International publication trends in dry eye disease research: A bibliometric analysis

Purpose

To perform a bibliometric analysis in the field of dry eye disease (DED) research to characterize the current international status of DED research and to identify the most effective actors (journals, countries, authors) involved in this field.

Orbital cellulitis

Orbital cellulitis is uncommon in ophthalmologic practice. The majority of cases arise from direct spread of sinus infection or eyelid infection. Clinically, orbital cellulitis is divided into two forms: the preseptal form, anterior to the orbital septum, and the retroseptal form, posterior to the orbital septum. Management and prognosis differ widely between the two types. The retroseptal form or "true" orbital cellulitis is a severe disease with potentially disastrous consequences for vision and survival. Clinical examination and urgent CT scanning are indispensable for correct diagnosis, evaluation of severity, surgical planning and antibiotic selection.     

Eye motion increases temporal visual field extent

Purpose: To study the impact of eye motion on visual field extent. Methods: Visual fields were tested in 15 healthy volunteers with the Goldmann perimeter using a V4 test object, from seen to unseen, first in primary position of gaze, then allowing eye motion. Temporal points falling out of the cupola were tested again after a controlled nasal head rotation using a headband prototype fitted with a line‐laser level having two orthogonal vial levels. Visual field surface areas (cm²) were calculated as projections on a 30‐cm virtual Goldmann cupola, whose extent would have been large enough to include all points. Reproducibility error of the method assessed by calculation of the relative difference between surface areas of 12 visual field tests and 12 visual field retests was estimated at 14%. Hertel exophthalmometry was recorded to study the influence of globe position on visual field extent. Results: Binocular visual field surface area increased by 37% with eye motion (p‐value = 1.20·10^?9). This increase was highest (46%; p‐value = 1.2·10^?24) in the temporal quadrant. Median maximal visual field temporal eccentricity with eye motion was 128.3° (minimum: 109.5°; maximum: 137.7°) and more than 135° in four eyes of three subjects. Hertel exophthalmometry was positively linked to visual field temporal surface area with eye motion (p‐value = 0.013). Conclusions: Eye motion greatly expands the temporal visual field. This peculiarity is likely an adaptation to terrestrial life with upright bipedal locomotion and may save head movements through horizontal eyeball scanning.     

Opposite long-term regulation of c-Myc and p27Kip1 through overactivation of Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module in proliferating human choroidal melanoma cells

Although there is no current evidence for ras gene mutation in choroidal melanoma, there is an increasing body of evidence indicating that deregulated intracellular signalling pathways are involved in choroidal melanoma pathogenesis. The various components of the linear Raf/MEK/ERK signalling pathway have been implicated in various tumours. We therefore investigated the role of Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module in the proliferation of human normal choroidal melanocytes (NCM) and cells from the ocular choroidal melanoma (OCM-1) cell line. OCM-1 cells proliferated four times faster than NCM. High basal activation of the MEK/ERK module was observed in unstimulated OCM-1 cells, whereas rapid and persistent activation was detected after serum stimulation, throughout the 24-h period of culture. In contrast, the activation of MEK/ERK was barely detectable in unstimulated NCM and occurred late (6 h) after the stimulation of cell proliferation. Inhibition of Raf-1 and MEK1/2 activation by pharmacological approaches and of the production of Raf-1 and ERK1/2 by antisense oligonucleotide approaches demonstrated that Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module controlled proliferation in OCM-1 cells, but not in NCM. OCM-1 cells produced very low levels of p27Kip1, whereas NCM produced constant, high levels of p27Kip1. The inhibition of Raf-1 or MEK1/2 induced a large increase in p27Kip1 in OCM-1 cells, associated with an arrest of cell proliferation. Levels of c-Myc production were high and constant in OCM-1 cells and low in NCM, in contrast to what was observed for p27Kip1. The inhibition of both Raf-1 and MEK1/2 induced a decrease in c-Myc production and downregulated c-Myc activity by preventing c-Myc phosphorylation in OCM-1 cells. We conclude that Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module control the production of both p27Kip1 and c-Myc, and the activation of c-Myc for OCM-1 cell proliferation.     

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory protein expression in human choroidal melanoma tumors

PURPOSE: Recent studies have demonstrated the close link between oncogenesis and cell cycle machinery. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory proteins (CKIs) have been shown to play a critical role in the regulation of cell cycle progression. Alteration of CKI levels and/or functions could be implicated in cell transformation. The three CKIs-p16, p21, and p27-were investigated in human uveal melanoma tumors, and an attempt was made to correlate their levels with clinicopathologic parameters, as well as to p53 and Ki-67 (Mib-1) protein levels. METHODS: Immunochemistry was performed on 32 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens of malignant choroidal melanoma. Immunoblot was performed to confirm the immunochemistry study. Prognostic histologic markers such as cell typing, pigmentation, larger tumor dimension, mitotic figures, nucleolar size, scleral invasion, and optic nerve head invasion were reported. RESULTS: Nuclear positivity for p16 was observed in 11 tumors (34%) without any association with clinicopathologic parameters. Tumor cells positive for p21 were detected in 12 choroidal melanomas (37%). Unexpectedly, a positive relationship was seen between p21 and scleral invasion (P: = 0.008). Nuclear positivity for p27 was observed in nine tumors (28%). An inverse correlation was observed between the number of mitotic figures and p27 immunoreactivity (P: = 0.03), as well as between Mib-1 positivity and p27 expression (P: = 0.02). Western blot assays of tumor extracts confirmed overexpression of p21 and p27. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that p21 and p27 may be involved in tumorigenesis in choroidal melanoma.     

High prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma

PURPOSE: Elevated intraocular pressure and systemic hemodynamic changes are main risk factors in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) characterized by snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness and insomnia is accompanied by large swings in blood pressure and repetitive hypoxic periods during sleep. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there is any relationship between SDB and POAG. METHODS: Consecutively, 212 outpatients with POAG and 218 outpatients without POAG were recruited. Both eyes were examined. An interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect SDB-related symptoms. RESULTS: After controlling for age, relative to control group, POAG patients showed a high prevalence of snoring (47.6%, p=0.04), snoring plus, excessive daytime sleepiness (27.3%, p=0.01) and snoring plus, excessive daytime sleepiness, plus insomnia (14.6%, p=0.01). CONCLUSION: We found a high prevalence of SDB in patients with POAG. Chronic hemodynamic changes and recurrent severe hypoxia resulting from SDB may contribute to anoxic optic nerve damage, implicated in glaucoma.     

Ex vivo porcine model for eye,eyelid, and orbit movement analysis of 4-mm ferromagnetic foreign bodies in MRI

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - Ferromagnetic foreign bodies (FFB) present during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) explorations can lead to tissue injury due to...