Eye Diseases Commons^™

Soy Isoflavone Reduces Lps-Induced Acute Lung Injury Via Increasing Aquaporin 1 And Aquaporin 5 In Rats, Yuan-Hao Lee, W Wade Kothmann, Ya-Ping Lin, Alice Z Chuang, Jeffrey S Diamond, John O'Brien

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Synaptic plasticity is a fundamental feature of the CNS that controls the magnitude of signal transmission between communicating cells. Many electrical synapses exhibit substantial plasticity that modulates the degree of coupling within groups of neurons, alters the fidelity of signal transmission, or even reconfigures functional circuits. In several known examples, such plasticity depends on calcium and is associated with neuronal activity. Calcium-driven signaling is known to promote potentiation of electrical synapses in fish Mauthner cells, mammalian retinal AII amacrine cells, and inferior olive neurons, and to promote depression in thalamic reticular neurons. To measure local calcium dynamics

Cognitive Ergonomics: A Review Of Interventions For Outpatient Practice, Jennifer Li-Wang, Alexandra Townsley, Rajani Katta

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Doctoring is difficult mental work, involving many cognitively demanding processes such as diagnosing, decision-making, parallel processing, communicating, and managing the emotions of others. According to cognitive load theory (CLT), working memory is a limited cognitive resource that can support a finite amount of cognitive load. While the intrinsic cognitive load is the innate load associated with a task, the extraneous load is generated by inefficiency or suboptimal work conditions. Causes of extraneous cognitive load in healthcare include inefficiency, distractions, interruptions, multitasking, stress, poor communication, conflict, and incivility. High levels of cognitive load are associated with impaired function and an increased …

Effects Of Cathepsin S Inhibition In The Age-Related Dry Eye Phenotype, Jeremias G Galletti, Kaitlin K Scholand, Claudia M Trujillo-Vargas, Wolfgang Haap, Tiago Santos-Ferreira, Christoph Ullmer, Zhiyuan Yu, Cintia S De Paiva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Aged C57BL/6J (B6) mice have increased levels of cathepsin S, and aged cathepsin S (Ctss-/-) knockout mice are resistant to age-related dry eye. This study investigated the effects of cathepsin S inhibition on age-related dry eye disease.

METHODS: Female B6 mice aged 15.5 to 17 months were randomized to receive a medicated diet formulated by mixing the RO5461111 cathepsin S inhibitor or a standard diet for at least 12 weeks. Cornea mechanosensitivity was measured with a Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer. Ocular draining lymph nodes and lacrimal glands (LGs) were excised and prepared for histology or assayed by flow cytometry to quantify …

Reversal Of Dual Epigenetic Repression Of Non-Canonical Wnt-5a Normalises Diabetic Corneal Epithelial Wound Healing And Stem Cells, Ruchi Shah, Tanya M Spektor, Daniel J Weisenberger, Hui Ding, Rameshwar Patil, Cynthia Amador, Xue-Ying Song, Steven T Chun, Jake Inzalaco, Sue Turjman, Sean Ghiam, Jiho Jeong-Kim, Sasha Tolstoff, Sabina V Yampolsky, Onkar B Sawant, Yaron S Rabinowitz, Ezra Maguen, Pedram Hamrah, Clive N Svendsen, Mehrnoosh Saghizadeh, Julia Y Ljubimova, Andrei A Kramerov, Alexander V Ljubimov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Diabetes is associated with epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation and miRNA changes. Diabetic complications in the cornea can cause persistent epithelial defects and impaired wound healing due to limbal epithelial stem cell (LESC) dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to uncover epigenetic alterations in diabetic vs non-diabetic human limbal epithelial cells (LEC) enriched in LESC and identify new diabetic markers that can be targeted for therapy to normalise corneal epithelial wound healing and stem cell expression.

METHODS: Human LEC were isolated, or organ-cultured corneas were obtained, from autopsy eyes from non-diabetic (59.87±20.89 years) and diabetic (71.93±9.29 years) donors. The …

Yes-Associated Protein-1 Overexpression In Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia; A Potential Diagnostic Marker And Therapeutic Target, Peter Julius, Stepfanie N. Siyumbwa, Fred Maate, Phyllis Moonga, Guobin Kang, Trevor Kaile, John T. West, Charles Wood, Peter C. Angeletti

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Yes-associated protein-1 (YAP-1) is a Hippo system transcription factor, which serves as an oncogene in squamous cell carcinoma, and several solid tumors when the Hippo pathway is dysregulated. Yet, the activity of YAP-1 in ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) has not been determined. Here, we investigate the relationship between YAP-1 overexpression and OSSN. Using a cross-sectional study design, we recruited 227 OSSN patients from the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess YAP-1 protein overexpression in tumor tissue relative to surrounding benign squamous epithelium. OSSN patient samples (preinvasive, n = 62, 27% and invasive, n = …

Abcb5+ Limbal Epithelial Stem Cells Inhibit Developmental But Promote Inflammatory (Lymph) Angiogenesis While Preventing Corneal Inflammation, Berbang Meshko, Thomas L. A. Volatier, Karina Hadrian, Shuya Deng, Yanhong Hou, Mark A. Kluth, Christoph Ganss, Markus H. Frank, Natasha Y. Frank, Bruce Ksander, Claus Cursiefen, Maria Notara

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The limbus, the vascularized junction between the cornea and conjunctiva, is thought to function as a barrier against corneal neovascularization. However, the exact mechanisms regulating this remain unknown. In this study, the limbal epithelial stem cell (LESC) marker ABCB5 was used to investigate the role of LESCs in corneal neovascularization. In an ABCB5KO model, a mild but significant increase of limbal lymphatic and blood vascular network complexity was observed in developing mice (4 weeks) but not in adult mice. Conversely, when using a cornea suture model, the WT animals exhibited a mild but significant increase in the number of lymphatic …

Postoperative Complications Of True Dropless Cataract Surgery Versus Standard Topical Drops, Evan K Wotipka, Alex J Wright, James Z Fan, David Fuhriman, Alice Z Chuang, Grace C Lindhorst, Robert M Feldman, Eric L Crowell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose  Compare postoperative outcomes in cataract surgery between eyes with standard drop regimen versus dropless protocol by residents.

Design  Retrospective cohort study between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2020.

Methods  The study was performed at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Houston, Harris County, Texas. A total of 547 eyes (234 dropless vs. 313 standard) with phacoemulsification cataract surgery and minimum of 1-month follow-up with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were included. Dropless received 40 mg sub-Tenon's triamcinolone and intracameral moxifloxacin. Patients were followed at postoperative day 1 (POD1), week 1 (POW1), and month 1 (POM1). Postoperative rate of BCVA …

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling In The Eye, Ruchi Shah, Cynthia Amador, Steven T Chun, Sean Ghiam, Mehrnoosh Saghizadeh, Andrei A Kramerov, Alexander V Ljubimov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Wnt signaling comprises a group of complex signal transduction pathways that play critical roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis during development, as well as in stem cell maintenance and adult tissue homeostasis. Wnt pathways are classified into two major groups, canonical (β-catenin-dependent) or non-canonical (β-catenin-independent). Most previous studies in the eye have focused on canonical Wnt signaling, and the role of non-canonical signaling remains poorly understood. Additionally, the crosstalk between canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling in the eye has hardly been explored. In this review, we present an overview of available data on ocular non-canonical Wnt signaling, including developmental …

Thiazolidinedione Use And Retinal Fluid In The Comparison Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials, Jason Q Core, Peiying Hua, Ebenezer Daniel, Juan E Grunwald, Glenn Jaffe, Maureen G Maguire, Gui-Shuang Ying, Comparison Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (Catt) Research Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Thiazolidinediones, commonly used antidiabetic medications, have been associated with an increased risk of development of diabetic macular oedema and increased vascular endothelial cell permeability. Macular neovascularisation in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and associated fluid leakage may be influenced by thiazolidinediones. This study aims to determine the association between thiazolidinedione usage and retinal morphological outcomes or visual acuity (VA) in patients treated with bevacizumab or ranibizumab for neovascular AMD (nAMD).

METHODS: Secondary analysis of data from the Comparison of Age-related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials. Participant self-reported diabetes status and thiazolidinedione usage at baseline. VA, intraretinal, subretinal and subretinal pigment epithelium …

Accuracy Of Artificial Intelligence In Estimating Best-Corrected Visual Acuity From Fundus Photographs In Eyes With Diabetic Macular Edema, William Paul, Philippe Burlina, Rohita Mocharla, Neil Joshi, Zhuolin Li, Sophie Gu, Onnisa Nanegrungsunk, Kira Lin, Susan B Bressler, Cindy X Cai, Jun Kong, T Y Alvin Liu, Hadi Moini, Weiming Du, Fouad Amer, Karen Chu, Robert Vitti, Farshid Sepehrband, Neil M Bressler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) is a measure used to manage diabetic macular edema (DME), sometimes suggesting development of DME or consideration of initiating, repeating, withholding, or resuming treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to estimate BCVA from fundus images could help clinicians manage DME by reducing the personnel needed for refraction, the time presently required for assessing BCVA, or even the number of office visits if imaged remotely.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential application of AI techniques for estimating BCVA from fundus photographs with and without ancillary information.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Deidentified color fundus …

7-Ketocholesterol Promotes Retinal Pigment Epithelium Senescence And Fibrosis Of Choroidal Neovascularization Via Iqgap1 Phosphorylation-Dependent Signaling, Haibo Wang, Aniket Ramshekar, Thaonhi Cung, Chris Wallace-Carrete, Chandler Zaugg, Jasmine Nguyen, Gregory J. Stoddard, M. Elizabeth Hartnett

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Accumulation of 7-ketocholesterol (7KC) occurs in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and was found previously to promote fibrosis, an untreatable cause of vision loss, partly through induction of endothelial-mesenchymal transition. To address the hypothesis that 7KC causes mesenchymal transition of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE), we exposed human primary RPE (hRPE) to 7KC or a control. 7KC-treated hRPE did not manifest increased mesenchymal markers, but instead maintained RPE-specific proteins and exhibited signs of senescence with increased serine phosphorylation of histone H3, serine/threonine phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR), p16 and p21, β-galactosidase labeling, and reduced LaminB1, suggesting senescence. The cells …

Preparation And Immunofluorescence Staining Of Bundles And Single Fiber Cells From The Cortex And Nucleus Of The Eye Lens, Michael P Vu, Catherine Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The lens is a transparent and ellipsoid organ in the anterior chamber of the eye that changes shape to finely focus light onto the retina to form a clear image. The bulk of this tissue comprises specialized, differentiated fiber cells that have a hexagonal cross section and extend from the anterior to the posterior poles of the lens. These long and skinny cells are tightly opposed to neighboring cells and have complex interdigitations along the length of the cell. The specialized interlocking structures are required for normal biomechanical properties of the lens and have been extensively described using electron microscopy …

Overcoming The Challenges To Clinical Development Of X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa Therapies: Proceedings Of An Expert Panel, David G Birch, Janet K Cheetham, Stephen P Daiger, Carel Hoyng, Christine Kay, Ian M Macdonald, Mark E Pennesi, Lori S Sullivan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) is a rare inherited retinal disease manifesting as impaired night vision and peripheral vision loss that progresses to legal blindness. Although several trials of ocular gene therapy for XLRP have been conducted or are in progress, there is currently no approved treatment. In July 2022, the Foundation Fighting Blindness convened an expert panel to examine relevant research and make recommendations for overcoming the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities in conducting clinical trials of RPGR-targeted therapy for XLRP. Data presented concerned RPGR structure and mutation types known to cause XLRP, RPGR mutation-associated retinal phenotype diversity, patterns …

Effects Of Different Spectrum Of Leds On Retinal Degeneration Through Regulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Wenyi Chen, Rong Lin, Kunhong Xiao, Kun Yuan, Zhongjiang Chen, Yan Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of full-spectrum light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on albino guinea pigs' retina and investigate the roles of short-wavelength opsin (S-opsin) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in light-induced retinal degeneration (LIRD).

METHODS: Three-week-old albino guinea pigs (n = 30) were distributed into five groups under 12/12 light/dark cycles with indoor natural light (NC; 300-500 lux, n = 6), full-spectrum LEDs (FL; 300 lux, n = 6; 3000 lux, n = 6), and commercial cold-white LEDs (CL; 300 lux, n = 6; 3000 lux, n = 6) and raised for 28 days. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and transmission electron …

Analysis Of Relative Error In Perturbation Monte Carlo Simulations Of Radiative Transport, Mahsa Parsanasab, Carole Hayakawa, Jerome Spanier, Yanning Shen, Vasan Venugopalan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

SIGNIFICANCE: Perturbation and differential Monte Carlo (pMC/dMC) methods, used in conjunction with nonlinear optimization methods, have been successfully applied to solve inverse problems in diffuse optics. Application of pMC to systems over a large range of optical properties requires optimal "placement" of baseline conventional Monte Carlo (cMC) simulations to minimize the pMC variance. The inability to predict the growth in pMC solution uncertainty with perturbation size limits the application of pMC, especially for multispectral datasets where the variation of optical properties can be substantial.

AIM: We aim to predict the variation of pMC variance with perturbation size without explicit computation …

When Patient Rudeness Impacts Care: A Review Of Incivility In Healthcare, Alexandra Townsley, Jennifer Li-Wang, Rajani Katta

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Healthcare workers increasingly face incivility and rude behaviors from patients, families, and visitors. Although these are less severe than other types of mistreatment, studies have documented that they may still impact healthcare worker well-being and patient care. Defining and measuring incivility can be challenging because current research relies on the perceptions of the targets. Furthermore, there is often overlap among different types of mistreatment, and much of it goes unreported by those who experience it. Nevertheless, multiple studies have documented that incivility is common in healthcare and has been associated with burnout and intent to leave. In clinical settings, multiple …

Differentially Expressed Tear Proteins In Sjögren's Syndrome Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca, Stephen P Yoon, Zhiyuan Yu, Stephen C Pflugfelder, Cintia S De Paiva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there are significant differences in the concentrations of tear proteins in Sjögren's syndrome keratoconjunctivitis sicca (SS KCS) compared to healthy controls.

Methods: Tear samples were collected with unmarked Schirmer strips from 15 patients with SS KCS and 21 healthy controls. Tear protein was eluted and the concentration measured. Inflammatory mediators were assayed with a Raybiotech L-507 glass slide array and normalized by strip wetting length. All patients underwent an ocular surface exam to evaluate tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein (CF) staining, and conjunctival (CJ) staining. The symptom assessment questionnaire …

An Ocular Th1 Immune Response Promotes Corneal Nerve Damage Independently Of The Development Of Corneal Epitheliopathy, Alexia Vereertbrugghen, Manuela Pizzano, Florencia Sabbione, Irene Angelica Keitelman, Carolina Maiumi Shiromizu, Douglas Vera Aguilar, Federico Fuentes, Cintia S De Paiva, Mirta Giordano, Analía Trevani, Jeremías G Galletti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Proper sight is not possible without a smooth, transparent cornea, which is highly exposed to environmental threats. The abundant corneal nerves are interspersed with epithelial cells in the anterior corneal surface and are instrumental to corneal integrity and immunoregulation. Conversely, corneal neuropathy is commonly observed in some immune-mediated corneal disorders but not in others, and its pathogenesis is poorly understood. Here we hypothesized that the type of adaptive immune response may influence the development of corneal neuropathy. To test this, we first immunized OT-II mice with different adjuvants that favor T helper (Th)1 or Th2 responses. Both Th1-skewed mice (measured …

Pou4f1-Tbr1 Transcriptional Cascade Controls The Formation Of Jam2-Expressing Retinal Ganglion Cells, Takae Kiyama, Halit Y Altay, Tudor C Badea, Chai-An Mao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

More than 40 retinal ganglion cell (RGC) subtypes have been categorized in mouse based on their morphologies, functions, and molecular features. Among these diverse subtypes, orientation-selective Jam2-expressing RGCs (J-RGCs) has two unique morphologic characteristics: the ventral-facing dendritic arbor and the OFF-sublaminae stratified terminal dendrites in the inner plexiform layer. Previously, we have discovered that T-box transcription factor T-brain 1 (Tbr1) is expressed in J-RGCs. We further found that Tbr1 is essential for the expression of Jam2, and Tbr1 regulates the formation and the dendritic morphogenesis of J-RGCs. However, Tbr1 begins to express in terminally differentiated RGCs around …

Characterizing The Effects Of Light On The Early Onset Photoreceptor Function Loss In Mucolipidosis Type Iv, Rebecca Cistulli

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Retinal degenerative diseases (RDD’s) are a diverse group of retinal disorders that cause visual impairment. While RDD prevalence is high, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis within some of these disorders. Here we are trying to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that drive early onset photoreceptor function loss in the RDD, Mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV). MLIV is a lysosomal storage disorder that results from loss of function mutations in the MCOLN1 gene and leads to a disruption of autophagy. The MCOLN1 gene encodes a lysosomal cation channel called Trpml1. Based on previous data from our lab, we …