Ocular development in children with unilateral congenital cataract and persistent fetal vasculature

AIM: To investigate the ocular development of patients who had unilateral congenital cataract(CC) combined with persistent fetal vasculature(PFV).METHODS: This cross-sectional, observational study included patients who had unilateral CC and PFV and those with isolated unilateral CC.Axial length(AL), keratometry, anterior chamber depth(ACD), lens thickness, and vitreous length were obtained.The ocular biometric parameters of the affected eyes of patients with CC and PFV were compared with the fellow eyes and with the affected eyes of patients with isolated CC.RESULTS: A total of 110 patients were included and divided into 4 groups: group 1(18 patients with CC and PFV, <24 mo), group 2(22 patients with CC and PFV, ≥24 mo), group 3(35 patients with CC, <24 mo), and group 4(35 patients with CC, ≥24 mo).The ALs of the affected eyes were shorter than those of the fellow eyes in group 1(20.02±1.06 vs 20.66±0.63 mm, P=0.025).While the ALs of the affected eyes were longer than those of the fellow eyes in group 2(23.18±2.00 vs 22.31±1.06 mm, P=0.044) and group 4(22.64±1.80 vs 22.02±1.01 mm, P=0.033).The keratometries of the affected eyes were steeper than those of the fellow eyes in group 2(44.78±1.66 vs 43.83±1.38 D,P=0.041) and group 4(43.76±1.91 vs 43.34±1.46 D, P=0.043).No difference of ACDs between two eyes was found in all groups(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION: Compared with the fellow eyes, the ALs of the eyes with unilateral CC and PFV are shorter in patients younger than 24 mo and longer in those older than 24 mo;the keratometries of the eyes with unilateral CC and PFV are steeper in patients older than 24 mo and similar with those younger than 24 mo.These findings provide further understanding of ocular development in patients with both CC and PFV.

Molecular aspects of eye development and regeneration in the Australian redclaw crayfish,Cherax quadricarinatus

The compound eye evolved over 500 million years ago and enables mosaic vision in most arthropod species.The molecular regulation of the development of the compound eye has been primarily studied in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.However,due to the nature of holometabolous insects halting growth after their terminal metamorphosis into the adult form,they lack the capacity to regenerate.Crustaceans,unlike holometabolous insects,continue to grow during adulthood,achieved through regular shedding of their exoskeleton,in a cyclic process known as molting.This therefore offers crustaceans as a highly suitable model to study ocular regeneration in the adult arthropod eye.We have assessed the regenerative capacity of the retinal section of the Cherax quadricarinatus(red-claw crayfish)eye,following ablation and successive post-metamorphic molts.This work then provides a transcriptomic description of the outer,pigmented retinal tissue(the ommatidia and lamina ganglionaris)and the basal,non-pigmented neuroendocrine ocular tissue(the X-organ Sinus Gland complex,hemiellipsoid body and optic nerve).Using comparative analysis,we identified all the transcripts in the C.quadricarinatus ocular transcriptome that are known to function in compound eye development in D.melanogaster.Differentially and uniquely transcribed genes of the retina are described,suggesting proposed mechanisms that may regulate ocular regeneration in decapod Crustacea.This research exemplifies the application C.quadricarinatus holds as an optimal model to study the regulation of ocular regeneration.Further in-depth transcriptomic analyses are now required,sampled throughout the regeneration process to better define the regulatory mechanism.