Research

13 pages, 4741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sigma-1 Receptor Activation Is Protective against TGFβ2-Induced Extracellular Matrix Changes in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells

by Minh Ngoc Tran, Timea Medveczki, Balazs Besztercei, Gyorgy Torok, Attila J. Szabo, Xavier Gasull, Illes Kovacs, Andrea Fekete and Judit Hodrea

Life 2023, 13(7), 1581; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13071581 - 19 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1191

Abstract

The trabecular meshwork (TM) route is the principal outflow egress of the aqueous humor. Actin cytoskeletal remodeling in the TM and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition increase TM stiffness, outflow resistance, and elevate intraocular pressure (IOP). These alterations are strongly linked to transforming growth [...] Read more.

The trabecular meshwork (TM) route is the principal outflow egress of the aqueous humor. Actin cytoskeletal remodeling in the TM and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition increase TM stiffness, outflow resistance, and elevate intraocular pressure (IOP). These alterations are strongly linked to transforming growth factor-β2 (TGFβ2), a known profibrotic cytokine that is markedly elevated in the aqueous humor of glaucomatous eyes. Sigma-1 receptor (S1R) has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in the retina, but data are lacking about its role in the TM. In this study, we identified the presence of S1R in mouse TM tissue and investigated the effect of an S1R agonist fluvoxamine (FLU) on TGFβ2-induced human TM cells regarding cell proliferation; ECM-related functions, including F-actin reorganization; and the accumulation of ECM elements. TGFβ2 increased the proliferation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and protein levels of fibronectin, collagen type IV, and connective tissue growth factor, and decreased the level of matrix metalloproteinase-2. Most importantly, FLU reversed all these effects of TGFβ2, suggesting that S1R agonists could be potential candidates for preserving TM function and thus maintaining normal IOP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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16 pages, 1280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Biomarker Combination Related to Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

by Azza Dammak, Juan Sanchez Naves, Fernando Huete-Toral and Gonzalo Carracedo

Life 2023, 13(7), 1455; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13071455 - 27 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1198

Abstract

Glaucoma is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease and the second leading cause of blindness. Detection of clinically relevant biomarkers would aid better diagnoses and monitoring during treatment. In glaucoma, the protein composition of aqueous humor (AH) is relevant for the discovery of biomarkers. This [...] Read more.

Glaucoma is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease and the second leading cause of blindness. Detection of clinically relevant biomarkers would aid better diagnoses and monitoring during treatment. In glaucoma, the protein composition of aqueous humor (AH) is relevant for the discovery of biomarkers. This study analyzes AH protein concentrations of putative biomarkers in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) compared to a control group. Biomarkers were selected from known oxidative-stress and inflammatory pathways. Osteopontin (OPN), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured using the ELISA technique. Thirty-two patients were recruited to the study, including sixteen control and sixteen glaucoma patients. The glaucoma group consisted of patients diagnosed with glaucoma. In both groups, the aqueous humor sample was obtained during cataract surgery. A significant increase in OPN, MMP-9, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 was observed in the POAG aqueous humor, compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Of note, the AH of POAG patients contained 5.6 ± 1.2-fold more OPN compared to that of control patients. Different expression profiles of oxidative stress-related and inflammatory biomarkers were observed between patients with POAG and controls. This confirms the reported involvement of inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways in POAG pathophysiology. In the future, several, targeted AH proteins may be used to generate a potential biomarker expression profile of this disease, aiding diagnoses and disease progression monitoring. This approach highlights the importance of biomarkers in the future. Biomarkers provide a way to measure disease progression and response to treatment. In the future, biomarkers will play a more critical role in the toolkit of ophthalmology healthcare professionals as the field moves towards personalized medicine and precision healthcare. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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11 pages, 1822 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Study of Two Imaging Techniques of Meibomian Glands

by Elena Diz-Arias, Elena Fernández-Jiménez, Assumpta Peral and Jose A. Gomez-Pedrero

Life 2023, 13(3), 791; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030791 - 15 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1148

Abstract

In the present study, two different meibographers, Oculus Keratograph 5M (K5M) that uses 840 nm infrared light and the Visible Light Non-Contact Meibographer (VLNCM) that uses 610 nm visible light have been used to obtain meibography images from normal and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction [...] Read more.

In the present study, two different meibographers, Oculus Keratograph 5M (K5M) that uses 840 nm infrared light and the Visible Light Non-Contact Meibographer (VLNCM) that uses 610 nm visible light have been used to obtain meibography images from normal and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) population. The main objective has been to validate and demonstrate that the use of visible light is useful for observation and quantification of MG in clinical practice. Twenty participants were enrolled in this prospective study. The upper eyelids of one randomly chosen eye were used to obtain results. Forty images were captured and analysed. Three specialized observers were recruited to grade images using Pult and Riede Pult 5-degree scale, in two different sessions. Intra-observer agreement between sessions for both devices was shown. Inter-observer variability analysis showed discrepancy between meiboscores obtained from observers with K5M (p-value < 0.05), except for session 2 in the pathology group, while no statistical difference was found with VLNCM. Repeatability analysis found no statistically significant differences between sessions. Correlation between meibographers showed no statistically significant difference and a moderate correlation coefficient between meiboscores graded with the two devices. The current study suggests that VLNCM can allow MG to be properly visualized and classified in the upper eyelids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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12 pages, 972 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Categorization of the Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye by a Cut-Off Criterion of TMH Measured with Tearscope

by Belen Sabucedo-Villamarin, Hugo Pena-Verdeal, Jacobo Garcia-Queiruga, Maria Jesus Giraldez, Carlos Garcia-Resua and Eva Yebra-Pimentel

Life 2022, 12(12), 2007; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12122007 - 02 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1335

Abstract

A decrease of the Tear Meniscus Height (TMH) has been proposed as a useful indicator for Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye (ADDE) categorization. The present study aimed to calculate a TMH cut-off criterion for the categorization or severity assessment of ADDE with the Tearscope. [...] Read more.

A decrease of the Tear Meniscus Height (TMH) has been proposed as a useful indicator for Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye (ADDE) categorization. The present study aimed to calculate a TMH cut-off criterion for the categorization or severity assessment of ADDE with the Tearscope. 200 participants with a previous Dry Eye Disease (DED) diagnosis according to TFOS DEWS-II criteria were recruited. TMH by slit-lamp illumination and Lipid Layer Pattern (LLP) with Tearscope were assessed to categorise the participants into the ADDE or the Evaporative Dry Eye (EDE) group. The ADDE group was also subdivided into Mild-moderate ADDE and Moderate-severe ADDE based on TMH with slit-lamp. Additionally, the TMH was measured by Tearscope (TMH-Tc). Receiver Operating Characteristics showed that the TMH-Tc have a diagnostic capability to differentiate between ADDE and EDE participants, and between Mild-moderate or Moderate-severe ADDE, with a cut-off value of 0.159 mm (AUC = 0.843 ± 0.035, p < 0.001; sensitivity: 86.4%; specificity: 75.4%) and 0.105 mm (AUC = 0.953 ± 0.025, p < 0.001; sensitivity: 98.1%; specificity: 80.0%), respectively. The present study proposed a cut-off criterion to differentiate between ADDE and EDE participants, or between ADDE severities through TMH assessed by Tearscope. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

19 pages, 1844 KiB

Open AccessReview

Applications of Infrared Thermography in Ophthalmology

by Rosario Gulias-Cañizo, Maria Elisa Rodríguez-Malagón, Loubette Botello-González, Valeria Belden-Reyes, Francisco Amparo and Manuel Garza-Leon

Life 2023, 13(3), 723; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030723 - 08 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2836

Abstract

Body temperature is one of the key vital signs for determining a disease’s severity, as it reflects the thermal energy generated by an individual’s metabolism. Since the first study on the relationship between body temperature and diseases by Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich at [...] Read more.

Body temperature is one of the key vital signs for determining a disease’s severity, as it reflects the thermal energy generated by an individual’s metabolism. Since the first study on the relationship between body temperature and diseases by Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich at the end of the 19th century, various forms of thermometers have been developed to measure body temperature. Traditionally, methods for measuring temperature can be invasive, semi-invasive, and non-invasive. In recent years, great technological advances have reduced the cost of thermographic cameras, which allowed extending their use. Thermal cameras capture the infrared radiation of the electromagnetic spectrum and process the images to represent the temperature of the object under study through a range of colors, where each color and its hue indicate a previously established temperature. Currently, cameras have a sensitivity that allows them to detect changes in temperature as small as 0.01 °C. Along with its use in other areas of medicine, thermography has been used at the ocular level for more than 50 years. In healthy subjects, the literature reports that the average corneal temperature ranges from 32.9 to 36 °C. One of the possible sources of variability in normal values is age, and other possible sources of variation are gender and external temperature. In addition to the evaluation of healthy subjects, thermography has been used to evaluate its usefulness in various eye diseases, such as Graves’ orbitopathy, and tear duct obstruction for orbital diseases. The ocular surface is the most studied area. Ocular surface temperature is influenced by multiple conditions, one of the most studied being dry eye; other diseases studied include allergic conjunctivitis and pterygium as well as systemic diseases such as carotid artery stenosis. Among the corneal diseases studied are keratoconus, infectious keratitis, corneal graft rejection, the use of scleral or soft contact lenses, and the response to refractive or cataract surgery. Other diseases where thermographic features have been reported are glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinal vascular occlusions, intraocular tumors as well as scleritis, and other inflammatory eye diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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Other

Jump to: Research, Review

7 pages, 1941 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Accuracy of Astigmatism Calculation with the Barrett, Panacea, and enVista Toric Calculators

by Astrid Lucero Espinosa Soto, Jimena Ceja Martínez, Rosario Gulias-Cañizo and Oscar Guerrero-Berger

Life 2023, 13(10), 2009; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13102009 - 03 Oct 2023

Viewed by 785

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate residual refractive astigmatism using the Panacea and enVista toric calculators, compared to the gold-standard Barrett toric calculator. Design: A retrospective and comparative study was conducted in one center. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients with a diagnosis [...] Read more.

Purpose: To evaluate residual refractive astigmatism using the Panacea and enVista toric calculators, compared to the gold-standard Barrett toric calculator. Design: A retrospective and comparative study was conducted in one center. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients with a diagnosis of senile cataracts and regular corneal astigmatism, without previous corneal or intraocular surgery, who underwent phacoemulsification with implantation of a toric intraocular lens, who had pre- and postoperative corneal topography, biometry, and refraction measurements. Results: The frequency of preoperative astigmatism according to the axis was 70 (84%) eyes showing with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism, 9 (14%) eyes with against-the-rule (ATR) astigmatism, and 1 (2%) eye with oblique astigmatism. Regarding astigmatism prediction errors, there were statistically significant differences between the enVista and Panacea calculators (median of 0.39, 0.18, and 0.52 for Barrett, enVista, and Panacea, respectively). The residual astigmatism prediction error centroid was similar for the Barrett and enVista toric calculators, and both were lower compared to the Panacea calculator (x-component p < 0.001). Conclusions: The enVista toric calculator incorporating the Emmetropia Verifying Optical (EVO) toric calculator provides similar results to the gold-standard Barrett calculator. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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15 pages, 957 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Brolucizumab in Pretreated Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Case Series, Systematic Review, and Meta-Analysis

by Christof Hänsli, Christin Schild, Isabel Pfister and Justus G. Garweg

Life 2023, 13(3), 814; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030814 - 17 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1293

Abstract

Background: Recalcitrant neovascular age-related macular degeneration (rnAMD) despite intensive intravitreal anti-neovascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment, can be handled by switching to another anti-VEGF agent. This first systematic review and meta-analysis presents long-term data after switching from another anti-VEGF agent to brolucizumab. Methods: [...] Read more.

Background: Recalcitrant neovascular age-related macular degeneration (rnAMD) despite intensive intravitreal anti-neovascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment, can be handled by switching to another anti-VEGF agent. This first systematic review and meta-analysis presents long-term data after switching from another anti-VEGF agent to brolucizumab. Methods: Retrospective case series over two years of patients switched to brolucizumab, and a systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies presenting patients switched to brolucizumab. Weighted mean differences based on the random-effects models were calculated for best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central subfield thickness (CST). Results: The systematic review draws on 1200 eyes switched to brolucizumab. The meta-analysis showed a clinically irrelevant decrease in BCVA after one and two months, together with significant decreases in CST for up to one year after the switch but lacking power over 2 years. Of twelve eyes (twelve patients) in our case series, five continued treatment for two years without experiencing significant changes. Conclusions: After switch to brolucizumab, a significant morphological improvement with CST reduction was shown in eyes with rnAMD. The small worsening of BCVA may be owing to the chronically active nature of rnAMD. Brolucizumab thus remains a treatment option in rnAMD despite its potential side effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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7 pages, 1625 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Enhancing Clinical Decision-Making in Complex Corneal Disorders: The Role of In-Vivo Confocal Microscopy

by Alberto Recchioni, Ankur Barua and Alberto Dominguez-Vicent

Life 2023, 13(3), 679; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030679 - 02 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1622

Abstract

This study aims to describe how in-vivo confocal microscopy (ICVM) results improved diagnosis and treatment in three patients with complex corneal disorders at a single institution. Case one was a 36-year-old woman contact lens wearer referred to the hospital eye service (HES) by [...] Read more.

This study aims to describe how in-vivo confocal microscopy (ICVM) results improved diagnosis and treatment in three patients with complex corneal disorders at a single institution. Case one was a 36-year-old woman contact lens wearer referred to the hospital eye service (HES) by her community optician for a suspected corneal ulcer in her left eye. The case demonstrated that where laboratory cell culture was inconclusive, IVCM imaging improved diagnosis and more importantly adjusted the initial treatment till the complete resolution of the case. Case two was a shared-care 66-year-old keratoconus patient under a complex immunosuppression regime who had developed a recent series of post-surgical complications of fungal origin and was experiencing eye pain. IVCM was able to differentiate between an immune-mediated response and fungal keratitis and guide the clinicians towards an optimized treatment. Case three was a long-standing dry eye disease in a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with primary Sjögren’s syndrome where previous treatments failed to improve her symptomatology. IVCM was crucial for prescribing allogeneic serum eyedrops by anticipating early immune changes in the sub-basal corneal nerve plexus. In-vivo confocal microscopy can be an essential non-invasive imaging technique for improving clinicians’ diagnostic precision by adding a layer of certainty that other techniques may lack. Additionally, IVCM allows adjustment of the treatment accordingly, by instantly following any pathologic changes at the cellular level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eye Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment)

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