Cell-free scaffolds used in cartilage regeneration are produced from different materials. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical and radiological results of two different scaffolds with hyaluronan- or chitosan-based structure used in the treatment of symptomatic condylar osteochondral lesions. The study comprises 69 patients who were operated for osteochondral lesion repair with hyaluronan- (n = 37) or chitosan-based (n = 32) scaffold. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores were collected for both groups at the preoperative and postoperative 3rd, 12th, and 24th months. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed between the 12th and 15th months postoperatively and this with magnetic resonance observation of cartilage repair tissue (MOCART) scoring were compared. Within group assessments demonstrate significant improvement in IKDC, Lysholm, and VAS scores at postoperative 3rd and 12th months. However, in both groups, IKDC, Lysholm and, VAS scores at the postoperative 24th month indicate no significant further improvement, compared with the 12th month results. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of IKDC, Lysholm, VAS, and MOCART scores at any time period. This study shows that both scaffolds are useful in cartilage regeneration but have no clinical or radiological superiority to each other. Surgeons should select the method with which they feel comfortable. This is a level III, retrospective comparative study.

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Purpose: To investigate the pathophysiology of punctal stenosis based on histopathological features, and to assess the correlation between histopathological findings and treatment outcomes in primary punctal stenosis. Methods: A total of 43 eyes of 34 consecutive patients with primary punctal stenosis were included in this prospective study. Punctum specimens obtained by rectangular three-snip punctoplasty (TSP) were examined based on the multilayered structure of the epithelium and subepithelial histopathology. The correlation between the histopathological findings and treatment outcomes was evaluated. Results: A total of 61.8% of the patients were female and had an average age of 62.4 (41–81) years. Based on the histopathological examination, all 43 puncta consisted of non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelia. Subepithelial pathology demonstrated inflammation in 10 puncta (23.3%), fibrosis in 19 puncta (44.2%) and both inflammation and fibrosis in 11 puncta (25.6%). There was a moderate relationship between the presence of subepithelial fibrosis and symptom duration ( r = 0.4, p = 0.03). The surgical success was 88.4% at the mean of 12.4 ± 3.5 months follow-up. The surgical success was clinically lower in the puncta with exhibited fibrosis, although it was not statistically significant ( p = 0.6). Conclusion: Although the findings for almost all punctum specimens were consistent with fibrosis, inflammation or both, subepithelial fibrosis was detected as the most common histopathological feature. Clinically lower surgical success rates in puncta exhibiting fibrosis may be associated with a longer duration of symptoms and excessive postoperative healing response.

Purpose: To investigate the histopathological findings of the anterior lens capsule in patients with paediatric cataracts. Methods: This study is a prospective interventional study. Anterior capsule tissue samples which were obtained by anterior capsulotomy method during phaco surgery were fixed in 0.1 M phosphate buffered 2.5% glutaraldehyde at +4°C for 2–4 h and after passing through other stages, thin sections were taken and stained. It was then examined and visualized under HITACHI HT7800 transmission electron microscope. Results: Twenty‐three eyes of 19 patients were included. Three patients had unilateral cataract and remaining 16 had bilateral cataract. Four patients had concomitant systemic disease including hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia and Down syndrome. Except for one patient, common findings were single‐layered epithelium under the capsule, degenerated organelles with round‐oval and prismatic‐oval nuclei in some regions, enlarged mitochondria and heterochromatin cells. In the case with cerebral palsy, unlike the normal lens structure, collagen fibrils of the connective tissue and fibroblast‐like cells were observed in the epithelial area that should be located under the capsule, in both eyes. Disorganized distribution of collagen fibrils and vacuole structures in the cytoplasm of fibroblast‐like cells were observed. Conclusions: Similar histopathological findings were found in paediatric cataracts with or without systemic disease. Due to the presence of increased inflammation and gliosis in cerebral palsy, the absence of lens epithelium may have developed as a result of degeneration in this patient. The absence of lens epithelium and inflammation are thought to play a role in the development of dense subcapsular fibrosis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic that is still having serious effects worldwide. This virus, which targets the lungs in particular, can also damage other tissues. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) plays a key role in viral entry into host cells. The presence of ACE-2 in various tissues may permit viral infection. Studies of COVID-19 often make use of postmortem tissues. Although this information provides various useful results, it is also necessary to conduct in vitro studies to understand optimal treatment approaches. Because the virus may show species-specific differences, in vitro technologies using human cells are particularly important. Organoid technologies, three-dimensional structures that can be obtained from human cells, are playing increasingly important roles in studies of SARS-CoV-2. This technology offers a significant advantage in terms of mimicking in vivo tissue structures and testing antiviral compounds. In this mini-review, we summarize studies of SARS-CoV-2 using both histopathological and organoid technology approaches.