Dan-dan Zhou

Curcumin, A Potential Therapeutic Candidate for Anterior Segment Eye Diseases: A Review

Curcumin, the major curcuminoid of the turmeric, has been extensively used in many countries since ancient time for preventing and/or treating a multitude of diseases. This review is to illustrate the researches on the properties of curcumin and its potential therapeutic efficacy in major anterior segment eye diseases. The bio-medical potential of curcumin is restricted because of its low solubility and digestive bioavailability. This review will discuss promising research in improving curcumin bioavailability through structural modification. In vitro and in vivo research made progress in studying the beneficial effects of curcumin on major anterior segment eye diseases, including anti-angiogenesis effect in corneal diseases; anti-inflammation or anti-allergy effects in dry eye disease, conjunctivitis, anterior uveitis; anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis effects in pterygium; anti-oxidative stress, anti-osmotic stress, anti-lipid peroxidation, pro-apoptosis, regulating calcium homeostasis, sequestrating free radicals, protein modification and degradation effects in cataracts; neuroprotective effects in glaucoma. Curcumin exhibited to be a potent therapeutic candidate for treating those anterior segment eye diseases.

Nrf2 as a target for prevention of age‐related and diabetic cataracts by against oxidative stress

Cataract is one of the most important causes of blindness worldwide, with age‐related cataract being the most common one. Agents preventing cataract formation are urgently required. Substantial evidences point out aggravated oxidative stress as a vital factor for cataract formation. Nuclear factor (erythroid‐derived 2)‐like 2 (Nrf2)/Kelch‐like erythroid‐cell‐derived protein with CNC homology (ECH)‐associated protein 1 (Keap1) system is considered as one of the main cellular defense mechanisms against oxidative stresses. This review discusses the role of Nrf2 pathway in the prevention of cataracts and highlights that Nrf2 suppressors may augment oxidative stress of the lens, and Nrf2 inducers may decrease the oxidative stress and prevent the cataract formation. Thus, Nrf2 may serve as a promising therapeutic target for cataract treatment.

Surgical treatment of peripheral ulcerative keratitis and necrotizing scleritis in granulomatosis with polyangiitis

The efficacy of surgical management of refractory ophthalmic complications of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), which is a sight threatening was reported. A 70-year-old man presented with a progressively worsening pain and redness in his right eye during the previous 6 months, and decreasing visual acuity that started one month earlier. He was misdiagnosed and treated as keratitis elsewhere, but the pain has not decreased. The diagnosis of necrotizing scleritis with peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) in GPA was made in our department. Surgery was performed with necrotic tissue removal, combined with cryotherapy and a conjunctival flap covering surgery. The symptom was relieved after surgery, and the patient’s ocular condition remained stable thereafter. This case first demonstrates limited ophthalmic GPA (such as, PUK and necrotizing scleritis) that was not sensitive or aggravated for traditional methods can be successfully treated by combined surgical interventions.

The BRAF activated non-coding RNA: A pivotal long non-coding RNA in human malignancies

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in the complex network of cancer and play an important role in tumourigenesis and progression. BRAF activated non‐coding RNA (BANCR), a 4‐exon transcript of 693‐bp, was first discovered as an oncogenic long non‐coding RNA in BRAFV600E melanomas cells in 2012 and was related to melanoma cell migration. Besides melanoma, increasing evidence has explored the potential role of BANCR in the development and progression of multiple other human malignancies, such as retinoblastoma, lung cancer, gastric cancer etc. since its discovery. The expression pattern of BANCR varies in different types of cancers, either as a tumour suppressor or as an accelerator. Functional BANCR may serve as a promising biomarker for cancer diagnosis as well as prognosis evaluation. BANCR‐targeted intervention may also become a valuable novel therapeutic tool against human malignancies. This review summarized the advanced research progresses concerning the expression and role of BANCR in different human malignancies.

Free Migration of Intraocular Glass in Aphakia after Glaucoma Surgery.

Purpose: To describe a case of free migration of intraocular glass in aphakia after glaucoma surgery. Methods: We report the case of a 27-year-old man with a history of perforating injury to the right eye 10 years previously and glaucoma surgery 1 year previously presenting with 1 month of pain and frequent floaters in front of the right eye. On examination, the glass fragment was seen to lie free in the anterior chamber or migrate backwards through the pupil, remaining mobile on the inferior retinal surface when the patient was prone or supine, respectively. Results: The fragment was surgically removed. Conclusion: Late migration of glass intraocular foreign bodies is a rare clinical entity, and the exact mechanism causing the migration of intraocular glass remains controversial. Early intervention must be weighed against the hazards of removal and the necessity of close follow-up.

Lamellar keratoplasty using femtosecond laser intrastromal lenticule for limbal dermoid: case report and literature review

Small incision refractive lenticule extraction (SMILE) is a femtosecond laser technique to correct myopia and myopic astigmatism. Herein, we report a technique where intrastromal lenticule obtained from the SMILE procedure served as a graft for lamellar keratoplasty in the management of a limbal dermoid. An 18-year-old woman presented to the clinic with a corneal-limbal mass in the right eye. Slit-lamp examination revealed a vascularized circular mass of approximately 6 mm × 5 mm, which was attached at 7 o’clock in the inferotemporal region of the corneal limbus; this suggested limbal dermoid. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography revealed superficial involvement of the cornea. The patient was treated with excision and lamellar keratoplasty by using femtosecond intrastromal lenticule. The lenticule was sutured over the cornea with 10-0 interrupted nylon sutures. On postoperative follow-up, best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20; there was no corneal neovascularization and no sign of rejection. This case of limbal dermoid was managed by simple surgical excision and lamellar keratoplasty with a SMILE-extracted lenticule. This method may serve as an alternative surgical approach for management of limbal dermoid.

A novel case using femtosecond laser-acquired lenticule for recurrent pterygium: case report and literature review

Small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) is a minimally invasive, safe and flapless femtosecond laser technique used mainly to correct myopia through extraction of a corneal lenticule. Lenticules obtained in this way are transparent and of high quality, and thus, can be used to treat other corneal diseases. A 65-year-old male patient presented with recurrent pterygium complicated by thin cornea. The patient was treated surgically using a SMILE-extracted lenticule to avoid further complications and to maintain eyeball integrity. The lenticule was sutured over the thin section of cornea using 10-0 interrupted nylon sutures and enclosed by a single layer of amniotic membrane. The patient was evaluated using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and anterior-segment optical-coherence tomography. During an 8-month follow-up, the graft remained intact with no sign of rejection and corneal thickness was maintained. Tectonic keratoplasty using a SMILE-extracted lenticule appears to be a safe, cost-effective and reliable method for treating thin cornea due to repeated surgeries for recurrent pterygium. This is the first case of recurrent pterygium complicated by thin cornea managed surgically using a SMILE-extracted lenticule.

The Nrf2 Signaling in Retinal Ganglion Cells under Oxidative Stress in Ocular Neurodegenerative Diseases

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are one of the important cell types affected in many ocular neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in retinal RGCs death in ocular neurodegenerative diseases. More and more attention has been focused on studying the agents that may have neuroprotective effects. Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is a key nuclear transcription factor for the systemic antioxidant defense system. This review elucidates the underlying mechanism of the Nrf2-mediated neuroprotective effects on RGCs in ocular neurodegenerative diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury. Several Nrf2 inducers that shield RGCs from oxidative stress-induced neurodegeneration via regulating Nrf2 signaling are discussed.

HOXA11 antisense long noncoding RNA (HOXA11‐AS): A promising lncRNA in human cancers

The cancers are the leading cause of disease‐related deaths worldwide with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a critical role in a wide range of biological processes, including tumorigenesis. HOXA11‐AS (NCRNA00076), the antisense strands of HOXA11 gene, was initially revealed in a mouse embryonic cDNA library in 2009 and it was a fairly novel lncRNA. This review summarized the advanced research progression concerning the expression and role of HOXA11‐AS in different human malignancies. The expression of HOXA11‐AS is aberrantly altered in many cancers, either as a tumor suppressor or as a tumor accelerator. The different underlying mechanism of HOXA11‐AS in different cancers (including, nonsmall cell lung cancers, osteosarcoma, uveal melanoma, glioma, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, and glioblastoma) was also detailed. These findings lead us to conclude that HOXA11‐AS participate in the complex network of cancers and plays an important role in the tumorigenesis and progression. Functional HOXA11‐AS could be a promising biomarker for early detection as well as prognosis evaluation in cancer patients. Future HOXA11‐AS‐targeted intervention may become a valuable novel therapeutic tool, improving the clinical management of cancers.

Purtscher-like Retinopathy

CASE PRESENTATION A 16-year-old Chinese girl developed sudden decrease of vision in both eyes over 3 days with no history of trauma. She was admitted for treatment of Churg-Strauss syndrome. She had asthma, hypertension, pericardial effusion, acute renal failure, elevated liver enzymes, and eosinophilia of 50%. On examination, the best-corrected vision was 20/40 in both eyes. Fundus examination revealed scattered intraretinal hemorrhages (Figure A, arrow) and cottonwool spots around the optic disk (Figure B, arrow) bilaterally. The diagnosis of Purtscher-like retinopathy (PLR) was made. Then she was transferred to an