Stem cells (SCs) maintain the balance among somatic cell populations in various tissues and are responsible for organ regeneration. The remarkable progress of regenerative medicine in the last few years indicates promise for the use of SCs in ophthalmic disorder treatment. This review describes the current view on hierarchy in the SC compartment and presents the latest attempts to use adult SCs in the regeneration of the retina. Research performed primarily in animal models gives hope for using similar strategies in humans. However, the search for the optimal source of SCs for cell therapy continues. We briefly discuss various potential sources of adult SCs that could be employed in regenerative medicine, particularly focusing on recently identified, very small embryonic-like SCs (VSEL-SCs). These cells are even present in the bone marrow and adult tissues of older patients and could be harvested from cord blood. We believe that VSEL-SCs, after the establishment of ex vivo expansion and differentiation protocols, could be harnessed for retina regeneration.
INTRODUCTION. The purpose of our investigation was to evaluate in a Polish population the role of reading, writing, using a computer, or watching television in the development of myopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS. In total 5601 students (2688 boys and 2913 girls, 6-18 years of age, mean 11.9 + 3.2 years) were examined. The children examined were Polish students of elementary and secondary schools. In every student cycloplegia after 1% tropicamide was performed. Non-parametric tests were used due to the SE distribution being significantly different from normal distribution in Kolmogorow-Smirnov test. Spearman rank correlation coefficient (Rs) was used to evaluate the strength of correlation between these variables. General linear model was used for multivariate analysis. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS. It has been established that with the increase in time spent on reading and writing, the spherical equivalent (SE) of the examined students decreases (Rs = -0.16, p < 0.000001). It was observed that an increase in the time spent working on a computer correlates with the decrease of the SE (Rs = -0.11, p < 0.000001). No relationship between watching television and the spherical equivalent of the examined schoolchildren was found (Rs = +0.01, p = 0.31). CONCLUSIONS. Reading, writing, or using a computer may lead to the development of myopia. Watching television has no influence on the incidence of myopia.
Advanced VHL eye disease correlates with occurrence of central nervous system and systemic lesions. Spectrum of vhl gene mutation in the patients corresponds to that of the general VHL population. Pars plana vitrectomy in advanced VHL eye disease can improve or preserve visual function, but postoperative progression of ocular VHL disease can be accelerated in cases where retinotomy is performed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.