Uveitis is a group of inflammatory diseases affecting the uveal tract, retina, retinal blood vessels and vitreous. Due to its complex etiology, various entities, diverse and lack of constancy in treatment, some patients can experience visual impairment and even loss. In view of the fact that blindness caused by uveitis is mostly incurable and occurs usually in young and middle-aged people, it accounts for an important part of blinding eye diseases and has attracted worldwide attention. With the continuous development of precision medicine, clinicians will face new problems and challenges in disease diagnosis, and further in-depth research is needed to explore more optimized and efficient diagnostic processes and examinations to improve the diagnosis of uveitis in China.
Objective To observe the clinical features, the complications and treatment effects of intermediate uveitis. Methods The clinical data of 36 patients (66 eyes) with intermediate uveitis were retrospectively analyzed，including the clinical features, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) features, complications，treatment effects and prognosis. The patients, 21 males and 15 females, aged from 8 to 70 years，with the mean age of 34.8 years. There were 30 cases with bilateral lesions and 6 cases with unilateral lesions. Results The main clinical manifestation were vitreous opacity, peripheral retinal venous lesions, optic disc edema, macular edema and posterior subcapsular cataract. The results of FFA showed that peripheral retinal venous lesions, optic disc hyperfluorescence, cystoid macular edema and retinal vein staining. After the treatment, the visual acuity of 31 cases（60 eyes，90.9%) were improved, 4 cases（5 eyes，7.6%) were stable and 1 case（1 eye，1.5%) was worsening. The main complications were cystoid macular edema, posterior subcapsular cataract and vitreous hemorrhage which leads to visual damage. Conclusions Intermediate uveitis was a common bilateral and chronic progressive intraocular inflammation，the anterior vitritis, pars plana and peripheral retinal vascular changes were mainly involved. Early diagnosis and proper treatment may prevent the permanent visual damage.
Objective
To investigate the effects of gamma;-interferon (IFN-gamma; on the expression of costimulatory molecules B7-1 (CD80) and B7-2 (CD86) and Fas/FasL in human retina.
Methods
Nine human eyes were obtained from the eye-bank of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center. Six eyes were used for making retinal wholemounts, and 12 retinal wholemounts from each eye were put into the 24-hole culture board which had 2ml DMEM/F12 culture medium in each hole. The wholemounts were divided into 3 groups whose concentration of IFN-gamma; was 0, 200, and 1000 U/ml respectively. After cultured in 37℃ culture box (95%O 2，5%CO 2) for 24 hours, the expressions of B7-1 (CD80), B7-2 (CD86), and Fas/FasL on these retinal wholemounts were detected by immunohistochemical method. The retinal wholemounts from 3 healthy people were detected by immunohistochemical method as the control.
Results
Expression of FasL but not B7-1, B7-2 or Fas was found in the control group, while the expression of B7-1, B7-2 and Fas and increased expression of FasL were found after cultured with IFN-gamma;.
Conclusion
IFN-gamma; may be involved in the occurrence of ocular immune response and induction of apoptosis via the stimulation of expression of costimulatory molecules and Fas/FasL, which plays an important role in the activation of T lymphocytes.
(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2006, 22: 117-119)
Objective
To observe the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), its tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP-1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and contents of nitric oxide (NO) in the ocular tissues of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with endotoxin induced uveitis（EIU）.
Methods
Ninety SD rats were randomly divided into experimental (81 rats) and control group (9 rats). The model of EIU was induced in rats in experimental group by injecting with lipoplysaccharide (LPS) 200 μl into the hind feet pads, while the rats in the control group were not injected. Nine rats were executed 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 48, 72, 96 hours and 7 days, respectively, after injecting with LPS; the NO content and concentration of protein in the aqueous humor in blood plasma, aqueous humor, and uveal tissues were detected. The expressions of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and iNOS in the ocular tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the average absorbance (A) value was evaluated by computer medical image analysis system.
Results
iNOS, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 expressed in the epithelial cells of iris and ciliary body and exudated inflammatory cells of rats. The concentration of protein in the aqueous humor, the contents of NO in blood plasma, aqueous humor, and uveal tissues, and A value of MMP-9 had obvious relativity with the inflammatory extent, while no positive correlation was found between the inflammatory extent and the A value of iNOS and TIMP-1. Expression of iNOS was found 6 hours after injection, reached the peak after 12 hours, and then dropped gradually. The expression of TIMP-1 could be seen 24 hours after injection, and reached its peak after 72 hours.
Conclusion
The content of NO and expressions of iNOS, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 changes from the beginning and during the development of EIU, which suggests that NO, iNOS, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 are involved in the pathologic process of EIU.
(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2005, 21: 371-374)
