Doxycycline Ameliorates the Severity of Experimental Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy in Mice.

After successful surgeries for patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, the most common cause of retinal redetachment is proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), which causes severe vision impairment and even blindness worldwide. Until now, the major treatment for PVR is surgical removal of the epiretinal membrane, while effective treatment to prevent PVR is still unavailable. Therefore, we investigated the potential of doxycycline, an antibiotic in the tetracycline class, to treat PVR using a mouse model. We used the human retinal pigment epithelial cell line, ARPE-19, for in vitro and in vivo studies to test doxycycline for PVR treatment. We found that doxycycline suppressed the migration, proliferation, and contraction of ARPE-19 cells with reduced p38 MAPK activation and total MMP activity. Intravitreal doxycycline and topical tetracycline treatment significantly ameliorated the PVR severity induced by ARPE-19 cells in mice. PVR increased the expression of MMP-9 and IL-4 and p38 MAPK phosphorylation and modestly decreased IL-10. These effects were reversed by doxycycline and tetracycline treatment in the mouse retina. These results suggest that doxycycline will be a potential treatment for PVR in the future.

Suppression of the Reactive Oxygen Response Alleviates Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis in Mice.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced by host phagocytes and play an important role in antimicrobial actions against various pathogens. Autoimmune uveitis causes blindness and severe visual impairment in humans at all ages worldwide. However, the role of ROS in autoimmune uveitis remains unclear. We used ROS-deficient (Ncf1-/-) mice to investigate the role of ROS in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). Besides, we also used the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment to evaluate the effect of suppression of ROS on EAU in mice. The EAU disease scores of Ncf1-/- mice were significantly lower than those of wild-type mice. EAU induction increased the levels of cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α) and chemokines (monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1) in the retinas of wild-type mice but not in those of Ncf1-/- mice. EAU induction enhanced the level of NF-κB activity in wild-type mice. However, the level of NF-κB activity in Ncf1-/- mice with EAU induction was low. Treatment with the antioxidant NAC also decreased the severity of EAU in mice with reduced levels of oxidative stress, inflammatory mediators, and NF-κB activation in the retina. We successfully revealed a novel role of ROS in the pathogenesis of EAU and suggest a potential antioxidant role for the treatment of autoimmune uveitis in the future.

Postoperative Mycobacteroides abscessus subsp. abscessus endophthalmitis: Clinical analysis of 12 clustered adults and a proposed therapeutic algorithm.

PURPOSE: Postoperative endophthalmitis caused by nontuberculous mycobacterium is a rare but devastating complication after intraocular surgery. However, optimal treatment strategies remain undetermined in view of its rarity. METHODS: We investigated the cases of culture-proven postoperative Mycobacteroides abscessus subsp. abscessus endophthalmitis in southern Taiwan, focusing on clinical manifestations and microbiological study, and aimed to describe clinical staging and to propose a therapeutic modality for this disease. RESULTS: Twelve cases, including two published cases, were treated in two medical centers in southern Taiwan between Aug. 2011 and Dec. 2016, and all ever received cataract surgery at one clinic. Their disease courses could be categorized into four distinct stages, i.e., the initial, quiescent, recurrent, and end stage, and some cases experienced 1-4 cycles of quiescent-recurrent stages. Although all eyes ended up with phthisis or were eviscerated, the affected eyes receiving pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) tended to become quiescent and survived longer than those without PPV (adjusted hazard ratio: 13.9, p < 0.05). Eight isolates of eight patients were available for microbiological study. All isolates were susceptible to amikacin, and inducible clarithromycin resistance was observed in 100% of isolates. CONCLUSION: Despite the preservation of vision in postoperative M.abscessus endophthalmitis remained a challenge, a stage-based approach is proposed, which may facilitate decision-makings for the future study.

Author Correction: Major ocular trauma in Taiwan: 2002-2004 versus 2012-2014.

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Major ocular trauma in Taiwan: 2002-2004 versus 2012-2014.

We investigated the temporal changes in major eye injuries in Taiwan by reviewing the medical records of all patients with ocular trauma hospitalized at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital during 2002-2004 and 2012-2014. A total of 169 eyes (161 patients) during 2002-2004 and 121 eyes (120 patients) during 2012-2014 were enrolled (mean ± SD age: 41.9 ± 20.8 years in 2002-2004, and 51.8 ± 19.3 years in 2012-2014). Males accounted for ~75% of patients. The most frequent injury-causing object was metallic material (~24%), and blunt traumas were most frequently attributable to traffic accidents and falls. The most common locations of injuries for males and females were the workplace and home, respectively. Open-globe injuries occurred in ~70% of eyes, requiring primary repair, cataract extraction, and/or intraocular lens implantation. The frequencies of fall injury, lacrimal system laceration, lens injury, corneal/scleral foreign bodies, and use of intracameral antibiotics increased from 2002-2004 to 2012-2014, while those of closed-globe injury, vitreous haemorrhage, optic nerve injury, and medical treatment decreased. The final visual acuity remained poor (≤20/200) in >1/3 of injured eyes. Despite therapeutic advancements, major eye injuries still pose a high risk for poor visual outcome.

Real-world use of ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Taiwan.

This study investigated the "real-world" use of ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in Taiwan and assessed the visual outcome. We reviewed the medical records at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan, during 2012-2014 for 264 consecutive eyes of 229 patients with nAMD, who applied for ranibizumab covered by national health insurance. A total of 194 eyes (73.5%) in 179 patients (65.5% men; mean ± standard deviation age 69.4 ± 10.7 years) were pre-approved for treatment. Applications for treatment increased year by year, but approval rates decreased during this time. The major causes of rejection for funding were diseases mimicking nAMD, including macular pucker/epiretinal membrane, macular scarring, dry-type AMD, and possible polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. After completion of three injections in 147 eyes, visual acuity significantly improved, gaining ≥1 line in 51.8% of eyes and stabilising in 38.3% of 141 eyes in which visual acuity was measured. The 114 eyes approved with only one application had a better visual outcome than the 27 eyes approved after the second or third applications. In conclusion, ranibizumab is effective for nAMD; however, approval after the second or third application for national health insurance cover is a less favourable predictor of visual outcome.

Motorized injector-assisted intrascleral intraocular lens fixation.

For eyes with deficient capsular support, intraocular lens (IOL) implantation has long been a technical challenge. Recently, intrascleral fixation of the haptics of a three-piece posterior chamber IOL has become a popular option. In this procedure, externalization of the leading haptic during IOL injection is a stressful step. We present a modified technique to improve the ease and safety of this step. Our modified technique involves IOL injection with a motorized injector with several important modifications described here. With these modifications, a surgeon can easily maintain the correct orientation of the IOL in a well-controlled manner during IOL injection. The records of 13 patients who underwent this technique were retrospectively evaluated. Corrected-distance visual acuity improved significantly after surgery (p<0.05). No postoperative retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, IOL decentration, or vitreous hemorrhage was noted during the follow-up period. In conclusion, the motorized injector-assisted intrascleral IOL fixation technique is a safe and effective alternative to the conventional procedure. This technique makes the process of leading haptic externalization easier and more controllable.

Airbag-Associated Severe Blunt Eye Injury Causes Choroidal Rupture and Retinal Hemorrhage: A Case Report.

A case of choroidal rupture caused by airbag-associated blunt eye trauma and complicated with massive subretinal hemorrhage and vitreous hemorrhage that was successfully treated with intravitreal injection of expansile gas and bevacizumab is presented. A 53-year-old man suffered from loss of vision in his right eye due to blunt eye trauma by a safety airbag after a traffic accident. On initial examination, the patient had no light perception in his right eye. Dilated ophthalmoscopy revealed massive subretinal hemorrhage with macular invasion and faint vitreous hemorrhage. We performed intravitreal injection of pure sulfur hexafluoride twice for displacement, after which visual acuity improved to 0.03. For persistent subretinal hemorrhage and suspicion of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 mL) injection was administered. After 3 weeks, the visual acuity of his right eye recovered to 0.4. For early-stage choroidal rupture-induced subretinal hemorrhage and complications of suspected CNV, intravitreal injection of expandable gas and intraocular injection of antiangiogenesis drugs seem to be an effective treatment.

Isolates and antibiotic susceptibilities of endophthalmitis in postcataract surgery: a 12-year review of culture-proven cases.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the spectrum of organisms causing endophthalmitis after cataract surgery in a tertiary medical center in Taiwan and the antibiotic susceptibilities. This was a retrospective case series study. Patients with endophthalmitis after cataract surgery from January 2004 to July 2015 were reviewed. The outcome measures included the identification of isolates, antibiotic susceptibilities, and final visual outcomes. Twenty-one organisms were isolated from 19 cases. The most common organisms were Enterococcus in 38.1 %, especially Enterococcus faecalis, followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis in 28.6 % and Staphylococcus aureus in 9.5 %. All of the Gram-positive isolates tested were susceptible to vancomycin (100 %), and ceftazidime and amikacin were susceptible for Gram-negative organisms. The Gram-positive organisms remain to be the predominant cause of postoperative endophthalmitis, and Enterococcus species has had an increasing incidence. Vancomycin is still the most powerful antibiotic for Gram-positive organisms, while ceftazidime and amikacin are effective for Gram-negative bacteria.