Exorbital Lacrimal Gland Ablation and Regrafting Induce Inflammation but Not Regeneration or Dry Eye.

The study evaluated the regenerative responses of the lacrimal functional unit (LFU) after lacrimal gland (LG) ablation. The LG of Wistar rats was submitted to G1) partial LG ablation, G2) partial ablation and transplantation of an allogeneic LG, or G3) total LG ablation, (n = 7-10/group). The eye wipe test, slit lamp image, tear flow, and histology were evaluated.

Distinct Inflammatory and Oxidative Effects of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypothyroidism in the Lacrimal Functional Unit.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypothyroidism (HT) are prevalent diseases associated with dry eye (DE). Their impact on the lacrimal functional unit (LFU) is poorly known. This work evaluates the changes in the LFU in DM and HT.

Oxidative Stress in the Protection and Injury of the Lacrimal Gland and the Ocular Surface: are There Perspectives for Therapeutics?

Oxidative stress (OS) is a major disruption in the physiology of the lacrimal functional unit (LFU). Antioxidant enzymes have dual protective activities: antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Peroxidases have been indistinctly used as markers of the secretory activity of the LFU and implicated in the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease (DED), even though they comprise a large family of enzymes that includes lactoperoxidase (LPO) and glutathione peroxidase (GPO), among others.

Biofilm and Planktonic Antibiotic Resistance in Patients With Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Introduction: The recalcitrant nature of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic rhinosinusitis (AECRS) potentially involves persisting colonization of the sinonasal mucosa by bacterial biofilms. Biofilms are known to be highly resistant to antibiotics, which may trigger or maintain chronic inflammation in the sinonasal mucosa. However, little is known about the relationship between the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and antibiofilm concentrations of bacteria obtained from AECRS patients.

Lacrimal Gland as a Target Organ for Adenovirus Gene Therapy Encoding Erythropoietin for Dry Eye Induced by Benzalkonium Chloride.

: The aims of this work were a) to describe the histology of the lacrimal gland (LG) and cornea induced by an adenovirus (Ad) vector encoding the human erythropoietin (Epo) gene delivered to the LG and b) to evaluate the therapeutic potential of this strategy to prevent benzalkonium chloride (BAK) corneal toxicity.: Structure and function of male Wistar rats LG were compared in the groups: 1) naïve control and 2) Ad-hEpo in the right LG (RLG). The protective response against BAK eye drops was compared among the groups 1) naïve control, 2) BAK in the right eye, 3) Ad-hEpo RLG + BAK and 4) Ad-hEpo in the right salivary gland (RSG)+BAK.

Limitations and advances in new treatments and future perspectives of corneal blindness.

This review is intended to describe the therapeutic approaches for corneal blindness, detailing the steps and elements involved in corneal wound healing. It also presents the limitations of the actual surgical and pharmacological strategies used to restore and maintain corneal transparency in terms of long-term survival and geographic coverage. In addition, we critically review the perspectives of anabolic agents, including vitamin A, hormones, growth factors, and novel promitotic and anti-inflammatory modulators, to assist corneal wound healing.

Validation of the Connecticut olfactory test (CCCRC) adapted to Brazil.

Introduction: Olfactory changes are quite common in the population, causing a significant impact on the quality of life. Documentation of the olfactory function is essential for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with inflammatory diseases of the upper airways, neurodegenerative diseases or viral infections. Among the different existing smell tests, the CCCRC is an inexpensive test, easy to apply, but it has not yet been evaluated on a large scale in the Brazilian population.

Corneal blindness in Plato's cave: the acting forces to prevent and revert corneal opacity. Part I: epidemiology and new physiopathological concepts.

The burden of corneal blindness and visual deficiency can be felt worldwide. Its association with several endemic diseases such as childhood blindness, trauma, infectious keratitis (including variants caused by herpes, hanseniasis, and fungi), vitamin A deficiency, diabetes mellitus, and other dry eye syndromes reflects its poorly understood underlying mechanisms and suggests that the actual frequency of the disease is underestimated. The low effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic strategies against corneal scarring or deformity predicts a high frequency of patients with corneal blindness in the future.

The role of endocrine disruptors in ocular surface diseases.

Endocrine disruptors are a group of compounds that occur in increasing amounts in the environment. These compounds change the hormone homeostasis of the target organs regulated by those hormones, mostly by binding to their receptors and affecting their signaling pathways. Among the hormones altered by endocrine disruptors are sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and insulin.

Prevention of Corneal Neovascularization by Adenovirus Encoding Human Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Soluble Receptor (s-VEGFR1) in Lacrimal Gland.

Purpose: The aims of this study were (1) to determine the efficacy of adenovirus vector serotype 5 (Ad) encoding human soluble VEGF receptor 1 (s-VEGFR1) gene transfer to the lacrimal gland (LG); (2) to investigate whether expression of s-VEGFR1 prevents corneal neovascularization (CNV) induced by alkali burns; and (3) to evaluate the safety of the procedure.

Methods: AdVEGFR1 vectors (25 μL, 1 × 1010 pfu/mL) were injected in the right LGs of rats and were compared with AdNull vector (25 μL, 1 × 1010 pfu/mL) or 25 μL of saline (Control) before cornea alkali burns with 1 M NaOH. After 7 days, CNV was documented at the slit lamp.

Neurological and Inflammatory Manifestations in Sjögren's Syndrome: The Role of the Kynurenine Metabolic Pathway.

For decades, neurological, psychological, and cognitive alterations, as well as other glandular manifestations (EGM), have been described and are being considered to be part of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Dry eye and dry mouth are major findings in SS. The lacrimal glands (LG), ocular surface (OS), and salivary glands (SG) are linked to the central nervous system (CNS) at the brainstem and hippocampus.

Review: MicroRNAS in ocular surface and dry eye diseases.

Since the first description of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the 1990s, more than 60 papers have described the role of miRNAs on the ocular surface and lacrimal gland (LG). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a role in several physiological events and in mediation of disease. They inhibit gene expression by blocking messenger RNA.

Amoxicillin-clavulanate for patients with acute exacerbation of chronic rhinosinusitis: a prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: The management of acute exacerbation of chronic rhinosinusitis (AECRS) is still under debate, especially because there are no adequate studies to support a best-evidence treatment for this condition. Antibiotic use for AECRS has been recommended based on extrapolation of data from acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) or non-placebo-controlled studies. This study aimed to evaluate whether antibiotic therapy modifies the course of AECRS in a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Male reproductive apparatus and spermatophore morphology of the hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and P. criniticornis (Anomura, Paguridae).

Spermatozoa of most crustacean species are nonmotile and are packed into spermatophores. In Decapoda, spermatophores are highly variable in morphology and can be useful in the solving of taxonomic and systematic questions, especially among the Anomura. In this study, the morphology and morphometry of the spermatophores of the western Atlantic hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and P.