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Growing evidence emphasizes the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of Dry Eye Syndrome (DES). Concordantly, the importance of agents targeting the inflammatory cascade and oxidative stress in the treatment is also progressively increasing. Herein, the study has investigated the protective effects and underlying mechanism of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) on the ocular surface in a benzalkonium chloride (BAC)-induced dry eye rat model.A total of twenty-one Wistar albino rats were used to form the following three groups: Control, BAC, BAC + AITC. DES was established by topical application of BAC (four times daily for two weeks) in two groups, of which one group was treated with AITC (10 mg/kg BW daily oral dosage) for four weeks. Rats were monitored by dry eye diagnostic tests during the study period, and eventually, corneal tissues were used to evaluate for histopathologic analyzes and inflammatory and oxidative status.A significant improvement was observed in various histopathologic and ophthalmologic findings, including tear volume, tear film integrity, ocular surface damage, ocular inflammatory signs, corneal thickness, and edema through AITC supplementation. AITC prominently balanced the inflammatory status and oxidative stress by lowering key proinflammatory mediators (NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8) and increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH-Px). Also, levels of protective tear proteins, including Muc1, Muc4, and Muc5 were recovered with AITC supplementation.AITC alleviates clinical and histopathologic signs related to DES. Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of AITC play a significant role in the mechanism of action.

Background To compare the effect of two different prostaglandin analogues (Travatan® vs. Xalatan®) on ocular surface parameters. Methods This study includes 44 eyes of 44 patients with newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT). Patients were randomly divided into two groups and treated with either benzalkonium chloride (BAK)-preserved latanoprost and polyquad-preserved travoprost. Changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) levels and ocular surface parameters including ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, tear break-up time (TBUT), ocular surface staining scores, and Schirmer test scores of patients were performed at baseline, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment and compared. Results The age, sex ratio, visual acuity, central corneal thickness, and cup/disc ratio were similar between the groups. A decrease in IOP levels (23.3 ± 2.5 to 15.5 ± 2.3), TBUT (5.5 ± 2.3 to 4.1 ± 1.7 sec), Schirmer test values (11.3 ± 5.9 to 8.6 ± 4.7 sec), and a worsening in OSDI scores (44.6 ± 15.2 to 55.1 ± 13.1) and staining scores (1.7 ± 1.6 to 2.3 ± 1.8) were observed in all patients in the first month of treatment (p

To demonstrate differences in optic nerve head (ONH), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and macular thickness in patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A case-controlled study was conducted in 31 patients with a diagnosis of unilateral ICA stenosis (the percentage of stenosis was between 65 and 85%), and 53 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (control group) from March 2016 to April 2018. The ONH parameters, RNFL, and macular thicknesses in the nine macular quadrants according to the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) were measured using SD-OCT. The average macular thickness and outer macular quadrants measurements were lower in the ICA stenosis group (P

Purpose: To investigate the effect of surgical timing on long-term motor and sensory outcomes in patients with infantile esotropia. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent strabismus surgery for infantile esotropia were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into three groups according to age at the time of surgery: early group (6 to 11 months), late group (12 to 17 months), and very late group (18 to 27 months). The main outcome measures were final alignment, surgical success rate (the angle of deviation at final follow-up of ≤ 10 prism diopters [PD] of esotropia, no exotropia and no need for reoperation), stereoacuity, visual acuity, and the number of reoperations required during the follow-up. Results: A total of 79 patients (44 female, 35 male) met the inclusion criteria. The surgical success rate was 25.9%, 23.1%, and 53.8% in the three groups, respectively ( P = .035). After a mean follow-up of 96 months, the average number of operations per child was 1.7 ± 0.9, 1.6 ± 0.6, and 1.4 ± 0.6 in the three groups, respectively ( P = .020). The measurable stereopsis rate was higher in the early group (37% vs 3.8% and 3.8%, respectively) ( P = .001). The amblyopia rate was similar between groups. Conclusions: The results show that performing surgery later in life in patients with infantile esotropia increases the motor success rate of surgery. In addition, orthophoria is achieved with fewer surgical operations. However, earlier surgery may improve stereopsis. [ J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus . 2020;57(5):319–325.]

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a chronic condition of the eye with insufficient production of tears leading to inadequate lubrication of eyes. Symptoms of DES are associated with discomfort and redness of the eye, blurred vision, and tear film instability which leads to the damaged ocular surface. Inflammation and oxidative stress play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In this study, the protective effect of different doses (100 or 200 mg/kg) of a novel multi-component oral formulation of lutein/zeaxanthin, curcumin, and vitamin D3 (LCD) was evaluated using a rat model with benzalkonium chloride (BAC)-induced dry eye syndrome. The formulation was administered orally to rats for 4 weeks. We observed a significant improvement in tear volume, tear breakup time, tear film integrity, and reduction in overall inflammation in rats fed with the LCD at dose 200 mg/kg performing better than 100 mg/kg. Furthermore, the formulation helped in lowering oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant levels and restored protective tear protein levels including MUC1, MUC4, and MUC5AC with 200 mg of LCD having the most significant effect. The results strongly suggest that the combination of lutein/zeaxanthin, curcumin, and vitamin-D3 is effective in alleviating the symptoms of dry eye condition with a multi-modal mechanism of action.

OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating chronic illness that affects millions across the globe. Current medical treatment approaches that focus on the reduction of pain and inflammation using pharmaceutical drugs are moderately effective and associated with significant adverse events. Hence health care professionals are exploring alternative approaches that are effective and safe to treat osteoarthritis. We developed a novel integrated active formulation to alleviate symptoms of osteoarthritis using improved plant extracts from Curcumin, Ashwagandha and Boswellia and validated the efficacy of the formulation using a well-established animal model for osteoarthritis. METHODS: We induced OA in female Wistar rats by intra-articular injection of sodium monoiodoacetate followed by recovery for 14 days. Seven rats were included in each group. Animals were supplemented with integrated active herbal formulation of enriched extracts of Curcumin, Boswellia and Ashwagandha for 4 weeks at two different concentrations (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) and assessment of disease was carried out by histopathology including integrity of joint architecture, and effect of supplementation on oxidative stress, inflammation and on extracellular matrix proteinases levels in joint tissue using western blot technique. RESULTS: We observed a significant restoration of joint architecture and reduction in swelling of joint as demonstrated by X-ray images and histopathology after 4 weeks of administration integrated active herbal supplement. There was a significant reduction in serum and synovial tissue malondialdehyde levels and increased superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase; and catalase levels. Synovial inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and CRP) and markers of cartilage damage such as COMP, collagen type 2 and MMP-3 levels were significantly reduced in synovial tissue in response to supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that our integrated active herbal formulation has a strong protective effect against OA in a dose dependent manner by acting through multi-modal pathways as substantiated by significant effects on histopathology, inflammation, oxidative stress and collagen degradation. FUNDING SOURCES: OmniActive Health Technologies Limited.