Early marker of ocular neurodegeneration in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: the contributing role of polymorphisms in mir146a and mir128a genes.

Background: Early ocular neurodegenerative signs of diabetic neuropathy (DN) can be found in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). No data are available on the potential role of polymorphisms in miRNAs genes in predisposing T1D subjects to these signs.

Aims: To determine whether MIR146A rs2910164 and MIR128A rs11888095 polymorphisms are associated with early retinal and corneal neurodegenerative changes in pediatric patients with T1D.

Eight months follow-up of corneal nerves and sensitivity after treatment with cenegermin for neurotrophic keratopathy.

Backgroud: Cenegermin (Oxervate, Dompè Farmaceutici, Milan, IT), a recombinant human NGF, is a potentially healing new drug for neurotrophic keratopathy (NK), a rare but challenging disease affecting the cornea. To date, studies that evaluate its mid-term effect on corneal nerves and sensitivity are lacking.

Objective: To evaluate the recovery and morphology of subbasal corneal nerves in patients treated with Cenegermin for NK and assess their correlation with corneal sensitivity.

In vivo confocal microscopy study of corneal nerve alterations in children and youths with Type 1 diabetes.

Objective: To determine whether children and youths with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) have early alterations of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus detectable with in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) and to investigate the role of longitudinally measured major risk factors for diabetes complications associated with these alterations.

Methods: One hundred and fifty children and youths with T1D and 51 age-matched controls were enrolled and underwent IVCM. Corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD), corneal fiber total branch density (CTBD), and corneal fiber fractal dimension (CNFrD) were measured.

Effects of oral function on pupil response: a new view on bruxism pathophysiology.

Background: There is increasing evidence of the influence of the oropharyngeal stimulations on the autonomic nervous system and an easy approach to evaluate the balance between parasympathetic and sympathetic system is the measurement of the pupil diameter. The aim of this analytic observational study is to define the effects of clenching and swallowing on pupil diameter, and how an oral appliance can affect the outcome of these tasks, to establish their influence on the sympathetic-parasympathetic balance.

Methods: We measured the pupil diameter in 30 healthy subjects during clenching and swallowing, both with and without oral appliance.

Femtosecond laser-assisted implantation of corneal stroma lenticule for keratoconus.

Purpose: To review recent progress, challenges, and future perspectives of stromal keratophakia for the treatment of advanced keratoconus.

Methods: We systematically reviewed the literature in the PubMed database, last update June 30, 2020. No language restriction was applied.

In Vivo Confocal Microscopy of the Corneal-Conjunctival Transition in the Evaluation of Epithelial Renewal after SLET.

Examination of the corneal surface by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) allows for objective identification of corneal and conjunctival cell phenotypes to evaluate different epithelialization patterns. Detection of a corneal-conjunctival epithelial transition could be considered as a sign of restored epithelial function following simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET). This is a prospective, interventional case series.

Reduced minimum rim width of optic nerve head: a potential early marker of retinal neurodegeneration in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Aims: To determine whether early retinal neurodegenerative changes in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be detected by spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and whether such changes are associated with risk factors for T1D complications.

Methods: A total of 147 T1D children/adolescents and 51 healthy controls underwent SD-OCT. Spherical refractive error (SRE), macular total retinal thickness (TRT), ganglion cell layer (GCL), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), minimum rim width (MRW), and Bruch's membrane opening area (BMOA) were measured.

Cenegermin in Pediatric Neurotrophic Keratopathy.

Purpose: We report a case of neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) arising after surgery for rhabdomyosarcoma of the jaw successfully treated with Cenegermin eye drops (Oxervate; Dompé Farmaceutici, Milan, Italy) in a 3-year-old boy.

Methods: At the age of 1 year, the boy underwent surgery for rhabdomyosarcoma of the jaw, followed by radiotherapy. Subsequent NK was initially treated with preservative-free artificial tears, topical combination of dexamethasone 0.

Small-incision lenticule addition in ex vivo model of ectatic human corneas.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of intrastromal lenticule insertion to restore corneal shape in a model of ectatic human cornea.

Methods: For this experimental ex vivo study on 34 human corneas unsuitable for transplantation, 17 corneas were thinned by decentralized posterior excimer laser ablation to 200 μm thickness and 6.5 mm diameter and then inflated up to 100 mm Hg to expose the ectasias (recipient corneas).