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Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi Feb 2023Estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the important research contents in forensic pathology, and it has always been the focus and hot spot of research work.... (Review)
Review
Estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the important research contents in forensic pathology, and it has always been the focus and hot spot of research work. In recent years, scholars at home and abroad have made some research progress in estimating PMI by using ocular tissue. After death, the changes of cornea, aqueous humor, iris, lens, vitreous humor and retina all show time sequence change rule highly related to PMI. This paper reviews the research progress of PMI estimation based on the morphological, biochemical, molecular and genetic material changes of different ocular tissue structures after death, and discusses the existing problems and development trends.
Topics: Humans; Postmortem Changes; Time Factors; Autopsy; Vitreous Body; Forensic Pathology
PubMed: 37038856
DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2021.410602 -
Biomedical Materials (Bristol, England) Jun 2021Vitreoretinal surgery is an essential approach to treat proliferative diabetic vitreopathy, retinal detachment, retinal tear, ocular trauma, and macular holes. The... (Review)
Review
Vitreoretinal surgery is an essential approach to treat proliferative diabetic vitreopathy, retinal detachment, retinal tear, ocular trauma, and macular holes. The removal of the natural vitreous and the replacement with substitutes are critical steps for retina reattachment. Vitreous substitutes including silicone oil (SiO), air, sulfur hexafluoride (SF), and perfluoropropane (CF), have been widely applied in clinical practice. However, these substitutes are reported to cause complications such as emulsification, high intraocular pressure, and lens opacification. Polymeric hydrogels are a kind of material with favorable physical, mechanical properties, and adaptable biocompatibility, thus being highly expected to be ideal vitreous substitutes. Despite years of research, very few polymeric hydrogels can be applied practically in the vitreous cavity. In this review, we focus on the development of polymeric natural-based hydrogels and synthetic hydrogels. Particularly, we pay attention to recent advances in the novel stimuli-response and self-assembly supramolecular hydrogels. Characterized by easy injectability and long residence time, this kind of hydrogel becomes the potentially promising candidates for ideal vitreous substitutes. Finally, we evaluate the current challenges and provide the future directions of vitreous substitutes.
Topics: Animals; Biocompatible Materials; Humans; Hydrogels; Mice; Polymers; Vitreous Body
PubMed: 34038870
DOI: 10.1088/1748-605X/ac058e -
Diabetes Care Sep 2022To correlate inflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vitreous and plasma with vitreous retinol binding protein 3 (RBP3), diabetic...
OBJECTIVE
To correlate inflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vitreous and plasma with vitreous retinol binding protein 3 (RBP3), diabetic retinopathy (DR) severity, and DR worsening in a population with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
RBP3, VEGF, and inflammatory cytokines were measured in plasma and vitreous samples (n = 205) from subjects of the Joslin Medalist Study and Beetham Eye Institute.
RESULTS
Higher vitreous RBP3 concentrations were associated with less severe DR (P < 0.0001) and a reduced risk of developing proliferative DR (PDR) (P < 0.0001). Higher RBP3 correlated with increased photoreceptor segment thickness and lower vitreous interleukin-12 (IL-12), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and TNF-β (P < 0.05). PDR was associated with lower vitreous interferon-γ and IL-10 and higher VEGF, IL-6, and IL-15 (P < 0.05), but was not associated with their plasma concentrations.
CONCLUSIONS
Higher vitreous RBP3 concentrations are associated with less severe DR and slower rates of progression to PDR, supporting its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic agent for preventing DR worsening, possibly by lowering retinal VEGF and inflammatory cytokines.
Topics: Cytokines; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diabetic Retinopathy; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Eye Proteins; Humans; Retinol-Binding Proteins; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vitreous Body
PubMed: 35852358
DOI: 10.2337/dc22-0165 -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD 2023Patients with eye disease have an increased risk for developing neurodegenerative disease. Neurodegenerative proteins can be measured in the eye; however, correlations...
BACKGROUND
Patients with eye disease have an increased risk for developing neurodegenerative disease. Neurodegenerative proteins can be measured in the eye; however, correlations between biomarker levels in eye fluid and neuropathological diagnoses have not been established.
OBJECTIVE
This exploratory, retrospective study examined vitreous humor from 41 postmortem eyes and brain tissue with neuropathological diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 7), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE, n = 15), both AD + CTE (n = 10), and without significant neuropathology (controls, n = 9).
METHODS
Protein biomarkers i.e., amyloid-β (Aβ40,42), total tau (tTau), phosphorylated tau (pTau181,231), neurofilament light chain (NfL), and eotaxin-1 were quantitatively measured by immunoassay. Non-parametric tests were used to compare vitreous biomarker levels between groups. Spearman's rank correlation tests were used to correlate biomarker levels in vitreous and cortical tissue. The level of significance was set to α= 0.10.
RESULTS
In pairwise comparisons, tTau levels were significantly increased in AD and CTE groups versus controls (p = 0.08 for both) as well as AD versus AD+CTE group and CTE versus AD+CTE group (p = 0.049 for both). Vitreous NfL levels were significantly increased in low CTE (Stage I/II) versus no CTE (p = 0.096) and in low CTE versus high CTE stage (p = 0.03). Vitreous and cortical tissue levels of pTau 231 (p = 0.02, r = 0.38) and t-Tau (p = 0.04, r = -0.34) were significantly correlated.
CONCLUSION
The postmortem vitreous humor biomarker levels significantly correlate with AD and CTE pathology in corresponding brains, while vitreous NfL was correlated with the CTE staging. This exploratory study indicates that biomarkers in the vitreous humor may serve as a proxy for neuropathological disease.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Retrospective Studies; Vitreous Body; Brain; tau Proteins; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Biomarkers
PubMed: 37182888
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-230167 -
Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology... Sep 2021The eye, with its distinctive anatomy, not only reflects a wide variety of diseases in life but also undergoes a myriad of post-mortem changes. Consequently, the eye has... (Review)
Review
The eye, with its distinctive anatomy, not only reflects a wide variety of diseases in life but also undergoes a myriad of post-mortem changes. Consequently, the eye has long been an area of interest in forensic science, primarily for the estimation of post-mortem interval and therefore the time of death and also for assistance in ascertaining the cause of death. There has been significant progress in the knowledge of ophthalmic forensic science using new technologies which have allowed further possibilities to arise where understanding of this field can assist the forensic pathologist. This review aims to highlight the current knowledge which exists in this field and also to identify important avenues for further investigation. Post-mortem changes of the eye along with its current applications and challenges will be discussed. These include the important areas of post-mortem iris biometrics, pupil size correlation with post-mortem interval, use of point-of-care technology on vitreous humor, and the use of ophthalmic imaging in pediatric abusive head trauma.
Topics: Autopsy; Child; Forensic Medicine; Humans; Iris; Postmortem Changes; Vitreous Body
PubMed: 34524140
DOI: 10.1097/APO.0000000000000426 -
Ocular Immunology and Inflammation May 2021The term "vitritis" refers to the presence of a cellular infiltration of the vitreous body, usually in the context of an intraocular inflammation, but not exclusively.... (Review)
Review
The term "vitritis" refers to the presence of a cellular infiltration of the vitreous body, usually in the context of an intraocular inflammation, but not exclusively. Intermediate uveitis is the most prominent cause of vitritis, including infectious and auto-immune/auto-inflammatory etiologies. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapies should not be started before ruling out the infectious causes of vitritis, especially in immunosuppressed individuals. Other situations can mimic intermediate uveitis such as amyloidosis and ocular tumors. Primary intraocular lymphoma should always be suspected in case of vitreous infiltrations in individuals aged over 50 years.
Topics: Adult; Diagnosis, Differential; Endophthalmitis; Eye Diseases; Eye Neoplasms; Humans; Inflammation; Orbital Diseases; Uveitis, Intermediate; Vitreous Body
PubMed: 34003716
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2021.1898001 -
Nature Nanotechnology May 2022In myopia, diabetes and ageing, fibrous vitreous liquefaction and degeneration is associated with the formation of opacities inside the vitreous body that cast shadows...
In myopia, diabetes and ageing, fibrous vitreous liquefaction and degeneration is associated with the formation of opacities inside the vitreous body that cast shadows on the retina, appearing as 'floaters' to the patient. Vitreous opacities degrade contrast sensitivity function and can cause notable impairment in vision-related quality of life. Here we introduce 'nanobubble ablation' for safe destruction of vitreous opacities. Following intravitreal injection, hyaluronic acid-coated gold nanoparticles and indocyanine green, which is widely used as a dye in vitreoretinal surgery, spontaneously accumulate on collagenous vitreous opacities in the eyes of rabbits. Applying nanosecond laser pulses generates vapour nanobubbles that mechanically destroy the opacities in rabbit eyes and in patient specimens. Nanobubble ablation might offer a safe and efficient treatment to millions of patients suffering from debilitating vitreous opacities and paves the way for a highly safe use of pulsed lasers in the posterior segment of the eye.
Topics: Animals; Eye Diseases; Gold; Humans; Lasers; Metal Nanoparticles; Quality of Life; Rabbits; Vitrectomy; Vitreous Body
PubMed: 35302088
DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01086-4 -
International Ophthalmology May 2024To evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters and to determine the possible correlations of psychological implications...
PURPOSE
To evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters and to determine the possible correlations of psychological implications with the symptoms duration and possible improvement, the degree of posterior vitreous detachment, and the discomfort severity.
METHODS
Ninety patients complaining for floaters and fifty-seven age- and gender-matched healthy-control subjects were recruited. Every participant underwent a complete ophthalmological examination, including funduscopy and optical coherence tomography scans, while clinical and demographic data were also gathered. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Zung Depression Inventory-Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung SDS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were completed by everyone.
RESULTS
Between the studied groups, no significant differences were detected regarding the clinical and demographic data (p > 0.05). The patients with floaters had significantly higher scores of PHQ-9, Zung SDS, HADS Anxiety, and HADS Depression (p < 0.001). After adjustment for several confounders, PHQ-9 (p = 0.041), Zung SDS (p = 0.003), and HADS Anxiety (p = 0.036) values remained significantly impaired. Among the patients, PHQ-9 and Zung SDS scores were significantly elevated in the patients with floaters duration less than 4 weeks (p < 0.05). Finally, anxiety and depression were significantly correlated with the symptoms duration and intensity, with the floater-associated discomfort, and with the stage of posterior vitreous detachment.
CONCLUSION
Vitreous floaters have a negative impact on patients' psychological status, by the terms of enhanced depressive and anxiety levels. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first in the literature to elaborate the aforementioned association, by assessing three different questionnaires simultaneously.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Vitreous Body; Depression; Adult; Anxiety; Eye Diseases; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Surveys and Questionnaires; Aged; Case-Control Studies; Vitreous Detachment; Vision Disorders
PubMed: 38713290
DOI: 10.1007/s10792-024-03006-y -
AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology Jul 2022There is growing evidence of leakage of gadolinium in an impaired blood-retina barrier. We investigated gadolinium enhancement in different eye compartments and...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
There is growing evidence of leakage of gadolinium in an impaired blood-retina barrier. We investigated gadolinium enhancement in different eye compartments and correlated the enhancement with specific ophthalmologic diseases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In a prospective clinical study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05035251), 95 patients (63 with and 32 without ophthalmologic disease) were examined before and after gadolinium administration (20 and 120 minutes) with heavily T2-weighted FLAIR. The cohort was divided according to the location of pathology into anterior and posterior eye compartment groups. Relative signal intensity increase in the anterior eye chamber, vitreous body with retina, optic nerve sheath, and the Meckel cave was analyzed and correlated with the final clinical diagnosis.
RESULTS
In patients with a disorder in the anterior eye compartment, significant signal intensity increases were found in the central anterior eye chamber ( 20 minutes = .000, 120 minutes = .000), lateral anterior eye chamber ( 20 minutes = .001, 120 minutes = .005), and vitreous body with retina ( 20 minutes = .02) compared with the control group. Patients with pathologies in the posterior eye compartment showed higher signal intensity levels in the central anterior eye compartment ( 20 minutes = .041) and vitreous body with retina ( 120 minutes = .006).
CONCLUSIONS
Increased gadolinium enhancement was found in the central and lateral anterior eye compartments and the vitreous body with retina in patients with anterior eye compartment disorders 20 and 120 minutes after contrast application, suggesting impairment of the blood-aqueous barrier. In patients with a disorder in the posterior eye compartment, pathologic enhancement indicated disruption of the blood-retinal barrier that allows gadolinium to diffuse into the vitreous body with retina from posterior to anterior, opposite to the known physiologic glymphatic pathway.
Topics: Contrast Media; Gadolinium; Glymphatic System; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Prospective Studies; Vitreous Body
PubMed: 35772805
DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.A7552 -
Progress in Retinal and Eye Research Sep 2019Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of visual impairment in the working-age population. DR is a progressive eye disease caused by long-term... (Review)
Review
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of visual impairment in the working-age population. DR is a progressive eye disease caused by long-term accumulation of hyperglycaemia-mediated pathological alterations in the retina of diabetic patients. DR begins with asymptomatic retinal abnormalities and may progress to advanced-stage proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), characterized by neovascularization or preretinal/vitreous haemorrhages. The vitreous, a transparent gel that fills the posterior cavity of the eye, plays a vital role in maintaining ocular function. Structural and molecular alterations of the vitreous, observed during DR progression, are consequences of metabolic and functional modifications of the retinal tissue. Thus, vitreal alterations reflect the pathological events occurring at the vitreoretinal interface. These events are caused by hypoxic, oxidative, inflammatory, neurodegenerative, and leukostatic conditions that occur during diabetes. Conversely, PDR vitreous can exert pathological effects on the diabetic retina, resulting in activation of a vicious cycle that contributes to disease progression. In this review, we recapitulate the major pathological features of DR/PDR, and focus on the structural and molecular changes that characterize the vitreal structure and composition during DR and progression to PDR. In PDR, vitreous represents a reservoir of pathological signalling molecules. Therefore, in this review we discuss how studying the biological activity of the vitreous in different in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental models can provide insights into the pathogenesis of PDR. In addition, the vitreous from PDR patients can represent a novel tool to obtain preclinical experimental evidences for the development and characterization of new therapeutic drug candidates for PDR therapy.
Topics: Aging; Diabetic Retinopathy; Humans; Vitreous Body
PubMed: 30951889
DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2019.03.002