Publications by authors named "Yin Zheng Q"

Remodeling retinal Müller glial fate, including gliosis inhibition and pro-reprogramming, represents a crucial avenue for treating degenerative retinal diseases. Stem cell transplantation exerts effects on modulating retinal Müller glial fate. However, the optimized stem cell products and the underlying therapeutic mechanisms need to be investigated.

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Background: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, and the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is the most important pathological feature. During the progression of glaucoma, glutamate content in the optic nerve increases, and glutamate-induced excitotoxicity will aggregate the damage and death of RGCs. We have previously reported that olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) transplantation preserved the visual function of the glaucoma model but the mechanism is unknown.

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Retinitis pigmentosa initially presents as night blindness owing to defects in rods, and the secondary degeneration of cones ultimately leads to blindness. Previous studies have identified active roles of microglia in the pathogenesis of photoreceptor degeneration in RP. However, the contribution of microglia to photoreceptor degeneration remains controversial, partly due to limited knowledge of microglial phenotypes during RP.

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Background: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) transplantation is a promising therapy for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). However, intravenously infused cells may be blocked in the lung, increasing the risk of vascular obstruction, which needs to be optimized to further improve safety and efficacy.

Methods: We derived small UCMSCs (S-UCMSCs) from filtering UCMSCs with a 10-μm filter, and compared with UCMSCs by flow cytometry, directional differentiation culture and transcriptome sequencing.

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: Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is one of the earliest inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD) that leads to blindness. To date, there have been 25 LCA-associated genes reported in China as well as other countries. The current study aimed to present the dominant molecular genetics and clinical features of LCA in the Han population of western China.

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Objective: The current methods used to assess visual function in blind retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients are mostly subjective. We aimed to identify effective, objective methods.

Methods: We enrolled patients diagnosed with blindness associated with RP; we finally selected 26 patients (51 eyes) with a visual field radius less than 10 degrees and divided them into the following 4 groups by best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA): group 1, no light perception (NLP, 4 eyes); group 2, light perception (LP, 12 eyes); group 3, hand movement or finger counting (faint form perception, FFP, 22 eyes); and group 4, BCVA from 0.

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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a hereditary retinal degeneration disease with no effective therapeutic approaches. Inflammatory and immune disorders are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of RP. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs), with multiple biological functions such as anti-inflammation and immunoregulation, have been applied in different systemic diseases.

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Article Synopsis
  • Retinal degeneration (RD) is a common reason for vision problems and occurs when light-sensitive cells in the eye get damaged over time.
  • Scientists are exploring using special cells called neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) to help treat RD, focusing on the tiny particles called exosomes they release, which can help other cells.
  • In experiments with rats, exosomes from NPCs helped protect the eye cells from damage, suggesting that these exosomes might be key to making stem cell therapy work for RD.
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Objective: To review retrospectively the electrophysiological and structural changes in 13 Chinese patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).

Methods: 26 eyes of 13 patients with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of LHON were categorized into two groups according to the duration of the disease: group 1 (duration less than 3 months) and group 2 (duration between 3 months and 18 years). Clinical history, comprehensive visual electrophysiology, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and color fundus photography were performed.

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Article Synopsis
  • Retinal degenerative diseases (RDDs) are a major cause of blindness, and current treatments are ineffective; cytotherapy using cell transplantation offers a potential new approach.
  • This study investigated the effects of cotransplanting olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) and neural stem cells (NSCs) into RCS rats, revealing that combined transplantation leads to better improvements in retinal function and structure compared to single-cell transplants.
  • Findings indicated enhanced migration of cells, increased numbers of endogenous stem cells, and better maintenance of NSCs' stemness when cotransplanted, suggesting a promising new strategy for treating RDDs.
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Purpose: To identify any novel mutations in in 85 Chinese families with Bietti corneoretinal crystalline dystrophy (BCD) by using next-generation sequencing, and to summarize the mutation spectrum in this population, along with any genotype-phenotype correlations.

Methods: A total of 90 patients with BCD from 85 unrelated Chinese families were recruited. All probands were analyzed by using gene chip-based next-generation sequencing, to capture and sequence all the exons of 57 known hereditary retinal degeneration-associated genes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists have found that a special receptor called SCFR is found in the eyes of mice, rats, and humans, and it has been known for a long time.
  • The study shows that SCFR helps in the early development of the eye by controlling how cells grow, move, and change shape.
  • This research could help us find new ways to treat eye problems that some people are born with, like very small eyes or missing eyes.
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The inflammatory microenvironment in the retina plays a vital role in the pathogenesis and progression of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Microglial inflammatory cytokines production leads to gliosis and apoptosis of retinal neurons, and ultimately, visual loss. Cell-based therapies using grafted olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) have demonstrated modulation of degenerative microenvironments in the central nervous system (CNS), in a number of animal models.

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Background: Retinal degeneration (RD) is characterized by progressive photoreceptor degeneration, and emerging evidence has demonstrated that activated microglia-mediated inflammation exacerbates the progression of RD. Lipoxin A4 (LXA4) is an endogenous neuroprotective lipid mediator, but the potential therapeutic roles of LXA4 in RD have not been evaluated.

Methods: Electroretinogram (ERG) recordings and behavioral tests were used to analyze whether the intravitreal injection (IVI) of LXA4 restored visual function in RD1 mice.

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Resident microglia are the main immune cells in the retina and play a key role in the pathogenesis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Many previous studies on the roles of microglia mainly focused on the neurotoxicity or neuroprotection of photoreceptors, while their contributions to synaptic remodeling of neuronal circuits in the retina of early RP remained unclarified. In the present study, we used Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, a classic RP model characterized by progressive microglia activation and synapse loss, to investigate the constitutive effects of microglia on the synaptic lesions and ectopic neuritogenesis.

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Stem cell therapy may replace lost photoreceptors and preserve residual photoreceptors during retinal degeneration (RD). Unfortunately, the degenerative microenvironment compromises the fate of grafted cells, demanding supplementary strategies for microenvironment regulation. Donor cells with both proper regeneration capability and intrinsic ability to improve microenvironment are highly desired.

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Article Synopsis
  • AAV2/8-CMV-hMel/FYP was injected into RCS rats to study if ectopic human melanopsin could restore visual function in advanced retinal degeneration, which showed promising results.
  • The treated RCS rats exhibited significant improvement in visual function based on flash visual evoked potentials and behavioral tests, though no improvement was found in flash electroretinography.
  • Subsequent safety studies in normal macaques indicated that the administration of this viral vector is safe, functional, and does not cause pathological effects, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic option for patients with photoreceptor loss.
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Background: To evaluate the treatment outcomes of patients with punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) and secondary choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 24 eyes in 22 patients suffering from PIC with CNV. Patients were treated with intravitreal ranibizumab monotherapy (14 eyes) or combined oral corticosteroid and intravitreal ranibizumab therapy (corticosteroid-ranibizumab group, 10 eyes).

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Stem cell therapy may provide a safe and promising treatment for retinal diseases. Wet age-related macular degeneration (wet-AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in China. We developed a clinical-grade human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line, Q-CTS-hESC-2, under xeno-free conditions that differentiated into retinal pigment epithelial cells (Q-CTS-hESC-2-RPE).

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Graphene and its derivatives are widely used for a variety of industrial, biomedical, and environmental applications. However, the potential harm caused by exposure of the eyes to graphene-based nanomaterials is scarce. Given the potential for these materials to be used in multiple applications, there is a pressing need to evaluate their ocular toxicity, and understand the relationships between their physico-chemical properties and the resulting toxicity.

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Diabetic retinopathy (DR), one of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide, is characterized by neurovascular disorders. Emerging evidence has demonstrated retinal neurodegeneration in the early pathogenesis of DR, and no treatment has been developed to prevent the early neurodegenerative changes that precede detectable microvascular disorders. Bone marrow CD133 stem cells with revascularization properties exhibit neuroregenerative potential.

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Retinal oscillatory potentials (OPs) consist of a series of relatively high-frequency rhythmic wavelets, superimposed onto the ascending phase of the b-wave of the electroretinogram (ERG). However, the origin of OPs is uncertain and methods of measurement of OPs are diverse. In this study, we first isolated OPs from the rat ERG and fitted them with Gabor functions and found that the envelope of the OP contained information about maximum amplitude and time-to-peak to enable satisfactory quantification of the later OPs.

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Background: Retinitis pigmentosa is a common genetic disease that causes retinal degeneration and blindness for which there is currently no curable treatment available. Vision preservation was observed in retinitis pigmentosa animal models after retinal stem cell transplantation. However, long-term safety studies and visual assessment have not been thoroughly tested in retinitis pigmentosa patients.

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Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) have been shown to be a leading candidate in cell therapies for central nervous system (CNS) injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. Rapid clearance of neuron debris can promote neuronal survival and axonal regeneration in CNS injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. The phagocytic removal of neuron debris by OECs has been shown to contribute to neuronal outgrowth.

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