1. |
- Olafsson, Jonatan, et al.
(author)
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TheraPearl Eye Mask and Blephasteam for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction : a randomized, comparative clinical trial
- 2021
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the most common cause of dry eye disease (DED). In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of eyelid warming treatment using either TheraPearl Eye Mask (Bausch & Lomb Inc., New York, USA) or Blephasteam (Spectrum Thea Pharmaceuticals LTD, Macclesfield, UK) in a Norwegian population with mild to moderate MGD-related DED. An open label, randomized comparative trial with seventy patients (49 females, 21 males; mean age 53.6 years). Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with Blephasteam (n = 37) or TheraPearl (n = 33). All received a hyaluronic acid based artificial tear substitute (Hylo-Comod, Ursapharm, Saarbrucken, Germany). Patients were examined at baseline, and at three and six months initiation of treatment. Treatment efficacy was primarily evaluated by fluorescein breakup time (FBUT) and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores. Other outcome measures included ocular surface staining (OSS), Schirmers test, and meibomian quality and expressibility. Baseline parameter values did not differ between the groups. After six months of treatment, Blephasteam improved FBUT by 3.9 s (p < 0.01) and OSDI by 13.7 (p < 0.01), TheraPearl improved FBUT by 2.6 s (p < 0.01) and OSDI by 12.6 (p < 0.01). No difference between treatments was detected at 6 months (p = 0.11 for FBUT and p = 0.71 for OSDI), nor were there differences in the other tested parameters between the treatment groups. Blephasteam and TheraPearl are equally effective in treating mild to moderate MGD in a Norwegian population after 6-months of treatment. Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT03318874; Protocol ID: 2014/1983; First registration: 24/10/2017.
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2. |
- Islam, Rakibul, et al.
(author)
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Tissue Harvesting Site and Culture Medium Affect Attachment, Growth, and Phenotype of Ex Vivo Expanded Oral Mucosal Epithelial Cells
- 2017
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In: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Transplantation of cultured oral mucosal epithelial cells (OMECs) is a promising treatment strategy for limbal stem cell deficiency. In order to improve the culture method, we investigated the effects of four culture media and tissue harvesting sites on explant attachment, growth, and phenotype of OMECs cultured from Sprague-Dawley rats. Neither choice of media or harvesting site impacted the ability of the explants to attach to the culture well. Dulbeccos modified Eagles medium/Hams F12 (DMEM) and Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640 medium (RPMI) supported the largest cellular outgrowth. Fold outgrowth was superior from LL explants compared to explants from the buccal mucosa (BM), HP, and transition zone of the lower lip (TZ) after six-day culture. Putative stem cell markers were detected in cultures grown in DMEM and RPMI. In DMEM, cells from TZ showed higher colony-forming efficiency than LL, BM, and HP. In contrast to RPMI, DMEM both expressed the putative stem cell marker Bmi-1 and yielded cell colonies. Our data suggest that OMECs from LL and TZ cultured in DMEM give rise to undifferentiated cells with high growth capacity, and hence are the most promising for treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency.
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3. |
- Badian, Reza A., et al.
(author)
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Comparison of novel wide-field in vivo corneal confocal microscopy with skin biopsy for assessing peripheral neuropathy in type 2 diabetes
- 2023
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In: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 72:7, s. 908-917
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a serious complication of diabetes, where skin biopsy assessing intraepi-dermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) plays an important diagnostic role. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus has been proposed as a noninvasive diagnostic modality for DPN. Direct compari-sons of skin biopsy and IVCM in controlled cohorts are lacking, as IVCM relies on subjective selection of images depicting only 0.2% of the nerve plexus. We compared these diagnostic modalities in a fixed-age cohort of 41 participants with type 2 diabetes and 36 healthy participants using machine algorithms to create wide-field image mosaics and quantify nerves in an area 37 times the size of prior studies to avoid human bias. In the same partici-pants, and at the same time point, no correlation between IENFD and corneal nerve density was found. Corneal nerve density did not correlate with clinical measures of DPN, including neuropathy symptom and disability scores, nerve conduction studies, or quantitative sensory tests. Our findings indicate that corneal and intraepidermal nerves likely mirror different aspects of nerve degeneration, where only intraepidermal nerves appear to reflect the clinical status of DPN, suggesting that scrutiny is warranted concerning methodologies of studies using corneal nerves to assess DPN.
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4. |
- Badian, Reza A., et al.
(author)
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Region of interest and directional analysis of subbasal nerves in wide-area corneal nerve plexus mosaics in type 2 diabetes mellitus
- 2020
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In: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) imaging of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SBNP) is a clinical imaging modality gaining popularity for the diagnosis and follow-up of corneal neuropathy in various conditions such as diabetes mellitus. There remain, however, major limitations to the method, hindering its widespread clinical use. Finding the same exact area of the central cornea to standardize image acquisition is difficult without a reference point. Alternatively, creating wide-area mosaics of the SBNP is resource-intensive and has not yet been developed for routine clinical use. Here, we investigated whether IVCM analysis of the corneal SBNP in a predetermined, anatomically standardized region of interest (ROI) could be applied as an equivalent substitution for wide-area SBNP mosaic generation and analysis. Furthermore, we investigated nerve patterns outside the central corneal region for a possible relationship to type 2 diabetes mellitus status using a publicly available dataset. We found that corneal nerve fibre length density (CNFL) based on the ROI underestimated the mosaic-based CNFL by an average of 34% in 90% of cases (150 eyes), and did not exhibit a significant reduction with diabetes, as seen in the full SBNP. Outside the central cornea, nerve orientation differed depending on the anatomic region (left, central or right superior plexus, P<0.001). Moreover, in long-term type 2 diabetes mellitus (>= 10 years, 28 subjects), nerve density in the left superior sector of the SBNP was decreased (P<0.001) while that in the central superior SBNP increased (P=0.01) relative to 35 age-matched healthy subjects with normal glucose tolerance. These results indicate that subbasal nerve degeneration in type 2 diabetes mellitus can vary according to anatomic location, and regions with potential diagnostic value outside the central SBNP may warrant further investigation.
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5. |
- Badian, Reza A., et al.
(author)
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The pattern of the inferocentral whorl region of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus is altered with age
- 2021
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In: The Ocular Surface. - : Elsevier. - 1542-0124 .- 1937-5913. ; 22, s. 204-212
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: To describe the pattern of the nerves in the inferocentral whorl region of the human corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SBNP) in health and diseases known to affect the subbasal nerves. Methods: Laser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) was used to image the SBNP bilaterally in 91 healthy subjects, 39 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and 43 subjects with Parkinsons disease (PD). Whorl regions were classified according to nerve orientation relative to age and health/disease status. Results: Of 346 examined eyes, 300 (86.7%) had an identifiable whorl pattern. In healthy subjects, a clockwise nerve orientation of the whorl was most common (67.9%), followed by non-rotatory or seam morphology (21.4%), and counterclockwise (10.7%). The clockwise orientation was more prevalent in healthy subjects than in T2DM or PD (P < 0.001). Healthy individuals below 50 years of age had a predominantly clockwise orientation (93.8%) which was reduced to 51.9% in those over 50 years (P < 0.001). Age but not disease status explained whorl orientation in T2DM and PD groups. Moreover, whorl orientation is bilaterally clockwise in the young, but adopts other orientations and becomes asymmetric across eyes with age. Finally, we report reflective dot-like features confined to the whorl region of the subbasal plexus, sometimes appearing in close association with subbasal nerves and present in 84-93% of examined eyes regardless of disease status, eye or sex. Conclusion: Subbasal nerves in the inferocentral whorl region are predominantly clockwise in young, healthy corneas. With aging and conditions of T2DM and PD, counterclockwise and non-rotatory configurations increase in prevalence, and bilateral symmetry is lost. Mechanisms regulating these changes warrant further investigation.
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6. |
- Badian, Reza A., et al.
(author)
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Wide-field mosaics of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus in Parkinsons disease using in vivo confocal microscopy
- 2021
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In: Scientific Data. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2052-4463. ; 8:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a non-invasive imaging technique facilitating real-time acquisition of images from the live cornea and its layers with high resolution (1-2 mu m) and high magnification (600 to 800-fold). IVCM is extensively used to examine the cornea at a cellular level, including the subbasal nerve plexus (SBNP). IVCM of the cornea has thus gained intense interest for probing ophthalmic and systemic diseases affecting peripheral nerves. One of the main drawbacks, however, is the small field of view of IVCM, preventing an overview of SBNP architecture and necessitating subjective image sampling of small areas of the SBNP for analysis. Here, we provide a high-quality dataset of the corneal SBNP reconstructed by automated mosaicking, with an average mosaic image size corresponding to 48 individual IVCM fields of view. The mosaic dataset represents a group of 42 individuals with Parkinsons disease (PD) with and without concurrent restless leg syndrome. Additionally, mosaics from a control group (n = 13) without PD are also provided, along with clinical data for all included participants.
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7. |
- Lagali, Neil, et al.
(author)
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Dendritic cell maturation in the corneal epithelium with onset of type 2 diabetes is associated with tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 9
- 2018
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 8:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by a low-grade inflammation; however, mechanisms leading to this inflammation in specific tissues are not well understood. The eye can be affected by diabetes; thus, we hypothesized that inflammatory changes in the eye may parallel the inflammation that develops with diabetes. Here, we developed a non-invasive means to monitor the status of inflammatory dendritic cell (DC) subsets in the corneal epithelium as a potential biomarker for the onset of inflammation in type 2 diabetes. In an age-matched cohort of 81 individuals with normal and impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes, DCs were quantified from wide-area maps of the corneal epithelial sub-basal plexus, obtained using clinical in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). With the onset of diabetes, the proportion of mature, antigen-presenting DCs increased and became organized in clusters. Out of 92 plasma proteins analysed in the cohort, tumor necrosis factor receptor super family member 9 (TNFRSF9) was associated with the observed maturation of DCs from an immature to mature antigen-presenting phenotype. A low-grade ocular surface inflammation observed in this study, where resident immature dendritic cells are transformed into mature antigen-presenting cells in the corneal epithelium, is a process putatively associated with TNFRSF9 signalling and may occur early in the development of type 2 diabetes. IVCM enables this process to be monitored non-invasively in the eye.
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8. |
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9. |
- Lagali, Neil S, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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Reduced Corneal Nerve Fiber Density in Type 2 Diabetes by Wide-Area Mosaic Analysis
- 2017
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In: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. - : The Assocation for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. - 0146-0404 .- 1552-5783. ; 58:14, s. 6318-6327
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE. To determine if corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SBP) parameters derived from wide-area depth-corrected mosaic images are associated with type 2 diabetes.METHODS. One hundred sixty-three mosaics were produced from eyes of 82 subjects by laser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). Subjects were of the same age, without (43 subjects) or with type 2 diabetes (39 subjects). Mosaic corneal nerve fiber length density (mCNFL) and apical whorl corneal nerve fiber length density (wCNFL) were quantified and related to the presence and duration of diabetes (short duration < 10 years and long duration ≥10 years).RESULTS. In mosaics with a mean size of 6 mm2 in subjects aged 69.1 ± 1.2 years, mCNFL in type 2 diabetes was reduced relative to nondiabetic subjects (13.1 ± 4.2 vs. 15.0 ± 3.2 mm/mm2, P = 0.018). Also reduced relative to nondiabetic subjects was mCNFL in both short-duration (14.0 ± 4.0 mm/mm2, 3.2 ± 3.9 years since diagnosis) and long-duration diabetes (12.7 ± 4.2 mm/mm2, 15.4 ± 4.2 years since diagnosis; ANOVA P =0.023). Lower mCNFL was associated with presence of diabetes (P =0.032) and increased hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels (P = 0.047). By contrast, wCNFL was unaffected by diabetes or HbA1c (P > 0.05). Global SBP patterns revealed marked degeneration of secondary nerve fiber branches outside the whorl region in long-duration diabetes.CONCLUSIONS. Wide-area mosaic images provide reference values for mCNFL and wCNFL and reveal a progressive degeneration of the SBP with increasing duration of type 2 diabetes.
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10. |
- Lagali, Neil, et al.
(author)
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Wide-field corneal subbasal nerve plexus mosaics in age-controlled healthy and type 2 diabetes populations
- 2018
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In: Scientific Data. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2052-4463. ; 5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A dense nerve plexus in the clear outer window of the eye, the cornea, can be imaged in vivo to enable non-invasive monitoring of peripheral nerve degeneration in diabetes. However, a limited field of view of corneal nerves, operator-dependent image quality, and subjective image sampling methods have led to difficulty in establishing robust diagnostic measures relating to the progression of diabetes and its complications. Here, we use machine-based algorithms to provide wide-area mosaics of the corneas subbasal nerve plexus (SBP) also accounting for depth (axial) fluctuation of the plexus. Degradation of the SBP with age has been mitigated as a confounding factor by providing a dataset comprising healthy and type 2 diabetes subjects of the same age. To maximize reuse, the dataset includes bilateral eye data, associated clinical parameters, and machine-generated SBP nerve density values obtained through automatic segmentation and nerve tracing algorithms. The dataset can be used to examine nerve degradation patterns to develop tools to non-invasively monitor diabetes progression while avoiding narrow-field imaging and image selection biases.
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