OBJECTIVETo observe the contribution of Borneolum syntheticum to the intervention effect of Liuwei Dihuang Pill (, LDP) on experimental retinal degeneration, and initially investigate the mechanism of Borneolum syntheticum as meridian-lead-in drug.

METHODSA total of 180 sodium iodateinduced retinital degeneration rats were randomly divided into three groups, including distilled water group, LDP group, and LDP+Borneolum syntheticum (LDP+BS) group. Twenty normal rats were fed regularly without any treatment as normal control. On day 7 and 14 after treatment, histopathological study and transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) test were performed to evaluate the retinopathy. Claudin-5 expression at blood-retina barrier (BRB) was detected by Western blot at different time points from 0.5 to 8 h after gavage.

RESULTSOn day 7 and 14 after treatment, the retinal lesion grades were significantly different among the three groups (P<0.05). The grade in the LDP+BS group was significantly less than the LDP and distilled water groups (both P<0.05), no significant difference was observed between the LDP and distilled water groups (P>0.05). The apoptosis rates in the LDP+BS group was significantly less than the distilled water and LDP groups (both P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between LDP and distilled water groups (P>0.05). Expression of claudin-5 in LDP+BS group was significantly less than the other two groups at 0.5, 1 and 2 h after gavage (P<0.05). There was no apparent difference among the three groups at 4 and 8 h after gavage (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONBorneolum syntheticum could strengthen the effect of LDP on experimental retinal degeneration, indicated that Borneolum syntheticum might play the role of meridian-lead-in drug in the formula. The mechanism may be due to Borneolum syntheticum could promote the physiologically openness of bloodretina barrier through transiently affecting the expression of claudin-5.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Claudin-5 ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retinal Degeneration ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; drug effects ; pathology ; Time Factors

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of vitreomacular traction (VMT) on ranibizumab treatment response for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: A retrospective review of 85 eyes of 85 patients newly diagnosed with neovascular AMD was conducted. Patients were eligible if they had received more than three consecutive monthly ranibizumab (0.50 mg) treatments and ophthalmic evaluations. Patients were classified into a VMT (+) group or VMT (-) group according to optical coherence tomography imaging. Best corrected visual acuity and central retinal thickness (CRT) measurements were obtained at three and six months after initial injection. RESULTS: One month after the third injection, mean visual acuity (VA) increases of 6.36 and 9.87 letters were observed in the VMT (+) and VMT (-) groups, respectively. The corresponding mean CRT values decreased by 70.29 microm and 121.68 microm, respectively. A total 41 eyes were identified as eligible for a subsequent fourth injection; 71.1% of patients (27 eyes) in the VMT (+) group but only 29.8% of patients in the VMT (-) group needed a subsequent fourth injection. Follow-up was extended to six months for 42 of the 85 enrolled patients (49.4%). The trends in VA and optical coherence tomography were found to be maintained at six-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: VA and CRT appeared to be more improved after ranibizumab treatment in the VMT (-) group compared to the VMT (+) group. VMT might antagonize the effect of ranibizumab treatment in a subpopulation of AMD patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ranibizumab/*therapeutic use ; Retina/pathology ; Retinal Diseases/*physiopathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Tissue Adhesions ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/antagonists & inhibitors ; Visual Acuity/drug effects ; Vitreous Body/*pathology ; Wet Macular Degeneration/*drug therapy/physiopathology

PURPOSE: To investigate which spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings predict visual outcome after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV-AMD). METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients with treatment-naive NV-AMD who underwent three or more consecutive anti-VEGF injections. The patients were divided into three groups according to their changes of visual acuity (VA); improved (group I), static (group S), or worsened (group W). We assessed the incidences and values of all available SD-OCT findings of these groups, compared these findings between the three groups and compared the initial values with the post-treatment values. RESULTS: Better initial VA and longer external limiting membrane (ELM) length were associated with less change in VA after anti-VEGF treatment. The initial VA was mildly correlated with initial photoreceptor inner and outer segment junction (IS/OS) length and initial ELM length. The final VA was also mildly correlated with the final IS/OS length and the final ELM length. VA was significantly changed after anti-VEGF treatment in groups W and I. With regard to incidence, disruption of the IS/OS (IS/OS-D), disruption of the ELM (ELM-D) and ELM length differed significantly between the three groups, particularly ELM-D. The incidences of IS/OS-D and ELM-D in group I were significantly lower than those in groups S and W, and those in group S were also lower than those in group W. The ELM length in group I was significantly longer than it was in groups S and W, and the ELM length in group S was longer than that for group W. However, these three findings did not change after the anti-VEGF treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Initial IS/OS-D, ELM length and particularly ELM-D can be useful predictors of the visual outcome after anti-VEGF treatment in NV-AMD patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/*therapeutic use ; Choroidal Neovascularization/*drug therapy/physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ranibizumab/*therapeutic use ; Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Inner Segment/pathology ; Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Outer Segment/pathology ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/antagonists & inhibitors ; Visual Acuity/*physiology ; Wet Macular Degeneration/*drug therapy/physiopathology

PURPOSE: To assess whether the expression of heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72) protects rat retinal ganglion cells (RGC-5) from apoptotic cell death. METHODS: Hsp72 expression in RGC-5 cells transduced with replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus was analyzed by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. The effect of Hsp72 expression on etoposide-induced apoptotic cell death was examined by microscopic analysis and confirmed by cell proliferation assay. RESULTS: Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence clearly showed adenovirus-mediated Hsp72 expression in RGC-5 cells. Treatment with etoposide resulted in the death of a proportion of the cells by apoptosis. However, this apoptotic cell death was significantly reduced in cells expressing Hsp72, with the reduction in cell death correlating to the level of Hsp72 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Over-expression of Hsp72 alone is sufficient to rescue neuronal cells from apoptotic cell death, suggesting that fine-tuning its expression may be an effective neuroprotective approach in retinal degenerative disease.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Death/*genetics ; Cell Survival ; Cells, Cultured ; DNA/*genetics ; Disease Models, Animal ; Etoposide/toxicity ; *Gene Expression Regulation ; HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins/biosynthesis/*genetics ; Immunohistochemistry ; Rats ; Retinal Degeneration/*genetics/metabolism/pathology ; Retinal Ganglion Cells/drug effects/*metabolism/pathology

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Wenyang Yiqi Huoxue Recipe (WYHR) on the apoptosis of photoreceptor cells in retinal degeneration slow (RDS) mice, and to investigate its molecular mechanisms.

METHODSRDS mice were randomly divided into the model group and the Chinese medicine group,and C57BL/6J mice were selected as the normal control group. Each group consisted of 4 female mice and 2 male mice. Mice in the Chinese medicine group were administered with WYHR (10 mg/g) by gastrogavage since mating. Baby mice drunk WYHR decoction instead of drinking water once they were born. The offspring were administrated with low dose WYHR decoction by gastrogavage from the 7th postnatal day, and the dose was increased to that for adult mice from the 21st postnatal day. Physiological saline was administrated to mice in the model group and the normal control group by gastrogavage. At 18, 28 and 48 postnatal days, electroretinogram (ERG) was used to evaluate the retina functional variation, and the apoptotic rate of photoreceptor cells was determined by TUNEL staining. HE staining was performed. The number of photoreceptor cells of the outer nuclear layer was calculated. Furthermore, effect of WYHR on Rhodopsin and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expression was examined using immunochemical assay.

RESULTSCompared with the model group, a- and b-wave latency and amplitude, as well as the bFGF expression sharply increased in the Max-ERG of the Chinese medicine group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) at 18 postnatal days. At 28 and 48 postnatal days, a- and b-wave latency and amplitude sharply increased, photoreceptor cell layer numbers of the outer nuclear layer obviously increased, the apoptosis rate of retinal photoreceptor cells obviously decreased, expressions of Rhodopsin and bFGF in the Chinese medicine group significantly increased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONWYHR could effectively inhibit the apoptosis of photoreceptor cells in RDS mice, which might be attributed to up-regulating bFGF expression.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate ; cytology ; drug effects ; Retinal Degeneration ; metabolism ; pathology

PURPOSE: To identify the unique pathologic findings of retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) in optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Retrospectively, 29 eyes of 25 patients with age-related macular degeneration and complicated RAP were analyzed. All 29 eyes had choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the area of pigment epithelial detachment (PED) or adjacent to it, which was visible with fluorescein angiography or indocyanine green angiography. Cross-sectional images were obtained by OCT scanning through the CNV lesions. RESULTS: Six distinctive findings of OCT included drusen (100%), inner retinal cyst (80%), outer retinal cyst (68%), fibrovascular PED (84%), serous retinal detachment (40%), and PED (68%). CONCLUSIONS: Through analysis of OCT findings, we revealed six different types of lesions distinctive of RAP which may provide helpful diagnostic information for subsequent treatment and predicting the prognosis of RAP.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Macular Degeneration/*complications/diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retina/*pathology ; Retinal Neovascularization/*diagnosis/etiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods

INTRODUCTIONThis study describes the pathologic changes in the retina of a group of young Asian subjects with myopia worse than -10 diopters spherical equivalent (SE) refraction.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThe study population consists of 20 male subjects undergoing preemployment screening for public service for a 1-year period from 2009 to 2010. A detailed series of visual tests of function, fundus examination and grading, ocular biometry and posterior segment optical coherence tomography were performed for all eyes.

RESULTSA total of 21 eyes with mean SE of -10.88 diopters, [standard deviation (SD) , 1.28 diopters], and mean age of 21.8 years (SD, 1.3 years) were included. Out of 21 eyes, 17 (81.0%) had beta peripapillary atrophy, 10 (47.6%) had clinically detectable optic disc tilt, 1 (4.8%) had positive T-sign and 18 (85.7%) had retinal tessellation, 4 (19.0%) had posterior vitreous detachment and 14 (66.7%) had peripheral retina degeneration. The mean retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness was 92.48 mm (SD, 9.99 mm).

CONCLUSIONNone of the 21 highly myopic eyes had features of myopic retinopathy but most of these young males had clinically visible myopia-associated abnormalities of the optic disc, vitreous and peripheral retina. Generally, these eyes had thinner RNFL. Further longitudinal studies are required to investigate if these eyes will eventually develop complications of pathological myopia.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age of Onset ; Choroid Diseases ; diagnosis ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Male ; Myopia ; classification ; pathology ; Nerve Fibers ; pathology ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Optic Atrophy ; diagnosis ; Optic Disk ; pathology ; Optic Nerve Diseases ; diagnosis ; Posterior Eye Segment ; pathology ; Retina ; pathology ; Retinal Degeneration ; diagnosis ; Retinal Diseases ; diagnosis ; Retinal Vessels ; pathology ; Singapore ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; methods ; Vision Tests ; Visual Acuity ; Vitreous Detachment ; diagnosis ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of axial length on the age-related peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational comparative case series included 172 eyes from 172 healthy Korean subjects. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was measured using an Optic Disc Cube 200 x 200 scan of spectral domain Cirrus HD OCT and the axial length was measured using IOL Master Advanced Technology. In age groups based on decade, the normal ranges of peripapillary RNFL thickness for average, quadrant, and clock-hour sectors were determined with 95% confidence intervals. After dividing the eyes into two groups according to axial length (cut-off, 24.50 mm), the degrees of age-related RNFL thinning were compared. RESULTS: Among the eyes included in the study, 53 (30.81%) were considered to be long eyes (axial length, 25.04 +/- 0.48 microm) and 119 (69.19%) were short-to-normal length eyes (axial length, 23.57 +/- 0.60 microm). The decrease in average RNFL thickness with age was less in long eyes (negative slope, -0.12 microm/yr) than in short-to-normal length eyes (negative slope, -0.32 microm/yr) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Age-related thinning of peripapillary RNFL thickness is attenuated in long eyes compared to short-to-normal length eyes.
Adult ; Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Eye/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Macular Degeneration/*epidemiology/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Fibers/*pathology ; Optic Disk/*pathology ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retinal Ganglion Cells/*pathology ; Severity of Illness Index ; *Tomography, Optical Coherence

Mutations in the Fused in sarcoma/Translated in liposarcoma gene (FUS/TLS, FUS) have been identified among patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). FUS protein aggregation is a major pathological hallmark of FUS proteinopathy, a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by FUS-immunoreactive inclusion bodies. We prepared transgenic Drosophila expressing either the wild type (Wt) or ALS-mutant human FUS protein (hFUS) using the UAS-Gal4 system. When expressing Wt, R524S or P525L mutant FUS in photoreceptors, mushroom bodies (MBs) or motor neurons (MNs), transgenic flies show age-dependent progressive neural damages, including axonal loss in MB neurons, morphological changes and functional impairment in MNs. The transgenic flies expressing the hFUS gene recapitulate key features of FUS proteinopathy, representing the first stable animal model for this group of devastating diseases.
Aged ; Aging ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drosophila melanogaster ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Motor Neurons ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mushroom Bodies ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mutant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mutation ; Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate ; metabolism ; pathology ; Plasmids ; RNA-Binding Protein FUS ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Retinal Degeneration ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Transfection

A 46-year-old man presented with visual disturbances in both eyes. His best corrected visual acuity was 0.7 (both eyes). Ptosis and limitation of ocular movement in every direction were observed. Slit lamp examination showed a bilateral iridescent cataract. Fundus examination showed peripheral depigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium and pigmentary clumping in both eyes that agreed with blocked fluorescence and widow defects on fluorescein angiography. The amplitude of b-wave was decreased on electroretinography. Fourteen months later, the patient's best corrected visual acuity decreased to 0.3 due to increased lens opacity. Phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation were performed on both eyes. At the patient's final visit, retinal findings were stable with a best corrected visual acuity of 0.7 in both eyes. In conclusion, the visual disturbance could have been caused by both cataracts and retinal degeneration, meaning the fundus should be examined carefully in patients with myotonic dystrophy.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myotonic Dystrophy/*complications/diagnosis ; Pigment Epithelium of Eye/*pathology ; Retinal Degeneration/diagnosis/*etiology