scholarly journals U-Net Segmented Adjacent Angle Detection (USAAD) for Automatic Analysis of Corneal Nerve Structures

Data ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Mehrgardt ◽  
Seid Miad Zandavi ◽  
Simon K. Poon ◽  
Juno Kim ◽  
Maria Markoulli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Information ◽  
Eye Disease ◽  
Nerve Structure ◽  
Angle Measurements ◽  
Corneal Nerves ◽  
Corneal Nerve ◽  
Interval Lengths ◽  
Grading Scales ◽  
Potential Use

Measurement of corneal nerve tortuosity is associated with dry eye disease, diabetic retinopathy, and a range of other conditions. However, clinicians measure tortuosity on very different grading scales that are inherently subjective. Using in vivo confocal microscopy, 253 images of corneal nerves were captured and manually labelled by two researchers with tortuosity measurements ranging on a scale from 0.1 to 1.0. Tortuosity was estimated computationally by extracting a binarised nerve structure utilising a previously published method. A novel U-Net segmented adjacent angle detection (USAAD) method was developed by training a U-Net with a series of back feeding processed images and nerve structure vectorizations. Angles between all vectors and segments were measured and used for training and predicting tortuosity measured by human labelling. Despite the disagreement among clinicians on tortuosity labelling measures, the optimised grading measurement was significantly correlated with our USAAD angle measurements. We identified the nerve interval lengths that optimised the correlation of tortuosity estimates with human grading. We also show the merit of our proposed method with respect to other baseline methods that provide a single estimate of tortuosity. The real benefit of USAAD in future will be to provide comprehensive structural information about variations in nerve orientation for potential use as a clinical measure of the presence of disease and its progression.

scholarly journals Corneal Nerve Regeneration after Self-Retained Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane in Dry Eye Disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas John ◽  
Sean Tighe ◽  
Hosam Sheha ◽  
Pedram Hamrah ◽  
Zeina M. Salem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Regeneration ◽  
Dry Eye ◽  
Amniotic Membrane ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Dry Eye Disease ◽  
Eye Disease ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Corneal Sensitivity ◽  
Corneal Nerve

Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy of self-retained cryopreserved amniotic membrane (CAM) in promoting corneal nerve regeneration and improving corneal sensitivity in dry eye disease (DED).Methods. In this prospective randomized clinical trial, subjects with DED were randomized to receive CAM (study group) or conventional maximum treatment (control). Changes in signs and symptoms, corneal sensitivity, topography, and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) were evaluated at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months.Results. Twenty subjects (age 66.9 ± 8.9) were enrolled and 17 completed all follow-up visits. Signs and symptoms were significantly improved in the study group yet remained constant in the control. IVCM showed a significant increase in corneal nerve density in the study group (12,241 ± 5083 μm/mm2at baseline, 16,364 ± 3734 μm/mm2at 1 month, and 18,827 ± 5453 μm/mm2at 3 months,p=0.015) but was unchanged in the control. This improvement was accompanied with a significant increase in corneal sensitivity (3.25 ± 0.6 cm at baseline, 5.2 ± 0.5 cm at 1 month, and 5.6 ± 0.4 cm at 3 months,p<0.001) and corneal topography only in the study group.Conclusions. Self-retained CAM is a promising therapy for corneal nerve regeneration and accelerated recovery of the ocular surface health in patients with DED. The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov with trial identifier:NCT02764814.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Corneal Nerves and Dendritic Cells By in Vivo Confocal Microscopy After Descemet’s Membrane Keratoplasty For Bullous Keratopathy

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiko Hayashi ◽  
Atsuyuki Ishida ◽  
Akira Kobayashi ◽  
Takefumi Yamaguchi ◽  
Nobuhisa Mizuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Bullous Keratopathy ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
In Vivo Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty ◽  
Corneal Nerves ◽  
Corneal Nerve ◽  
Number Of Branches

Abstract This study evaluated changes in corneal nerves and the number of dendritic cells (DCs) in corneal basal epithelium following Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) surgery for bullous keratopathy (BK). Twenty-three eyes from 16 consecutive patients that underwent DMEK for BK were included. Eyes of age-matched patients that underwent pre-cataract surgery (12 eyes) were used as controls. In vivo confocal microscopy was performed pre- and postoperatively at 6, 12, and 24 months. Corneal nerve length, corneal nerve trunks, number of branches, and the number of DCs were determined. The total corneal nerve length of 1634.7 ± 1389.1 μm /mm2 before surgery was significantly increased in a time-dependent manner to 4485.8 ± 1403.7 μm /mm2, 6949.5 ± 1477.1 μm /mm2, and 9389.2 ± 2302.2 μm /mm2 at 6, 12, and 24 months after DMEK surgery, respectively. The DC density in BK cornea pre- and postoperatively at 6 months was significantly higher than in the controls, and decreased postoperatively at 12 and 24 months and was significantly lower than that at 6 months postoperatively. Thus, our results suggest that DMEK can repair and normalize the corneal environment.

scholarly journals The Role of Neuropeptides in Pathogenesis of Dry Dye

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 4248
Author(s):  
Daniel Duck-Jin Hwang ◽  
Seok-Jae Lee ◽  
Jeong-Hun Kim ◽  
Sang-Mok Lee
Keyword(s):  
Dry Eye ◽  
Dry Eye Disease ◽  
Eye Disease ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Immune Systems ◽  
Pathogenic Mechanisms ◽  
Corneal Nerves ◽  
Ocular Surface Diseases ◽  
Corneal Nerve

Neuropeptides are known as important mediators between the nervous and immune systems. Recently, the role of the corneal nerve in the pathogenesis of various ocular surface diseases, including dry eye disease, has been highlighted. Neuropeptides are thought to be important factors in the pathogenesis of dry eye disease, as suggested by the well-known role between the nervous and immune systems, and several recently published studies have elucidated the previously unknown pathogenic mechanisms involved in the role of the neuropeptides secreted from the corneal nerves in dry eye disease. Here, we reviewed the emerging concept of neurogenic inflammation as one of the pathogenic mechanisms of dry eye disease, the recent results of related studies, and the direction of future research.

scholarly journals Corneal Nerve Abnormalities in Painful Dry Eye Disease Patients

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1424
Author(s):  
Adrian Guerrero-Moreno ◽  
Hong Liang ◽  
Nathan Moreau ◽  
Jade Luzu ◽  
Ghislaine Rabut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Eye ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Meibomian Gland ◽  
Dry Eye Disease ◽  
Eye Disease ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Corneal Nerve ◽  
Nested Case Control ◽  
Ocular Signs

This study aimed to compare the corneal nerve structural abnormalities detected using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) in patients with neuropathic corneal pain (NCP) secondary to primary meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) or autoimmune dry eye (AIDE). Methods: A two-stage retrospective nested case–control study was conducted. First, data from patients with either MGD or AIDE were assessed, selecting only cases with no corneal pain (VAS = 0) or severe pain (VAS ≥ 8). Ocular signs and symptoms of the 238 selected patients were compared between painful and painless cases. Next, painful patients with no corneal damage (Oxford score ≤ 1) were selected within each study group, defining the cases with NCP (i.e., “pain without stain”). IVCM images from all groups were compared with prospectively-recruited healthy controls, focusing on dendritiform cell density and nerve abnormalities (density, tortuosity, microneuromas). Results: AIDE patients had more ocular signs/symptoms than MGD patients. Compared with healthy controls, AIDE-related NCP patients showed increased nerve tortuosity and number of neuromas, whereas MGD-related NCP patients had reduced nerve density and increased number, perimeter, and area of microneuromas. Microneuromas were also observed in healthy controls. Furthermore, a higher number of microneuromas was found in MGD-related NCP compared to AIDE-related NCP or painless MGD. Conclusions: MGD-related NCP was associated with significantly more corneal nerve abnormalities than AIDE-related NCP or healthy controls. Although IVCM can be useful to detect NCP-related corneal nerve changes in such patients, the diagnosis of dry eye disease-related NCP will require an association of several IVCM-based criteria without relying solely on the presence of microneuromas.

scholarly journals Oral Aminoacids Supplementation Improves Corneal Reinnervation After Photorefractive Keratectomy: A Confocal-Based Investigation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M Roszkowska ◽  
Dario Rusciano ◽  
Leandro Inferrera ◽  
Alice Antonella Severo ◽  
Pasquale Aragona
Keyword(s):  
Topical Therapy ◽  
Sodium Hyaluronate ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Photorefractive Keratectomy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Oral Supplementation ◽  
Corneal Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Corneal Nerves ◽  
Corneal Nerve

Aim of this retrospective study was to estimate the effect of oral supplementation with amino acids (AA) on corneal nerves regrowth after excimer laser refractive surgery with photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Based on the pre and post-surgical treatment received, 40 patients with 12 months of follow-up were distributed in two groups: 20 patients had received oral AA supplementation 7 days before and 30 days after PRK, and 20 patients without AA supplementation, as untreated reference control. All patients followed the same standard post-operative topical therapy consisting of an association of antibiotic and steroid plus sodium hyaluronate during the first week, then steroid alone progressively decreasing during 30 days and sodium hyaluronate for the following 3 months. In vivo corneal confocal microscopy was used to evaluate the presence of sub-basal corneal nerve fibers during 12 months after PRK. Results have shown that sub-basal nerves regenerated significantly faster (p &lt;0.05), and nerve fibers density was significantly higher (p &lt;0.05) with a more regular pattern in the eyes of AA treated patients with respect to the untreated control group. Therefore, our data indicate that oral supplementation with AA improved significantly corneal nerve restoration after PRK and could thus be considered as an additional treatment during corneal surgical procedures.

Alterations in corneal nerves in different subtypes of dry eye disease: An in vivo confocal microscopy study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. Cox ◽  
Ahmad Kheirkhah ◽  
Shruti Aggarwal ◽  
Farshad Abedi ◽  
Bernardo M. Cavalcanti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Dry Eye ◽  
Microscopy Study ◽  
Dry Eye Disease ◽  
Eye Disease ◽  
In Vivo Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Corneal Nerves

Identification of presumed corneal neuromas and microneuromas using laser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2020-318156
Author(s):  
Holly Rose Chinnery ◽  
Rajni Rajan ◽  
Haihan Jiao ◽  
Mengliang Wu ◽  
Alexis Ceecee Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Human Cornea ◽  
In Vivo Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Ovid Medline ◽  
Corneal Nerves ◽  
Corneal Nerve

Background/aimsThis systematic review critically evaluated peer-reviewed publications describing morphological features consistent with, or using terms related to, a ‘neuroma’ or ‘microneuroma’ in the human cornea using laser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM).MethodsThe review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020160038). Comprehensive literature searches were performed in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase and the Cochrane Library in November 2019. The review included primary research studies and reviews that described laser-scanning IVCM for examining human corneal nerves. Papers had to include at least one of a pre-specified set of keyword stems, broadly related to neuromas and microneuromas, to describe a corneal nerve feature.ResultsTwenty-five papers (20 original studies; 5 reviews) were eligible. Three original studies evaluated corneal nerve features in healthy eyes. Most papers assessed corneal nerves in ocular and systemic conditions; seven studies did not include a control/comparator group. There was overlap in terminology used to describe nerve features in healthy and diseased corneas (eg, bulb-like/bulbous, penetration, end/s/ing). Inspection of IVCM images within the papers revealed that features termed ‘neuromas’ and ‘microneuromas’ could potentially be physiological corneal stromal-epithelial nerve penetration sites. We identified inconsistent definitions for terms, and limitations in IVCM image acquisition, sampling and/or reporting that may introduce bias and lead to inaccurate representation of physiological nerve characteristics as pathological.ConclusionThese findings identify a need for consistent nomenclature and definitions, and rigorous IVCM scanning and analysis protocols to clarify the prevalence of physiological, as opposed to pathological, corneal nerve features.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Seven Essential Oils as Seed Treatments against Seedborne Fungal Pathogens of Cucurbita maxima

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2354
Author(s):  
Marwa Moumni ◽  
Mohamed Bechir Allagui ◽  
Kaies Mezrioui ◽  
Hajer Ben Amara ◽  
Gianfranco Romanazzi
Keyword(s):  
Essential Oil ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Cucurbita Maxima ◽  
Melaleuca Alternifolia ◽  
Seedborne Pathogens ◽  
Origanum Majorana ◽  
Potential Use

Essential oils are gaining interest as environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic fungicides for management of seedborne pathogens. Here, seven essential oils were initially tested in vivo for disinfection of squash seeds (Cucurbita maxima) naturally contaminated by Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium fujikuro, Fusarium solani, Paramyrothecium roridum, Albifimbria verrucaria, Curvularia spicifera, and Rhizopus stolonifer. The seeds were treated with essential oils from Cymbopogon citratus, Lavandula dentata, Lavandula hybrida, Melaleuca alternifolia, Laurus nobilis, and Origanum majorana (#1 and #2). Incidence of S. cucurbitacearum was reduced, representing a range between 67.0% in L. nobilis to 84.4% in O. majorana #2. Treatments at 0.5 mg/mL essential oils did not affect seed germination, although radicles were shorter than controls, except with C. citratus and O. majorana #1 essential oils. Four days after seeding, seedling emergence was 20%, 30%, and 10% for control seeds and seeds treated with C. citratus essential oil (0.5 mg/mL) and fungicides (25 g/L difenoconazole plus 25 g/L fludioxonil). S. cucurbitacearum incidence was reduced by ~40% for plantlets from seeds treated with C. citratus essential oil. These data show the effectiveness of this essential oil to control the transmission of S. cucurbitacearum from seeds to plantlets, and thus define their potential use for seed decontamination in integrated pest management and organic agriculture.

scholarly journals Stability and ocular biodistribution of topically administered PLGA nanoparticles

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Swetledge ◽  
Renee Carter ◽  
Rhett Stout ◽  
Carlos E. Astete ◽  
Jangwook P. Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Uv Light ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Polymeric Nanoparticles ◽  
Plga Nanoparticles ◽  
Eye Disease ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Eye Tissues ◽  
Nanoparticle Morphology ◽  
The Stability

AbstractPolymeric nanoparticles have been investigated as potential delivery systems for therapeutic compounds to address many ailments including eye disease. The stability and spatiotemporal distribution of polymeric nanoparticles in the eye are important regarding the practical applicability and efficacy of the delivery system in treating eye disease. We selected poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with lutein, a carotenoid antioxidant associated with eye health, as our model ophthalmic nanodelivery system and evaluated its stability when suspended in various conditions involving temperature and light exposure. We also assessed the ocular biodistribution of the fluorescently labeled nanoparticle vehicle when administered topically. Lutein-loaded nanoparticles were stable in suspension when stored at 4 °C with only 26% lutein release and no significant lutein decay or changes in nanoparticle morphology. When stored at 25 °C and 37 °C, these NPs showed signs of bulk degradation, had significant lutein decay compared to 4 °C, and released over 40% lutein after 5 weeks in suspension. Lutein-loaded nanoparticles were also more resistant to photodegradation compared to free lutein when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, decaying approximately 5 times slower. When applied topically in vivo, Cy5-labled nanoparticles showed high uptake in exterior eye tissues including the cornea, episcleral tissue, and sclera. The choroid was the only inner eye tissue that was significantly higher than the control group. Decreased fluorescence in all exterior eye tissues and the choroid at 1 h compared to 30 min indicated rapid elimination of nanoparticles from the eye.

scholarly journals Burst of Corneal Dendritic Cells during Trastuzumab and Paclitaxel Treatment

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 838
Author(s):  
Katharina A. Sterenczak ◽  
Nadine Stache ◽  
Sebastian Bohn ◽  
Stephan Allgeier ◽  
Bernd Köhler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Sensory Nerves ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Corneal Nerves ◽  
Over Time

During breast cancer therapy, paclitaxel and trastuzumab are both associated with adverse effects such as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and other systemic side effects including ocular complications. Corneal nerves are considered part of the peripheral nervous system and can be imaged non-invasively by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) on the cellular level. Thus, in vivo CLSM imaging of structures of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SNP) such as sensory nerves or dendritic cells (DCs) can be a powerful tool for the assessment of corneal complications during cancer treatment. During the present study, the SNP of a breast cancer patient was analyzed over time by using large-scale in vivo CLSM in the course of paclitaxel and trastuzumab therapy. The same corneal regions could be re-identified over time. While the subbasal nerve morphology did not alter significantly, a change in dendritic cell density and an additional local burst within the first 11 weeks of therapy was detected, indicating treatment-mediated corneal inflammatory processes. Ocular structures such as nerves and dendritic cells could represent useful biomarkers for the assessment of ocular adverse effects during cancer therapy and their management, leading to a better visual prognosis.

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