Global, Regional, and National Burden of Blindness due to Diabetic Retinopathy, 1990-2021.

Introduction: This study aimed to analyze the patterns and trends in the burden of blindness due to diabetic retinopathy (DR) from 1990 to 2021 at the global, regional, and national levels.

Methods: We conducted a population-based analysis using the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. We examined the prevalence and number of cases of DR-related blindness stratified by type of diabetes, sex, age, and sociodemographic index (SDI) level.

Global, Regional, and National Epidemiology of Vision Impairment due to Diabetic Retinopathy Among Working-Age Population, 1990-2021.

Background: To evaluate the global, regional, and national trends of vision impairment associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the working-age population (20-65 years) from 1990 to 2021.

Methods: This was a population-based analysis using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Vision impairment was defined as low vision (Snellen visual acuity of < 6/18 to ≥ 3/60) and blindness (Snellen visual acuity of < 3/60 or central visual field < 10°).

Lipid metabolism analysis reveals that DGAT1 regulates Th17 survival by controlling lipid peroxidation in uveitis.

Lipid metabolism is closely linked with antitumor immunity and autoimmune disorders. However, the precise role of lipid metabolism in uveitis pathogenesis is not clear. In our study, we analyzed the single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq) data from cervical draining lymph nodes (CDLNs) of mice with experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), revealing an increased abundance of fatty acids in Th17 cells.

Aging-induced immune microenvironment remodeling fosters melanoma in male mice via γδ17-Neutrophil-CD8 axis.

Aging is associated with increased tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. However, how an aging immune system contributes to the process is unclear. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing reveals that in male mice, aging shifts the lung immune microenvironment towards a premetastatic niche, characterized by an increased proportion of IL-17-expressing γδT (γδ17) and neutrophils.

Dietary caloric restriction protects experimental autoimmune uveitis by regulating Teff/Treg balance.

Uveitis, an autoimmune disease, often leads to blindness. CD4 T cells, including regulatory T cells (Tregs) and effector T cells (Th1 and Th17), play a critical role in its pathogenesis. Caloric restriction (CR) has been shown to alleviate autoimmune diseases.

Ketogenic diet modulates immune cell transcriptional landscape and ameliorates experimental autoimmune uveitis in mice.

Background: Uveitis manifests as immune-mediated inflammatory disorders within the eye, posing a serious threat to vision. The ketogenic diet (KD) has emerged as a promising dietary intervention, yet its impact on the immune microenvironments and role in uveitis remains unclear.

Methods: Utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from lymph node and retina of mice, we conduct a comprehensive investigation into the effects of KD on immune microenvironments.

An analysis of single-cell data reveals therapeutic effects of AMG487 in experimental autoimmune uveitis.

Uveitis, an ocular autoimmune disease that poses a significant threat to vision, is caused by immune cells erroneously attacking retinal cells and currently lacks specific and effective therapeutic interventions. The CXC chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) facilitates the migration of immune cells to sites of inflammation. AMG487, a CXCR3 antagonist, holds potential for treating autoimmune diseases by blocking immunes cells chemotaxis.

Interleukin-6 in non-infectious uveitis: Biology, experimentalevidence and treatment strategies.

Uveitis is the leading cause of visual impairment worldwide. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is upregulated in response to inflammation, is one of the most important inflammatory cytokines associated with uveitis. Two major IL-6 receptors (IL-6R) mediate the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biological effects of IL-6.

Single-cell analysis of immune cells on gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells in experimental autoimmune uveitis.

Gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) have shown astonishing efficacy in the treatment of various autoimmune diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying these immunosuppressive properties remain poorly understood. Here, we generated a lymph node single-cell transcriptomic atlas of GMSC-treated experimental autoimmune uveitis mice.

Sleep loss potentiates Th17-cell pathogenicity and promotes autoimmune uveitis.

Background: Sleep loss (SL) is a health issue associated with the higher risk of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. However, the connection between SL, the immune system, and autoimmune diseases remains unknown.

Methods: We conducted mass cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and flow cytometry to analyze how SL influences immune system and autoimmune disease development.

Insights gained from single-cell analysis of immune cells in tofacitinib treatment of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) is an important refractory uveitis mediated by pathological T cells (TCs). Tofacitinib (TOFA) is a JAK- targeted therapy for several autoimmune diseases. However, the specific pathogenesis and targeted therapeutics for VKH remain largely unknown.

Single-cell RNA sequencing depicts the local cell landscape in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

There is a specific reactivity and characteristic remodeling of the periocular tissue in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). However, local cell changes responsible for these pathological processes have not been sufficiently identified. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing is performed to characterize the transcriptional changes of cellular components in the orbital connective tissue in individuals with TAO.

A dynamic peripheral immune landscape during human pregnancy.

Extensive immune adaptations occur during pregnancy to ensure successful delivery. However, these changes can increase the risk of disease in the mother. Here, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from pregnant women at different stages of pregnancy to elucidate the dynamic transcriptional changes in the maternal immune system.

Insights gained from Single-Cell analysis of immune cells on Cyclosporine A treatment in autoimmune uveitis.

Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a widely known immunosuppressive agent that is clinically important in autoimmune diseases owing to its selective suppression of T lymphocytes. Although it has long been recognized to inhibit T cell responses by blocking calcineurin, the potential targets and specific downstream mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we built a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic landscape of immune cells in the blank, untreated experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), and CsA-treated EAU mice.

Therapeutic Effect of IL-38 on Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis: Reprogrammed Immune Cell Landscape and Reduced Th17 Cell Pathogenicity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of interleukin (IL)-38 on experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Mice with EAU were treated with IL-38, and the retinas and cervical draining lymph nodes (CDLNs) were analyzed by flow cytometry. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was conducted to analyze the immune cell profiles of CDLNs from normal, EAU, and IL-38-treated mice.

Effects of poor sleep on the immune cell landscape as assessed by single-cell analysis.

Poor sleep has become an important public health issue. With loss of sleep durations, poor sleep has been linked to the increased risks for diseases. Here we employed mass cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing to obtain a comprehensive human immune cells landscape in the context of poor sleep, which was analyzed in the context of subset composition, gene signatures, enriched pathways, transcriptional regulatory networks, and intercellular interactions.

Prednisone Reprograms the Transcriptional Immune Cell Landscape in CNS Autoimmune Disease.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used immunosuppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases, although considerable gaps exist between current knowledge of the mechanisms of GCs and their conclusive immune-regulatory effects. Here we generated a single-cell transcriptional immune cell atlas based on prednisone-treated or untreated experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) mice. Immune cells were globally activated in EAU, and prednisone partially reversed this effect in terms of cell composition, gene expression, transcription factor regulation, and cell-cell communication.

Effects of sex and aging on the immune cell landscape as assessed by single-cell transcriptomic analysis.

Sex and aging influence the human immune system, resulting in disparate responses to infection, autoimmunity, and cancer. However, the impact of sex and aging on the immune system is not yet fully elucidated. Using small conditional RNA sequencing, we found that females had a lower percentage of natural killer (NK) cells and a higher percentage of plasma cells in peripheral blood compared with males.

[Research progress on etiologic diagnosis of ocular viral diseases].

A large number of viruses have been found to be associated with ocular diseases, including human adenovirus, human herpesvirus (HHV), human T lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1), and newly emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This group of diseases is prone to be misdiagnosed or missed diagnosis, resulting in serious tissue and visual damage. Etiological diagnosis is a powerful auxiliary mean to diagnose the ocular diseases associated with human adenovirus, herpes simplex virus 1 and varicella-zoster virus, and it provides the leading diagnosis evidence of infections with herpes simplex virus 2, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, HHV-6/7, HHV-8, HTLV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.

Anti-fibrosis potential of pirarubicin via inducing apoptotic and autophagic cell death in rabbit conjunctiva.

This study investigated the potential efficacy of pirarubicin (THP) in modulating rabbit conjunctival fibrosis both in vitro and in vivo and characterized the underlying mechanisms. Primary rabbit conjunctival fibroblasts (RCF) were cultured and treated with THP or mitomycin C (MMC) for 5 min, followed by assaying for cell viability, cell cycle distribution, apoptotic and autophagic pathways. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and chemotaxis of macrophages by RCF were evaluated using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) labeling and transwell migration assay, respectively.