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Retinal pathologies are major causes of vision impairment and blindness in humans, and inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), such as retinitis pigmentosa, Leber congenital amaurosis, and Stargardt disease, greatly contribute to this problem. In vitro disease modeling can be used for understanding the development of pathology and for screening therapeutic pharmaceutical compounds. In the preclinical research phase, in vitro models complement in vivo models by reducing animal studies, decreasing costs, and shortening research timelines. Additionally, animal models may not always accurately replicate the human disease phenotype. This review examines the types of cells that can be used to create in vitro IRD models, including retina-specific cell lines, primary retinal cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and more. Special attention is given to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are characterized by various isolation sources, relative ease of isolation, and straightforward differentiation. MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT), dental tissue (DT), umbilical cord (UC), and other sources can differentiate into retinal cells, including photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, dysfunction of which is most commonly associated with IRDs. Subsequent differentiation of MSCs into retinal cells can be carried out via various methods: culturing in induction media supplemented with certain growth factors, co-culturing with retinal cells or in their conditioned media, or regulating gene expression with viral vector-delivered transcription factors (TFs) or microRNAs (miRNAs). Compared to the popular iPSCs, for example, MSC-based models are significantly cheaper and faster to obtain, making them more feasible for large-scale drug screening. Nevertheless, the existing differentiation methods need further optimization for this promising platform to receive the success it deserves., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Dodina, Gurtsieva, Karabelsky and Minskaia.)

The goal was to determine ways to optimize diagnostic and therapeutic measures for various types of melasma in the outpatient setting of the dermatovenerological ambulatory clinic. The study involved 112 women with a confirmed diagnosis of facial melasma whose disease lasted for at least 2 years. The severity of patient pigmentation was evaluated using the Melasma Area Severity Index and the Melasma Severity Scale. There was a significant increase in melanin levels across all melasma types, an increase in erythema in the dermal type, and an increase in sebum production in the epidermal type.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is the most commonly identified cause of infectious meningoencephalitis in Western countries. Previous studies showed that neurological defects can form during HSV meningoencephalitis, ranging from symptomatic epilepsy to mental and movement disorders. The recovery of Cognitive Mental Functions (CMF) in a patient who survived HSV meningoencephalitis was evaluated. The results were compared with MRI and EEG data. A follow-up observation of the patient was carried out for more than 1 year. During the observation period, the patient showed improvement of CMF, while MRI scans showed no observable improvement. Current neuropsychological methods give enough information for the assessment of CMF in patients after neurological infections and are essential for evaluating new treatment methods and monitoring of possible deterioration or relapse.