BACKGROUND This study was undertaken to establish the characterization of cultured oral mucosal epithelium and introducing them as an alternative source for reconstruction of ocular surface disease. METHODS Human oral epithelial cells were cultured on simple media (DMEM/HF12) as control and co-cultured on mitomycin C-treated 3T3 feeder layer, on the amniotic membrane (AM) without nitrocellulo...

OBJECTIVE To establish a reproducible method for the culture of primary equine corneal epithelial cells, keratocytes, and endothelial cells and to describe each cell's morphologic characteristics, immunocytochemical staining properties and conditions required for cryopreservation. PROCEDURES Corneas from eight horses recently euthanized for reasons unrelated to this study were collected asept...

A method to devitalize single layers of apically exposed rabbit corneal epithelial cells through the use of digitonin is described. Devitalized cells exfoliate spontaneously as loosely cohesive, trypan-blue-stained layers, exposing underlying viable cells. Repeated application of this devitalization-exfoliation methodology results in the gradual elimination of each of the epithelial cells. The ...

AIMS The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cicatricial repair of a corneal artificial perforation in rats with 10-0 nylon suture, N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) adhesive, or NBCA + methacryloxysulfolane (NBCA-MS) adhesive through microscopic and histological assays. METHODS Twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups each containing 5 rats: (1) control group (corneal tra...

PURPOSE Maintenance of avascularity of the normal cornea and control of neovascularization during wound healing depend on a balance of angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors. The purpose of this paper is to determine the ability of corneal cells to convert plasminogen to angiostatins and to compare these products with those made by intact corneas. METHODS RT-PCR was performed using plasminogen...

PURPOSE The main purpose of this study was to develop a cell culture model of immortalized epithelium from the human cornea for drug permeability testing. METHODS Immortalized human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells were grown on filters, with various filter materials and coating procedures. In the optimal case, HCE cells were grown on polyester filters coated with rat tail collagen gel containi...

THiE problem of correcting the refractive error of an aphakic eye other than by prescribing the cumbersome cataract lenses still remains open, in spite of the excellent work done in this field by Ridley, and all its modifications. In search of a method which might combine greater safety for the patient with a simpler operative technique, an operation has been devised which consists in implantin...

Diseases of the cornea are common and refer to conditions like infections, injuries and genetic defects. Morphologically, many corneal diseases affect only certain layers of the cornea and separate analysis of the individual layers is therefore of interest to explore the basic molecular mechanisms involved in corneal health and disease. In this study, the three main layers including, the epithe...

PURPOSE Heparan sulfate (HS) is a highly modified glycosaminoglycan (GAG) bound to a core protein to form heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) that are vital in many cellular processes ranging from development to adult physiology, as well as in disease, through interactions with various protein ligands. This study aimed to elucidate the role of HS in corneal epithelial homeostasis and wound he...

PURPOSE To analize changing trends in indications and surgical techniques of corneal transplantation at an ophthalmological tertiary referral center in Colombia over a 7 year period. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed of medical records from patients who underwent corneal transplantation surgeries at Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander (FOSCAL) in Bucaramanga, Colombia, between A...