Corneal Allograft Rejection Associated With Herpes Zoster Recombinant Adjuvanted Vaccine.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to report 3 cases of corneal allograft rejection that occurred in temporal proximity to administration of the zoster subunit vaccine (RZV).

Methods: Three cases of corneal transplant rejection that developed after RZV administration were identified. Clinical history, including existence of other risk factors, timing of rejection, corticosteroid therapy at the time of onset of rejection, and course were reviewed.

Microsporidial Stromal Keratitis: Epidemiological Features, Slit-Lamp Biomicroscopic Characteristics, and Therapy.

Purpose: Microsporidial stromal keratitis is a rare form of infectious keratitis, with only 7 cases reported in the United States to date. This study was performed to evaluate risk factors, clinical features, and response to therapy.

Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of all patients diagnosed with microsporidial stromal keratitis seen in the practices of the authors between 1999 and 2020 was performed.

Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and in vivo confocal microscopy in cases of mucopolysaccharidosis.

Purpose: To report anterior segment evaluation in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis 1 using anterior segment optical coherence tomography and in vivo confocal microscopy.

Observations: Case 1 involved a 26-year-old man with mucopolysaccharidosis 1 Hurler-Scheie syndrome who presented with a corrected distance visual acuity of 20/67 in the right eye and 20/50 in the left eye because of bilateral corneal opacification. He had undergone bone marrow transplantation at the age of 7 years.

The short-chain free fatty acid receptor FFAR3 is expressed and potentiates contraction in human airway smooth muscle.

Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; acetate, propionate, and butyrate) are important modulators of the inflammatory state in diseases such as asthma. However, the functional expression of the G protein-coupled free fatty acid receptors (FFAR2/GPR43 and FFAR3/GPR41) has not been identified on airway smooth muscle (ASM). Classically, acute activation of G-coupled receptors inhibits cyclic AMP (cAMP) synthesis, which impairs ASM relaxation and can also induce crosstalk between G- and G-signaling pathways, potentiating increases in intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]), favoring ASM contraction.

Obesity-induced asthma: Role of free fatty acid receptors.

Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of asthma, and worsens the key features of asthma including airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and airway remodeling. Although pro- and anti-inflammatory adipocytokines may contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma in obesity, the mechanistic basis for the relationship between asthma and obesity remains unclear. In obese individuals, the increased amount of adipose tissue results in the release of more long-chain free fatty acids as compared to lean individuals, causing an elevation in plasma long-chain free fatty acid concentrations.

Polyquaternium-1-Associated Dendritiform Keratopathy.

Purpose: To report a case of polyquaternium-1 (Polyquad, PQ-1)-associated dendritiform keratopathy that developed after exposure to the tear substitute Systane (Alcon Laboratories, Inc, Fort Worth, TX).

Methods: A retrospective review of the case was performed.

Results: Dendritiform keratopathy developed in the patient after an increase in the use of topical Systane from 4 times per day to every hour.

The dopamine D receptor is expressed and induces CREB phosphorylation and MUC5AC expression in human airway epithelium.

Background: Dopamine receptors comprise two subgroups, Gs protein-coupled “D1-like” receptors (D1, D5) and Gicoupled “D2-like” receptors (D2, D3, D4). In airways, both dopamine D1 and D2 receptors are expressed on airway smooth muscle and regulate airway smooth muscle force. However, functional expression of the dopamine D1 receptor has never been identified on airway epithelium.

Clinically Significant Enhancement of Voriconazole Efficacy by Moxifloxacin and Gentamicin in Fungal Keratitis.

Purpose: To report the effect of topical antibiotics moxifloxacin 0.3% and gentamicin 0.3% on the clinical efficacy of topical antifungal agent voriconazole 1% in cases of culture- or biopsy-proven fungal keratitis.

The free fatty acid receptor 1 promotes airway smooth muscle cell proliferation through MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.

Obesity is a risk factor for asthma and influences airway hyperresponsiveness, which is in part modulated by airway smooth muscle proliferative remodeling. Plasma free fatty acids (FFAs) levels are elevated in obese individuals, and long-chain FFAs act as endogenous ligands for the free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1), which couples to both G and G proteins. We examined whether stimulation of FFAR1 induces airway smooth muscle cell proliferation through classical MEK/ERK and/or phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathways.

Cure Rate of Fungal Keratitis With Antibacterial Therapy.

Purpose: To study the cure rate of fungal keratitis with moxifloxacin 0.3% monotherapy.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with culture-proven fungal keratitis who initially received moxifloxacin 0.

Dendritiform Keratopathy Associated with Exposure to Polyquarternium-1, a Common Ophthalmic Preservative.

Purpose: To describe dendritiform keratopathy associated with exposure to polyquaternium-1, a common preservative found in contact lens solutions and tear replacement products.

Design: Case series.

Participants: Sixteen patients who demonstrated dendritiform keratopathy during topical ophthalmic exposure to polyquaternium-1.

Chronic Conjunctivitis due to Nocardia nova Complex Formation on a Silicone Stent: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Nocardial conjunctivitis associated with silicone tubing is an extremely rare finding. The authors present a case of a 52-year-old woman with previous dacryocystorhinostomy and silicone tube placement 3 years prior who presented with OD redness and discharge for 1 week. On examination, the patient was noted to have mucoid discharge and crusting surrounding the silicone tube.

[Comparison of Pentax-AWS, GlideScope Cobalt, and Macintosh laryngoscope in patients for nasotracheal intubation].

Background: We compared the time for instrumentation in nasotracheal intubation using Pentax-AWS and Glidescope to that using the Macintosh laryngoscope in patients with normal airway.

Methods: After local ethics board approval, 60 patients requiring dental or oral surgery were allocated randomly to Pentax-AWS, Glidescope and Macintosh groups. One experienced anesthesiologist performed nasotracheal intubation in all patients.

Efficacy of intrathecal esmolol on heat-evoked responses in a postoperative pain model.

Perioperative tachycardia and hypertension are often treated with esmolol, a short-acting β1-adrenoceptor antagonist. Besides its cardiac effect, esmolol is reported to exert antinociceptive effects. This study examined the efficacy of intrathecal (IT) esmolol on pain responses in a postoperative pain model.

Fungal keratitis responsive to moxifloxacin monotherapy.

Purpose: To report 5 cases of culture-proven fungal keratitis that resolved with moxifloxacin monotherapy.

Methods: Case reports and review of medical literature. Five patients with fungal keratitis were treated with topical moxifloxacin.

Management and outcome of microbial anterior scleritis.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence, predisposing factors, and outcomes of bacterial and fungal scleritis.

Methods: We reviewed the clinical findings, therapeutic interventions, and visual outcomes of patients with suppurative scleral inflammation without preceding microbial keratitis who had microorganisms isolated from scleral scrapings.

Design: Retrospective interventional case series.

Clinical and microbiological characteristics of fungal keratitis in the United States, 2001-2007: a multicenter study.

Objective: To study the epidemiology, clinical observations, and microbiologic characteristics of fungal keratitis at tertiary eye care centers in the United States.

Design: Retrospective multicenter case series.

Participants: Fungal keratitis cases presenting to participating tertiary eye care centers.

Sensitive quantitative assay for point mutations in the rat H-ras gene based on single nucleotide primer extension.

Point mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes occur at early stages in the carcinogenic process. Point mutations in ras family oncogenes are the most common mutational events in several types of human cancer, and are available as molecular markers for the detection of cancer cells in carcinogenicity bioassay systems as well as in clinical samples. Although several techniques are utilized to detect point mutations in carcinogenicity bioassay systems, the sensitivity is too low to determine a small number of mutations.

Atypical corneal immunoglobulin deposition in a patient with dysproteinemia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report an unusual pattern of immunoglobulin deposition in the corneas of a patient with dysproteinemia.

Methods: Clinical examination, slit lamp examination, a deep lamellar corneal biopsy, and serum and aqueous protein electrophoresis were obtained.

Results: Slit lamp evaluation revealed amorphous, cloud-like opacities in the midperiphery at the level of deep stroma and Descemet's membrane.

Pathogenesis and outcome of Paecilomyces keratitis.

Purpose: To examine the clinical pathology and management of Paecilomyces lilacinus keratitis.

Design: Observational case series, literature review, and laboratory study.

Methods: Characteristics and outcome of 17 patients with laboratory-confirmed Paecilomyces keratitis treated at 2 referral centers were combined with 25 previously reported cases.

Rapidly progressive cataract and iris atrophy during treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Purpose: To identify characteristics associated with cataract occurring during the course of Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Design: Retrospective observational case series.

Participants: Eighty-one laboratory-confirmed patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis.