AB093.Ocular tissues bank for vision health research

Background:This infrastructure delivers biological material necessary for several research projects to Vision Health Research Network investigators(VHRN).Methods:Héma-Québec is the organism in charge obtaining consent and retrieving donor eyes for patient treatment or for research.In Quebec City,donor eyes are sent to the eye bank of the“Centre Universitaire d’Ophtalmologie”(CUO)of Saint-Sacrement hospital.Technicians at the eye bank evaluate the quality of the tissues.Those unfit for graft are transferred to the infrastructure where the coordinator encodes samples prior to their distribution.Results:Between 2013 and 2017,27 fundamental investigators,clinical investigators and collaborators supported by 60 students,trainees and laboratory assistants used this infrastructure to move forward their projects.Since 2013,results from those projects generated 21 scientific publications and 232 presentations.The infrastructure helped VHRN investigators obtain near 4 million dollars in grants from many organisms(CIHR,NSERC,Foundations,etc.).These grants allowed recruitment and formation of highly qualified personnel.Last year(April 2016 to March 2017),189 corneas and 23 eyes transited through the infrastructure.Conclusions:This infrastructure is available for all investigators that are members of the VHRN.Many original projects have been elaborated thanks to the human ocular tissues provided by this infrastructure.These projects will advance our knowledge in vision health.A better understanding of eye functions will lead to new treatments for eye diseases.

Research on induced pluripotent stem cells and the application in ocular tissues

·Induced pluripotent stem cells(i PSCs) were firstly induced from mouse fibroblasts since 2006, and then the research on i PSCs had made great progress in the following years. i PSCs were established from different somatic cells through DNA, RNA, protein or small molecule pathways and transduction vehicles. With continuous improvement of technology on reprogramming, the induction of i PSCs became more secure and effective, and showed enormous promise for clinical applications. We reviewed different reprogramming of somatic cells, four kinds of pathways of reprogramming and three types of transduction vehicles, and discuss the research of i PSCs in ophthalmology and the prospect of i PSCs applications.

Guiding function of positron emission tomographycomputed tomography examination in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular adnexal mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma

AIM:To explore the role of positron emission tomographycomputed tomography(PET-CT)examination in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular adnexal mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma(OAML).METHODS:The general clinical data,postoperative PET-CT results,treatment regimens,and the prognosis of 21 histopathologically confirmed OAML patients between October 2017 and September 2021 were collected.Among the 21 patients,five patients underwent surgical treatment alone,13 patients underwent surgical treatment combined with radiotherapy,and three patients underwent surgical treatment combined with chemotherapy.RESULTS:The follow-up period ranged from 8 to 79mo,with four cases of recurrence and no deaths.Through PETCT examination,two patients exhibited both local ocular metabolic elevation and systemic metastasis,and one of these patients had cervical lymph node metastasis,while the other had submandibular and parotid gland metastasis.Nine patients showed only local ocular metabolic elevation,while 10 patients had no abnormal metabolic activity locally.CONCLUSION:PET-CT examination plays a crucial role in detecting residual lesions and recurrence following tumor resection,aiding in precise disease staging,and facilitating the development of personalized treatment plans,ultimately improving patient prognosis.

CT and MR imaging findings of ocular adnexal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma associated with IgG4-related disease: multi-institutional case series

AIM:To report CT and MR imaging findings of ocular adnexal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma associated with IgG4-related disease(IgG4-MALT lymphoma),a rare but clinically important complication of ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease.METHODS:We retrospectively reviewed all cases of histologically confirmed ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease at three ter tiary and one secondary referral centers,between February 2003 and December 2016.Seven cases of histopathologically diagnosed IgG4-MALT lymphoma were identified.CT and MR images were analyzed by consensus of two experienced head and neck radiologists.RESULTS:Lacrimal glands were the main site of involvement in all seven patients.The lesions typically showed well-demarcated margins,iso-to hyperattenuation on precontrast CT,T2 hypo-to isointensity,T1 isointensity,and homogenous internal architecture with homogenous enhancement pattern.Lesions were mostly hyperdense and isointense to normal extraocular muscles on postcontrast CT and MR images,respectively.CONCLUSION:Unlike in typical ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease,T2 isointensity and hyperattenuation on precontrast CT images were noted in some IgG4-MALT lymphoma cases.Although the findings may be nonspecific,the possibility of accompanying MALT lymphoma may need to be considered,when ocular adnexal lesions in patients clinically suspected of having IgG4-related disease are refractory to glucocorticoids and show T2 isointensity and hyperattenuation on precontrast CT for the optimal management of the patients.However,this is a case series of a very rare complication of ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease,and thus caution is warranted to generalize the conclusion.

Single-cell transcriptomic Atlas of aging macaque ocular outflow tissues

The progressive degradation in the trabecular meshwork(TM)is related to age-related ocular diseases like primary open-angle glaucoma.However,the molecular basis and biological significance of the aging process in TM have not been fully elucidated.Here,we established a dynamic single-cell transcriptomic landscape of aged macaque TM,wherein we classified the outflow tissue into 12 cell subtypes and identified mitochondrial dysfunction as a prominent feature of TM aging.Furthermore,we divided TM cells into 13 clusters and performed an in-depth analysis on cluster O,which had the highest aging score and the most significant changes in cell proportions between the two groups.Ultimately,we found that the APOE gene was an important differentially expressed gene in cluster O during the aging process,highlighting the close relationship between cell migration and extracellular matrix regulation,and TM function.Our work further demonstrated that silencing the APOE gene could increase migration and reduce apoptosis by releasing the inhibition on the PI3K-AKT pathway and downregulating the expression of extracellular matrix components,thereby increasing the aqueous outflow rate and maintaining intraocular pressure within the normal range.Our work provides valuable insights for future clinical diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

Effect of purine-rich box1 on proliferation of fibroblasts

Fibroblasts are pleomorphic cells that have a multi­directional effect on organ morphogenesis,tissue homeostasis,and immune response.In fibrotic diseases,fibroblasts synthesize large amounts of extracellular matrix(ECM),leading to scarring and organ failure.Purine-rich boxl(PU.I)is a specific transcription factor of hematopoietic cell and belongs to the E26 transformation specificity(ETS)family.Recently,it was found that the transcription factor PU.I is an important regulatory factor of the profibrotic gene expression program.TGF-J3 had been proved to play an important role in many ocular tissue fibrosis diseases,and up-regulated the expression of PU.I in fibroblasts producing ECM in a Smad-3 dependent manner.We explore the effect of PU.I on fibrosis of different ocular tissues from this perspective.This article reviews the role of PU.l and its effects on fibrosis of ocular tissue and other tissues.

The promise of stem cell-based therapeutics in ophthalmology

The promising role of cellular therapies in the preservation and restoration of visual function has prompted intensive efforts to characterize embryonic, adult, and induced pluripotent stem cells for regenerative purposes. Three main approaches to the use of stem cells have been described： sustained drug delivery, immunomodulation, and differentiation into various ocular structures. Studies of the differentiation capacity of all three types of stem cells into epithelial, neural, glial and vascular phenotypes have reached proof-of-concept in culture, but the correction of vision is still in the early developmental stages, and the requirements for effective in vivo implementation are still unclear. We present an overview of some of the preclinical findings on stem-cell rescue and regeneration of the cornea and retina in acute injury and degenerative disorders.