We report the surgical management of a patient with bilateral anterior lenticonus due to Alport syndrome using femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and the Optiwave Refractive Analysis (ORA) system. A 38-year-old man with Alport syndrome presented to our department with visual loss due to anterior lenticonus in both eyes. Adjustments during bilateral FLACS were performed with the software's calipers to manually delineate the anterior capsulotomy. Multifocal toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) were selected and placed in the posterior chamber with the aid of intraoperative aberrometry. The intended postoperative positioning parameters for the IOL as well as the planned visual acuity and refraction were achieved. The implementation of FLACS and intraoperative wavefront aberrometry is a safe and useful surgical approach for the management of cataract in challenging cases such as patients with anterior lenticonus due to Alport syndrome.

The prevalence as well as the severity of dry eye disease increase with age. Memory T helper 17 (Th17) cells (CD4IL-17ACD44) drive the chronic and relapsing course of dry eye disease. Here, we investigated the contribution of memory Th17 cells to age-related dry eye disease, and evaluated memory Th17 cell depletion with anti-IL-15 antibody as a strategy to abrogate the severe exacerbations of dry eye disease observed in aged mice. After initial exposure to desiccating stress, aged mice maintained higher frequencies of memory Th17 cells in the draining lymph nodes relative to young mice. Upon secondary exposure to desiccating stress, aged mice developed more severe corneal epitheliopathy than young mice, which is associated with increased local frequencies of Th17 cells (CD4IL-17A). Treatment with anti-IL-15 antibody decreased the enlarged memory Th17 pool in aged mice to frequencies comparable with young mice. Furthermore, anti-IL-15-treated mice showed significantly reduced conjunctival infiltration of Th17 cells and lower corneal fluorescein staining scores compared with saline-treated control mice. Our data suggest that age-related increases in the memory Th17 compartment predispose aged mice toward the development of severe corneal epithelial disease after exposure to a dry environment. Selectively targeting memory Th17 cells may be a viable therapeutic approach in the treatment of age-related dry eye disease.

Dynamic modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins with O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) plays an important role in orchestrating the transcriptional activity of eukaryotic cells. Here, we report that the O-GlcNAc modification contributes to maintaining ocular surface epithelial homeostasis by promoting mucin biosynthesis and barrier function. We found that induction of human corneal epithelial cell differentiation stimulated the global transfer of O-GlcNAc to both nuclear and cytosolic proteins. Inflammatory conditions, on the other hand, were associated with a reduction in the expression of O-GlcNAc transferase at the ocular surface epithelia. Loss- and gain-of-function studies using small interfering RNA targeting O-GlcNAc transferase, or Thiamet G, a selective inhibitor of O-GlcNAc hydrolase, respectively, revealed that the presence of O-GlcNAc was necessary to promote glycocalyx barrier function. Moreover, we found that Thiamet G triggered a correlative increase in both surface expression of MUC16 and apical epithelial cell area while reducing paracellular permeability. Collectively, these results identify intracellular protein O-glycosylation as a novel pathway responsible for promoting the terminal differentiation of human corneal epithelial cells.

OptrA is an ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-F protein that confers resistance to oxazolidinones and phenicols and can be either plasmid-encoded or chromosomally encoded. Here, we isolated 13 strains possessing a linezolid MIC of ≥4 mg/liter from nursery pigs in swine herds located across Brazil. Genome sequence comparison showed that these strains possess in different genetic contexts occurring in 5 different sequence type backgrounds. The gene invariably occurred in association with an regulator and a gene encoding a hypothetical protein. In some contexts, this genetic island was able to excise and form a covalently closed circle within the cell; this circle appeared to occur in high abundance and to be transmissible by coresident plasmids.

PURPOSE: Subperiosteal orbital lesions are most commonly abscesses secondary to sinusitis but, in rare cases, may represent other processes. Here, the authors compare the clinical and radiographic presentation of subperiosteal abscesses and alternate subperiosteal processes ("masqueraders") in an effort to establish distinguishing preoperative diagnostic criteria. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of cases of subperiosteal orbital lesions that underwent surgical intervention over a 3-year period was performed. The medical records of 6 cases of subperiosteal masqueraders and 6 cases of abscesses were reviewed for the clinical course, imaging (including radiographic density of lesions), and pathology. Clinical and radiographic features of the 2 groups were compared. RESULTS: All cases presented with orbital signs on exam. Fever and leukocytosis were absent in the masquerader group and present in 3 patients from the abscess group. Common radiographic findings in both groups included a rim-enhancing convex mass along the orbital wall and adjacent sinus opacification, often with bony dehiscence. Of the masqueraders, the final diagnosis was hematoma in 3 cases, mucocele in 1, and malignancy in 2. The difference between the mean radiodensity of the subperiosteal abscesses, 38 ± 5 Hounsfield units (95% CI, 34-42), as compared with the average radiodensity of the masqueraders, 71 ± 5 Hounsfield units (95% CI, 67-75), was significant (p = 0.042). Comparing radiodensity of the orbital lesion to adjacent sinus lesions and metastatic lesions elsewhere was also informative in establishing the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Radiographic features, particularly radiodensity, may help distinguish subperiosteal abscesses from other lesions and aid in preoperative diagnosis and management.

We describe here a case report of a novel technique for tube erosion repair, which modifies and utilizes the commercially available tube extender (Model TE). The modification of the tube extender makes the commercially available tube extender more compact and is useful in cases where conjunctival mobility and space are limited. This debulking of the tube extender may reduce the risk of future tube exposure and dellen formation.

Artificial cornea is an effective treatment of corneal blindness. Yet, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements for glaucoma monitoring remain an urgent unmet need. Here, we present the integration of a fiber-optic Fabry-Perot pressure sensor with an FDA-approved keratoprosthesis for real-time IOP measurements using a novel strategy based on optical-path self-alignment with micromagnets. Additionally, an alternative noncontact sensor-interrogation approach is demonstrated using a bench-top optical coherence tomography system. We show stable pressure readings with low baseline drift (<2.8 mm Hg) for >4.5 years in vitro and efficacy in IOP interrogation in vivo using fiber-optic self-alignment, with good initial agreement with the actual IOP. Subsequently, IOP drift in vivo was due to retroprosthetic membrane (RPM) formation on the sensor secondary to surgical inflammation (more severe in the current pro-fibrotic rabbit model). This study paves the way for clinical adaptation of optical pressure sensors with ocular implants, highlighting the importance of controlling RPM in clinical adaptation.