The Impact of Chronic Stress on Behavior and Body Mass in New Animal Models.

(1) Background: Exposure to different sources of stress can have a significant effect on both psychological and physical processes. (2) Methods: The study took place over a period of 34 days and included a total of 40 animals. Regarding the exposure to chronic stressors, we opted for physiological, non-invasive stressors, e.g., running, swimming, and changes in the intensity of light. An unforeseen stress batch was also created that alternated all these stress factors. The animals were divided into five experimental groups, each consisting of eight individuals. In the context of conducting the open field test for behavioral assessment before and after stress exposure, we aimed to investigate the impact of stress exposure on the affective traits of the animals. We also monitored body mass every two days. (3) Results: The control group exhibited an average increase in weight of approximately 30%. The groups exposed to stress factors showed slower growth rates, the lowest being the running group, recording a rate of 20.55%, and the unpredictable stress group at 24.02%. The anxious behavior intensified in the group with unforeseen stress, in the one with light variations, and in the running group. (4) Conclusions: Our research validates the animal model of intermittent light exposure during the dark phase as a novel method of inducing stress. The modification of some anxiety parameters was observed; they vary according to the type of stress. Body mass was found to increase in all groups, especially in the sedentary groups, likely due to the absence of cognitive, spatial, and social stimuli except for cohabitation.

A Narrative Review of the Complex Relationship between Pregnancy and Eye Changes.

Pregnancy is a condition often characterized by changes that occur in different parts of the body. Generally, the eyes suffer several changes during pregnancy that are usually transient but may become permanent at times. This may occur due to the release of placental hormones and those of maternal endocrine glands and fetal adrenal glands. Due to hormonal influences, physiological ocular changes during pregnancy have been shown in Caucasian women, so corneal sensitivity, refractive status, intraocular pressure, and visual acuity may change during pregnancy. Within this review, all studies that referred to physiological aspects and to changes of ocular pathology of pregnancy, the effect of the pregnancy on pre-existing (diabetic retinopathy, neuro-ophthalmic disorders) eye disorders, postpartum ocular changes, the intraocular pressure and the effect of hypotensive ophthalmic medicine during pregnancy, the connection between pregnancy and the neuro-ophthalmic pathology, as well as the role of anesthesia were analyzed.

Oxidative stress markers dynamics in keratoconus patients' tears before and after corneal collagen crosslinking procedure.

Keratoconus (KC) is a controversial ophthalmological disease, often considered both multifactorial and multigenic with poor or not entirely understood etiopathogenesis. Corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) procedure is the most common surgical therapy for KC which both slows corneal thinning and halts disease progression. While extensive studies provide consistent evidence on systemic oxidative stress in KC patients and animal models, little is known on the tear fluid oxidative stress markers such as antioxidant enzymes activity or lipid peroxidation markers. Also, little is known considering the oxidative status dynamics following CXL. In this way, we aimed to evaluate three oxidative stress markers in the tears of KC patients before and after CXL procedure. Total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzymatic activity and malondiladehyde (MDA) levels were assessed from the tears of 20 kC patients who received the recommendation for CXL procedure. Significantly decreased SOD activity (p = 0.0014) was observed in KC patients tears, as compared to age and sex-matched controls which could lead to significant lipid peroxidation boost (p < 0.001). Significantly higher GPx enzyme activity was observed in KC patients, as compared to control (p < 0.001), suggesting a compensatory response to intense lipid peroxidation. Following CXL, SOD activity significantly decreases and GPx activity extensively increases, as compared to baseline KC levels and controls (p < 0.001). This work provides additional evidence on oxidative stress status in the tears of KC considering general oxidative stress markers dynamics both before and after the CXL procedure. We also demonstrated that the CXL procedure could have further relevance in the management of this disorder.

Conjunctival melanocytic tumors in children - a challenge in diagnosis and treatment.

Conjunctival melanocytic lesions are very diverse pigmented tumors that include benign, premalignant and malignant tumors. The aim of this article is to highlight the clinical and histopathological aspects of conjunctival melanocytic tumors at children. This study is a retrospective case series study of three patients selected from fifteen cases with melanocytic conjunctival tumors who were operated in the Department of Ophthalmology, "St. Spiridon" Emergency Hospital, Iasi, Romania. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken, using an electronic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar and ISI Web of Knowledge, to identify original English or French articles and reviews on this subject. Patients were diagnosed by the same doctor between 2004 and 2016, in ambulatory of Department of Ophthalmology of the same Hospital. The age of patients was between 7 and 17 years old. Three cases (boys) were treated by surgery - one patient with conjunctival malignant melanoma (histologically confirmed) derived from a pre-existing benign conjunctival nevus (diagnosed 1.5 years before), a patient was operated for aesthetic reasons (with histological diagnosis of compound conjunctival melanocytic nevus) and one boy was diagnosed of melanocytic conjunctival nevus. All cases operated had normal visual acuity and fundoscopy. There was no regional lymph node present in any case studied. The traditional method for clinical diagnosis of suspected pigmented conjunctival lesions was to remove these lesions surgically and to examine architectural and cytological features with light microscopy. We recommend an immunohistochemical staining for the detection of specific cellular antigens in conjunctival melanocytic tumors in children. The diagnosis, treatment and the follow-up of the patient were challenges for the ophthalmologist.

Iontophoretic collagen cross-linking versus epithelium-off collagen cross-linking for early stage of progressive keratoconus - 3 years follow-up study.

PURPOSE: To compare 3-year iontophoretic corneal collagen cross-linking (I-CXL) outcomes with epithelium-off corneal collagen cross-linking (epi-off CXL) for early stage of progressive keratoconus. METHODS: Eighty eyes of 80 patients with early progressive keratoconus treated by I-CXL (n = 40) or epi-off CXL (n = 40) were included in this study. Uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuities, refraction, corneal topography and pachymetry were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Visual acuity (VA) showed a significant improvement (p < 0.05) at the end of follow-up in both groups. In the I-CXL group, the UDVA showed a rapid recovery after 3 months (p = 0.04). There was a statistically significant different trend in CDVA between groups with a more favourable outcome for the standard CXL group (p < 0.01). The cylinder improved beginning with 3 months after CXL in both groups. Maximum keratometry showed a significant reduction by 0.9 dioptres (D) in the I-CXL group and by 1.2 D in the epi-off CXL group after 36 months (p = 0.283). Pachymetry values decreased at 3 months while a statistically significant increase occurred in both groups at 24 months. Progression occurred to one patient (2.5%) in I-CXL group. Adverse effects occurred to eight eyes (20%) in the epi-off CXL group. CONCLUSION: Iontophoretic corneal collagen cross-linking (I-CXL) is non-inferior to epi-off CXL for stopping the progression of keratoconus in its early stages with a higher degree of safety for the patients and a faster recovery of VA.

Outcomes of iontophoretic corneal collagen crosslinking in keratoconic eyes with very thin corneas.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to report the results of iontophoretic corneal collagen crosslinking (I-CXL) with riboflavin and ultraviolet A irradiation in patients affected by keratoconus, each with thinnest pachymetry values of <400 µ (with epithelium) and not treatable using standard epithelium-off technique.Fifteen eyes of 15 patients affected by progressive keratoconus and with thinnest pachymetry values <400 µ underwent I-CXL. The uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuity, maximum and minimum keratometry (K max and K min) readings, corneal thickness at the thinnest point (CTTP), endothelial cell density (ECD), and intraocular pressure (IOP) were assessed before I-CXL, at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively.The mean UDVA and CDVA significantly increased 12 months after I-CXL (P = .002 for both comparisons). The K max readings significantly decreased at 6 and 12 months postoperatively (P = .04 and P = .02, respectively). The mean CTTP improved at the end of the follow-up (P = .008). ECD was unchanged. No side effects or damage to the limbal region was observed during the follow-up period.I-CXL has been proved to be effective in halting keratoconus progression in eyes with very thin corneas, with no side effects during the follow-up period. This procedure could be used in patients with more advanced keratoconus.