To observe the apoptosis of cells in rat corneal grafts at acute rejection phase and explore the effects of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) on cell apoptosis.The penetrating corneal transplantation model was established. Corneal grafting was divided into four groups, namely, normal Wistar rat control group (no grafting, group A), isograft (Wistar rat-->Wistar rat, group B), allograft (Wistar rat-->SD rat) with normal saline treatment (group C) and allograft (Wistar rat-->SD rat) with IL-1ra treatment (group D). Cell apoptosis in corneal grafts was detected by TUNEL staining at 7 d, 10 d and 14 d after transplantation, and an automatic image analyzer was used to analyze the results, which were expressed as positive unit (PU). The changes of cellular ultrastructure in corneal grafts were observed under transmission electron microscope.(1)The average survival time of corneal grafts in C and D groups was (10.38+/-1.85) d and (13.56+/-1.94) d, respectively, with significant difference (P<0.01). (2)As compared with normal and non-rejected corneas, cell apoptosis and necrosis commonly existed in corneal grafts which rejection had occur. (3)In normal corneas, there were merely a very small number apoptotic cells in epithelial laminal, and apoptotic cells were found hardly in stromal laminal and endothelial cell layers. However, sporadic apoptotic cells were found in all layers of corneal grafts in B, C and D groups at 10 d after transplantation, the average PU being of no notably difference (P>0.05). Apoptosis obviously increased in nearby regions of wound and central area of corneal grafts in C and D groups, especially in C group. The apoptotic cells were distributed mainly in basal layer of epithelial cells and stroma of superficial layer.Cell apoptosis plays an important role in corneal graft rejection reaction. IL-1ra treatment can prolong the survival time of corneal grafts by means of suppression of cell apoptosis in corneal grafts.
Classically activated macrophages (M1) are proinflammatory effectors and closely related to the progression of neurotoxicity. As a powerful psychostimulant and addictive drug, methamphetamine (Meth) abuse could result in long-lasting abnormalities in retina. This study investigated the effect of Meth at nontoxic concentration on macrophage activation state and its resultant toxicity to photoreceptor cells. Results showed that cytotoxicity was caused by Meth on 661 W cells after coculturing with RAW264.7 macrophage. RAW264.7 cells tended to switch to the M1 phenotype, releasing more proinflammatory cytokines after treatment with Meth. Meth could also upregulate the M1-related gene and protein expression. Our study demonstrated that Meth promoted macrophage polarization from M0 to M1 and induced inflammatory response, providing the scientific rationale for the photoreceptor cell damage caused by the Meth abuse.
This study intended to investigate whether retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness could become a potential marker in patients with Parkinson's disease with cognitive impairment (PD-CI).Fifty-seven PD patients and 45 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in our cross-sectional study and completed optical coherence tomography (OCT) evaluations. PD with normal cognition (PD-NC) and cognitive impairment (PD-CI) patients were divided following the 2015 Movement Disorder Society criteria. RNFL thickness was quantified in subfields of the 3.0-mm circle surrounding the optic disk; while a battery of neuropsychiatric assessments was conducted to estimate the Parkinsonism severity. General linear models and one-way ANOVA were adopted to assess RNFL thickness between subgroups with different cognitive statuses; logistic regression analyses were applied to determine the relation between RNFL and PD-CI cases.Compared with HCs, more thinning of the RNFL was observed in the inferior and temporal sectors in PD patients, especially in the PD-CI group. Inferior RNFL thickness was reduced in PD-CI compared with PD-NC patients. Logistic regression analysis found that inferior RNFL thickness was independently associated with PD-CI cases (odds ratio = 0.923, p = 0.014). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the RNFL-involved combined model provided a high accuracy in screening cognitive deficiency in PD cases (area under the curve = 0.85, p < 0.001).Reduced RNFL thickness especially in the inferior sector is independently associated with PD-CI patients. Our study present new perspectives into verifying possible indicators for neuropathological processes or disease severity in Parkinsonians with cognitive dysfunction.
To investigate the effects of different concentrations of artificial tears on lipid layer thickness (LLT) and blink rate (BR) in dry eye patients.This study included 106 eyes of 58 patients with dry eye. The lipid deficiency type was defined as the LLT baseline <75 nm. The LLT and BR were measured at baseline and 1, 5 and 15min after the instillation of 0.1% or 0.3% sodium hyaluronate (SH) eye drops by using the LipiView ocular surface interferometer.In the lipid deficiency group, the LLT increased from baseline at 1min post instillation. The LLT after the instillation of 0.1% SH was significantly higher than that after the instillation of 0.3% SH (P<0.001). The LLT returned to baseline at 15min post instillation of 0.1% SH and at 5min post instillation of 0.3% SH. In the non-lipid deficiency group, the LLT decreased from baseline at 1min and returned to baseline at 5min for both treatments. The BRs were not significantly different at different time points for both treatments.SH eye drops induce a short-term increase in LLT of patients with lipid deficiency. A low concentration of artificial tears have a stronger effect than a high concentration of artificial tears on the increase in LLT. In comparison, SH eye drops induce a transient and slight decrease in LLT of patients without lipid deficiency. A low concentration of artificial tears might be better for patients with lipid deficiency.
The vitreous substitute for proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) surgery remains an unmet clinical need in ophthalmology. In our study, we developed an in situ formed hydrogel by crosslinking polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan as a potential vitreous substitute. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres were developed and loaded onto the PVA/chitosan hydrogels to treat PVR. In vitro, PVA/chitosan hydrogels at four concentrations were subjected to morphological, physical, rheological analyses, and cytotoxicity was evaluated together with the characterization of 5-FU PLGA microspheres. In vivo, pharmacologically induce PVR rabbits were performed a vitrectomy. In the PVA group, 3% PVA/chitosan hydrogel was injected into the vitreous cavity. In the PVA/MS group, 3% PVA/chitosan hydrogel and 5-FU PLGA microspheres were injected. In the Control group, phosphate-buffered saline was injected. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated with postoperative examinations and histological analyses. This study demonstrated that the 3% PVA/chitosan hydrogel showed properties similar to those of the human vitreous and could be a novel in situ crosslinked vitreous substitute for PVR. Loading 5-FU PLGA microspheres onto this hydrogel may represent an effective strategy to improve the prognosis of PVR.