ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between the pathological and functional changes of the retina and the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 after retinal laser injury in mice. MethodsA total of 116 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the normal group (58 mice) and the injured group (58 mice). Retinal laser injuries were induced by Argon ion laser. At 1, 3, 7 days after laser injury, electroretinogram (ERG) responses were recorded to detect the function of the retina. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe pathological changes. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect gene expression of MCP-1. Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of MCP-1. ResultsHE staining showed a progressive damage of the retinal structure. The results of ERG showed that the differences of dark-adaptive a wave (t=6.998, 9.594, 13.778) and b wave (t=12.089, 13.310, 21.989) amplitudes of 1, 3 and 7 day post-injury between normal group and injured group were statistically significant (P=0.000). At 1 day post-injury, the differences of light adaptive b wave amplitudes between the two groups were statistically significant (t=8.844, P=0.000). While the differences of light-adaptive a wave amplitudes were not (t=2.659,P=0.200). At 3, 7 days post-injury, the differences of a (t=3.076, 7.544) and b wave amplitudes (t=10.418, 8.485) between the two groups were statistically significant (P=0.000). In dark-adaptive ERG, the differences of a wave amplitudes between 1 day and 3 days (t=3.773), 1 day and 7 days (t=5.070) and b wave amplitudes between 1 day and 7 days (t=4.762) were statistically significant (P<0.01), while the differences of a wave amplitudes between the 3 days and 7 days (t=1.297) and b wave amplitudes between 1 day and 3 days (t=2.236), 3 day and 7 days (t=2.526) were not significant (P=0.660, 0.120, 0.060). In light-adaptive ERG, the differences of a wave amplitudes between 1 day and 7 days (t=2.992) and b wave amplitudes between 1 day and 3 days (t=3.570), 1day and 7 days (t=4.989) were statistically significant (P<0.05), while the differences of a wave amplitudes between 1 day and 3 days (t=0.516), the 3 days and 7 days (t=2.475) and b wave amplitudes between 3 days and 7 days (t=1.419) were not significant (P=1.000, 0.710, 0.070). Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the differences of MCP-1 gene expression at 1, 3 and 7 day post-injury between normal group and injured group were statistically significant (t=14.329, 16.861, 5.743; P<0.05). Western blot showed that the differences of MCP-1 protein expression at 1, 3 and 7 day post-injury between normal group and injured group were statistically significant (t=75.068, 54.145, 14.653; P<0.05). ConclusionIn the first 7 days after mice retinal laser injury, there are progressive pathological and functional damage of the retina, which might be correlated with MCP-1 expression.
Objective To observe the clinical features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with retinopathy.Methods Ninety-seven SLE patients were enrolled in this comparative clinical study. The patients were divided into retinopathy group (positive group, 32 eyes of 23 patients) and non-retinopathy group (negative group, 148 eyes of 74 patients). The age, course of disease, clinical features, laboratory results in these two groups were comparatively analyzed.Results The positive rate of retinopathy in all SLE patients was 23.7%. Seventeen patients (22 eyes, 73.9%) of positive group had retinal cotton-wool spot, retinal hemorrhage, tortuous retinal vein, retinal arterial spasm, microaneurysm and hard exudates. The other six patients (10 eyes, 26.1%) in this group showed retinal main vessel occlusion. The incidence rate of rash, cutaneous vasculitis, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), decreased complement C3 and positive anti double stranded-DNA (anti-ds-DNA) antibody in the positive group were higher than those in the negative group (chi;2=9.206, 6.987, 7.824, 8.581, 6.599;P＜0.05). There was no significant difference between these two groups in age, course of disease, mucosal ulcers, arthritis, fever, headache, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, proteinuria, elevated blood urea nitrogen, increased creatinine, positive antinuclear (ANA) and anti-Sm antibodies (t=0.321, 0.063;chi;2=0.135, 0.046, 0.176, 0.002, 0.036, 0.113, 0.053,0.032,0.012,0.000,0.004;P＞0.05). Conclusions Tortuous retinal veins, retinal cotton-wool spots and retinal main vessels occlusion are the three major fundus features of SLE patient with retinopathy. Rash, cutaneous vasculitis, increased ESR, decreased complement C3 and positive anti-ds-DNA antibody are the five major systemic clinical features of SLE patient with retinopathy.
In recent years，there are more and more cases of retinal infectious diseases in China，however，the diagnosis and management of those patients are still big challenges for our ophthalmic clinicians. It is our top priority to improve their capacity of early diagnosis for those diseases. We need to know the relationship between retinal infectious diseases and systemic infections, their predisposing factors. We also need to be familiar with the typical as well as atypical clinical features of those diseases. Vitreoretinal surgery already becomes a powerful tool to make diagnosis of retinal infectious diseases now；we need to make full use of this tool combined with modern technologies of microbiology, cytology, immunology and molecular biology to provide objective scientific evidences for the early diagnosis of retinal infectious diseases.