No abstract

Our results suggest that dexamethasone stimulates Na,K-ATPase activity in mouse corneal endothelial cells. The effect of dexamethasone activation in these cells is mediated by Na,K-ATPase synthesis and increase in an enzymatic activity by dephosphorylation of Na,K-ATPase alpha(1)-subunits.

These results suggest that insulin increases the Na,K-ATPase activity and pump function of cultured corneal endothelial cells. The effect of insulin is mediated by PKC and presumably results in the activation of PP1, 2A, or both, which are essential for activating Na,K-ATPase by alpha(1)-subunit dephosphorylation.

Purpose. The study hypothesis was that shear stress caused by abnormal aqueous flow is one of the causes of corneal endothelial cell loss after laser iridotomy (LI). The shear stress exerted on the corneal endothelial cells (CECs) in anterior chambers (ACs) of different depths was calculated by a computational fluid dynamics program. The effect of shear stress was also examined on human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) grown on microscope slides. Methods. Three-dimensional models of the AC were constructed, with and without an LI window, and AC depths of 2.8, 1.8, 1.5, and 1.0 mm. The speed of aqueous streaming through the LI window was obtained from animal studies and used to calculate the shear stress exerted on the CECs. Cultured HCECs attached to glass slides were subjected to different magnitudes of shear stress by exposing the cells to different flow rates of the culture solution. The number of cells remaining attached to the slide under each condition was determined. Results. The shear stresses were 0.14, 0.31, 0.48, and 0.70 dyn/cm(2) for models with AC depths of 2.8, 1.8, 1.5, and 1.0 mm, respectively. When cultured HCECs were subjected to shear stress within the range calculated by the three-dimensional models, the number of cells remaining attached to the glass slide decreased as the magnitude and duration of the shear stress increased. Conclusions. Shear stress exerted on CECs after LI may reach a magnitude high enough to cause cell damage and loss in eyes, especially in those with shallow anterior chambers.

Background: In Japan, intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) dosing regimens for wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) include pro re nata, every 2 months, and treat-and-extend, resulting in different outcomes and patient burden. Although reflecting patient preferences in treatment decision-making is desirable, few studies have examined this in Japan. This study assessed the patients willingness to trade-off between different dosing regimens. Patients and Methods: Patients with wAMD were recruited from four Japanese university hospitals to complete a face-to-face cross-sectional survey. In a discrete choice experiment, patients were asked to choose their preferred option from two anti-VEGF treatment profiles shown side-by-side across a series of choice tasks. The profiles varied on four attributes: number of injections in 12 months, number of physician consultations in 12 months, chance of 1-year visual acuity (VA) improvement, and chance of 2-year VA maintenance. Preference weights were estimated using hierarchical Bayes' models. Results: Overall, 120 patients (30 treatment naïve and 90 anti-VEGF experienced) completed the survey. Patients were willing to accept an increase from three to approximately eight injections in 12 months to increase the chance of 1-year VA improvement from 25% to 40%. They would be willing to accept 11 injections in 12 months if the chance of 2-year VA maintenance increased from 80% to 96%. The most valued attributes were increasing the chance of 2-year VA maintenance and reducing the number of injections in 12 months, which were each about twice as important as decreasing physician consultations in 12 months and increasing the chance of 1-year VA improvement (p<0.001). Among the dosing regimens, patients most preferred treat-and-extend because of its higher chance of 2-year VA maintenance. Conclusion: Informing patients with wAMD about the likelihood of long-term VA maintenance when selecting treatment may increase the acceptance of an optimal treatment regimen and number of injections.

Because human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) do not proliferate once the endothelial monolayer has formed, corneal wound healing is believed to be mediated by cell enlargement or migration, rather than by proliferation. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in wound healing by HCECs have not been fully determined. In this review, we focus on the effects of promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF), a DNA-binding transcription factor, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 on the proliferation and migration of cultured HCECs. Involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in the migration of HCECs was also investigated. Expression of PLZF mRNA decreased as cell-cell contact was disrupted and returned to the original level as cell-cell contact was re-formed. Assessment with a real-time cell electronic sensing system revealed that proliferation of cultured HCECs was inhibited after infection with Ad-PLZF and exposure to TGF-β2. Migration of cultured HCECs was increased by TGF-β2 through p38 MAPK activation. We conclude that PLZF expression in cultured HCECs is closely related to the formation of cell-cell contact and that TGF-β2 suppresses proliferation of cultured HCECs, while promoting their migration through p38 MAPK activation.

The movement of the lesion from the peripapillary area to the macular area suggested that a Toxocara larva had migrated across the retina. OCT images indicated that the larva moved in the nerve fiber layer, and FA showed that it caused severe inflammation along its pathway.

We report a case of low-grade inflammation that developed in the anterior segment after cataract extraction with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. The 57-year-old patient complained of blurred vision 2 weeks after phacoemulsification and IOL implantation in the right eye. Slitlamp biomicroscopy showed many nonpigmented keratoprecipitates. After antibiotic therapy failed, the IOL was removed and aqueous collected. Scanning electron microscopy of the IOL demonstrated many biofilm-producing cocci with slime on the IOL, and aqueous smears showed gram-positive cocci. Two weeks after removal of the IOL, the inflammation disappeared.