Clinical characteristics and prognosis of orbital solitary fibrous tumor in patients from a Chinese tertiary eye hospital

BACKGROUND Solitary fibrous tumor(SFT) is predominant within the pleura but very rare in the orbit,which is why the diagnosis of orbital SFT poses challenges in clinical practice.Accordingly,an integrated approach that incorporates specific clinical features,histological,histopathological,and immunohistochemical(IHC) examinations,and molecular analyses is warranted.AIM To retrospectively explore the clinical and imaging characteristics,treatment,outcomes of a series of patients with orbital SFT.METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of a series of patients diagnosed with a histopathologic orbital SFT treated at a single institution.All data on demographics,clinical characteristics,imaging,treatment,postoperative histopathological and IHC examinations,and prognosis were collected.RESULTS In total,13 patients were enrolled,7(53.8%) of whom had the tumor located in the superomedial quadrant of the orbit.Computed tomography revealed a solitary ovoid lesion in 10(76.9%) patients and irregular lesion in 3(23.1%) patients.Magnetic resonance imaging results were as follows:On T1 weighted images,3(23.1%) patients had hypointense mixed signals,whereas 10(76.9%) patients showed isointense mixed signals;on T2 weighted images(T2 WI),3(23.1%),4 (30.8%),and 6(46.2%) patients exhibited hypointense mixed,isointense mixed,and hyperintense signals,respectively.Notably,12(92.3%) patients showed significant enhancement,whereas there were patchy slightly enhanced areas in the tumor.All patients were treated by surgery.IHC analysis demonstrated that the tumor cells were immunoreactive for CD34,CD99,STAT-6,and vimentin in all patients.The lesions showed Ki-67 positivity < 5% in 1(7.7) patient,5%-10% in 10(76.9%),and > 10% in 2(15.4%).Two(15.4%) patients exhibited tumor recurrence.CONCLUSION The clinical manifestations and radiologic characteristics of orbital SFT are diverse and not specific.Accurate diagnosis and treatment require detailed radiological and histopathological/IHC evaluation.

Network pharmacology investigation of the mechanism underlying the therapeutic action of Shikang granules in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injuries

Background:Retinal ischemia/reperfusion(I/R)injury often results in vision loss,and effective clinical management options are currently lacking.Shikang granules(SKG)are traditional Chinese medicine-based preparations commonly used in clinical practice for treating optic atrophy.Methods:Despite decades of clinical use,the precise mechanism of action(MoA)of SKG remains elusive.Here,we employ a network pharmacological approach to elucidate its MoA by identifying active ingredients and relevant targets using the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analytical Platform.Targets associated with retinal I/R injury were sourced from GeneCards,Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man,and DisGeNET.Venny software facilitated the identification of intersecting targets,which were then subjected to gene ontology functional analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis.To validate the protective effect and explore the MoA of SKG in retinal I/R injuries,we conducted experiments using rat models.Results:Our animal experiments demonstrated that SKG mitigated apoptosis following retinal I/R injury by upregulating the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and downregulating the expression of BAX,Caspase-9,Caspase-3,PARP,and cytochrome C.Additionally,SKG was found to increase the expression of PI3K and AKT.Conclusions:SKG may exert its protective effects by inhibiting apoptosis through modulation of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic protein expression,as well as activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Malignant glaucoma treated by low-dose laser cycloplasty: a 1-year multicenter prospective noncomparative study

AIM:To report a one-year clinical outcomes of low-dose laser cycloplasty(LCP)among malignant glaucoma patients.METHODS:In this prospective,multicenter,noncomparative clinical study,participants with malignant glaucoma were recruited and underwent LCP at eight ophthalmic centers in China.Patients were followed up at 1wk,1,3,6,and 12mo.Intraocular pressure(IOP),number of glaucoma medications,anterior chamber depth(ACD),and complications were recorded.Anatomical success was defined as the reformation of the anterior chamber based on slit-lamp biomicroscopy.Recurrence was defined by the presence of a shallow orflat anterior chamber after initial recovery from treatment.RESULTS:A total of 34 eyes received LCP.Mean IOP and medications decreased from 36.1±11.5 mm Hg with 3.3±1.5 glaucoma medications pre-treatment to 20.9±9.8 mm Hg(P<0.001)with 2.9±1.6 medications(P=0.046)at 1d,and 17.4±6.7 mm Hg(P<0.001)with 1.3±1.7 medications(P<0.001)at 12mo.The ACD increased from 1.1±0.8 mm at baseline to 1.7±1.0 mm and to 2.0±0.5 mm at 1d and 12mo,respectively.A total of 32(94.1%)eyes achieved initial anatomical success.During follow-up,2(5.9%)eyes failed and 8(23.5%)eyes relapsed,yielding a 12-month anatomical success rate of 64.3%.Complications including anterior synechia(8.82%),choroidal/ciliary detachment(5.88%)and hypopyon(2.94%)were observed within 1wk.CONCLUSION:LCP is simple,safe,and effective in reforming the anterior chamber in malignant glaucoma.

Clinical study of acupuncture combined with surface anesthesia using proparacaine in geriatric cataract phacoemulsification

BACKGROUND During anesthesia administration for cataract surgery,low pH of proparacaine may induce pain or complications such as corneal damage and poor wound healing,with the use of additional drops intraoperatively increasing the risk of complications.Accordingly,there is a clinical need for adjuncts to local anesthesia needs to improve the efficiency of anesthesia and reduce the required amount of intraoperative proparacaine.AIM To identify a method of anesthesia for geriatric cataract phacoemulsification that provides more efficient analgesia and improves clinical efficacy.METHODS A total of 130 geriatric patients with cataracts who attended Hebei Eye Hospital from December 2020 to December 2022 were included in the present study.Patients were divided into the proparacaine surface anesthesia(SA)group(65 cases)and the compound acupuncture-medicine anesthesia group(CAMA group,65 cases).Patients in the CAMA group were provided acupuncture analgesia in addition to SA.Preoperative anxiety[Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)score and state anxiety inventory(SAI)score],intraoperative stress,vital signs,analgesia,and cooperation,as well as postoperative adverse events,were compared between groups.RESULTS More marked reductions in anxiety were observed among patients in the CAMA group,with corresponding reductions in SAS and SAI scores.During the operation,no change in the secretion of E,NE,or Cor group compared to the preoperative period was observed in the CAMA,which was markedly lower than that in the SA group.Heart rate,blood pressure,and respiratory rate were more stable intraoperatively in the CAMA group.In addition,the incidence of intraoperative pain and the number of additional doses of anesthesia required in the CAMA group were markedly lower than in the SA group.Accordingly,patients in the CAMA group were able to avoid eye movements and eyelid closing leading to greater cooperation with surgeons during surgery.Furthermore,marked reductions in intraoperative adverse effects were observed in the CAMA group,indicating greater overall safety.CONCLUSION Proparacaine SA combined with acupuncture as an analgesic provides improved analgesia with greater safety compared to surface anesthesia with proparacaine during geriatric cataract phacoemulsification.

Diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis by the macrogenome of intraocular fluid:A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Tuberculous uveitis caused by tuberculosis infection factors is common,but tuberculous uveitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis found in the intraocular fluid is rare.This report describes the use of intraocular fluid in the diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis in a patient and reviews the relevant literature.CASE SUMMARY A 24-year-old woman who was 31-wk pregnant visited Hebei Chest Hospital due to intermittent chest pain,fever,and decreased vision for 3 mo.The hydrothorax test suggested“tuberculous pleurisy”,and yellow effusion was extracted from the chest tube twice resulting in a total volume of approximately 800 mL.The patient chose to continue the pregnancy without treatment,and was hospitalized again due to high fever.Following 2 mo of anti-tuberculosis treatment,a healthy boy was delivered by cesarean section.Tuberculous uveitis was diagnosed using tuberculosis Xpert,and intraocular infection was detected by second-generation gene sequencing.Following systemic treatment,the patient gradually improved,and the corrected visual acuity of the left eye gradually increased from 0.08 to 1.0.CONCLUSION The etiology of uveitis is complex,and it is necessary to assess the patient’s general condition and apply molecular biology methods to determine the pathogenesis and guide precise treatment,to improve clinicians’awareness and standardize treatment of the disease.

Rapamycin ameliorates experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis by inhibiting Th1/Th2/Th17 cells and upregulating CD4+CD25+ Foxp3 regulatory T cells

· AIM: To determine the effects of rapamycin on experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis(EAU) and investigate of role of rapamycin on T cell subsets in the disease.·METHODS: EAU was induced in rats using peptides1169 to 1191 of the interphotoreceptor binding protein(IRBP). Rapamycin(0.2 mg/kg/d) was administrated by intraperitoneal injection for a consecutive 7d after immunization. Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines, TGF-β1, and IL-6produced by lymphocyteswere measured by ELISA, while Th17 cells and CD4 +CD25 + regulatory T cells(Tregs)from rat spleen were detected by flow cytometry.·RESULTS: Intraperitoneal treatment immediately after immunization dramatically ameliorated the clinical course of EAU. Clinical responses were associated with reduced retinal inflammatory cell infiltration and tissue destruction. Rapamycin induced suppression of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines, including IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-17, IL-4, and IL-10 release from T lymphocytes of EAU rats, in vitro.Rapamycin also significantly increased TGF-β1production but had no effect on IL-6 productionof T lymphocytes from EAU rats in vitro. Furthermore,rapamycin decreased the ratio of Th17 cells/CD4 +T cells and upregulated Tregs in EAU, as detected by flow cytometry.·CONCLUSION: Rapamycin effectively interferes with T cell mediated autoimmune uveitis by inhibiting antigen-specific T cell functions and enhancing Tregs in EAU.Rapamycin is a promising new alternative as an adjunct corticosteroid-sparing agent for treating uveitis.

Clinical Analysis of Early and Mid-late Elevated Intraocular Pressure after Silicone Oil Injection

Purpose:.To discuss the incidence and clinical features of early and mid-late elevated intraocular pressure after pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil injection, and to evaluate the clinical management of eyes with secondary glaucoma.Methods:.This was an observational consecutive case series of 691 eyes in 679 patients who were treated with pars plana vitrectomy and silicone injection...The diagnostic criteria of early elevated intraocular pressure after silicone oil injection was ≥21 mmHg two weeks after surgery, while mid-late elevated intraocular pressure was ≥21 mmHg after two weeks.The incidence and clinical management of elevated intraocular pressure were analyzed.Results: In total, 211 of 691 eyes(30.54%) developed elevated intraocular pressure two weeks after pars plana vitrecto my and silicone injection. Of the 211 eyes, 101 eyes(47.87%)had ocular inflammation, 64 eyes(30.33%) showed hyphema,35 eyes(16.59%) had silicone oil in the anterior chamber, 6eyes.(2.84%).had excess silicone oil injected,.and 5 eyes(2.37%).had rubeosis irides..Eighty three of 691 eyes(12.01%).developed elevated intraocular pressure after two weeks..Of these 83 eyes, 25 eyes(30.12%) had rubeosis irides,.16 eyes(19.27%) had issues related to topic steroid therapy,.13 eyes.(15.66%).had a papillary block,.silicone oil in the anterior chamber,10 eyes(12.05%) had a silicone emulsion,.10 eyes(12.05%).had peripheral anterior synchiae,.and 9 eyes(10.84%).had silicone oil in the anterior chamber..All eyes with elevated intraocular pressure were treated with antiglaucoma medications and surgeries.Conclusion:.The reasons for elevated intraocular pressure differed between early and mid-late after pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil injection. The elevated intraocular pressure can be controlled effectively by immediate diagnosis and proper treatment with medicine and operation.

Inhibition of Obtusifolin on retinal pigment epithelial cell growth under hypoxia

AIM: To explore the effect of Obtusifolin on retinal pigment epithelial cell growth under hypoxia.METHODS: In vitro chemical hypoxia model of ARPE-19 cells was established using cobalt chloride(CoCl2). Cell viability was tested by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay. Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were applied to detect proteins and mRNAs respectively. Flow cytometry was used to examine the cell cycle. Secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) was tested by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).RESULTS: Under the chemical hypoxia model established by CoCl2, hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) mRNA and protein levels was up-regulated. Cell viability was increased and the proportion of S phase was higher. Obtusifolin could reduce cell viability under hypoxic conditions and arrest cells in G1 phase. Obtusifolin reduced the expression of Cyclin D1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) in the hypoxic environment and increased the expression of p53 and p21. The levels of VEGF, VEGFR2 and eNOS proteins and mRNA were significantly increased under hypoxia while Obtusifolin inhibited the increasing.CONCLUSION: Obtusifolin can inhibit cell growth under hypoxic conditions and down-regulate HIF-1/VEGF/eNOS secretions in ARPE-19 cells.

Primary orbital monophasic synovial sarcoma with calcification:A case report

BACKGROUND Synovial sarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm with variable epithelial differentiation.Most synovial sarcoma cases are reported in young adults and can arise in any body site.Notably,primary orbital synovial sarcoma is rare.CASE SUMMARY An 8-year-old east Asian girl with 1-month history of gradual painless proptosis and lacrimation of the right eye was admitted.The patient presented with painless proptosis,downward eyeball displacement,and upward movement disorders.According to clinical manifestations,imaging examinations and postoperative immunohistochemical examinations,the diagnosis was monophasic synovial sarcoma with calcification.The patient underwent anterior orbitotomy procedure for removal of the right orbital mass under general anesthesia.The diagnosis of monophasic synovial sarcoma with calcification was confirmed finally through histological and immunohistochemical exam.The follow-up period was 6 mo,and no recurrence was observed during this period.CONCLUSION Primary orbital monophasic synovial sarcoma with calcification is a rare sarcoma,and clinical manifestations and imaging results are not specific.The tumor may present similar features as a benign tumor.Comprehensive analysis of clinical,radiological,and pathological findings is critically important for making the right diagnosis.Conventional treatment approach for synovial sarcoma is surgical resection with adjuvant or neoadjuvant radiotherapy,which is highly effective for localized tumors.

Combined therapy versus anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monotherapy for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy： a Meta-analysis

AIM： To evaluate the efficacy and safety of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） combined with photodynamic therapy （PDT） versus anti-VEGF monotherapy for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy （PCV）. METHODS： We conducted a Meta-analysis of 9 studies to compare the efficacy and safety between combined therapy and anti-VEGF monotherapy for PCV. The programs of RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12.0 were used to analyze data. RESULTS： The best corrected visual acuity （BCVA） in combined therapy group were significantly better than those of anti-VEGF monotherapy group at 6, 24 and 36mo, with pooled weighted means differences （WMDs） of 0.12 （0.06, 0.18）, 0.25 （0.12, 0.38） and 0.28 （0.13, 0.43）, respectively. The central retinal thickness （CRT） reductions in combined therapy group were higher than that in anti- VEGF monotherapy group at 1, 3, 6 and 9mo, with pooled WMDs of 63.90 （20.41, 107.38）, 33.47 （4.69, 62.24）, 30.57 （0.12, 60.01） and 28.00 （2.51, 53.49）, respectively. The regression rate of polyps in combined therapy group was much higher than that in anti-VEGF monotherapy group [RD： 0.47 （0.26, 0.68）; P〈0.0001]. The adverse event retinal hemorrhage did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION： Our findings clearly document that anti- VEGF combined with PDT is a more effective therapy for PCV compared with anti-VEGF monotherapy. Furthermore, combined therapy does not increase the incidence of retinal hemorrhage.

Analysis of Radial Peripapillary Capillary Density in Patients with Bietti Crystalline Dystrophy by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Objective We wanted to investigate the radial peripapillary capillary(RPC)network in patients with Bietti crystalline dystrophy(BCD).Methods We compared RPC densities in the disk and different peripapillary regions,obtained using optical coherence tomography angiography in 22 patients with BCD(37 eyes)and 22 healthy subjects(37 eyes).The BCD group was then divided into Stage 2 and Stage 3 subgroups based on Yuzawa staging,comparing the RPC densities of the two.Results The disk area RPC density was 38.8%±6.3%in the BCD group and 49.2%±6.1%in the control group(P<0.001),and peripapillary region RPC density was significantly lower in the BCD group than in the control group(49.1%±4.7%and 54.1%±3.0%,respectively,P<0.001).There were no significant RPC density differences between the tempo quadrant and inside disk of Stages 2 and 3 subgroups;the other areas showed a significantly lower RPC density in Stage 3 than in Stage 2 BCD.Conclusion The BCD group RPC density was significantly lower than the control group.The reduction of RPC density in the tempo quadrant occurred mainly in the Stage 1 BCD.In contrast,the reduction of RPC density in superior,inferior,and nasal quadrants occurred mainly in Stage 2.

Impact of ultrasound and optical biometry on refractive outcomes of cataract surgery after penetrating keratoplasty in keratoconus

AIM: To analyse the impact of ultrasound and optical intraocular lens(IOL) calculation methods on refractive outcomes of cataract phacoemulsification performed after penetrating keratoplasty(PK) in keratoconus. METHODS: Phacoemulsification cataract surgery was performed on 42 eyes of 34 patients with keratoconus who had previously undergone PK. The IOL power was determined by using both standard and corneal topography-derived keratometry using the SRK/T formula. We used two independent methods-ultrasound biometry(UB) and interferometry [optical biometry(OB)] for IOL calculation. The analysed data from medical records included demographics, medical history, best corrected visual acuity(BCVA) on Snellen charts, technique of IOL calculation and calculation formula and its impact on final refractive result.RESULTS: BCVA ranged from 0.01 to 0.4(mean 0.09±0.19) before surgery and ranged from 0.2 to 0.7(mean 0.38±0.14) at 1 mo and from 0.2 to 1.0(mean 0.56±0.16)(P<0.05) at 3 mo, postoperatively. The refractive aim differed significantly from the refractive outcome in both the UB and OB groups(P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the accuracy of the two biometry methods.CONCLUSION: The refractive aim in keratoconus eyes post-PK is not achieved with either ultrasound or OB.

M^(2)LC-Net: A Multi-Modal Multi-Disease Long-Tailed Classification Network for Real Clinical Scenes

Leveraging deep learning-based techniques to classify diseases has attracted extensive research interest in recent years.Nevertheless,most of the current studies only consider single-modal medical images,and the number of ophthalmic diseases that can be classified is relatively small.Moreover,imbalanced data distribution of different ophthalmic diseases is not taken into consideration,which limits the application of deep learning techniques in realistic clinical scenes.In this paper,we propose a Multimodal Multi-disease Long-tailed Classification Network(M^(2)LC-Net)in response to the challenges mentioned above.M^(2)LC-Net leverages ResNet18-CBAM to extract features from fundus images and Optical Coherence Tomography(OCT)images,respectively,and conduct feature fusion to classify 11 common ophthalmic diseases.Moreover,Class Activation Mapping(CAM)is employed to visualize each mode to improve interpretability of M^(2)LC-Net.We conduct comprehensive experiments on realistic dataset collected from a Grade III Level A ophthalmology hospital in China,including 34,396 images of 11 disease labels.Experimental results demonstrate effectiveness of our proposed model M^(2)LC-Net.Compared with the stateof-the-art,various performance metrics have been improved significantly.Specifically,Cohen’s kappa coefficient κ has been improved by 3.21%,which is a remarkable improvement.

Multimodal imaging study of lipemia retinalis with diabetic retinopathy:A case report

BACKGROUND Lipemia retinalis(LR)is a rare disease related to hypertriglyceridemia.However,the symptoms of hypertriglyceridemia are insidious and difficult to detect without blood tests.The fundus is the only site where blood vessels can be observed directly.Understanding the specific performance of LR in multimodal imaging fundus examinations can help diagnose more patients with abnormal hyperlipidemia.CASE SUMMARY A 29-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes presented to our clinic complaining of a six-day loss of visual acuity in the left eye.The fundus color images showed typical LR:Arteries and veins were the same pink-white color.Infrared images showed hyperinfrared reflections of the arteries and veins.Optical coherence tomography(OCT)showed numerous high point-like reflections in the retinal section,corresponding to different calibers of blood vessel sections.Medium reflections were seen in the big vessels of the choroid.Fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA)and optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)showed no significant changes.Laboratory examination found a total cholesterol level of 13.98 mmol/L,triglyceride 20.55 mmol/L,which confirmed the diagnosis of LR.After treatment to lower blood lipids and control blood glucose,the fundus imaging showed that the blood lipids in the patient had returned to normal.CONCLUSION LR shows specific changes in fundus color photography,infrared photography,and OCT.FFA and OCTA were not sensitive to LR changes.

Hammered silver appearance of the corneal endothelium in Fuchs uveitis syndrome:A case report

BACKGROUND Hammered silver appearance of the corneal endothelium is considered a characteristic change in iridocorneal-endothelial syndrome.Herein we report an interesting case of hammered silver appearance of the corneal endothelium in Fuchs uveitis syndrome(FUS).CASE SUMMARY A 49-year-old man with progressive vision loss in the right eye for one year was admitted to our hospital.The clinical manifestations of the patient’s right eye were mild conjunctival hyperemia,scattered stellate keratic precipitates on the corneal endothelium,normal depth anterior chamber,2+cellular reaction in the aqueous humor,diffuse iris depigmentation,absence of synechia,Koeppe nodules,opalescent lens,and vitreous opacity.FUS and a complicated cataract were diagnosed based on the typical clinical manifestations.The corneal endothelial changes were recorded in detail by slit-lamp examination,specular microscopy,and in vivo confocal microscopy before cataract extraction,revealing a hammered silver appearance of the corneal endothelium in the affected eye,a wide-band dark area,as well as irregular corneal endothelial protuberances and dark bodies of various sizes.Subsequently,the patient underwent phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation,and his postoperative visual acuity recovered to 1.0.CONCLUSION Hammered silver appearance of the corneal endothelium in FUS,which is considered a more serious manifestation of endothelial damage,is rare and may be caused by many irregular protrusions in the corneal endothelium.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with congenital nystagmus: A case report

BACKGROUND Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(BPPV)is a form of temporary vertigo induced by moving the head to a specific position.It is a self-limited,peripheral,vestibular disease and can be divided into primary and secondary forms.Congenital nystagmus(CN),an involuntary,rhythmic,binocular-symmetry,conjugated eye movement,is found at birth or within 3 mo of birth.According to the pathogenesis,CN can be divided into sensory-defect nystagmus and motordefect nystagmus.The coexistence of BPPV and CN is rarely seen in the clinic.CASE SUMMARY A 62-year-old woman presented to our clinic complaining of a 15-d history of recurrent positional vertigo.The vertigo lasting less than 1 min occurred when she turned over,sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting.Both the patient and her father had CN.Her spontaneous nystagmus was horizontal to right;however,the gaze test revealed variable horizontal nystagmus with the same degree when the eyes moved.The patient’s Dix-Hallpike test was normal,except for persistent nystagmus,and the roll test showed severe variable horizontal nystagmus,which lasted for about 20 s in the same direction as her head movement to the right and left,although the right-side nystagmus was stronger than the left-side.Since these symptoms were accompanied by nausea,she was diagnosed with BPPV with CN and treated by manual reduction.CONCLUSION Though rare,if BPPV with CN is correctly identified and diagnosed,reduction treatment is comparably effective to other vertigo types.

Knockdown of fibrillin-1 suppresses retina-blood barrier dysfunction by inhibiting vascular endothelial apoptosis under diabetic conditions

AIM:To investigate the effects of fibrillin-1(FBN1)deletion on the integrity of retina-blood barrier function and the apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells under diabetic conditions.METHODS:Streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic mice were used to simulate the diabetic conditions of diabetic retinopathy(DR)patients,and FBN1 expression was detected in retinas from STZ-diabetic mice and controls.In the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,the GSE60436 dataset was selected to analyze FBN1 expressions in fibrovascular membranes from DR patients.Using lentivirus to knock down FBN1 levels,vascular leakage and endothelial barrier integrity were detected by Evans blue vascular permeability assay,fluorescein fundus angiography(FFA)and immunofluorescence labeled with tight junction marker in vivo.High glucose-induced monkey retinal vascular endothelial cells(RF/6A)were used to investigate effects of FBN1 on the cells in vitro.The vascular endothelial barrier integrity and apoptosis were detected by trans-endothelial electrical resistance(TEER)assay and flow cytometry,respectively.RESULTS:FBN1 mRNA expression was increased in retinas of STZ-induced diabetic mice and fibrovascular membranes of DR patients(GSE60436 datasets)using RNA-seq approach.Besides,knocking down of FBN1 by lentivirus intravitreal injection significantly inhibited the vascular leakage compared to STZ-DR group by Evans blue vascular permeability assay and FFA detection.Expressions of tight junction markers in STZ-DR mouse retinas were lower than those in the control group,and knocking down of FBN1 increased the tight junction levels.In vitro,30 mmol/L glucose could significantly inhibit viability of RF/6A cells,and FBN1 mRNA expression was increased under 30 mmol/L glucose stimulation.Down-regulation of FBN1 reduced high glucose(HG)-stimulated retinal microvascular endothelial cell permeability,increased TEER,and inhibited RF/6A cell apoptosis in vitro.CONCLUSION:The expression level of FBN1 increases in retinas and vascular endothelial cells under diabetic conditions.Down-regulation of FBN1 protects the retina of early diabetic rats from retina-blood barrier damage,reduce vascular leakage,cell apoptosis,and maintain vascular endothelial cell barrier function.

Fifteen acute retrobulbar optic neuritis associated with COVID-19:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND A subtype of the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)is suggested to be responsible for the outbreak in Northern China since the quarantine was lifted in December 2022.The coronavirus disease 2019 virus is primarily responsible for the development of respiratory illnesses,however,it can present a plethora of symptoms affecting a myriad of body organs.This virus has been theorized to be linked to demyelinating lesions of the peripheral and central nervous system including transverse myelitis and acute retrobulbar optic neuritis(ARON).For example,magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)of the orbit and brain showed enlargement of the retrobulbar intraorbital segments of the optic nerve with high T2 signal,and no abnormalities were seen in the brain tissue.In this case series,we analyzed the connection between SARSCoV-2 infection and the onset of ARON.CASE SUMMARY Fifteen patients,and a teenage boy who did not have any pre-existing ocular or demyelinating diseases suddenly experienced a loss of vision after SARS-CoV-2 infection.The patients expressed a central scotoma and a fever as the primary concern.The results of the fundus photography were found to be normal.However,the automated perimetry and MRI scans showed evidence of some typical signs.Out of the 15 patients diagnosed with ARON after SARS-CoV-2 infection,only one individual tested positive for the aquaporin-4 antibody.CONCLUSION Direct viral invasion of the central nervous system and an immune-related process are the two primary causes of SARS-CoV-2-related ARON.

Clinical characteristics and analysis of vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss in different ages

BACKGROUND Numerous studies have found that patients experiencing sudden sensorineural hearing loss(SSHL),with or without accompanying vertigo,often show impaired vestibular function.However,there is a dearth of studies analyzing vestibularevoked myogenic potentials(VEMPs)in SSHL patients across various age groups.AIM To investigate vestibular condition in SSHL patients across various age demographics.METHODS Clinical data of 84 SSHL patients were investigated retrospectively.Audiometry,cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(c-VEMPs),and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(o-VEMPs)were conducted on these patients.Parameters assessed included the latencies of P1 and N1 waves,as well as the amplitudes of P1–N1 waves.Moreover,the study evaluated the influence of factors such as sex,affected side,configuration of hearing loss,and presence of accompanying vertigo.RESULTS Among the 84 SSHL patients,no significant differences were observed among the three groups in terms of gender,affected side,and the presence or absence of vertigo.Group II(aged 41–60 years)had the highest number of SSHL cases.The rates of absent o-VEMPs in the affected ears were 20.83%,31.58%,and 22.72%for the three age groups,respectively,with no statistically significant difference among them.The rates of absent c-VEMPs in the affected ears were 8.3%,34.21%,and 18.18%for the three age groups,respectively,with significant differences.In the unaffected ears,there were differences observed in the extraction rates of o-VEMPs in the unaffected ears among the age groups.In the three age groups,no significant differences were noted in the three age groups in the latencies of P1 and N1 waves or in the amplitude of N1–P1 waves for c-VEMPs and o-VEMPs,either on the affected side or on the unaffected side,across the three age groups.CONCLUSION The extraction rate of VEMPs is more valuable than parameters.Regardless of the presence of vertigo,vestibular organs are involved in SSHL.Notably,SSHL patients aged 41–60 appear more susceptible to damage to the inferior vestibular nerve and saccule.