Background: Ocular myiasis though rare, is usually found in association with basal cell carcinoma. It is rarer still in tumors other than basal cell carcinoma. We report a case of ocular myiasis in a glioma which is hitherto unreported to the best of our knowledge. Case: A 50 year old male presented with bleeding and maggots emanating from a tumourous outgrowth which had replaced his right eye. He complained of swelling and pain in his right eye for the last 2 years. Manual removal of maggots was carried out following which he underwent total excision of the mass and local debridement. Biopsy of the mass was consistent with astrocytoma. Conclusion: Myiasis though rare should be suspected in long standing neglected lesions with suggestive history. Infection, ischemic necrosis and malignancy coupled with overcrowding, poor living conditions, presence of excessive arthropods in the locality and low levels of hygiene drastically increase the risk of myiasis.
Purpose
Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) is a common systemic disease that results in severe and often irreversible vision loss. Despite considerable research effort, PEX remains incompletely understood. This study sought to perform the first RNAseq study in elucidate the pathophysiology of PEX, and contribute a publicly available transcriptomic data resource for future research.
Methods
Human ocular lens capsular epithelium samples were collected from 25 patients with PEX and 39 non-PEX controls undergoing cataract surgery. RNA extracted from these specimens was subjected to polyadenylated (mRNA) selection and deep bulk RNA sequencing. Differential expression analysis investigated protein-coding gene transcripts. Exploratory analyses used pathway analysis tools, and curated class- and disease-specific gene sets.
Results
Differential expression analysis demonstrated that 2882 genes were differentially expressed according to PEX status. Genes associated with viral gene expression pathways were among the most upregulated, alongside genes encoding ribosomal and mitochondrial respiratory transport chain proteins. Cell adhesion protein transcripts including type 4 collagen subunits were downregulated.
Conclusions
This comparative transcriptomic dataset highlights novel and previously recognized pathogenic pathways in PEX and provides the first comprehensive transcriptomic resource, adding an additional layer to build further understanding of PEX pathophysiology.
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