purpose: to report the result of limbal autografting in primary and recurrent pterygium. methods: in this case series, all patients who were referred to our clinic at farabi hospital, isfahan, iran for treatment of pterygium were included. indications of surgery included chronic ocular irritation, impaired or threatened vision, ocular motility problem and cosmetic reasons. under subconjunctiona...

Purpose Limbal niche cells (LNCs) play a pivotal role in regulating limbal epithelial stem/progenitor cells (LESCs). This study aimed to investigate whether Notch signaling is involved in LNCs' regulation of LESCs. Methods Rat limbus was digested by dispase and collagenase, respectively. Limbal niche cells were isolated by serial passage of collagenase-digested cells on coated Matrigel in a m...

PURPOSE To investigate the appearance of limbal and bulbar hyperaemia in normal eyes, their relationship and the inter-observer agreement of clinical grading. METHODS The right eyes of 120 healthy, non-contact lens-wearing subjects (m = 57, f = 63, median age = 45 years, range 18-77 years) were examined by two trained observers. Limbal and bulbar hyperaemia were scored using the Cornea and Co...

PURPOSE Human limbal palisade of Vogt is an ideal model for studying and practicing regenerative medicine due to their accessibility. Nonresolving inflammation is a common manifestation of limbal stem cell deficiency, which is the major cause of corneal blindness, and presents as a threat to the success of transplanted limbal epithelial stem cells. Clinical studies have shown that the efficacy ...

PURPOSE To identify genes preferentially expressed in the stem-cell-rich limbal epithelium of the rat cornea. METHODS The limbal and central corneal epithelial cells of 6-week-old rats were isolated by microdissection. Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) libraries were constructed and analyzed, and in situ hybridization, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cDNA ...

Introduction To evaluate the expression patterns of cytokeratin (K) 12, 13, and 19 in normal epithelium of the human ocular surface to determine whether K13 could be used as a marker for conjunctival epithelium. Methods: Total RNA was isolated from the human conjunctiva and central cornea. Those transcripts that had threefolds or higher expression levels in the conjunctiva than the cornea wer...

The objectives were to develop method of isolating viable human limbal basal cells in order to enrich a subset of small cells with a large Nucleus/Cytoplasm (N/C) ratio expressing high levels of p63, nuclear protein. Limbal tissues were treated with trypsin for 50 min at 37 degrees C in an orbital shaker at 100 rpm with epithelial side down followed by additional 5 min with epithelial side up a...

PURPOSE To examine the expression of stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA4) in the epithelium of the human ocular surface and characterize SSEA4(+) and SSEA4(-) limbal epithelial cells. METHODS SSEA4 expression in the human cornea and limbus was examined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. SSEA4(+) and SSEA4(-) cells were then separated by using magnetic beads. The phenotypes of these two...

PURPOSE To determine the expression patterns of the retinoblastoma protein and the E2F transcription factor families in limbal and corneal epithelia and in corneal keratocytes in situ during corneal development and differentiation. METHODS Retinoblastoma protein (pRb) and its family members p107 and p130; E2F-1, -2, and -4, members of the E2F family of transcription factors; and Ki67, a marke...

OBJECTIVE To assess the potential role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the pathogenesis of pterygia by comparing the immunolocalization patterns of MMPs in altered limbal basal stem cells, activated fibroblasts, and areas of elastotic degeneration adjacent to the pterygia. METHODS Nine primary and 1 recurrent pterygia along with normal superior limbal-conjunctival tissue and cornea wer...