EZH2 Expression in Retinoblastoma: A Potential Therapeutic Target.

INTRODUCTION: The enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a member of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and is important in cell-cycle regulation. Increased expression of EZH2 has been reported in retinoblastoma (RB). The aim of the study was to determine EZH2 expression, compare this with clinicopathological parameters in RB, and assess its relationship with tumor cell proliferation. METHODS: Ninety-nine retrospective cases of enucleated RB were included in the present study. Expression of EZH2 and the marker of cell proliferation, Ki67, were investigated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Among the 99 cases of RB in this study, EZH2 was found highly expressed (positive expression rate ≥70%) in 92 cases. EZH2 was expressed in tumor cells but absent in normal retinal tissues. The expression of EZH2 was positively linked to Ki67 expression (r = 0.65, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Elevated EZH2 expression was found in most RB cases, indicating that EZH2 could be a potential therapeutic target for RB.

Twenty-year outcome in neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with photodynamic therapy and intravitreal bevacizumab/ranibizumab injections: A case report.

A 64-year-old female presented with acute painless vision loss in the left eye was diagnosed with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. During the 20-year follow-up, the patient experienced subretinal fluid, subretinal hemorrhage, pigmentary epithelium detachment, intraretinal fluid, subretinal scar formation and macular atrophy. A total of 3 PDT treatments, 3 intravitreal bevacizumab and 16 ranibizumab injections were performed in the left eye. At the last visit, she remained best-corrected visual acuity of 20/200 with foveal macular atrophy and subfoveal fibrotic scar.

Visual Function in Children With Posterior Lens Opacities Before and After Surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual function before and after cataract surgery in children with congenital posterior lens opacities as well as the factors associated with a good visual outcome. DESIGN: Perspective case-series study. METHODS: Pediatric patients with posterior lens opacities who underwent cataract surgery were recruited in this study. The cataract type, location, area of opacities, and strabismus were examined perioperatively. Moreover, visual acuity, modulation transfer function (MTF), ocular aberrations, and stereopsis were measured before and after cataract surgery. RESULTS: Sixty-nine eyes of 63 patients were studied. The mean age of patients at surgery was 6.5 ± 2.9 years. Visual function including corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), MTF cutoff frequency, and ocular aberrations were significantly affected in eyes with posterior lens opacities. Postoperatively, CDVA was significantly improved from 0.81 ± 0.53 logMAR to 0.40 ± 0.40 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (P < .001). Thirty-nine patients (56.5%) achieved a final VA of 20/40 or better. Moreover, MTF cutoff values were significantly improved, and total ocular aberrations were decreased after cataract removal (both P < .001). The stereopsis was also improved postoperatively (P < .001). The multivariate analysis of the risk factors for postoperative CDVA showed that worse preoperative CDVA, larger size of lens opacities, and mean keratometry were the risk factors (all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Visual function can be significantly decreased in children with posterior lens opacities, and surgery was effective in improving visual function. Patients with a CDVA of 0.52 logMAR or better, a size of lens opacity <6.5 mm2 and smaller mean keratometry had a greater CDVA postoperatively.

Intraoperative OCT for the assessment of posterior capsular integrity in pediatric cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To study the morphology of the posterior lens cortex and posterior capsules (PCs) in pediatric patients with posterior lens opacities using intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT). SETTING: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. METHODS: Pediatric patients with posterior lens opacities were imaged using iOCT during cataract surgery. The morphology of the posterior lens cortex and PC, along with the common patterns to indicate PC integrity, was assessed. Moreover, PC rent during surgery was observed. RESULTS: A total of 62 eyes from 53 patients were included. The mean age of patients was 3.8 years. 4 morphological variants of posterior lens opacity were observed: type I (34/62 [54.8%]) with an intact PC; type II (20/62 [32.3%]) with an intact PC, which protruded into the anterior vitreous; type III (3/62 [4.8%]) with a deficient PC and an inability to delineate the PC; and type IV (5/62 [8.1%]) with dense opacity and an inability to characterize the posterior cortex and PC. Phacoemulsification could be performed in types I and II. In types III and IV, manual nucleus removal was performed instead of phacoemulsification. 3 cases (100%) of type III PC dehiscence developed during surgery, whereas no cases developed PC dehiscence of other types. CONCLUSIONS: The morphology of the PC and posterior lens cortex in pediatric posterior lens opacities could be categorized, and PC integrity could be assessed using iOCT, which was useful to guide surgical strategies and increase safety in pre-existing PC dehiscence in pediatric cataract surgery.

Alcohol exposure induces chick craniofacial bone defects by negatively affecting cranial neural crest development.

Excess alcohol consumption during pregnancy could lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). However, the molecular mechanism leading to craniofacial abnormality, a feature of FAS, is still poorly understood. The cranial neural crest cells (NCCs) contribute to the formation of the craniofacial bones. Therefore, NCCs exposed to ethanol was investigated - using chick embryos and in vitro explant culture as experimental models. We demonstrated that exposure to 2% ethanol induced craniofacial defects, which includes parietal defect, in the developing chick fetus. Immunofluorescent staining revealed that ethanol treatment downregulated Ap-2ɑ, Pax7 and HNK-1 expressions by cranial NCCs. Using double-immunofluorescent stainings for Ap-2ɑ/pHIS3 and Ap-2ɑ/c-Caspase3, we showed that ethanol treatment inhibited cranial NCC proliferation and increased NCC apoptosis, respectively. Moreover, ethanol treatment of the dorsal neuroepithelium increased Laminin, N-Cadherin and Cadherin 6B expressions while Cadherin 7 expression was repressed. In situ hybridization also revealed that ethanol treatment up-regulated Cadherin 6B expression but down-regulated slug, Msx1, FoxD3 and BMP4 expressions. In summary, our experimental results demonstrated that ethanol treatment interferes with the production of cranial NCCs by affecting the proliferation and apoptosis of these cells. In addition, ethanol affected the delamination, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration of cranial NCCs, which may have contributed to the etiology of the craniofacial defects.