Eye & ENT Research最新文献

The prevalence of common allergic diseases, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and food allergy, has increased dramatically with rising industrialization in China, leading to a significant socio-economic burden. These allergic diseases are complex disorders influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Epidemiological evidence indicates a parallel increase in the prevalence of other systemic diseases during the same period as the allergic disease epidemic, suggesting that these conditions may share common genetic mechanisms and potentially have a causal relationship. This review summarizes recent epidemiological studies on common allergic diseases in China, highlighting interrelated changes in demography, allergen spectrum, and the environmental and genetic implications. It aims to enhance our understanding of these conditions, contributing to the development of a robust public health monitoring network and the exploration of strategies for the prevention, control, and treatment of common allergic diseases in the Chinese population.

Due to the limited regenerative capacity in adult mammals, the loss of vestibular hair cells (HCs) leads to balance disorders. In this study, we chronologically reprogrammed adult vestibular supporting cells (SCs) via bimodal regulation of Notch signaling, mimicking dynamic changes in Notch signaling during inner ear development. We found that activating Notch signaling stimulated SC proliferation in damaged adult utricles, priming these cells with the potential to regenerate sensory HCs. Subsequent inhibition of Notch signaling removed lateral inhibition barriers, promoting the transition from proliferating SCs to HCs. Our findings underscore the crucial role of Notch signaling in promoting vestibular HC regeneration.

“Inject visco—the anterior chamber is shallowing!” During my residency, I repeatedly received these orders while performing cataract surgery. My inability to assess the need for more viscoelastic confused me. As a novice surgeon, I attributed these symptoms to my inexperienced hands and embryonic surgical skills. I presumed these would improve with practice, but that didn't seem to happen.

Later, during my LASIK training, my mentor instructed me to lift and reposition the corneal flap. I tried insinuating the instrument under the flap, but it was a struggle. A bandage contact lens eventually had to be placed to cover a corneal epithelial defect caused in the vicinity. I proceeded to the other eye, cautiously this time. I felt I had successfully raised the flap, but my instrument was floating in the air, between the patient's face and the nether end of the microscope!

“You have no depth perception.”—my mentor stated sharply. He ordered an orthoptic evaluation for me. Orthoptics. I vaguely recollected the term from my post-graduate textbooks. “Treatment for accommodation anomalies: Orthoptic exercises”—a segment I had skimmed through for my final examination. Little did I know that I would have to revisit the chapter for my treatment.

The orthoptic evaluation lasted 40 minutes. My convergence facilities were a mere 3 cycles/min, with a remote near point of convergence (22 cm) and a paltry fusional vergence (6∆D). Stereopsis measured 63 s of arc on the random dot stereo-test. That explained my intra-operative challenges. The assessment also revealed an exophoria and an uncorrected compound hypermetropic astigmatism in my left eye. Convergence insufficiency (CI) was the verdict.

I was prescribed 18 days of office-based therapy, which eventually spread across 3 months. This therapy included a diverse range of exercises, a short stint with spectacles, a good deal of patience on my part, and tremendous empathy from the orthoptists, my teachers, and, most of all, my mentor.

Therapy demanded 2 hours of focused exercises every day. An hour in the morning, followed by another grueling hour in the evening. A wide array of exercises was prescribed to correct my proximal and tonic convergence [1]. I was started on various vectographs to increase my positive fusional amplitude. A blurry airplane flying across the Chicago skyline would appear nearer, then farther, as I adjusted the slide holder on the dual polychrome illuminator trainer. To improve my eyes' ability to converge, I worked with a barrel card and brock string, fusing the beads, and trying to maintain their union [2]. The initial days were taxing—the exercises triggered a nagging headache that persisted throughout the day. Nevertheless, I adapted to the unremitting strain of continuously adducting my eyes. My near point of convergence inched closer, reducing the effort I needed for convergence. Stereograms were introduced, in the form of the