bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trabeculectomy techniques – Tips and pearls
Authors: Bloom Philip 
Published: December 2022

AbstractFor almost 50 years, trabeculectomy has been considered the ‘gold standard’ procedure in the surgical management of the Glaucoma patient. The operation undoubtedly works well in many surgeons' hands, and over the last 20 years small changes in surgical technique have improved the safety profile of guarded sclerostomy. This presentation will cover basic and more advanced techniques, with tips and pearls to augment success rates.
Current measures to prevent corneal transplant rejection
Authors: Pleyer Uwe 
Published: December 2022

AbstractDespite the immune‐privilege of the cornea, transplant rejection remains the leading cause for graft failure following penetrating keratoplasty. This is particularly true in the high‐risk recipients, e.g. following previous graft failure due to rejection, infectious keratitis and vascularized corneas. Several strategies including local and systemic immune modulatory agents are currently used to increase the success rate of high‐risk corneal grafts. Although corticosteroids are still a major component of our immunopharmacological armentarium, they might be supplemented by other more specific immunomodulating agents. The spectrum includes agents such as methotrexate calcineurin inhibitors affecting T‐cells (cyclosporin A, FK506), mycophenolate mofetil and more selective monoclonal antibodies directed against T‐cell subpopulations and other targets. New options may include JAK kinase and anti‐Rho directed approaches that remain under investigation.In addition, preoperative MHC and non‐MHC antigens matching have been investigated as strategy to reduce immune‐mediated graft rejection however, results still remain controversial. In order to better evaluate the risks and benefit of these approaches the properties of established and forthcoming options are presented.
New approaches to improving corneal transplant survival in a pre‐clinical model
Authors: Ritter Thomas 
Published: December 2022

AbstractCornea transplantation has been a target for mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy for several years with a number of publications highlighting the therapeutic potential and mechanism of action of these cells. It is widely known that MSC possess potent anti‐inflammatory capabilities and are able to modulate the activity of a wide array of immune cells including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and macrophages. This modulation occurs through both cell–cell contact and the paracrine release of soluble factors such as nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2.High risk cornea transplant recipients suffer from a much higher rate of rejection than the average patient. Factors which place patients at high risk of rejection include corneal ulcers, bullous keratopathy or a failed previous graft. These conditions frequently lead to increased blood and lymphatic vessel infiltration to the recipient graft bed and/or some pre‐existing high immunological risk. As outcomes for lower risk cornea transplant recipients, such as those who require a transplant as a result of keratoconus, improves the field is shifting its focus to improve outcomes for more complex cases.In this presentation, I will discuss the therapeutic potential of MSC to promote corneal transplant survival in both low‐ and high‐risk pre‐clinical models and its pathway to potential clinical translation.Funding received for this work.This work was supported by Science Foundation Ireland (12/IA/1624), by a grant from the European Commission [FP7 Collaborative Health Project VISICORT (grant number 602470), www.visicort.eu], by infrastructural funds from the European Regional Development Fund and by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 814439.Keywords: corneal transplantation, high risk, mesenchymal stromal cells, immunomodulation, regulatory cells, tolerance.
New findings on the immune response following corneal transplantation
Authors: Murphy Conor 
Published: December 2022

AbstractWe performed a multi‐centre, cross‐sectional analysis of the current immunological status of human full thickness (FT) and posterior lamellar (PL) corneal transplant (CT) recipients and control subjects using multiple technology platforms. The primary goal of this study was to define pathways associated with adverse immune responses to corneal transplantation and to generate and compare comprehensive, pathway‐based profiles of immune activity in CT acute rejection (AR). The secondary goal was to identify a composite biomarker of CT AR. Clinical details, including a comprehensive clinical examination, and blood samples, enabling analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) DNA, RNA and phenotype, were collected from adults with clinically diagnosed AR of FL‐CT (n = 35) and PL‐CT (n = 21) along with Stable CT recipients (n = 177) and adults with non‐transplanted corneal disease (n = 40). For those with AR, additional samples were collected 3 months later. CT acute rejection was clinically diagnosed and defined as precipitates on the corneal graft but not on the peripheral recipient cornea, either scattered or in the form of a Khodadoust line along with an increase in central corneal thickness. Immune cell analysis was performed by whole‐genome microarrays (whole blood) and high dimensional multi‐colour flow cytometry (peripheral blood mononuclear cells). For both, no activation signature was identified within the B cell and T cell repertoire at the time of AR diagnosis. Nonetheless, in FT‐ but not PL‐CT recipients, AR was associated with differences in B cell maturity and regulatory CD4+ T‐cell frequency compared to stable allografts. Our results suggest that, in contrast to solid organ transplants, genetic or cellular assays of peripheral blood are unlikely to be clinically exploitable for prediction or diagnosis of AR. However, further investigation of circulating B cell and T cell subpopulations may provide insights into the regulation of anti‐donor immune response in human CT recipients with differing AR risk.
Microglia in the retina
Authors: Cordeiro Francesca 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe role of microglia has been increasingly recognized as important in disease. No more so than in the retina, where neurodegeneration in diseases such as glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's disease, can be seen. Establishing ways of assessing microglia in disease states will be discussed, and how there morphology can be used in characterizing activity.
Understanding the role of microglia in the onset of photoreceptor degeneration
Authors: García‐Ayuso Diego , Di Pierdomenico Johnny , Martínez‐Vacas Ana , Vidal‐Sanz Manuel , Villegas‐Pérez María Paz 
Published: December 2022

AbstractPhotoreceptor degenerative diseases are currently the leading cause of irreversible blindness in developed countries and a major cause of irreversible blindness in the world. The most common forms of these diseases are age‐related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, both diseases cause a profound visual impairment due to photoreceptor loss. In the early stages of photoreceptor degeneration, glial cells have a major role to play, presumably leading to extensive retinal remodelling. The mammalian retina contains three types of glial cells. Two types of macroglial cells: astrocytes and Müller cells, and microglial cells. Microglial cells are the major resident immune cells in the retina and, although these cells and neuroinflammation have been implicated in the pathology of many neurodegenerative diseases, their role and function in photoreceptor degenerations are not yet fully understood. During retinal degeneration, microglial cells change their morphology, become activated and travel from the inner to the outer layers of the retina to phagocytose the dying photoreceptors, while astrocytes and Müller cells become hypertrophic, and overexpress glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) filling the space left by dead photoreceptors to form a glial seal. It is known that activated microglial cells can be either neuroprotective or neurodestructive during photoreceptor degenerations, and therefore it is not yet clear whether activated microglial cells may increase or decrease photoreceptor loss. Microglial cell activation, migration and proliferation occur simultaneously with the onset of photoreceptor degeneration, prior to the loss of the vast majority of photoreceptors. During photoreceptor loss, microglial cells reach the outer nuclear and outer segment layers. These events suggest that photoreceptor death is the trigger for the activation and migration of microglia to the outer retinal layers, where they phagocytose the dying photoreceptors and remove cellular debris. By carrying out these functions, microglial cells in the retina may affect photoreceptor survival or death, eventually phagocytizing stressed but still viable photoreceptors. Interestingly, inhibition of microglial cell activation and migration during photoreceptor degeneration results in improved cone outer segment morphology and increased photoreceptor survival, which suggest that the role of activated microglial cells may be more neurodestructive than neuroprotective and that treatments with anti‐inflammatory drugs that modulate microglial reactivity may be considered in the early stages of photoreceptor degenerations.
Microglia – An innocent bystander?
Authors: Salobrar‐Garcia Elena 
Published: December 2022

AbstractUnder normal conditions, microglia act as neuropathology sensors and are neuroprotective.Microglia are spatially organized features as mosaic in the retina; distributed in the plexiform layers of the retina and in the retinal nerve fibre layer‐ganglion cell layer, in order to control the environment and detect changes that can cause neuronal damage. Microglial cells may undergo two different types of activation in response to injuries, being an important player in maintaining retinal balance to a stressful situation. The microglia phenotype called M2‐like, secrete anti‐inflammatory mediators and neurotrophic factors that act as neuroprotectors, while the M1‐like generates a massive inflammatory response, being neurotoxic. When a neurodegenerative process occurs, such as that caused by protein deposits in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), the microglia responds changing its phenotype, which will cause changes in its shape, promoting migration to the area of damage, changing the arrangement in the tissue that gives rise to cells that converge or form barriers, isolating damaged tissue or phagocytizing toxic aggregate proteins and cellular debris.The migratory capacity of the microglia gives it the property of being able to move in its own layer and even between layers, remodelling the retina with areas of clustered cells and other areas with a shortage of cells. These movements lead to structural changes in the layers of the retinal that can be measured, with regions thickened versus other changes thinned over time as the disease progresses. All this changes can be detected by examining the retina in vivo with optical coherence tomography (OCT) in both animal experimental models and human. OCT allows the evaluation of cellular behaviour indirectly in neurodegeneration, in which at first a thickening can be observed that could be associated with protein deposits or cellular changes caused as a result of the inflammatory process, then in more advanced stages the tissue experiences a neurodegeneration, related to a thinning of the retina due to neuronal loss. These changes have been seen that are similar in both the experimental model, as in AD patients.Therefore, the microglia is not an innocent bystander, but a key player, generating changes based on its dual form of activation.
Human retina – A history of biological research and the development of genetic engineering
Authors: Polak Agnieszka 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe development of genetic engineering (also called genetic modification) started in the 40‐ties of the 19th c. After the Second World War the rapid process that used laboratory‐based technologies to conduct researches on cells, tissues, alter the DNA makeup of an organism and virus become the basis of modern paradigm of medical sciences. This was the culminating point of the process, which is sometimes called “the war against diseases”. One of the most successful moments was the creation of vaccines by combining genetic engineering research with research on viruses. It was a time of scientific optimism. For the first time in human history people could get the knowledge of aetiology of diseases, could fight them and protect themselves against infection. Its seems that the development of medical sciences could serve mankind, therefore there should be no limits as to its development. This optimism was not hindered by Nazists medical experimentations performed during the Second World War. However, The main ethical questions about the limits of medical science and human biological material research were left unanswered. The development of genetic engineering gave rise to questions on legalization of abortion, euthanasia, and transplantology. From 60‐ties to 90‐ties of the 20th century, large‐scale research began on diploid cells of fetal origin. All these events have called for discussion in the bioethics community and the question of the limits to which medical sciences can be pushed.Key word: history of genetic engineering, cell biology, history of human biological material research.
Ethnobotanic history of ophthalmology
Authors: Polak Agnieszka 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe history of plants in treatment and prophylactics of eyes diseases is an essential part of traditional medicine handed down since prehistoric times. Formulas written down in those days preserved the knowledge on medical cultivation of plants. Due to the fact that humanity has been searching for treatment options in nature since prehistoric times, it is now possible to distinguish the Chinese, Indian and Mediterranean region pharmacopoeia. Medical application of herbs and other plants began as a trial and error method; those plants that proved effective found their way to the collection of medicines. The best example of the “empirical pharmacopoeia” was Indian herb medicine, but also the Slavic medicine, based on the use of local plants. Superstitions and beliefs, especially symbolism (including biblical traditions), played a pivotal role in shaping knowledge about plants. In medieval Europe, Christians believed that God had placed plants and animals on the earth to serve humans. It was believed that the discovery of the secret of creation would make it possible to discover a panacea for all ills. This extremely fascinating journey through the history of herbal medicine and plants witch were used to treat eyes diseases leads us through the diversity of cultures whose customs, superstitions and beliefs strengthened faith in the effectiveness of plant medicine. Many of those plants are still used today.Key words: etnobotanic, plant in treatment of eyes diseases.
Ocular references on ancient coins
Authors: Sanchez Juan Luis 
Published: December 2022

AbstractAccording to the dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, numismatics is the discipline that studies coins and medals, mainly ancient ones. In other places, this definition includes the study and collection of paper money or banknotes. The information we can obtain from coins with a minimum study of the aspects that appear on them is surprising. In relation to vision and ophthalmology, they show us important figures in the field, ocular symbology, they tell us about mythology and religion and curious stories that we would hardly have known without looking at the coins. Finally, we will talk about an important 19th century Valencian ophthalmologist, Rafael Cervera y Royo, and the collection of ancient coins that bears his name. This work is not intended to be an exhaustive description of all the coins and medals that speak of vision, but rather a sample of the valuable information that numismatics contributes to our speciality and to stimulate the public's curiosity about this fascinating science.
The value of colour assessment in diagnostic dilemmas
Authors: Evans Benjamin 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackground: When the goal of clinical assessment is to segment, divide, and classify cases into neat discrete boxes it can often be frustrating to encounter cases which do not fit standard diagnosis algorithms. However, such diagnostic dilemmas often provide a valuable insight into the boundaries of current clinical procedures and the potential value psychophysical assessment can provide when used in conjunction with standard diagnosis algorithms. We present such a case involving localized retinal dysfunction that is not fully consistent with signs of either autoimmune retinopathy or occult maculopathy.Methods: Specific visual function loss was investigated in a health 32‐year‐old male with suspected localized retinal dysfunction, affecting the central retina. Blood tests and electro‐diagnostics were carried out after the patient presented with acute onset ‘foggy’ central vision. The working diagnosis from this initial visit was autoimmune retinopathy and oral steroids were prescribed. Following no change in symptoms a year after initially presenting, the patient was referred to City, University of London for bespoke assessments of specific visual functions. These included assessments of central and peripheral red / green (RG) and yellow / blue (YB) colour vision, mesopic visual acuity (VA), functional contrast sensitivity (FCS), rod‐ and cone‐mediated flicker sensitivity, and pupil responses measured using both rod‐ and cone‐enhanced stimuli.Results: The loss of vision affected primarily the central 20° with a mean VA of 6/36 in each eye. Fundus images, fluorescein angiography, and full field electroretinograms (ERGs) were normal, but pattern and focal ERGs were undetectable indicating localized dysfunction in central vision with OCT images showing a disrupted ellipsoid zone in each eye. The patient's mean corpuscular volume was 69 femtoliters, with red cell indices suggestive of thalassemia. Testing at City, University of London confirmed a loss of VA and FCS in the central 10° field, although both VA and FCS depended strongly on light level and were less affected with negative contrast stimuli. A loss of RG and YB colour vision was also measured centrally. Outside the central 10° field EA had almost normal colour and spatial vision. Rod‐ and cone‐mediated, flicker thresholds were elevated, with cone thresholds 10‐fold higher than normal. Pre‐stimulus pupil size, constriction amplitudes and latencies were normal with both centrally presented and peripheral stimuli.Conclusions: Psychophysical measurements in a patient with presumed autoimmune maculopathy showed atypical macular dysfunction that appears to preferentially affect negative contrast stimuli. Despite damage to the retinal mechanisms involved in spatial vision and light adaptation pupil responses remained unaffected. This unusual case highlights the importance of detailed phenotyping in understanding unknown aetiology.
Gut microbiome and Behcet's disease
Authors: Wallace Graham 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBehcet's Disease (BD) is a multisystemic autoinflammatory condition characterized by mucosal ulceration breakdown of immune privileged sites and vasculitis. Several sites of mucosal inflammation, including the mouth, skin and genitals have a specific microbiome. Studies from different regions of the world have reported the composition of both the buccal and gut microbiomes from which similarities and differences will be discussed. Moreover, understanding potential mechanisms driving such changes other than disease are important in identifying the role of microbiome in BD. Finally recent studies on altering patient's diet, based on microbiome studies will be discussed.
In vivo corneal biopsy – OCT
Authors: Wylegala Edward 
Published: December 2022

AbstractAS‐OCT has been a diagnostic device for corneal diseases for many years. The non‐contact examination enables obtaining morphological and morphometric data useful in clinical practice. AS‐OCT is used both for initial diagnosis and treatment monitoring in diseases of the eye's surface. Most often used in the diagnosis of corneal dystrophy and degeneration. The presentation will show the practical aspects of using AS‐OCT in the diagnosis of eye surface diseases.
Imaging of corneal nerves with in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM)
Authors: Messmer Elisabeth M. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe subbasal corneal nerve plexus may serve as an important biomarker in ocular surface disease and ocular as well as systemic neuropathies. Changes in number and density of nerves, “beadings” and or tortuosity correlate to clinical signs of Dry Eye Disease. The same is true for atopic keratoconjunctivitis where – in addition – the number of perineural inflammatory cells was significantly increased. In patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, the corneal subbasal nerve plexus was abnormal in 50% although classified as “normal” by the clinical and electrophysiological based tests for peripheral neuropathies. Although in vivo confocal microscopy is a wonderful tool to assess corneal nerves as reliable biomarkers, it is not generally available, the quality of different equipment may vary, and the analysis of nerves is still time‐consuming.
Twenty‐five years of acanthamoeba diagnostics in Austria
Authors: Walochnik Julia 
Published: December 2022

AbstractAcanthamoeba spp. are ubiquitous free‐living amoebae and do not need a host. They can, however, cause disease upon accidental contact with a potential host. The most common Acanthamoeba infection in humans is the so‐called Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), occurring mainly in contact lens wearers.The first case of AK was reported in the early seventies and in the mid‐eighties the association between AK and contact lens wear was discovered. Today, acanthamoebae are among the most important causative agents of keratitis in contact lens wearers. AK often shows a severe progression, which is due to a lack of awareness but also to the lack of specific treatment. The dormant cysts pose a particular problem, often residing within the tissue and leading to reinfection after termination of treatment. In industrialized countries the annual incidence of AK lies between 0.1–1 cases per 100 000 inhabitants, with a marked regional variation depending on contact lens wear habits and mode of water supply.Our institution is the Austrian reference laboratory for Acanthamoeba diagnostics. All samples from patients with suspected AK are screened for Acanthamoeba spp. by culture and PCR in parallel, and all detected amoebae are genotyped. We currently have an annual incidence of AK of around 0.2 cases per 100 000 inhabitants, with >90% of cases occurring in contact lens wearers. In contrast to other countries, we do not see any seasonality and in contrast to the early years, today, males and females are equally represented, the most affected group being the 21–30‐year‐olds. The vast majority of cases are unilateral and many cases have a prolonged progression, in some cases infections remain viable for >1 yr. The predominant genotype is Acanthamoeba T4, other common genotypes are T3, T5, T6, T10 and T11.