Long Term Temporal Changes in Structure and Function of Rat Visual System After Blast Exposure

Details

• Personal Author:
  Benko, Nikolaus A. ; Coats, Brittany ; Jones, Justin ; Peiffer, Robert L. ; Shedd, Daniel F. ; Zaugg, Brian E.
• Description:
  Purpose: We identify long-term ocular sequelae subsequent to experimental blast exposure. Methods: Male Long-Evans rats were exposed to 230 kPa side-on primary blast overpressure using a compressed air driven shock tube. Visual system function and structure were assessed for 8 weeks after exposure using optokinetic nystagmus and optical coherence tomography. Vitreous protein expression and histology (TUNEL, H&E) were performed at 1 day and 1, 4, and 8 weeks. IOP was recorded bilaterally during blast in a subset of animals. Results: Blast pressure profiles resembled the Friedlander waveform indicative of an open field blast. Peak IOP in directly-exposed eyes (240 kPa) was similar to peak blast overpressure, but IOP in indirectly-exposed eyes was 30% lower. Contrast sensitivity of blast-exposed animals decreased significantly by 20% 1 day after blast and did not recover by 8 weeks. Significant swelling and structural damage to the corneal epithelial and stromal layers were observed 2 weeks after blast exposure. Swollen corneas increased 254 +/- 143 µm from baseline by 6 weeks, and scarring developed by 8 weeks. Histology revealed additional lens pathology 1 week after blast, suggestive of cataract development. Endothelial cell density increased significantly in blast-exposed animals between 1 and 4 weeks. Neurofilament heavy chain significantly increased after blast and returned to near baseline values by 8 weeks. Inflammatory cytokine changes corroborated ocular pathology findings. Conclusions: These data demonstrate immediate visual dysfunction and biochemical responses, but delayed structural pathology, in response to single primary blast exposure. The delayed pathology time course may provide a window to implement treatment strategies for improved visual outcome. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Eye Occupational Health Pathology Safety Sense Organs Sense Organs / Injuries Vision Disorders
• Keywords:
  Animal Studies Author Keywords: Ocular Blast Injury Blast Injuries Contrast Sensitivity Cornea Eye Injuries Ophthalmology Physiological Effects Retina Retinal Disorders Vision Disorders

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• ISSN:
  0146-0404
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 8 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  13 pdf pages
• Volume:
  59
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067278
• Citation:
  Investig Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2018 Jan; 59(1):349-361
• Contact Point Address:
  Brittany Coats, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, 1495 E 100 S, 1550 MEK, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
• Email:
  brittany.coats@utah.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6e53cceb395fc4200a55d22990bae66bf03f23b3016e8d7dd894f9443299dfd0a440de4b6f81bb274a39db58112e60a770f46a8cfdebcc893bef4f19a51a0aec
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230710/cdc_230710_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.68 MB ]