quantitative polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of tuberculosis-associated uveitis.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnosis of tuberculosis-associated uveitis (TBU) in TB-endemic countries is challenging due to likelihood of latent mycobacterial infection in both immune and non-immune cells. In this study, we investigated normalised quantitative PCR (nqPCR) in ocular fluids (aqueous/vitreous) for diagnosis of TBU in a TB-endemic population. Mycobacterial copy numbers (mpb64 gene) were normalised to host genome copy numbers (RNAse P RNA component H1 [RPPH1] gene) in TBU (n = 16) and control (n = 13) samples (discovery cohort).

Autoreactive T Cells in Immunopathogenesis of TB-Associated Uveitis.

Purpose: Intraocular inflammation in tuberculosis-associated uveitis (TBU) is usually widespread, and responds unpredictably to treatment. Herein, we analyze the intraocular T-cell response in TBU for its surface phenotype, antigenic specificity, and functional characteristics to explain the above observations.

Methods: We isolated T cells from vitreous humor samples of patients with TBU and non-TB uveitis (controls).

Orbital tuberculosis: Clinicopathological correlation and diagnosis using PCR in formalin-fixed tissues.

This article describes the clinicopathological correlation and challenges encountered in the diagnosis of orbital tuberculosis (TB). Retrospective, interventional case series. A chart review of six patients who underwent biopsy for an orbital mass between January 2012 and December 2013 was performed.

ROLE OF EARLY VITRECTOMY IN THE TREATMENT OF FUNGAL ENDOPHTHALMITIS.

Purpose: To study whether immediate pars plana vitrectomy at the time of sampling vitreous for culture alter the visual and structural outcomes in fungal endophthalmitis.

Methods: Surgical results of 66 consecutive patients with culture-positive fungal endophthalmitis attending a tertiary eye care hospital in eastern India were analyzed. Based on the timing of vitrectomy, they were divided into 2 groups: Group 1-immediate vitrectomy (n = 31) and Group 2-diagnostic vitrectomy alone (n = 35) as the first-line intervention.

Gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy: a review.

Gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy (GDLD) is a rare autosomal recessive form of corneal dystrophy characterised by subepithelial and stromal amyloid deposits. It is relatively common in Japan. It usually presents in the first two decades of life with subepithelial nodular lesions that later coalesce to form mulberry-like opacities.

A Novel Mutation in Helical Domain 2 of NOD2 in Sporadic Blau Syndrome.

We report a 12-year-old girl who presented with bilateral granulomatous anterior uveitis accompanied by boggy arthritis of knee and ankle joints, intermittent fever, and nodular skin rash. She was diagnosed with sporadic Blau syndrome (early-onset sarcoidosis) based on above clinical signs and presence of non-necrotising granuloma on iris biopsy. DNA sequencing revealed a previously unreported heterozygous mutation consisting of a G>A transition in exon 4 of the NOD2 gene.