PURPOSE. Conjunctivochalasis (CCH) is a common ocular disease and has received extensive attention recently. However, its exact pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Owing to the high morbidity of CCH in older people, this study aimed to investigate whether cellular senescence contributes to CCH progression and the underlying mechanism. METHODS. Loose conjunctival tissues from CCH patients (n ¼ 13) and normal conjunctival tissues from age-matched persons (n ¼ 12) were obtained and the fibroblasts were separately induced and obtained. Cellular senescence, and the expression of senescence-associated genes (p53 and p21) and p38 in CCH conjunctival tissues and normal controls, were determined by senescence-associated b-galactosidase (SA-b-Gal) staining and quantitative (q)RT-PCR, respectively. To explore the effects of p38 on cellular senescence in CCH fibroblasts, small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting p38 (siP38) and p38-specific inhibitor SB203580 was performed in CCH fibroblasts. Then, cellular senescence, cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and gene expression were detected according to the corresponding methods. RESULTS. CCH conjunctival tissues had significantly more senescent cells, evidenced by more SA-b-Gal-positive cells, and higher expression of senescence-associated genes (p53 and p21) and p38. CCH fibroblasts transfected with siP38 or treated with SB203580 had obviously reduced numbers of senescent cells, decreased ROS production, and increased cell viability, as well as reduced expression of senescence-associated genes. Meanwhile, blocking p38 signaling decreased the expression of p53 and p21. CONCLUSIONS. Therefore, these findings indicate that cellular senescence might be a causative factor for CCH. P38 signaling might play an important role in the progress of cellular senescence in CCH fibroblasts via manipulation of p53/p21 signaling.

Background:With the aging of the population and the use of video terminals, the incidence of Conjunctivochalasis is getting higher, and related research is increasing. So our research aimed to use visualization software to display the research trends of Conjunctivochalasis.Methods:Retrieved the document (from 1986 to 2017) of conjunctivochalasis in the web of science core collection, analyzed by Citespace V.Results:The main language is English. Article is the key type of document. The average annual number of publications in the time period from 2008 to 2017 was 11.6, which was significantly higher than the period from 1994 to 2007, indicating that the total number of publications has been continuously developed. The law of frequency quoted showed an upward trend yearly. Furthermore, we can find out that Japan, USA, and People's Republic of China were the most productive countries, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine was the most prolific institution, Shanghai Jiaotong University is a key institution. The average IF of journals was 3.0508. Cornea and Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology are core journals. Tseng SCG is the most active scholar. All cited author contributed to 5 classifications. Di PMA paper is a classic literature. Huang YK paper can be regarded as the frontier document. All cited-reference dedicated to 7 categories. Conjunctivochalasis is the hot topic, related to observe indicators, risk factors, treatment, graded diagnosis of conjunctivochalasis, etc. In addition, fibroblast was research hotspot. At length, the cluster map of keyword was divided into 7 categories.Conclusion:This research will help relevant clinicians and researchers to accurately and quickly grasp the research trends in the field, and continue to conduct new research on the basis.

Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common and serious microvascular complication of diabetes. Taohong Siwu decoction (THSWD), a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has been proved to have a good clinical effect on DR, whereas its molecular mechanism remains unclear. Our study aimed to uncover the core targets and signaling pathways of THSWD against DR. Methods First, the active ingredients of THSWD were searched from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) Database. Second, the targets of active ingredients were identified from ChemMapper and PharmMapper databases. Third, DR associated targets were searched from DisGeNET, DrugBank and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). Subsequently, the common targets of active ingredients and DR were found and analyzed in STRING database. DAVID database and ClueGo plug-in software were used to carry out the gene ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analysis. The core signaling pathway network of “herb-ingredient-target” was constructed by the Cytoscape software. Finally, the key genes of THSWD against DR were validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results A total of 2340 targets of 61 active ingredients in THSWD were obtained. Simultaneously, a total of 263 DR-associated targets were also obtained. Then, 67 common targets were found by overlapping them, and 23 core targets were identified from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Response to hypoxia was found as the top GO term of biological process, and HIF-1 signaling pathway was found as the top KEGG pathway. Among the key genes in HIF-1 pathway, the mRNA expression levels of VEGFA, SERPINE1 and NOS2 were significantly down-regulated by THSWD (P < 0.05), and NOS3 and HMOX1 were significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). Conclusion THSWD had a protective effect on DR via regulating HIF-1 signaling pathway and other important pathways. This study might provide a theoretical basis for the application of THSWD and the development of new drugs for the treatment of DR.