[Immunomorphological aspects of post-traumatic subatrophy of the eyeball]. / Immunomorfologicheskie aspekty posttravmaticheskoi subatrofii glaznogo yabloka.

PURPOSE: The study attempts to characterize immunomorphological disorders at different degrees of post-traumatic subatrophy of the eyeball. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 123 patients with blind and unpromising eyes, eyeball subatrophy of various degrees, who were divided into three groups (1, 2 and 3) depending on the degree of eyeball subatrophy. RESULTS: The greatest risk of autoimmune inflammation was observed in patients with degree I subatrophy. Contusion injury of the eye was proven to not exclude the course of post-traumatic autoimmune uveitis. The development of post-traumatic subatrophic process is associated with activation of systemic organ-specific immunity, shift of balance in main regulatory subpopulations. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the most severe clinical course of chronic post-traumatic uveitis is observed in patients as a result of penetrating trauma to the eyeball. The contusion nature of such ocular injury does not exclude the development of autoimmune inflammation.

[The incidence of infection in tumor and eye fluid system, and specific humoral immunity to herpes viruses in patients with uveal melanoma].

INTRODUCTION: Studies aimed at a direct research of human herpes viruses (HHVs) in the tumor material and eye media have not been carried out so far. Research goal to establish the frequency of detection HHVs DNA in the biomaterial of the eye and blood and to assess the specific humoral immunity to the causative agents of herpes virus infections in patients with uveal melanoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 38 patients with the uveal tract tumor were examined for the presence of DNA of HHV types 1 and 2 (HSV-1, 2), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Varicella Zoster virus (VZV), EpsteinBarr virus (EBV) and herpes viruses 6 and 8 types (HHV-6, HHV-8) in tumor tissue, vitreous body, aqueous humour and blood plasma by real-time polymerase chain reaction; blood serum was studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG and IgM antibodies to HHVs. RESULTS: EBV DNA was present in tumor tissue in 20.6% of cases, in vitreous body in 4.2%, in blood plasma in 2.7%, and was not found in aqueous humor. Ig G antibodies to HSV-1, 2 and CMV were detected in 97.3% of cases, VZV 94.6%, HHV-6 32.4%, antibodies to HHV-8 were not detected. 20 patients (55.6%) had reactivation of chronic HSV-1, 2 infection, and 14 (38.9%) patients had reactivation of CMV infection. Markers of chronic EBV infection were found in all patients, its atypical reactivation was observed in 2 cases (5.4%). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest the possible participation of EBV in the oncogenesis of the uveal tract and emphasize the need for further in-depth study of this problem.

Features of Local Expression of Genes of Immune Response Cytokines and Trophic and Vasoregulatory Factors in Modeling of Retinal Pigment Epithelium Atrophy.

Local expression of genes encoding IL-1ß, IL-18, MCP-1/CCL2, PEDF, VEGF-A, and ZO-1 in the retina-retinal pigment epithelium-chorioidea tissue complex was studied in healthy rabbits and animals with simulated retinal pigment epithelium atrophy. Retinal pigment epithelium atrophy was modeled by single subretinal injection of 0.01 ml 0.9% NaCl (group 1; n=17) or 0.01 ml solution containing angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab in a dose of 0.025 mg (group 2; n=18). The gene expression was evaluated by reverse transcription PCR. In 27.7% cases, atrophic changes in the fundus were accompanied by a significant increase of IL-1ß gene expression and in more than 50% cases by an increase in VEGF-A and MCP-1/CCL2 mRNA levels. These factors contribute to an increase in the permeability of the blood-retina barrier and abolition of the immune privilege of the posterior eye segment, which should be taken into account when testing invasive approaches, in particular, for approbation of various options of replacement therapy with retinal pigment epithelium stem cells and development and use of neuroprotectors and drugs of targeted action.

[The role of CXC and CC chemokines in patients with uveal melanoma]. / Rol' khemokinov klassov CXC i CC u bol'nykh s uveal'noi melanomoi.

Uveal melanoma is a malignant neoplasm with high metastatic potential; its pathogenesis is currently being studied. Chemokines play a key role not only in the inflammatory response, but also in enhancing angiogenesis, tumor invasiveness, increasing proliferative potential and metastasis. PURPOSE: To study the role of chemokines of classes CXC and CC in blood serum and tear fluid of patients with uveal melanoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 118 people aged 53.7±12.2 years, among them 80 patients with uveal melanoma and 38 healthy donors. Group 1 included 32 patients with small tumors, group 2 (medium-sized tumors) - 26 patients; group 3 (large tumors) was comprised of 22 patients. Chemokines of classes CC (CCL2/MCP-1, CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL4/MIP-1ß, CCL5/RANTES, CCL11/Eotaxin) and CXC (CXCL1/GRO-α, CXCL8/IL-8, CXCL10/IP-10, CXCL12/SDF-1α) were determined by multiplex analysis of the blood serum and tear fluid. Statistical processing: Student's t-test, Fisher criteria, and Pierson's chi-squared test (χ2), differences were considered significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: Significantly increased level of chemokines with pro-inflammatory (CCL5/RANTES), proliferative (CXCL10/IP-10) and pro-angiogenic (CXCL12/SDF-1α) effects was found in the blood serum of patients with small-sized uveal melanoma in comparison with healthy donors. Concentration of all studied pro-inflammatory, proliferative, and pro-angiogenic chemokines in the lacrimal fluid was found to be significantly elevated in both the affected and the paired "healthy" eyes in all 3 groups of patients, with the maximum content seen in the large tumor group. CONCLUSION: The obtained data indicates that early local and systemic immune imbalance can be observed in uveal melanoma, and detection of chemokines can serve as a good reason for developing targeted therapy for small uveal melanoma.