Robertson, Erle S

Email Address
ORCID
Disciplines
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Position
Introduction
Research Interests

Filters

2010 - 20122
2
2
Reset filters

Settings

Subject: Eye Diseases ×

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Publication
    Multiple Oncogenic Viruses Identified in Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia in HIV-1 Patients
    (2010-03-26) Simbiri, Kenneth O; Feldman, Michael; Steenhoff, Andrew P; Bisson, Gregory P; Murakami, Masanao; Robertson, Erle S; Nkomazana, Oathokwa
    Background Ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) is a rare cancer that has increased in incidence with the HIV pandemic in Africa. The underlying cause of this cancer in HIV-infected patients from Botswana is not well defined. Results Tissues were obtained from 28 OSSN and 8 pterygia patients. The tissues analyzed from OSSN patients were 83% positive for EBV, 75% were HPV positive, 70% were KSHV positive, 75% were HSV-1/2 positive, and 61% were CMV positive by PCR. Tissues from pterygium patients were 88% positive for EBV, 75% were HPV positive, 50% were KSHV positive, and 60% were CMV positive. None of the patients were JC or BK positive. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry analyses further identified HPV, EBV, and KSHV in a subset of the tissue samples. Conclusion We identified the known oncogenic viruses HPV, KSHV, and EBV in OSSN and pterygia tissues. The presence of these tumor viruses in OSSN suggests that they may contribute to the development of this malignancy in the HIV population. Further studies are necessary to characterize the molecular mechanisms associated with viral antigens and their potential role in the development of OSSN.
  • Publication
    Cytokine and Chemokine Expression Profiles in HIV-1 Infected Patients With Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia From Botswana
    (2012-05-28) Simbiri, Kenneth O; Jha, Hem C; Robertson, Erle S; Dzeng, Richard K; Massaro-Giordano, Giacomina
    Purpose: Ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) rate has increased in incidence with the HIV pandemic in Africa. Multiple factors including cellular and environmental can affect the pathogenesis of OSSN in HIV-infected patients. We will investigate anti-inflammatory cytokines, proinflammatory cytokines, and growth factor expression in sera and tissue samples of OSSN and pterygia for the potential link to the development of OSSN. Results: Antibody analysis showed significant changes in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors in sera. Quantitative RT-PCR of tissues showed expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines associated with HIV infection and carcinogenesis. Conclusion: Our findings showed that dysregulation in expression of cytokines and growth factors in patients with multiple infections may contribute to pathogenesis of OSSN and pterygia. The data reinforces the significance of in depth analysis of immune function in HIV-1 OSSN patients with multiple viral infections that has potential for therapy and vaccine development.