Axial length shortening in myopic children with Stickler syndrome after repeated low-level red-light therapy

AIM:To report the myopia-controlling effect of repeated low-level red-light(RLRL)therapy in patients with Stickler syndrome(STL),an inherited collagenic disease typically presenting with early onset myopia.METHODS:Three STL children,aged 3,7,and 11y,received RLRL therapy throughout the follow-up period of 17,3,and 6mo,respectively after exclusion of fundus anomalies.Data on best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA),intraocular pressure,cycloplegic subjective refraction,ocular biometrics,scanning laser ophthalmoscope,optical coherence tomography,genetic testing,systemic disease history,and family history were recorded.RESULTS:At the initiation of the RLRL therapy,the spherical equivalent(SE)of 6 eyes from 3 patients ranged from-3.75 to-20.38 D,axial length(AL)were from 23.88 to 30.68 mm,and BCVA were from 0.4 to 1.0(decimal notation).Myopia progression of all six eyes slowed down after RLRL therapy.AL in five out of the six eyes shortened-0.07 to-0.63 mm.No side effects were observed.CONCLUSION:Three cases of STL whose progression of myopic shift and AL elongation are successfully reduced and even reversed after RLRL therapy.

Early exposure to food contaminants reshapes maturation of the human brain-gut-microbiota axis

Early childhood growth and development is conditioned by the consecutive events belonging to perinatal programming. This critical window of life will be very sensitive to any event altering programming of the main body functions.Programming of gut function, which is starting right after conception, relates to a very well-established series of cellular and molecular events associating all types of cells present in this organ, including neurons, endocrine and immune cells. At birth, this machinery continues to settle with the establishment of extra connection between enteric and other systemic systems and is partially under the control of gut microbiota activity, itself being under the densification and the diversification of microorganisms’ population. As thus, any environmental factor interfering on this pre-established program may have a strong incidence on body functions. For all these reasons, pregnant women, fetuses and infants will be particularly susceptible to environmental factors and especially food contaminants. In this review, we will summarize the actual understanding of the consequences of repeated low-level exposure to major food contaminants on gut homeostasis settlement and on brain/gut axis communication considering the pivotal role played by the gut microbiota during the fetal and postnatal stages and the presumed consequences of these food toxicants on the individuals especially in relation with the risks of developing later in life non-communicable chronic diseases.