conclusions the results showed that e. coli isolated from patients with uti had eight virulence factors with high frequencies. moreover, these results alleged a direct connection between virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance in e. coli. results the frequency of virulence factors papc, afa, sfa/foc, fimh, hly, neuc, ibea, and iucc were 53.3%, 51.7%, 53.3%, 56.7%, 23.3%, 31.7%, 20%, and ...

BACKGROUND In East Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, bacterial keratitis is a major cause of blindness. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to identify risk factors of bacterial keratitis and the spectrum of bacterial etiologies, and to assess the in-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of these bacterial isolates at Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia. METHODS A prosp...

PURPOSE To evaluate the corneal epitheliotropic abilities of two commercialized human platelet lysates (HPLs) and to compare the results with other blood derivatives, including human peripheral serum (HPS) and bovine fetal serum (FBS). METHODS In vitro, human corneal epithelial cells were incubated in various concentrations (0%, 3%, 5% and 10%) of blood derivatives. Two commercialized HPLs, i...

Alterations in corneal innervations result in impaired corneal sensation, severe dry eye and damage to the epithelium that may in turn lead to corneal ulcers, melting and perforation. These alterations can occur after refractive surgery. We have discovered that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA or the docosanoid bioactive neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1)) induces n...

PURPOSE To determine corneal biomechanical properties in patients with high myopia. DESIGN Observational study. METHODS High myopia patients (n=45, age: 37.0+/-12.6 years) with refractive errors of spherical equivalent (SE) greater than -9.00D were recruited in this study along with healthy subjects (n=90, age: 33.7+/-12.4 years) with refractive errors of SE ranging from 0D to -3.00D. Only ...

Angiogenesis has been defined as the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting vascular structures. Corneal neovascularization (NV) occurs when the balance between angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors shifts toward angiogenic factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been found to be a significant angiogenic factor in corneal NV in human and animal models. Therapy specifical...

The aim of this study was to investigate corneal enzymatic resistance following epithelium off and on riboflavin/UVA cross-linking (CXL). One hundred and fourteen porcine eyes were divided into four non-irradiated control groups and seven CXL groups. The latter comprised; (i) epithelium-off, 0.1% iso-osmolar riboflavin, 9 mW UVA irradiation for 10 min, (ii) disrupted epithelium, 0.1% hypo-osmol...

PURPOSE To study the growth regulation of bovine corneal endothelium, the effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I on the expression of the c-fos proto-oncogene as well as on DNA synthesis were analyzed. Bovine corneal endothelial cells were also analyzed for the presence of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I receptors. METHODS Indirect immunofluorescence was used to assess t...

Keratan sulfate (KS) is an important glycosaminoglycan that is found in cartilage, reproductive tissues, and neural tissues. Corneal KS glycosaminoglycan is found N-linked to lumican, keratocan and mimecan proteoglycans, and has been widely studied by investigators interested in corneal development and diseases. Recently, the availability of corneal KS has become severely limited, owing to rest...