Aqueous Humor Cytokine Profiles of Pachychoroid Spectrum Diseases

Abstract

Objectives To investigate cytokine profiles in the aqueous humor (AH) of patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV), and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Methods The prospective study included a total of 172 eyes. AH samples were collected from 65 eyes with CSC, 24 with PNV, and 43 with PCV before intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injection and cataract surgery in 40 control eyes. Multiplex bead assay was used for analysis of cytokines, including VEGF, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-10, interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), macrophage chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). Differences in cytokine levels between groups were assessed. Results No differences were noted in IL-6 (P = 0.122) and MCP-1 (P = 0.054) levels among the CSC, PNV, PCV, and controls. VEGF levels in CSC, PNV, and PCV were significantly higher than in controls (all P < 0.05). In CSC or PNV, no other inflammatory cytokines were upregulated except for VEGF compared to controls. In PCV, VEGF, IL-10, and IP-10 levels were significantly higher than those in controls. In addition, we compared the cytokines levels between two pigment epithelial detachment (PED) types in CSC patients. VEGF levels were significantly higher in eyes with flat irregular PED (FIPED) than in focal PED (P = 0.027). Conclusions In CSC and PNV, VEGF levels were elevated without the elevation of other inflammatory cytokines, indicating that inflammation was not the dominant factor on CSC and PNV diseases. PCV had significantly distinct cytokine profiles in the AH compared with controls. Elevated angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines, including VEGF, IL-10, and IP-10, may contribute to the pathogenesis of PCV. In addition, higher VEGF levels in CSC patients with FIPED verified that VEGF contributed more to the pathogenesis of FIPED compared with focal PED.

Nanofabrication and inspection of fuel capsules for inertial confinement fusion

“…3D printing via two-photon polymerization (TPP) provides a unique capability of flexibly fabricating complex structures over 1D-3D dimensions and µm-cm scales with resolutions below 100 nm. In the past years, the Laser-Assisted Nano Engineering (LANE) Group at University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) has been working closely with Laboratory of Laser Energetics (LLE) in developing practical TPP [4][5][6][7] approaches to fabricating various target structures for ICF, including low-density foams, plastic capsules, ablators, target filling tubes, plasma lenses, etc., with controlled geometries, profiles, and qualities, as listed in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows the recent achievement in LANE group at UNL, including stress manipulation, extreme surface smoothness, better accuracy, and finer resolution by TPP.…”