Small-diameter acellular porcine corneal stroma for peripheral corneal ulceration treatment

AIM:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of small-diameter acellular porcine corneal stroma(SAPS)for the treatment of peripheral corneal ulceration(PCU).METHODS:This retrospective clinical study included 18 patients(18 eyes)with PCU between April 2018 and December 2020.All patients had PCU and underwent lamellar keratoplasty with SAPS.Observation indicators included preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA)and transparency of SAPS.The infection control rate in the surgical eye-lesion area was also calculated.RESULTS:Eighteen patients underwent lamellar keratoplasty with SAPS to treat PCU.None of the patients experienced rejection after 6mo(18/18)and 12mo(16/16)of follow-up.The BCVA(0.47±0.30)at the 6mo followup after operation was significantly improved compared with the baseline(0.99±0.80),and the difference was statistically significant(Z=-3.415,P<0.05).The BCVA at the 12mo follow-up after operation was not statistically significant compared to the 6mo(Z=0,P=1).With time,the SAPS graft gradually became transparent.At the 6mo(18/18)and 12mo(16/16)follow-up,none of the patients had recurrent corneal infection.CONCLUSION:SAPS is clinically effective in the treatment of PCU,improving the patient’s BCVA and reducing the incidence of rejection after keratoplasty.

Changes in interleukin-6 tear concentration and clinical outcome in moderate-to-severe bacterial corneal ulcers after corneal collagen cross-linking

We aimed to evaluate interleukin-6（IL-6） tear concentration and clinical outcome in patients with moderate-to-severe bacterial corneal ulcers post corneal collagen cross-linking（CXL） therapy. This pre-post designed study involving 21 moderate-to-severe corneal ulcer patients who underwent CXL therapy. Patients with infectious corneal ulcer were given CXL therapy as adjunctive treatment after 5 d of broadspectrum antibiotic treatment. Patients with moderate to severe infectious bacterial corneal ulcers were included in this study. Tear sampling was performed before CXL therapy, using sterile Schimer paper from conjunctival inferior fornix. CXL therapy was performed in accordance with the CXL Dresden protocol. Data recording and tear sampling were then performed at day 1 and day 7 after CXL therapy. Data recording included, presence of conjunctival hyperemia, visual analogue scale（VAS）, size of corneal defects, and decemetocele. There was a decrease in IL-6 tear concentration by day 7 after CXL therapy（P=0.001）. IL-6 concentration at 1 h after therapy（2274.67±2120.46 pg/m L） tended to be lower than before therapy（4330.09±3169.70 pg/m L）, but the difference was not statistically significant（P=0.821）. The size of corneal defects decreased significantly post CXL（P=0.007）. The log MAR visual acuity before and after CXL therapy was not found to be significantly different（P=0.277）. There was a significant decrease in VAS values（P=0.018） and blepharospasm（P=0.011） pre and post CXL. There was no significant decrease in conjunctival hyperemia pre and post CXL（P=0.293）. There was significant reduction in IL-6 tear concentration and clinical improvement in moderateto-severe bacterial corneal ulcers which underwent CXL therapy.

Corneal ulcer caused by nocardia brasiliensis in a patient with diabetes

Dear Sir,Iam Dr.Sheng-Li Mi,from the Biomanufacturing engineering laboratory,Graduate School at Shenzhen,Tsinghua University,Shenzhen,China.I write to present a case report of nocardia brasiliensis in a patient with diabetes.Nocardia is part of a group of aerobic actinomycetes,widely distributed in soil.Nocardia asteroids and nocardia brasiliensis are the most common human pathogens.Humans infected by nocardia asteroids through the respiratory tract mainly suffer from primary suppurative pulmonary conditions.Infection of nocardia brasiliensis often occurs in the advanced stages of a progressive disease or immune disorder,especially Cushing syndrome,diabetes,or in patients using corticosteroids,immunosuppressive agents and broad-spectrum antibiotics for long time[1].To our knowledge,the reports of nocardia keratitis was very rare

Management of corneal ulceration with a moisture chamber due to temporary lagophthalmos in a brain injury patient:A case report

BACKGROUND This study describes the use of a moisture chamber to treat corneal ulceration due to temporary lagophthalmos in a critically ill patient.CASE SUMMARY A 46-year-old woman was admitted to the intensive care unit after a car accident.She suffered multiple injuries that included brain injury and presented with moderately decreased consciousness and lagophthalmos in her right eye.Within 6 d,her consciousness improved considerably;at which time,exposure keratopathy occurred and worsened to corneal ulceration.Lubricating gel,antibiotic ointment,and bandage contact lens were all ineffective in preventing or treating the exposure keratopathy.Instead of tarsorrhaphy,a moisture chamber was applied which successfully controlled the corneal ulceration.The moisture chamber was discontinued when complete eyelid closure recovered a week later.CONCLUSION A moisture chamber may be an effective,noninvasive alternative to tarsorrhaphy for treating severe exposure keratopathy due to temporary lagophthalmos.

Amniotic membrane transplantation in a patient with impending perforated corneal ulcer caused by Streptococcus mitis: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Streptococcus mitis(S.mitis)is an opportunistic pathogen that can lead to severe ocular infections.In previous reports,penetrating keratoplasty(PK)was usually adopted for the treatment of persistent corneal ulcers.This report describes an unusual case of nonhealing descemetocele caused by S.mitis treated by antibiotics plus amniotic membrane transplantation(AMT).CASE SUMMARY A 63-year-old woman presented with a right persistent corneal ulcer that she had suffered from for the past 9 mo.The culture of a corneal scraping yielded S.mitis.The right eye descemetocele decreased in diameter from 3 to 0.8 mm after the continuous administration of topical vancomycin and ceftriaxone for 2 wk.Due to the slow healing,AMT was performed.Her corneal erosion healed and gradually became clear.Her visual acuity recovered from initially counting fingers to 100/200 at the last follow-up,67 mo after AMT.CONCLUSION Antibiotics plus AMT may be an effective alternative treatment other than PK to promote epithelializationand to reduce inflammation in the corneas complicated by S. mitis keratitis.

Effect of Topical FK506 Used alone or Combined with Keratoplasty on Patients with Recurrent Mooren′s Corneal Ulcer

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of topical 0.1% FK506 used alone or combined with keratoplasty on patients with recurrent Mooren′s ulcer. Methods: This is a retrospective interventional consecutive case series. Nine patients (15 eyes) with recurrent Mooren′s ulcer were treated with topical 0.1% FK506 alone or combined with keratoplasty. Two eyes with ulcers involving less than half the corneal limbus were treated with topical 0.1% FK506. Of the other 13 eyes with ulcers involving more than half the limbus, twelve were treated with excision of the ulcer and adjacent conjunctiva combined with lamellar keratoplasty. One eye with a central impending corneal perforation was treated with penetrating keratoplasty.Topical 0.1% FK506 was given post-operatively to all thirteen eyes after re-epithelia-lisation of the cornea. FK506 levels in the surgically resected cornea and conjunctiva of the operated eyes were measured using enzyme immunoassay procedures. Twelve patients (17 eyes) with recurrent Mooren′s ulcer treated with lamellar keratoplasty combined with topical 0.1% dexamethasone were taken as the control. The main measure of the outcome was the recurrence of Mooren′s ulcer in the patients. Results: Nine patients (15 eyes) with recurrent Mooren′s ulcer were all successfully treated. Vision in 5 eyes improved by two lines or better after treatment. No recurrence was observed during the follow up period of 12 to 22 months. After topical application of 0.1% FK506, concentrations of 30～350 ng/g of FK506 were found in the cornea and conjunctiva. Seven eyes of Mooren′s ulcer in the control group recurred during the follow up period. Conclusion: Topical 0.1% FK506 used alone or combined with keratoplasty is a safe and effective therapy for patients with recurrent Mooren′s ulcer.

A Rare Association of Giant Cell Arteritis with Recurrent Corneal Ulcer

We report a rare case of association of temporal arteritis with recurrent central corneal ulcer. A 91-year-old male with a remote history of clinically diagnosed giant cell arteritis (GCA) and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for corneal edema in 1990’s in the left eye presented with irritation and severe dry eye. He progressively developed central corneal ulcer regardless of treatment with aggressive lubrication and patching. The clinical course, blood tests and temporal artery biopsy results yielded the diagnosis of recurrent GCA. The clinical course improved after starting oral steroids. The case report illustrates the importance of ruling out GCA in patients with recurrent corneal ulcers and history of GCA. It also highlights the significance of shared understanding between primary care physicians and specialists to handle common and chronic diseases to make efficient diagnoses and plan treatment regimens. This is the first plausible case of reported GCA association with central corneal ulcer in the United States.

Corneal ulcer possibly caused by the opportunistic pathogen Schizophyllum commune

Dear Editor,I am Dr.Xian-Ning Liu,from the Institute of Ophthalmology of Xi’an First Hospital in Xi’an,Shaanxi Province,China.I write to present a case report of corneal ulcer caused by Schizophyllum commune(S.commune).Mycotic keratitis is one of the most severe causes of corneal blindness in developing countries,such as China and India[1-2].

A Preliminary Report of Predisposing Factors and Predominant Microbiological Diagnosis of Corneal Ulcers Seen at the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Nigeria

Background: Microbial keratitis often results in poor visual outcome despite treatment. A revision of treatment protocol based on local evidence may be required in order to obtain better treatment outcome. Objectives: To determine the predisposing factors and predominant microbiological diagnosis of corneal ulcers seen at the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This is a preliminary report of an on-going longitudinal descriptive study of all consenting corneal ulcer patients managed at the FETHA eye clinic over a 4-month period. Information obtained were socio-demographic data, presenting complaints, duration of symptoms prior to presentation, history of preceding trauma, medications used before presentation, presenting and final visual acuity and microbiological diagnosis. Results: A diagnosis of corneal ulcer was made in 8 out of the 852 outpatients seen over the study period giving a hospital prevalence rate of 0.59%. Five patients (62.50%) were males, five (62.50%) were farmers and 4 patients (50%) were above 60 years of age. The microbial diagnoses were bacterial keratitis 37.5% (Staphylococcus aureus), fungal keratitis 25% (Fusarium spp. and aspergillus) and acanthamoeba (25%). None of the patients ever used contact lenses. There was a history of eye trauma in 50% of the patients. All the eyes presented blind after a period of failed attempts to treat by self or quacks. Mean duration before presentation was two weeks. Treatment improved the visual acuity in 37.5% of patients. Conclusion: Bacteria, fungi and acanthamoeba organisms were the microbiological isolates from the scrapings of corneal ulcer patients seen in the eye clinic of FETHA;with bacterial organisms being the most common. Farming activities, preceding eye trauma, delayed presentation, self-medication and use of traditional eye medications (TEM) were common findings among the patients. A future larger study is recommended to confirm the findings of this study. Eye health education campaigns should be directed at farmers to encourage early presentation to hospitals.

A Novel Tectonic Keratoplasty with Femtosecond Laser ntrastromal Lenticule for Corneal Ulcer and Perforation

Background： Small incision refractive lenticule extraction （SMILE） is an effective laser procedure that treats myopia. This research was to describe a novel approach to treat corneal ulcer or perforation using the corneal lenticules obtained from SMILE and to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of tectonic keratoplasty with femtosecond laser intrastromal lenticule （TEKIL）. Methods： A total of twenty patients （22 eyes） were monitored for at least 6 months and were assessed using slit lamp microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and best-corrected visual acuity （BCVA）. Postoperative complications throughout the study period were recorded. Results： Corneal ulcer in 14 patients （16 eyes） and corneal perforation in six patients （6 eyes） were treated with TEKIL. The patients were ten females and ten males, with a mean age of 58.5 ± 16.3 years （range： 16 81 years）. In this study, the most causes of corneal ulcer or perforation were immunologic causes （54.5%）. After TEKIL procedure, global integrity was achieved in all cases. No immune rejection or perforation was detected. The mean BCVA improved from 0.17± 0.20 preoperatively to 0.27 ± 0.25 postoperatively at the final follow-up （t = 2.095, P 0.052）. The postoperative BCVA improved in 12 eyes （54.5%） and maintained in nine eyes （40.9%）. Vision function successfully maintained in all eyes （100%）. In three cases, corneal ulcers were treated by reoperation of TEKIL at 3 months alter the initial surgery for the reason that the residual corneal thickness was 〈250 μm. Conclusions： TEKI L seems to be an effective treatment for corneal ulcer and perforation in the condition of emergency and donor shortage.

淡紫紫孢菌引起角膜溃疡1例

患者,男,24岁,2022年9月16日因“右眼畏光、痒、视物不清”1个月余,门诊就诊,右眼有人工晶体的植入,此次受外伤后结膜混合充血,角膜中央溃疡,上皮大疱样改变。角膜溃疡组织标本分离培养出丝状真菌,经质谱鉴定为淡紫紫孢菌,并经rDNA ITS序列测定证实。予伏立康唑抗真菌治疗有效,病情好转,予以出院。

Molecular mechanism of the inhibition effect of Celecoxib on corneal collagen degradation in three dimensions

AIM: To clarify the molecular mechanism of Celecoxib on corneal collagen degradation and corneal ulcer. METHODS: Rabbit corneal fibroblasts were harvested and suspended in serum-free MEM. Type I collagen, DMEM, collagen reconstitution buffer and corneal fibroblast suspension were mixed on ice. The resultant mixture solidify in an incubator, after which test reagents and plasminogen was overlaid and the cultures were returned to the incubator. The supernatants from collagen gel incubations were collected and the amount of hydroxyproline in the hydrolysate was measured. Immunoblot analysis of MMP1, 3 and TIMP1, 2 was performed. MMP2, 9 was detected by the method of Gelatin zymography. Cytotoxicity Assay was measured. RESULTS: Celecoxib inhibited corneal collagen degradation in a dose and time manner; Celecoxib inhibited the IL-1 beta induced increases in proMMP1, 2, 3, 9 and active MMP1, 2, 3, 9 in a concentration-depended manner. Celecoxib can also inhibit the IL-1 beta induced increases in the TIMP1, 2. CONCLUSION: Celecoxib can inhibit corneal collagen degradation induced by IL-1 beta, this effect is the consequence of the reduction of MMP1, 2, 3, 9 and TIMP1, 2. The results of the present study provide new insight into Celecoxib in cornela ulcer treatment.

一例猫角膜腐骨合并衣原体感染的诊疗

一例因眼部异常分泌物持续增多且保守治疗无效前来就诊的患猫,通过临床检查和实验室检查,确诊为角膜溃疡引起的角膜腐骨病并伴有衣原体感染。因该病例耽误治疗时间较长、面积较大,且溃疡部位位于角膜中央周围,故行角膜结膜瓣遮盖术。经严格术后用药及精心护理,患猫恢复良好。

角膜溃疡患者症状特征的潜在剖面分析

目的探讨角膜溃疡患者症状的潜在类别,分析不同类别的特征性差异,为制订多症状管理方案提供临床依据。方法2022年8月至2023年2月,采用便利抽样法选取重庆市某三级甲等医院眼科住院的138例角膜溃疡患者为研究对象,采用一般资料调查表和患者报告结局测量信息系统简表对患者进行问卷调查。结果角膜溃疡患者症状特征分为3个类别:低症状低心理负担组(23.91%)、中症状中心理负担组(48.55%)、高症状高心理负担组(27.54%);其中性别、视力及角膜溃疡面积是影响角膜溃疡患者症状特征潜在类别的预测因素(均P<0.05)。结论角膜溃疡患者的症状特征存在异质性,临床医护人员应更加关注女性、视力<0.01以及溃疡面积>15 mm^(2)的患者。

Relationship between clinical features and intestinal microbiota in Chinese patients with ulcerative colitis

BACKGROUND Dysbacteriosis may be a crucial environmental factor for ulcerative colitis(UC).Further study is required on microbiota alterations in the gastrointestinal tract of patients with UC for better clinical management and treatment.AIM To analyze the relationship between different clinical features and the intestinal microbiota,including bacteria and fungi,in Chinese patients with UC.METHODS Eligible inpatients were enrolled from January 1,2018 to June 30,2019,and stool and mucosa samples were collected.UC was diagnosed by endoscopy,pathology,Mayo Score,and Montreal classification.Gene amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and fungal internal transcribed spacer gene was used to detect the intestinal microbiota composition.Alpha diversity,principal component analysis,similarity analysis,and Metastats analysis were employed to evaluate differences among groups.RESULTS A total of 89 patients with UC and 33 non-inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)controls were enrolled.For bacterial analysis,72 stool and 48 mucosa samples were obtained from patients with UC and 21 stool and 12 mucosa samples were obtained from the controls.For fungal analysis,stool samples were obtained from 43 patients with UC and 15 controls.A significant difference existed between the fecal and mucosal bacteria of patients with UC.Theα-diversity of intestinal bacteria and the relative abundance of some families,such as Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae,decreased with the increasing severity of bowel inflammation,while Escherichia-Shigella showed the opposite trend.More intermicrobial correlations in UC in remission than in active patients were observed.The bacteriafungi correlations became single and uneven in patients with UC.CONCLUSION The intestinal bacteria flora of patients with UC differs significantly in terms of various sample types and disease activities.The intermicrobial correlations change in patients with UC compared with non-IBD controls.

Modified ulcer debridement in the treatment of the superficial fungal infection of the cornea

AIM： To evaluate the efficacy of modified corneal ulcer debridement in superficial fungal keratitis unresponsive to medications.METHODS： A total of 209 patients（209 eyes） with fungal keratitis, involving no more than 50% of the stromal depth and not responding to antifungal agents for 2 wk, were recruited in this retrospective, noncomparative study. The patients were treated with modified corneal ulcer debridement. All visible corneal infiltrates were removed under an operating microscope to obtain a clean stromal bed and smooth incised edges. Antifungal drugs were used immediately after surgery. Healing time of the ulcers was recorded. Fungal recurrence, visual acuity, corneal thickness and risk factors for treatment failure were monitored.RESULTS： The follow-up was 13.6±5.8m o. The corneal ulcers healed in 195 of 209 eyes（93.3%）, with a mean healing time of 8.4±6.8 d. The other 14 eyes were further treated by penetrating keratoplasty（PK）（1 eye）, anterior lamellar keratoplasty（LK）（7 eyes）, conjunctival flap covering（4 eyes） or amniotic membrane transplantation（2 eyes）. The best corrected visual acuity（BCVA） was ≥20/70 in 80.3% of the eyes, ≥20/40 in 56.9% of the eyes, and ≥20/25 in 27.3% of the eyes. The corneas at the lesions became thinner, but all in the safe range. No fungal recurrence or corneal ectasis developed during the follow-up. The risk of treatment failure was higher in patients with preoperative hypopyon（P=0.036） and ever using steroid（P=0.025）.CONCLUSION： Modified surgical debridement is a simple and effective method for the treatment of superficial fungal infection of the cornea, with improved visual acuity and no recurrence. Such an intervention in time can rapidly control fungal infection and largely shorten corneal ulcer healing time.

A Case of Congenital Corneal Anesthesia with Hypopyon in China

Purpose:To report a case of congenital corneal anesthesia (CCA) associated with hypopyon and tactile hypoesthesia. Methods:.Case report. Results:.A 3-year-old girl presented with redness and mild photophobia in the left eye accompanied by corneal ulcer, hypopyon,.and corneal neovascularization..Corneal sensation was reduced bilaterally..She exhibited an absence of normal response to painful stimuli..She also had extensive ulceration of the lateral borders and tip of the tongue. The left corneal biopsy revealed negative cultures for bacteria and fungi. She was treated with human amniotic membrane transplantation in the left eye. The response to treatment was good. Conclusion:.This is the first case of CCA reported in China. CCA is often misdiagnosed as infectious keratitis..Amniotic membrane transplantation is effective in repairing the severe corneal ulcer which may be associated with CCA.

Microsurgical Treatment of Mooren's Ulcer

Objective:To evaluate effect of microsurgery of lamellar keratoplasty(LKP)on Mooren's corneal ulcer.Methods:The effect.postoperative astigmatism,postoerative vision,ulcer recurrence of postoperation,and surgical complications of two groups of consecutive Mooren's ulcer inpatients treated respectively by non-microsurgery of LKP and microsurgery of LKP were analyzed.Results:There were significant differences of the effect,postoperative astigmatism,postoperative vision,ulcer recurrence of postoperation,and surgical complications be-tween the two groups.The effect and postoperative vision of the microsurgery-treated groupwerebetterthan those ofthenon-microsurgery-treatedgroup.The postoperative astigma-tism,ulcer recurrence of postoperation,and surgical complications of the micro-surgery-treated group were less than those of the nonmicrosurgery-treated group.Conclusion:Microsurgery of LKP of Mooren's corneal ulcer can greatly improve the ul-cer healing and postoperative vision,and reduce the surgical complication and the ulcer recurrence of postoperation,Eye Science2000;16:56-60.

A Study of Clinical Characteristics and Treatment of Mooren's Ulcer

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and to compare the effects of several therapies of Mooren's corneal ulcer.Methods: 550 consecutive cases of Mooren's corneal ulcer inpatients were analysed, including the age, sex, laterality of the eye, ulcer location , perforative rate, cure rate of surgeries, recurrent rate, and the effects of conjunctiva excision, lamellar keratoplasty (LKP), LKP and plus cyclosporin A eye drop.Results: The average age of onset of the cornea! ulcer was 48.4 years old, the ratio of the male to the female patients was 1:0.74, the bilateral disease was 30% of the total cases, 31.5% of the bilateral disease occurred in the younger group, and 68.5% of the bilateral ulcer occurred in the older group, ulcers located at the limbus of the palpebral fissure were 70% of the total cases, perforative rate was 13.3% , 43.2% of the perforation occurred in the younger group, and 56.8% of the perforation occurred in the older group, recurrent rate of the post-opertion was 25.6%,

翼状胬肉切除术后并发角膜溃疡的危险因素分析

目的探讨翼状胬肉切除术后并发角膜溃疡的危险因素。方法选取2017年5月—2022年3月在青岛市中医医院行翼状胬肉切除术的患者153例,统计术后角膜溃疡发生情况,将并发角膜溃疡的患者作为发生组,其余作为未发生组。比较两组患者一般资料,采用多因素Logistic逐步回归模型分析翼状胬肉切除术后并发角膜溃疡的危险因素。结果153例行翼状胬肉切除术的患者,术后30例并发角膜溃疡作为发生组,其余123例作为未发生组。与未发生组比较,发生组糖尿病、复发性翼状胬肉、手术操作不规范、角膜缝线松动及激素类药物应用不合理的构成比升高(P<0.05)。多因素Logistic逐步回归分析结果显示,糖尿病[OR=2.678(95%CI:2.013,3.343)]、复发性胬肉[OR=2.280(95%CI:1.659,2.900)]、手术操作不规范[OR=7.036(95%CI:4.152,9.919)]、角膜缝线松动[OR=3.466(95%CI:2.632,4.300)]及激素类药物应用不合理[OR=5.217(95%CI:3.021,7.414)]均是翼状胬肉切除术后并发角膜溃疡的危险因素(P<0.05)。结论糖尿病、复发性胬肉、手术操作不规范、角膜缝线松动及激素类药物应用不合理均是翼状胬肉切除术后并发角膜溃疡的危险因素,临床可据此采取针对性干预措施,以减少术后角膜溃疡的发生。