Advances in treatment of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH)syndrome is an autoimmune disease attacking against pigmented cells, resulting in blindness and usually affecting multiple organs including ears, meninges, hair and skin.Correct diagnosis and immediate treatment in the early stage is vital to visual prognosis.Currently, corticosteroids is first-line drug.In addition, VKH patients refractory to corticosteroids can choose other treatment such as immunosuppressive agents and biological agents.

Treatment of acute retinal necrosis syndrome / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

?Acute retinal necrosis syndrome ( ARN) is a serious eye disease, which caused by Herpes virus mostly, with unknown pathogenesis. Because of the aggressive progression, treatment of ARN is difficult, and the blindness rate is extremely high. Current treatment strategies are the combination of the drug therapy and the operative treatment. Drugs commonly used are antiviral drugs, glucocorticoids, and antiplatelet drugs, and the operative treatment includes laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy.

The quality of basic research in ophthalmology needs to be improved in China / 中华实验眼科杂志

Basic research program is essential to the investigation of the pathogenesis of ocular diseases and the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment for these diseases. With increasing support of research grants at various levels, basic research in ophthalmology has gained great achievement in China in recent years. A number of studies have recently been published in well known peer-review international journals and won the State Scientific and Technological Progress Awards. However, we have to keep it in mind that basic research in ophthalmology should be improved qualitatively meanwhile, the imbalance in basic study among different areas needs to be resolved in the near future.

An increased expression of CD40/CD40L costimulatory molecules in erythema nodosum of patients with Beh(c)et's disease / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

· AIM: To investigate the expression and the possible implication of CD40/CD40L costimulatory molecules in erythema nodosum of patients with Beh(c)et's disease.· METHODS: Sampling was done from erythema nodosum of 5 patients with Beh(c)et's disease and normal skin of 2 healthy individuals. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to examine the expression of CD4, CD8, CD19, CD68, HLA-DR,CD40 and CD40L molecules in the obtained tissues.· RESULTS: Approximately 90% of epidermic cells in erythema nodosum expressed CD40 molecule. In the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, a significantly increased number of CD4+Tcells, CD8+Tcells, CD19+cells, CD68+cells, HLA-DR+cells,CD40L+cells, and CD40+cells were observed in the erythema nodosum as compared with that in normal skin. Double staining showed that CD40L molecules were expressed on 45% of CD4+T cells. CD40 molecules were expressed on 100% CD68+ cells and 59.2% of HLA-DR+cells respectively.· CONCLUSION: A number of CD40/CD40L costimulatory molecules are upreguiated in the erythema nodosum of patients with Behcet's disease.

Role of T-cell receptor V beta 8.3 peptide vaccine in the prevention of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>T-cell receptor (TCR) plays an important role in the development of autoimmune diseases. Recently, it was reported that immunization of animals with TCR peptide derived from the pathogenic cells could prevent autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether vaccination with a synthetic peptide from the hypervariable region of TCR V(beta) 8.3, an experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU)-associated gene, was able to prevent the disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>EAU was induced in Lewis rats by immunization with IRBP R16 peptide emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The clinical and histological appearances were scored. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and lymphocyte proliferation were detected. Cytokine levels of aqueous humour, supernatants of cells from spleen and draining lymph nodes were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Gene expression of TCR V(beta) 8.3 on CD(4)(+) T cells was examined by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After vaccination, the intraocular inflammation was significantly mitigated, antigen specific DTH and lymphocyte proliferation responses were suppressed, interleukin (IL)-2 in aqueous humour, interferon (IFN)-gamma and IL-2 produced by the spleen and draining lymph node cells were significantly decreased, whereas the production of IL-4 and IL-10 were increased. The response of draining lymph node cells to TCR V(beta) 8.3 peptide was enhanced after vaccination. Inoculation with CFA alone did not affect the severity of EAU and the above parameters. The suppression of EAU was much stronger in the group of four fold inoculations than the group of two fold inoculations. The expression of TCR V(beta) 8.3 gene was significantly reduced in the group of fourfold inoculations.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Vaccination with the synthetic TCR V(beta) 8.3 peptide could remarkably inhibit the development of EAU.</p>

GATA-3 expression in the development of anterior chamber associated immune deviation / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Anterior chamber associated immune deviation (ACAID) is characterized by a Th2 cell response. GATA-3 has been shown to be necessary for the activation of Th2 cells. This study was designed to examine the expression of GATA-3 in the development of ACAID.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>ACAID was induced by injection of 50 microg interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP) into the anterior chamber (AC) of Wistar rats. Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) was evaluated on day 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 after IRBP inoculation. GATA-3 expression was detected using immunohistochemical staining. The expression of GATA-3 mRNA at different time points after AC injection of IRBP was assayed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A significant DTH reaction was observed in Wistar rats on day 3 and 5 after IRBP inoculation. The DTH reaction was decreased 7 days after IRBP inoculation. GATA-3 expression was weak at both mRNA and protein levels in the normal spleen, but was significantly increased on day 5, 7, 14, and 21 after AC injection of IRBP.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of GATA-3 is increased during ACAID, suggesting that GATA-3 may be involved in the development of ACAID.</p>