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Purpose: To demonstrate the anti-inflammatory action of a synthetic glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ98–134) peptide (GILZ-p) in a model of endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in rats. Methods: The EIU model was induced in Sprague Dawley rats with an intravitreal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Synthetic GILZ-p was injected intravitreally 6 h after the LPS injection. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of GILZ-p, the inflammatory response in the anterior chamber and iris of the rat eyes was evaluated with a slitlamp microscope on days 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 after GILZ-p injection. The retinal expression of inflammatory cytokines was measured on days 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 after GILZ-p injection. Müller cell gliosis was also detected at planned time points after GILZ-p injection. Results: Anterior segment inflammation peaked at 24 h after LPS injection in the EIU model. Compared with the controls, intravitreal GILZ-p significantly suppressed LPS-induced anterior segment inflammation in the EIU rats. The levels of retinal inflammatory factors IL-1β, TNF-α, MCP-1, and ICAM-1 were simultaneously reduced by the intravitreal GILZ-p injection. The expression of vimentin in the EIU retina was significantly reduced by GILZ-p, and the downregulated aquaporin 4 in the EIU retina was significantly restored by GILZ-p. Conclusion: The synthetic GILZ-p inhibited the inflammatory reaction in the EIU model and may have utility in the treatment of inflammatory ocular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To summarize the characteristics of endogenous fungal endophthalmitis (EFE) after genitourinary procedures. Methods: Medical records of patients diagnosed with EFE after genitourinary procedures from a single center during a 6-year period were reviewed. Results: Nineteen eyes of 15 patients were included. The interval time between procedure to symptom was 3.6 ± 3.6 weeks. As the initial treatment, 9/19 eyes underwent primary vitrectomy and 10/19 eyes underwent intravitreal antifungal injection . Candida albicans was the pathogen in 15 of 19 eyes. Systemic treatment with itraconazole was used in all patients. LogMAR best corrected visual acuity improved from 2.2 ± 0.9 to 0.9 ± 1.2 after treatment (p = 0.002) in 15 eyes that were followed-up for an average of 4.9 ± 2.1 years. Conclusion: Genitourinary procedure is a predisposing factor for EFE. Candida albicans is the predominant pathogen. Normative systemic and local antifungal treatments improved the final visual outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze the trend of intraocular viral load after antiviral treatment in patients with varicella-zoster virus-induced acute retinal necrosis and to explore the effect of viral genotypes on clinical manifestations., Methods: In this case series, viral load was detected using polymerase chain reaction from aqueous humor during treatment; viral load curves were fitted, and the time required to reach the inflection point between plateau phase and logarithmic reduction phase was estimated. Variations in viral genomes were detected by metagenomic sequencing., Results: Twenty eyes of 20 patients were included. The median (interquartile range) initial viral load was 5.9 × 10 7 (1.1 × 10 7 -1.1 × 10 8 ) copies/mL. The average duration of retinitis was 5 ± 3 weeks. The average time required to reach the inflection point was 4.2 ± 1.6 days. Time required to reach the inflection point was correlated with the duration of retinitis ( P = 0.025). Patients with varicella-zoster virus carrying the p.S715* variation in ribonucleotide reductase ( RNR ) subunit 1 gene had lower initial viral loads (median 1.3 × 10 7 copies/mL) than those without (median 1.1 × 10 8 copies/mL; adjusted P = 0.030)., Conclusions: The inflection of viral load curve is helpful to estimate the length of plateau phase and the duration of retinitis during antiviral treatment in patients with acute retinal necrosis. Loss-of-function variation in RNR gene might be correlated with lower virulence of varicella-zoster virus., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Opthalmic Communications Society, Inc.)