ABSTRACT
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) is an autoimmune multisystemic syndrome that includes bilateral intraocular inflammation, associated with exudative retinal detachments, and systemic manifestations in the auditory, integumentary, and central nervous systems. The frequency of VKH disease in the world is variable, but in Santiago, Chile, it causes approximately 17% of non-infectious uveitis, an incidence 2 to 3-fold greater than in the USA or European countries. The evidence shows that the pathogenesis of VKH would be caused by cell-mediated autoimmunity directed against melanocytes present in the uveal tissue. CD4+ T lymphocytes (especially hyperactivity of Th17 and Th1 cells), B lymphocytes, cytokines (e.g., TGF-ß, IL-2, IL-6, IL-23 and INF-γ) and chemokines appear to play an important role in the development of VKH. Several lines of evidence support that the pathogenesis of uveitis observed in VKH involves an altered pattern of micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNA) expression, driving the loss of immunological tolerance. In this review, we discuss the evidence related to regulation and altered expression of miRNA associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada and other autoimmune diseases. (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome/physiopathology , MicroRNAs/genetics , Autoimmune Diseases/physiopathology , Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome/genetics , Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Introduction: Ocular manifestations in patients with syphilis may involve almost any of the structures of the eye. Objectives: To describe ten new cases of syphilis with eye involvement and to briefly discuss the management and therapy of such condition. Material and Methods: Ten cases were retrospectively studied over 13 years. Demographic factors, ophthalmologic examination, and laboratory tests were assessed. Results: Seven of the 10 cases were male and 3 were female. The mean age of patients was 39,7 years. Disease presentation included: panuveitis (6 patients), optic neuritis (3), retinal vasculitis (1) and Argyll-Robertson pupil (1). Cerebrospinal fluid VDRL test was positive in 6 patients and 3 patients were HIV (+). Conclusions: Syphilis is able to display diverse ophthalmologic manifestations. Not in all the cases the CSF-VDRL test was positive. Antitreponemal therapy generates a fast and effective response in the affected patients.
Introducción: Las manifestaciones oculares de los pacientes con sífilis pueden comprometer cualquiera de las estructuras del ojo. Objetivos: Describir diez nuevos casos de sífilis con compromiso ocular y realizar una breve discusión de su manejo y tratamiento. Pacientes y Métodos: Se estudiaron, de forma retrospectiva, diez casos en un período de 13 años. Se evaluaron factores demográficos, exámenes oftalmológico y de laboratorio. Resultados: De los diez casos, 7 eran hombres y 3 mujeres. El promedio de edad fue de 39,7 años. Las presentaciones fueron: panuveítis (n: 6), neuritis óptica (n: 3), vasculitis retinal (n: 1) y pupila de Argyll-Robertson (n: 1). Se obtuvo VDRL (+) en líquido cefalorraquídeo en 6 pacientes y serología para VIH (+) en 3 pacientes. Conclusiones: La sífilis puede producir variadas manifestaciones oftalmológicas. No en todos los casos el VDRL resultó positivo en el LCR. El tratamiento anti-treponémico produce una rápida y efectiva respuesta en los pacientes afectados.