Conjunctivitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Conjunctivitis, including details on pink eye, symptoms, causes, treatment, medication.

In vivo performance of melimine as an antimicrobial coating for contact lenses in models of CLARE and CLPU.

Cole N, Hume EB, Vijay AK, Sankaridurg P, Kumar N, Willcox MD

Institute for Eye Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

PURPOSE: One strategy to minimize bacteria-associated adverse responses such as microbial keratitis, contact lens-induced acute red eye (CLARE), and contact lens induced peripheral ulcers (CLPUs) that occur with contact lens wear is the development of an antimicrobial or antiadhesive contact lens. Cationic peptides represent a novel approach for the development of antimicrobial lenses. METHODS: A novel cationic peptide, melimine, was covalently incorporated into silicone hydrogel lenses. Confirmation tests to determine the presence of peptide and anti-microbial activity were performed. Cationic lenses were then tested for their ability to prevent CLPU in the Staphylococcus aureus rabbit model and CLARE in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa guinea pig model. RESULTS: In the rabbit model of CLPU, melimine-coated lenses resulted in significant reductions in ocular symptom scores and in the extent of corneal infiltration (P < 0.05). Evaluation of the performance of melimine lenses in the CLARE model showed significant improvement in all ocular response parameters measured, including the percentage of eyes with corneal infiltrates, compared with those observed in the eyes fitted with the control lens (P < or = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cationic coating of contact lenses with the peptide melimine may represent a novel method of prevention of bacterial growth on contact lenses and consequently result in reduction of the incidence and severity of adverse responses due to Gram-positive and -negative bacteria during lens wear.

Published 5 January 2010 in Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 51(1): 390-5.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Conjunctivitis published 5 January 2010:

Functional role of thymic stromal lymphopoietin in chronic allergic keratoconjunctivitis.   Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 51(1): 151-5.

PURPOSE: Previous reports have shown that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) plays a role in atopic diseases. This study was undertaken to investigate the expression of TSLP in the giant papillae obtained from patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) or atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC), and its functional roles were analyzed. METHODS: TSLP mRNA expression was examined in resected conjunctival samples obtained from four patients with VKC/AKC and three control subjects by reverse ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Conjunctival in vivo confocal scanning laser microscopy in patients with Sjögren syndrome.   Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 51(1): 144-50.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the conjunctival alterations in patients with Sjögren's (SSDE) and non-Sjögren's syndrome dry eye (NSSDE) using a new generation confocal microscope (HRTII/ RCM; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), in a prospective controlled study. METHODS: Twenty-eight right eyes of 28 patients with SSDE (28 women; mean age, 58.2 +/- 14.3 years), 7 right eyes of patients with NSSDE (7 women; mean age, 66.1 +/- 14.4 years), and 14 right eyes of 14 age- and sex-matched ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Conjunctivitis published 26 November 2009:

Systemic overexpression of IFN-gamma and IL-5 exacerbates early phase reaction and conjunctival eosinophilia, respectively, in experimental allergic conjunctivitis.   Br J Ophthalmol, 93(12): 1680-5.

AIMS/BACKGROUND: To investigate how systemic overexpression of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-gamma affects the severity of experimental conjunctivitis (EC) in mice. METHODS: The tibialis anterior muscle of naive BALB/c mice was electroporated with IL-4, IL-5, IFN-gamma or a control gene, and then the mice blood and conjunctivas were harvested to measure the eosinophil content in these tissues. To evaluate the effects of cytokine gene electroporation on the early-phase reaction (EPR), cytokine ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Conjunctivitis published 3 November 2009:

Complete local elimination of infectious trachoma from severely affected communities after six biannual mass azithromycin distributions.   Ophthalmology, 116(11): 2047-50.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether infectious trachoma can be completely eliminated from severely affected villages. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of 2 villages previously enrolled and monitored over 42 months as part of a larger, group-randomized clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 758 individuals residing in 2 villages with high baseline trachoma prevalence, of a total population of 768 (98.7%). METHODS: All members of the 2 villages were offered 6 biannual mass treatments with oral ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Conjunctivitis published 28 October 2009:

Integrating NTD mapping protocols: Can surveys for trachoma and urinary schistosomiasis be done simultaneously?   Am J Trop Med Hyg, 81(5): 793-8.

We determined whether the school-based "disease mapping" methodology used to assess urinary schistosomiasis (SCH) is useful for determining trachoma interventions and whether the district-based approach recommended for trachoma is useful for SCH control programs. We conducted two separate integrated surveys in eight districts of central Nigeria: school based and district based. A total of 17,189 children were examined for trachoma and 16,238 children were examined for hematuria from ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Conjunctivitis published 9 October 2009:

Critical role of IgE-dependent mast cell activation in a murine model of allergic conjunctivitis.   J Allergy Clin Immunol, 124(4): 827-33.e2.

BACKGROUND: Allergic conjunctivitis is characterized by allergen-specific IgE in the serum and infiltration of eosinophils into the conjunctiva. The role of IgE and mast cells in allergic conjunctivitis is largely unknown, however. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the importance of conjunctival mast cells in a murine model of IgE-mediated allergic conjunctivitis. METHODS: IgE-mediated allergic conjunctivitis was initiated in C57BL/6-Kit(+/+) wild-type mice, mast cell-deficient Kit(W-sh/W-sh) mice, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Conjunctivitis published 30 September 2009:

Relationship between myopia and allergen-specific serum IgE levels in patients with allergic conjunctivitis.   Clin Experiment Ophthalmol, 37(7): 670-7.

PURPOSE: Various exogenous allergens can cause allergic conjunctivitis, whereas refractive errors are also related (as an endogenous factor) to the pathogenesis of allergic conjunctivitis. However, little is known about the interaction between exogenous and endogenous factors in patients with allergic conjunctivitis. We investigated the relationship between refractive errors and exogenous allergens in patients with allergic conjunctivitis. METHODS: Sixty patients with allergic conjunctivitis ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Conjunctivitis published 24 September 2009:

The role of interleukin-33 in chronic allergic conjunctivitis.   Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 50(10): 4646-52.

PURPOSE: The authors discovered a genetic association between the ST2L gene and atopy. The ST2L gene encodes a membrane-bound functional marker for Th2 cells. Recently, a novel Th2 cytokine, interleukin-33 (IL-33), was discovered to be a specific ligand for ST2L. The authors investigated the role of IL-33 in chronic allergic conjunctivitis. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was carried out using giant papillae samples obtained from patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis. The authors used ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

© 2004-2010 Conjunctivitis Research Today. All Rights Reserved.