The clinical manifestations of infectious retinal diseases are complicated, especially these result from serious infectious diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis and syphilis infections. It is an important issue to differentiate infectious retinal disease from noninfectious intraocular inflammation in the clinic. It is, therefore, highly desirable to follow a proper steps to reach the correct diagnosis. Complete history review and comprehensive ocular examination remains the first step in diagnosing infectious retinal diseases. Although an array of laboratory and serological tests are available to assist in the diagnosis, some situations may require a diagnostic therapy or a tissue biopsy. Identification of the pathogen and histopathologic examination of the ocular specimen remain to be the gold standard of diagnosis. Initiation a specific and appropriate antimicrobial therapy needs multidisciplinary collaborations including ophthalmologists and infectious specialists. Updated knowledge of general medicine and management of infectious diseases, interdisciplinary collaborations and optimization of treatment processes will improve the diagnosis and treatment of retinal infectious diseases in the future.
Objective To analyze the BEST1 gene mutations and clinical features in patients with multifocal vitelliform retinopathy (MVR). Methods This is a retrospective case series study. Five MVR families with MVR, including 9 patients and 10 healthy family members were recruited. Clinical evaluations were performed in all MVR patients and their family members, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), refraction, slit-lamp examination, 90 D preset lens examination, gonioscopy, color fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus autofluorescence (AF), ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and axial length measurement. Electro-oculogram (EOG) was performed in 12 eyes and visual field were performed in 13 eyes. Peripheral blood samples were collected in all subjects to extract genomic DNA. Coding exons and flanking intronic regions of BEST1 were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and analyzed by Sanger sequencing. Results Among the 5 MVR families, 3 probands from three families had family history, including 1 family had autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. Two patients from 2 families were sporadic cases. Screening of BEST1 gene identified four mutations, including three missense mutations (c.140G>T, p.R47L; c.232A>T, p.I78F; c.698C>T, p.P233L) and 1 deletion mutation (c.910_912del, p.D304del). Two mutations (p.R47L and p.I78F) were novel. The BCVA of affected eyes ranged from hand motion to 1.0. The mean IOP was (30.39±11.86) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa). The mean refractive diopter was (-0.33±1.68) D. Twelve eyes had angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) and 4 eyes had angle closure (AC). EOG Arden ratio was below 1.55 in all patients. The mean anterior chamber depth was (2.17±0.29) mm. Visual field showed defects varied from paracentral scotoma to diffuse defects. The mean axial length was (21.87±0.63) mm. All MVR patients had multifocal vitelliform lesions in the posterior poles of retina. ACG eyes demonstrated pale optic disc with increased cup-to-disc ratio. OCT showed retinal edema, extensive serous retinal detachment and subretinal hyper-reflective deposits which had high autofluorescence in AF. The genetic testing and clinical examination were normal in 10 family members. Conclusions MVR patients harbored heterozygous mutation in the BEST1 gene. Two novel mutations (p.R47L and p.I78F) were identified. These patients had clinical features of multifocal vitelliform retinopathy and abnormal EOG. Most patients suffered from AC/ACG.
ObjectiveTo reveal the pathogenic mutation in a three-generation Chinese family with autosomal dominant familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR). MethodsThree patients and a healthy spouse from the index family with FEVR were recruited. The proband was a 5 years old boy. His mother and grandpa were presented with typical FEVR presentations, while his father with normal ocular fundus. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples taken from all four participants. All coding and exon-intron boundary regions of five targeted genes, including NDP, FZD4, LRP5, TSPAN12 and ZNF408 were amplified with polymerase chain reaction and sequenced using direct sequencing. In silico analyses were applied to determine the conservation of the mutation site, pathogenic effect and the potential protein crystal structural changes caused by the mutation. ResultsFZD4 c.478G > A, a susceptible mutation was found after four high frequency mutation sites which MAF values were higher than 0.001 was filtered among 5 single nucleotide variations detected in four participants, leading to the residue 160 changing from glutamate to lysine (p.E160K). Co-segregation analysis between genotypes and phenotypes revealed FZD4 p.E160K as the disease-causing mutation for this family. Conservational analysis suggested that this mutation site was highly conserved among all tested species. Functional analysis predicated that this mutation may be a damaging mutation. Crystal structural analysis also indicated that this mutation could lead to the elimination of the hydrogen bond between residue 160 and asparagine at residue 152, thus altering the tertiary structure of the protein and further impairing the protein function. ConclusionOur study demonstrates FZD4 p.E160K as a novel pathogenic mutation for FEVR.
Purpose To investigate the expression of the interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-alpha;) in epiretinal membranes(ERM) of eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy(PVR). Methods Nineteen epiretinal membranes were obtained form eyes undergoing vitrectomy for retinal detachment complicated with PVR and observed by immunohistochemical methods. Results Expression of IL-6 and TNF-alpha; were observed in 12 and 15 membranes respectively with positive staining mostly in extracellular matrix of epiretinal membranes.Only one membrane showed positive to IL-6 intracellularly,and expression for IL-6 and TNF-alpha; simultaneously in membranes. Conclusion The findings indicate that IL-6、and TNF-alpha;might be involved in the development of PVR. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis,1998,14:219-221)