Diabetic Cataract—Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Treatment

Cataract in diabetic patients is a major cause of blindness in developed and developing countries. The pathogenesis of diabetic cataract development is still not fully understood. Recent basic research studies have emphasized the role of the polyol pathway in the initiation of the disease process. Population-based studies have greatly increased our knowledge concerning the association between diabetes and cataract formation and have defined risk factors for the development of cataract. Diabetic patients also have a higher risk of complications after phacoemulsification cataract surgery compared to nondiabetics. Aldose-reductase inhibitors and antioxidants have been proven beneficial in the prevention or treatment of this sightthreatening condition in in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. This paper provides an overview of the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract, clinical studies investigating the association between diabetes and cataract development, and current treatment of cataract in diabetics

Biomolekulák szerkezetének és kölcsönhatásainak vizsgálata informatikai és tömegspektrometriai módszerek együttes alkalmazásával = Structure and interaction of biomolecules studied by a combined application of mass spectrometry and informatics

A kutatás legfontosabb eredménye peptidek, glikopeptidek és fehérjék tömegspektrometriás viselkedésének tapasztalati és elméleti leírása. Ezen eredmények alapján olyan, nemzetközi összehasonlításban is sikeres módszereket és szoftvereket fejlesztettünk ki, mely a szerkezetkutatás lehetőségeit és a tömegspektrometria alkalmazhatóságát jelentősen bővítik. Meghatároztuk az ütközési energia optimális értéke és a molekulatömeg közötti összefüggést; mely elősegíti a kísérletek automatizálását. Sikeresen leírtuk peptidek és glikopeptidek fragmentációjának szabályait, mely a spektrumok automatikus értelmezésének alapjául szolgál. Ezen eredményeink alapján olyan szoftvert dolgoztunk ki, mely lehetővé teszi a glikoziláció mintázatának meghatározását, ill. amely ezt a rendkívül munkaigényes értékelést automatizálja. Alapkutatási eredményeinket felhasználtuk a glikozilációs mintázat meghatározására, valamint kapcsolatot mutattunk ki egyes betegségek és fehérjék glikozilációja között. | The most significant result of the research project is experimental and theoretical description of the mass spectrometric behaviour of peptides, glycopeptides and proteins. Based on these results we have introduced successful new methodologies and software tools to improve applicability of mass spectrometry for structure analysis and for proteomics. A correlation between the optimal collision energy and molecular mass has been established; which facilitates the design of automatic operation protocols for mass spectrometry. Fragmentation behaviour of peptides and glycopeptides has been described; which is the basis of automatic spectra evaluation. Based on these results a new algorithm and software have been developed, which allows automatic determination of glycosylation patterns. This can substitute the very time consuming manual interpretation; which has been a major obstacle for studying glycosylation. The results described above have been used to determine glycosylation patterns and to observe correlations between protein glycosylation and various illnesses

Diabetic cataract - pathogenesis, epidemiology and treatment

Cataract in diabetic patients is a major cause of blindness in developed and developing countries. The pathogenesis of diabetic cataract development is still not fully understood. Recent basic research studies have emphasized the role of the polyol pathway in the initiation of the disease process. Population-based studies have greatly increased our knowledge concerning the association between diabetes and cataract formation and have defined risk factors for the development of cataract. Diabetic patients also have a higher risk of complications after phacoemulsification cataract surgery compared to nondiabetics. Aldose-reductase inhibitors and antioxidants have been proven beneficial in the prevention or treatment of this sightthreatening condition in in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. This paper provides an overview of the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract, clinical studies investigating the association between diabetes and cataract development, and current treatment of cataract in diabetics

Heart rate detection from the supratrochlear vessels using a virtual reality headset integrated PPG sensor

An increasing amount of virtual reality (VR) research is carried out to support the vast number of applications across mental health, exercise and entertainment fields. Often, this research involves the recording of physiological measures such as heart rate recordings with an electrocardiogram (ECG). One challenge is to enable remote, reliable and unobtrusive VR and heart rate data collection which would allow a wider application of VR research and practice in the field in future. To address the challenge, this work assessed the viability of replacing standard ECG devices with a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that is directly integrated into a VR headset over the branches of the supratrochlear vessels. The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability of the PPG sensor for heart-rate detection. A total of 21 participants were recruited. They were asked to wear an ECG belt as ground truth and a VR headset with the embedded PPG sensor. Signals from both sensors were captured in free standing and sitting positions. Results showed that VR headset with an integrated PPG sensor is a viable alternative to an ECG for heart rate measurements in optimal conditions with limited movement. Future research will extend on this finding by testing it in more interactive VR settings

A sejtek közti kommunikáció újonnan azonosított mikrovezikulum-útjának vizsgálata = Analysis of cell-derived microvesicles that represent novel players in intercellular communication

Munkánk során az extracelluláris vezikulák izolálásának és detektálásának számos meghatározó preanalitikai és analitikai paraméterére hívtuk fel a figyelmet. Elsőként mutattunk rá, hogy a mikrovezikulák és a fehérje-aggregátumok biofizikai paraméterei jelentős mértékben átfednek, és ez zavarhatja a mikrovezikulák mérését. Kidolgoztuk annak módszerét, hogy egyazon biológiai forrásból származó különböző vezikula populációkat párhuzamosan, nagy mennyiségben, intakt formában tudjunk izolálni. Összehasonlító proteomikai elemzést végeztünk thymus eredetű apoptotikus testek és mikrovezikulák esetében. Számos T sejt jelátvitelben és immunfolyamatokban szerepet játszó fehérjét és autoantigént azonosítottunk. Igazoltuk, hogy T sejt eredetű citokinek és extracelluláris vezikulák együttes hatását monociták génexpressziójára. Igazoltuk, hogy a mikrovezikulák önálló ionháztartással rendelkeznek. Kimutattuk, hogy thymocyta exoszómák nem tartalmaznak riboszómális RNS-eket, azonban feldúsulnak bennük kis RNS-ek (pl. bizonyos miRNS-ek). Polymyositises betegekben emelkedett keringő mikrovezikula számot mutattunk ki, mely korrelált a betegség bizonyos klinikai paramétereivel. Végül elsőként igazoltuk, hogy egészséges T sejt eredetű mikrovezikulák CD62P-CD161 kölcsönhatás révén specifikusan kötődnek monociták felszínéhez. | In our work we drove attention to several pre-analytical and analytical parameters affecting isolation and detection of work extracellular vesicles. We were the first to describe that microvesicles share biophysical parameters with protein aggregates which may confound microvesicle assessment by flow cytometry. We developed protocols for the isolation of large amounts of intact vesicle types secreted simultaneously by the same biological source. We carried comparative proteomic analysis of murine thymus derived apoptotic bodies and microvesicles. We identified large number of proteins involved in T cell signaling or immune functions as well as autoantigens within these structures. We provided evidence fro crosstalk between T cell derived extracellular vesicles and cytokines on the gene expression of monocytes. We have shown that microvesicles possess autonomous ion homeostasis. We found that thymocyte derived exosomes lacked the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA molecules, while they were enriched in small RNA species (e.g. certain miRNAs). We described that patients with polyomyelitis were characterized by elevated levels of circulating microvesicle. Monocyte- and B cell-derived microvesicle numbers correlated with certain clinical parameters of the diseases. Finally, for the first time we showed that HLA-G+, trophoblast-derived microvesicles isolated from healthy pregnant blood plasma samples, bound specifically to T cells via CD62P-CD161 interaction, and induced STAT3 phosphorylation

The Intraocular Cytokine Profile and Therapeutic Response in Persistent Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Citation: Rezar-Dreindl S, Sacu S, Eibenberger K, et al. The intraocular cytokine profile and therapeutic response in persistent neovascular agerelated macular degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016;57:4144-4150. DOI:10.1167/iovs.16-19772 PURPOSE. To investigate the course of inflammatory and angiogenic cytokines in the aqueous humor of patients with persistent/recurrent neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) under ranibizumab monotherapy (IVM) or ranibizumab plus dexamethasone combination treatment. METHODS. In this 12-month prospective study, 40 eyes with nAMD were treated with either IVM or combined treatment with ranibizumab plus intravitreal dexamethasone implant (IVC). Patients in the IVM group were treated following an ''as needed'' treatment regimen; patients in the IVC group received ranibizumab and a dexamethasone implant at baseline and were retreated with ranibizumab. At baseline and at each time of retreatment aqueous humor samples were taken. RESULTS. Before treatment, levels of macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, monokine induced by c interferon (MIG), and lipocalin-2/ neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were elevated in nAMD patients compared to healthy controls (P ¼ 0.024; P ¼ 0.04; P ¼ 0.01). In contrast, tumor necrosis factor a, IL-12p70, and secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) concentrations were lower (P ¼ 0.001; P ¼ 0.008; P ¼ 0.03), while vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was not altered (45 6 6/51 6 12 pg/mL nAMD/ control group; P ¼ 0.6). During IVC, levels of VEGF, MIG, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA, and transforming growth factor b1 (P ¼ 0.005; P ¼ 0.011; P ¼ 0.008; P ¼ 0.013) were reduced. Ranibizumab monotherapy did not influence the course of any inflammatory/ angiogenic cytokine. Interleukin 6 and PDGF-AA levels correlated with central retinal thickness changes (P ¼ 0.007; P ¼ 0.022). Over the 12-month period visual function was maintained with no significant differences during or between both treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS. Inflammatory proteins are involved in the pathogenesis of chronic macular edema due to AMD and are associated with disease activity. During combined treatment, levels of inflammatory and angiogenic cytokines decreased over a 12-month period with no superiority in functional outcome

Natural flavonoids as potential multifunctional agents in prevention of diabetic cataract

Cataract is one of the earliest secondary complications of diabetes mellitus. The lens is a closed system with limited capability to repair or regenerate itself. Current evidence supports the view that cataractogenesis is a multifactorial process. Mechanisms related to glucose toxicity, namely oxidative stress, processes of non-enzymatic glycation and enhanced polyol pathway significantly contribute to the development of eye lens opacity under conditions of diabetes. There is an urgent need for inexpensive, non-surgical approaches to the treatment of cataract. Recently, considerable attention has been devoted to the search for phytochemical therapeutics. Several pharmacological actions of natural flavonoids may operate in the prevention of cataract since flavonoids are capable of affecting multiple mechanisms or etiological factors responsible for the development of diabetic cataract. In the present paper, natural flavonoids are reviewed as potential agents that could reduce the risk of cataract formation via affecting multiple pathways pertinent to eye lens opacification. In addition, the bioavailability of flavonoids for the lens is considered