purpose: to report the histopathological diagnoses of recipient corneal buttons in patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty. methods: in this observational case series, all recipient corneal specimens sent to the ophthalmic pathology laboratory of the eye bank of iran between 2004 and 2007 underwent histopathologic examination. results: overall, 315 corneal specimens were evaluated. histopa...

PURPOSE To evaluate retrospectively the corneal endothelium in 15 eyes which showed clear cornea for 20 years or longer after penetrating keratoplasty. METHODS The corneal endothelium was investigated in 15 eyes. The causative lesion had been keratoconus in 10 eyes and herpetic keratitis in 5 eyes. At the time of surgery, the patients were aged from 6 to 45 years, average 25.3 +/- 10.4 years....

A s s u r a n c e o f t h e q u a l i t y a n d s a f e t y o f corneas meant for transplantation is a key responsibility of eye banks. While donor testing and medical assessment mitigate the risk of disease transmission from donor to recipient, the quality of corneas is crucial to successful transplantation in terms of both graft survival and visual rehabilitation. With the development and inc...

PURPOSE. Corneal endothelium in vivo is arrested in G1, the phase of the cell cycle that prepares cells for DNA synthesis. In many cell types, transforming growth factor (TGF)-b inhibits proliferation by inducing G1-phase arrest. Evidence indicates that corneal endothelial cells synthesize mRNA for TGF-b1 and are also bathed in aqueous humor that contains TGF-b2 (mainly in a latent form). As su...

PURPOSE Human corneal endothelial cell (HCEC) density decreases with age, surgical complications, or disease, leading to vision impairment. Such endothelial dysfunction is an indication for corneal transplantation, although there is a worldwide shortage of transplant-grade tissue. To overcome the current poor donor availability, here we isolate, expand, and characterize HCECs in vitro as a step...

Purpose Develop a silk fibroin (SF)-based artificial endothelial graft for its use in a rabbit Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). Methods Human and rabbit artificial corneal endothelial grafts were developed through the culture of human and rabbit corneal endothelial cells (CECs) on SF films. Rabbit artificial SF endothelial grafts were transplanted in a DMEK surgery into a ra...

PURPOSE Previous studies have shown that prostaglandin E2 is synthesized by rabbit corneal endothelial cells in culture and that PGE2 acts to increase synthesis of adenosine 3'-5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and to inhibit endothelial migration in response to experimental wounds. The present study was undertaken to identify endogenously produced prostanoids, to evaluate the effect of PGE2 on cor...

PURPOSE The corneal epithelium provides a barrier between the external environment and the cornea. It also serves as an ion transporting epithelium. Because of its proximity with the external environment, the corneal epithelium is frequently injured through physical or chemical insult. The purpose of this study was to determine whether corneal epithelial cell whole-cell currents change during c...

PURPOSE To determine how stimuli that increase corneal endothelial cell proliferation of human corneas in culture relate to changes in endothelial cell density in the central and peripheral cornea. METHODS Human donor cadaver corneas not suitable for transplantation were divided into four pie-shaped wedges and incubated at 37 degrees C in medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum, epidermal...

The authors report the successful in vitro growth of human corneal endothelium derived from 12 of 31 corneal-scleral rims obtained following corneal transplantation. The average age of donors whose endothelium grew was 17.6 +/- 3.2 years. The average interval between death and culturing was 51.5 +/- 10.1 hr. The cells migrated from the explants within 3-7 days and were characterized by a flatte...