Use of vital dyes in ophthalmic surgery has gained increased importance in the past few years. Trypan blue (TB) has been a popular choice among anterior segment surgeons mainly due to its safety, ease of availability, and remarkable ability to enable an easy surgery in difficult situations mostly related to visibility of the targeted tissue. It is being used in cataract surgery since nearly a decade and its utilization has been extended to other anterior segment surgeries like trabeculectomy and corneal transplantation. This review will discuss the techniques and outcome of TB dye-assisted anterior segment surgeries.

In the potentially resectable cases of stage III-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the optimal post-operative treatment regimen for these patients is uncertain and post-operative radiation therapy (PORT) with chemotherapy is typically recommended. Our aim was to reassess the data of PORT on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in stage III-N2 NSCLC, in order to figure out whether PORT might lead to a moderate improvement in local control and survival besides resection and adjuvant chemotherapy. A comprehensive search strategy was performed in EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library for relevant studies comparing PORT combined with adjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy alone on OS and DFS in resectable stage III-N2 NSCLC. Data were extracted to estimate the effects of PORT on OS and DFS. Eleven studies with 8,928 patients were included. This meta-analysis demonstrated a trend in improving OS associated with the use of PORT (HR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.03; p=0.11) and a significantly difference of effect on DFS associated with the use of PORT (HR=0.78; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.92; p=0.003). In a subgroup analysis on Caucasian patients, there was a statistically significant benefit (HR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.96; p=0.003) on OS for PORT. Our findings demonstrate that in the postoperative treatment for patients with stage III-N2 NSCLC, PORT is associated with improved OS and leads to a significantly increased DFS.

PurposeThe aim of the present study is to investigate the association of the polymorphism of two genes in CXC chemokine family, interleukin-8 (IL-8) and interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), with both susceptibility and progression of DR in T2D population of northern China.Patients and methodsA total of 1043 eligible type 2 diabetic patients from Heilongjiang of northern China were recruited for this study. They were grouped into: with diabetic retinopathy (DR, 528 cases) and without diabetic retinopathy (DNR, 515 cases). Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping of IL-8(-251T/A) and IP-10(-1596C/T) was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Multivariate analysis and stepwise multiple logistic progression analysis were conducted to evaluate the association between gene SNP and DR susceptibility and progression. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was applied to assess the strength of the association among study groups.ResultsThe occurring of IL-8(-251) AA genotype was correlated with susceptibility (OR: 2.286, 95% CI: 1.382-3.782, P=0.001) and progression of high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (OR: 0.354, 95% CI: 0.162-0.770, P=0.009). Reversely, T allele of IP-10 (-1596) C/T was correlated with a reduced risk of DR (OR: 0.341, 95% CI: 0.249-0.466, P<0.001). However, gene polymorphisms of IL-8-251T/A and IP-10-1596C/T were not associated with diabetic macular edema (DME)(P>0.05).ConclusionsAA genotype of IL-8-251T/A was closely correlated to DR and high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). -1596T allele of the IP-10 is a beneficial genotype for DR.

Purpose Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO) remains a significant clinical problem following cataract surgery. Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress has been shown to play a critical role in cell death and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine the relative effectiveness of ER stressors, thapsigargin (Tg) and arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on induction of cell death in human capsular bags. Methods FHL124 cell survival was assessed by Coomassie blue staining after 4 days. Induction of ER stress genes was detected using real‐time PCR and apoptosis assessed using the TUNEL assay. Human capsular bags were prepared from donor eyes and sealed with the Perfect Capsule device. The agents were again introduced to the bags for a 2 minute period prior to perfusion with EMEM alone. The bags were maintained in EMEM for 28 days and phase images were acquired throughout. Results Tg and As2O3 application to FHL124 cells induced significant up‐regulation of ER stress genes Bip, EIF2α, IRE1 and ATF6. FHL124 cells exposed for 2 minutes to both Tg and As2O3 for 4 days demonstrated reduced cell survival in a dose‐dependent manner. Moreover, TUNEL assay data showed that both Tg and As2O3 could induce FHL124 cell death by apoptosis. Application of the 100uM Tg and 100mM As2O3 to capsular bags for a 2 minute period using the perfect capsule system resulted in a total loss of viable cells following the 4 week culture period. Conclusion Thapsigargin and arsenic trioxide induce an ER stress in human lens epithelial cells, which is associated with a reduced cell survival and promotion of apoptosis. Using the perfect capsule system, a 2 minute exposure of either agent successfully killed all cells within the capsular bag and thus predicts putative therapeutic benefit in vivo.