To explore the feasibility of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in the early detection of syphilis and syphilitic chorioretinopathy.

Patients with newly diagnosed syphilis were enrolled from September 2022 to November 2023. All the participants underwent serological examinations including rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test and treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) test, as well as macular OCTA scanning. Quantitative indicators including macular vessel flow density (VFD), vessel length density (VLD), and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) were measured and analyzed.

A total of 44 participants were recruited in this study, including 24 patients in the syphilis group (14 males, mean age: 30.83±9.59y) and 20 healthy individuals in the control group (6 males, mean age: 29.6±11.86y). Compared with the control group, the syphilis group presented significantly higher macular VLD and VFD (P<0.05), as well as an increased FAZ perimeter. Subgroup analysis was performed based on RPR titers, with patients divided into the low-titer subgroup (1:2–1:4) and high-titer subgroup (1:8–1:128). Both subgroups showed elevated VLD and VFD (excluding inner VFD) relative to controls (all P<0.05). Moreover, significant elevation of VFD was only observed in the high-titer subgroup. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified outer VLD as the optimal indicator for distinguishing syphilis patients from controls, with an area under the curve of 0.802 (95%CI: 0.667–0.937).

Syphilis patients with either low or high RPR titers show increased macular VLD and VFD in the absence of obvious visual impairment, indicating the potential of OCTA microvascular parameters for early auxiliary diagnosis of syphilitic ocular lesions.

To investigate the impact of depression-like behavior on ocular surface homeostasis in a mouse model, with a focus on dry eye-like alterations.

Male C57BL/6J mice (10–12 weeks old) were randomly assigned to control or restraint stress (RS) groups. The RS group underwent three intermittent 24-hour restraint sessions to induce depressive-like behavior. Behavioral testing, tear secretion measurement, and corneal Oregon Green Dextran (OGD) staining were performed. Postmortem analyses included histological evaluation of lacrimal glands, goblet cell quantification using periodic acid-Schiff staining, and assessment of key inflammatory and apoptotic markers: interleukin (IL)-17, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-3, MMP-9, IL-13, interferon (IFN)-γ, and cleaved caspase-3 and -8.

Repeated RS induced depression-like behavior and significant ocular surface changes. RS-treated mice showed increased corneal OGD uptake and upregulation of gene/protein expression of IL-17, MMP-3, and MMP-9 (P<0.05). Goblet cell density and IL-13 protein expression were reduced, while IFN-γ protein expression was elevated (P<0.05). Cleaved caspase-3 and -8 levels were significantly increased in both cornea and conjunctiva. Tear volume and lacrimal gland size were unchanged; however, mild inflammatory infiltration was observed in lacrimal glands.

Repeated RS leads to ocular surface inflammation and dry eye-like pathology, including corneal barrier disruption, goblet cell loss, and epithelial apoptosis. These findings suggest that depression contributes to the pathogenesis of dry eye disease via immune-mediated mechanisms.

To psychometrically validate the Chinese version of the dry eye-related quality-of-life score questionnaire (DEQS-CHN) among Chinese patients with dry eye.

This study involved 231 participants, including 191 with dry eye disease (DED) comprising the dry eye disease group, and 40 healthy participants forming the control group. Participants were required to complete the DEQS-CHN, and Chinese dry eye questionnaire and undergo clinical tests including the fluorescein breakup time (FBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), and Schirmer I test. To assess the internal consistency and retest reliability, Cronbach’s α and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were employed. Content validity was assessed by item-level content validity index (ICV) and an average scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave). Construct validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis. The concurrent validity was assessed by calculating correlations between DEQS-CHN and Chinese dry eye questionnaire. Discriminative validity was evaluated through non-parametric tests, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve serving as conclusive indicators of the questionnaire’s distinguishing capability.

The Cronbach’s α coefficients for frequency and degree of ocular symptoms, impact on daily life, and summary score were 0.736, 0.704, 0.811, 0.818, 0.861, and 0.860, respectively, and the ICC were 0.611, 0.677, 0.715, 0.769, 0.711, and 0.779, respectively. All I-CVI scores ranged from 0.833 to 1.000, with an S-CVI/Ave of 0.956. Confirmatory factor analysis results exhibited a well-fitting model consistent with the original questionnaire [χ²/df=2.653, incremental fit index (IFI)=0.924, comparative fit index (CFI)=0.924, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI)=0.909, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.065]. There was a moderate positive correlation between the DEQS-CHN and the Chinese dry eye questionnaire (r²=0.588). The dry eye group demonstrated significantly higher scores compared to the control group, and the area under the curve (AUC) value was 0.8092.

The DEQS-CHN has been demonstrated as a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the impact of dry eye disease on the quality of life among Chinese individuals with DED.

To establish a stable, short-time, low-cost and reliable murine model of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

A filter paper sheet soaked in 1.0 mol/L sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was used to touch the eyelid margin of C57BL/6J mice for 10s to establish the model. The other eye was left untreated as a control group. Eyelid margin morphological changes and the meibomian glands (MGs) were observed by slit lamp microscopy on days 5 and 10 post-burn. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Oil red O staining were adopted in detecting the changes in MGs morphology and lipid deposition. Real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, immunofluorescence staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-18, tumor necroses factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 4 (NOX4), 3-nitroturosine (3-NT), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and cytokeratin 10 (K10) expression changes in MGs.

MGs showed plugging of orifice, glandular deficiency, abnormal acinar morphology, ductal dilatation, and lipid deposition after alkali burn. The expressions of IL-6, IL-18, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and TNF-α indicators of inflammation and oxidative stress in MGs tissues were significantly increased. Abnormal keratinization increased in the MG duct.

A murine model of MGD is established by alkali burn of the eyelid margin that matches the clinical presentation of MGD providing a stable, short-time, low-cost, and reliable MGD model. The new method suggests efficient avenues for future research.