[Opinion] Retinopathy of prematurity and neonatal gut microbiome: An interview with Professor Dimitra Skondra, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Vitreoretinal Surgeon at The University of Chicago (USA)

Mammas,Ioannis N.; Spandidos,Demetrios A.

doi:10.3892/etm.2020.9424

[Opinion] Retinopathy of prematurity and neonatal gut microbiome: An interview with Professor Dimitra Skondra, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Vitreoretinal Surgeon at The University of Chicago (USA)

Authors:
- Ioannis N. Mammas
- Demetrios A. Spandidos
View Affiliations

Affiliations: Institute of Paediatric Virology, Aliveri, 34500 Island of Euboea, Greece
Published online on: October 30, 2020 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.9424
Article Number: 294
Copyright: © Mammas et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

Metrics: Total Views: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )

Metrics: Total PDF Downloads: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )

Cited By (CrossRef): 0 citations Loading Articles...

Abstract

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a sight‑threatening disorder of the retina affecting neonates of very low birth weight and gestational age, and is characterized by the development of abnormal blood vessel growth. According to Dr Dimitra Skondra, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the University of Chicago School of Medicine in Chicago, USA, the neonatal gut microbiome may be implicated in the neoangiogenesis process in the neonatal retina and this role may be one of the missing links in the pathogenesis of ROP. The human gut microbiome consists of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi, which colonize the sterile fetal intestine, and differ depending on gestational age, mode of delivery, type of neonatal feeding, the usage of antibiotics and the requirement of neonatal intensive care. To date, it has been related to multiple nutritive, metabolic and immunological functions and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several human diseases, such as the inflammatory bowel diseases, autoimmune and neurogenerative disorders, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases and various types of malignant neoplasias. Recent research has proposed that the neonatal gut microbiome profile in high‑risk neonates who develop ROP is significantly enriched with Enterobacteriacaea species several weeks prior to the diagnosis of ROP. Further research using animal models is required to prove the causative or secondary role of the microbiome composition in the development and clinical course of ROP. If this role is proven, the gut microbiome could then be a target of intervention for personalized medicine in the prevention and therapeutic management of ROP in neonates.

View Figures

View References

1	Chen J and Smith LE: Retinopathy of prematurity. Angiogenesis. 10:133–140. 2007.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
2	Fierson WM: American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Ophthalmology, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and American Association of Certified Orthoptists. Screening examination of premature infants for retinopathy of prematurity. Pediatrics. 142(e20183061)2018.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
3	Cayabyab R and Ramanathan R: Retinopathy of prematurity: therapeutic strategies based on pathophysiology. Neonatology. 109:369–376. 2016.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
4	Sankar MJ, Sankar J and Chandra P: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs for treatment of retinopathy of prematurity. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 1(CD009734)2018.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
5	Rodriguez SH, Peyton C, Lewis K, Andrews B, Greenwald MJ, Schreiber MD, Msall ME and Blair MP: Neurodevelopmental outcomes comparing bevacizumab to laser for type 1 ROP. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 50:337–343. 2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
6	Wilson CM, Ells AL and Fielder AR: The challenge of screening for retinopathy of prematurity. Clin Perinatol. 40:241–259. 2013.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
7	Skondra D: Molecular inflammatory factors in diabetic retinopathy: a role of azurocidin (unpublished PhD thesis). University of Crete School of Medicine, 2014.
8	Chun LY, Massamba N, Silas MR, Blair MP, Hariprasad SM and Skondra D: Use of optical coherence tomography angiography in the diagnosis of small retina lesions in Von Hippel-Lindau disease. Eye (Lond): February 10, 2020 (Epub ahead of print).
9	Chun LY, Dolle-Molle L, Bethel C, Dimitroyannis RC, Williams BL, Schechet SA, Hariprasad SM, Missiakas D, Schneewind O, Beavis KG, et al: Rapid pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing in in vitro endophthalmitis with matrix assisted laser desorption-ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and VITEK 2 without prior culture. PLoS One. 14(e0227071)2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
10	Massamba N, Sellam A, Butel N, Skondra D, Caillaux V and Bodaghi B: Use of fundus autofluorescence combined with optical coherence tomography for diagnose of geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 8:298–305. 2019.PubMed/NCBI
11	Golas L, Skondra D, Ittiara S, Bajic N, Jeng-Miller KW, Mukai S, Yonekawa Y and Blair MP: Efficacy of retinal lesion screening in Von Hippel-Lindau patients with widefield color fundus imaging versus widefield FA. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 50:e260–e265. 2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
12	Chun LY, Silas MR, Dimitroyannis RC, Ho K and Skondra D: Differences in macular capillary parameters between healthy black and white subjects with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). PLoS One. 14(e0223142)2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
13	Komati R, Schechet S and Skondra D: Multimodal imaging of dissociated optic nerve fiber layer after internal limiting membrane peel. Ophthalmol Retina. 3(776)2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
14	Sokol JT, Schechet SA, Rosen DT, Ferenchak K, Dawood S and Skondra D: Outcomes of vitrectomy for diabetic tractional retinal detachment in Chicago's county health system. PLoS One. 14(e0220726)2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
15	Wang D, Bloomberg JD, Sobrin L, Goldstein D and Skondra D: Atypical herpes simplex virus type 2 acute retinal necrosis presentation with large subretinal lesion. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 15(100501)2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
16	Quan SC and Skondra D: Case report: Varicella-zoster encephalitis with acute retinal necrosis and oculomotor nerve palsy. Optom Vis Sci. 96:367–371. 2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
17	Sokol JT, Ferenchak K, Rosen DT, Schechet SA and Skondra D: Macular hole formation after pars plana vitrectomy for diabetic tractional retinal detachment. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 49:e256–e262. 2018.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
18	Baim AD, Movahedan A, Farooq AV and Skondra D: The microbiome and ophthalmic disease. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 244:419–429. 2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
19	Schechet S, Hariprasad SM, Movahedan A and Skondra D: Use of Optical coherence tomography angiography in masqueraders of wet age-related macular degeneration and choroidal neovascularization. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 49:80–85. 2018.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
20	Puzanov I, Diab A, Abdallah K, Bingham CO III, Brogdon C, Dadu R, Hamad L, Kim S, Lacouture ME, LeBoeuf NR, et al: Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Toxicity Management Working Group: Managing toxicities associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: Consensus recommendations from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Toxicity Management Working Group. J Immunother Cancer. 5(95)2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
21	Skondra D, Westerfeld C and Vavvas DG: Modified controlled encircling scleral buckle for retinal detachment. J Vitreoretin Dis. 1:314–316. 2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
22	Ma J, Desai R, Nesper P, Gill M, Fawzi A and Skondra D: Optical coherence tomographic angiography imaging in age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmol Eye Dis. 9(1179172116686075)2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
23	Skondra D, Nesper PL and Fawzi AA: Multimodal imaging of acute exudative polymorphous vitelliform maculpathy with optimal coherence tomography angiography and adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. Retin Cases Brief Rep. 13:195–198. 2019.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
24	Simonett JM, Chan EW, Chou J, Skondra D, Colon D, Chee CK, Lingam G and Fawzi AA: Quantitative analysis of en face spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 48:126–133. 2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
25	Roberts PK, Nesper PL, Onishi AC, Skondra D, Jampol LM and Fawzi AA: Characterizing photoreceptor changes in acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy using adaptive optics. Retina. 38:39–48. 2018.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
26	Heiferman MJ, Rahmani S, Jampol LM, Nesper PL, Skondra D, Kim LA and Fawzi AA: Acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy on optical coherence tomography angiography. Retina. 37:2084–2094. 2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
27	Dawood S and Skondra D: Monocular floaters and flashes. Dis Mon. 63:80–87. 2017.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
28	Finn AP, Eliott D, Kim LA, Husain D, Wu DM, Young LH, Kim IK, Andreoli C, Skondra D, Vavvas DG, et al: Characteristics and outcomes of simultaneous bilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 47:840–845. 2016.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
29	Shah RS, Soetikno BT, Yi J, Liu W, Skondra D, Zhang HF and Fawzi AA: Visible-light optical coherence tomography angiography for monitoring laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in mice. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 57:86–95. 2016.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
30	Callahan AB, Skondra D, Krzystolik M, Yonekawa Y and Eliott D: Wyburn-Mason syndrome associated with cutaneous reactive angiomatosis and central retinal vein occlusion. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 46:760–762. 2015.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
31	Asano MK, Papakostas TD, Palma CV and Skondra D: Visual outcomes of surgery for stage 4 and 5 retinopathy of prematurity. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 54:225–237. 2014.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
32	Papakostas TD, Kohanim S, Skondra D, Lo K and Chodosh J: Medical management of Alternaria keratitis with endophthalmitis in a patient with a corneal graft. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 42:496–497. 2014.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
33	Papakostas TD, Yonekawa Y, Skondra D and Vavvas DG: Traumatic chorioretinal rupture (sclopetaria). Int Ophthalmol Clin. 53:119–125. 2013.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
34	Skondra D, Chang GC, Farber HW and Eliott D: Ophthalmologic diagnosis of exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Arch Ophthalmol. 130:1619–1621. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
35	Hunter RS, Skondra D, Papaliodis G and Sobrin L: Role of OCT in the diagnosis and management of macular edema from uveitis. Semin Ophthalmol. 27:236–241. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
36	Skondra D, Papakostas T and Vavvas DG: Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in age-related macular degeneration. Semin Ophthalmol. 27:209–212. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
37	Skondra D, Papakostas TD, Hunter R and Vavvas DG: Near infrared autofluorescence imaging of retinal diseases. Semin Ophthalmol. 27:202–208. 2012.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
38	Chan RV, Yonekawa Y, Lane AM, Skondra D, Munzenrider JE, Collier JM, Gragoudas ES and Kim IK: Proton beam irradiation using a light-field technique for the treatment of choroidal hemangiomas. Ophthalmologica. 224:209–216. 2010.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
39	Pallikaris A, Skondra D, Karavvela M and Tsilimbaris M: Confocal scanning laser tomography analysis of choroidal neovascularization and correlation with quantitative fluorescein angiography. Curr Eye Res. 34:319–327. 2009.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
40	Skondra D, Noda K, Almulki L, Tayyari F, Frimmel S, Nakazawa T, Kim IK, Zandi S, Thomas KL, Miller JW, et al: Characterization of azurocidin as a permeability factor in the retina: Involvement in VEGF-induced and early diabetic blood-retinal barrier breakdown. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 49:726–731. 2008.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
41	Nakazawa T, Matsubara A, Noda K, Hisatomi T, She H, Skondra D, Miyahara S, Sobrin L, Thomas KL, Chen DF, et al: Characterization of cytokine responses to retinal detachment in rats. Mol Vis. 12:867–878. 2006.PubMed/NCBI
42	Tsilimbaris MK, Charisis SK, Naoumidi T, Panteleontidis V, Skondra D, Christodoulakis E and Naoumidi I: Contact transscleral ciliary body photodynamic therapy in pigmented rabbits using verteporfin and diode laser: Evaluation of treatment parameters. Curr Eye Res. 31:577–585. 2006.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
43	Pallikaris A, Skondra D and Tsilimbaris M: Intraobserver repeatability of macula measurements by confocal scanning laser tomography. Am J Ophthalmol. 139:624–630. 2005.PubMed/NCBI View Article : Google Scholar
44	Skondra D: Early gut microbiome profile in high-risk preterm infants with and without retinopathy of prematurity. In: Proceedings of The Retina Society 2019 Annual Meeting, London, 2019.