Neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular trap components: Emerging biomarkers and therapeutic targets for age-related eye diseases

Age-related eye diseases, including dry eye, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, represent a major global health issue based on their increasing prevalence and disabling action. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases will provide novel opportunities to reduce the burden of age-related eye diseases and improve eye health, contributing to sustainable development goals achievement. The impairment of neutrophil extracellular traps formation/degradation processes seems to be one of these mechanisms. These traps formed by a meshwork of DNA and neutrophil cytosolic granule proteins may exacerbate the inflammatory response promoting chronic inflammation, a pivotal cause of age-related diseases. In this review, we describe current findings that suggest the role of neutrophils and their traps in the pathogenesis of the above-mentioned age-related eye diseases. Furthermore, we discuss why these cells and their constituents could be biomarkers and therapeutic targets for dry eye, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. We also examine the therapeutic potential of some neutrophil function modulators and provide several recommendations for future research in age-related eye diseases.     

Effects of cognitive- and motor-dual tasks on postural control regularity following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

BackgroundHigh injury rates following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) motivate the need to better understand lingering movement deficiencies following return to sport. Athletic competition involves various types of sensory, motor, and cognitive challenges; however, postural control deficiencies during this spectrum of conditions are not well understood following ACLR.Research questionTo what extent is postural control altered following ACLR in the presence of sensory, motor, and cognitive challenges, and does postural control correlate with patient-reported symptoms?MethodsFourteen individuals following ACLR (4 m/10 f, 21.2 ± 2.4 yr, 76.9 ± 19.1 kg, 1.70 ± 0.14 m) and fourteen matched healthy controls (4 m/10 f, 21.2 ± 1.4 yr, 75.4 ± 15.3 kg, 1.70 ± 0.15 m) participated in the study. Participants completed single-leg balance, ACLR limb or matched side for controls, under four conditions: 1) eyes open, 2) eyes closed, 3) visual-cognitive dual task (i.e., reverse digit span), and 4) motor dual task (i.e., catching a ball). Sample entropy (SEn) was calculated for each balance condition to characterize regularity of center of pressure control. Participants also completed patient-reported outcomes to characterize self-reported knee function, symptoms, and fear. A mixed effects model tested for differences in SEn between balance conditions, and Spearman correlations tested for relationships between SEn and patient-reported outcomes.ResultsA significant Group-by-Condition interaction was detected (P = 0.043). While the motor dual task and eyes closed balance conditions were associated with the lowest SEn for both groups, only the visual-cognitive dual task condition demonstrated a significant difference between groups, with the ACLR group having lower SEn [95% confidence interval for ΔSEn: (0.03, 0.35)]. Lower KOOS-Sport scores were associated with decreased SEn for the ACLR group (ρ = 0.81, P < 0.001).SignificanceThese findings are consistent with ACLR individuals using a less automatic approach to postural control compared to controls, particularly when presented with a visual-cognitive challenge. Altered neuromuscular control persists well after ACLR surgery and can be related to patient-reported outcomes.     

Assessment of postural stability in women with hip osteoarthritis: A case–control study

Objective

The aim of the study was to assessment the impact of hip osteoarthritis on postural stability.

Therapeutic efficacy of intense pulsed light in patients with refractory meibomian gland dysfunction

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intense pulsed light (IPL) combined with meibomian gland expression (MGX) for treatment of refractory meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

Protection against corneal hyperosmolarity with soft-contact-lens wear

Hyperosmotic tear stimulates human corneal nerve endings, activates ocular immune response, and elicits dry-eye symptoms. A soft contact lens (SCL) covers the cornea preventing it from experiencing direct tear evaporation and the resulting blink-periodic salinity increases. For the cornea to experience hyperosmolarity due to tear evaporation, salt must transport across the SCL to the post-lens tear film (PoLTF) bathing the cornea. Consequently, limited salt transport across a SCL potentially protects the ocular surface from hyperosmotic tear. In addition, despite lens-wear discomfort sharing common sensations to dry eye, no correlation is available between measured tear hyperosmolarity and SCL-wear discomfort. Lack of documentation is likely because clinical measurements of tear osmolarity during lens wear do not interrogate the tear osmolarity of the PoLTF that actually overlays the cornea. Rather, tear osmolarity is clinically measured in the tear meniscus. For the first time, we mathematically quantify tear osmolarity in the PoLTF and show that it differs significantly from the clinically measured tear-meniscus osmolarity. We show further that aqueous-deficient dry eye and evaporative dry eye both exacerbate the hyperosmolarity of the PoLTF. Nevertheless, depending on lens salt-transport properties (i.e., diffusivity, partition coefficient, and thickness), a SCL can indeed protect against corneal hyperosmolarity by reducing PoLTF salinity to below that of the ocular surface during no-lens wear. Importantly, PoLTF osmolarity for dry-eye patients can be reduced to that of normal eyes with no-lens wear provided that the lens exhibits a low lens-salt diffusivity. Infrequent blinking increases PoLTF osmolarity consistent with lens-wear discomfort. Judicious design of SCL material salt-transport properties can ameliorate corneal hyperosmolarity. Our results confirm the importance of PoLTF osmolarity during SCL wear and indicate a possible relation between PoLTF osmolarity and contact-lens discomfort.