Intraocular pressure measurement and association with corneal biomechanics in patients underwent Descemet's stripping with endothelial keratoplasty: a comparative study.

Purpose: To compare corneal biomechanical properties and intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements in patients who underwent Descemet's stripping with endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) with those of the follow healthy eyes.

Methods: In this retrospective comparative study, a total of 35 eyes of 35 patients who underwent DSEK by a single surgeon from 2015.02 to 2019.

Pulsed Ultrasound-Mediated Enhancement on Transscleral and Transconjunctival Fluorescein Sodium Delivery to Rabbit Eye .

To investigate the efficacy and safety of pulsed ultrasound (PUS) in enhancing fluorescein sodium (NaF) transport to the rabbit eye through the transscleral and transconjunctival routes . PUS and NaF were applied onto the supratemporal sclera/conjunctiva of healthy rabbit eyes. PUS (1 MHz, 2.

Optic Nerve Regeneration in Diabetic Retinopathy: Potentials and Challenges Ahead.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common microvascular compilation of diabetes, is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide. Recent studies indicate that retinal neuron impairment occurs before any noticeable vascular changes in DR, and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration is one of the earliest signs. Axons of RGCs have little capacity to regenerate after injury, clinically leading the visual functional defects to become irreversible.

Directly induced human retinal ganglion cells mimic fetal RGCs and are neuroprotective after transplantation in vivo.

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) replacement therapy could restore vision in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies. We developed a rapid protocol for directly induced RGC (iRGC) differentiation from human stem cells, leveraging overexpression of NGN2. Neuronal morphology and neurite growth were observed within 1 week of induction; characteristic RGC-specific gene expression confirmed identity.

The effects of walking training onset on motor evoked potentials after acute spinal cord injury.

Aim: The purposes of this study were to explore the optimal time for starting walking training in the first month after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats and to discuss the relationship between changes in motor function and transcranial electrical motor evoked potentials (tceMEPs).

Methods: Four groups of rats with SCI (BSWTT-3, 7, 14, 12) performed body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) for three weeks beginning at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after SCI, respectively. The Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score and tceMEPs were assessed weekly.

A modified fabrication procedure of retinal explant and optimized formulation of culture medium in a three-dimensional retinal culture system.

Background: Three-dimensional culture system of retinal explant is commonly used to study retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon regeneration in vitro. The retinal explants fabricated by traditional procedure in culture system, however, are usually too small (merely 0.5 × 0.

Design and Evaluation of a Novel Laminectomy Auxiliary Device Based on Rats.

Most types of spinal cord injury (SCI) observed in humans can be replicated in adult rat models, which are widely used for laboratory studies of SCI rehabilitation. To ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of an SCI rat model, the minimal time spent performing the laminectomy procedure and the damage caused to the body are of great importance. We describe and evaluate the effectiveness and advantages of a laminectomy auxiliary device (LAD) for removing the rat vertebral lamina without injuring the spinal cord.

Cell transplantation of retinal ganglion cells derived from hESCs.

Background: Glaucoma, the number one cause of irreversible blindness, is characterized by the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which do not regenerate in humans or mammals after cell death. Cell transplantation provides an opportunity to restore vision in glaucoma, or other optic neuropathies. Since transplanting primary RGCs from deceased donor tissues may not be feasible, stem cell-derived RGCs could provide a plausible alternative source of donor cells for transplant.

Schnyder corneal dystrophy-associated UBIAD1 mutations cause corneal cholesterol accumulation by stabilizing HMG-CoA reductase.

Schnyder corneal dystrophy (SCD) is a rare genetic eye disease characterized by corneal opacification resulted from deposition of excess free cholesterol. UbiA prenyltransferase domain-containing protein-1 (UBIAD1) is an enzyme catalyzing biosynthesis of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin K2. More than 20 UBIAD1 mutations have been found to associate with human SCD.

Opposing Effects of Growth and Differentiation Factors in Cell-Fate Specification.

Following ocular trauma or in diseases such as glaucoma, irreversible vision loss is due to the death of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) neurons. Although strategies to replace these lost cells include stem cell replacement therapy, few differentiated stem cells turn into RGC-like neurons. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of RGC differentiation in vivo may improve outcomes of cell transplantation by directing the fate of undifferentiated cells toward mature RGCs.

All-trans Retinoic Acid Regulates the Balance of Treg-Th17 Cells through ERK and P38 Signaling Pathway.

Background: All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) potentiates TGF-β-dependent regulatory T cells (Treg) induction, while it inhibits pro-inflammatory interleukin-17-producing T helper cells (Th17) differentiation. Combined application of ATRA and TGF-β may shift Treg-Th17 balance towards Treg.

Objective: To investigates the effect of ATRA on the regulation of Th17-Treg balance through ERK and p38 signaling pathway.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Promote Retinal Ganglion Cell Survival After Transplant.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize whether induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) affect survival of grafted retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) after transplantation.

Methods: For in vitro studies, human iPSCs were either directly cocultured with mouse RGCs or plated in hanging inserts in RGC cultures for 1 week. For ex vivo studies, RGCs and iPSCs were seeded onto the inner surface of an adult rat retina explant and cultured for 1 week.

Retinal Cell Fate Specification.

How are different neural cell types generated from progenitor cells? In 1990, Turner et al. used new lineage tracing techniques to show that different cells in the mammalian retina share their progenitor origin. The findings established a key step toward our understanding of how multipotent progenitor cells give rise to complex circuitry in the retina.

Effective robotic assistive pattern of treadmill training for spinal cord injury in a rat model.

The purpose of the present study was to establish an effective robotic assistive stepping pattern of body-weight-supported treadmill training based on a rat spinal cord injury (SCI) model and assess the effect by comparing this with another frequently used assistive stepping pattern. The recorded stepping patterns of both hind limbs of trained intact rats were edited to establish a 30-sec playback normal rat stepping pattern (NRSP). Step features (step length, step height, step number and swing duration), BBB scores, latencies, and amplitudes of the transcranial electrical motor-evoked potentials (tceMEPs) and neurofilament 200 (NF200) expression in the spinal cord lesion area during and after 3 weeks of body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) were compared in rats with spinal contusion receiving NRSP assistance (NRSPA) and those that received manual assistance (MA).

Incidence and risk factors for post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To establish the incidence and risk factors for post penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma (PKKG).

Methods: Studies published between 1947 and 2016 regarding penetrating keratoplasty (PK) were identified using an electronic search and reviewed. For search purpose, PKKG was defined as ocular hypertension (> 21mmHg) after PK.

Assessment of Bulbar Redness with a Newly Developed Keratograph.

Purpose: To determine the validity and reliability of the clinical assessment of bulbar redness (BR) using a newly developed corneal topographer.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional diagnostic evaluation study. The BR scores [Oculus Index (OI)] from 30 eyes of 26 patients with different degrees of conjunctival hyperemia were assessed and scored automatically using a new method: a keratograph equipped with scanning and scoring software.

All-trans retinoid acid promotes allogeneic corneal graft survival in mice by regulating Treg-Th17 balance in the presence of TGF-β.

Background: All-trans retinoid acid (ATRA) has been proven to skew Regulatory T cell-T helper 17 cell (Treg-Th17) balance toward Treg in vitro, favoring graft acceptance. However, its in vivo effect after solid organ transplantation is under investigation.

Results: BALB/c mice were given orthotopic corneal grafts from C57BL/6 donors, and recipient mice were administered with ATRA, TGF-β, and the combination of both agents for 8 weeks after surgery.

[The study of corneal epithelial change in keratoconic eyes with Fourier-domain optical coherence tomographic pachymetry].

Objective: To compare the corneal epithelial thickness profile in keratoconic and normal eyes with advanced Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of pachymetry parameters.

Methods: Cross-sectional observational study. Twenty-five consecutive keratoconus patients (34 eyes) and 41 normal volunteers (41 eyes) in Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University between June 1 and July 31, 2013 were enrolled.

Production and in vitro antioxidant activity of exopolysaccharide by a mutant, Cordyceps militaris SU5-08.

Cordyceps militaris SU5-08 was derived from an initial strain (C. militaris SU5) by ultraviolet mutagenesis of protoplasts, and the extraction parameters for C. militaris SU5-08 exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced during submerged culture were optimized.